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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: S5T-01916

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 December 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure the Royal Hospital for Sick Children is fit for purpose, in light of reports that the existing building needs over £700,000 of significant maintenance work.

Question reference: S5F-03787

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 December 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2019

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to research suggesting that children in poorer areas have almost 10% fewer choices of subjects in secondary schools than those in better-off areas.

Question reference: S5W-26467

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 5 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider including disability as a criterion for widening access to university and contextualised admission and, if so, what work it will undertake to give effect to this.

The Commission on Widening Access concluded that access thresholds had the potential to increase participation in higher education for those from socio-economically deprived backgrounds and those with experience of care. Not all disabled students will face the same challenges in accessing higher education and we must consider the specific access barriers that students with a disability face to identify the most appropriate intervention. Scotland’s Higher Education Institutions individually consider all applications, including those from disabled applicants, to determine whether they have experienced disadvantage that impacts on their ability to demonstrate their full potential through their academic qualifications.

The Commission also recommended that the Commissioner for Fair Access should consider what further work is required to support equal access for other groups of learners. In February 2019 the Commissioner published a discussion paper on disabled students at university, which highlighted an increase in disclosures of mental health conditions. It is encouraging that learners are more open to disclosing a mental health condition and we must do what we can to support them. That is why in the current academic year we are investing £3.645 million in the sector so that colleges and universities can access and recruit additional counsellors.

We also continue to support disabled students through the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) - a non-income assessed allowance to cover any extra costs or expenses which may be incurred while studying.

Question reference: S5W-26460

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 3 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many "design and build" construction projects are currently in progress but not yet complete across the NHS estate, broken down by projects financed through (a) traditional procurement, (b) NPD and (c) other forms of private finance.

Question reference: S5O-03835

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent assaults on retail workers.

Question reference: S5W-26201

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is within its legislative competence to create a benefit for women in Scotland aged over 60 who are not eligible for the basic state pension.

The Scottish Government does not agree with the unfair manner in which the UK Government has imposed the change of state pension age on women born in the 1950s.

However, Section 28 of the Scotland Act 2016 clearly states that we cannot provide assistance by way of pensions or to persons who qualify by reason of old age.

As this is a reserved matter, it is therefore not feasible for the Scottish Government to mitigate against the impact on women of any changes introduced as a result of the Pensions Act 2011.

Question reference: S5W-26200

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of any state pension inequality for women in Scotland who were born in the 1950s who are affected by the increase in the state pension age.

Question reference: S5W-26202

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what feasibility and financial assessment it has carried out regarding mitigating the impact on women in Scotland of the changes made to eligibility for the basic state pension as a consequence of the Pensions Act 2011.

Question reference: S5W-25087

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government on what dates in the last year the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport or her officials have met representatives from NHS Lothian regarding the opening of the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh; what minutes or records of these meetings exist, and whether it will provide copies of these documents.

My officials and I have met regularly with representatives from NHS Lothian regarding the opening of the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People. I undertook the mid year review with the Chair and CEO of NHS Lothian and this matter was also part of these discussions. Following the decision to halt the move to the new site, the Scottish Government has chaired an Oversight Board with regards to the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People. Officials will undertake to publish the papers and minutes of the Oversight Group on the Scottish Government website.

Question reference: S5F-03688

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 November 2019

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children with additional support needs.