Liz Smith

17 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what data will be published from its standardised assessments plan.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government will publish teacher professional judgment data on the percentage of children who have achieved the Curriculum for Excellence levels in literacy and numeracy relevant to their stage. From 2018, teachers’ professional judgements will be…

17 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to monitor teacher vacancies following the discontinuance of previous data sets in 2010.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government does not collect formal statistics on teacher vacancies. However, to strengthen the annual teacher workforce planning exercise with local information, the Scottish Government and COSLA worked together to survey local authorities on te…

17 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of newly qualified teachers did not enter into (a) full- or (b) part-time teaching posts in each year since 2007.

Answer · John Swinney: Statistics on the employment of post-probationer teachers are available from Table 3.5 of the annual Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland, available here:http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/Summarystatsforschools

17 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many students withdrew from their further education course in the (a) first six months, (b) first year and (c) final year of study in each year since 2007.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The full publication is available on the Scottish Funding Council website: http://www.sfc.ac.uk/communications/Statisticalpublications/2017/SFCST012017.aspx

17 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils from an SIMD 20 background enrolled on a further education course in each year since 2007.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Data on students from SIMD 20 areas on Further Education courses at colleges is available in the Scottish Funding Council publication ‘Learning for All’. The most recent publication contains data covering 2009-10 to 2014-15. In 2014-15, 32.7% of full-time e…

17 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many SQA marker vacancies there were on 31 March in each year since 2007.

Answer · John Swinney: The recruitment of markers is an operational matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). I have asked Dr Janet Brown, Chief Executive of SQA, to write to you.

17 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider establishing a national database of available supply teachers.

Answer · John Swinney: To support the availability of supply teachers for schools in Scotland the Scottish Government recently increased the Primary supply assumption in the teacher workforce planning model from 8% to 12%, while increasing overall teacher student intake targets for…

17 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it accurately assesses teaching staff shortages in schools.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government conducts an annual teacher workforce planning exercise, in partnership with local authorities other educational stakeholders, which projects the requirements for newly qualified teachers at a national level. The exercise takes account …

14 Feb 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle livestock worrying.

14 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the final contract for the roll-out of its baby box scheme will be awarded.

Answer · Mark McDonald: I can confirm that a contract for the rolled-out operation of the Baby Box scheme was awarded to APS Group (Scotland) Ltd on 24 February 2017.

14 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the final contract for the roll-out of its baby box scheme will include delivery of the baby box to new parents.

Answer · Mark McDonald: Yes, it is our intention to appoint a managing agent who will manage all aspects of the contract and delivery will be included in this.

14 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether its current contract with the APS (Scotland) Group for the pilot of its baby box scheme includes the delivery of the baby box to new parents.

Answer · Mark McDonald: Yes. As managing agent, APS has responsibility for all aspects of the Baby Box, including the sourcing of the Box and its contents, storage and packing. This includes arranging for delivery of Baby Boxes directly to parents’ homes.

31 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06335 by John Swinney on 30 January 2017, whether it will provide an answer to the question that was asked on what discussions it has had with the board of the Scottish Funding Council regarding the Scottish Government's plan to abolish the board, a…

Answer · John Swinney: There is ongoing engagement between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council around the Enterprise and Skills Review. Most recently, Ms Somerville attended the Scottish Funding Council Board meeting on 27 January and had a helpful and construc…

26 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish correspondence between ministers and the Scottish Funding Council between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2016, which related to the purpose of the £50 million in additional funding that the Scottish Government clawed back in 2015-16.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government did not correspond on the purpose of the £50m given it had already made clear that this sum was to be recovered from the Scottish Funding Council’s budget.

26 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) was engaged in discussions with higher education institutions about how to spend £50 million on campus development projects after the SFC had been notified in the Financial Report to its board in February 2014 that the Scottish Governmen…

Answer · John Swinney: Dialogue between the Scottish Funding Council and the two institutions in question was held as part of the on-going dialogue between SFC and institutions about strategic priorities. This regular dialogue about investment ambitions and requirements does not co…

26 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason some of the additional £50 million funds allocated to the Scottish Funding Council in 2011 was not passed on to higher education institutions as originally intended.

