Parliamentary questions
Kezia Dugdale
1,684 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
13 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it quality controls the award of the Scottish National Standards with regard to income advice.
Answer · Ash Denham: I refer the member to my answer to S5W-18833 on 27 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.…
13 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that advice agencies provide robust income maximisation advice.
Answer · Ash Denham: The Scottish Government invests significant funding in advice services each year across a wide range of policy areas. This funding supports advice provision for individuals on income maximisation (including welfare, debt and financial capability advice, and a…
12 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that young people know that they have the right not to be physically assaulted by their parents.
Answer · Maree Todd: When the law was last changed in this area in 2003, the then Scottish Executive issued a leaflet called "children, physlcal punishment and the law". At the moment, there is some information on the physical punishment of children on the Scottish Government web…
12 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work it is undertaking to promote and provide advice to children and young people, particularly in schools, on their rights to be safe, not be treated cruelly or be harmed, as outlined in articles 19, 34 and 37 in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Answer · John Swinney: In line with duties under Part One of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, the Scottish Government continues to take steps to promote public awareness and understanding of the rights of children, including amongst children and young people thems…
12 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last ran a campaign in relation to parental physical assault, and what plans it has to run another.
Answer · Maree Todd: When the law was last changed in this area in 2003, the then Scottish Executive issued a leaflet called "children, physlcal punishment and the law". At the moment, there is some information on the physical punishment of children on the Scottish Government web…
12 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering any changes to the Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) curriculum in schools to improve children and young people’s awareness of their legal rights and responsibilities.
Answer · John Swinney: A key action within our Mental Health Strategy committed the Scottish Government to a national review of Personal and Social Education (PSE); the role of pastoral guidance in local authority schools; and services for counselling children and young people. In…
12 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote and provide advice to children and young people on their legal rights as part of the school curriculum.
Answer · John Swinney: The legal rights of children and young people are covered within the broad general education of Curriculum for Excellence. Specifically, the social studies experiences and outcomes (SOC 1-17a and SOC 2-17a) help to ensure learners:understand the meaning of ri…
12 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that children and young people have access to educational psychologists.
Answer · John Swinney: We have been working with the National Scottish Steering Group for Educational Psychologists (NSSGEP) on workforce planning to ensure a sustainable supply of educational psychologists to meet needs. On 25 May 2018 an agreement was reached between COSLA and t…
12 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the waiting time target is to see an educational psychologist.
Answer · John Swinney: There is no national waiting time for educational psychology. It is for individual local authorities to take decisions around how they fulfil their duty to provide an educational psychology service.
12 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time has been for children and young people to see an educational psychologist in each of the last five years.
Answer · John Swinney: The information requested is not held centrally. It is for individual local authorities to take decisions around how they fulfil their duty to provide an educational psychology service.
12 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many educational psychologists it expects to retire in the next five years.
Answer · John Swinney: The information requested is not held centrally. This is a matter for individual education authorities as employers of educational psychologists.
12 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact reducing the graduate allowance has had on the (a) number and (b) social mix of students entering postgraduate educational psychologist courses.
Answer · John Swinney: Information on the number of applicants to, and number of students starting, the MSc in Educational Psychology is shown in the following table. Students who started the course between 2012 and 2017 were self-funding. In 2011 and 2010, up to 22 places were fun…
12 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many practising educational psychologists there are.
Answer · John Swinney: The school staff census reported 356 educational psychologists (full time equivalent) employed by education authorities in September 2017. Source: School Staff Census https://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/SupportStaff/SupportStaff17
12 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many newly-qualified educational psychologists it expects to enter the workforce in each year from 2019 to 2024.
Answer · John Swinney: Based on the numbers of current trainees, we expect 17 will complete an MSc in Educational Psychology in 2018, 12 in 2019, and 29 in 2020. Thereafter, we anticipate delivering up to 30 new educational psychologists each year. A change in training arrangement…
12 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many educational psychologist students there have been in Scotland in each of the last five years.
Answer · John Swinney: The numbers starting the first year of the two-year MSc in Educational Psychology course over the past five years are shown in the following table: Year and University Numbers commencing the MSc 2018 Dundee 29 2017 Strathclyde 12 2016 Dundee 17 2015 …
29 Aug 2018 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve and protect temporary and seasonal workers’ rights in Edinburgh.
