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: S5W-09686

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 29 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason a recent bonus payment of £2,000 has been made to prison officers in certain grades and not in others or to Scottish Prison Service civil servants, and what changes there were in the role of the officers who received the payment.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has been clear that the payments that have been made to Prison Officers are connected to their continuing engagement with the process of transformational change. This change will deliver a new operating model which it is anticipated will see Prison Officers recognised as Justice Professionals.

The reform underway within SPS will require greater flexibility from frontline Prison Officers and a willingness to acquire new specialist skills and undertake new training and qualifications. The payments are being made in recognition that the effect of that change will be disproportionally felt by that staff group.

Question reference: S5W-09687

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 29 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-24492 by Michael Matheson on 3 March 2015, in light of the comment provided in the response by the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service that the "one off payment for prison officers is made in recognition of a specific set of circumstances unique to their frontline", for what reason similar payments were subsequently made in 2017 and are planned for 2018.

When the first payment was made in 2015 it was anticipated that the change process would be completed within a 2 year time frame. This has not proved possible because of the extent of the work that was required to inform the development of a model.

It has taken SPS longer than anticipated and at this point in time, we anticipate that the final delivery of the model is still some 2 years off.

SPS has been very clear that the payments that have been made to frontline Prison Officers are connected to their continuing engagement with the process of transformational change. These payments are made in recognition that the effect of that change will be disproportionally felt by that staff group.

Question reference: S5W-08806

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 11 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the 2017-18 guidance issued to the Scottish Funding Council by the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science on 30 March 2017, what role it considers this will mean colleges and universities will have in delivering the national priorities set by ministers.

Education is this Government’s defining mission. We are absolutely committed to ensuring that every young person can access learning that will provide them with the skills and qualifications to succeed in life and enable them to help create and benefit from sustainable economic growth in Scotland. The role of the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) is critical to helping us achieve both excellence and equity in education. As set out in the SFC’s 2017-18 letter of guidance, Ministers expect the SFC to make decisions that ensure the funds provided to it by the Scottish Government are used to drive sustainable economic growth, deliver the priorities detailed in the letter and achieve the outcomes set out in the SFC’s 2015-2018 Strategic Plan.

Question reference: S5W-08808

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 11 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Minister for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work on 20 March 2017, (Official Report, c. 82), to whom the chair of the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) will be accountable under the new enterprise and skills governance structure; what role the new strategic board will have in directing the SFC's activities with regard to (a) promoting knowledge exchanges between universities and business, (b) developing graduates' skills and capabilities, (c) promoting excellence in teaching and research, (d) promoting access to higher education and (e) overseeing the financial sustainability and good governance of higher education, and how it will ensure that the priorities of the board do not supplant those of the SFC.

The Chair of the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) will remain accountable to Scottish Ministers. The Ministerial Letter of Guidance to the SFC sets out the SG’s priorities for the SFC and the SFC will continue to be held to account against this framework. Following the creation of a Strategic Board for enterprise and skills, the new board will have responsibility for the development of a Strategic Plan for the enterprise and skills bodies, which will be approved by Ministers.

Question reference: S5W-08811

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 11 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, what its position is on whether the 2017-18 guidance issued to the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) by the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science on 30 March 2017 reflects a narrowing of the focus of the SFC to prioritise on issues within the remit of the new strategic board following phase one of the Skills and Enterprise review.

Question reference: S5W-08807

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 3 May 2017

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) base projections of future labour market needs through a range of routes including direct engagement with employers, engagement with industry bodies and Industry Leadership Groups, and joint work with other partner agencies including Scottish Enterprise, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and the Scottish Funding Council.

SDS is responsible for contributing to the Skills Planning model and we work closely with employers, industry, trade unions and others, to develop Skills Investment Plans (SIPs), Regional Skills Investment Plans (RSIPs), and Regional Skills Assessments (RSAs).��

In 2016 SDS commissioned Oxford Economics to prepare a range of economic and labour forecasts up until 2024. The forecasts provide detailed information to support the decisions making sound investment in skills.

These forecasts can be found on the SDS website at

Question reference: S5W-08805

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on removing unit assessments from Advanced Highers.

The Deputy First Minister’s announcement of 21 September included the removal of mandatory unit assessments from Advanced Highers.

The removal of the mandatory unit assessments will significantly reduce workload and liberate teachers to focus on teaching their pupils.

The decision was discussed with the Assessment and National Qualifications Group. The group includes a range of education stakeholders, including teacher unions, head teachers, the National Parent Forum of Scotland, COSLA, the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland, college and higher education representatives, and national education bodies. Members of the Teacher Panel were also consulted prior to the announcement.

Question reference: S5O-00939

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 April 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce waiting times at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Question reference: S5W-08487

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 26 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has given to support inter-faith groups in each year since 1999, and how much it will provide in 2017-18.

Question reference: S5W-08486

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 25 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has given to the Voluntary Action Fund in each year since 1999, and how much it will provide in 2017-18.

The following table sets out how much funding the Voluntary Action Fund (VAF) has received from the Scottish Government since 2001-02; and how much it has received to date in 2017-18. We cannot comment on any on-going funding applications at this stage.

We are unable to provide data for financial years 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 as our electronic records do not go back this far.

Financial Year	Total
��	��
2001-02	£289,543.00
2002-03	£1,605,858.00
2003-04	£1,627,064.00
2004-05	£1,658,600.00
2005-06	£1,455,053.66
2006-07	£2,712,488.76
2007-08	£2,620,702.87
2008-09	£4,390,395.62
2009-10	£5,311,415.25
2010-11	£5,386,558.00
2011-12	£6,165,329.63
2012-13	£7,838,589.03
2013-14	£22,889,692.49
2014-15	£16,898,943.82
2015-16	£17,522,212.55
2016-17	£16,248,617.76
2017-18 (to date)*	£2,402,888.69

*this is the amount awarded to date and further awards may be made during the year. The Scottish Government is currently undertaking a tendering exercise for the management of grants previously contracted to VAF. A total figure for funding provided to VAF in 2017-18 cannot be provided until financial year end.

This resource has supported the delivery of the following funds on behalf of the Scottish Government:

Unemployed Voluntary Action Fund
International Year of Volunteering 2001
Ethnic Minorities Grants Scheme
Valuing Volunteers
Volunteering Scotland Grants Scheme
Go4Volunteering
Race Equality Integration and Community Support Fund
Scottish Refugee Integration Fund
Community Chest
Equality Grants Programme
European Year of Volunteering
Equality Fund
Community Safety Core Grants
Community Grants
Children’s Services Fund
Rape Crisis Specific Fund
VAW National Orgs
Tackling Sectarianism Grants
Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund
Violence Against Women and Girls
Volunteering Support Fund
Fairer Scotland Engagement Fund
Healthier Scotland Engagement Fund
Social Isolation and Loneliness Fund