Parliamentary questions
Tavish Scott
2,683 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
24 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the accuracy of the information that it gave to Glasgow City Council on 29 March 2018, as published in its response to freedom of information request FOI/18/01458, in which it was stated "With respect to parental rights to withdraw, your parents is [sic] ri…
Answer · John Swinney: This information remains accurate. As set out in the joint statement with ADES, the SNSAs, in common with virtually all aspects of the Scottish curriculum and its delivery, are not provided for in legislation. This means that they cannot be seen as compulsory…
24 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has (a) requested and (b) received legal advice on whether parents are permitted to withdraw their children from Scottish National Standardised Assessments and, if so, whether it will place a copy in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Ministerial Code states that Ministers must not ordinarily divulge either the source or content of legal advice. I am able to confirm on this occasion that the Scottish Government has taken appropriate legal advice on this matter.
24 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the accuracy of the information that it gave to parents between March and May 2018, as shown in its response to freedom of information request FOI/18/01458, in which it was stated "The Scottish National Standardised Assessments (SNSA) are not compulsory for…
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18399 on 5 September 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusine…
24 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the accuracy of the information that it gave to a parent on 3 April 2018, as shown in its response to freedom of information request FOI/18/01458, in which it was stated "I can confirm that the assessments (not testing) are not mandated by the Scottish Gove…
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18399 on 5 September 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusine…
24 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which minister took the decision that parents have the option to opt out of Scottish National Standardised Assessments only in "exceptional circumstances"; on what date the decision was made, what qualifies as "exceptional circumstances", and whether it will place a copy of all documents…
Answer · John Swinney: As set out in the joint statement with the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland, the SNSAs, in common with virtually all aspects of the Scottish curriculum and its delivery, are not provided for in legislation. This means that they cannot be seen…
24 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment is has made of the compatibility of the statement in its letter to local authority education directors, dated August 2018, that "parents don't have the option to opt out of the assessments" except in "exceptional circumstances", and the key step established in "Learning t…
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is supportive of parents participation in their child’s learning, teaching and assessment. The SNSAs, in common with virtually all aspects of the Scottish curriculum and its delivery, are not provided for in legislation. This means tha…
21 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when section 8 of the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 will come into force.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Section 8 of the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 introduces Island Communities Impact Assessments and is part of a number of provisions covering duties in relation to island communities. Work is currently underway on the guidance and secondary legislation related…
17 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much a graduate earning (a) £22,000 and (b) £25,000 per annum would have paid annually in student loan repayments in each year since 2016-17.
Answer · John Swinney: a) We estimate that a graduate earning £22,000 in 2016-17 would have paid £407 in 2016-17 and £431 in 2017-18. b) We estimate that a graduate earning £25,000 in 2016-17 would have paid £677 in 2016-17 and £707 in 2017-18. (Assumes earnings rose in 2017-18 i…
17 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it expects legislation to reduce the maximum repayment period for student loans from 35 to 30 years to be in force.
Answer · John Swinney: The changes to reduce the student loan repayment period from 35 to 30 years will be laid in the Scottish Parliament in time to be introduced by the end of 2018.
17 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the student loan repayment threshold will be in April (a) 2019 and (b) 2020.
Answer · John Swinney: The student loan repayment threshold rate for Scottish borrowers will be £18,935 in April 2019. As it rises each year in April in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI) as of March in the previous year, we are unable to say for certain, at this time, what the…
17 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the student loan repayment threshold in Scotland compares with those elsewhere in the UK.
Answer · John Swinney: The student loan repayment threshold in Scotland and Northern Ireland is currently £18,330. The threshold rate in England and Wales is £25,000. Information on the full terms and condition of student loans, including the varying interest rates applied across t…
17 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its and other governments' commitments to adjust it annually in line with measures such as earnings, how it anticipates the student loan threshold in Scotland will compare with those elsewhere in the UK in April 2021.
Answer · John Swinney: We are unable to say with certainty what the threshold will be elsewhere in the UK in April 2021, however based on current forecasts and policy positions the thresholds are estimated to be as follows: Scotland: £25,000 England: £27,020 Northern Ireland: £2…
17 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) average and (b) most number of days has been for it to issue a full reply to a parliamentary question in each of the last three years.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
17 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many written parliamentary questions it has received in each of the last three years, and on how many occasions it issued a holding response in each year.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
17 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of people from Scotland who are teaching English to speakers of other languages overseas; what action it has taken to encourage them to consider undertaking teacher training in Scotland, and how the application and interview process accommodates …
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of people from Scotland who are teaching English to speakers of other languages overseas. As part of the "Scotland Is Now" campaign the Scottish Government is developing a strand of the campaign…
10 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported Higher and National 5 entry figures, what it is doing to increase the number of pupils studying computing science.
