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.

Question reference: S5W-00594

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what research it (a) has carried out and (b) plans to assess the educational attainment of young (i) BME, (ii) disabled and (iii) LGBTI people.

The Scottish Government has not carried out any specific research on the educational attainment of these children and young people and has no plans to do so. We do however have attainment data for young people taking Sottish Qualifications Authority examinations broken down by ethnicity and disability http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/06/2579/4#table6.

The teacher professional judgement information we will collect under the National Improvement Framework for Scottish Education will provide similarly detailed data covering the full stretch of school years. The information we collect will show the progress children are making towards achieving curriculum for excellence levels in numeracy and literacy. It is not appropriate to ask a child or young person to disclose their sexuality – we do not therefore collect any data on LGBTI young people.

Question reference: S5W-00597

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 15 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what specialist health provision it provides for pregnant and new mothers in Central Scotland who experience mental ill health.

NHS boards in Central Scotland are responsible for working with their partners to plan and provide specialist health care for pregnant and new mothers who experience mental ill health according to individually assessed needs and in line with published clinical guidance.

Pregnant and new mothers will benefit from referral, where appropriate, to the regional specialist perinatal inpatient mother and baby units in NHS Lothian and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde as well as work to improve access to psychological therapies across Scotland. We’re investing additional £150 million for mental health over five years and as part of that package we announced in January 2016 that £4.8 million will be awarded to Healthcare Improvement Scotland to establish a mental health access improvement support team.

The improvement programme will work in collaboration with NHS boards to deliver sustained improvements in access to child and adolescent mental health services and access to psychological therapies services.

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