Rona Mackay

21 Mar 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the most recent figures for spending per person on enterprise and economic development in (a) Scotland, (b) England and (c) Wales.

Answer · Derek Mackay: According to the following table from HM Treasury’s ‘Country and Regional Analysis: 2018’ identifiable public expenditure per person in 2017-18 on enterprise and economic development in Scotland, England and Wales, was as follows. Spend per person on enterpr…

21 Mar 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the most recent figures for the average Band D Council Tax bill in (a) Scotland, (b) England and (c) Wales.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The most recent information that the Scottish Government has on the average Band D Council Tax bill in (a) Scotland, (b) England and (c) Wales is as follows: (a) The Scottish average Band D council tax for 2019-20 is £1,251. The latest information for the 2…

14 Mar 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has invested in (a) building and (b) refurbishing schools since 2007, broken down by local authority.

Answer · John Swinney: Through the £1.8 billion school building programme, Scotland's Schools for the Future, the Scottish Government has invested the below in (a) building and (b) refurbishing schools across Scotland. A new school project is being delivered in every local authorit…

14 Mar 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce the factors that impact on child poverty.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government has committed a range of concrete and ambitious actions through ' Every Child, Every Chance ', the first Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan due under the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act, to tackle and reduce levels of child poverty in S…

14 Mar 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) current and (b) planned allocations are to support the expansion of funded childcare, broken down by (i) local authority and (ii) (A) revenue and (B) capital funding.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government wrote to Local Authorities on 1 May 2018. The letter contained tables setting out the allocations of revenue and capital funding for each local authority A copy of the tables have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre, bib …

14 Mar 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which (a) primary and (b) secondary schools are receiving support through the Scottish Attainment Challenge, broken down by the amount awarded.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Attainment Challenge commits £750 million over the course of this parliament to close the poverty related attainment gap. This includes support for the nine Challenge Authorities and a separate Schools Programme which supports 74 schools outside …

14 Mar 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many schools have been (a) built and (b) refurbished in each local authority area in each year since 2007.

Answer · John Swinney: Prior to 2009-10 local authorities were not asked to specify whether a school was builtor refurbished and information for 2007-08 and 2008-09 is outlined in table 1. In 2009-10this information was collected for the first time, however, not all schools were ca…

27 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting more people into STEM teaching roles.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government is providing bursaries of £20,000 for career changers wishing to undertake a Post Graduate Diploma in Education in the STEM subjects where there is greatest demand. We are also supporting a range of alternative routes into teaching wh…

4 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ask the Treasury to cover the costs incurred by Police Scotland in its Brexit contingency plans.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Any costs related to EU exit should not have a detrimental impact on Scotland’s public finances and should be met in full by the UK Government. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work and the Cabinet Secretary for Justice wrote to the Chancel…

31 Jan 2019 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the review of its procedure for handling complaints about Ministers or former Ministers, and on the First Minister’s self-referral under the Ministerial Code.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is committed to carrying out a review of the application of its procedure for handling complaints about Ministers or former Ministers. The review will be externally led and will examine the first application of the procedure to ensure …

23 Jan 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that EU citizens living in Scotland can maintain democratic participation.

9 Jan 2019 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of Education Scotland’s review of the Yammer service within Glow.

Answer · John Swinney: The review was carried out during summer 2018 and the full review document will be published later today on the Glow Connect website at the following link - https://glowconnect.org.uk/yammer-review/ The review concluded that whilst there are clear and demo…

19 Dec 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the European Health Insurance Card will still be available for residents in Scotland following a no deal Brexit or during any transition period.

4 Dec 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with its plan to equip an additional 500,000 people with CPR skills by 2020.

7 Nov 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how its food tourism action plan will aim to support producers.

23 Oct 2018 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Independent Review of the Regulation of Legal Services will present its findings.

Answer · Ash Denham: The report will be published today at 2pm : https://www.gov.scot/About/Review/Regulation-Legal-Services

26 Sep 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last spoke to the UK immigration minister.

19 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the finding in the Vibrant Economy Index that East Dunbartonshire has been ranked second in Scotland for inclusion and equality.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government welcomes the asset-based approach used in the Vibrant Economy Index. A range of evidence is used to inform policy development and implementation, and to assess the assets and needs of Scotland's people and places.

12 Sep 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the number of women being placed on remand.

4 Sep 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the UK Government to discuss the impact of Brexit on farming and food production in Scotland.

4 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is delivering free sanitary products in schools, colleges and universities.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: As announced by the First Minister on 24 August, the Scottish Government is providing £5.2 million in 2018-19 to deliver access to free sanitary products for students at school, college or university. Responsibility for delivery has been devolved to local au…

18 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting Police Scotland in its efforts to stop criminals accessing firearms.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: In supporting Police Scotland in its efforts to stop criminals accessing firearms the Scottish Government has committed to protecting the police resource budget in real terms in every year of this Parliament – a boost of ?£100 million by 2021.

13 Jun 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the value of talks by the Teenage Cancer Trust to make young people aware of the signs and symptoms of cancer, and how it ensures that local authorities encourage schools to hold such talks.

2 May 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will next meet NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

25 Apr 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages people to consider becoming teachers in STEM subjects.

18 Apr 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the practice of unpaid work trials.

7 Mar 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the NHS monitors children diagnosed with foetal alcohol syndrome.

30 Jan 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to end unpaid work trials.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government opposes the use of unpaid work trials and is concerned about how the Department for Work and Pensions is promoting them through Jobcentre Plus. If a trial period is offered, then this should be paid whether this leads to permanent emp…

23 Jan 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are in place to empower community councils.

17 Jan 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding introducing a safe injection room for drug users in Glasgow.