Parliamentary questions
Kezia Dugdale
1,684 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
9 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the meetings that the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning has had with local authority (a) education conveners and (b) directors of education since January 2013.
Answer · Michael Russell: The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning has had the following meetings which have included both local authority education convenors and directors of education since January 2013: Angus Council meeting regarding schools capital project: 28 F…
4 Sep 2013 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps Police Scotland is taking to reduce the number of accidents involving cyclists due to dangerous driving.
7 Aug 2013 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how much has been paid in lodging fees for objections to private bills in each of the last three years.
Answer · Mary Scanlon : Since the beginning of 2010, the only private bill to which objections have been lodged is the City of Edinburgh Council (Portobello Park) Bill, which is currently at Preliminary Stage and to which 66 admissible objections have been lodged. The total amount …
7 Aug 2013 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how the lodging fee for objections to private bills is set.
Answer · Mary Scanlon : Rule 9A.6.5 sets out five criteria of admissibility for objections to Private Bills, of which the last is that the objection must be “accompanied by any fee for lodging objections that may be determined by the Parliamentary corporation”. The SPCB made a dete…
1 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the cost of contracts awarded outside of the (a) Temporary and Interim Staff Framework and (b) the national strategy for the procurement of Business Management Consultancy Services has been in each year since 2007-08.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government does not hold any spend figures for the costs of contracts awarded outside the Temporary and Interim Staff Framework. Therefore we are unable to say what the cost of contracts awarded outside of the Temporary and Interim Staff Framewor…
1 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) individuals and (b) companies it has recruited outside of the national strategy for the procurement of Business Management Consultancy Services in each year since 2007-08.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the number of individuals and companies recruited outside of the Business Management Consultancy Framework is not held centrally and could not be obtained without disproportionate effort.
1 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) individuals and (b) companies it has recruited outside of the Temporary and Interim Staff Framework in each year since 2007-08.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The number of individuals recruited outside of the Temporary and Interim Staff Framework is as follows: 2011-12 2012-13 Number of individuals 82 84 Information required to identify individuals recruited outside of the Temporary and Interim Staff Frame…
28 Jun 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much financial assistance it has provided to people aged 16 to 24 who have started businesses; how many people, and what average (a) grant or (b) loan was awarded, in each of the last three years.
Answer · John Swinney: In terms of 16 to 24 year olds specifically, the Scottish Government provides ongoing support to the Prince’s Trust Youth Business Scotland (PTYBS). In December 2010 the Scottish Government allocated £740,856 from European Regional Development Fund to PTYBS i…
28 Jun 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses have been registered as sole traders or limited companies by people aged 16 to 24 in each of the last three years.
Answer · John Swinney: The information requested is not available. The official source for measuring the number of registered businesses (including sole traders and limited companies) is the Inter Departmental Business Register (IDBR). The IDBR does not hold information on the age…
28 Jun 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people aged 16 to 24 have been registered as self-employed in each local authority area in each of the last three years.
Answer · John Swinney: Statistics on self-employment by local authority area are available from the Annual Population Survey (APS). However, the APS statistics for self-employment by local authority area for the specific 16 to 24 age group are not statistically reliable. The result…
11 Jun 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses have received a flexible training opportunities grant since the introduction of the scheme; what the average grant award is, and how much has been awarded in total.
Answer · Angela Constance: I will ask the chief executive of Skills Development Scotland to respond to you.
11 Jun 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it is not participating in the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies.
Answer · Angela Constance: Scottish Government officials are currently liaising with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to determine the feasibility and cost of participating in the third round of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competenc…
11 Jun 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it assesses the impact of its international development work.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is committed to rigorous monitoring and evaluation procedures for all Scottish Government funded activity. The monitoring, reporting and evaluation system for Scottish Government funded projects is outcomes focussed and structured to e…
11 Jun 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the concept of global citizenship education for all.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Government recognises the importance of developing children and young people as global citizens so as to prepare them for life in the 21st century. Global citizenship education is a key learning context within the Curriculum for Excellence and is firmly …
11 Jun 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the proposed Procurement Reform Bill will support (a) fair and ethical trading and (b) tax transparency.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Procurement Reform Bill is aimed at ensuring public procurement processes are transparent, streamlined and proportionate and take into account social and environmental sustainability. Alongside this, the Scottish Fair Trade Forum has agreed to work with t…
11 Jun 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) financial and (b) other support it provides to its Climate Justice Fund.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government has a Manifesto commitment to work with partners in business, charitable foundations and non-governmental organisations to co-ordinate efforts to build a Scotland-wide Climate Justice Fund. We have already gone further than this and p…
22 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to develop students’ global skills.
