Willie Rennie

8 Jul 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many P1 children have taken (a) one of or (b) both parts of the Scottish National Standardised Assessments since 20 September 2018, broken down by (i) school year and (ii) local authority.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The following table provides an overview of P1 learners who have undertaken (a) one or (b) both parts of the Scottish National Standardised Assessments since 20 September 2018, broken down by (i) school year and (ii) local authority. Please note that figures…

30 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what checks and monitoring processes it has in place to ensure that the money it provided to businesses through the Business Ventilation Fund has been used by those businesses for the reasons stated in their applications.

Answer · John Swinney: Evidence of works was required in order to claim funding from the Business Ventilation Fund. This included providing invoices and proof of payment such as a copy of a bank statement. It was the responsibility of local authorities to validate this evidence to …

30 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with those children and parents who benefit most from pupil equity funding to obtain their views on the decision to have police officers based in schools through the allocation of pupil equity funding, and what evidence it received from that engagement which in…

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government empowers Head Teachers to make local decisions that are best suited to the needs of their communities. This includes engagement with their own parents and children. As outlined in the refreshed 2022 PEF National Operational Guidance, a…

28 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on advertising and promoting the Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme in total; how much it spent on this prior to the interim voucher scheme, worth up to £400 per voucher, being extended, and how much it has spent on this since the interim voucher scheme was extended.

Answer · Kate Forbes: Our website at www.scotlandsuperfast.com is the main means of publicising the R100 programme, of which R100 SBVS is a key component - information is largely updated in-house with more extensive changes commissioned, as and when required. In addition, we ha…

28 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme, how many interim vouchers worth up to £400 had been granted by the date applications closed; what the total value of vouchers awarded in this part of the scheme is; how many vouchers worth up to £5,000 have been granted, and what the tota…

Answer · Kate Forbes: As of 1 July 2022, a total of 1,031 installations have been delivered using interim vouchers at a value of £399,468. A further 204 interim vouchers have been issued at a potential value of £73,847. In addition, 1,237 installations have been delivered using ma…

21 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding police officers being stationed in schools through the use of pupil equity funding.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government has had no specific discussions with Police Scotland about this issue.

21 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received any confirmation from (a) Glasgow City Council, (b) West Lothian Council, (c) South Lanarkshire Council, (d) North Ayrshire Council and (e) Fife Council that they will no longer use pupil equity funding for police officers in schools.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: As stated in the answer given to PQ S6W-09389, the Scottish Government has had no specific discussions about this issue with these local authorities. It is for headteachers to decide on how to spend Pupil Equity Funding, based on their local contexts and work…

21 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what processes are in place to ensure that police officers, who are based in schools through the allocation of pupil equity funding, have discretion over the exercising of their powers when they are in school.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I reaffirm the answer provided in S6T-00784 on 14 June 2022. Specifically, that local decisions are taken by headteachers in an empowered education system. We trust schools and headteachers to know their pupils best, and to take decisions that are in the best…

21 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the evidence indicating that using pupil equity funding for police officers in schools is an effective measure at closing the poverty related attainment gap.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I reaffirm the answer provided in S6T-00784 on 14 June 2022. Specifically, in the small number of areas where there are projects involving Police Scotland in place, schools indicate that they find these to be of great benefit.All answers to Topical Questions …

21 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Glasgow City Council, (b) West Lothian Council, (c) South Lanarkshire Council, (d) North Ayrshire Council and (e) Fife Council regarding the use of pupil equity funding for police officers in schools, and what evidence these local authorities have pro…

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government has had no specific discussions about this issue with these local authorities. It is for headteachers, who know their children best, to decide on how to invest their Pupil Equity Funding, based on their local contexts and they should w…

21 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-12058 by John Swinney on 31 October 2017, which states that “any school plans for using pupil equity funding must be grounded in evidence of what is known to be effective at closing the poverty related attainment gap”, what evidence it holds that po…

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: PEF National Operational Guidance is intended to help schools plan how they will most effectively invest their Pupil Equity Funding allocation to improve the educational outcomes of children affected by poverty. Local authorities also issue complementary guid…

21 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it has ensured compliance with the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006 in relation to the decisions to have police officers in schools, which involve the use of pupil equity funding.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: A key principle of the refreshed 2022 Pupil Equity Funding National Operational Guidance states that: ‘Teachers, parents and carers, children and young people and other key stakeholders should be meaningfully involved throughout the processes of planning, imp…

