Gordon MacDonald

26 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of employers in Scotland have living wage-accreditation, and what information it has regarding how this compares with the rest of the UK.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: This information is collected by the Poverty Alliance on behalf of the Living Wage Accreditation Initiative and the Living Wage Foundation. However, as of 9 September 2015, 318 employers have been accredited through the Scottish Living Wage Accreditation Init…

21 Aug 2015 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the expansion of the education maintenance allowance will be introduced.

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The Scottish Government is committed to the education maintenance allowance (EMA) programme and values its contribution in helping young people overcome financial barriers to access learning. To help even more young people the current EMA thresholds will incr…

23 Jun 2015 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in developing the revised approach to recruitment incentives as set out in Developing the Young Workforce – Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Recent monthly labour market stats show a sustained improvement in the number young people in Scotland in employment, but this government remains focused on our ambitions to reduce youth unemployment by 40% by 2021. Scotland’s Employer Recruitment Incentive,…

1 May 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much was spent refurbishing schools in Edinburgh in 2014-15.

16 Apr 2015 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with the Fair Work Convention.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The convention will meet for the first time on 30 April 2015 when it will consider priorities for its future work to develop, promote and sustain a fair employment and workplace framework for Scotland. It will be co-chaired by Anne Douglas, former National Se…

13 Apr 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what relationship it has with UK Visas and Immigration.

16 Mar 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving to help reshape how energy is delivered and used in communities throughout the country.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Practical and reasonable support is being provided.

6 Mar 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown by local authority of the (a) 5,500 young people who have received support from the Community Jobs Scotland programme and (b) 1,000 job opportunities for young people as part of the next phase of the programme as announced by the First Minister on 25 F…

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: Community Jobs Scotland (CJS) opportunities are allocated by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations based on Office for National Statistics data on youth unemployment in the local authority area. (a) The CJS programme has allocated a total of 5,842…

16 Feb 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that Scottish food and drink products are promoted by local retailers and caterers.

21 Jan 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many college students are achieving qualifications that are recognised and valued by employers.

12 Jan 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address barriers to employment faced by black and ethnic minority women.

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The Scottish Government recognises the particular barriers to employment often faced by black and ethnic minority women. For new Scots, this often includes language difficulties and a lack of understanding of the skills required for particular jobs. That is …

8 Dec 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the piloting of project bank accounts will impact on small businesses in the construction sector.

3 Dec 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many children received free school meals in 2014 and how many will receive them in 2015 following the extension in January.

Answer · Angela Constance: In 2014, 126,388 (18.8%) children and young people in Scottish schools were registered to receive a free school meal. This includes a very small number of children in primary 1-3, who might not meet the eligibility criteria prescribed in statute, but register…

3 Dec 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people covered by its pay policy will be affected by the increase in the living wage on 1 April 2015 and what their average pay increase will be.

Answer · John Swinney: Addressing low pay is an explicit objective of our public sector pay policy. Almost 640 individuals covered by our public sector pay policy will directly benefit from the increase in living wage from £7.65 per hour to £7.85 per hour. The increase will normal…

26 Nov 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the expansion of funded early learning and childcare will benefit the most disadvantaged people.

22 Sep 2014 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what minimum standards are required for premises to be considered suitable for primary care use.

11 Aug 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce red tape for agricultural industries.

28 Jul 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether pensioners in an independent Scotland would be guaranteed their state pension and whether they would be paid at the same rate as in the rest of the UK.

2 Jun 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to tackle health inequalities in the most deprived communities.

22 May 2014 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many households there are in Scotland compared with the number of dwellings.

14 Apr 2014 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the operators of Edinburgh Airport about the number of weekend flights between 11.00 pm and 5.30 am.

17 Mar 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many local authorities have a youth employment strategy similar to the Edinburgh Guarantee.

27 Jan 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many UNESCO world heritage sites there are in Scotland.

2 Dec 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask Scottish Government how many advance statements, in which a person who is well sets out whether or not they would prefer to be treated for a condition in the future, have been lodged with NHS boards.

Answer · Alex Neil: This information is not held centrally.

11 Nov 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to meet its obligations under the EU directive relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise.

28 Oct 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding streams are currently supporting the sports that will be featured in the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government and its partners are committed to leaving a lasting legacy from the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. On 30 September 2013 we confirmed that between 2011-15 a record level of investment of over £38 million will be made into the 17 C…

21 Oct 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will conclude its review of the local air quality management system.

16 Apr 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the tax revenue in Scotland was estimated to be in 2011-12.

21 Jan 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review the impact of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

10 Dec 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what actions are required to reduce health inequalities.