Parliamentary questions
Kezia Dugdale
1,684 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
15 Dec 2014 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what engagements she has planned for the rest of the day.
24 Nov 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to the Access to Education Fund it has received, how many were successful and how much has been awarded in grants.
24 Nov 2014 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will respond to Save the Children's Read On, Get On report on child literacy.
5 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for disabled students' allowance were referred for an assessment and how many resulted in a payment in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14.
Answer · Michael Russell: All students applying for disabled students’ allowance (DSA) for the first time must undergo a needs assessment by a qualified individual at an approved university or college recommending the type of support and equipment a student needs to undertake their co…
5 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications it received for disabled students' allowance and how many were successful in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14.
Answer · Michael Russell: Disabled students’ allowance (DSA) is needs-led funding based on demand which helps support equality for individual students. The following table shows the number of DSA applications received by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland and how many of them wer…
21 Oct 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the Employability Fund supports women into work.
10 Oct 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it will undertake before deciding whether its publication, Higher Education Student Support in Scotland, should continue to have National Statistics accreditation.
Answer · Michael Russell: The Higher Education Student Support in Scotland publication is now produced by the Student Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS). SAAS contacted the UK Statistics Authority to confirm the retention of the National Statistics designation given responsibility for …
10 Oct 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it is in discussions with the UK Statistics Authority on the continued use of National Statistics accreditation for its publication, Higher Education Student Support in Scotland, and whether any other Scottish Government publications are subject to similar discussions.
Answer · Michael Russell: The Higher Education Student Support in Scotland publication is now produced by the Student Awards Agency For Scotland (SAAS). Prior to 2014, the Scottish Government published the report. SAAS released the 2013-14 publication on 28 October 2014. The publicat…
24 Sep 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what drug (a) testing and (b) monitoring groups it funds.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government provides resources to Alcohol and Drug Partnerships across Scotland to create relevant networks available at the local level. Where appropriate, this includes monitoring groups. The Scottish Government engages with some drug trends mo…
24 Sep 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Welsh Government regarding the Welsh Emerging Drugs and Identification of Novel Substances Project (WEDINOS), which samples previously unknown or unidentified drugs, and what discussions it has had with universities regarding introducing a similar app…
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government is in regular contact with the Welsh Government on a range of matters, including the WEDINOS project. Scottish Government officials have met with Welsh counterparts and are monitoring the WEDINOS project with interest. We are working w…
24 Sep 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the (a) strength and (b) toxicity of new psychoactive substances is measured.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The number and type of new psychoactive substances available, including their individual strengths and toxicity, is constantly growing and changing. This makes it difficult to identify levels and risks of use. However, work is underway to develop a national s…
24 Sep 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it uses a central recording system to monitor the patterns of the use of new psychoactive substances, and what the reason is for its position on this matter.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government continues to update its data collection tools to include new psychoactive substances (NPS). We have commissioned a review of evidence and data available on NPS and this will inform improvements in collection and research. An integrated…
21 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it expects a full immunology service to be available in NHS Lothian that includes appropriate nursing and laboratory support.
Answer · Alex Neil: NHS Lothian has never ran an immunology service directly, with services being provided by the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS). The board has advised that it intends to transfer all services from SNBTS over the next few months, subject to s…
21 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients with primary immune deficiency are expected to travel to Newcastle while specialist consultants are not available in Scotland.
Answer · Alex Neil: Information on the number of patients with primary immune deficiency expected to travel to Newcastle is not held centrally, however one young adult patient has been reviewed by the paediatric immunology team at Newcastle.
21 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason NHS Lothian has no specialist immunology consultants.
Answer · Alex Neil: NHS Lothian has never ran a full immunology service directly. A limited clinical service was provided in Lothian by the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) until the immunology consultant retired in 2009. It is NHS Lothian’s ambition to trans…
21 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-22149 by Michael Russell on 13 August 2014, what action it is taking to establish literacy and numeracy hubs; how much it has invested in this, and where they will be based.
Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government supported the development of five inter-authority literacy hubs in North Lanarkshire, Fife, Edinburgh, Highland and West Dunbartonshire, and six inter-authority numeracy hubs in Dumfries & Galloway, Glasgow, Midlothian, East Lothian, A…
21 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-22149 by Michael Russell on 13 August 2014, whether graduates of Teach First are eligible to teach in Scotland's schools.
