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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-08420

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the student loan system is fair and equitable.

All eligible students, regardless of their household income, can access a student loan of £4,750 per year. The current rate of interest on these loans is 1.25% and, once graduated, students pay back 9% of their earnings above the current earnings threshold of £17,775 per annum. Average student loan debt in Scotland continues to be the lowest in the UK.

The on-going independent review of student support in Scotland is considering whether the current system is effective and fair overall. Examination of the operation of the student loans system forms part of this work.

Question reference: S5W-08422

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the student loan system does not discriminate against people living in areas in quintile 1 of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.

We are committed to providing all students, especially those in our most deprived communities, with the financial support they need to succeed.

The level of bursary or loan support a student in higher education can access is determined by their household income, rather than the level of multiple deprivation in the area in which they live.

As well as free tuition, students with a household income below £19,000 are eligible for a minimum income guarantee (comprising a bursary and living-cost loan) of £7,625 per year.

Question reference: S5W-08423

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 25 October 2016, Review of student support, whether it will give a breakdown of the full remit of the review.

I announced last year that an independent review of further and higher education student support would be chaired by Jayne-Anne Gadhia, CEO of Virgin Money. The Review is underway and has a remit to thoroughly review the system of student support to ensure that it is fair and effective. In particular, it will explore the most effective support for the poorest and most vulnerable students. The Review is scheduled to report to Ministers by Autumn 2017.

Question reference: S5W-08544

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 18 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reported statements by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that Healthcare Improvement Scotland is auditing its own performance and conducting its own surveys.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report which was published in February 2016, highlighted the need for a responsive and flexible approach to health system governance, which balances national and local roles.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) is a non departmental public body which operates independently of ministers and the health service. The performance of HIS is scrutinised at regular public Board meetings by Non-Executive Directors and, in accordance with the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000, external auditors appointed by the Auditor General for Scotland review performance and governance annually.

It provides improvement support, which can be tailored to partners’ circumstances; evidence for improvement, including clinical guidelines and advice on best practice; and public assurance on the quality of services that are provided. This approach recognises that inspection alone will not drive improvement and having improvement, evidence and assurance, along with the public voice, in one organisation provides a simple and effective organisational structure for improving the quality of care in Scotland.

HIS has a wide range of powers at its disposal including the ability to direct an NHS board to close a ward to new admissions on the grounds of safety.

Question reference: S5W-08134

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 27 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many public access defibrillators there are in each local authority area, and what action it can take to promote the locations of these, including providing details online.

One aim in the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Strategy for Scotland is “to put in place effective arrangements to ensure that Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) are mapped, maintained and accessible to the public”. The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) is progressing this work to improve the effectiveness of the use of PADs, including mapping them onto their call handling system so they can rapidly deploy them by directing callers, where appropriate, to a nearby PAD, in the case of an OHCA. A critical element in this is for members of the public, communities, businesses and other partners responsible for PADs to register the details. This can be done through a dedicated section of the SAS website at the following link; http://www.scottishambulance.com/YourCommunity/pad.aspx.

Further information can be found here: OHCA - A Strategy for Scotland; http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0047/00474154.pdf and OHCA - A Strategy for Scotland Review; http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00510496.pdf.

Question reference: S5O-00851

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what help it provides to nurseries in the North East Scotland region.

Question reference: S5W-07798

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 22 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06742 by Keith Brown on 28 February 2017, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding whether the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) contractor is responsible for contractual penalties or liquidated damages in the event of a failure to complete the project on time and, if so, whether sums recovered by the Scottish Government will be reinvested in the local area.

Question reference: S5W-07376

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 14 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to develop new windfarms in the Huntly area.

Question reference: S5O-00768

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to ensure that social prescribing enables GP practices to refer obese patients and people with type 2 diabetes, and other medical conditions, to third sector support services.

Question reference: S5W-07420

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 8 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what role voluntary playgroups will play in meeting its commitment to expand the early learning and childcare entitlement to 1,140 hours per year by 2020 and for this to apply to all three- and four-year-olds.

Playgroups are one of a range of settings which support the delivery of the current 600 hours provision and we expect will continue to do so in the expansion to 1140 hours. Local authorities can and do use playgroups as part of delivery of the entitled hours.

It is for local authorities to determine how the entitlement is delivered in their local area, and to agree arrangements with partner providers, including playgroups, if they so choose.

Our consultation on policy options to deliver our vision for early learning and childcare closed on 9th January, with a significant number of responses representing a diverse range of views, which we published on 6 February. We will set out our response in the Spring.