Parliamentary questions

Kezia Dugdale

1,684 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many unpaid childminders there are and how the plans set out in the white paper on independence would impact on them.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of unpaid child-minders in Scotland, however findings from the Growing Up in Scotland study confirm that families rely on a mix of formal and informal care arrangements, including unpaid child-mi…

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the number of people in Scotland in receipt of (a) child tax credits, (b) childcare vouchers and (c) childcare tax relief and the total amount paid.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) publish bi-annual statistics on provisional awards for child tax credit, available at link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-and-working-tax-credits-statistics-provisional-awards-geographical-analyses-december-2013…

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can guarantee (a) child tax credits, (b) childcare vouchers and (c) childcare tax relief in an independent Scotland and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Governments of an independent Scotland will be able to use a full range of powers to deliver policies that help people into work and protect the vulnerable. On independence, the entitlements to benefits, credits, vouchers and reliefs that apply in the UK wil…

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has commissioned since 2007 on the needs of non-working parents and what the findings were.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government uses a range of approaches to assess the needs of non-working parents. We develop our own evidence in this area. A key example is an evidence paper which was produced to inform the 2012 Women's Employment Summit. The paper focuses on …

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has had with the Scottish Social Services Council since 2011; what was discussed, and who attended.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: As a Non-Departmental Public Body, ministers and government officials meet regularly with representatives of the Scottish Social Services Council to discuss their statutory functions and delivery of ministerial objectives.

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support capacity building for its childcare plans in the (a) private and (b) voluntary sector.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government is committed to fully funding local authorities to deliver high quality childcare provision, drawing on a range of high quality service models including public provision, child minders, innovative third sector organisations and social …

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people are employed in (a) private, (b) voluntary and (c) public sector childcare, also broken down by people employed in (i) day-care and (ii) childminding.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Social Services Council publish information on an annual basis on the size and composition of the childcare and day-care of children workforce in Scotland.

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent analysis it has made of (a) the childcare sector and (b) its ability to deliver the childcare plans set out in the white paper on independence.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: We are in regular contact with stakeholders regarding our plans for childcare. For example, as part of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill, the Scottish Government has worked with a range of stakeholders to assess the capacity of the childcare sect…

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what sectors of the labour market it considers are growing and what the employment rate is in each, also broken down by gender.

Answer · John Swinney: The latest Gross Domestic Product statistics for Scotland, covering the period July 2013 to September 2013, show that total output in the economy grew by 0.7 per cent compared to previous quarter. The services sector, which accounts for nearly three quarters …

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has commissioned on the barriers that women face when trying to access the labour market.

Answer · John Swinney: An evidence paper was produced in-house to inform the 2012 Women's Employment Summit. The paper provides a comprehensive overview of the evidence on key issues related to women's employment. It highlights that accessible, affordable and flexible childcare is …

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to deal with each of the barriers that women face when trying to access the labour market.

Answer · John Swinney: At 69.5%, the level of female employment is at its highest rate since the Labour Force Survey series began in 1992. (source, Labour Force Survey, ONS, Sept-Nov 2013). However, the Scottish Government recognises that women continue to face many different barri…

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support is available to help with childcare costs for (a) part- and (b) full-time students in (i) further and (ii) higher education.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: There are two main elements to childcare support for students at colleges and universities in Scotland. The Discretionary Childcare Funds provide help with formal registered childcare cost. All eligible further and higher education student parents attending …

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how the childcare plans set out in the white paper on independence would impact on the demand for college places for (a) 16 to 24-year-olds and (b) people aged over 24.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: We are in regular contact with stakeholders to gather feedback on a range of factors that impact on demand for college places. The impact of the childcare plans set out in ‘Scotland’s Future’ will be assessed and factored into projections for demand ahead of …

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the proposals in the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill would help increase the number of women in employment.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There are a number of ways in which the Bill is expected to benefit women. Amongst other things, the Bill will require public bodies to consider how their procurement activity can improve the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of the authority’s are…

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the rate of economically inactive women is, broken down by level of qualification.

