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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: S4W-04137

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 21 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 30 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider introducing a duty on local authorities to inform parents of the education services available to children and young people who are absent from school because of accident or ill-health.

Question reference: S4W-04139

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 21 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 30 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that HM Inspectorate of Education should include in its inspections an assessment of the quality of education services available to children and young people who are absent from school because of accident or ill-health.

Education Scotland, through HM Inspectors inspect a wide range of provision including schools, pre-school assessment centres, special schools and residential special schools as well as the grant aided special schools. HM Inspectors are looking to consider how well education authorities, schools and services are taking forward Curriculum for Excellence to ensure all of Scotland’s children are successful learners, effective contributors, responsible citizens and confident individuals. All children and young people are entitled to universal and targeted support to meet their needs.

In all its inspections HM Inspectors consider how successfully schools are ensuring high quality learners’ experiences which include how well children and young people achieve the national outcome indicators of children and young people being safe healthy nurtured achieving respected responsible and included. Within its inspection toolkit any inspection can draw upon tools linked to issues about attendance and long term absence.

Question reference: S4W-03760

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 10 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what its contingency plan is if the data from Glow is not fully migrated to another system when the contract with RM comes to an end.

The programme structure to manage the migration from the existing to a new solution takes into account the need for contingency planning. The contract for the current Glow includes a schedule that deals specifically with termination of the contract and migration of the data. We are working with the contractor to ensure a smooth transition according to the terms of the contract.

The education community, including local authority directors of education, will be kept informed of migration activities and contingency planning.

Question reference: S4W-03759

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 10 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how long it would take to migrate the data from Glow to a replacement system.

Question reference: S4W-03763

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 10 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from teachers' organisations concerning the proposed replacement of Glow.

The Scottish Government has not received specific representations from teachers’ organisations, however the education community including individual teachers, representative groups and teaching unions have been kept informed of the planned approach to the delivery of the next generation of Glow and encouraged to contribute to the ongoing discussion. The collated feedback from all engagement activities including that from individual teachers is informing the development of the next generation of Glow.

Question reference: S4W-03762

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 10 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to ensure a successful transition to a replacement system for Glow.

Question reference: S4W-03761

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 10 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what research it is undertaking into the procurement of a new IT system to replace Glow.

The Scottish Government has engaged widely to ensure that development of the next generation of Glow produces the best possible outcomes for Scotland’s learners. This has included extensive engagement with the industry, representative bodies and learning communities, practitioners, parents and young people, through surveys and online discussions and culminated in the recent national ICT in Education summit held on 17 October.

Question reference: S4O-00358

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of introducing a road equivalent tariff on ferry fares for routes to, from and within Orkney.

Question reference: S4W-03161

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 October 2011
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive for which meetings of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment has submitted a formal request to speak since May 2010.

Question reference: S4W-03162

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 October 2011
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 31 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive for which EU Council meetings Scottish Government ministers have submitted formal requests to speak since May 2010.

Scottish ministers write to UK Government counterparts ahead of EU Council meetings to seek their agreement to attend. This is in line with the terms of the Concordat on the Co-ordination of EU Policy regarding the attendance of the devolved administrations at meetings of the Council of Ministers.

Since May 2010, Scottish ministers have submitted 21 requests to attend EU Council meetings. Of these four have included formal requests to speak. These were: Michael Russell successfully requesting to speak in Scots Gaelic at the Youth and Culture Council in May 2010, and three requests by Richard Lochhead to speak at EU Fisheries Council (June 2010, September 2010 and October 2011). Of Richard Lochhead's three requests, two were rejected and one was agreed (September 2010).

However, not all interventions by Scottish ministers are as a result of a formal request. For example, discussions at ministerial and official level to agree and present the UK position often take place right up until the day of the meeting. Last month Roseanna Cunningham represented Scotland as part of the UK delegation at the Justice and Home Affairs Council and intervened on behalf of the UK.