Chamber and committees

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-14270

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 23 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-03736 and S5W-11258 by Keith Brown on 31 October 2016 and 20 September 2017 respectively, how much it has provided each year to companies that export arms to Turkey.

Question reference: S5W-14435

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of any negative impact on pupil performance of computer-based assessments, such as those used in the new Scottish Standardised National Assessments.

The Scottish Government is currently preparing plans to seek pupil and teacher views on the SNSA which will be introduced following the first year of completed assessments. As part of the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy (SSLN), data was gathered on the use of computers in the classroom and for assessment, via the SSLN Pupil and Teacher Questionnaires. The following table shows responses from pupils and teachers that took part in the SSLN 2016.

SSLN 2016 Pupil Questionnaire results

How often do you use computers, tablets etc. to complete class tests?

P4 – 36% said “very often”
P7 – 24% said “very often”
S2 – 19% said “very often”

How much do you agree with the following?

I enjoy doing school work on a computer, tablet, etc.	P4 – 93% Agree a lot or agree a little P7 – 94% Agree a lot or agree a little S2 – 94% Agree a lot or agree a little
I usually do well in tasks in school when I use a computer, tablet etc.	P4 – 93% Agree a lot or agree a little P7 – 91% Agree a lot or agree a little S2 – 92% Agree a lot or agree a little
I find working on a computer, tablet etc, in school boring	P4 – 18% Agree a lot or agree a little P7 – 13% Agree a lot or agree a little S2 – 23% Agree a lot or agree a little
I find tasks using a computer, tablet etc. hard	P4 – 33% Agree a lot or agree a little P7 – 19% Agree a lot or agree a little S2 – 21% Agree a lot or agree a little

SSLN 2016 Teacher Questionnaire results

Using ICT has a positive impact on my pupil’s engagement in their learning

Primary Teachers

Secondary English teachers

Secondary non-English teachers

99% strongly agree or agree
91% strongly agree or agree
92% strongly agree or agree

Using ICT has a positive impact on pupils' literacy skills

Primary Teachers

Secondary English teachers

Secondary non-English teachers

94% strongly agree or agree
77% strongly agree or agree
75% strongly agree or agree

Question reference: S5W-14115

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in its Draft Budget 2018-19 that it will provide £10 million to organisations that provide support to children and young people with complex support needs, how it proposes to distribute this funding.

Question reference: S5W-14116

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 5 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its consultation paper on electoral reform of 19 December 2017, what its definition is of “legally resident”.

Question reference: S5O-01753

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 31 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to use existing medical and other evidence to determine entitlement to devolved disability benefits and reduce the need for in-person assessments.

We have made it clear from the start that we will make use of existing health and social care evidence to support better decision making. We will gather the right information at the initial stage of the process, utilising existing data to aid quality decision making and, consequently, reduce the need for face to face assessments.

A face-to-face assessment should only be required upon individual request or where evidence gathered is conflicting – and no-one will ever be forced in the Scottish system to undergo an assessment with a private company.

Question reference: S5W-13774

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-00665 and S5W-13573 by John Swinney on 16 June 2016 and 9 January 2018 respectively, for what reason the figures provided in each answer regarding the number of learning support teachers there were in each local authority from 2007 to 2015 are different.

The answers to questions S5W-00665 and S5W-13573 are different because they used slightly different definitions of learning support teachers.

The answer to S5W-00665 includes teachers in primary, secondary, special schools, and centrally employed teachers, with their main subject recorded as: Learning Support Secondary; Learning Support, Primary; Special Educational Needs (SEN) (primary) non-recorded pupils; SEN (recorded pupils); SEN (Secondary) non-recorded pupils; SEN Behavioural Support; SEN Learning Difficulties; SEN Physical Disabilities; Hearing Impairment; or Visual Impairment.

In addition to this, the answer to S5W-13573 includes teachers in special schools with their main subject recorded as primary teaching and teachers in secondary schools and centrally employed with English as an Additional Language (EAL) as their main subject.

Question reference: S5W-13773

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-00665 by John Swinney on 16 June 2016, how many teachers there have been in each local authority in each year since 2007 who have had additional support for learning as their main subject.

Question reference: S5W-13775

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13573 by John Swinney on 9 January 2018, whether the number of full-time equivalent ASN teachers recorded was rounded to the nearest whole number and, if not, for what reason whole numbers were used.

Question reference: S5O-01704

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage the SFA and football clubs to follow the lead of the English FA in adopting the principles of the Rooney Rule for future coaching appointments.

Question reference: S5W-13433

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 12 December 2017, how many of the 666 full-time-equivalent teachers employed using its Attainment Scotland Fund are on temporary contracts.