Tuesday 21 November 2017 SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

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1 Tuesday 21 November 2017 SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT Constitution and External Affairs Government how much it has spent on instructing external legal advice in each of the last five years. Derek Mackay: Details are as follows: External Legal Advice (S5W-12541) Total (excluding VAT) 5,309 5,769 5,162 4,485 4,041 Government how much it has spent on instructing external legal advice in relation to the Children and Young People (Information Sharing) (Scotland) Bill. (S5W-12542) Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government has instructed no external legal advice in relation to the Children and Young People (Information Sharing) (Scotland) Bill. Crown Office Elaine Smith (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of all cases in which the Lord Advocate has used discretionary powers under Section 6 of the Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc. (Scotland) Act 2016 to launch fatal accident investigations in cases where people who were ordinarily resident in Scotland died while abroad. (S5W-12509) James Wolffe QC: The Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc. (Scotland) Act 2016 (the 2016 Act) commenced on 15 June In accordance with Section 6 of the 2016 Act the Lord Advocate has the power to direct that a discretionary Fatal Accident Inquiry be held into a death of a person ordinarily resident in Scotland who has died outwith the UK after that date. To date the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has received no reports of deaths outwith the UK to investigate in terms of Section 6 of the 2016 Act. The power referred to above is subject to important limitations. In particular, the Lord Advocate may not order such an Inquiry unless he is satisfied that the circumstances have not been sufficiently established in the course of the investigation conducted in the jurisdiction where the death occurred, and where he consider that there is a real prospect of establishing those circumstances in an Inquiry in Scotland. The Act accordingly presupposes, at least in the ordinary course of things, that the relevant foreign authorities should, in the first instance, be allowed to conduct their inquiries. Information about those inquiries would ordinarily be sought by Police Scotland through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and relevant information passed on to the Crown. Economy Finlay Carson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote Galloway as a visitor destination, and what future plans it has. Holding answer issued: 10 November 2017 (S5W-12212) Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government provides funding for VisitScotland to promote Scotland, highlighting aspects and strengths of Scotland. VisitScotland have recently worked with Stena Line to brand up their arrival hall at Cairnryan with some local artwork to encourage visits to this area.

2 Forest Enterprise Scotland will continue to work with VisitScotland in promoting Galloway Forest Park and the Dark Sky Park in addition to providing infrastructure and visitor services, building on the estimated 433,640 visitors during The Scottish Government set out in the Programme for Government our ambition for promoting the south of Scotland and Ayrshire as a tourism destination for coastal and forest tourism activities. We will continue to work with partners to promote tourism, particularly for heritage, culture and creative arts, wildlife and green tourism and local food and drink. The future location of a substantive part of the Galloway Hoard will also provide opportunities for Galloway as a visitor destination. Donald Cameron (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what support it will offer staff who will be affected by recent tourist office closures by VisitScotland. Holding answer issued: 17 November 2017 (S5W-12443) Fiona Hyslop: As an NDPB the deployment of VisitScotland staff and resources is an operational issue for VisitScotland and their Board. The Scottish Government understands that discussions took place with affected staff on 12 October, immediately before the public announcement was made. Individual meetings with all staff followed in the weeks immediately thereafter. VisitScotland offered three options. These are: (i) (ii) (iii) a move to an alternative location redeployment (including retraining where required); and voluntary redundancy. Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W by Fergus Ewing on 28 September 2017, for what reason there has been an increase in the proportion of applications for the Crofting Agricultural Grants Scheme being rejected, and what action it is taking to address this. (S5W-12494) Fergus Ewing: The rejection rates for 2015, 2016 and 2017 (to 31 August) are around 7%, 7%, and 10% respectively. The variation between rejection rates from year to year over this 3 year period is considered to be normal and not significant in statistical terms. Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W by Fergus Ewing on 28 September 2017, what forecast it made of the number of applications to each scheme for each year. (S5W-12495) Fergus Ewing: Each scheme is demand led. The Scottish Government uses historic activity as a guide to likely future activity, and sets the budget accordingly. Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W by Fergus Ewing on 28 September 2017, what forecast it made of the cost of each scheme for each year, and how this compared with the actual figure. (S5W-12496)

