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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: S6W-32206

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of there being no planned increase to the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund in its draft Budget 2025-26, while the Care Experience - Whole Family Wellbeing budget line has increased by £49 million compared with 2024-25, whether it will provide a breakdown of how it plans to allocate this additional funding.

This years’ budget document presents the latest budget for 2024-25 (which is the position at Autumn Budget Revision as approved by the Scottish Parliament) as the comparator information. There are significant movements in portfolio budgets across the financial year that reflect transfers of resource funding between portfolios – these transfers can reflect in-year decisions on reprioritisation, but also allow for recurring movement of significant sums between areas where policy responsibility (and initial budget) sit in one portfolio and ultimate delivery takes place in another. In the case of the Care Experience - Whole Family Wellbeing Funding line the starting position looks artificially low against the budget figures for 2025-26.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to Keeping The Promise by 2030 and despite the unprecedented challenges to public finances, we have continued to prioritise and protect funding for Whole Family Wellbeing, The Promise and GIRFEC, which will allow the continuation of the important work to transform family support services.

Question reference: S6O-04177

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to taxi drivers in Glasgow to help them comply with the Low Emission Zone.

Question reference: S6W-31965

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 18 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on subsidising teacher training in each financial year since 2010-11.

Initial Teacher Education is fully funded by the Scottish Government, for those students within the controlled subject numbers.

The following table shows funding for publicly funded student places provided by the Scottish Government to providers of Initial Teacher Education and students since 2010-11, based on academic years.

This funding covers tuition fee, student support and teaching grant for activity in addition to the baseline funding provided by Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). The student support element assists students to overcome financial barriers to engaging in higher education.

Academic Year	Total (£)
2024-25	14,161,699
2023-24	13,999,830
2022-23	16,490,301
2021-22	14,622,262
2020-21	15,747,780
2019-20	15,561,246
2018-19	13,881,039
2017-18	13,963,750
2016-17	11,025,505
2015-16	9,251,940
2014-15	7,157,020
2013-14	5,616,380
2012-13	3,629,799
2011-12	2,495,655
2010-11	2,971,110

Question reference: S6W-31807

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when its review of non-core and discretionary support, which includes support for part-time students, will conclude.

The Scottish Government undertook engagement with stakeholders on issues relating to non-core and discretionary support, including support for part-time students following the response to the recommendations of the Independent Review of Student Support. Further work in this area, including the launch of a public consultation, was unable to continue due to the reprioritisation of resources to deal with issues related to Brexit and then the response to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

As a Government, we recognised the importance in continuing this work and as a result, the Post-school education, research and skills - initial priorities set out the commitment to undertake a review of student support for part-time students. This commitment was also incorporated in the 2023-24 Programme for Government.

We are in the process of considering the best way to engage with the sector to ensure that the relevant views of key stakeholders and students are captured. All issues impacting on part-time students will be given careful consideration as part of this Review. As an initial step, we have opened up living cost support to disabled students who are studying full-time distance learning courses and who are unable to study campus based courses because of their disability.

Question reference: S6W-32116

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31685 by Jenny Gilruth on 9 December 2024, which of its officials attended the meeting.

Question reference: S6W-32392

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 December 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government who will employ the staff of the new independent inspectorate, in the event that the Education (Scotland) Bill is passed.

Question reference: S6W-32376

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 December 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether a young person between the ages of 16 and 25 can make more than one application to the Independent Living Fund.

Question reference: S6W-31809

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what mechanisms it uses to ensure best value for the spending of public funds on, and consistency of, support for disabled students in further and higher education.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all students with a disability, long term medical condition or additional support needs are able to access further and higher education and are fully supported throughout their studies.

Further Education

The Additional Support Needs for Learning Allowance is a non-income assessed allowance administered by individual colleges. It is intended to support students with disabilities or additional learning needs who are studying a course of Further Education and may have extra costs because of their disability.

Colleges, as part of their integral core funding via Scottish Funding Council, also receive the Access and Inclusion Fund. This supports the teaching and learning of students with additional support needs.

It is the responsibility of individual colleges to manage their student support budgets in a prudent and effective manner. The Scottish Funding Council has clear guidelines and processes in place to monitor colleges’ management of their student support funds, including the requirement for colleges to be audited, by external auditors, on their annual student support expenditure.

Higher Education

The Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) is a non-income assessed fund that is administered by Student Awards Agency Scotland. It is intended to support disabled students and those with additional learning needs who are studying a course of Higher Education and may have extra costs because of their disability.

As a bespoke fund, the amount a student is eligible to receive is based on their individual needs. Those awards are made based on comprehensive guidance prepared by Student Award Agency Scotland and shared with institutions on an annual basis, ensuring that there is a consistency of approach across the sector.

Question reference: S6W-32361

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 10 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the pilot to change the measure of widening access to higher education.

Question reference: S6W-32291

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 10 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further the answer to question S6W-27968 by Jenni Minto on 14 June 2024, what progress is being made towards delivering the national audit of fracture liaison services.