Liam Kerr

2 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21420 by Jenny Gilruth on 2 October 2023, whether it will provide the information requested regarding what consequences there are for local authorities that do not meet its commitment to provide every school pupil with their own laptop or other digi…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Further to the response to S6W-21420, we continue to develop delivery plans including consideration of the funding and reporting procedures.

2 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to address the reported vulnerabilities set out in Education Scotland's risk register.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I have asked the Chief Executive of Education Scotland to write to the member directly on this matter.

28 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress has been made in developing and delivering a fully costed infrastructure delivery plan for the college sector.

Answer · Graeme Dey: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21921 on? 27 October 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-commi…

28 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when an updated Estates Condition Survey for the college sector will be conducted and completed, in light of the last survey, which was completed in 2017 and estimated that £360 million of work was required in the subsequent five years to bring the college estate to a generally sound (wi…

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Funding Council’s “College Infrastructure Strategy: The Approach to Delivering Scotland’s College Infrastructure”, was published in November 2022. Following on from publication of the strategy, the Infrastructure Investment Plan for colleges, due…

28 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications it has received for the second round of funding for the Just Transition Fund.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Just Transition Fund did not open for bids in 2023-24. Alongside announcing a £25 million allocation to the Scottish National Investment Bank, our focus has been on continuing to deliver the £50 million multi-year programme of projects announced in 2022-2…

28 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether the £20 million that was allocated in the first round of the Just Transition Fund has been distributed in its entirety.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: In Year 1, the Just Transition Fund’s £20 million allocation was made up of £10 million capital grants and £10 million Financial Transactions. Of the £20 million available to be distributed in 2022-23, the full £10 million capital grant allocation was spent.…

28 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason its Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, which had previously been due to be published in Spring 2022, will now not be available until summer 2024.

Answer · Gillian Martin: In January 2023 we published the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan for consultation, after a delay to ensure wide stakeholder engagement and to allow for the finalisation of the technical evidence base. The consultation closed on 9 May 2023 and …

27 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consequences local authorities will face if they do not increase teacher numbers to the levels that it requires.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government has provided £145.5 million in this year’s budget on the condition that local authorities:Maintain teacher numbers at 2022 census levels, as published in the Summary School Statistics in December 2022.Maintain pupil support staff numbe…

27 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether school performance will be taken into account if local authorities do not increase teacher numbers to the levels that it requires, and, if so, how such performance is measured.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: In assessing whether these conditions have been met, we will consider any mitigating circumstances individual councils may wish to put forward.  

27 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether falling pupil rolls will be taken into account if local authorities do not increase teacher numbers to the levels that it requires, and what impact that will have on any consequences arising.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: In assessing whether these conditions have been met we will consider any mitigating circumstances individual councils may wish to put forward.  

27 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the teacher audit referred to by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills at the meeting of the Education, Children and Young People Committee on 27 September 2023, who or what body will carry out the audit; over what period it will be undertaken; when it will repor…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The “Provision of Education Workforce Modelling and Analysis” is an external exercise I am commissioning to help inform decisions on education workforce planning for future years. This work will bring together a range of factors including current teacher numb…

27 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it budgeted for the new funding model for post-school education provision announced in the 2023-24 Programme for Government; what progress has been made on developing this model; what the timescales are that it is working to, and when it plans to announce the results of the deve…

Answer · Graeme Dey: At her recent appearance at the Education Committee, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills outlined the rationale for developing a new funding model and that the Scottish Government was at an early stage in its deliberations. The Skills Delivery Land…

27 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the resource funding increase of £46 million for the college and university sectors, announced in the Budget statement on 15 December 2022, was specifically intended to be used for; whether it expects colleges and universities to still proceed with that work, in light of the funding…

Answer · Graeme Dey: The £46 million funding was intended to support strategic change in the college and university sectors and was not part of the core teaching funding allocations. Despite a very challenging financial climate, the Scottish Government committed nearly £2 billion…

26 Sep 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what role it will play in supporting the fishing industry over the next 10 years.

25 Sep 2023 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that students at Scottish universities receive their degree classifications.

