Parliamentary questions
Ross Greer
616 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
6 Jul 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the provisions on disclosure in the Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2019 will come into force.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The changes to basic disclosure under Part 2 of the Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2019 Act ("the 2019 Act") require operational changes to the system of disclosure certificates issued by Disclosure Scotland. Disclosure Scotland activated their busin…
25 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving to postgraduate research students whose research has been disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak, including offering funded extensions where required.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government is doing all it can to support those in the Higher Education sector being disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak. The Scottish Government have announced a support package including the one-off £75 million increase in capital funding for Sc…
15 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) when, (b) how and (c) on which topics the Scottish Learner Panel has been consulted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of involving young people in decision making processes which affect their lives, including in decisions made regarding learning and education settings. As such the Scottish Government has engaged with childre…
15 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the proposed downgrading of lecturing posts to instructor posts at Forth Valley College on terms and conditions outwith the agreed national terms and conditions for college lecturers.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: Staffing matters are the responsibility of individual colleges and, whilst it is for the institutions themselves to make decisions on future staffing levels, I urge them to be sensitive to such negotiations during the coronavirus pandemic. Decisions on staffi…
11 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many students in each higher education institution have received payments from the Higher Education Discretionary Fund since 23 March 2020.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Discretionary Funds are allocated out to individual colleges and universities to administer. Students apply direct to their institution for this funding, except in the case of private providers where students apply direct to the Student Awards Agency Scot…
21 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will distribute the laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children that it recently announced funding for, and how it will identify eligibility.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has moved quickly to procure an initial tranche of devices and connectivity solutions in the face of huge global demand for digital technology which has impacted international supply chains. There is no single dataset that articulates…
21 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of consultations with young people that have been undertaken by the COVID-19 Education Recovery Group.
Answer · John Swinney: There is work underway at a national level to engage with children and young people on their experiences of the Covid-19 outbreak. These include:The LockdownLowdown survey delivered by The Scottish Youth Parliament, YouthLink Scotland and Young Scot. The surv…
14 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-28271 by John Swinney on 20 April 2020, whether it will provide figures for the number of additional support needs (ASN) teachers in each year from 2010 to 2018 using the same category of teacher used in the answer.
Answer · John Swinney: Additional Support Needs (ASN) Teachers - Full Time Equivalents The following table sets out the full time equivalent of additional support for learning teachers in each authority in from 2010 to 2018. 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 …
12 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the COVID-19 outbreak causing applicants to consider delaying applying to university, what consideration it is giving to continuing the policy of free tuition for EU students.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government has continued to progress work on the fee status of EU undergraduates who will be starting at Scotland’s universities in 2021-22. This work has been continued as we work to support the further and higher education sectors through the c…
12 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-22108 by John Swinney on 20 March 2019, for what reason teachers in special schools with their main subject recorded as primary teaching were not included in the table provided.
Answer · John Swinney: The basis for classifying teachers as additional support for learning teachers ensured consistency across all school sectors (Primary, Secondary, Special and Centrally Employed). Special school teachers with main subject recorded as Primary were not included …
27 Apr 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what economic transition plan there is for the Hunterston area when Hunterston B nuclear power station reaches the end of its operational life, and what role it has had in developing this.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Hunterson B nuclear power station is currently due to be decommissioned in 2023. A significant amount of planning and work with a range of stakeholders is required to ensure a safe and efficient transition of the site by that time. To help Ayrshire’s three l…
27 Apr 2020 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that thousands of people in Scotland have lost their home-care support during the COVID-19 crisis.
16 Apr 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when its review into coordinated support plans for children with additional needs will begin.
Answer · John Swinney: The Covid-19 pandemic presents unprecedented challenges for our education system. Our overriding priorities are ensuring the health and wellbeing of children, young people and staff and maintaining a continuity of learning wherever possible whilst schools are…
16 Apr 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it still plans to publish the Morgan review into additional support for learning in Spring 2020.
