Questions and answers

Chamber and committees

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 ��˿�� 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: S6W-10565

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 21 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding in total has been distributed through the Apprenticeship Employer Grant to employers to offer a Modern Apprenticeship or Graduate Apprenticeship.

Question reference: S6F-01364

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 September 2022

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the One Parent Families Scotland report, Living Without a Lifeline – Single Parenting and the Cost of Living.

Question reference: S6W-10561

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many modern apprentices there were in each year from 2017 to 2021.

Apprenticeships are a key way for all employers to invest in their workforce, providing the skills the economy needs both now and in the future. Official Modern Apprenticeship (MA) statistics are published by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) quarterly, including the number of starts, and are cumulative throughout the year.

The following table shows the number of MA starts from 2017 to 2021

Year	Starts
2016-17	26,262
2017-18	27,145
2018-19	27,270
2019-20	27,875
2020-21	18,655
2021-22	25,401

Question reference: S6W-10563

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many modern apprenticeships were taken up by disabled people in each year from 2017 to 2021.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) has operational responsibility for our Modern Apprenticeship (MA) programme. Official MA statistics are published quarterly by SDS, including the number of starts, with a full year report available at the end of each financial year.

All MA starts are asked to complete an equality monitoring form. In terms of measuring and reporting on disabilities, SDS asks for participants’ self-reported information on impairment, health condition or learning difficulty. The number and proportion of MA starts self-identifying this from 2017-18 to 2021-22 is detailed in the following table:

2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22
2,954 (11.3%)	3,771 (14.1%)	4,220 (15.4%)	2,386 (13.0%)	3,334 (13.3%)

Question reference: S6W-10564

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many graduate apprenticeships were offered in each year from 2017 to 2021.

Following the introduction of Graduate Apprenticeships (GAs) in Scotland, we have seen a positive increase in the number of individuals taking up the opportunity to study for degree-level courses while in employment since the first two years of the programme.

The table below shows the number of Graduate Apprenticeship opportunities available from 2017-18 to 2021-22.

Year	GA Opportunities
2017-18	379
2018-19	887
2019-20	1,300
2020-21	1,370
2021-22	1,370

Question reference: S6W-10566

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many young disabled people aged between 16 and 24 have had the opportunity to (a) study, (b) take up an apprenticeship, job or work experience and (c) volunteer, as part of the Young Person’s Guarantee.

Since the launch of the Young Person’s Guarantee in November 2020, we have provided additional funding of £10m per year in 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 to the college sector to enable them to deliver a range of short industry focused opportunities for young people, including skills boost and fast track courses, to meet the needs of employers and support economic recovery.

We have worked with the Scottish Funding Council, college sector and key partners to ensure that opportunities are targeted at supporting individuals who experience barriers in participating in the labour market, including disabled young people. Scottish Funding Council data from the first phase of delivery in colleges for 2020-21 shows that a total of 3,299 students enrolled on Young Person’s Guarantee college places and of those 755 (22.9%) declared a disability.

We do not hold data on the number of volunteering, employment or work experience opportunities taken up by young disabled people that can be attributed to the Young Person’s Guarantee. The Guarantee is not a standalone programme, reporting encompasses the investment by the Scottish Government across education, employability and skills.

We are continuing to engage with the further education sector and key partners to advance equality, inclusion and to eliminate discrimination. Provision is supporting tailored college opportunities for young people with protected characteristics across Scotland, including disabled young people. It is important to note that disabilities and health conditions are self-declared by students and applicants.

Question reference: S6W-10721

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many Changing Places toilets it has installed since 1 September 2021.

The Scottish Government has committed to investing £10 million in Changing Places Toilets (CPTs) over this parliamentary term. This investment will increase the number of these facilities across Scotland and support mobile CPTs, to allow disabled people easier access to public spaces, events and venues around the country.

The funding will be delivered in phases over the course of the parliamentary term. Plans for the CPT fund are currently being developed and further information will be available in due course.

Question reference: S6W-10594

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it plans to publish guidance on the use of restraint and seclusion in schools.

As outlined in response to S6W-09197 on 24 June 2022 the Scottish Government launched a on the draft physical intervention in schools guidance on 21 June. The draft human rights-based guidance makes clear that restraint and seclusion should only ever be used as a last resort and when in the best interests of the child or young person.

The draft guidance is a result of our 2019 agreement with the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland and the Equality and Human Rights Commission in 2019 that non-statutory guidance be developed as a first step to improve practice in this area.

The draft guidance has been developed carefully, over time, with extensive input from over thirty working group members and partners, including the Children’s Commissioner, young people, parents, staff, local government and third sector organisations.

The consultation period has been extended to 25 October to allow all those with an interest in this sensitive area, including children and young people, to feedback their views. We will work closely with partners, following final publication, to ensure the guidance is followed.

Details of the membership and notes of the meetings of the physical intervention working group are available on the Scottish Government’s website: .

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-10562

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many graduate apprentices there were in each year from 2017 to 2021.

Since the introduction of Graduate Apprenticeships (GAs) in Scotland we have seen a positive increase since the first two years of the scheme in the number of individuals taking up the opportunity to study for degree-level courses while in employment.

The following table shows the number of GA starts from 2017.

Year	Starts
2017-18	277
2018-19	921
2019-20	1,160
2020-21	1,158

GA figures for 2021-22 will be published as part of the Skills Development Scotland GA report for 2021-22 which is expected later in the year.

The Scottish Government will continue to work collaboratively with Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council to prioritise a recovery that creates new jobs, good jobs and green jobs, supporting the long-term future of work-based learning and the economy.

Question reference: S6W-10720

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it expects to have published its new Disability Equality Plan.