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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: S5O-01615

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of concerns raised by COSLA regarding local authorities not being able to register all of their properties on the Land Register of Scotland by 2019.

Question reference: S5W-13009

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what repairs were undertaken on the Queensferry Crossing between 4 September and 27 November 2017.

Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors have undertaken a variety of minor snagging works and finishes on the Queensferry Crossing between 4 September and 27 November 2017. These relate to the installation and commissioning of mechanical and electrical equipment, lighting, wind shielding, concrete, towers and piers. Snagging works of this nature are entirely normal on a large infrastructure project, particularly on a project of this scale and complexity.

Question reference: S5W-13010

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost was of any repairs undertaken on the Queensferry Crossing between 4 September and 27 November 2017.

Question reference: S5F-01815

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 December 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 December 2017

To ask the First Minister for what reason the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy has been abandoned.

Question reference: S5F-01764

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 November 2017

To ask the First Minister what maintenance procedures are in place for the Queensferry Crossing.

Question reference: S5W-12209

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 10 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has already allocated to each local authority for the Pupil Equity Fund in (a) 2017-18 and (b) 2018-19.

The local authority and school level allocations of Pupil Equity Funding in 2017-18 are available on the Scottish Government website at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Education/Schools/Raisingeducationalattainment/pupilequityfund/Schoolallocations.

The total amount of Pupil Equity Funding allocations for 2018-19 will be confirmed in the draft budget next month with the provisional local authority allocations contained within the Local Government Finance Circular which will issue the same day. Both the final local authority level and school level allocations will be confirmed early next year.

Question reference: S5W-12221

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 10 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much money, other than the £19.9 million spent on Getting it Right for Every Child and the £41.6 million for extra health visitors, has been allocated to the administration of the Named Person Scheme each year.

In 2014 the Scottish Government announced funding of £41.6 million for additional Health Visitors with the goal to grow the workforce by 500 by the end of 2018. The scale of the Scottish Government’s investment in and expansion of the health Visiting workforce by around 50% is unprecedented. The investment will ensure that NHS Scotland has the right levels of staff to provide visits and reviews for children in order that they can get the best possible start in life and meet Health Board obligations under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act.

Local authorities were provided with £400k in 2015-16 and £9.8m in 2016-17 to support preparation for the commencement of the services covered in Parts 4 and 5 of the 2014 Act.

The Scottish Government has listened closely to what has been said to the Committee on resources and support for implementation. The Scottish Government accepts that further financial resources, over and above that set out in the Financial Memorandum, will be required to assist implementation and that this will be required over a longer period of time than the first year of implementation. The Scottish Government will consult with stakeholders on the detail of this multiyear approach as the Bill proceeds.

Question reference: S5W-12210

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the money allocated to each local authority for the Pupil Equity Fund has been used to cover administration costs, and how much has gone directly to schools for strategies to improve attainment.

Pupil Equity Funding is paid to local authorities by means of a ring fenced grant which clearly specifies the amount to be allocated directly to each school. The conditions of grant make clear that Headteachers must have access to the full amount of the funding allocated to them to use for additional staffing or resources that they consider will raise attainment.

National Operational Guidance on the use of Pupil Equity Funding has been provided by the Scottish Government to Headteachers and can be accessed at www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00516300.pdf.

Head teachers are expected to work in partnership with each other, and their local authority, to agree the use of the funding, taking account of the statutory responsibility of the authority to deliver educational improvement, secure best value and their role as an employer. Many local authorities have issued complementary guidance and packages of support to help head teachers to plan how to use the funding effectively.

Question reference: S5O-01383

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what data it will use to determine the categorisation of salmon rivers for season 2018-19.

The assessment of salmon rivers by Marine Scotland for the 2018 fishing season is based on two main data sets: rod catches returned by anglers and information from fish counters around the country. The technical guide - Assessing the Conservation Status of Salmon in Scotland – which we published in September 2017 as part of our recent consultation on proposed river gradings sets out in detail how the data is derived and used.

The consultation period ended on 13 October 2017 and over 150 responses have been received. We are now considering these in detail and will bring forward draft regulations in due course.

Question reference: S5O-01420

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with angling clubs regarding the categorisation of rivers for 2018.