3 Fergus Ewing: Similar to the answer provided for S5W on 21 November 2017, the Scottish Government uses historic actual costs and pending costs as a guide to likely future costs, and sets the budget accordingly. Funding under these schemes is provided retrospectively and all approved work must be completed and claimed within one year of the date in which the application is approved. Therefore, work that is approved in one year can, in some cases, fall to be paid the next year. In any event, once claims have been submitted and processed for any particular year, the total amount claimed by all applicants is compared against the allocated budget for that year and this is used to estimate likely future spend. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament s website, the search facility for which can be found at Government what protection there is for home owners whose property is damaged by overflow from defective sewerage and road drainage systems. (S5W-12513) Roseanna Cunningham: Any homeowner who claims that his or her property is damaged by overflow from defective sewerage and road drainage systems has to be able to demonstrate liability on the part of Scottish Water or the relevant roads authority on account of a breach of a common law or statutory duty on the part of that authority. Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of how many additional people might visit the area because of the North East 250 route, and how it will ensure that the existing tourist sites have the necessary infrastructure and capacity to accommodate any increase in footfall. (S5W-12557) Fiona Hyslop: The recently launched North East 250 is a privately led initiative which aims to boost tourism in Moray and Aberdeenshire, and we would expect that the organisation behind it will actively monitor the impact that the development may bring to businesses and communities along the route. While neither the Scottish Government nor its bodies were involved in its development, we would encourage engagement to ensure that public sector expertise can help ensure that the maximum economic opportunities are obtained for the area. Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it plans with the promoters of the North East 250 route regarding how it could bring tourism and boost the area's economy. (S5W-12558) Fiona Hyslop: Key public sector support is already being given to the North East to encourage sustainable tourism growth. Both Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise work with tourism bodies, such as the local destination management organisations (DMOs) Moray Speyside and VisitAberdeenshire as well as with local businesses to develop the tourism product that the area has to offer. While an approach has not been made to either organisation by those behind the route, both would be willing to engage. As well as already promoting the area more widely, VisitScotland will be able to support the North East 250 route from a marketing perspective through its online and social media marketing channels as well as ensuring awareness through its press, Public Relations and travel trade engagement. Scottish Enterprise and the Cairngorm National Park Authority had also separately been working with VisitAberdeenshire to explore a touring route opportunity in the North East. Scottish Enterprise have also awarded the Cairngorms Business Partnership DMO up to 245,000 funding from its Tourism Destination Development Fund to develop the National Park s existing Snow Roads route into a leading visitor destination.

4 Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it plans of the economic impact of the North East 250 tourist route. (S5W-12559) Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W on 21 November All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament s website, the search facility for which can be found at Johann Lamont (Glasgow) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government in light of the responses to the consultation on the Review of The Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals Order 2011, whether it will hold discussions with the Welsh Government and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) regarding the next steps of the post-implementation review. (S5W-12562) Roseanna Cunningham: Initial discussions on the responses to this consultation and next steps have already taken place. The Scottish Government will continue to be involved in all further discussions with both Defra and the Welsh Government over the coming months, on completion of the review and on any future policy development on Pet Travel into the UK. Richard Lochhead (Moray) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for the Scottish Scenic Routes initiative; how many scenic routes have been established so far; what their impact has been, and how many more are planned. (S5W-12613) Roseanna Cunningham: The pilot Scottish Scenic Routes projects have delivered eight permanent installations and one mobile installation. These have been built in the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, the Cairngorms National Park and on land managed by Scottish Canals near Laggan. The final installation as part of this pilot phase was opened earlier this year in the Cairngorms National Park. This forms part of a Snow Roads Scenic Route comprising three newly designed viewpoints which the Cairngorms National Park Authority and its partners have developed to enhance visitors experience of the Scottish landscape and to provide an opportunity to involve young architects. The Snow Roads project recently won two awards in the Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning 2017, in the Place and Peoples Choice Award categories. No decision has been taken on the future of the Scottish Scenic Routes initiative. Maurice Golden (West Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether publishing details of investigations by charities into potential criminal activity in animal welfare cases would be in the public interest, and what discussions it has had on ensuring public access to such information. (S5W-12623) Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government has no position on those investigating actual or potential animal welfare crime publishing information of these activities, other than to advise them strongly to remain within the applicable law, notably the Contempt of Court Act Such organisations may publish information as they see fit, although they are unlikely to do so if this will prejudice investigations or potential prosecutions. Organisations whose investigations have resulted in a successful prosecution often publicise the decision of the Courts. Maurice Golden (West Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what minimum criteria businesses must meet to be considered "fully compliant" with waste disposal regulations.

