Parliamentary questions
Daniel Johnson
1,103 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
29 Jan 2018 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported allegations of “government interference” in the independence of the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner.
25 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of all meetings between ministers and members or former members of the Scottish Police Authority Board since 2015, including whether there was a minute taken of the meeting.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-13864 on 26 January 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.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentar…
15 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of what (a) meetings and (a) phone calls there have been between ministers and members of the board of the Scottish Police Authority, and which of these were minuted.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government proactively publishes details of ministerial activity, the details of which can be found on the Scottish Government website. Scottish Government policy on the recording of meetings is set out in guidance for civil servants about when a…
15 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that lawyers from the Edinburgh Bar Association have unanimously voted to resign from the police station duty scheme and that the Glasgow Bar Association is due to vote on this, what action it plans to address the reported concerns regarding the workload issues that …
Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The Scottish Government supports the increased rights to legal advice in police stations that the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 provides, as did the Scottish Parliament in passing the Act. When part 1 of the Act commences on 25 January 2018 the Scotti…
15 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the effectiveness of the relationship between the Scottish Police Authority and ministers and officials, and whether it plans to review this relationship.
Answer · Michael Matheson: There is regular and constructive dialogue between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Police Authority. The broad framework underpinning that relationship is set out in The Scottish Police Authority Governance and Accountability Framework, copies of whi…
11 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there is a gap in the publication of prison statistics and population projections, and when they will next be published.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Scottish Government prison population data from 2014-15 onwards have been affected by a technical issue with the underlying dataset which limits the range of data that can currently be provided. Potential solutions are under investigation and in the interim, …
11 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there is a gap in the publication of statistics for racist incidents recorded by the Police Scotland, and when they will next be published.
Answer · Annabelle Ewing: In the latest publication of racist incidents recorded by the police in Scotland, we outlined for users our plan to scope out the possibility of replacing this bulletin with a new and broader product on police recorded hate crime. This would include informati…
8 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce a replacement programme for school building.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government intends to build upon the success of the Scotland's Schools for the Future programme and options are currently being developed, with an announcement expected later this year.
20 Dec 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made with the commitment to invest in additional robots for prostate surgery in Edinburgh and Glasgow since the publication of Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action in 2016.
Answer · Shona Robison: Robotically assisted surgery for prostatectomy is now available in the 3 regional cancer networks for all suitable patients in NHS Scotland. These robots are based in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. £3m of funding was provided by the Scottish Government, to …
19 Dec 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it will cost (a) it, (b) its agencies, (c) other public bodies and (d) local authorities to (i) set up and (ii) administer the proposed five-band Scottish income tax structure.
Answer · Derek Mackay: HMRC have estimated annual running costs of between £1.5 and £2m if income tax rates and bands remained the same as the rest of the UK. A more significant divergence between the rates and bands that apply in Scotland when compared to the rest of the UK may le…
13 Dec 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent teachers were funded by the Attainment Scotland Fund in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority of those employed (a) in early learning and childcare settings, (b) in primary schools, (c) in secondary schools, (d) in special schools and …
Answer · John Swinney: Teachers funded through the Attainment Scotland Fund includes those funded through the Attainment Challenge in 2015,2016 and 2017 and those funded through the Pupil Equity Fund in 2017. Information on the sector of teachers funded through the Attainment Scot…
13 Dec 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent teachers were funded by the pupil equity fund in each of the last three years, broken down by those employed (a) in early learning and childcare settings, (b) in primary schools, (c) in secondary schools, (d) in special schools and (e) centrally, also broken…
Answer · John Swinney: Information on teachers funded through thePupil Equity Fund and working in the early learning and childcare sector is not held centrally. The Pupil Equity Fund was not available until after the September 2016 census so data is only shown for 2017. Teachers …
13 Dec 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the pupil teacher ratio has been, excluding the teachers funded through Attainment Scotland Fund or Pupil Equity Fund, over each of the last three years, broken down by those employed (a) in early learning and childcare settings, (b) in primary schools, (c) in secondary schools, (d)…
Answer · John Swinney: Information on teachers funded through Attainment Scotland Fund or Pupil Equity Fund and working in the early learning and childcare sector is not held centrally. Pupil teacher ratios (PTR) are not calculated for the centrally employed sector as no pupils are…
5 Dec 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of what the economic impact could be of Scotland ceasing to have regulatory alignment with the rest of the UK.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government was clear in Scotland's Place in Europe that short of full membership of the EU, continued membership of the European Single Market is the best solution for both Scotland and the UK as a whole. In such a scenario Scotland would have re…
22 Nov 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its commitment, when it will establish a bespoke national learning disability child and adolescent mental health inpatient unit.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government was pleased to publish on 10 November, the comprehensive Inpatient Needs Assessment Report which sets out the need for a specialist inpatient service for those with learning disability and/or autism and mental health conditions. We are…
22 Nov 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what research on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in education settings (a) is being carried out and (b) has been completed.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has committed to commissioning independent research into the experiences of children, young people, parents, school staff (including support staff), education authorities and their partners in relation to additional support for learnin…
22 Nov 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is given to schools regarding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Answer · John Swinney: The Education (Additional Support for Learning) Act 2004 (as amended) places duties on education authorities to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils, including those with ADHD. The Supporting Children's Learning Code…
22 Nov 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) policy is for schools.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government want all children and young, including those with ADHD, to get the support that they need to reach their full learning potential. Education authorities and other agencies have duties under the Education (Additional Support for Learnin…
22 Nov 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which experts on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are employed by Education Scotland.
