Tavish Scott

26 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the ratio of pupils to support staff has been in each year since 2007, broken down by local authority.

Answer · John Swinney: The ratio of pupils to support staff in local authorities since 2007 is shown in the following table. Table: Pupil1/support staff2,3 ratio by local authority, 2007-2016 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Aberdeen City 20.5 18.9…

26 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the EIS teaching union is to consider a boycott of standardised assessments.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish government has fully involved the trade unions and staff associations in our development of the Scottish National Standardised Assessments and have fully incorporated their views into implementation. The standardised assessments will simply repl…

25 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many trips outside the UK have been made by (a) ministers and (b) officials in each month since October 2014, broken down by (i) location and (ii) cost.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Scottish Ministers pro-actively publish details of their overseas visits and associated costs online. Overseas trips from May 2016 onwards can be found here - https://beta.gov.scot/publications/?term=Ministerial&publicationTypes=transparency_data Overseas t…

25 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made with opening representation offices in (a) Berlin, (b) Brussels and (c) Munich.

Answer · Keith Brown: Plans to establish the Berlin Hub are currently in development and details will be made available in due course. The Scottish Government has had a presence in Brussels since 1999 and the work on developing the Innovation and Investment Hub, building on the cu…

21 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications it has received to match-fund EU projects between 2014 and 2020, and how many (a) it has agreed to provide funding for, broken down by the amount it has (i) spent and (ii) committed to spend, (b) it has rejected and (c) are still being considered.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government has currently received and approved 101 applications for EU Funding from Lead Partners covering 185 operations, the value of the funds committed, to date, is £384,905,449.49. The current value of claims submitted by Lead Provider and…

20 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the role and responsibilities will be of the strategic board following the Skills and Enterprise Review, and when the board will be operational.

Answer · Keith Brown: The statement to parliament on 30 March 2017 on the Enterprise and Skills Review sets out the Scottish Government’s ambition to establish a Strategic Board which will deliver greater collaboration, innovation and common purpose across the agencies. The Stra…

20 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the £180 million farm payment system will be operational and fully functioning.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Rural Payments and Services IT Platform has now been operational for over two years. For example, it has accepted applications for SAF 2015, SAF 2016 and SAF 2017 (the SAF 2017 submission window is still live, having opened on schedule on 15th March). It …

20 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many crofters and farmers have yet to receive the balancing payment for the Basic Payment Scheme, broken down by Rural Payments and Inspections Division (RPID) office.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: No businesses have received the balance payment for the Basic Payment Scheme, but 8384 businesses out of 17, 765 businesses estimated to be eligible have so far have received an interim payment of 90% of their estimated final payment. Until all claims have be…

20 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date all less favoured area support scheme (LFASS) payments to crofters and farmers will be made.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government very much regret the delay in processing LFASS payments and the impact on affected businesses. We have processed 85% of LFASS 2015 claims worth over £52 million to almost 9,700 farmers and crofters, prior to national loan scheme recove…

20 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date farmers and crofters will receive an email or letter setting out the payment schedule for all 2017 farm and croft payments for which they are eligible.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Information on the anticipated payment schedule for all 2017 farm and croft payments was published on 4 April 2017. The information is readily available on the Scottish Government website. https://www.ruralpayments.org/publicsite/futures/news-events/loan-sche…

20 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will convert the loans provided through the Basic Payment Scheme into a payment.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is aiming to complete all 2016 Basic Payment Scheme payments, converting loans into full BPS payments, by the end of June. Approximately 47% of businesses have now received an interim payment of 90% of their total estimated final payme…

19 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its consultation on the legislation, when it will bring forward its proposed reforms to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government remains committed to making appropriate reforms to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 in Scotland to ensure it strikes the correct balance between the rights of people not to disclose their previous offending behaviour and to mov…

18 Apr 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how effective emergency control rooms are in recognising island geography.

30 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01917 by John Swinney on 31 August 2016, what work the Strategic Board for Teacher Education has undertaken regarding the under-representation of teachers from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Answer · John Swinney: At the meeting of the Strategic Board for Teacher Education on 18 January 2017 the Board discussed the underrepresentation of teachers from ethnic minority backgrounds in the teaching profession. As part of this discussion the Board received a presentation on…

30 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to ensure that initiatives aimed at increasing the number of teachers are targeting people from ethnic minority backgrounds and other groups that are currently under-represented in teaching.

Answer · John Swinney: The primary objective of the current ‘Teaching Makes People’ recruitment campaign is the recruitment of STEM undergraduates into Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) teaching courses. While the current campaign does not specifically target graduates from …

30 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01917 by John Swinney on 31 August 2016, whether the Strategic Board for Teacher Education has made any recommendations regarding improving diversity within the teaching workforce.

