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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S3W-21410

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 13 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have been held between Scottish ministers and representatives of the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Group since November 2008; who was involved, and what the outcome was in each case.

Question reference: S3W-20846

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 13 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18397 by Nicola Sturgeon on 7 January 2009, when it expects to (a) evaluate and (b) publish responses to the National Conversation; how it plans to do this, and how much it anticipates that this will cost.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-18397 on 7 January 2009, which made clear that the Scottish Government and its officials are evaluating contributions to the National Conversation on an on-going basis. Work on the National Conversation is done by officials as part of their normal duties within existing budgets. Contributions to the National Conversation are available on the National Conversation website.

The Scottish Government will publish its response to the National Conversation in time to inform debate in the referendum planned for 2010.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Question reference: S3W-21397

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what interests have been declared by its senior officials in relation to shares held or other potential conflicts of interest.

Question reference: S3W-20914

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what level-playing-field support for school building programmes local authorities have received from it since May 2007, broken down by local authority.

Level playing field support (LPFS) for those authorities with LPFS schools projects, stemming from arrangements set in train in 1998, is included within the block grant element of the annual local government finance settlement. The amount paid annually to each of the 10 authorities is set out in the following table:

	£ Million
Aberdeenshire	1.40
East Renfrewshire	1.25
Edinburgh	6.62
Falkirk	8.64
Fife	3.68
Glasgow	14.67
Highland	1.55
Midlothian	3.12
Stirling	1.59
West Lothian	1.92
Total	=SUM(ABOVE) 44.44

Question reference: S3W-20915

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19562 by Maureen Watt on 29 January 2009, whether it will provide details of the procurement route for each of the 152 schools.

Question reference: S3W-20913

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail all occasions on which the First Minister has visited a homelessness project since May 2007.

Question reference: S3W-20912

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail all occasions on which the First Minister has visited a care home since May 2007.

Question reference: S3W-21416

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings there have been in the last six months between Scottish ministers and representatives of private schools; what subjects were discussed, and what the outcome has been.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-17817 on 26 November 2008, which provided the information to that date. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The following table sets out the details of the meetings for the remainder of the period requested.

Minister	Date	Organisation	Purpose/Outcome
First Minister	26 February 2009	Dollar Academy (at Stirling Castle)	Address the Dollar Academy/Prince''s Trust Scholar''s Challenge Charity Ball, and meet pupils and staff involved.
Ministers for Schools and Skills, and for Children and Early Years	29 January 2009	Scottish Council of Independent Schools	Diversity of the independent sector, Curriculum for Excellence, Skills for learning, life and work and Care Commission inspections. No specific outcome.
Minister for Children and Early Years	2 December 2008	New Struan School, Alloa	To meet staff and see the facilities.
Cabinet Secretary for Justice	23 December 2008	Kibble Education and Care Centre, Paisley	General visit.
	23 December 2008	Good Shepherd Centre, Bishopton	General visit.
(Also with the Minister for Community Safety)	23 February 2009	Boards of secure units	To update on the progress of ˜Securing Our Future Initiative''

Question reference: S3W-21415

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the relative responsibilities are for workforce planning in teaching of (a) Scottish ministers, (b) the General Teaching Council and (c) local authorities.

Scottish ministers are responsible for providing annual guidance to the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to assist the council in setting intakes to initial teacher education (ITE). Information from the Scottish Government''s annual teacher workforce planning exercise which projects requirements for newly qualified teachers at a national level is part of this guidance.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) are responsible for making recommendations to Scottish Ministers on the supply of teachers and as such are represented on the Teacher Workforce Planning Advisory Group (TWPAG) whose advice informs Scottish ministers guidance on ITE to SFC.

Local authorities, through the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland, (ADES) are also represented on TWPAG. Individual local authorities are responsible for local teacher workforce planning.

Question reference: S3W-21403

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what new (a) schools and (b) health facilities have had official openings since May 2007; who undertook each opening ceremony, and which MSPs and MPs were invited in each case.

Information relating to official openings of schools by other than Scottish ministers is not held centrally. Details of such openings by Scottish ministers are set out in the following table, although information regarding invitations to MSPs and MPs is not held.

Details in relation to official openings of health facilities by Scottish ministers are not currently collated.

Schools Officially Opened by Scottish Ministers Since May 2007

Date	School	Minister
June 2007	Strathallan Primary, Kirkcaldy	Minister for Schools and Skills
September 2007	Simpson Primary, Bathgate	Cabinet Secretary for Education and Life Long Learning
November 2007	Windygoul Primary, Tranent	First Minister
January 2008	Bun-sgoil Ghaidhlig Primary, Inverness	First Minister
January 2008	Mauchline Primary, East Ayrshire	Minister for Children and Early Years
March 2008	Rothesay Campus	Cabinet Secretary for Education and Life Long Learning
May 2008	Lochgilphead Campus	Minister for Environment and Rural Development
May 2008	Greenwood Academy, Irvine	Deputy First Minister
May 2008	St Matthew''s Academy, Saltcoats	First Minister
September 2008	Linwood High, Renfrewshire	Cabinet Secretary for Education and Life Long Learning
September 2008	Donaldson''s School, Linlithgow	First Minister
November 2008	Sanderson''s Wynd Primary, Tranent	Cabinet Secretary for Education and Life Long Learning
November 2008	Wallace High, Stirling	Cabinet Secretary for Education and Life Long Learning
November 2008	Calderside Academy, Blantyre	Cabinet Secretary for Education and Life Long Learning
November 2008	Duloch Campus, Dunfermline	Cabinet Secretary for Education and Life Long Learning
January 2009	Alloway Primary, Ayr	Cabinet Secretary for Education and Life Long Learning
February 2009	Galston Primary, East Ayrshire	Cabinet Secretary for Education and Life Long Learning
February 2009	Dunning Primary, Perthshire	Cabinet Secretary for Education and Life Long Learning