- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 January 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 7 February 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22891 by Graeme Dey on 27 November 2023, whether Scotland’s universities will receive the full £5.8 million in regional innovation funding before the end of the current financial year.
Answer
Ministers have decided that the £5.8m allocated to the Scottish Government, as consequentials arising from spending on the Regional Innovation in England, will be used to support university research and innovation in Scotland within the current financial year.
This is in recognition of the vital contribution our university sector make across the breadth of Scottish Government ambitions, including underpinning the excellence of our education system, creating new knowledge and impact for social benefit, and supporting Scotland’s sustainable economic transformation and the delivery of NSET.
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has written out to universities to set out further details on this.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 30 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to replace the ScotRail fleet of class 43 HST units; if so, when; what the on-costs of any replacement will be, including any break-fee with the current rolling stock provider, and whether there is a budget line in its 2023-24 Budget for this or whether any cost will come from elsewhere in the railway/transport budget.
Answer
It is clear that the High Speed Trains will need to be replaced as an early priority within a ScotRail fleet replacement programme. Work is currently underway, funded within existing rail budgets used for project development, to examine the business case of different options for replacement of these trains. Discussions continue to be held with railway unions to ensure that railway staff are properly engaged.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 30 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12917 by Jenny Gilruth on 21 December 2022, whether it has now finalised what the £200 million of funding on page 11 of the Scotland's Railway July 2022 publication, Enhancements Delivery Plan, will be spent on, and by when, and, if not, when it anticipates it will.
Answer
The Scottish Government is continuing to develop the business case for the Aberdeen to Central Belt Enhancements project. This will be considered in in the coming months and within the context of the funding available for rail enhancements.
We remain firmly committed to infrastructure investment as a key factor in securing economic growth and high-quality public infrastructure across Scotland, including spending over £1.6 billion to operate, maintain and improve Scotland’s railway.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23979 by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024, whether it will provide the information requested, particularly in light of the actions proposed in its Budget 2024-25, regarding what it anticipates the cost will be of (a) consulting on, (b) establishing, (c) launching and (d) the ongoing running of the Centre of Teaching Excellence (CTE), and, if it is the case that it has not considered what these costs might be and is yet to establish them, whether it will confirm that.
Answer
Work to establish a Centre for Teaching Excellence, including co-design and consultation, is being taken forward by the already-established Education Reform Programme. As set out in my statement to parliament on 7 November 2023, the Centre for Teaching Excellence will be funded through repurposing investment currently directed to Regional Improvement Collaboratives. The overall establishment and launch costs for the centre itself will be scoped as part of the design process with key stakeholders.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 25 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what support it offers to businesses in Aberdeen.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 25 January 2024
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 December 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 15 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on education agents employed by Scottish universities to recruit overseas students; if it collects such information, how many such agents are currently in place, and how much has been spent on recruiting them in the last five years, broken down by university.
Answer
Scottish universities are autonomous bodies and the Scottish Government does not collect data on education agents employed by them to recruit overseas students.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 December 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 12 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many teachers have opted to take early retirement in each of the last five years, also broken down by (a) whether they were primary or secondary school teachers and (b) local authority area.
Answer
The figures in the following tables represent the number of members of the Scottish Teachers' Superannuation Scheme (STSS) and Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme 2015 (STPS 2015) who have opted to retire before the respective scheme's Normal Pension Age (NPA), in each of the last five years. The information includes only members employed by local authorities and is broken down by local authority area. Information is not held centrally on whether these members were primary or secondary teachers.
From 1 April 2022 all active members joined the STPS 2015. Table A shows members who have retired from the STSS before their NPA, which is age 60 for those who joined the scheme before 1 April 2007 and age 65 for those who joined thereafter. Table B shows members who retired from the STPS 2015 before their NPA, which is the later of age 65 or State Pension Age. Some members may be represented in both tables as they may have taken pension benefits from both schemes before the NPA in each scheme.
