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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: S4O-02299

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it will promote a more diverse school education system.

Question reference: S4W-15442

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 17 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional needs assistants have been employed in schools in each of the last five years.

The requested information on additional support needs auxiliary or care assistants, is collected as part of the teacher census in September each year and is given in the following table:

Full-time equivalent numbers of additional support needs auxiliary or care assistants, 2008-2012⁽¹⁾

Year	Full-time equivalent
2008	6,046
2009	6,016
2010	6,016
2011	6,077
2012	6,491

(1) Includes all local authority schools and Jordanhill, the mainstream grant-aided school, but excludes all independent schools and the seven grant-aided special schools.

Question reference: S4W-15176

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether, at his recent meeting with the Qatari culture minister, the Minister for External Affairs and International Development raised the issue of Qatar’s reported (a) support for the Muslim Brotherhood and (b) denial of women’s rights.

I met with HE Dr Hamad Bin Abdulaziz, Minister for Culture, Arts and Heritage whilst in Qatar to attend the Doha Forum on 21 May 2013. The meeting was an introductory meeting to build a relationship with the Minister and provide me with the opportunity to discuss Scotland’s cultural offering to the Qatar/UK Year of Culture. The issue of Qatar’s (a) support for the Muslim Brotherhood and (b) denial of women’s rights were not discussed at our meeting. However, where and when appropriate ministers raised human rights issues. The issue of human rights, inclusion of minorities and, in particular, the role of women was included in my speech which I delivered at the Doha Forum on 21 May 2013.

Question reference: S4O-02258

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to exploit the potential of Scotland's shale gas reserves.

Question reference: S4W-15206

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 5 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government where each SQA Higher Grade foreign language course has ranked on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment in each of the last five years.

SQA Modern Language Higher Qualifications are not officially benchmarked on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching and Assessment (CEFR).

However, the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF), on which the SQA qualifications are levelled, has been benchmarked against the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). In addition, some work has been carried out to benchmark the CEFR, which is a sectoral framework with the EQF. On this basis, Scottish Higher qualifications broadly equate to B1/B2 (independent user) level on the CEFR.

Question reference: S4F-01440

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 June 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2013

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on how an independent Scotland would maintain research funding for universities.

Question reference: S4O-02231

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 May 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what reductions in energy usage have been achieved across the campus over the last three years.

Question reference: S4W-14977

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 30 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to meet the target of a 50% increase in the value of international exports by 2017.

Scotland’s Trade and Investment Strategy outlines the priorities to be pursued to deliver this ambitious target and government agencies are working closely with industry to understand their own export ambitions.

Scottish Development International (SDI) have increased their support to companies and are working with key partners to encourage companies to raise their ambition levels to achieve their full potential and deliver more for Scotland’s economy. This included support to over 2,090 Scottish companies, an increase of 52% from
2011-12.

SDI have also expanded their overseas presence in key markets including China, India, Norway and Brazil. Some of our major exporters are foreign owned companies and attracting strategic inward investment remains critical to our success. Scotland remains an attractive location for inward investors as noted in the Ernst & Young Attractiveness Survey, where Scotland has been ranked in the top two locations within the UK in three of the past five years.

Question reference: S4W-14974

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 28 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it assesses the success of the STEM Ambassadors programme.

The STEM Ambassadors programme is funded by the UK Government and run by STEMNET, a UK-wide charity that promotes STEM to schools. Four organisations in Scotland – Science Connects, Global Science, Dundee Science Centre and a UHI/HIE partnership – are contracted by STEMNET to run the STEM Ambassador programme in Scotland. As an initiative that encourages scientists and engineers to work with schools, the STEM Ambassadors scheme is to be welcomed. However, questions relating to its performance are a matter for STEMNET and not the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S4W-14975

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 28 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to encourage primary school pupils to be enthusiastic about careers in science and maths.