Parliamentary questions

Ken Macintosh

1,334 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

15 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether applicants for courses to be discontinued at the City of Glasgow College were informed that courses were discontinued or that their application had been unsuccessful.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government does not hold such information centrally. It is for individual colleges to communicate appropriately any changes to the curriculum.

15 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much advance notification was given before the reduction in courses at the City of Glasgow College was announced.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government does not hold such information centrally. It is for individual colleges to communicate appropriately any changes to the curriculum.

15 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the courses being discontinued at the City of Glasgow College are access courses.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government does not hold such information centrally. It is for individual colleges continually to review their curriculum to ensure it delivers maximum benefit for learners and employers.

15 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many courses are being discontinued by the City of Glasgow College; how many student places will be discontinued, also broken down by course of study; how many staff posts will be lost; what the impact will be on the hours of temporary staff, and whether an equalities impact assessme…

13 May 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to encourage a mutual, co-operative or not-for-dividend organisation to bid for the Scottish rail passenger franchise.

8 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth to the Finance Committee on 1 May 2013 regarding the creation of an “independent forecasting body that can provide independent assessment to the Government and the Parliament” (Official Repor…

Answer · John Swinney: As I made clear on 31 October 2012 in responding to oral question S4O-01401, the Scottish Government recognises that a robust fiscal framework is vital to the long term sustainability of the public finances. That is why the Scottish Government agreed in princ…

7 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-14615 by John Swinney on 2 May 2013, whether it will make a ministerial statement on the shared equity schemes and, if so, when.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-14710 on 17 May 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybus…

7 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-14615 by John Swinney on 2 May 2013, for what reason the information was provided in response to a Scottish Government-inspired question and what consideration it gave to providing a ministerial statement.

Answer · John Swinney: The inspired parliamentary question was considered the most appropriate way of advising Parliament of the decision over how to allocate available financial transaction consequentials. As noted in response to S4W-14615 further detail on the deployment of the f…

7 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-14615 by John Swinney on 2 May 2013, on what it will spend the “accumulated police reserves" and what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding their allocation.

Answer · John Swinney: Accumulated police reserves in the region of £20 to £30 million will accrue to the Scottish Government Resource Department of Employment and Learning(DEL) budget. As set out in response to S4W-14615, this will help the Scottish Government to minimise the impa…

7 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-14615 by John Swinney on 2 May 2013, for what reason there is an “emerging 2012-13 underspend to the college sector” and what correspondence the Cabinet Secretary for (a) Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth and (b) Education and Lifelong Lear…

Answer · John Swinney: There is no underspend in the college sector in 2012-13. £10 million in emerging underspend elsewhere in Scottish Government has been redirected as additional funding to the sector through the Scottish Funding Council.

7 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-14615 by John Swinney on 2 May 2013, whether the £10 million additional funding for the further education sector that it announced on 6 February 2013 (Official Report c. 16478) will no longer be spent in that area and, if so, where this will now be …

Answer · John Swinney: The commitment to provide an additional £10 million funding for the college sector has been maintained. As set out in response to S4W-14615, rather than funding this from Barnett consequentials in 2013-14, an additional £10 million in funding has been passed …

7 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-14615 by John Swinney on 2 May 2013, on what it will spend the £12 million reduction in the level of planned switch between the resource and capital budgets in the housing portfolio.

Answer · John Swinney: As set out in the response to S4W-14615, the three measures described will allow the Scottish Government to almost fully offset the £54.8 million cut that has been made in the Scottish Government Resource DEL budget in 2013-14, without detriment to existing p…

7 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-14615 by John Swinney on 2 May 2013, how much the “significant additional funding to support shared equity schemes” will be.

7 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-14615 by John Swinney on 2 May 2013, how it will “provide substantial further support to the housing sector”.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government will make further announcements on the allocation of financial transactions consequentials in the course of May.

1 May 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports bus services.

29 Apr 2013 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with the European Commission regarding an opt-out from pensions regulations should Scotland become independent.