Table A: Scottish Teachers' Superannuation Scheme
Local Authority | Number of members who opted to retire before Normal Pension Age |
| | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023* |
Aberdeen City Council | 13 | 16 | 9 | 12 | 13 |
Aberdeenshire Council | 30 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 30 |
Angus Council | 12 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 11 |
Argyll and Bute Council | 18 | 13 | 19 | 17 | 10 |
City of Edinburgh Council | 34 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 20 |
Clackmannanshire Council | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | 9 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 2 |
Dumfries and Galloway Council | 28 | 24 | 19 | 16 | 21 |
Dundee City Council | 14 | 9 | 24 | 16 | 13 |
East Ayrshire Council | 10 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 9 |
East Dunbartonshire Council | 14 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 6 |
East Lothian Council | 9 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 7 |
East Renfrewshire Council | 11 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 6 |
Falkirk Council | 15 | 24 | 15 | 14 | 11 |
Fife Council | 42 | 37 | 50 | 34 | 27 |
Glasgow City Council | 47 | 60 | 39 | 38 | 30 |
Inverclyde Council | 9 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 9 |
Midlothian Council | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 5 |
North Ayrshire Council | 15 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 6 |
North Lanarkshire Council | 38 | 49 | 34 | 26 | 23 |
Orkney Islands Council | 2 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
Perth and Kinross Council | 14 | 19 | 24 | 15 | 10 |
Renfrewshire Council | 16 | 20 | 21 | 15 | 8 |
Scottish Borders Council | 10 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 17 |
Shetland Islands Council | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
South Ayrshire Council | 13 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 9 |
South Lanarkshire Council | 33 | 24 | 26 | 20 | 29 |
Stirling Council | 15 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 7 |
The Highland Council | 35 | 27 | 29 | 38 | 22 |
The Moray Council | 14 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 7 |
West Dunbartonshire Council | 5 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 11 |
West Lothian Council | 13 | 18 | 11 | 22 | 8 |
Total | 548 | 522 | 514 | 497 | 403 |
*Data for 2023 is up to 19 December 2023
Table B: Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme 2015
Local Authority | Number of members who opted to retire before Normal Pension Age |
| | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023* |
Aberdeen City Council | 2 | 8 | 7 | 25 | 31 |
Aberdeenshire Council | 14 | 8 | 13 | 55 | 58 |
Angus Council | 1 | 4 | 9 | 34 | 19 |
Argyll and Bute Council | 3 | 7 | 13 | 30 | 14 |
City of Edinburgh Council | 6 | 8 | 17 | 54 | 43 |
Clackmannanshire Council | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | 2 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 11 |
Dumfries and Galloway Council | 10 | 16 | 18 | 32 | 36 |
Dundee City Council | 2 | 2 | 17 | 29 | 22 |
East Ayrshire Council | 1 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 23 |
East Dunbartonshire Council | 3 | 10 | 3 | 24 | 18 |
East Lothian Council | 4 | 3 | 5 | 22 | 15 |
East Renfrewshire Council | 0 | 4 | 5 | 23 | 10 |
Falkirk Council | 5 | 10 | 14 | 26 | 23 |
Fife Council | 11 | 11 | 34 | 68 | 65 |
Glasgow City Council | 5 | 21 | 27 | 92 | 88 |
Inverclyde Council | 7 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 16 |
Midlothian Council | 5 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 15 |
North Ayrshire Council | 4 | 4 | 9 | 35 | 23 |
North Lanarkshire Council | 8 | 22 | 23 | 47 | 60 |
Orkney Islands Council | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
Perth and Kinross Council | 5 | 10 | 19 | 26 | 30 |
Renfrewshire Council | 2 | 14 | 16 | 32 | 30 |
Scottish Borders Council | 2 | 6 | 16 | 39 | 34 |
Shetland Islands Council | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 17 |
South Ayrshire Council | 5 | 4 | 9 | 18 | 16 |
South Lanarkshire Council | 5 | 5 | 13 | 65 | 61 |
Stirling Council | 2 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 17 |
The Highland Council | 5 | 10 | 21 | 63 | 50 |
The Moray Council | 3 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 22 |
West Dunbartonshire Council | 1 | 3 | 6 | 20 | 26 |
West Lothian Council | 5 | 7 | 6 | 37 | 31 |
Total | 129 | 222 | 369 | 984 | 935 |
*Data for 2023 is up to 19 December 2023
Source: Figures provided by SPPA
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 December 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many children are currently considered to be "missing from education" at schools in Scotland, broken down by (a) local authority area and (b) reason recorded for being missing.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 December 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made towards establishing the Centre of Teaching Excellence (CTE), and whether it will provide an update on (a) in what fundamental respects the CTE will be different from Education Scotland, (b) what the core purpose of the CTE will be, and how its success will be measured, (c) against what outputs its performance will be measured, (d) what weekly interactions it anticipates the CTE will have with individual teachers and schools, (e) what it anticipates the cost will be of (i) consulting on, (ii) establishing, (iii) launching and (iv) the ongoing running of the CTE, (f) what role it anticipates the CTE will have regarding the development of the school curriculum and (g) whether the CTE will report to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills.
Answer
In line with The Scottish Government’s commitment to co-design the Centre for Teaching Excellence, The Scottish Government has undertaken useful engagement with a number of important stakeholders including COSLA, the Scottish Council of Deans of Education, the General Teaching Council for Scotland, professional associations and trade unions and the Strategic Board for Teacher Education to discuss the overall approach to co-designing the Centre.
The Centre will focus on quality learning and teaching, helping Scotland to remain at the cutting edge of teaching practice by, for example, distilling research and evidence into practical and digestible support for every teacher and practitioner in Scotland, meeting a widely recognised need in the system.
The role and remit of the Centre, how it operates, its interaction with teachers and practitioners, performance measures, and associated costs and timescales will be considered as part of the design process.
In light of COSLA and local authorities’ responsibilities and key leadership role as the employers of teachers, The Scottish Government believes that the Centre would be strengthened if it were to have joint oversight by COSLA and is keen to work with COSLA in this regard.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 December 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22746 by Jenny Gilruth on 17 November 2023, whether it can provide details of the work that is going on "with local authorities and key stakeholders to better understand and map existing provision"; which agencies or who within the Scottish Government is conducting this mapping; when this mapping will be published, and how long it will take thereafter to develop a plan for breakfast provision.
Answer
As noted in the response to question S6W-21440 on 3 October 2023, the Scottish Government is currently working with the local authority facilities management organisation, AssistFM, to develop a clear picture of the scale and uptake of breakfast provision across Scotland. This work is expected to be completed in Spring 2024. There are no plans to publish it separately, as this work is just one of the elements which will inform policy on school breakfasts, including timescales for developing a plan for breakfast provision, designed around the needs of children and families.
All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
