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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: S5W-09938

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 30 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills on 15 June 2017 (Official Report, c. 46), what impact the proposed education governance reforms could have on the 2001 tripartite agreement on a teaching profession for the 21st century, and whether it plans to revisit the agreement.

The Education Governance: Next Steps publication clearly states that we remain committed to national terms and conditions of service.

The Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), the tripartite body including representation from teacher organisations, local authorities and the Scottish Government was established following the 2001 teachers' agreement "A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century" and will continue to negotiate national pay and conditions of service for the teaching profession.

Question reference: S5W-09942

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 30 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills on 15 June 2017 (Official Report, c. 46), what governance reforms it plans to increase the participation of young people in education decision making.

Question reference: S5W-09939

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 30 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills on 15 June 2017 (Official Report, c. 46), how it will ensure that the proposed regional collaboration structures do not create unnecessary bureaucracy.

Question reference: S5W-09941

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 30 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills on 15 June 2017 (Official Report, c. 46), how it will ensure the accountability of head teachers after further powers are devolved to them.

Headteachers are currently accountable to their schools and communities; to local authorities as their employers and through the General Teaching Council for Scotland's professional standards. The Scottish Government is committed to creating a system where decisions about a child's learning are taken as close to that child as possible and to empower our teachers and headteachers. The importance of accountability through professional standards, to their employer and to their school and community will remain important elements of the system.

Question reference: S5W-09678

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 23 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government on what dates it has met Teach First since May 2016 and what was discussed.

Question reference: S5W-09287

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether a Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment has been performed for the proposed cadet experience, and whether the results of this will be published.

Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) is a process through which officials can identify, research, analyse and record the anticipated impact of any proposed law and policy on children’s human rights and wellbeing. The CRWIA is a purpose built policy and legislation impact assessment for specific use by Scottish Government officials, although the approach has also been made available for public authorities and children’s services to adapt for their own uses, if they wish. As there is not a specific Government policy or legislation regarding the work being done by community based Cadet Linked Detachments with a number of schools to deliver learning which supports Curriculum for Excellence, a CRWIA assessment has not been carried out by Scottish Government or Education Scotland and there are currently no plans to do so.

Question reference: S5W-09291

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 8 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-07573 by John Swinney on 8 March 2017, what its position is on written answer HL1278/2015 in the House of Lords, in which the Under Secretary of State for Scotland indicates that a “linked detachment program” operates in six Scottish state schools, which uses “the army cadet force syllabus” to “extend the cadet experience into state schools”.

Question reference: S5W-09288

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 8 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what voluntary opportunities, which are accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority, there are in schools for people who are opposed to the military’s involvement in education, and how these are promoted to pupils.

A range of volunteering opportunities are available to all young people in Scotland which they can choose to participate in either in schools or youth work setting, many of which are accredited. Participation in such youth awards can play a key role in helping young people to be successful, confident, effective and responsible citizens with a focus on non-formal, experiential learning and the development of personal and interpersonal skills and competencies. Examples include Youth Achievement Awards, Saltire Awards and The Duke of Edinburgh Award. They also include specific accredited SQA awards in Personal Development: Employability; and Leadership. The Scottish Youth Awards Network brings together a range of youth work organisations in the public and voluntary sectors which support youth awards. The Network reports that in 2015-16, more than 75,000 youth awards were achieved by young people in Scotland.

Question reference: S5O-01101

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what role it considers the arms industry should have in education.

Question reference: S5W-09407

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 7 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to disabled people who want to make a train journey from an unstaffed station at short notice, and what action it is taking to increase this support.

On board train staff will assist passengers who have booked in advance to board or alight at unstaffed stations. This service is provided by ScotRail, and all other train companies, as a condition of their operating licence issued by the Office of Road & Rail. ScotRail also aim to provide assistance to those who need help when travelling on the rail network whether this has been booked in advance or not.

Transport Scotland monitors compliance of ScotRail obligations through the franchise contract agreement and can escalate any concerns around delivery with the Office of Road & Rail if required.