-  Asked by:     George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 January 2016
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                                Taken in the Chamber on 7 January 2016
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the First Minister how many children receive free school meals. 
                                Answer
                                Taken in the Chamber on 7 January 2016
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 December 2015
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                                Taken in the Chamber on 16 December 2015
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle poverty.
                                Answer
                                Taken in the Chamber on 16 December 2015
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 November 2015
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                            Answered by   Maureen Watt on 18 November 2015
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government how it promotes a healthy work-life balance.
                                Answer
                                    
We recognise the great importance that achieving a healthy work-life balance has for a great many people in Scotland.
Although the legal powers governing flexible working are currently reserved to Westminster, the Scottish Government recognises it has an important role to play in helping people manage the twin responsibilities of work and family. 
We fund and are an active partner in the Family Friendly Working Scotland partnership. Through this partnership, established in 2014, we work with Working Families (a leading UK work-life balance organisation), Parenting Across Scotland and Fathers Network Scotland to support and promote the development of family-friendly working across Scotland.
 
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 October 2015
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                                Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2015
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the rollout of superfast broadband.
                                Answer
                                Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2015
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
 
                                        - 
                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 October 2015
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                                Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2015
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government how town centres could benefit from business rates being set by local authorities.
                                Answer
                                Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2015
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2015
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                                Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2015
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government how its plans are progressing to build a national film studio.
                                Answer
                                Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2015
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2015
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                                Taken in the Chamber on 1 October 2015
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government how the planned changes to subsidies for onshore windfarms will affect developments in Scotland.
                                Answer
                                Taken in the Chamber on 1 October 2015
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2015
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                            Answered by   Angela Constance on 10 September 2015
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government how many Scottish-domiciled students have been accepted by Scottish universities for 2015-16 and how many have been accepted by their (a) first and (b) second choice university and how many have been placed through clearing.
                                Answer
                                    
The latest data on acceptances to higher education institutions (HEIs) across the UK are Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) data as at 15 days after A-level results day 2015.
At that stage, the number of Scottish domiciled applicants accepted to HEIs in Scotland was 27,940.
Further breakdowns by choice/clearing are not published for Scottish domiciled applicants accepted to HEIs in Scotland but are published for Scottish domiciled applicants accepted to HEIs anywhere in the UK.
Table 1: Scottish domiciled students accepted to HEIs anywhere in the UK at 15 days after A-level results day: 2011 to 2015
| 
   
 | 
 2011 
 | 
 2012 
 | 
 2013 
 | 
 2014 
 | 
 2015 
 | 
| 
 Total placed at this stage 
 | 
 27,500 
 | 
 27,660 
 | 
 28,090 
 | 
 28,890 
 | 
 29,610 
 | 
| 
 First choice 
 | 
 24,050 
 | 
 24,180 
 | 
 25,020 
 | 
 25,860 
 | 
 26,270 
 | 
| 
 Second choice 
 | 
 1,530 
 | 
 1,510 
 | 
 1,350 
 | 
 1,410 
 | 
 1,480 
 | 
| 
 No preference indicated 
 | 
 800 
 | 
 630 
 | 
 500 
 | 
 510 
 | 
 510 
 | 
| 
 ‘Adjustment’* 
 | 
 10 
 | 
 20 
 | 
 10 
 | 
 10 
 | 
 10 
 | 
| 
 Clearing (Main scheme) 
 | 
 980 
 | 
 1180 
 | 
 1070 
 | 
 960 
 | 
 1150 
 | 
| 
 Clearing (Direct to) 
 | 
 130 
 | 
 150 
 | 
 150 
 | 
 130 
 | 
 190 
 | 
Source: UCAS
Data rounded to nearest 10.
*A small number of applicants meet the entry conditions for their first choice but opt to accept an alternative offer.
 
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
 
                                        - 
                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2015
                                        
 
                                    - 
                                        Current Status:
                                                Taken in the Chamber on 16 September 2015
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government how the growth of Japanese knotweed is controlled.
                                Answer
                                Taken in the Chamber on 16 September 2015
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
 
                                        - 
                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2015
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                                Taken in the Chamber on 2 September 2015
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recent admission by the UK Government that it used fake quotes to promote its benefit sanctions regime in Scotland and across the UK.
                                Answer
                                Taken in the Chamber on 2 September 2015