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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-15875

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 27 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the effectiveness of the careers guidance that is provided by (a) schools and (b) colleges.

Education Scotland (ES) monitors the effectiveness of careers guidance provided by SDS, schools and colleges on behalf of Scottish Government. The monitoring takes the form of external reviews based on the Framework for External Quality Review of Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Careers Information, Advice and Guidance, created in partnership by ES, SDS and the Scottish Government.

Each review is led by an Inspector of Education and supported by a team of other HMI colleagues and associate assessors from SDS. The outcomes of the reviews are taken into the local authority Continuous Improvement Action Plan which sets out how the teams plan to address the main points for action and the expected outcomes. 18 months after the initial review, ES revisit the local authority team to monitor progress against the main points for action.

In addition, How Good Is Our School?4 and How Good Is Our College? Support schools and colleges to continually evaluate and improve the career services they offer students and make judgements on how well learners are developing their career management skills.

Question reference: S5W-15886

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 27 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what work Skills Development Scotland carries out with all state secondary schools.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) deliver our Career Information, Advice and Guidance services in all state secondary schools, including additional support needs schools, throughout Scotland. The majority of SDS’s in-school services are delivered face-to-face, with at least one dedicated member of careers staff working in every state secondary school. The school service offer in every school now includes:

At P7/S1 transition, every young person is entitled to have a face-to-face engagement with SDS Careers staff to support their transition.
At S2/S3 subject choice, every young person is entitled to have a face-to-face engagement with SDS Careers staff to support this key decision-making phase. This will be in a group setting and then followed up with the entitlement of an individual 1:1 guidance interview.
In S3, a needs based approach identifies those young people who require targeted enhanced support and these individuals are entitled to, as a minimum, a 1:1 guidance session.
From S4 through to S6, targeted support is available to young people who have been identified as requiring it through the validation and needs based approach. This will include multiple 1:1 sessions as part of an ongoing coaching relationship with the SDS Careers Adviser.
All young people are entitled to a face to face engagement with the Careers Adviser in a group session throughout the senior phase during their preparations for leaving.

SDS’s work with teachers and parents/carers includes:

A suite of lesson plans and resources, co-designed with teachers, to support delivery of the Career Education Standard in the classroom, from P5 upwards.
Capacity building for teachers to support delivery of the Career Education Standard
Development of career long professional learning modules for teachers in collaboration with Education Scotland covering, Career Management Skills, Career Education Standard, My World of Work and Labour Market Information
Parental engagement from P7/S1 to S6 with a one to one offer for parents/carers during S2 or S3 subject choice
Dedicated parents area in My World of Work

Within all state secondary schools, SDS also offers ‘Marketplace’ which improves engagement between employers and young people while they are still in school. It has been developed in partnership with Scotland’s regional Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce (DYW) groups.

Foundation Apprenticeships (FAs) are being actively promoted by SDS’s careers and guidance staff as a work-based learning opportunity for senior phase secondary school pupils as one of their subject choices in S4-S6. This is in line with our ambition to have FAs within all state secondary schools over the next two years.

Question reference: S5W-14856

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 7 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on making it a criminal offence to install electrical work when unqualified to do so.

The Scottish Government has established an Electricians Working Group to explore how best to respond to the challenge of ensuring the safety of electrical installations in Scotland. The membership reflects industry, safety and consumer interests. The first meeting took place on 2 November 2017 and the second meeting took place on 25 January 2018. To ensure an open and transparent process, papers and minutes are published on the Scottish Government website at https://beta.gov.scot/groups/electricians-working-group/ I look forward to the Working Group’s consideration of possible solutions.

Question reference: S5W-14857

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 7 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on legislating for the protection of title for qualified electricians.

Question reference: S5O-01847

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the action it is taking to tackle waiting times issues in NHS Grampian and their impact on other NHS boards with which it holds service-level agreements.

Question reference: S5W-14158

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 8 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what forms of financial assistance it offers to businesses under the Scottish Growth Scheme, and who determines the eligibility for, and terms of, this.

There are currently two distinct products available under the Scottish Growth Scheme: the Scottish European Growth Co-Investment Programme (SEGCP); and the new and additional funding for the SME Holding Fund.

Under the SEGCP, Scottish Enterprise is providing a package of support to help individual companies (seeking £2 million to £10 million of equity investment) become investor ready and working with the European Investment Fund in introducing companies seeking this investment to relevant accredited VC Fund Managers. The ultimate decision on eligibility will be for the European Investment Fund.

The funding for the SME Holding Fund is aimed at companies seeking up to £2 million of equity investment. It is delivered directly by Scottish Enterprise alongside individual private sector investors, mainly business angel syndicates. It is normally private sector investors who would source the individual investment deals, with Scottish Enterprise having the ultimate decision on eligibility.

Under both, the public sector investments are made on the same commercial terms as the private sector investor and the public sector will share equally in the commercial returns generated.

Question reference: S5W-14159

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 8 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how much financial assistance it has provided in each year under the Scottish Growth Scheme.

Question reference: S5O-01666

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress towards meeting waiting times targets in NHS Grampian.

Question reference: S5O-01608

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to reduce waiting times in NHS Grampian.

Question reference: S5W-12836

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has done of the impact of internal ferry services on delivery charges to (a) residential and (b) business premises in (i) Orkney, (ii) Shetland and (iii) Na h-Eileanan Siar.

Through the “Our Islands Our Future” work and following publication of the Empowering Scotland’s Island Communities prospectus in June 2014, Transport Scotland set up the Orkney & Shetland Internal Ferries Working Group in 2014. The Working Group consists of representatives from Orkney Islands Council, Shetland Islands Council, HITRANS, ZETRANS and Highlands & Islands Enterprise.

Much work has been undertaken by the Working Group, including consideration of the various needs of the islands and communities served by inter-island ferry services, and the role ferry services play in delivering these needs.

The Working Group also commissioned independent transportation consultants to undertake ‘Inter-Island Transport Studies’ for both Orkney and Shetland. The purpose of the studies were to undertake a proportionate Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) based appraisal of revenue and capital options across the internal air and ferry network in both Orkney & Shetland.

Both studies were completed and published in late 2016. The reports and additional information on internal ferry services are available on the Councils’ websites.

The internal ferries in the Western Isles are operated by CalMac under the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service contract. Transport Scotland has recently commissioned a STAG study looking at ferry services to and within the Western Isles.

Delivery charges for freight are a commercial matter between businesses and their contracts with hauliers, and as such no specific analysis has been carried out in the ferries context. While the Scottish Government has worked on a voluntary code to help tackle excessive charging, the regulation of prices for parcels is reserved to Westminster.