- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 26 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many police stations have been closed down in the area covered by Police Scotland’s North East division since the force’s foundation in 2013.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 26 April 2023
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether the level of information required from third sector organisations for grant applications has increased compared with previous years, and, if so, what the reasons are for this, and what consideration it has given to the ability of these organisations to access funding.
Answer
Scottish Government grant making is allocated across portfolios to various parts of the third sector to improve a wide range of outcomes. Some Scottish Government funding will be issued through third sector intermediary organisations. Each grant funding programme will have its own specific application criteria related to desired policy outcomes. This information is not centrally collated.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15479 by Humza Yousaf on 16 March 2023, for what reason client changes are being introduced for The Baird Family Hospital and The ANCHOR Centre at this stage in the build process and were not introduced at an earlier stage.
Answer
All projects are subject to ongoing review and consideration. It is for NHS Grampian’s project team, in discussion with the contractor, to determine whether any client changes are actioned.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what conclusions it has drawn from the recent Health and Wellbeing Census.
Answer
Conclusions drawn from the Health and Wellbeing Census are available on the Scottish Government's website at https://www.gov.scot/publications/health-and-wellbeing-census-scotland-2021-22/ .
It is essential that public services have a robust understanding of the issues affecting children and young people, so that appropriate support is put in place for them and their families. The Census data provides schools, education authorities, health and social care partners, as well as national Government, with the best source of evidence on children and young people’s health and wellbeing. The data collected in this first Census will provide a robust benchmark to measure future Census data collections against.
We will now work with local authorities to learn from their experiences of having undertaken the Census both to understand fully the benefit to them, and whether there are areas for improvement in the process.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to (a) local authorities and (b) schools on determining the materials used in the Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) curriculum for different school year groups.
Answer
Guidance for local authorities and schools on teaching relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) education is available on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/publications/conduct-relationships-sexual-health-parenthood-education-schools/.
A summary of resources available to schools and teachers to support delivery of RSHP education is available on Education Scotland's National Improvement Hub at https://education.gov.scot/improvement/learning-resources/a-summary-of-rshp-resources/. However it is for education authorities and schools to decide which resources they use in supporting their teaching, and it is recommended that schools involve parents and pupils in their consideration of resources .
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that only 15% of S4-S6 pupils answered questions on relationships and sexual health in the Health and Wellbeing Census, what its position is on what role the Census can play in addressing such issues.
Answer
The Health and Wellbeing census provides a dataset of just over 25,000 records from S4 to S6 pupils on relationships and sexual health. For the 16 local authorities who collected data, 39.1% of S4 to S6 pupils responded.
Before the introduction of the Health and Wellbeing Census in 2021, local authorities used a variety of approaches to gather the evidence they need to meet their duties to support pupil wellbeing, such as commissioning surveys at their own cost. Data gathered continues to cover issues relating to food and nutrition, sleep, relationships, bullying, sexual health, substance use and physical activity, as well as social media use and mental and emotional health and wellbeing.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15482 by Humza Yousaf on 16 March 2023, what correspondence it has had with Scottish Water regarding The Baird Family Hospital and The ANCHOR Centre; what observations were made, and how these were addressed.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not had correspondence with Scottish Water regarding The Baird Family Hospital and The ANCHOR Centre. Scottish Water's engagement on this project is directly with NHS Grampian, who are responsible for delivering the project.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15479 by Humza Yousaf on 16 March 2023, what updated assurance processes are now required for The Baird Family Hospital and The ANCHOR Centre, and for what reason this is being introduced at this stage in the build process and was not introduced at an earlier stage.
Answer
As set out in the response to S6W-15482 on 16 March 2023, all projects are subject to review by NHS Scotland Assure prior to opening.
The Key Stage Assurance Review (KSAR) process examines projects at key points in their lifecycle. It does not remove any legal or contractual obligations from the NHS Health Board, their designers or contractors. It provides assurance to progress successfully to the next review point and the process will be mandated for projects requiring Scottish Government approval.
As part of the commissioning, completion, and handover part of the process, from February 2023, all building projects going through a KSAR, should not open to patients or the public until they have received a ‘supported status’ from NHS Scotland Assure.
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessments are required to be undertaken in relation to pupils affected by mothballed schools.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-16260 on 17 April 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many schools are currently mothballed, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not routinely collect data on mothballed schools in Scotland. The Scottish Government does collect data from local authorities in order to collate a list of schools regarded as rural for the purposes of the Schools (Consultation)(Scotland) Act 2010. The most recent rural schools list was published on 25 October 2021 - Rural schools in Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . The rural schools list includes those schools the relevant local authority has mothballed. The 2021 rural schools list shows that 21 schools were reported as being mothballed. The following table shows how many rural schools are mothballed by local authority area.
Local Authority | Number of schools reported as being mothballed |
Aberdeenshire | 4 |
Argyll & Bute | 2 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 1 |
Eilean Siar | 2 |
Falkirk | 2 |
Fife | 1 |
Highland | 4 |
Moray | 1 |
Scottish Borders | 1 |
Shetland Islands | 2 |
Stirling | 1 |
The Scottish Government has published statutory guidance on the Schools (Consultation)(Scotland) Act 2010 - Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010: guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) - which includes reference to mothballed schools and sets out the circumstances in which schools may be mothballed and when local authorities should consider whether to consult on their permanent closure.
Assessing the impact of mothballing a school on affected pupils is the responsibility of the relevant local authority. If a local authority proposes to permanently close a school they must undertake a full consultation in line with the requirements of the Schools (Consultation)(Scotland) Act 2010 and statutory guidance, including consulting with affected pupils.
