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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-12714

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when the Governance for Railway Investment Projects (GRIP) process with regard to the Levenmouth Rail Link will (a) commence and (b) be completed.

Question reference: S5W-12713

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether Transport Scotland plans to meet Fife Council to discuss the Governance for Railway Investment Projects (GRIP) process with regard to the Levenmouth Rail Link and, if so, (a) when and (b) where this will take place.

Question reference: S5O-01499

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2017
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects the duties of headteachers to include recruitment administration.

Question reference: S5W-12266

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 October 2017
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mark McDonald on 31 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to strengthen quality in early learning and childcare.

Quality is already and will continue to be at the very heart of our commitment to near double the funded provision of early learning and childcare. Actions already underway include:

Our commitment to provide an additional graduate in nurseries in Scotland’s most deprived areas, by August 2018,
Increasing access to outdoor learning through publication of ‘My World Outdoors’ and ‘Space to Grow’.
Strengthening access to professional development for childminders through launch of ‘My Childminding Journey: A Professional Development Resource’.
Creating a fund that enables staff to support children with additional support needs or disabilities. .
Encouraging and supporting the changes we want to see in the national practice guidance – Building the Ambition which was published in 2014.

In March 2017, I published ‘A Blueprint for 2020: The Expansion of Early Learning and Childcare in Scotland: 2017-18 Action Plan’ which made clear that quality would be the ‘driving force’ of the expansion.

Today I have launched the Quality Action Plan which sets out the steps we will take over the next three years to ensure that the expansion to 1140 hours delivers a high quality experience for all eligible children.

This action plan reflects what the international research evidence and experience tell us are the key drivers of quality in early learning and childcare. It also sets out 15 new actions to strengthen quality and improve longer-term outcomes for children, including new professional learning resources for staff, further strengthening outdoor learning and increased support for family learning so that this is embedded in the ELC offer for those who will benefit the most.

The plan can be accessed at: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/10/9506

Question reference: S5O-01390

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 October 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to stimulate business growth in areas with high unemployment.

Question reference: S5W-11470

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 4 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that, across 105 local authorities in the UK, half of all council tenants in receipt of universal credit are in housing arrears, and what information it has regarding tenants in Scotland.

We are aware of reports that half of all council tenants across 105 local authorities who receive the housing element of universal credit(UC) are at least a month behind on their rent, with 30% two months behind. Similar concerns have been raised by Local Authorities and other Registered Social Landlords in Scotland for some time. Data gathered by East Lothian and Highland councils, who have the longest experience of the full service of UC in Scotland shows that the average arrears for those in receipt of UC are more than 2.5 times those for households receiving Housing Benefit.

For this reason we have written again, in conjunction with COSLA to raise our concerns about the continued roll out of UC, and call for a pause in the roll out of UC until the Department for Work and Pensions is able to consider the impact of UC, and action to mitigate it. We have also made specific recommendations to mitigate the impact of UC on tenants, landlords and local authorities.

We do not currently hold data on rent arrears for tenants in Scotland on Universal Credit. The Scottish Government will continue to consider what additional data can be collected to help understand the full impact of Universal Credit. A forthcoming Scottish Government report on Housing and Welfare Reform will further assess the relationship between Universal Credit and Rent Arrears.

Question reference: S5O-01313

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 28 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what support it gives to young carers.

This government recognises the vital role that carers, including young carers, play in supporting their loved ones and has always been strongly committed to enhancing carers’ rights.

That is why, last week the First Minister announced a package of new measures to support young carers, comprising:

a Young Carer Grant for young adults with significant caring responsibilities who do not currently qualify for Carer’s Allowance;
free concessionary bus travel to recipients of the Young Carer Grant, following piloting; and
a bespoke carers element to the Young Scot Card, providing non-cash benefits for young carers aged 11-18.

In addition, the Carers (Scotland) Act takes effect next April, establishing new rights for all carers, including young carers.

Question reference: S5O-01264

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much from the CashBack for Communities programme has been distributed to groups in the Mid Fife and Glenrothes constituency since 2012.

This Government introduced the Cashback for Communities programme in 2008 as a way to reinvest monies attributed to proceeds of crime directly back into our young people living in areas most affected by crime. Since 2008 we have committed £92 million to CashBack for Communities and other community initiatives.

Young people in Fife have directly benefitted from over £2 million of CashBack for Communities investment from 2008 to 2016. This investment has delivered nearly 122,000 activities up to March 2016 across Fife.

Phase 4 of CashBack started on 1 April 2017. We are investing £17 million across 17 exciting new programmes that are even more focussed on disadvantaged young people in every Local Authority across Scotland. This will build on the success of the CashBack programme.

Question reference: S5W-10696

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 August 2017
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mark McDonald on 11 August 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to go ahead with the current timings of October 2017 to amend the registration requirement to the SCQF level 9 qualification in Residential Child Care.

The Scottish Government is committed to this piece of work and would encourage all staff who have already embarked on current learning and development routes to achieving (SCQF) level 9 to continue. I am however mindful of the need to give the independent Care Review the necessary space to undertake the Discovery phase, which I understand will run until October. I am therefore proposing to postpone the original requirement date of October 2017, which is no longer practicable.

Question reference: S5W-10463

Asked by: Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 July 2017
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mark McDonald on 25 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review foster and kinship care allowances.

The Scottish Government will gather a group of experts to carry out a review of foster care allowances, kinship care allowances and adoption allowances this autumn.

The review group will consider the feasibility of introducing national allowances. This will include producing a model for care allowances which delivers parity, equity and sustainability and represents a significant improvement on the current system of variable rates across Scotland.