Questions and answers

Question reference: S6O-00379

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with implementing its published COVID-19 recovery plans.

Question reference: S6W-03925

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 8 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria are used for the assessment of classroom ventilation, and how many classrooms have failed a ventilation inspection, broken down by local authority area.

The precise practical steps that each local authority took to conduct ventilation assessments of learning teaching and play spaces depended on the type/model/brand of CO2 monitors that the local authority used. Local authorities were asked to undertake assessments by reference to the Reducing Risks in Schools Guidance, which sets out the levels of CO2 that should be used to identify and prioritise spaces for improvement.

Details on individual assessments are held by local authorities. However, local authorities were asked to provide the Scottish Government with information on any ventilation mitigations or remedial action arising from the CO2 monitoring exercise. Local authorities have to date reported only limited instances of remedial action being required in their learning estates as a result of initial CO2 monitoring. Where actions have been required, they have most often been simple measures.

Question reference: S6W-03926

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 8 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish all data relating to classroom ventilation inspections in 2021.

Question reference: S6W-03928

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 8 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide (a) an update on how much of the £10 million fund made available to local authorities for active ventilation in classrooms has been spent and (b) details of how the funding has been spent, broken down by local authority area.

The Scottish Government confirmed a total of £10m funding allocations to local authorities in its grant letter on 14 October 2021. The funding allocations for all local authorities have been agreed and grant payments will be made in line with standard processes and timelines. Local authorities have confirmed that they have been progressing their purchases of CO2 monitors on the basis of confirmed funding allocations. We have requested formal confirmation by the end of November that all funding provided has been, or will be, used for the specified purposes.

Question reference: S6W-03924

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 8 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many classroom ventilation inspections were carried out before schools started the October 2021 holidays.

Question reference: S6W-03927

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 8 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it can take to ensure any remedial action required, as a result of a classroom failing a ventilation inspection, is carried out, and how progress will be monitored.

It is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage and maintain the school estate across Scotland. The Scottish Government asked local authorities to detail any ventilation mitigations or remedial action arising throughout the CO2 monitoring exercise. Areas of potentially poor ventilation should be identified by reference to the Scottish Government’s Reducing Risks in Schools Guidance, which makes clear at what level of CO2 concentration remedial action should be considered.

To date, local authorities have reported only limited instances of remedial action being required in their learning estates.

Question reference: S6O-00333

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its plans are for active ventilation in classrooms now that its inspection programme has been completed.

Question reference: S6O-00298

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans have been made for the delivery of same-day prescribing under national Medication Assisted Treatment standards in Brechin, Angus.

Question reference: S6W-03410

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce the third phase of the Learning Estate Investment Programme.

Question reference: S6W-03340

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much was awarded by each local authority from the most recent round of funding from its Green Jobs Fund, also broken down by how many (a) awards were made and (b) jobs are expected to be directly created in each area as a result of the funding allocated.

As of 12 October 2021, 36 projects have been awarded funding through the Green Jobs Fund (GJF). This amounts to £8,944,969 of funding across 18 different local authority areas. The total number of jobs to be created from this first allocation of funding is expected to be 517.8 FTE. A second GJF funding allocation round will take place later this year.

The following table shows the breakdown of current awards by local authority, detailing the amounts awarded, the number of awards made and the number of jobs expected to be created in each local authority as a result of the funding allocated.

Local Authority	Amount of funding awarded	Number of awards made	Number of jobs expected to be created over a 5 year period (FTE)
Aberdeen City Council	£708,000	3	68
Aberdeenshire Council	£665,000	3	94
Angus Council	£291,200	1	9
City of Edinburgh Council	£1,794,489	6	34
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	£87,000	1	14
Dumfries and Galloway	£400,000	2	27
Dundee City Council	£400,000	1	21
East Dunbartonshire Council	£450,000	1	22
Falkirk Council	£200,000	1	15
Fife Council	£250,000	1	12
Glasgow City Council	£1,094,601	4	84
Moray Council	£200,000	1	22
North Lanarkshire Council	£1,234,572	4	56
Shetland Islands Council	£240,000	2	9.8
South Lanarkshire Council	£200,000	1	5
Stirling Council	£199,330	1	3
The Highland Council	£309,554	2	16
West Lothian Council	£221,223	1	6
Total	£8,944,969	36	517.8

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