Answer · John Swinney: The Covid-19 pandemic presents unprecedented challenges for our education system. Our overriding priorities are ensuring the health and wellbeing of children, young people and staff and maintaining a continuity of learning wherever possible whilst schools are…
16 Apr 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, what its position is on university summer schools that are due to take place in summer 2020, and what guidance it is considering on the matter.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: I am aware that, because it is generally accepted that it will not be possible for summer schools to go ahead this year, some institutions where students held conditional offers of a place in 20-21, with the condition being that they attend a summer school in…
16 Apr 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the University and College Union’s six-point set of proposals for supporting further and higher education institutions through the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government’s response to each of the University and College Union's points is as follows: Work around the financial impact of COVID-19 is being progressed as a priority and we are working with the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to build as full …
7 Apr 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-22108 by John Swinney on 20 March 2019, whether it will provide the information for 2019 regarding the number of additional support for learning (a) teachers and (b) classroom assistants there were in each local authority.
Answer · John Swinney: (a) Additional Support Needs (ASN) Teachers - Full Time Equivalents The following table sets out the full time equivalent of additional support for learning teachers in each authority in 2019. 2019 Aberdeen City 150 Aberdeenshire 258 Angus 84 Argyll…
7 Apr 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Education Maintenance Allowance is available to unaccompanied child asylum seekers, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government wants young people to be able to choose from the same learning opportunities regardless of background or circumstance. Under paragraphs 5 and 6 of the Education Maintenance Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 2007, it is stated that all…
3 Apr 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its response of 15 July 2019 to the Hunterston PARC Masterplan, whether this response still reflects its position, or whether its position has changed in light of its declaration of a climate emergency.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Our response to the consultation on the masterplan was informed by our existing energy policy, and by our planning policies as set out in National Planning Framework 3 (2014). We are currently preparing National Planning Framework 4. This will take into acco…
10 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the reports in the Sunday Mail on 8 March 2020, what safeguards are in place to ensure that products developed using Scottish Enterprise funding for the civilian sector are not used in military applications.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: As this is an operational matter relating to account management information, I have asked the Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise to respond to you directly.
4 Mar 2020 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its response to SEPA's consultation on the matter, for what reason it did not object to the application by the MoD to discharge more radioactive waste into Gareloch.
28 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether quantitative chemical risk assessments should be used to justify the use of chemical aids in the (a) municipal and (b) construction waste water sector.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: SEPA uses consistent risk assessment principles across all business sectors, using the approach as described in the answer to question S5W-27671 on 12 March 2020. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the se…
28 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much aluminium chemistry has been used by Scottish Water in waste water treatment in each year since 2015, and whether the company is required to conduct aluminium assessments to justify the use of this.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Scottish Water have over 1,800 wastewater treatment works across Scotland. However, only a small proportion of these use aluminium as part of the waste water treatment process and it has used an average of around 2.5 million litres of chemicals containing Alu…
28 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much aluminium chemistry has been used by the construction industry in waste water treatment in each year since 2015, and whether firms are required to conduct aluminium assessments to justify the use of this.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: SEPA does not hold specific information relating to the scale of use of aluminium-based flocculants in the construction industry since 2015. Where a construction company applies to SEPA to use aluminium-based product in its wastewater treatment, then where a …
28 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the use of aluminium chemistry in municipal waste water treatment.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Under its standard regulatory guidance (WAT-SG-13, available on its website), SEPA discourages the use of aluminium dosing due to its toxicity. Aluminium dosing at wastewater treatment works should only be used in situations where ferric dosing is impracticab…
28 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to regulate the use of aluminium chemistry in water treatment by the municipal waste water and construction sectors to the same standards.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: SEPA uses consistent risk assessment principles across all business sectors, using the approach as described in the answer to question S5W-27671 on 12 March 2020. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the se…
28 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the size of a company or public body has on its application of the regulations regarding the use of aluminium chemistry in water treatment.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: SEPA uses consistent risk assessment principles irrespective of the size of the company or public body, using the approach as described in the answer to question S5W-27671 on 12 March 2020. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the P…
28 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the environmental impact of, and the risks arising from, the use of waste water treatment by Scottish Water in comparison with other companies.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: SEPA is responsible for assessing the environmental impacts and risks arising from wastewater discharging from any company to the water environment. Generally wastewater treatment processes use few chemicals and SEPA applies its standard regulatory methods t…
27 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the 33 recommendations of the LGBTI Inclusive Education Working Group.
Answer · John Swinney: The LGBT Inclusive Education Implementation Group was established in January 2019 to oversee the implementation of the LGBT inclusive education recommendations. Significant progress has been achieved by the Group since its formation with targeted work comple…
19 Feb 2020 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that all school staff have access to mental health first aid training.