Answer · John Swinney: The Annual Population Survey provides the preferred measure for detailed labour market information for subsets of the population in Scotland. The latest data covers the period from October 2012 to September 2013. Female economic inactivity rate by qualificat…

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the employment rate of women is, broken down by level of qualification.

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many and what percentage of economically inactive women it considers would enter the labour market on a full-time basis as a result of the childcare plans set out in the white paper on independence

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government published an economic analysis of childcare and labour market participation in January 2014. The report is available from:http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/Childcare-and-Female-Labour-Market-Participation and contains estimates…

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what economic modelling it has carried out on the childcare plans set out in the white paper on independence and by whom.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government published an economic analysis in January 2014 illustrating the potential impact of increasing Scotland’s female participation rate to levels seen in countries such as Norway and Sweden. The results are outlined in a document entitled …

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of women is employed on a (a) permanent and (b) temporary, fixed-term or sessional (i) full and (ii) part-time basis.

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the median wage is of women in part-time work.

Answer · John Swinney: The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) provides information about the levels, distribution and make-up of earnings and hours worked for employees in all industries and occupations. The information requested is available from the ‘Annual Survey of Hour…

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the rate of economically inactive mothers is, broken down by (a) number of children and (b) children aged (i) under 1, (ii) 1, (iii) 2, (iv) 3, (v) 4, (vi) 5 to 11 and (vii) over 11.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Annual Population Survey provides the preferred measure for economic inactivity rates for small cohorts of the population in Scotland. The latest data covers the period from October 2012 to September 2013. The rate of economically inactive mothers by num…

22 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the employment rate of mothers is broken down by (a) number of children and (b) children aged (i) under 1, (ii) 1, (iii) 2, (iv) 3, (v) 4, (vi) 5 to11 and (vii) over 11.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Annual Population Survey provides the preferred measure for employment rates for small cohorts of the population in Scotland. The latest data covers the period from October 2012 to September 2013. The employment rate of mothers by number of children is s…

17 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-18944 by Shona Robison on 13 January 2014, whether it will provide the information that was requested and confirm whether it would support a ban on any payday lender sponsoring any part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government believes that the pay day lending industry needs to be subject to greater regulation so that we can protect those whose financial situation is desperate enough that they take out these short-term agreements and help them avoid the esca…

8 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it gives colleges regarding paid board memberships.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Post-16 Education (Scotland) Act 2013 provides that the chair of a regional college can be remunerated. This will come into force in March 2014. Beyond this, incorporated colleges will remain, as now, unable to remunerate individuals for their role as a m…

8 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the governance structure is of each college and who the (a) chair is and (b) board members are.

Answer · Michael Russell: The governance arrangements of colleges differ depending on their legal status. Further information about the different status and arrangements is set out in the draft summary guide College Reforms and the Post-16 Education (Scotland) Act 2013, available on…

8 Jan 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to help credit unions meet increased demand for their services.

6 Jan 2014 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government considers that schools, pupils and teachers are adequately prepared for the new National 4 and 5 qualifications.

20 Dec 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of Scotland-domiciled full-time undergraduate students supported by the Students Awards Agency for Scotland lived away from home in the most recent year for which information is available, also broken down by (a) young and (b) independent students.

Answer · Michael Russell: In 2012-13, 56% of Scottish-domiciled full-time undergraduate students supported by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland lived away from the parental home. Half (50%) of young Scottish-domiciled full-time undergraduate students lived away from the parental…

20 Dec 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17797 by Michael Russell on 8 November 2013, whether it remains its position, as noted in Supporting a Smarter Scotland: A consultation on supporting learners in higher education, that “younger students staying in the parental home tended to have th…

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government recognises the diversity in the circumstances of students. A key aim of the Post 16 Education Reform Programme is to simplify the main student support system whilst ensuring maximum benefit for all students. On top of important benefi…

20 Dec 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17797 by Michael Russell on 8 November 2013, whether it remains its position, as noted in Supporting a Smarter Scotland: A consultation on supporting learners in higher education, that students who stay away from home while at university “are likely…

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government recognises the impact of increases in the cost of living for students. A key aim of the Post 16 Education Reform Programme is to simplify the main student support system whilst ensuring maximum benefit for all students. On top of impo…