5 (S5W-12626) Roseanna Cunningham: The minimum criteria businesses must meet to be considered "fully compliant" with the duty are to: take all reasonable steps to ensure the separate collection of dry recyclable waste, and/or take all reasonable steps to ensure the separate collection of food waste produced by the food business (where a rural exemption is not applicable). As defined in amendments made by the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 to Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, this can be summarised as: Segregating all target dry recyclables (plastics, metal, glass, paper & cardboard) generated. Businesses will be expected to have and use an internal material segregation system that matches an external recycling collection service from an authorised provider. Recyclables should be free of contamination, e.g. glass should be separately collected from paper and cardboard. SEPA s Food Waste Management Guidance sets out the expectations across the food waste supply chain in order to achieve high quality recycling. Only food waste managed in accordance with this guidance will fulfil the waste acceptance permit condition at food waste treatment facilities. All businesses must be compliant with duty of care for waste as set out in the Scottish Government's statutory Duty of Care Code of Practice. John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to extend its fleet of marine protection vessels. (S5W-12759) Roseanna Cunningham: There are no current plans to extend the fleet of Marine Scotland Compliance vessels. John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the carbon dioxide emissions from its fleet of marine protection vessels. (S5W-12760) Roseanna Cunningham: CO2 emissions directly correspond to the actual fuel consumption of the fleet. When the fleet was last renewed, the best possible engines for fuel efficiency on the market at that time were bought with investment in diesel electric plant, which was at a higher cost than conventional propulsion systems. This ensured the most efficient vessels possible. Fisheries Protection Vessel "Norna", built in 1988, used 6 tonnes of fuel per day. The current Marine Protection Vessels "Jura" and "Hirta" use 2 tonnes of fuel per day for the same mileage covered. Since then, further fuel efficiencies have been derived from greater reduction in electrical consumption on the vessels whether it be through slower steaming speeds; and better targeting of assets. Marine Scotland Compliance maintains fuel consumption records but will only be required to have CO2 emissions logged from March Education, Communities and Justice Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many women have been given prison sentences of (a) between (i) six and 12 and (ii) three and five and (b) less than three months in each of the last five years, broken down by (A) offence and (B) sheriffdom. (S5W-12484)

6 Michael Matheson: Information on the number of females given prison sentences (up to 3 months, over 3 months to under 6 months and over 6 months to under 12 months) by the type of crime/offence and sheriffdom is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre - Bib number Adam Tomkins (Glasgow) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures from Police Scotland that state that more than 150 children were caught with an offensive or bladed weapon in Glasgow over the last two years. (S5W-12501) Michael Matheson: We are determined to tackle knife crime and, looking across Scotland, offences of possession of offensive weapons are down 69% between and However, we recognise that there is still more to do and that violence is a complex issue. Alongside enforcement of legislation, we have invested more than 14 million in violence prevention measures and programmes since , including over 8.7 million for Scotland s National Violence Reduction Unit and funding of over 3.4 million for the No Knives, Better Lives programme. Much of our effort has been focused on children and young people and our partners, including schools and local authorities, are supporting us in the implementation of wider strategies to prevent knife crime and all other kinds of violence. Bill Bowman (North East Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W by Derek Mackay on 1 November 2017, what data is being collected from local authorities for the purpose of analysing the level of nondomestic rates relief awarded. (S5W-12506) Derek Mackay: The level of non-domestic rates (NDR) relief awarded by local authorities is reported via regular NDR returns to the Scottish Government - these are audited by Audit Scotland and summary data is regularly published on the Scottish Government web site via the Scottish Local Government Finance Statistics release. In addition, Local Authorities submit an annual snapshot of their billing system. This data is used in the publication of summary Non-Domestic Rates Relief Statistics for Small Business in Scotland release. Following the Barclay review of business rates the Scottish Government accepted a number of recommendations, including checking data held on relief and further details will be published in an implementation plan later this year. Government how many schools in Dumfries and Galloway were inspected in each of the last five years. (S5W-12514) John Swinney: The total number of Education Scotland inspections carried out each academic year for the last five years for Dumfries and Galloway : Inspection Figures for Academic Years August 2012 to July 2017 Academic Years Total Total inspections * *includesearly Learning and Childcare settings, and Primary, Secondary, All through, Independent and Special schools. All figures include short model inspections resulting in QI evaluations and 'try out' inspections not resulting in QI evaluations. Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O by Alasdair Allan on 12 November 2015

