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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: S5W-17945

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of the effectiveness of Energy Performance Certificates.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken analysis of the effectiveness of Energy Performance Certificates (EPC).

In late 2017, we commissioned research to report on comments on the EPC methodology made in responses to consultations undertaken as part of the development of the Energy Efficient Scotland Programme. Within our consultation on the Route Map for the Programme, which closed last month, we are also seeking views on the EPC process.

This research and responses to the current Route Map consultation will inform review of energy assessment and certification under the Programme.

Question reference: S5W-17917

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to extend the blue badge scheme to include people with Crohn's disease, colitis and fibromyalgia.

The eligibility criteria for a Blue Badge do not focus on whether an individual has a particular kind of medical condition. Instead, the criteria are designed to assess the impact on a person’s mobility. We have no plans to change this arrangement. It means that people can get a blue badge regardless of what condition they have.

The current eligibility criteria (for those who do not automatically passport to a badge because of their social security benefits) are whether someone is unable to walk, virtually unable to walk or poses a risk to themselves or others in traffic. Decisions on whether people meet these criteria in individual cases are for local authorities. We keep the criteria under continual review, as shown by our extension to cases where someone poses a risk in traffic. In shaping Blue Badge policy, we are guided by the views of disabled people and welcome ideas and representations from all quarters.

Question reference: S5O-02282

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 27 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what recent analysis has taken place regarding the use of temporary accommodation.

The Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group and Social Bite recently commissioned a report from Heriot Watt University to better understand temporary accommodation in Scotland. This report was used, in conjunction with other sources of information, to support the recommendations made by the Action Group in May on transforming the use of temporary accommodation.

These recommendations focus on preventing the need for temporary accommodation in the first place. They also recommend that the right support and standards are in place where it is needed which will play a vital role in meeting our commitment to end homelessness and transform temporary accommodation. This is backed by our £50 million ending homelessness together fund

The Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group, which I co-chair, will oversee plans for taking agreed recommendations forward to implementation. We look forward to working with partners on this programme of work.

Question reference: S5O-02178

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to promote tourism in areas served by the M74.

Question reference: S5O-02158

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 May 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to farmers to prevent river bank erosion.

Question reference: S5W-16293

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how much each local authority has spent on community transport in each of the last three years.

Question reference: S5W-15825

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 24 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many probationer teachers have been retained following their probationer year in each of the last three years, also broken down by local authority.

In September 2016 there were 2,630 probationer teachers working in publicly funded schools in Scotland. Of these teachers, 2,326 (88%) were still working in publicly funded schools in Scotland in 2017.

Probationer and Post Probationer Teachers in Publicly Funded Schools in Scotland

	2014 Cohort		2015 Cohort		2016 Cohort
	Probationers	Post-Probationers	Probationers	Post-Probationers	Probationers	Post-Probationers
Aberdeen City	83	70	85	74	90	82
Aberdeenshire	141	124	157	140	139	121
Angus	51	45	57	54	48	42
Argyll & Bute	21	17	18	17	21	19
Clackmannanshire	29	22	28	28	39	31

Dumfries & Galloway	64	52	74	60	78	71
Dundee City	57	55	65	60	72	61
East Ayrshire	49	41	61	56	41	39
East Dunbartonshire	77	65	78	66	99	85
East Lothian	59	52	76	64	57	47

East Renfrewshire	94	79	91	70	91	83
Edinburgh City	137	108	163	135	170	128
Na h-Eileanan Siar	8	7	12	12	13	13
Falkirk	91	85	95	85	97	89
Fife	158	138	179	160	192	169

Glasgow City	240	205	229	195	239	214
Highland	109	86	119	97	130	120
Inverclyde	33	25	29	24	30	26
Midlothian	44	39	51	46	49	44
Moray	49	43	38	35	37	33

North Ayrshire	52	46	53	51	63	60
North Lanarkshire	149	137	153	134	155	143
Orkney Islands	11	7	12	10	14	9
Perth & Kinross	66	56	62	50	60	52
Renfrewshire	111	87	89	75	109	98

Scottish Borders	32	28	31	28	26	22
Shetland Islands	11	8	10	9	9	9
South Ayrshire	52	43	49	43	57	48
South Lanarkshire	169	153	178	163	194	183
Stirling	64	53	49	37	70	58

West Dunbartonshire	56	47	55	46	60	54
West Lothian	80	70	76	68	79	71

Grant Maintained	1	1	2	2	2	2

Scotland	2,448	2,094	2,524	2,194	2,630	2,326

Notes:

1. For each cohort, the number of probationers in post in September of that year are shown and then the number who are still working in a publicly funded school in Scotland in the following September. For example the 2016 cohort are teachers who were probationers in September 2016.

2. Post-Probationers are shown in the local authority where they were probationers regardless of where in Scotland they worked after probation.

Question reference: S5W-15826

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 24 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many probationer teachers have been placed in each of the last three years, also broken down by local authority.

The Scottish Government works closely with the General Teaching Council for Scotland to administer the Teacher Induction Scheme and allocate eligible probationer teachers to every Local Authority each year.

The following table indicates the total number of probationers placed in each Local Authority for the last three years:

Local Authority	2015	2016	2017
ABERDEEN	87	89	95
ABERDEENSHIRE	156	140	159
ANGUS	58	48	58
ARGYLL & BUTE	18	21	28
CLACKMANNANSHIRE	29	40	26
DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY	74	78	97
DUNDEE	66	71	80
EAST AYRSHIRE	61	41	73
EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE	78	99	119
EAST LOTHIAN	77	57	69
EAST RENFREWSHIRE	91	92	86
EDINBURGH	165	170	159
FALKIRK	97	97	108
FIFE	181	194	225
GLASGOW	230	238	238
HIGHLAND	120	131	145
INVERCLYDE	29	30	36
MIDLOTHIAN	51	50	46
MORAY	39	37	37
NORTH AYRSHIRE	54	62	79
NORTH LANARKSHIRE	155	156	216
ORKNEY ISLANDS	12	14	10
PERTH & KINROSS	62	60	68
RENFREWSHIRE	90	110	102
SCOTTISH BORDERS	31	26	32
SHETLAND ISLANDS	10	9	7
SOUTH AYRSHIRE	51	57	56
SOUTH LANARKSHIRE	177	195	191
STIRLING	49	70	67
WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE	58	60	63
WEST LOTHIAN	76	80	93
WESTERN ISLES	12	13	17
TOTALS	2544	2635	2885

Question reference: S5T-01019

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 April 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to the workforce of Pinneys in Annan.

Question reference: S5W-15557

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter to the Education and Skills Committee by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills on 15 March 2018, on what date the engagement with Social Work Scotland took place.