Answer · Michael Russell: It is a statutory requirement that local authorities only employ teachers who are registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS). Any Teach First graduate can apply for registration. They will then be individually assessed against the relev…
21 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-22149 by Michael Russell on 13 August 2014, how many adults are registered users of the Parentzone website, also expressed as a percentage of the target group.
Answer · Michael Russell: Parentzone Scotland is currently being redeveloped. Users will be encouraged to subscribe to regular newsletters when the new site goes live from 24 September 2014 but at present there is no facility to become a subscribed user.
21 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-22149 by Michael Russell on 13 August 2014, whether it will list each (a) local authority and (b) school participating in the Raising Attainment for All programme.
Answer · Michael Russell: The local authorities currently involved in the Raising Attainment for All programme are Aberdeen City, Angus, Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee, East Ayrshire, Fife, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire and Stirling and Cla…
21 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that every educational establishment has a dedicated senior manager for looked-after children, when it expects every establishment to provide such a service, and how it is monitoring whether the target will be met.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: As a result of a recommendation within the Learning With Care, HM Inspectorate of Education and Social Work Services Inspectorate report in 2001, local authorities took steps to identify a designated senior manager for looked after children and young people i…
21 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many young people are participating in the pilot permanence and care excellence programme, how much has been invested in it, and what the (a) length and (b) evaluation process is.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Young people do not directly participate in the permanence and care excellence programme (PACE), but will benefit from the improved systems and decision making that PACE is expected to deliver. No additional funding has been provided for the PACE programme. …
21 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects lending to Scotland-domiciled students from the Student Loans Company to increase in each of the next three years and, if so, by how much.
Answer · Michael Russell: A new student support package was introduced for academic year 2013-14. The new package included an annual minimum income of £7,250, through a combination of bursaries and loans, for students with a family income of less than £17,000 and a revised minimum stu…
21 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it supports the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government has worked with Edinburgh University on the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime since 1998, including providing some funding to support analysis and reporting. More recently, we are engaging with the university to attempt to…
21 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it supports people who drop out of university to find an alternative positive destination and what steps it is taking to improve these mechanisms.
Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government provides funding, via the Scottish Funding Council, to initiatives such as ‘Back on Course Scotland’ for the provision of advice and guidance for early leavers from higher education. The service is run by the Open University in Scotlan…
21 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-22153 by Michael Russell on 13 August 2014, what steps it has taken to map the outcomes of people who drop out of university.
Answer · Michael Russell: Using information from the Student Awards Agency Scotland and the School Leaver Destination Returns report, Skills Development Scotland can identify those who are no longer receiving student support but have not completed their degree. Leavers are also tracke…
13 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many eligible (a) two, (b) three and (c) four-year-olds have not taken up their free childcare place under the policy that started in August 2014 and for what reason.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Information on the number of children registered with local authorities to receive their early learning and childcare entitlement is published annually in December.
13 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many local authorities do not have enough places in their nurseries to cater for the increase in childcare hours for all eligible two, three and four-year-olds from the beginning of August 2014.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: We expect all local authorities to have enough places available, either in council nurseries or with partner providers, to accommodate the estimated number of children who will take up their early learning and childcare entitlement in the new school term.
8 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-21894 by Michael Russell on 16 July 2014, what the (a) eligibility criteria are and (b) application process is.
Answer · Michael Russell: The Access to Education Fund is a £1.5 million fund which aims to reduce the barriers to learning experienced by pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. The fund, which will be administered by Education Scotland, will be open to applications from schools, from…
5 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on graduate retention in Scotland of an independent Scotland agreeing a student loan collection system with HM Revenue and Customs.
Answer · Michael Russell: No analysis of graduate retention in that specific context has been undertaken. Should the people of Scotland vote for independence, the collection of student loan repayments is a matter that will form part of transitional discussions between the Scottish and…
5 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the affordability of the student loan scheme in an independent Scotland (a) under and (b) without a cross-border collection arrangement with HM Revenue and Customs.
Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that the size of the overall loan book, as it relates to Scottish customers, remains sustainable and affordable. Should the people of Scotland vote for independence, the administration of student loan scheme i…