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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-30695

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered extending modern language provision in primary and secondary schools to include the languages spoken by New Scots pupils and their families, in line with the recommendations set out in the University of Glasgow-led project, Welcoming Languages, and the principles of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy.

The Scottish Government notes the University of Glasgow-led project and report ‘Welcoming Languages’, and officials are in contact with researchers from the University to consider the report’s findings and to ensure that learning from the project is shared with the education system.

The 1+2 Languages policy provides all pupils with an entitlement to learn additional languages from primary 1 (P1). Schools and local authorities make decisions on the specific languages taught based on the needs of their learners and local circumstances.

Currently, the first additional language, taught from P1, must be a language that can be taught to national qualification level (i.e. Cantonese, French, Gaelic (Learners), German, Italian, Mandarin, Spanish and Urdu) which includes some of the most spoken community languages in Scotland. The SQA is responsible for establishing and maintaining all national qualifications, and a range of criteria would need to be met before establishing any new language qualifications.

The second additional language, taught from Primary 5 (P5), can be any language. The latest survey of local authorities, taken in 2023, showed that some primary schools, supported by Education Scotland and Scotland’s National Centre for Languages (SCILT), are already offering a wider range of second additional languages including Polish, Arabic and Ukrainian.

Question reference: S6W-30703

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Police Federation regarding a 2024-25 pay award for police officers.

On 23 May 2024 I met with David Kennedy and David Threadgold from the Scottish Police Federation, as part of my regular meetings with policing partners, where we discussed various topics of interest, including the pay claim for 2024-25.

During the discussion it was noted that negotiations on the police officer pay claim would progress through the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland.

The Police Negotiating Board for Scotland consists of two sides, the Official Side with representatives from Scottish Ministers; Scottish Police Authority; and the Chief Constable of Police Scotland, and a Staff Side with representatives from Scottish Chief Police Officers Staff Association; Association of Scottish Police Superintendents; and the Scottish Police Federation. Representatives of both sides have engaged regularly to discuss the Staff Side claim, the full Board met on 25 June 2024 and most recently on 31 October 2024.

Question reference: S6W-30702

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publicly respond to the Scottish Police Federation's submitted pay claim for a 5.7% pay increase for 2024-25.

Question reference: S6W-30701

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to make a formal pay offer to police officers.

The negotiation of police officer pay is carried out through the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland (PNBS), which has been negotiating the police officer pay claim since it was received on 10 May 2024.

The Official Side (Scottish Ministers, the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland) made what I believe was a strong offer, of a 4.75% uplift for all ranks and changes to terms and conditions. However, this was rejected on 29 October 2024 by the PNBS Staff Side and they registered a ‘failure to agree’ with the PNBS.

Under the PNBS constitution, a period of conciliation will now take place and if agreement can still not be reached, the two Sides of the PNBS will enter into an arbitration process through ACAS. These procedures provide officers with the safeguard that, should the PNBS fail to agree on a position through collective bargaining, an independent panel can consider the merits of each side’s position.

I remain hopeful that an agreement can be reached through conciliation but I recognise that arbitration may be required, so that the independent panel can consider the sides’ positions and then make an award.

Question reference: S6O-03855

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve transparency in the management of Scotland's finances.

Question reference: S6W-30371

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 15 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any plans to review the operational aspects of the Caledonian Sleeper train service now that it has come into public ownership.

Question reference: S6W-29671

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 18 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6F-03284 by John Swinney on 5 September 2024, how it is working to lower waiting times for urology operations classified as urgent by NHS Scotland.

Patients referred for urgent care, including cancer treatment, continue to be prioritised across NHS Scotland.

We are committed to providing Health Boards with the necessary support to drive improvements in waiting times, and will continue to target resources to this effect, including maximising regional and national capacity. Our continued partnership with NHS Scotland’s Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) plays a central role in this.

CfSD’s National Elective Coordination Unit (NECU) supports NHS Health Boards through a number of key work streams. Through a collaborative and centrally coordinated approach, this has helped to ensure the best use of capacity across National Treatment Centres and territorial Health Boards by matching available capacity to demand within NHS Scotland for a number of specialities, including urology. This has been supported by the additional £30 million investment this year. We will continue to work with NECU to explore whether there is further opportunity to expand this work with a focus on urgent urology patients within NHS Lothian.

Question reference: S6W-29526

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the negotiations between Transport Scotland and Ambassador Living in relation to concluding the Ferrymuir Gait access issue.

Question reference: S6O-03741

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reported reduction to the Investing in Communities Fund and any impact on its aim of addressing poverty and disadvantage.

Question reference: S6W-29242

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 9 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to NHS boards regarding the positioning of pharmacies that offer supervised methadone supply.