Answer · John Swinney: At the meeting of the Strategic Board for Teacher Education on 18 January 2017 the Board discussed the underrepresentation of teachers from ethnic minority backgrounds in the teaching profession. As part of this discussion the Board received a presentation on…

30 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on advertising the PlayTalkRead initiative since October 2016.

Answer · Mark McDonald: The PlayTalkRead campaign helps parents and carers give their children the best start in life. Research suggests 79% of those that have seen the campaign have taken action as a result. The PlayTalkRead campaign has spent £36,390 on advertising for the period…

30 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much online traffic the PlayTalkRead website has received since October 2016.

Answer · Mark McDonald: The PlayTalkRead campaign helps parents and carers give their children the best start in life. Research suggests 79% of those that have seen the campaign have taken action as a result. From 1 October 2016 to 31 March 2017, the PlayTalkRead website received 1…

21 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the submission by the Royal Society of Edinburgh to the Enterprise and Skills Review Phase 2, which states that "the Scottish Government has not made an adequate and persuasive case for the abolition of the independent boards of the four agencies under review", whether it wi…

Answer · Keith Brown: The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work made a statement to parliament on Thursday 30 March on the Enterprise and Skills Review. The text of the statement can be found here: https://news.gov.scot/speeches-and-briefings/enterprise-and-skills-revi…

21 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the submission by the Royal Society of Edinburgh to the Enterprise and Skills Review Phase 2.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has consulted with and listened to a wide range of stakeholders during Phase two of the Enterprise and Skills Review, including representations from the Agencies, trade unions and the academic and business communities. The Cabinet Se…

21 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the submission by the Royal Society of Edinburgh to the Enterprise and Skills Review Phase 2, which states that "the removal of an arms-length, independent Board for Further and Higher Education would inevitably undermine the independence of the university sector from Govern…

Answer · Keith Brown: The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work made a statement to parliament on Thursday 30 March 2017 on the Enterprise and Skills Review. The text of the statement can be found here: https://news.gov.scot/speeches-and-briefings/enterprise-and-skills…

21 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the submission by the Royal Society of Edinburgh to the Enterprise and Skills Review Phase 2, which suggests that the Crerar report did not declutter the landscape and that the structures it set out only added to the complexity, whether it will seek different independent adv…

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has consulted with and listened to a wide range of stakeholders during Phase two of the Enterprise and Skills Review, including representations from the Agencies, trade unions and the academic and business communities. These consultat…

15 Mar 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when details of funding for the third sector interface model for the 2017-18 financial year will be finalised.

10 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06139 by Shona Robison on 25 January 2017, on what date the baby boxes will be rolled out; how it will analyse the effectiveness of the (a) rollout and (b) initiative, and when it will begin a formal evaluation of the scheme.

Answer · Mark McDonald: Further to the answer given by the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Social Care and Sport, I can reiterate that the Scottish Baby Box will be rolled out nationally this summer. Evaluation of the pilots in Clackmannanshire and Orkney is underway, particularly to…

9 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce the retendering of the contract for clinical systems used by GP practices.

Answer · Shona Robison: Procurement for new GP practice software is in the early stages. It is expected that Contract Notices will be published in July or August 2017.

8 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is the findings of the survey of members of the Modern Studies Association, which states that the association "continues to have serious concerns regarding the additional exemplification and detail in the Course Assessment Specification... yet still contains basic error…

Answer · John Swinney: This is an operational matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). I have asked the Chief Executive of SQA to write to you.

8 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is the findings of the survey of members of the Modern Studies Association that (a) 85% believe that the SQA documentation and course assessment specification are unfit for purpose and lack clarity, consistency and meaning, (b) 91% agree or strongly agree that there is …

Answer · John Swinney: This is an operational matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). I have asked the Chief Executive of SQA to write to you.

8 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government in light of the report, Drivers and Barriers to uptake of Early Learning and Childcare amongst 2 year olds, which it commissioned, what its position is on reports that (a) there remains uncertainty regarding the exact figures relating to the uptake of the free early learning entitlement,…

Answer · Mark McDonald: We welcome the recommendations provided by the research. Ensuring more eligible two year olds take up their entitlement is a key priority as these children and families stand to benefit most from funded early learning and childcare. As outlined in my answer t…

8 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the report, Drivers and Barriers to uptake of Early Learning and Childcare amongst 2 year olds, which it commissioned, how it plans to take forward the findings.

Answer · Mark McDonald: I will set out further information on actions we will take to respond to the findings of this report as part of the response to our recent consultation "A Blueprint for 2020: The Expansion of Early Learning and Childcare in Scotland".

6 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-07534 by Keith Brown on 6 March 2017, where the two officials were seconded from and what instructions they were given.

Answer · Keith Brown: The two officials who supported Professor Lorne Crerar in Phase 2 of the Enterprise and Skills Review were not seconded. The assistance they provided was in addition to existing responsibilities. The officials were instructed to provide Professor Crerar wit…