10 Apr 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to deal with reported rising levels of economic inactivity among women.

25 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the Deputy First Minister’s reported assertion that welfare spending in Scotland will be reduced by £4.5 billion was calculated.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The methodology applied to the examination of the reduction to the Scottish welfare bill over the five years to 2014-15 is set out in the report UK Government cuts to welfare expenditure in Scotland which is available at; http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/…

12 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it had provisional calculations as to how much local authorities could have gained from maximising business rates income under the business rates incentivisation scheme targets in place before the current review.

Answer · John Swinney: The amount of money local authorities could have gained from maximising business rates income is a matter for each individual local authority and that position remains irrespective of the review of the 2012-13 business rates incentivisation scheme targets. T…

12 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the supplementary to question S4O-01815 by Nicola Sturgeon on 20 February 2013, whether it will publish its calculations of the extra income collected following the “apparent delay in settling business rates appeal cases” (Official Report, c. 16757).

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government will publish full details of the final outturn income actually collected by local authorities in the annual Non Domestic Rating White Paper Account which is laid before Parliament.

12 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the supplementary to question S4O-01815 by Nicola Sturgeon on 20 February 2013, what progress it has made on agreeing the new targets for 2012-13 for the business rates incentivisation scheme (Official Report, c. 16757).

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is actively working jointly with COSLA and local government to review the Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme (BRIS) targets for 2012-13 taking into account the latest business rates returns, which show that appeals losses are likely…

11 Mar 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will launch its consultation on the use and administration of the resource that it will receive as a result of the UK Government's decision to close the Independent Living Fund in 2015.

7 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will expand the Make Young People Your Business campaign to promote the merits of employing (a) care leavers and (b) people with learning difficulties.

Answer · Angela Constance: Our Make Young People Your Business campaign is at the heart of our efforts to help all young people into employment, including care leavers and young people with learning difficulties.

7 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) care leavers, (b) former offenders and (c) young carers have been assisted by the Employer Recruitment Incentive for Targeted Young People.

Answer · Angela Constance: At the end of Period 11 (February 2013), 82 young people have been supported through the targeted Employer Recruitment Incentive. Skill Development Scotland are unable to share a disaggregated figure as the overall number of individuals supported is small. T…

7 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) people with learning difficulties and (b) care leavers have been in employment in each year since 2007.

Answer · John Swinney: No data is held centrally regarding the employment status of all care leavers. The Annual Population Survey (APS) provides estimates of employment across Scotland; however the only data available for those with learning difficulties covers those who have any…

7 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much money has been (a) committed to and (b) spent by the Employer Recruitment Incentive for Targeted Young People.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government has committed £1.5 million over three financial years in support of the Employer Recruitment Incentive for 1000 young people within disadvantaged groups. The incentive amounts to £1500 per young person with up to £500 available for add…

7 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it helps (a) people with complex needs and (b) care leavers moving from (i) further and (ii) higher education into (A) employment and (B) continuing education.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting all young people with additional support needs who want to work, and it is our ambition that with the right support, they are able to find work in mainstream employment, taking account of their specific needs…

7 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Procurement Reform Bill will have community benefit clauses regarding (a) young people with learning difficulties and (b) care leavers.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: In the Procurement Reform Bill we propose to introduce a requirement that public sector bodies consider community benefits clauses in all new major public contracts. It will be for individual public bodies to decide what those clauses will contain and who the…

7 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages employers to recruit (a) people with learning difficulties and (b) care leavers through the modern apprenticeship programme.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting all young people with additional support needs who want to work, and it is our ambition that with the right support, they are able to find work in mainstream employment, taking account of their specific needs…

7 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to extend the Employer Recruitment Incentive for Targeted Young People to include (a) 20 to 24-year-olds and (b) people with learning difficulties.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Employer Recruitment Incentive for targeted young people is currently available to all young people 16-24 years who meet the eligibility criteria. The Community Jobs Scotland programme has recently been refined to help vulnerable young people who face add…