Chamber and committees

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: S4W-17235

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 1 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how much per pupil it allocates to local authorities for advanced highers.

Question reference: S4W-17232

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 1 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many schools have provided advanced higher computing in each year since 2009, broken down by local authority.

The number of centres with students entered for advanced higher computing in each year since 2009, broken down by local authority is as follows:

Number of publicly funded secondary schools with pupils entering advanced higher computing

Local Authority	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Aberdeen City	3	2	4	3	6
Aberdeenshire	2	6	6	6	6
Angus	2	4	3	4	5
Argyll and Bute	1	1	1	1	2
Clackmannanshire	1	2	0	0	2
Dumfries and Galloway	2	0	1	1	0
Dundee City	7	5	5	6	7
East Ayrshire	2	3	2	1	1
East Dunbartonshire	5	5	3	6	5
East Lothian	2	5	5	2	4
East Renfrewshire	2	3	4	3	2
Edinburgh City	9	9	11	11	13
Eilean Siar	1	1	1	1	1
Falkirk	1	2	3	2	2
Fife	11	11	11	9	13
Glasgow City	3	5	5	7	4
Highland	5	4	4	3	5
Inverclyde	1	1	1	2	1
Midlothian	4	3	2	4	4
Moray	2	2	1	1	1
North Ayrshire	3	4	3	3	3
North Lanarkshire	1	3	1	2	2
Orkney Islands	0	0	0	2	1
Perth and Kinross	5	6	5	5	5
Renfrewshire	1	0	0	0	0
Scottish Borders	3	2	1	0	3
Shetland Islands	0	0	0	0	0
South Ayrshire	6	6	6	6	6
South Lanarkshire	5	6	8	7	5
Stirling	3	3	3	2	0
West Dunbartonshire	3	1	1	1	2
West Lothian	6	7	6	6	5
Grant aided	1	1	1	1	1
All	103	113	108	108	117

Question reference: S4W-17233

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 1 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages schools to provide advanced higher computing classes.

The number and range of courses on offer is a decision for schools to make in consultation with learners and parents, taking into account the local context and resources available.

The Scottish Government sees learning in science and technology subjects as important for young people, and for the economy, helping them to develop skills for learning, life and work. We are providing BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT with £200k per annum over two years to support professional learning for secondary school teachers of computing science. The opportunities provided will help ensure learning incorporates new programming languages and current thinking on teaching approaches.

Question reference: S4O-02416

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what the set-up and running costs would be of a new national, independent broadcaster in the event of Scotland becoming independent.

Question reference: S4O-02335

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how much it estimates the difference is between the wholesale value of and taxation generated from remaining North Sea oil and gas resources.

Question reference: S4W-15410

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 13 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure that there will be no delay or disruption to children’s panels following the transfer of responsibility for the recruitment, training and support of children’s panel members to Children’s Hearings Scotland.

Scottish Government officials have worked closely with the National Convener and Children’s Hearings Scotland (CHS) staff over the past two years to ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place for the recruitment of panel members and the provision of their training and support once the National Convener takes on her full responsibilities on 24 June 2013.

As a result, there should be no delay or disruption to children’s panels following the transfer of responsibility for their administration.

Question reference: S4W-15413

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 13 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure that no children’s panel hearings will be delayed or cancelled due to any problems that might arise with the transfer of information from it to Children’s Hearings Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-15411

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 13 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure that it collects accurate information on members of children's panels in relation to police checks and protection of vulnerable groups legislation, and whether this information will be transferred to Children’s Hearings Scotland in time for it becoming operational in June 2013.

All appointments and reappointments to Children’s Panels are conditional on the completion of statutory background checks by Disclosure Scotland. Information about these checks is gathered and processed at local level and is then recorded on the central database held by the Scottish Government.

A planned quality assurance review has been conducted on the accuracy of central records and will conclude before implementation on 24 June 2013.

Responsibility for the central database, and associated information supporting the effective administration of the children’s panel, will transfer to Children’s Hearings Scotland in time for 24 June.

Question reference: S4W-15414

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 13 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure that no children’s panel members will be suspended due to information regarding them in relation to police checks and protection of vulnerable groups legislation not being transferred to Children's Hearings Scotland.

Relevant Disclosure Scotland information on panel members, and prospective panel members, is communicated by local authority Clerks to the Scottish Government and recorded on individual records on the central database. Responsibility for this database will transfer to Children’s Hearings Scotland in time for 24 June 2013.

No panel member will be suspended because information has not been transferred to Children’s Hearings Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-15409

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 13 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure that the transfer of responsibility for children’s panel members to Children’s Hearings Scotland is on schedule, and what the reasons are for any delays.

Reporting monthly to the implementation Programme Board across all key workstreams, Scottish Government officials have worked closely with Children’s Hearings Scotland staff over the past two years to ensure readiness for the transfer of responsibilities on 24 June 2013.

Appropriate arrangements are in place for the National Convener to take on her full statutory responsibilities from the implementation date.

Implementation is on schedule for 24 June, and we do not expect any delays to impact on the timely delivery of the modernised system.