Answer · John Swinney: Education Scotland recruits staff with proven knowledge, skills and experiences in a wide range of additional support needs. The organisation also draws on the expertise of practitioners to join working groups or to undertake specific tasks when required. Due…
21 Nov 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the code of practice to accompany the Children and Young People (Information Sharing) (Scotland) Bill.
Answer · John Swinney: Allowing for the nature of work that will be involved, the Scottish Government anticipates that development of a Code of practice would take until September 2018 at the earliest. In addition, time will need to be allowed for finalisation of the Data Protectio…
9 Nov 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the next Scottish Crime and Justice Survey will be published, and whether it will include data on retail crime.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) is a large-scale social survey which asks Scottish adults about their experiences and perceptions of crime. While the SCJS does not capture crimes specifically against retailers, or businesses, it does capture crim…
1 Nov 2017 · SPCB Oral Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what changes it plans to make to its procedures and policies regarding the operation of bars and receptions in the Parliament, in light of the role that such contexts and alcohol had in recent reports regarding sexual harassment.
30 Oct 2017 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that violent attacks and abuse towards staff in schools have risen by a third in three years.
27 Oct 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the findings of the Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Construction of Edinburgh Schools (the Cole report), what work has been done to survey each schools regarding firestopping measures, also broken down by how the method used to finance the school's construction.
Answer · John Swinney: The health and safety of all pupils whilst at school in Scotland is of paramount importance to us. The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 places a statutory responsibility on all local authorities to manage and maintain the school estate and provide a safe school …
27 Oct 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding the Sporting Equality Fund has (a) received (b) spent each year.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-12240 on 10 November 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/parliamentarybusin…
27 Oct 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which (a) projects and (b) organisations have received support from its Sporting Equality Fund each year, broken down by the amount awarded.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-12240 on 10 November 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/parliamentarybusin…
27 Oct 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Sporting Equality Fund will receive funding for the remainder of the parliamentary session.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: On 6 October 2017 just over £300,000 was awarded from the Scottish Government’s new Sporting Equality Fund to 14 projects across Scotland. Further details, including a list of the projects receiving funding, can be viewed in the recent press release. https:…
6 Oct 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what role the chair of the Strategic Board for Enterprise and Skills will have in education policy and governance.
Answer · Keith Brown: On 31 August the First Minister announced that Nora Senior has been appointed Chair of the new Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board. Ms Senior is Chair, UK Regions & Ireland, of global PR firm Weber Shandwick. The Board will align and co-ordinate the activi…
6 Oct 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the terms of reference are for the role of the chair of the Strategic Board for Enterprise and Skills.
Answer · Keith Brown: On 31 August the First Minister announced that Nora Senior has been appointed Chair of the new Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board. Ms Senior is Chair, UK Regions & Ireland, of global PR firm Weber Shandwick. The Strategic Board is expected to meet for the…
6 Oct 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-00714 by Michael Matheson on 1 March 2017 (Official Report, c.16), what progress it is making with the implementation of section 179 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 regarding disabled access.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Work continues to draft amending regulations to include a prescribed statement form in The Premises Licence (Scotland) Regulations 2007. Guidance is also being developed to help those applying for an alcohol premises licence to prepare their statement and to …