Answer · John Swinney: The decision to recover the resources was taken on the basis of assurance from the Scottish Funding Council that the financial commitments made to universities and colleges had been met in full, and the resources that were available to institutions were the r…

25 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what financial resources will be made available to the Commissioner for Fair Access in order to commission the research data that needs to be compiled to inform his work.

Answer · John Swinney: The Commissioner for Fair Access is currently considering the priorities for research on access in Scotland. Resources made available for research will be informed by Professor Scott’s assessment of the need for new work to be carried out.

18 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the board of the Scottish Funding Council regarding the Scottish Government's plan to abolish the board, and what response it received.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government meets regularly with the Scottish Funding Council to discuss a range of matters, including the Enterprise and Skills Review. Most recently, Scottish Government officials attended the meeting of the SFC board on 16 December 2016.

17 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason its report, SCOTLAND CAN DO - Boosting Scotland’s Innovation Performance, makes no reference to UK Research and Innovation, Innovate UK or Research Councils UK.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Scotland CAN DO - Boosting Scotland's Innovation Performance is a high level Action Plan that has been developed through the Scotland CAN DO Innovation Forum. A wide range of industry and academic partners, including Innovate UK and other UK organisations suc…

12 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Scottish Funding Council reported a £50 million underspend for 2015-16.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The £50m reported by the SFC in its reserves for 2015-16 came about because the allocation of funding to the body by the Scottish Government is made on a financial year basis, whereas the body’s spending is on an academic year basis. For this reason the SFC n…

12 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Scottish Funding Council returned to it the £50 million underspend that it reported for 2015-16.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06106 on 26 January 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…

19 Dec 2016 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the call by the Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland for the extension of powers to headteachers.

19 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of people with shingles between the ages of (a) 50 and 69, (b) 70 and 79 and (b) 80 and 100 have been reported in each of the last five years.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: This information is not held centrally. Shingles (or Herpes Zoster) is not a notifiable disease under the Public Health etc (Scotland) Act 2008.

13 Dec 2016 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent deaths from drowning.

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The Scottish Government takes this issue very seriously, and has provided £104,000 this year to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents to continue to deliver its annual Home and Water Safety programme. RoSPA’s Water Safety Scotland group engages w…

28 Nov 2016 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on the ability of the education agencies to deliver the curriculum for excellence.

21 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the shingles vaccine is not made available on the NHS to people aged 80 and over, and whether there are exceptions to this position.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government, like all other UK Health Departments, takes advice on immunisation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI reviewed medical, epidemiological, and economic evidence as well as vaccine safety and effica…

7 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many school janitor posts in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have been lost in the last five academic years.

Answer · John Swinney: We do not collect this information.

7 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many GPs are registered but not practising.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government: Between the GMC and the health board performers list it would be possible to gather some information on who is registered with the GMC but not on a performers list. It would be very difficul…

1 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much the Lanarkshire Regional Colleges Board has cost to run and operate in each financial year since it was established, and whether these costs are top-sliced from the funding allocation to the two Lanarkshire colleges.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: There is no organisation named ‘Lanarkshire Regional Colleges Board’. One of the two colleges in the Lanarkshire region, New College Lanarkshire, was designated both a regional college and a regional strategic body on 1 October 2014. On the same date the othe…

1 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much in (a) total and (b) the current financial year, college (i) chairs and (ii) board members of individual (A) colleges and (B) regional boards are paid, and how this compares with the last financial year prior to regionalisation and merger reforms in the college sector.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Ministers have set the daily rate of remuneration for the chairs of regional colleges and of the Glasgow Colleges’ Regional Board as follows: Regional College/Board Daily rate (7.5 hours) Maximum Days (in any given financial year) Maximum to…