19 Sep 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Fiscal Framework.

15 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when the next round of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund will be announced.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government will provide an update on FWDF in due course.

15 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its move towards parity of support for part-time students that it announced in its Programme for Government 2023-24, whether it plans to implement the recommendation contained in the report of the independent review of student financial support in Scotland that “the Sco…

Answer · Graeme Dey: We will consider the work already undertaken in this area as we look to implement this Programme for Government commitment. Any previous research will need to be considered in the context of the current financial situation, along with engagement with the sect…

15 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to encourage partners in the college sector’s collective bargaining process to implement the recommendations of the report, Lessons Learned – resetting national collective bargaining in the colleges sector.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government continues to encourage employers and trade unions to work together on all aspects of industrial relations in the sector, and this includes working collectively to ensure the collective bargaining process continues to deliver for colleg…

15 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which partners in the college sector’s collective bargaining process have yet to provide a formal response to the report, Lessons Learned – resetting national collective bargaining in the colleges sector.

Answer · Graeme Dey: To date, formal responses have been received from College Employers Scotland and EIS-FELA.

15 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to take forward the recommendations of the report, Lessons Learned – resetting national collective bargaining in the colleges sector, in particular the recommendation that "full consideration should be given to appointing an Independent, non-voting Chair for the [Nation…

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government is considering options around the appointment of an independent Chair of the National Joint Negotiating Committee. This must be explored fully, and in partnership with employers and trade unions, to ensure the Scottish Government cont…

13 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-20228 by Jenny Gilruth on 22 August 2023, whether it will provide the number of probationers that were bid for, and the number allocated, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The total bid figures reflect bids made by local authorities in February 2023. The total allocation figures reflect the allocation of probationers in May 2023. Local Authority Total Bid Total Allocation Aberdeen City Council 231 136 Aberdeenshire Counc…

13 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what procurement guidance has been given to local authorities regarding the purchase of laptops and other digital devices, in light of its commitment to provide every school pupil with their own laptop or other digital device.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Any decisions on device procurement are taken by individual local authorities, to ensure they can be used in line with local digital learning strategies. To support local authorities, Scottish Procurement provide a range of national procurement frameworks wh…

13 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether pupils who have received a free laptop or other digital device will be entitled to a replacement device should theirs break.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20954 on 19 September 2023. We continue to work in partnership with COSLA and local authorities on delivery plans to ensure every school-aged child has access to a digital device by the end of this parliamenta…

13 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of all school pupils have been provided with a digital device, in line with its commitment to do so, as of the end of the 2022-23 academic year.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that every school aged child has access to a device by the end of this Parliamentary term and we continue to work with COSLA and local authority partners to develop delivery plans. Information provided by local…

13 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consequences there are for local authorities that do not meet its commitment to provide every school pupil with their own laptop or other digital device.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: We are committed to ensuring that every school-aged child has access to a device to support their learning by the end of this parliament in 2026. We continue to work with COSLA and local authority partners to develop delivery plans. This includes considerati…

13 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available to local authorities to fulfil its commitment to provide every school pupil with their own laptop or other digital device.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15474 on 10 March 2023 . We continue to work in partnership with COSLA and local authorities to develop delivery plans, including phasing and funding options for this commitment. All answers to written Parl…

12 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-20774 by Fiona Hyslop on 12 September 2023, whether it will provide the information requested regarding the milestones for the Aberdeen to Central Belt 2026 Enhancement project, as set out on page 11 of the Scotland's Railway July 2022 publication, …

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The enhancement delivery plan document is a Network Rail document, not a Transport Scotland document. It is for Network Rail to comment on the status of its Enhancement Delivery Plan milestones. Transport Scotland actively monitors progress across Network Ra…

8 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of children identified as having an additional support need require support for (a) a specific language or speech disorder, (b) communication, (c) learning disabilities and (d) autism spectrum disorder.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Out of all pupils recorded with an additional support need in the 2022 pupil census: (a) 8% were reported as having language or speech disorder as reason for support (b) 5% were reported as having communication needs as reason for support (c) 5% were repor…

3 Sep 2023 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to data showing that the attainment gap has increased.