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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-24247

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it expects the updated Respect for All guidance to be published, and whether it will be published in the current academic year.

Question reference: S6O-03000

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support people with diabetes.

Question reference: S6W-23877

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 17 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the legislative framework is for providing young disabled people with a plan for their transitions from school to adulthood, and what its position is on whether it should include a guarantee that it is started from no later than their 14th birthday.

The Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 sets out clear timescales for post school transition planning. In the accompanying statutory guidance , schools are encouraged to plan for transitions well ahead of the statutory timescales, which apply from the date a young person is expected to leave school.

We recognise that not all young people are currently getting the transitions support they need. We are working closely with local government partners to improve the experience of children and young people with additional support needs at school, through the implementation of the recommendations set out in the 2020 review of additional support for learning. This includes work to encourage best practice in this area and improve the implementation of existing transition duties. A further update on this work is due to be published in May 2024.

Through the development of the National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy, we are also considering what additional support disabled young people may need. As set out in the published Statement of Intent for the strategy, one of the proposed overarching ambitions is to further embed the Association for Real Change Scotland’s widely-endorsed seven Principles of Good Transitions , and the similar characteristics of good transitions outlined in our published literature review , in the policy, planning and practice of organisations that provide support for disabled young people.

Question reference: S6W-23879

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has approached any universities to lead the Centre of Teaching Excellence.

Question reference: S6W-24246

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it expects to publish the minutes of the meeting of the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools that took place on 12 December 2023.

Question reference: S6W-23756

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 11 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made regarding any potential impact of a reduction in university applications from international students on the long-term sustainability of higher education institutions in Scotland.

The Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council continue to support universities in developing their own mitigating strategies to minimise any negative impacts on long-term financial sustainability. This includes any reduction in international student fee income.

Within the context of a challenging international environment and stricter UK Government immigration rules, the Scottish Government remains committed to working with the university sector to ensure that Scotland remains the destination of choice for international students, demonstrated by our commitment to launching Scotland’s International Education Strategy early in 2024. We have engaged closely with key stakeholders, including universities, to develop the strategy, which will focus on three key themes: attracting and diversifying the international student population; maximising the economic benefits of international higher education; and promoting Scotland as a world leader in research and knowledge exchange.

Question reference: S6W-23989

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 9 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the potential impact of reallocating funding from the regional improvement collaboratives on the newly-appointed speech and language leads in carrying out their objectives.

Over the next two years, the Scottish Government is investing in a programme of early intervention in speech and language for children and their families through the appointment of six full-time equivalent Regional Early Speech and Language Leads based within Education Scotland.

The funding is separate from the support that the Scottish Government has provided for the Regional Improvement Collaboratives.

Question reference: S6W-24234

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it last evaluated the Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2: A Positive Approach to Preventing and Managing School Exclusions guidance, and what its conclusions were.

Question reference: S6W-24236

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it last consulted with local authorities on the effectiveness of the Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2: A Positive Approach to Preventing and Managing School Exclusions guidance.

The ‘Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2: Preventing and Managing School Exclusions’ guidance was published in 2017.

In June last year, I convened the first meeting of a Headteacher taskforce which focused on school exclusions. The topic of school exclusions was also discussed by a wide range of stakeholders, including local authorities, at the series of behaviour summits held between September and November last year.

In November, the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR) was also published, which provides the accurate national picture in relation to behaviour in Scotland’s schools. Local authority staff were interviewed as part of BISSR.

We are currently working with the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools , which includes COSLA, to establish what actions are required to be included in the national action plan to respond to the findings of the summit process and BISSR. The national action plan will be published as soon as possible.

Question reference: S6W-24235

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it next plans to review its guidance on school exclusions.

We published guidance in June 2017 - ‘Included, Engaged and Involved – Part 2 – preventing and managing school exclusions’ - for teachers. The guidance gives a stronger focus on supporting positive behaviour and approaches that can be used to prevent the need for exclusion.

The series of summits I held with a wide range of stakeholders on behaviour in schools concluded in November. The summit process culminated in the publication of the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR), which provides the accurate national picture in relation to behaviour in Scotland’s schools.

In my statement to Parliament on 29 November, I confirmed that a multi-year plan is in development to tackle instances of challenging behaviour, working with local authorities, trade unions and others.

We are currently working with the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools to establish what actions are required to respond to the findings of the summit process and BISSR. The national action plan will be published as soon as possible.