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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-23496

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 12 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported plan by Dumfries and Galloway Council to reduce funding for the region’s childminder association development officer from 21 June 2019, and how this might impact on the roll-out of national early learning and childcare policies.

Childminders are playing a vital part in achieving our ambition for Scotland to be the best place in the world to grow up. They provide a nurturing setting for children to play and learn, and families value the flexible service they offer. The expansion in our funded early learning and childcare (ELC) entitlement to 1140 hours from August 2020 will offer further opportunities for childminders to deliver funded ELC.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting childminders through a range of measures. This includes a Childminding Summit held in March 2019 for local authorities which showcased positive experiences of involving childminders in the delivery of funded ELC; the work of the ELC Partnership Forum which includes childminding representatives; specific grant funding to the Scottish Childminding Association for them to support childminders; and ongoing work to recognise prior learning.

Dumfries and Galloway Council has provided assurances that the Council is committed to supporting childminders to deliver the funded ELC entitlement and that the region’s childminder association development officer’s role will be taken forward by Dumfries and Galloway’s central ELC team.

Question reference: S5W-22757

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 2 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Edinburgh Woollen Mill and stakeholders in the area regarding the company's Langholm site.

Question reference: S5O-03208

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 May 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that levels of wild salmon in Scotland are at their lowest since records began.

Question reference: S5W-22396

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 24 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers the optimum teacher:pupil ratio in primary schools should be, and what its response is to Dumfries and Galloway Council's plan to set a 1:25 ratio across its primaries.

The maximum class size for all composite classes is 25 as determined by the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) and enshrined in teacher’s contracts.

The current commitment to achieve a pupil:teacher ratio of 13.7 applies nationally and has been negotiated with COSLA, on behalf of all local authorities, as part of the package of measures included in the local government finance settlement for
‎ 2019-20.

While it will be for individual local authorities to set their own staffing requirements based on their own local needs, as part of this partnership agreement all parties are absolutely clear that the Scottish Government requires and expects local government at a national level to deliver on this commitment. Therefore all local authorities, including Dumfries and Galloway, will play an integral part in ensuring that this commitment is met.

Question reference: S5W-22067

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many GPs are due to retire in the next 12 months.

This information is not centrally held as most GP are independent contractors who were not previously obliged to share it with the Scottish Government. The new GP contract, which came into force on 1 April 2018, allows us to gather this data subject to agreement with the BMA. The Scottish Government is in the process of finalising an agreement that will allow effective national workforce planning.

We have a record number of GPs working in Scotland and are working to further increase the current numbers by at least 800 in the next 10 years. Our workforce planning takes account of the information available on those interested in re-entering or retiring from the profession and we support a number of initiatives to retain GPs who are considering leaving the profession, including support for GP appraisals, mentoring, and coaching as well as a new Stay in Practice Scheme.

Question reference: S5W-22068

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 26 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of all ministerial visits to nurseries in the last 12 months.

Question reference: S5W-22066

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients from Scotland accessed health services in England in the last 12 months.

In 2017-18, there were 6,595 finished admission episodes for patients resident in Scotland who received healthcare from the NHS in England.

Data for 2018-19 will be published by NHS Digital in England around September 2019.

A patient living in Scotland could be treated in England for a number of reasons such as they may have fallen ill whilst working in or visiting England or they may have been referred by their health board, for example if at a UK level the treatment is only available in England.

Question reference: S5W-22064

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 26 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills last met the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland and what was discussed.

Question reference: S5W-22062

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many complaints have been received by Transport Scotland regarding the A76 in the last three years.

Question reference: S5W-22060

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 26 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Dumfries and Galloway Council regarding early learning and childcare.

The Scottish Government has met, and will continue to meet, regularly with local authorities to discuss the delivery of the Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) entitlement. This includes routes such as sharing information through the ELC Partnership Forum, and the expansion specific group on the Knowledge Hub.

Scottish Government officials have been in contact with Dumfries and Galloway Council following the recent ELC Partnership Forum which took place in Lockerbie. Some providers attending expressed concerns about the involvement of funded providers in the expansion of 1140 hours in Dumfries and Galloway.

The Council have since engaged constructively with funded providers and are putting in place arrangements to enhance meaningful and genuine partnership working going forward. The Scottish Government welcomes this shared commitment towards achieving the 1140 hours expansion for Dumfries and Galloway’s children.