7 (Official Report, c. 2), how many people have graduated in computer science from Scottish universities in each year since , broken down by gender, and whether it will provide an update on the action it has taken on this issue. (S5W-12520) Shirley-Anne Somerville: The latest Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data shows there were 3,450 qualifiers from computer science courses at Scottish Universities in Of this, 2,700 were male and 755 were female which is a split of 78% male, 22% female. Related figures for , and are in the following table: Computer Science qualifiers from Scottish HEIs split by gender to Subject area Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Computer Science 2, ,150 2, ,280 2, ,450 % 80% 20% 100% 80% 20% 100% 78% 22% 100% Source: HESA Data (SG Analysis) Numbers in this table have been rounded to the nearest 5. Percentages based on unrounded numbers "Other" gender has been omitted from this table due to small numbers but are included in the total. The STEM Strategy published on 26 October 2017 will help to close equity gaps in participation and attainment in STEM so that everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their potential and contribute to Scotland's economic prosperity. This will include the launch of a new social media campaign in 2018 to increase gender balance in participation in STEM study and to address STEM occupational segregation. This campaign will be led and championed by Scottish Government, Scottish Funding Council and the college and university sectors. Government how many nursery places there are in each local authority. (S5W-12521) Maree Todd: The Scottish Government do not collect information on the number of nursery places available. Information on capacity is collected by the Care Inspectorate. They do not publish figures at local authority level but Scotland level figures are available on their website ( Government how many nursery places it expects there to be in each local authority by (S5W-12522) Maree Todd: Under our new Funding Follows the Child approach, local authorities will retain the statutory responsibility for ensuring that funded early learning and childcare entitlement is available to all eligible children in their areas. We are working closely with authorities to ensure that there are sufficient places available, across settings in all sectors, to deliver entitlement to 1140 hours of early learning and childcare from August Government whether it will provide a breakdown by local authority of where it expects the 11,000 additional early learning and childcare workers will be required. (S5W-12523) Maree Todd: The distribution of these additional workers across local authorities will reflect local plans for implementing the expanded entitlement. Local authorities have recently submitted ELC Expansion Plans, which provide initial estimates of the workforce required in each area. The Scottish Government s multi-disciplinary delivery support team, co-designed with local authorities, is currently discussing these plans with local authorities. Those discussions, identifying good practice as well as

8 areas for improvement, will inform individual feedback to authorities as well as a national learning report, to be published later in the year. Government how many two-year-olds have funded childcare, broken down by their local authority. (S5W-12524) Maree Todd: The number of two-year olds registered for funded Early Learning and Childcare is published by local authority within the annual Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland report available on the Scottish Government website ( Currently information is collected on the number of registrations and this might be a slight overestimate of the number of children accessing funded provision due to some children being registered at more than one setting. Children accessing provision outwith the local authority that they live would also affect the breakdown by local authority. The Scottish Government is currently making improvements to data collection through the ELC Data Transformation Project. Government whether it will provide a breakdown of capital spending on nursery provision in each of the last five years. (S5W-12525) Maree Todd: Information on local authority pre-primary education capital expenditure is provided to Scottish Government by local authorities. This includes, but is not limited to, nursery provision. The most up to date data is for and is shown in the following table. Local authority capital expenditure: Pre-primary Education, million Source: Local Authority Capital Returns CR Final Government what proportion of capital spending on new nursery provision in each of the last five years went to (a) private and (b) voluntary organisations. (S5W-12526) Maree Todd: In September 2016, the Scottish Government published The Financial Review of early learning and childcare in Scotland: the current landscape ( ). This shows (page 53) that over the financial years to the Scottish Government has provided 170 million capital funding to local authorities to support implementation of the early learning and childcare elements of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 expenditure. A further 30 million of capital funding was provided to local authorities in It is for each local authority to decide how it will utilise these funds. Government what analysis it has made of the average cost of day nursery provision. (S5W-12527) Maree Todd: The Financial Review of Early Learning and Childcare (Scottish Government, 2016) estimated that the average unit cost (cost per hour per child) in local authority settings was 5.45 for 3 and 4 year olds and 7.74 for 2 year olds. In funded provider settings (private and third sector), the unit cost for 0-5 year olds was estimated to average The Financial Review can be found here:

