Iain Gray

21 May 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it plans to provide to farmers’ markets.

18 May 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support East Lothian Council's efforts to promote the area as a tourist destination.

12 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the budget is for nationally commissioned specialist patient services in 2015-16.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The National Specialist and Screening Services Directorate budget for nationally commissioned specialist services in 2015-16 is £180 million.

12 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much was spent on nationally commissioned specialist patient services in each year from 2009-10 to 2014-15.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The information requested is provided in the following table: Year Total value of nationally commissioned services in NHS Scotland 2009-10 £140,326,000 2010-11 £139,914,000 2011-12 £147,314,000 2012-13 £152,071,000 2013-14 £162,990,000 2014-15 …

12 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are in place to ensure that people who have received deep brain stimulation surgery in (a) Edinburgh and (b) Dundee can access long-term follow-up care, including (i) modulation of their stimulator, (ii) maintenance of their implant and (iii) neuropsychological support.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Modulation of the stimulator is a nurse-led service available in NHS Tayside. The Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle also provides a service for patients who would previously have been treated in either NHS Lothian or NHS Tayside. Stimulators are remove…

12 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are in place to ensure that people living in Scotland who have received deep brain stimulation surgery in England receive follow-up support (a) in the first year after the procedure and (b) for the rest of their lives.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Patients from the north and east of Scotland currently access deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgical services in England. However, the management of a patient’s underlying condition, such as Parkinson’s or Dystonia, is managed by their local neurologist and sp…

12 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are in place in each NHS board to ensure that suitable candidates can access deep brain stimulation surgery for conditions such as Parkinson’s and dystonia.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: West of Scotland NHS boards refer patients requiring deep brain stimulation (DBS) to the regional centre at the Institute of Neurological Sciences at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow. NHS boards in the north and east of Scotland refer patients requ…

11 May 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide for East Lothian Council to increase employment opportunities for young people.

1 May 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reasons for falling literacy and numeracy in schools.

20 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to change the eligibility criteria for education maintenance allowance and how it will pay for this.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: In March 2015, the First Minister announced extending the education maintenance allowance (EMA) scheme. The changes will involve raising the eligibility threshold to make payments available to an estimated 10,000 additional school pupils and extending the sch…

20 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have claimed the education maintenance allowance in each year since 2007 and how many people it expects will claim in each year of the next parliamentary session.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The number of young people in receipt of education maintenance allowance (EMA) since academic year 2006-07 is detailed in the following table. As EMA is an entitlement in Scotland and a demand led programme this means that any person who meets the eligibility…

20 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on the education maintenance allowance in each year since 2007 and how much it plans to spend in each year of the next parliamentary session.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The following table details the education maintenance allowance (EMA) spend since academic year 2006-07. The EMA is an entitlement in Scotland and a demand led programme which means that any person who meets the eligibility criteria will receive EMA support. …

20 Apr 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether health spending in Scotland has risen less than in England since 2010.

15 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the legislation and rules regarding complaints about lawyers.

Answer · Michael Matheson: In consultation with the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC), the Law Society of Scotland, the Faculty of Advocates, the Association of Commercial Attorneys, the Legal Defence Union, the Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal, Citizens Advice Scotla…

2 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made an assessment of what impact the (a) timing and (b) quality of information on student support has on applicants or student behaviour and, if not, whether it will ask its widening access commission to do so.

Answer · Angela Constance: Provision of high quality information for students on the level of support they can access is crucial. The Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) has not looked explicitly at the impact of the timing of information on student support, as this has not been …

2 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish information on student support rates for 2015-16 and for what reason there has been a delay in doing so.

Answer · Angela Constance: The 2015-16 funding guide, which includes details of student support rates, became available on the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) website on 2 April 2015. The SAAS events team has distributed the guide at events since 26 March 2015. The SAAS webs…

16 Mar 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle poverty.

9 Mar 2015 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what support the Scottish Government is giving to the poorest university students.

23 Feb 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish further details of its attainment fund.

16 Feb 2015 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what plans the Scottish Government has to allow schools to delay the implementation of the new advanced higher qualifications.

9 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many attainment advisers are in place and in which local authorities; when any outstanding positions will be filled, and whether each local authority will have one before May 2016.

Answer · Angela Constance: We are committed to ensuring that all local authorities have access to an attainment advisor. We are planning to appoint 12 attainment advisors in the first instance and will keep this under review. The attainment advisors will work collaboratively across gro…

9 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it calculated the figures set out at paragraph 108 of the Education and Culture Committee's report on the draft budget for 2013-14.

Answer · Angela Constance: The table at paragraph 108 shows an estimate of the number of students who would be eligible for each level of bursary payment under the new student support system. This was drawn from analysis conducted in 2011-12, which used Student Awards Agency Scotland …

9 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the average claim for Independent Students Bursary in 2013-14 was lower than the flat-rate grant available.

Answer · Angela Constance: The bursary entitlement is assessed using the household income. If final evidence shows a difference in the original income declared, this may lead to an original bursary entitlement having to be revised. Any additional paid amount a student was not entitled …

9 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many students in 2013-14 received a total package of Independent Students Bursary plus loan support worth £7,250.

Answer · Angela Constance: There were 13,645 students in 2013-14 who received the maximum support package of Independent Students Bursary plus loan worth £7,250. This was made up of a bursary of £750 and a student loan of £6,500.

9 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many students in 2013-14 in each of the lower income brackets claimed the relevant rate of Independent Students Bursary, and how many claimed (a) the full and (b) a smaller amount of loan.

Answer · Angela Constance: The following table shows how many students from each of the lower income brackets received the Independent Students’ Bursary (ISB) in 2013-14. Full-time undergraduate students 2013-14 receiving ISB support Number of students All 17,400 No income or inco…

9 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many students in 2013-14 received a total package of Young Students Bursary plus loan support worth £7,250.

Answer · Angela Constance: There were 11,485 students in 2013-14 who received the maximum support package of Young Students Bursary plus loan worth £7,250. This was made up of a bursary of £1,750 and a student loan of £5,500.

9 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many students in 2013-14 in each of the lower income brackets claimed the relevant rate of Young Students Bursary, and how many claimed (a) the full and (b) a smaller amount of loan.

Answer · Angela Constance: The following table shows how many students from each of the lower income brackets received the Young Students’ Bursary (YSB) in 2013-14. Full-time undergraduate students 2013-14 receiving YSB support Number of students All 32,930 No income or income not…

5 Jan 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the worst performing NHS boards to meet the referral to treatment targets for psychological treatments including tier 2 child and adolescent mental health services.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government provides support to all NHS boards, including those that will not meet the target, through the Quality and Efficiency Support Team, through the quarterly Psychological Therapies Implementation and Monitoring Group which represents a wi…

5 Jan 2015 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on reports that it has abandoned its policies to protect teacher numbers and reduce class sizes.

8 Dec 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of recent developments at Pelamis Ltd and Aquamarine Ltd.