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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: S5W-27245

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2020
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Maree Todd on 5 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress the Independent Care Review is making.

I am pleased to advise Parliament that the Independent Care Review will publish its final report and conclusions today.

I thank Fiona Duncan for chairing the Review and all of those who have been involved in it in a wide range of capacities. I am particularly grateful to all of those children, young people and adults with care experience who took the time to share their own experiences with the Review in order to shape its thinking.

The Scottish Government has been progressing a wide range of priorities, some of which were included in the 2019-20 Programme for Government, to improve the quality of care experienced by Scotland’s looked after children and care leavers. That work will continue as we consider the content of the report in detail and look ahead to implementation.

A copy of the report can be found on the Independent Care Review’s website https://www.carereview.scot/ .

Question reference: S5O-04093

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports inclusive growth in the Mid Fife and Glenrothes constituency.

Question reference: S5W-27120

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 January 2020
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress to establish the public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Sheku Bayoh.

Last year, I announced that there would be a Public Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Sheku Bayoh in 2015.

I can now confirm that The Right Hon Lord Bracadale, a retired Senator of the College of Justice, has agreed to chair the Public Inquiry. I am pleased that someone of Lord Bracadale’s stature and legal standing will chair this important inquiry.

I have a statutory obligation to consult Lord Bracadale on the Terms of Reference and I will meet him in the coming weeks to discuss this and timescales for the Inquiry’s formal setting up date.

It is also my intention to share Terms of Reference with the family of Mr Bayoh and other interested parties to hear their views on the Inquiry’s remit and to discuss how we can best equip it with the necessary diversity of expertise and background to deliver that remit. I will provide a further update to Parliament in due course.

Question reference: S5W-26767

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2019
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 19 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in reducing youth unemployment through the Developing the Young Workforce Programme.

We committed to reporting annually on the progress of the Developing the Young Workforce programme and the fifth progress report was published on 19 December. The report can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781839603907 .

The Scottish Government continues to prioritise the education of our young people, ensuring they have the skills and knowledge required to reach their full potential, both in their careers and their wider lives. Through DYW we continue to prepare young people for the world of work, for both current and future labour markets.

We continue to meet the programme’s headline target of reducing youth unemployment by 40%, and see record numbers of young people undertaking apprenticeship opportunities. As we move into the final years of the programme, we are determined to build on this progress, to strengthen partnership working across the education system and do more to support young people who face additional barriers when embarking on their learner journey.

Question reference: S5O-03952

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the WASPI campaign.

Question reference: S5O-03827

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recent figures from The Trussell Trust showing that thousands of three-day emergency food parcels have been handed out in Fife this year.

Question reference: S5O-03768

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how it is tackling poverty and inequality.

Question reference: S5W-26064

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 31 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when figures showing local authority and school level spend of Pupil Equity Funding in 2018-19 will be published.

Figures showing 2018-19 Pupil Equity Funding levels of spend, at both Local Authority and School level, were published on 31 October 2019 and are available to access here:- https://www.gov.scot/policies/schools/pupil-attainment/

With £122.258m Pupil Equity Funding allocated in 2018-19, alongside the £47.667m carry over from 2017-18, there was almost £170 million of PEF available for schools in 2018-19. £132,266m of this was spent across Scotland, which equates to 78% of available PEF, a significant increase from the £72.540m spent in 2017-18 which equated to 60%.

Cumulatively, over 2017-18 and 2018-19, £204.806m has been invested of the £242.466m (84%) allocated PEF across the two years, with £37.660m carried forward.

Question reference: S5W-25714

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 October 2019
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when the findings of the independent jury research that it commissioned will be published.

The independent jury research commissioned by the Scottish Government will be published on the Scottish Government website on 9 October 2019.

This research is the largest and most realistic of its kind ever undertaken in the UK. It is the first mock jury research project to consider the unique Scottish jury system with 15 jurors, three verdicts and a simple majority.

The work was conducted by a team of research and legal experts from Ipsos MORI, Professors James Chalmers and Fiona Leverick from the University of Glasgow and Professor Vanessa Munro from the University of Warwick.

The Scottish Government will now engage widely to seek views on the research findings and any implications for other criminal justice reforms. I want this engagement to cover all the main findings of the report - which includes specific findings on the not proven verdict - and seek views on what this may mean for potential future changes.

In considering any future package of reforms it will be important to consider the unique Scottish criminal justice system in the round.

Question reference: S5O-03638

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it is providing to EU citizens to stay in Scotland ahead of 31 October.