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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: S5W-06388

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 31 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many graduates of a Professional Graduate Diploma in Education course went on to take up roles in (a) primary teaching and (b) early years and childcare settings in each of the last 10 years.

The Scottish Government does not collect information on the qualification route of teachers in schools or in Early Learning and Childcare.

Information on school teachers is collected in the teacher census every year, and information on early learning and childcare teachers is collected in the early learning and childcare census every year. For both of these collections, teachers must be registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-06403

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact would be on active travel in Scotland of a £327 million reduction to local government funding.

Taking next year's local government finance settlement plus the other sources of income available through potential increases in council tax, and Health and Social Care Integration, the overall increase in spending power to support local authority services in 2017-18 amounts to £241 million (2.3 per cent in cash terms) or over £91 million (0.9 per cent in real terms).

Furthermore, we will meet out Programme for Government commitment to maintain the budget for active travel at record levels throughout this Parliament, with planned investment in 2017-18 of £39.2 million.

Question reference: S5W-05855

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 31 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent in each of the last five years on (a) Developing the Young Workforce regional groups, (b) the Flexible Workforce Development Fund, (c) digital economy skills and business support, (d) the Voluntary Sector Development Fund, (e) early years recruitment and training, (f) the Transition Training Fund, (g) teacher training, (h) individual learning accounts, (i) support to employers to help disadvantaged young people access and sustain employment and (j) other workforce development programmes.

Funding has increased 34% from 2012-13 to 2016-17 (estimated spend) on the specific programmes listed below where figures have been provided.

The following tables shows the amount spent on the specific programmes requested.

a) Developing Young Workforce (regional groups)

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17 (estimated)
n/a	n/a	£0.1m	£1.4m	£3.7m

b) The Flexible Workforce Development Fund is a new fund and funding is expected to be available in Autumn 2017.

c) Digital economy and skills and business support

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17 (estimated)
n/a	£5.0m	£3.7m	£4.9m	£1.9m

Through the Digital Scotland Business Excellence Partnership the Scottish Government has made £15.5 million available over the past four years to both; help tackle digital skills shortages; and help Scottish businesses increase their digital capability.

d) Voluntary Sector Development Fund

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17 (estimated)
£1.1m	£1.0m	£1.0m	£1.1m	£0.9m

2016-17 figures on basis that not all acceptances have been received.

e) Early years recruitment and training

Local authorities are responsible for recruitment and training in their early learning and childcare settings; and, can support partner providers with training and continuing professional development (CPD). It is for local authorities to fund this through their own allocations from the Scottish Government block grant. Local authorities have received an additional £329 million revenue since 2014 to implement the additional hours of Early Learning and Childcare, flexibility, and 2 year old children. However, the exact amount of the funding settlement which is used for recruitment and training within each local authority is not held centrally.

f) Transition Training Fund

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17 (estimated)
n/a	n/a	n/a	£6.1m	£6.0m

g) Teacher Training

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17 (estimated)
£0.5m	£1.5m	£2.2m	£2.5m	£2.5m

This includes only the element of teacher training covering workforce development. It covers the Into Headship provision and the Scottish College for Educational Leadership.

h) Individual Learning Accounts

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17 (estimated)
£7.9m	£5.8m	£4.5m	£3.9m	£4.0m

i) Support to employers to help disadvantaged young people access and sustain employment

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17 (estimated)
£9.0m	£7.3m	£7.1m	£10.1m	£9.4m

Includes projects such as Community Jobs Scotland and Scotland’s Employer Recruitment Incentive.

j) Other workforce development programmes

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17 (estimated)
£2.9m	£2.4m	£3.0m	£2.0m	£0.2m

Includes Flexible Training Opportunities, Low Carbon Fund and Employer Support and Innovation Fund. The Flexible Training Opportunities programme ceased in 2015-16.

Question reference: S5O-00596

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to resolve any legal difficulties regarding NHS boards taking ownership of GP practices.

