Parliamentary questions
Kezia Dugdale
1,684 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
4 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it will do to prevent applicants for places at university purchasing homes in Scotland solely to qualify for free higher education.
Answer · Michael Russell: Our systems already guard against this. Purchasing or owning a home in Scotland does not in itself qualify an applicant for eligibility for regulated fee status and student support. An applicant must demonstrate that they meet all the relevant residency crite…
4 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether applicants to Scottish universities from England who have second homes in Scotland or other EU countries will qualify for free higher education.
Answer · Michael Russell: The test that has to be met is whether the applicant is ordinarily resident in Scotland. In general terms, an applicant would not be considered ordinarily resident in a second home.
3 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people were in training on the Lifeskills programme at the end of September 2009.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. I will ask the Chief Executive of Skills Development Scotland to respond to you.
3 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people were in training on the Get Ready for Work programme at the end of September 2010.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. I will ask the Chief Executive of Skills Development Scotland to respond to you.
3 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people were in training on the Get Ready for Work programme at the end of September 2009.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. I will ask the Chief Executive of Skills Development Scotland to respond to you.
3 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people were in training on the Lifeskills programme at the end of September 2010.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. I will ask the Chief Executive of Skills Development Scotland to respond to you.
3 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what Skills Development Scotland funding was for the (a) Get Ready for Work and (b) Lifeskills programme in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government allocates funding to Skills Development Scotland (SDS) on an annual basis for delivery of national training programmes, including Get Ready for Work and Lifeskills. It is up to SDS to determine how to allocate this funding between the …
3 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been allocated to Skills Development Scotland for the (a) Get Ready for Work and (b) Lifeskills programme.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government allocates funding to Skills Development Scotland (SDS) on an annual basis for delivery of national training programmes, including Get Ready for Work and Lifeskills. It is up to SDS to determine how to allocate this funding between the …
3 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people were supported by the Lifeskills programme in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. I will ask the Chief Executive of Skills Development Scotland to respond to you.
3 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people were supported by the Get Ready for Work programme in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. I will ask the Chief Executive of Skills Development Scotland to respond to you.
3 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered instructing an audit of community planning partnerships.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has not instructed an audit of community planning partnerships. Audit and scrutiny of public services is carried out independently of ministers, by Audit Scotland and relevant scrutiny bodies. I have asked the Accounts Commission to l…
3 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of local authority funding will come from council tax revenue in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.
Answer · John Swinney: Local authorities are responsible for setting their annual net revenue budgets as well as the amount of those budgets to be funded from the council tax. The latest information available to the Scottish Government provided by local authorities is in respect of…
3 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-03016 by John Swinney on 18 October 2011, whether it will seek an independent analysis of the Scottish Spending Review 2011.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has no plans to add to the scrutiny arrangements that already apply, including parliament’s role in the budget process and the significant amount of evidence it takes from third parties on the government’s spending proposals. As in pr…
3 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many S6 pupils there were in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09, (c) 2009-10, and (d) 2010-11.
Answer · Michael Russell: This information is published in table 3.3 of a supplementary dataset to the National Statistics publication Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland, No 1: 2010 Edition available on the Scottish Government website at www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/B…
3 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-03014 by John Swinney on 18 October 2011, whether it considers that the disparity between local government and NHS board financial cycles makes more partnership working more challenging.
Answer · John Swinney: Local Government and NHS board financial cycles are the same, running from April to March, with both preparing annual accounts for this financial cycle and adhering to the Scottish Government’s overarching financial timetable. The three year Spending Review a…
3 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of local authority funding in 2011-12 will come from council tax revenue.
Answer · John Swinney: Based on local authorities’ own financial returns to the Scottish Government, they have estimated that 18 per cent of their net revenue income in 2011-12 will be raised from the council tax. This figure includes both anticipated council tax benefit funding an…
3 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-03012 by John Swinney on 18 October 2011, when it expects to receive a report from the Accounts Commission on how external scrutiny can contribute to the public service reform agenda.
Answer · John Swinney: The Accounts Commission is now completing a plan for delivering a review of how Community Planning Partnerships are externally scrutinised including pilot work which will be carried out in 2012. Further information on detail and timings for the review will be…
3 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many S5 pupils there were in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09, (c) 2009-10 and (d) 2010-11.
Answer · Michael Russell: This information is published in table 3.3 of a supplementary dataset to the National Statistics publication Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland, No 1: 2010 Edition available on the Scottish Government website at: www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/…
2 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider legislating to ensure that all new homes are fitted with carbon monoxide detectors.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: In July 2011 we committed to review building regulations to see if all new homes should be fitted with carbon monoxide detectors. A working group has now been formed and will have its first meeting before the end of the year. The review could lead to changes …
2 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to reduce the number of deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answers to questions S4W-03768 on 16 November 2011 and S4W-03769 and S4W-03770 on 15 November 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found …
2 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether housing in multiple occupancy licences require properties to be fitted with carbon monoxide detectors.
Answer · Keith Brown: Statutory guidance on HMO licensing issued in August 2011 specified that there must be a carbon monoxide detector in the same room as any gas appliance in a licensed property. Tenants of HMOs are further protected from the risks of carbon monoxide as landlor…
2 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether landlords are required to fit their properties with carbon monoxide detectors.
Answer · Keith Brown: Private and social landlords are not required to fit homes with carbon monoxide detectors but they are required to ensure that gas heating systems are regularly inspected and are not dangerous.
27 Oct 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to amend the guidance for NHS boards to ensure that appointments in England and Wales offered to patients from Scotland that are not taken up do not count toward the 18-week guarantee on waiting times.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The vast majority of patients are treated locally in their local hospitals. For the very few cases were patient are offered treatment outwith Scotland the current guidance clearly states that these patient are covered by waiting time targets. Indeed New Ways …
26 Oct 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support is available, when there is no out-of-hours GP service, to meet the transport costs of taking a child to an accident and emergency department on the advice of NHS 24.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-03642 on 2 November 2011. 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…
26 Oct 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that NHS boards should provide out-of-hours GP services for children.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-03642 on 2 November 2011. 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…
26 Oct 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which groups of patients are entitled to out-of-hours GP services.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-03642 on 2 November 2011. 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…
26 Oct 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on accident and emergency departments being provided with GPs as a mechanism to provide out-of-hours services for children.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Under the Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act 2004, every health board must, to the extent that they consider necessary to meet all reasonable requirements, provide or secure the provision of primary medical services. This must be for all patient groups, …
26 Oct 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time equivalent staff and at what grade are employed in its (a) freedom of information unit, (b) national conversation, referendum and elections division, (c) media monitoring unit, (d) events and speechwriting division and (e) UK relations unit.
Answer · John Swinney: The following table details the number of full time equivalent staff by grade in the Freedom of Information Unit, Elections and Constitution Division*, Media Monitoring Unit, Visits and Events team and the UK Relations team. Total number of full-time equi…
26 Oct 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who approves applications for Reshaping Care Change Fund monies.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Change Plan templates completed by local Partnerships will be considered by the Ministerial Strategic Group for Health and Community Care, chaired me, before funds are released at the beginning of the 2012-13 financial year. The group will oversee the impleme…
26 Oct 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that data related to the cognitive ability of children are gathered regularly and systematically in light of the findings of the Growing Up in Scotland study in relation to the cognitive ability of children at ages three and five.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Growing Up in Scotland study has collected information about the cognitive ability of children by using assessments of vocabulary ability and problem solving ability from the British Ability Scales II (BAS-II). This information was collected once when the…