Answer · John Swinney: One of the key aims of our STEM Strategy for Education and Training is to inspire young people to study STEM and to continue their studies to obtain more specialist skills. Actions in relation to the Strategy include a new Young STEM Leaders programme that wi…
9 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13097 by Humza Yousaf on 13 December 2017, when officials last met Ministers to discuss their analysis of potential changes to freight fares, and when the results of the Freight Fares Review will be published.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Officials last met Scottish Ministers to discuss the Ferry Freight Fares Review on 29 March 2018. Further details will be made available once conclusions have been reached and decisions made and I look forward to engaging with the member and other colleagues…
9 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that almost half of Scotland's Teachers of the Deaf are due to retire in the next 10 to 15 years, and what action it is taking to recruit more of these teachers.
Answer · John Swinney: It is for education authorities as employers, to ensure that their staff are appropriately trained under the Requirements for Teachers (Scotland) Regulations 2005. Education authorities are required to prioritise their resources in light of local circumstance…
9 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided for training Teachers of the Deaf in each of the last five years.
Answer · John Swinney: To support training for Teachers of the Deaf the Scottish Government provides £150,000 annual grant funding to the Scottish Sensory Centre to provide high quality Career Long Professional Learning. This is in addition to the £50 million we are spending this y…
9 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the educational attainment of deaf children.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government wants all children and young people to reach their full learning potential and has put in place a range of legislation and guidance to support that aim. Following the 2015 Education Committee’s inquiry into the attainment of pupils wi…
7 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd has not published the minutes of board meetings since March 2018; when these will be published, and what its position is on reported concerns that this delay is incompatible with good corporate practice.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The publication of Highlands and Islands Airports Limited’s (HIAL) Board minutes was delayed due to delays in clearing the draft minutes. Both sets of outstanding minutes have now been published on the HIAL web site and HIAL has been reminded of the need to p…
2 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils from (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special schools have been referred by their school for mental health treatment in each local authority in each of the last five years and, of these, how many were refused CAMHS specialist treatment.
Answer · Clare Haughey: The data held in the ISD CAMHS database is aggregated data obtained from NHS Health Boards and is not split by referral source. It is therefore not possible to provide a specific response regarding how many pupils from primary, secondary and special schools h…
27 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Federation of Small Businesses news release of 6 March 2018, Adult apprenticeship drive could help fill skills gaps, for what reason Skills Development Scotland provides up to £5,000 less towards the cost of apprenticeships for people aged over 25, and whether there are a…
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Scottish Apprenticeships are well established and play a key part in delivery of both our Youth Employment and Economic strategies. In line with this, funding is prioritised towards 16-19 year olds and key and priority sectors of the economy. It is encouragin…
27 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the figures published in Table B.2 in the Skills Development Scotland, Modern Apprenticeships Statistics Full Year Report 2017/18, how many modern aprenticeship starts there were in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15, (c) 2015-16, (d) 2016-17 and (e) 2017-18, for people aged (i) 25-29,…
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Further to the figures published in Table B.2 in the Skills Development Scotland, Modern Apprenticeships Statistics Full Year Report 2017/18, The following table details the numbers of modern apprenticeship starts in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15, (c) 2015-16, (d)…
27 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its response to the findings of the report, Rethinking Legal Aid, an independent strategic review, which was published in February 2018.
Answer · Ash Denham: The timing of the Scottish Government response to the report of the Independent Review of Legal Aid, Rethinking Legal Aid , will be set out in the forthcoming Programme for Government.
19 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the consultation into extending coverage of Freedom of Information legislation will begin, and what the expected timeline for this is.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government is committed to consulting on further extension of coverage of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, for example to companies that carry out services on behalf of the public sector. Consultation is expected to commence towar…
5 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15851 by Maree Todd on 8 May 2018, whether it will now provide the final audited data for 2017-18 on how many (a) practitioner- and (b) managerial-level training courses in early learning and childcare were (i) unfilled and (ii) uncompleted, and how…
Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-17617 on 2 August 2018. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/…
5 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15850 by Maree Todd on 8 May 2018, whether it will now provide the final audited data for 2017-18 on how many of the (a) 650 additional practitioner level HNC courses and (b) 350 managerial level courses in early learning and childcare were not fill…
Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-17617 on 2 August 2018. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/…
5 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15856 by Maree Todd on 8 May 2018, whether it will now provide the final audited data for 2017-18 on how many of the (a) 126 additional teacher training places and (b) 270 additional BA Childhood Practice places to expand the early learning and chil…
Answer · Maree Todd: Full and complete data for the academic year 2017-18 is currently being collated from Colleges and Universities for auditing. Full Higher Education and Statistics Agency (HESA) data for BAs will be available from late November 2018, with Further Education Sta…
3 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the ruling of the Supreme Court on 27 June 2018 that the Civil Partnership Act 2004 is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is considering the implications for Scotland of the recent judgement by the UK Supreme Court.