9 Government what plans it has to introduce a nationally-set rate for day nursery provision. (S5W-12528) Maree Todd: Under the new Funding Follows the Child model, to be implemented from 2020, local authorities will continue to negotiate and agree rates locally with providers in the private and third sectors who want to deliver the funded entitlement and who meet the national standard. Funding rates will have to reflect national policy priorities, including payment of the Living Wage, and ensure financially sustainable provision across all sectors. Government what assessment it has made of the number of teaching staff who experience workplace stress. (S5W-12534) John Swinney: Scotland is participating in the Teacher Questionnaire of the 2018 administration of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). This will cover teacher job satisfaction and an assessment of the factors they believe are hindering instruction. Government how many current head teachers undertook General Teaching Council for Scotlandaccredited headship training in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority. (S5W-12535) John Swinney: The GTCS have accredited 3 programmes for aspiring headteachers. These are the Scottish Qualification for Headship, the Flexible Route to Headship and the Into Headship programmes. Only the Into Headship programme is currently operating and has recruited cohorts over the last three years. The Into Headship programme is aimed at those teachers whose next post will be that of a head teacher, likely to be within two to three years. Details of numbers on that programme are outlined in S5W on 21 November All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at Government how many teachers undertook General Teaching Council for Scotland-accredited into headship training in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority. (S5W-12536) John Swinney: The information is given in the following table. It shows by local authority the number of teachers who started the Into Headship programme for aspiring headteachers. Cohorts start in May/June each year. The qualification is aimed at those teachers whose next post will be that of a head teacher, likely to be within two to three years. Local Authority Cohort Cohort Cohort Aberdeen City Aberdeenshire Angus Argyll & Bute Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Clackmannanshire Dumfries and Galloway Dundee East Ayrshire East Dunbartonshire 7 5 2

10 Local Authority Cohort Cohort Cohort Edinburgh East Lothian East Renfrewshire Falkirk Fife Glasgow Highland Inverclyde Midlothian Moray North Ayrshire North Lanarkshire Orkney Perth & Kinross Renfrewshire Scottish Borders Shetland Islands South Ayrshire South Lanarkshire Stirling West Dunbartonshire West Lothian INDEPENDENT Total Government what it is doing to support mentoring for young people. (S5W-12540) Maree Todd: The Scottish Government supports mentoring and related befriending, advocacy and apprenticeship programmes across several Ministerial portfolios. Mentoring has a substantial evidence base demonstrating its effectiveness in substantially improving outcomes across a wide range of educational, health and wellbeing indicators. We support a range of activities to improve outcomes for children and young people through the Children, Young People & Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning & Empowering Communities Fund. A total of 117 organisations receive core funding to support their general infrastructure and core service costs, of which 7 have an element of mentoring activity. These are Apex Scotland, LINKnet Mentoring Ltd, Mentor Scotland, Positive Help, Rape Crisis Scotland, Scottish Mentoring Network and The Venture Trust who collectively receive 706k from CYPFEIF/ALEC. My portfolio also has a specific focus on supporting looked after children, who currently demonstrate the poorest outcomes by comparison with their peers. Within Scotland's population of looked after children and young people, those who are looked after at home demonstrate the poorest outcomes of all. You may therefore be interested to know about Intandem, Scotland s mentoring programme for young people looked after at home, which was launched in November 2016 and receives 750,000 Scottish Government funding per annum. Intandem, which is delivered by Inspiring Scotland, provides mentors for young people aged between 8-14 years who are looked after by their local authority but living at home. Through our portfolio of 13 partner charities, Intandem matches young people from all across Scotland with trained local volunteers to build positive, trusting, supportive and secure relationships. Government whether every pupil is able to access water when at school. (S5W-12586)