Answer · Michael Russell: All of our universities are engaged internationally, drawing on their own strengths and international relationships. Universities therefore provide students with opportunities for international engagement in Scotland and overseas. As autonomous institutions w…
22 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will develop a student mobility strategy and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer · Michael Russell: Studying abroad can open up opportunities for any young person, whatever stage of life and education they are at, including the chance to learn another language, experience different cultures, traditions and develop broader perspectives. The Scottish Govern…
22 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will fund the Education into Enterprise project beyond May 2013 and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Education into Enterprise project is funded by Scottish Funding Council (SFC). I have asked the SFC’s interim chief executive to write to you in connection with this matter.
22 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on recommendation R9 of the Universities Scotland report, Taking Pride in the Job, that the Scottish Government should consider how it can encourage more employers to offer placements by, for example, covering salary costs and assisting with administration.
Answer · Michael Russell: We appreciate the efforts made by Universities Scotland to improve employability prospects for Scotland’s graduates and will follow with interest the outcome of the recommendations made in the report. The Scottish Government already supports a number of paid…
21 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many more staff an independent Scotland would recruit than are currently employed to deliver economic regulation.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to the question S4W-15173 on 3 June 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentar…
21 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its paper on consumer representation in an independent Scotland referred to on page 3 of the publication, Economic and Competition Regulation in an Independent Scotland.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government will publish a range of material to inform the choice that the people of Scotland will make between now and September 2014.
21 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which regulatory bodies would (a) cease and (b) continue to operate in an independent Scotland.
Answer · John Swinney: Under our proposals, a combined economic and competition regulator would carry out the functions of Ofcom, Ofgem, the Office of the Rail Regulator, and the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, as well as the functions of the Office of Fair Trading and the …
14 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether everyone aged 16 to 19 is guaranteed a place in education, employment or training.
Answer · Angela Constance: Opportunities for All is our explicit commitment to offer a place in learning or training to every 16-19 year old in Scotland who is not currently in employment, education or training.
14 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to the Flexible Training initiative and how many places it funds.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Flexible Training Opportunities programme gives Scottish businesses with up to 100 employees the opportunity to apply for up to £5,000 towards employee training costs. Funding is available for up to 10 employees per business with Skills Development Scotla…
14 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the full-time equivalent figure is for Skills Development Scotland staff in schools.
Answer · Angela Constance: This is an operational matter for Skills Development Scotland and they have been asked to respond directly.
14 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many young people received a loan from the Scottish Investment Bank’s revolving loan fund in 2012-13 and how much it lent to young people in total.
Answer · John Swinney: During 2012-13, the revolving loan fund distributed a total of £1,387,294 to 482 young people. This supported 402 businesses to start or grow across Scotland.
14 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) care-leavers, (b) former young offenders and (c) young carers were employed with the support of Employment Recruitment Incentive payments in 2011-12 and how many of them are still in work.
Answer · Angela Constance: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-13575 on 23 March 2013 where I stated that Skills Development Scotland are unable to share a disaggregated figure as the overall number of individuals supported within these groups is small. I can confirm that …
14 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many Employment Recruitment Incentive payments were issued in 2011-12.
Answer · Angela Constance: I can confirm that in year one there were 6,985 claims for payment made through the targeted ERI scheme. Please note the distinction between claims for payment and individual starts. Some of those claims Skills Development Scotland received in 2011-12 will h…
14 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many contact centres are operated by Skills Development Scotland and how many centres there will be in 2014.
Answer · Angela Constance: This is an operational matter for Skills Development Scotland and they have been asked to respond directly.