14 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to address concerns that, in some instances, local authorities are spending the Continuing Care funding allocation on relieving other pressures in their areas.
Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18223 on 13 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/parliamentarybusi…
14 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) when and (b) how it will investigate claims that foster carers are, in some instances, receiving half the weekly payment for delivering Continuing Care than they did for delivering Foster Care.
Answer · Maree Todd: Local authorities are responsible for managing Continuing Care arrangements and making decisions about the levels of allowances and fees. The Continuing Care guidance requires local authorities to carefully consider the financial implications for carers offer…
14 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will investigate claims that some local authorities have de-registered foster carers and re-registered them as supported carers in order for them to continue caring for a young person up to the age of 21.
Answer · Maree Todd: There is no requirement for foster carers to be de-registered in order to provide a continuing care placement for a young person in their care up to the age of 21. The Care Inspectorate, in its role as Corporate Parent, has issued updated guidance around the…
14 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason some local authorities, such as Dumfries and Galloway, the Shetland Islands and East Dunbartonshire, are not aware of a ring-fenced grant for Continuing Care provision expenditure.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not provide ring-fenced funding for Continuing Care provision or indeed any of the provisions in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. Funding is included in the block grant which the Scottish Government provides to a…
14 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason some local authorities, despite having young people eligible for Continuing Care, have no care experienced young people receiving the provision, and (a) when and (b) how it plans to investigate this.
Answer · Maree Todd: The information on individuals care planning is held by local authorities who are required to support each young person leaving care. Continuing Care is one of a range of options including extended Aftercare up to age 26, available to support the individual’s…
14 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of expenditure on Continuing Care exceeding the amount allocated in several local authorities, with no commitment to increase funding on a per annum basis, how it plans to address this issue.
Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-11399 on 2 October 2017. 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/parliamentarybusines…
14 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that local authorities are accurately and consistently recording information regarding the allocation and expenditure of funds that are received for the implementation of Continuing Care.
Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-11396 on 2 October 2017. 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…
14 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to address concerns that, in many local authority areas, Continuing Care is underfunded and places additional pressure on council budgets.
Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-11399 on 2 October 2017. 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…
14 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of 3,161 care experienced young people being eligible for the Continuing Care provision but only 177 young people, which is 6%, having requested or been offered the option to remain in care, what plans it has to address this issue.
Answer · Maree Todd: We expect to obtain credible evidence of actual uptake of Continuing Care as part of the “Children’s Social Work Statistics” in 2019. We have estimated approximately 74 eligible care leavers per year will take up the offer. Continuing Care should be consider…
14 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what collaborations it is supporting on a UK-wide basis into motor neuron disease research.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: In April 2018 the Scottish Government announced that it would be providing half the funding for an almost £400,000 initiative at the Edinburgh hub of the UK-wide Dementia Research Institute to fund 2 postdoctoral scientists over 3 years. Their work will look …
14 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to provide financial support for clinical trials or treatments for motor neuron disease.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government provides over £500,000 annual funding for the NHS Research Scotland Neuroprogressive and Dementia Network. The role of the network is to support academic and commercial studies, including clinical trials, in neurodegenerative condition…
14 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support research and establish medical trials for motor neuron disease patients in Scotland.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: We have delivered on the 2016 manifesto commitment to fund 3 Ph.D. Studentships in both Motor Neurone Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. The SPRINT-MND-MS programme sees the 6 Scottish Government-funded Ph.D.’s matched by an investment of 7 Ph.D.’s funded by a c…
14 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with MND Scotland regarding support for clinical trials for motor neuron disease patients in Scotland.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Officials from the Chief Scientist Office met with MND Scotland at the Scottish Government sponsored Neuroprogressive Disease Research Day on ?19 April 2018. This led directly to the announcement of a co-funded Clinical Research Fellowship designed to increas…
18 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to make amendments to licensing legislation to ensure that personal licences for those who authorise, manage or supervise the sale of alcohol continue after 1 September 2019, where applications have been made on time but have not yet been processed.
Answer · Ash Denham: The Scottish Government has no current plans to amend the alcohol licensing regime in this way.