11 John Swinney: Information on whether every pupil is able to access water when at school is not held centrally. The Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2008 require schools to provide access to fresh, plain drinking water at all times. It is for local authorities to ensure they are fulfilling their duties as set out in the Regulations. Richard Lochhead (Moray) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what plans there are to increase the number of (a) primary and (b) secondary school teacher training places delivered by (a) the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and (b) Moray College UHI. (S5W-12620) John Swinney: Consideration of the number of training places for primary and secondary school teacher training places for all initial teacher education institutions, including UHI, is discussed in partnership with local authorities, universities and other educational stakeholders through the Teacher Workforce Planning Advisory Group, as part of the annual teacher workforce planning exercise. The Teacher Workforce Planning Advisory Group will meet in mid-december to consider its advice to Ministers on initial teacher education places for The target intake in PGDE primary at UHI was increased from 80 in to 84 in they met 79. The target intake in PGDE secondary was increased from 18 in to 25 in This target was met. Michelle Ballantyne (South Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the part that (a) addiction, (b) worklessness in families and (c) family breakdown plays as a driver in child poverty, and what action it is taking to tackle it. (S5W-12638) Angela Constance: It is clear that to eradicate child poverty, we must tackle a range of social and economic drivers. Income, however, is the key underlying factor. That s why the Scottish Parliament unanimously passed the Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill on 8 November, setting in statute four ambitious income-based targets for To reach these targets will require a range of action to be taken across government portfolios, and we will publish our proposals for this within the first action plan due by April Johann Lamont (Glasgow) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has received from the leader of Glasgow City Council regarding the city's budget allocation, and whether these have called for an increase in the amount allocated. (S5W-12646) Derek Mackay: I met with Glasgow City Council Leader, Councillor Susan Aitken, on 8 August and we discussed a range of issues including the Council's current and future funding allocations. This year Glasgow City Council were able to increase their spending power to support local authority services by 45 million or 3.4 per cent and I will announce the local government finance settlement as part of my Budget announcement next month. Christina McKelvie (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many Syrian refugees to the UK have been settled in Scotland. (S5W-12652) Angela Constance: Scotland has welcomed over 1,900 people under the UK Government's Syrian Resettlement Programme since October Official statistics for the Syrian Resettlement programme are published quarterly by the Home Office. The latest set of statistics was published on 24 August 2017 and covered the period to 30 June Those statistics show that 1,807 Syrian refugees arrived in Scotland under the Programme up to 30 June 2017.

12 Stuart McMillan (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government how trainee teachers are taught about dealing with dyslexia. (S5W-12674) John Swinney: All courses of Initial Teacher Education are accredited and approved by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) as the independent, regulatory body for the teaching profession. The GTCS will only grant accreditation if they are satisfied that the content of courses is appropriate for a student teacher to be able to meet the requirements of the Standard for Provisional Registration (SPR). The SPR includes a requirement to demonstrate an awareness of barriers to learning, such as dyslexia, recognising when to seek further advice in relation to all learners' needs. The way in which this requirement is delivered is for each university to determine. Stuart McMillan (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the EIS regarding the provision of dyslexia training (a) for (i) trainee and (ii) probationary teachers and (b) as part of teachers' ongoing professional learning development. (S5W-12675) John Swinney: We regularly discuss teacher education and professional learning with the EIS and they are members of the Strategic Board for Teacher Education. The Scottish Government has not had any specific discussions with the EIS regarding the provision of dyslexia training for teachers. Stuart McMillan (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils are being taught in schools in neighbouring local authorities because it is felt that they are more effective in dealing with dyslexia. John Swinney: The information requested is not held centrally. (S5W-12676) Stuart McMillan (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils have been diagnosed with dyslexia in each of the last five years, and what information is has on how many were (i) offered the necessary assistance to stay at school and (ii) taken out of school to be home taught because it was felt that the necessary assistance was not offered. (S5W-12677) John Swinney: The information requested is not held centrally. However, the Scottish Government does collect data on the number of pupils supported in school because of dyslexia. Data on number of pupils supported because of dyslexia in primary and secondary school Year Primary Secondary Total Stuart McMillan (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government how the Pupil Equity Fund can be used to assist pupils with dyslexia. (S5W-12679)

