Martin Whitfield

12 Dec 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps it is taking to address obesity.

6 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) financial and (b) other resources it allocated to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) implementation programme, which began in 2021 and is set to finish in March 2024; what proportion of any resources allocated have been used to date, and what any su…

Answer · Natalie Don: The 2021-22 Programme for Government included a commitment to invest £4 million until March 2024 to support public services to consistently uphold children's rights. The financial memorandum that accompanied the original UNCRC Bill set out how that would be s…

6 Dec 2023 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many GP surgeries are not currently accepting new patients.

22 Nov 2023 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with East Lothian Council regarding the future of local public service provision in the area, including in relation to the Loch Centre in Tranent.

20 Nov 2023 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it has considered any need for imprints to be placed on parliamentary-funded MSP literature.

Answer · Jackson Carlaw (on behalf of the SPCB) : Imprints are a way of stating who is responsible for publishing campaigning or promotional political material and who they are promoting it for.  This point is reflected in the Electoral Commission’s recent statutory guidance on digital imprints under the Ele…

16 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide clarification on whether the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) will be replaced or reformed, in light of the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills using both terms during her ministerial statement on 7 November 2023.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Yes, the SQA is being replaced with a new qualifications body as part of the Scottish Government’s wider education and skills reform programme. As part of the process of replacing the SQA, the Scottish Government has opened a consultation on the provisions i…

16 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how the Barnett consequential funding that it received as a result of the UK Government's funding support for swimming pools in England will be distributed.

Answer · Shona Robison: The funding received was included within the Scottish Government’s Autumn Budget Revision published on 28 September. It also formed part of the consequentials figures included in the Deputy First Minister’s letter to the FPAC on 21 November providing an updat…

14 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to (a) schools, (b) colleges and (c) universities, what the current average waiting time is for accessing specialised services related to additional support needs provision, including (i) speech therapy, (ii) counselling and (iii) occupational therapy, and what steps are bei…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The term additional support needs under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (the 2004 Act) applies where for whatever reason children or young people are unable to benefit from school education without the provision of addition…

14 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to (a) schools, (b) colleges and (c) universities, what mechanisms are currently in place to (i) monitor and (ii) address the mental health and wellbeing of students with additional support needs.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The term additional support needs under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 applies where for whatever reason children or young people are unable to benefit from school education without the provision of additional support. The…

14 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to (a) schools, (b) colleges and (c) universities, what specialised support services are currently available to students with additional support needs, including (i) speech therapy, (ii) counselling and (iii) occupational therapy, broken down by geographical location.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The term additional support needs under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (the 2004 Act) applies where for whatever reason children or young people are unable to benefit from school education without the provision of addition…

14 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to (a) schools, (b) colleges and (c) universities, what (i) specific criteria are and (ii) process is used to (A) assess and (B) identify students with additional support needs (ASN), and how many students with ASN have been identified in each education setting in the last a…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The term additional support needs under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (the 2004 Act) applies where for whatever reason children or young people are unable to benefit from school education without the provision of addition…

14 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many formal complaints from parents regarding additional support needs provision have been received in each academic year since 2016-17, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Under section 70 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, any interested party can make a complaint to the Scottish Ministers that a responsible body (the managers of a school or education establishment, an education authority, or other persons) has failed to di…

14 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide data on the number of students with additional support needs who have undergone transitions between mainstream and special education settings in the last academic year.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: This information is not held centrally. However, the Pupils with complex additional support needs: research into provision published on 19 September 2023 reflects practice and provides examples of the transition process followed by a child or young person …

14 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to (a) schools, (b) colleges and (c) universities, what the current average caseload of additional support needs staff is, and how this compares to recommended standards or benchmarks.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The term additional support needs under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (the 2004 Act) applies where for whatever reason children or young people are unable to benefit from school education without the provision of addition…

14 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to (a) schools, (b) colleges and (c) universities, whether it will publish the full data on the outcomes and achievements of students with additional support needs over the past academic year, and whether it will provide a list of any notable (i) successes and (ii) challenge…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Data on the outcomes and achievements of school pupils with additional support needs are published on the Scottish Government website. Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels data provides information on attainment of school pupils in literacy and at…

14 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the overall education budget is dedicated specifically to additional support needs provision, and how this has changed over the past three fiscal years.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Equalities, Inclusion and Additional Support for Learning budget was £26.8 million in each of 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 which equates to 0.65%, 0.63% and 0.65% of the wider Education and Skills portfolio budget. This budget includes the Scottish Gover…

14 Nov 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its Fair Work First policy, what its response is to reports that workers in Scotland lost nearly £1.9 billion in wages in a year due to working unpaid overtime.

7 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported cumulative funding gap in excess of £71 million in East Lothian Council’s budget over the next five years, whether it will explore options for providing the local authority with additional funding to pay for any new infrastructure and other services needed to co…

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Deputy First Minister met with representatives of East Lothian Council on 23 August 2023 to discuss the specific challenges facing East Lothian, including population growth. We are committed to taking forward work through the More Balanced Population str…

7 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it is making available to East Lothian Council to assist with the cost of replacing the 140-year-old primary school in the village of East Linton.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: It is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage and maintain their school estate, and Scottish Government funding is intended to augment, not replace, local authorities’ own investment in their schools. East Lothian Council have been awarde…

7 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider providing East Lothian Council with additional financial assistance to carry out the estimated £4.4 million worth of repairs reportedly required at the Loch Centre in Tranent.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government places great importance on community sports and leisure facilities. They are crucial to the wellbeing of all our country and most importantly, for our children and young people to be healthy and active. We are fully aware that local a…

2 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many claimants in total it expects will move to Adult Disability Payment via “managed transfer”.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We currently estimate the awards of around 160,000 people will be selected for ‘managed transfer’ to Adult Disability Payment.  

2 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is assessing and monitoring (a) the process of transferring claimants from Personal Independence Payment to Adult Disability Payment and (b) any impact on the individuals involved.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: All Personal Independence Payment awards received from the Department for Work and Pensions are tracked throughout the case transfer process, to ensure a safe and secure transition into Adult Disability Payment. We monitor the progress of transferring clients…

2 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, since August 2022, what percentage of claimants to be automatically transferred to Adult Disability Payment have been transferred because (a) their Personal Independence Payment (PIP) award is due to be reviewed, (b) their PIP award is coming to an end and (c) they have reported a chang…

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Official statistics show that as of 31 July 2023, 51,260 people in receipt of Personal Independence Payment or Disability Living Allowance had their award transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions to Social Security Scotland. This accounts for 55%…

2 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to any potential impact on multiple sclerosis (MS) nurses of the proposed National Care Service.

Answer · Jenni Minto: We remain committed to delivering a National Care Service to improve quality, fairness and consistency of provision that meets individuals’ needs. We are designing the NCS in partnership with stakeholders and experts, including NHS management and clinical sta…

2 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it expects to meet its target for transferring all Personal Independence Payment claimants to Adult Disability Payment by the end of 2025.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Yes.  

24 Oct 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the just transition secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the role of industry in delivering a just transition.

16 Oct 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Creative Scotland about funding for financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25. 

2 Oct 2023 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the reported proposed rationalisation of the Police Scotland estate.

18 Sep 2023 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of a planned strike by school support staff, including janitors, cleaners, caterers and school support assistants, over pay and conditions.

4 Sep 2023 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many public buildings are currently at risk due to the exposure of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.