21 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessments have been carried out regarding contracts with Police Scotland for police officers in schools, which involve the use of pupil equity funding.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: This is a matter for headteachers and local authorities to consider, if appropriate. Decisions on how to use Pupil Equity Funding are taken by headteachers in an empowered education system. We trust schools and headteachers to know their pupils best, and to t…

21 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been carried out through the National Improvement Framework regarding the allocation of money from pupil equity funding to Police Scotland for police officers in schools.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: This information does not fall within the scope of data gathered through the National Improvement Framework. The 11 key NIF measures assess progress towards closing the attainment gap using indicators from pre-school to school leavers. These are supplemented …

21 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6T-00784 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 June 2022, whether it will provide a breakdown, by local authority, of the types of projects in schools involving Police Scotland.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The information requested is not held centrally. Pupil Equity Funding of over £520 million over the next four years is providing additional support to 97% of schools across Scotland, empowering our head teachers and teachers who know their children best. As o…

21 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people did not respond to the 2011 census and, of those, how many people received a fine for not doing so.

Answer · Angus Robertson: Decisions regarding prosecutions remain a matter for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. The 2011 census had a response rate of approximately 94%. Of the 6% of non-responding households, approximately 1,800 cases were put forward for non-complian…

21 Jun 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects a decision to be reached on a railway station for Newburgh in Fife following the publication of the Newburgh and Area Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance appraisal.

13 Jun 2022 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what immediate action it will take, in light of recent reports that nearly £2 million in Pupil Equity Funding has been spent on police officers in schools since 2018.

8 Jun 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is for the currency of an independent Scotland.

7 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many officials worked on international further and higher education policy within the Advanced Learning and Science team in 2021-22.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: We had on average seven full-time equivalent Scottish Government Officials working on international further and higher education policy within the Advanced Learning and Science Directorate during the 2021-22 financial year.

7 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government in which academic year it plans for a new Scottish Education Exchange Programme to be operational for the two-way international exchange of students.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government is working towards the development of a Scottish Education Exchange Programme fit for Scotland. We will provide more details in due course.

7 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish a new strategy for international education, as set out in its Programme for Government 2021-22.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government is currently engaging with stakeholders taking into consideration their ambitions and priorities to develop an International Education Strategy which works for Scotland.

7 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the increase in funding in the Advanced Learning and Science budget for 2026-27, as set out in table 5 of the Resource Spending Review, is to fund a new Scottish Education Exchange Programme.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Resource Spending Review provides the financial parameters for Scottish Government portfolios to collaborate with delivery partners and stakeholders to develop more detailed financial and organisational planning ahead of the next Budget in Winter 2022.

7 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to run a formal consultation exercise on the development of a new strategy for international education, and, if so, when.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government has had and continues to have discussions with key stakeholders to understand their priorities and requirements for an International Education Strategy which works for Scotland.

10 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) grants and (b) loans it has provided to Ineos during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what the value of any such grants and loans was.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Since the World Health Organisation declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on 11 March 2020, the Scottish Government has not provided any grants or loans to Ineos.  

10 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) grants and (b) loans it has provided to Petroineos during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what the value of any such grants and loans was.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Since the World Health Organisation declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on 11 March 2020, the Scottish Government has not provided any grants or loans to Petroineos.  

10 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-36131 by Maree Todd on 23 March 2021, what percentage of the 435 equity and excellence leads are in post; how many of the posts are vacant, and on what date all posts were filled, including where the post-holder has since moved on.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government provides funding to local authorities to recruit Equity and Excellence lead posts across all 32 local authorities, but does not monitor the movement of specific staff. Scottish Government publishes snapshot figures of graduate level p…

28 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05329 by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022, whether the parent company guarantee that was signed with Liberty House in 2016 could be affected by the reported visits to Liberty Steel offices by the Serious Fraud Office as part of its investigation of GFG…

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government is unable to comment on a live investigation by the Serious Fraud Office. Our priority is to support Scotland’s strategically important steel sector and the highly-skilled jobs it provides.    

12 Apr 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it and Police Scotland have undertaken to ensure that police officers have access to additional trained mental health workers.

22 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme, how many properties (a) are eligible and (b) have applied for the (i) £400 and (ii) £5,000 voucher, all broken down by (A) local authority area and (B) Scottish Parliament constituency.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The interim voucher portion of the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme is now closed. We do not hold data for Scottish Parliamentary constituencies. However, data on voucher eligibility for all 32 Scottish Local Authorities is provided in the following tab…