13 John Swinney: Headteachers are expected to work in partnership with each other, and their local authority, to agree the use of their Pupil Equity Funding. They must take account of the statutory responsibilities of the authority to deliver educational improvement, secure best value and meet the additional support needs of children and young people. In this context, Headteachers must consider the additional steps that will be required to close the educational attainment gap for pupils in their schools affected by poverty and who have additional support needs such as dyslexia. Alexander Stewart (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what guidance there is on the use of physical intervention and restraint in schools. (S5W-12723) John Swinney: The Scottish Government published its refreshed guidance, Included Engaged and Involved Part 2: A Positive Approach to Preventing and Managing School Exclusions in June This refreshed guidance contains a section on de-escalation and physical intervention for all children, including those with complex additional support needs. Health and Social Care Donald Cameron (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that Highland did not meet the 90% target for referral to treatment times to be within 18 weeks in , what action it will take to ensure that this target is met in future. Holding answer issued: 17 November 2017 (S5W-12433) Shona Robison: We are taking significant action to reduce waiting times. I recognise some patients are experiencing long waits, that is why I have made 50 million available to Scotland - with up to 3.2 million being made available to Highland. This additional funding should improve waiting time performance between now and the end of March In addition I have set up an expert group to reduce waiting times and improve the way elective care services are provided. The Elective Access Collaborative programme will bring experts from the Scottish Government, Scotland and the Royal Colleges together to provide support to all health boards, including Highland. Government, further to the answer to question S5W by Aileen Campbell on 13 October 2017, whether it will provide details of all consultation processes that (a) have taken and (b) will take place with individual GP practices in each board area as part of the Vaccination Transformation Programme. (S5W-12472) Aileen Campbell: In developing local approaches, individual GP practices will be consulted by their Health Boards at appropriate junctures. Government whether it (a) has conducted or (b) plans to conduct a full public consultation on its Vaccination Transformation Programme. (S5W-12473) Aileen Campbell: A core principle of the Vaccination Transformation Programme is that services will continue to be delivered to patients in a safe, sustainable and acceptable way. It will be a matter for Boards locally to determine whether or not any change in service provision will warrant consultation with the public, for example if there is a meaningful change in how patients access services, but in many cases this is not likely to be necessary.

14 In some parts of the country Boards have already taken over responsibility for delivering vaccinations previously delivered by GPs, and all Boards currently deliver school-based vaccinations. Government whether it has conducted risk assessments regarding its plans to transfer responsibility for vaccination programmes from general practice and, if so, whether it will make these public. (S5W-12474) Aileen Campbell: The Programme is using Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) methodology which includes requirements around risk. A key role of the Vaccination Transformation Programme governance will be to identify and manage risk, undertake equality impact assessments, and establish quality metrics for monitoring the impact of the new delivery model. Local risk assessments will also be carried out as plans progress. At the heart of any change must be the core principle of patient safety. That is why our planned approach is of a three year transition with changes to services only taking place when it is safe to do so. Government, when responsibility for vaccinations is transferred from general practice, how it anticipates immunisation teams will operate in remote, rural and island communities, and how it will ensure that this provides value for money. (S5W-12475) Aileen Campbell: The Vaccination Transformation Programme will not mandate how Health Boards will deliver vaccinations in their area. Rather the programme will support Health Boards in implementing local delivery solutions that best suit them, their patients, and their geography. The solutions developed may involve establishing immunisation teams, contracting local GPs, or a combination thereof. As service providers, the local Health Board will ensure that the service they design provides best value for money. Government what its response is to concerns that the transfer from general practice of responsibility for vaccinations may decrease flu immunisation rates by reducing the incidence of opportunistic immunisation when patients attend GP surgeries for other reasons. (S5W-12476) Aileen Campbell: One of the key principles of the Vaccination Transformation Programme will be to implement new models of delivery that do not adversely impact on uptake rates. While GPs will no longer be responsible for the delivery of vaccinations, it is likely that general practice premises will still be used to deliver vaccinations allowing opportunistic immunisation to continue. Different delivery options and a changing and public health landscape may also provide opportunities and benefits which are not possible within current arrangements. At present local variation in uptake of the flu vaccine across GP practices is monitored closely and appropriate interventions applied to improve uptake. New Primary Care clusters will work closely with HSCPs and make use of intelligence and data to continue monitoring uptake in their areas and provide support as necessary. Government whether GP practices that wish to bid to provide immunisation programmes in their area will be able to do so under the Vaccination Transformation Programme. (S5W-12477) Aileen Campbell: The Vaccination Transformation Programme will support Health Boards to design local solutions to vaccination delivery. Health Boards will be able to make different arrangements in

