- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 6 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to remove funding from any of the school culture coordinators that it presently supports and, if so, how many coordinators will be affected.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not fund culture coordinator posts in schools. However, some Local Authorities choose to employ culture coordinators to support the delivery of the Youth Music Initiative programme, administered on behalf of the Scottish Government by Creative Scotland.
Creative Scotland do not require Local Authorities to have a specific coordinator role in place to deliver the fund. Scottish Government give Local Authorities the financial freedom to operate independently and allocate the resources available to them in response to local need.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 February 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can commit to setting a (a) start date and (b) timetable for its national conversation on rail services, as announced by the Minister for Transport in the Scottish Parliament on 9 February 2022.
Answer
The National Rail Conversation will be formally launched in April to mark the one year anniversary of ScotRail coming in to public ownership. Through the National Rail Conversation, we will listen to feedback from passengers, staff and stakeholders to shape a vision for ScotRail which best meets the needs of the people of Scotland. I will announce the timetable for the conversation at the launch.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 February 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to increase the number of apprenticeships working for ScotRail as (a) drivers and (b) engineers.
Answer
While recruitment is an operational matter for ScotRail to manage, the Scottish Government is supportive of ScotRail’s target to increase apprenticeships.
ScotRail, working in partnership with Skills Development Scotland and the Train Drivers union ASLEF, is developing a new Modern Apprenticeship Framework in Train Driving.
Over the past 2 decades ScotRail has offered apprenticeships in engineering across all 4 of its depots. The 2023 cohort will see a 100% increase in apprenticeship numbers on the previous year’s intake. ScotRail will continue to identify apprenticeship opportunities as part of the workforce planning activity to support skills needs and employment opportunities.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what the cost of the "waking watch" patrol at Lancefield Quay is, and who will be liable for the costs of the contract.
Answer
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on developing an open data service for bus travel similar to the Bus Open Data Service in England.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to enhancing information of public transport to improve, awareness, accessibility and support modal shift. That is why the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 includes provisions to set regulations with regards to the sharing of bus service information. Legislation is one part of the solution and we are progressing options which will inform the development of regulations and speed up enhancing information provision, recognising the technological advancements and operators positive participation. For example, we are procuring the next generation digital travel data services that sit behind Traveline Scotland and other journey planner providers, which will support enhanced data on fares, real-time information, accessibility and emissions. We are engaging with our counterparts in the Department for Transport and Welsh Government with regards to their Bus Open Data Regulatory activity, to ensure compatibility and avoid duplication or burden for those operators delivering both sides of the border.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 6 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that implantable cardiac device deactivation features in anticipatory care planning resources.
Answer
We provide information and resources on the use of Anticipatory Care Plans to professionals, patients, and their families to ensure people get the right care in the right place at the right time. In 2021, Healthcare Improvement Scotland developed the Anticipatory Care Planning Toolkit consisting of a 4-step model, guidance, and resources for health professionals.
NHS Education for Scotland has educational resources for professionals delivering training about shared decision-making and anticipatory care planning (Realistic Conversations).
The Heart Failure Hub has endorsed, and is supporting the dissemination of, Patient and Health Care Professional Cardiac Supportive Palliative Care resources developed by the British Society for Heart Failure - Patient info and HCP resources — British Society For Heart Failure (bsh.org.uk)
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 6 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when it last carried out modelling of the cardiac physiology workforce, and what the outcome was.
Answer
The National Integrated Workforce Strategy published in 2019 committed to increase the Cardiac Physiologist workforce, thereby increasing capacity to carry out diagnostic testing, by supporting an additional 30 training places on the 4 year BSc course in Clinical Physiology.
Over the next 3-5 years we will also focus on increasing the workforce by promoting recruitment into Scientist Training Programmes and Practitioner BSC Programmes” We have supported 17 new practitioners through the 4 year BSc Course and 13 new Clinical Scientists.
More recently in 2022, the Clinical Physiology Executive Board has scoped and collected data on all physiology science services. The information that has been garnered from this exercise will feed into the wider strategic piece of work in relation to Healthcare Science education and training.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 6 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of its budget has been allocated to local government in each year since 1999.
Answer
I replied to a similar question from the member on 3 November 2022 (S6W-11386) providing details from 1999-2000 to 2021-2022. I have included in the following table the information for 2022-2023 following the Spring Budget Revision.
| | 2022-23 |
Total Fiscal Budget (£m) | 38,791 |
Total Managed Expenditure (£m) | 48,491 |
Local Government Budget following Spring Budget Revision (£m) | 12,402 |
Local Government Budget as a proportion of Total Fiscal Budget (£m) | 32% |
Local Government budget as a proportion of Total Managed Expenditure (£m) | 25% |
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the eligibility criteria for the Young Scot National Entitlement Card, for what reason the current age range of 11- to 25-year-olds is considered to be the most appropriate, and whether it has considered lowering the age range to include all young people living in Scotland who are of primary school age.
Answer
The National Concessionary Travel Schemes are delivered on both Young Scot-branded and non-Young Scot-branded National Entitlement Cards (NEC).
Children aged 5-11 are able to access the Young Persons Free Bus Travel Scheme (YPTS) using a photoless NEC. Young people aged 11-21 can choose to access the YPTS with either a Young Scot NEC or non-Young Scot branded photo NEC. Information on the types of NECs available to access YPTS is available at freebus.scot .
Young people in the National Concessionary Travel Scheme for Disabled Persons aged 11-25 can choose to access the scheme through either a Young-Scot branded or non-branded NEC.
Non-concessionary travel benefits of the Young Scot NEC are the responsibility of Young Scot who determine the age at which this is available.
- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 6 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what work it is doing with Social Security Scotland to develop contingency measures for the redeployment of any staff who face redundancy following the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) closure of the Radnor House site in Clydebank.
Answer
The Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) staffing matters are the responsibility of the DWP. It would be inappropriate for the Scottish Government or Social Security Scotland to comment on these or be considering any contingency measures without a formal approach from the DWP.
