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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S4O-01543

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 28 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether college budgets have been confirmed for 2012-13.

Question reference: S4W-09974

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what the First Minister’s itinerary was for his trip to the 2012 Ryder Cup.

Question reference: S4W-09971

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government which (a) ministers, (b) special advisers, (c) officials and (d) representatives of its agencies attended the 2012 Ryder Cup in an official capacity and what their role was.

Question reference: S4W-09973

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how much (a) it and (b) its agencies spent in relation to the 2012 Ryder Cup and what the purpose of this expenditure was.

Question reference: S4O-01520

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 November 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what progress the Scottish Studies Working Group has made in promoting opportunities to learn British Sign Language in schools.

Question reference: S4W-10639

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 13 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what services the Scottish Qualifications Authority has provided to foreign companies and governments in each year since 2007.

Services provided by the SQA to foreign companies and governments come under two broad categories – consultancy and awarding. international services/activities make a significant contribution to Scotland’s international engagement strategy and plans and also provide income for the SQA.

Consultancy

The SQA’s international consultancy services assist countries and governments in the development of their education, skills and training systems and processes, helping to build capacity and benefiting individual learners, communities and the wider economy. Services include, among others, the development of: national qualifications frameworks, qualifications and assessment, quality assurance systems, and vocational/occupational standards.

Consultancy services are provided to foreign companies and governments mainly through a process of bidding for projects through a competitive tendering process. The SQA submits bids as a sole organisation; as lead in a consortium; or as a partner in a consortium. Projects are funded by foreign governments, their agencies or through worldwide agencies such as the World Bank. The SQA has dedicated team of Project Managers and a works in-country with a wide range of experts and consultants.

A list of countries with which the SQA has worked each year since 2007, and whether that work was with foreign governments/government agencies or foreign companies, is in the following table.

Year

Country

Government/ Government Agencies

Private/ Company

Start Date

End Date

2007

Botswana	ü	2003	2011
Botswana	ü	Feb-2006	Dec-2008
Lithuania	ü	Jan-2007	Feb-2007
South Africa	ü	Aug-2007	Dec-2007
Romania	ü	Nov-2007	Dec-2008
Mozambique	ü	Dec-2007	Dec-2009

2008

Botswana	ü	Mar-2008	Mar-2013
Turkey	ü	Apr-2008	Dec-2008
Egypt	ü	Apr-2008	Sep-2012
Egypt	ü	Jun-2008	Jun-2009
Romania	ü	Jun-2008	Jun-2009

2009

Kosovo	ü		Sep-2009	Aug-2011
Abu Dhabi		ü	Oct-2009	Sep-2011
Romania	ü		Oct-2009	Sep-2012

2010

Bahrain	ü	Jan-2010	Dec-2011
Croatia	ü	Jan-2010	Jan-2012
Egypt	ü	Apr-2010	Oct-2011
Eritrea	ü	Apr-2010	Mar-2013
Romania	ü	Apr-2010	Mar-2013
Romania	ü	Apr-2010	Mar-2013
Croatia	ü	May-2010	Mar-2012
Rwanda	ü	Aug-2010	Aug-2012
Egypt	ü	Nov-2010	Apr-2012

2011

Mozambique

Feb-2011

Feb-2013

NB. 2011 and 2012 are also covered by projects that started in earlier years and continue into 2011, 2012 and 2013 (see final column in table).

Awarding

Through its international awarding activities, the SQA provides students in a wide range of countries with internationally recognised and valued qualifications. These qualifications assist in building skilled workforces within countries; enhance international mobility; and provide opportunities to articulate to higher education in a number of UK and overseas universities.

Awarding activities include: the approval of centres to offer SQA qualifications; provision of qualifications; quality assurance of qualifications; and certification of qualifications. A list of countries in which the SQA has carried out awarding activities since 2007, and whether those activities were with foreign governments/government agencies or foreign companies, is in the following table.

Year	Country	Government/ Government Agencies*	Private/ Company**
2007	Bahrain
	China
	Egypt		x 1
	Oman
	Qatar		x 3
	UAE		x 5
2008	Bahrain
	China
	Egypt		x 1
	Oman
	Qatar		x 3
	Turkey
	UAE		x 5
2009	Bahrain
	Cayman Islands
	China
	Egypt		x 1
	Oman
	Qatar		x 3
	Turkey
	UAE		x 6
	USA
2010	Bahrain
	Cayman Islands
	China
	Egypt		x 1
	India		x2
	Oman
	Qatar		x 3
	Sri Lanka
	Turkey
	UAE		x 6
	USA
2011	Bahrain
	Bangladesh		x1
	Cayman Islands
	China
	Egypt		x 1
	India		x3
	Malaysia		x1
	Oman

Year	Country	Government/ Government Agencies*	Private/ Company**
	Qatar		x 3
	Sri Lanka
	Turkey
	UAE		x 7
	USA
2012	Bahrain
	Bangladesh		x1
	Cayman Islands
	China
	Egypt		x 1
	Hong Kong
	India		x3
	Malaysia		x1
	Oman
	Qatar		x 3
	Sri Lanka
	Turkey
	UAE		x 7
	USA

*Government/government agencies includes: central and local government, ministries, and associated public organisations such as universities and colleges

**Private/company represents mainly private training providers that are SQA centres.

Question reference: S4W-10640

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 13 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what income the Scottish Qualifications Authority has received from foreign companies or governments in each year since 2007 and how much it is owed.

The income received by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) from foreign companies or governments from its consultancy and awarding activities in each year since 2007 is in the following table.

The value of all invoices raised by the SQA up to 31st October 2012 which have not yet paid by overseas customers is £1,540,840

Financial Year	Income from foreign companies or governments
	£
2007-08	1,037,942
2008-09	2,161,851
2009-10	3,726,280
2010-11	2,462,027
2011-12	3,201,610
2012-13 (To 31 October)	619,530

Question reference: S4O-01441

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 October 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government on what date the “exceptional circumstances” arose that the Lord Advocate refers to in his letter to Ruth Davidson of 30 October 2012 relating to legal advice on an independent Scotland's membership of the European Union.

Question reference: S4O-01397

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 October 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 October 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what combined savings local authorities are expected to make in 2013-14.

Question reference: S4O-01345

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 3 October 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what the year-on-year revenue savings will be as a result of reduced borrowing associated with the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme and the electrification of the Scottish network. The estimated cost for the initial phase that I announced on 4 July is £650 million. The timing, specification and cost of future phases are yet to be determined. The Office of Rail Regulation will confirm Network Rail’s funding requirements to deliver our overall High Level Output Specification for 2014 to 2019 in October 2013.