15 their areas to suit local circumstances. In some areas GPs may continue to deliver vaccination programmes through local agreements. Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what (a) meetings and (b) discussions (i) ministers and (ii) officials have had with boards regarding the review to examine their number, structure and regulation, and whether it will publish any (A) minutes and (B) correspondence, broken down by board. (S5W-12481) Shona Robison: The Scottish Government set out its position on the review of Health Boards in the Health and Social Care Delivery Plan and associated News Release published in December This stated that there are no plans to reduce the current number of patient-facing Boards or change Board boundaries. Our focus is on promoting greater collaboration between Health Boards, and with partners, to deliver modern, sustainable health and social care services. Regional and National Delivery Plans are being developed to improve services more widely to ensure that patients' needs are met and resources allocated more effectively. Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to consider island proofing when reviewing the number, structure and regulation of boards, and whether it will provide an update on the review. (S5W-12482) Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W on 21 November All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government whether the territorial boards have been consulted as part of the review of their number, structure and regulation, and what the reasons are for this. (S5W-12483) Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W on 21 November All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at Government, further to the answer to question S5W by Shona Robison on 13 January 2017, whether it will provide the figures for (S5W-12499) Shona Robison: Territorial Boards continue to make limited use of the independent and private sector for health care services. Total spend decreased from 78.5 million in to 72.0 million in Spend by each Board for is set out in the following table. Figures for to were provided in response to question S5W Board '000 Ayrshire & Arran 3,627 Borders 3,695 Dumfries & Galloway 2,556 Fife 1,994 Forth Valley 2,346

16 Board '000 Grampian 4,067 Greater Glasgow & Clyde 20,433 Highland 4,084 Lanarkshire 9,243 Lothian 9,578 Orkney 435 Shetland 153 Tayside 8,860 Western Isles 939 Total 72,010 Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government how many people with neurological conditions live in nursing or care homes, broken down by homes (a) with no specific Care Inspectorate registration for people with physical or sensory impairment, including neurological conditions, and (b) registered as suitable for people with physical and sensory impairment, (i) but not specifically including and (ii) specifically including neurological conditions. (S5W-12502) Shona Robison: This information is currently not held centrally. This year changes had been made to the Scottish Care Home Census which will begin to collate data on the numbers of long-stay residents that have a neurological condition from The first publication with this data will be in Autumn Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W by Shona Robison on 1 November 2017, whether integration authorities are carrying out comprehensive assessments of people with neurological conditions before they enter care homes and subsequently providing appropriate care and support. (S5W-12503) Shona Robison: Comprehensive assessments, including any specialist assessments for neurological conditions where this has identified as being required, are undertaken prior to people being admitted to care homes and placed there by the relevant local authority/ integration authority. This incorporates a full needs assessment, including clinical needs of all conditions, particularly for nursing care, as well as a financial assessment. Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W by Shona Robison on 1 November 2017, whether workstreams will result in the clinical and wellbeing needs of care home residents with neurological conditions being assessed and met. (S5W-12504) Shona Robison: As detailed in S5W-11962, the National Care Home Contract reform process is underway. Part of this work involves developing a set of nationally agreed terms which will better support local processes. The aim is to build a sustainable model for commissioning and purchasing care placements based on the needs of localities supporting the redesign of services and enabling authorities to purchase placements on what is required, and supporting the well- being and needs of all care home residents. Kate Forbes (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many women were screened using mobile breast-screening units in (S5W-12512) Aileen Campbell: The information requested is not held centrally. This is a matter for the Boards and the six regional breast screening centres. Further information on the Scottish Breast