Parliamentary questions
Tavish Scott
2,683 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
9 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) action it is taking and (b) resources and support it is providing to the relevant local authorities in light of the reported shortfall of 260 teachers in the north of Scotland.
Answer · John Swinney: While it is ultimately the responsibility of individual local authorities, the Scottish Government is taking a number of actions to help recruit and retain teachers. We have delivered our #inspiringteachers campaign to encourage more people into teaching and…
1 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many staff are receiving training in the implementation of welfare payments ahead of the transfer of powers on 5 September 2016.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: For social security, this stage of transfer focusses around the powers to create new benefits or top up existing ones and not around the transition of benefits currently being paid to people in Scotland. All the changes will be implemented on a phased basis o…
1 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many staff in Scotland will be employed to implement the newly devolved welfare powers from 5 September 2016.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The transfer of powers in September marks the start of a journey to establish the Scottish social security system and changes will be implemented on a phased basis over the coming years. The transfer of social security powers to Scotland will require a large-…
28 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector staff who are expected to become a Named Person (a) have received training, (b) are being trained and (c) have yet to be trained, broken down by employer.
Answer · Mark McDonald: Under Part 4 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 (the Act), the duty to provide a Named Person service sits with health boards, local authorities, independent or grant-aided schools, secure accommodation services and the Scottish Prison Servi…
28 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it will cost to train public sector staff as Named Persons.
Answer · Mark McDonald: The resources required for implementation of Part 4 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act (the Act), relating to Named Person duties, are set out in the financial memorandum to the Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill. This can be accessed at:h…
25 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much land classified as PGRS has been removed from that category in Shetland between the final year of the single farm payment system and the first year of the Basic Payment Scheme.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Under the EU regulations that support common agricultural policy subsidy payments, it is the responsibility of the applicant to accurately declare the area of land claimed for support and the appropriate land cover. In the context of Shetland a total of 24,4…
12 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ensure that income received from the apprenticeship levy will be kept in the further education sector.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government has yet to receive final details of the financial settlement that it will get from the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in April 2017. However, we want to take full account of employers’ views on how Levy funding coming to Scotl…
12 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the apprenticeship levy it expects to receive.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government has yet to receive final details of the financial settlement that it will get from the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in April 2017. However, we want to take full account of employers’ views on how Levy funding coming to Scotl…
12 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to spend income generated as a result of the apprenticeship levy.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government has yet to receive final details of the financial settlement that it will get from the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in April 2017. However, we want to take full account of employers’ views on how Levy funding coming to Scotl…
11 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to recruit more additional support needs teachers across Scotland.
Answer · John Swinney: The recruitment of teachers is a matter for local authorities. Additional Support Needs teaching is a supplementary qualification which is studied by a teacher who has been teaching for a number of years.
7 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considered seeking additional evidence on national testing following reports that only four pieces of written evidence were received.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: More than 5000 people were involved in shaping the National Improvement Framework, over three months of widespread consultation. The approach to national standardised assessment was developed after extensive engagement with teachers, parents, children and aca…
7 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will reconsider plans for national testing in light of reports that 53% of pupils in England reached the expected standard.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Like all other assessment activities used in schools, the national standardised assessments for Scotland will be designed to create an understanding of how children are progressing. They will provide information for teachers on where children are doing well, …
7 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to formally respond to the report, Independent Review of Scottish Aquaculture Consenting.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government welcomes the report, Independent Review of Scottish Aquaculture Consenting, as a positive step forward in identifying opportunities to streamline, simplify and speed up the planning and consenting regime. The Scottish Government int…
5 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that homes and premises not in the immediate vicinity of exchange cabinets will be able to benefit from superfast broadband.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring 100% superfast broadband access across Scotland by 2021. We intend to launch new procurement activity aimed at pushing coverage beyond what will be delivered by our existing Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband…
4 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the future of protected designation of origin and protected geographical indication products.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The EU schemes known as ‘protected designation of origin’ and ‘protected geographical indication’ promote and protect names of quality agricultural products and foodstuffs from misuse and imitation, and help consumers by giving them information concerning the…
4 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the total payment to producers in Shetland is under the Basic Premium Scheme in comparison to the final year pay-out of Single Application Form payments.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Total single farm payments made in 2014 was 3,631,066.01 euros. Total 2015 Basic Payment Scheme payments made to Shetland producers 2015 at 8 July 2016 was 3,035,355.31 euros.