Following the considerations of the GP Premises Short Life Working Group, an implementation group has been established, which includes representation from NHS boards (including Lothian), BMA and Scottish Government. This group will review and recommend updates, where required, to the legal framework outlined in the Premises Directions. If necessary, changes to the Scottish Government Property Transactions Handbook will also be considered.

Question reference: S5W-06058

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 25 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent report by Reform Scotland on ending nursery age discrimination.

Starting dates for three year olds are defined in legislation. Under these provisions, children who could start school at around 4½ are entitled to an additional year of ELC if parents wish and start school around 5½; children who will be closer to their 5^th birthday can request an additional year at the local authorities discretion and start closer to their 6^th birthday. In addition, local authorities can and do start children earlier than the term after their 3^rd birthday where they have capacity to do so, and this is for them to fund and manage.

Our main priority is to extend the entitlement to eligible two year olds. However, we will consider this report along with all the responses we have received to our ‘Blueprint for 2020’ consultation on the expansion of early learning and childcare in order to inform policy development, planning and implementation for the expansion to 1,140 hours.

Question reference: S5W-06039

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 24 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs it estimates will be lost due to technological change; what the timeline for any losses will be; which sectors it expects to lose the most jobs, and what its skills strategy is to deal with any changes.

The Scottish Government continue to monitor the emerging evidence base in this area, and its implications for Scotland.

We recognise the need to anticipate future trends and economic or societal changes and to be able to adapt and react to them quickly. Our approach will be informed by the best evidence we collect in Scotland, but also by reflecting other international analysis.

We are aware that technological change, and issues such as automation and digitisation, will have a significant impact over the next few decades, which will create both challenges and opportunities for businesses and sectors across Scotland. This will mean that the demand for skills and occupations will change as businesses and sectors adapt. As highlighted in Scotland’s Labour Market Strategy, and in the subsequent outcomes from the Enterprise and Skills Review, we will take forward the analysis of issues like this in the future and help employers respond to them positively, with the support of the Strategic Labour Market Group.

Question reference: S5F-00810

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2017

To ask the First Minister what the impact would be on redevelopment plans for universities, following its decision to ask the Scottish Funding Council to pay back £50 million.

Question reference: S5W-06100

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 23 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05135 by Jamie Hepburn on 13 December 2016, what it estimates (a) the cost of the Scottish public sector contribution to the UK Apprenticeship Levy and (b) the net impact on the Scottish Government’s net spending power will be, in each of the next three years.

a) The cost of the Scottish public sector contribution to the Apprenticeship Levy is estimated at £73 million per annum.

b) Given the direct financial impact on public sector employers, in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20, we estimate that the Scottish Government’s net spending power will be £30m, £21m and £12m million lower in each year respectively than it would have been in the absence of the Levy, £63 million in total over the three year period.

Question reference: S5W-06057

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 20 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact of reducing local government funding by £327 million would be on funding for schools.

Taking next year’s local government finance settlement plus the other sources of income available through potential increases in council tax and Health and Social Care Integration, the overall increase in spending power to support local authority services, including funding for schools, amounts to £241 million in 2017-18 compared to 2016-17.

From April 2017, £120 million will be allocated directly to schools on the basis of the numbers of children and young people in P1-S3 known to be eligible and registered for free school meals. This is on top of the existing £50 million that will continue to provide targeted support for those authorities and schools supporting children and young people in greatest need. These two funding streams, which total £170 million for 2017-18, contribute to our commitment to allocate £750 million during the course of this Parliament through the Attainment Scotland Fund. We will also continue to allocate £88 million to local authorities to maintain the pupil teacher ratio nationally, and to secure places for all probationers who require one on the teacher induction scheme. This is made up of £51 million to maintain the pupil teacher ratio and £37 million to support the teacher induction scheme.

Question reference: S5W-04250

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 12 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many students (a) began and (b) completed childcare courses at SVQ level (i) 2 and (ii) 3 in each of the last five years, broken down by institution.