Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-37542

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on the Learning Estate Investment Programme in the current parliamentary session to date, and how much it estimates it will have spent in total by the end of the current parliamentary session.

The £2bn Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP), in collaboration with local authorities, commenced in 2021 and will deliver 47 school infrastructure projects across Scotland. The LEIP builds on the success of the £1.8bn Scotland's Schools for the Future Programme, which completed in 2021, and delivered 117 school infrastructure projects.

In the current parliamentary session to date, the Scottish Government has distributed a cumulative amount of £13.6m through the LEIP in revenue grant payments to projects that are open to pupils. For those open projects, we expect this to total £24m by the end of this parliamentary session.

Question reference: S6W-37507

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the commitment in its Programme for Government 2025-26 to commission Enquire, the national advice and information service on additional support for learning, to improve the communication of the key information that different audiences need to meet the needs of children with additional support needs, what (a) key information and (b) audiences this work will include.

Communications were discussed in detail at the ASL Project Board’s meeting on 30 January 2025 when the Project Board agreed to engage Enquire to draft a communications strategy.

It is anticipated that the strategy being produced by Enquire will focus on bespoke clear, key messages for a range of different audiences including children and young people, parents and carers. The work will also recommend bespoke communications channels for each audience.

Regular updates on the progress of the strategy will be provided to the ASL project Board. Further information, is available on the ASL Project Board’s dedicated Scottish Government webpage at: https://www.gov.scot/groups/additional-support-for-learning-project-board/.

Question reference: S6W-37855

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it has responded to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD’s) reported findings on the importance of staff qualifications and working conditions in delivering high-quality early years provision.

Question reference: S6W-37826

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported long waiting times for NHS hearing aid replacements, what consideration it has given to offering patients access to alternative providers.

Question reference: S6W-37765

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to increase the role of registered (a)(i) district, (ii) school and (iii) general practice nurses and (b) health visitors to help reduce health inequalities.

Question reference: S6W-37867

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many Care Inspectorate reports since 2018 have cited (a) staffing qualifications and (b) workforce challenges as a key factor in quality ratings.

Question reference: S6W-37857

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to reform or modernise the role of (a) Scottish Enterprise, (b) Skills Development Scotland, (c) the Scottish Social Services Council and (d) other national agencies involved in early learning and childcare workforce planning.

Question reference: S6W-37858

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the early learning and childcare workforce currently holds an SCQF Level 9 qualification or above, and how this compares with the proportion in 2017.

Question reference: S6W-37827

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much public money has been spent on bonuses for Scottish Water executives in the past five years.

Question reference: S6W-37864

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many hours of funded continuous professional development have been accessed by early learning and childcare staff in each of the last three years.

Tell us your views

Seòmar agus comataidhean