30 Jun 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce speed awareness courses for drivers who have been detected breaking the speed limit.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government supports the general principle of driver education as an alternative to prosecution, where this is appropriate. At present, prosecutors may offer diversion from prosecution courses in relation to careless driving, but there is no equiv…
29 Jun 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to local authorities on the provision of education for children with additional support needs in mainstream schools.
Answer · John Swinney: The Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000 places a duty on education authorities to provide education for all children in a mainstream school unless specific exceptions apply. The legislation indicates that it is presumed that these circumstances aris…
29 Jun 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many special education teachers there have been in each local authority in each of the last five years.
Answer · John Swinney: The term special education is no longer used in Scotland. Instead the term additional support needs is used, reflecting the legal framework of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. Consequently there are no teachers designated a…
29 Jun 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will next review the maximum class size limits.
Answer · John Swinney: There are currently no plans to review maximum class size limits.
29 Jun 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support is given to local authorities to provide access to wifi in schools.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government fund the provision of high speed broadband to a central point in each local authority for use by education. Local authorities themselves are responsible for onward connectivity to their education establishments and for the provision of…
29 Jun 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many special education (a) teachers and (b) support staff have moved from mainstream to specialist schools in each local authority in the last five years.
Answer · John Swinney: The term special education is no longer used in Scotland. Instead the term additional support needs is used, reflecting the legal framework of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. Consequently there are no teachers designated a…
28 Jun 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter from its Learning Directorate on 23 February 2016 to the Public Petitions Committee regarding PE01548, National Guidance on Restraint and Seclusion in Schools, whether it will provide an update on its position on providing national guidance with regard to the use o…
Answer · John Swinney: We have made clear that the Scottish Government is committed to incorporating further guidance on physical restraint and seclusion within the refreshed Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2: A Positive Approach to Preventing and Managing Schools Exclusions. T…
28 Jun 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to teachers regarding the appropriate and safe use of physical restraint in schools on children with (a) additional support needs and (b) learning difficulties.
Answer · John Swinney: We have made clear that the Scottish Government is committed to incorporating further guidance on physical restraint and seclusion within the refreshed Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2: A Positive Approach to Preventing and Managing Schools Exclusions. T…
28 Jun 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing legislation to protect the rights of children with (a) additional support needs and (b) learning difficulties in cases where physical restraint is used in schools.
Answer · John Swinney: There are no plans to introduce legislation on the use of physical restraint in schools. The Scottish Government is clear that the use of physical intervention, physical restraint and supported isolation should only ever be used as a last resort and when in t…
16 Jun 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-00622 by John Swinney on 15 June 2016, when it next plans to conduct a national survey of adult literacies.
Answer · John Swinney: Information from the Scottish Survey of Adult Literacies 2009 provided a baseline to the Strategic Guidance Adult Literacies in Scotland 2020 (ALIS 2020) which states:- Our vision for ALIS 2020 is that successful implementation of this strategic guidance will…
14 Jun 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its response to recommendation 59 of the Welfare Reform Committee’s 6th report 2015, The Future Delivery of Social Security in Scotland, that, “We are listening to stakeholder feedback about Local Housing Allowance rates and will take a range of views into consideration befor…
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government has been inviting comments and views from all stakeholders on the use of future social security powers through the Fairer Scotland programme of activity and will continue to do so as part of the consultation on the Social Security Bill…
14 Jun 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of limiting social sector rents to the local housing allowance rate.
Answer · Angela Constance: In Scotland, these changes by the UK Government will principally impact on single people under 35 and potentially on people in supported accommodation from April 2018. For single claimants under the age of 35, the shared accommodation rate within the LHA se…
13 Jun 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-30377 by John Swinney on 16 March 2016, on what date further details of phase 2 of the superfast broadband programme will be confirmed, including who will be eligible to bid for contracts and whether the programme will be broken down by region.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is committed to delivering 100% superfast broadband by 2021 and further details will be available in due course. The current focus is on finalising the coverage footprints that will be delivered by the two digital Scotland superfast br…
10 Jun 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide a full response to the report by the Taught Postgraduate Study Working Group, which was published on 21 December 2015.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is considering the findings contained in the postgraduate working group's final report carefully, and will produce a response in due course. The Scottish Government recognises the importance of postgraduate study, and set up the pos…