Colin Beattie: Given the Scottish Government’s commitment to poverty reduction and to alleviating the impact of changes to benefits payments brought in by the Westminster Government, has the cabinet secretary offered any guidance to local authorities about the need for them to take into account the customer’s ability to pay and to consider whether a benefits deduction for water and sewerage charges, or...
Colin Beattie: It has been well established that there is a clear connection between socioeconomic status and school attainment levels. Scotland’s education system has seen much improvement in recent years. In my constituency over the past five years, there has been a 7 per cent increase in school leavers going to positive destinations in Midlothian and an 8 per cent increase in East Lothian. There has...
Colin Beattie: 6. To ask the Scottish Government what the impact on its climate targets is of the UK Government’s energy policies. (S4O-04766)
Colin Beattie: Will the minister outline what discussions ministers have had with their UK counterparts ahead of the Paris conference of the parties to negotiate a new international treaty aimed at limiting global warming?
Colin Beattie: 15. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with national health service boards regarding planning for winter. (S4O-04809)
Colin Beattie: The cabinet secretary will be aware that NHS Lothian faced a challenging winter period last year. What reassurances can she give the people in my constituency and throughout the Lothians that the challenges will be met this year and going forward?
Colin Beattie: 4. To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the United Kingdom Government regarding the high speed 2 rail project coming to Scotland. (S4O-04857)
Colin Beattie: There are unconfirmed reports that costs for the HS2 project have increased by 30 per cent to £30 billion. If that is the case, can the minister indicate how such a rise in cost is likely to affect Scotland’s transport budget and the overall viability of the project?
Colin Beattie: 14. To ask the Scottish Government what the impact will be on its finances of not devolving the Crown Estate’s share in Fort Kinnaird retail park. (S4O-04917)
Colin Beattie: Fort Kinnaird is highly valued by my constituents as a shopping and entertainment centre. Will the cabinet secretary comment on how he sees the local community benefiting if Fort Kinnaird is not devolved along with the rest of the Crown Estate?
Colin Beattie: I thank Christine Grahame for instigating the debate and allowing the important work of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to be highlighted in Parliament. It must be clear to members from what they have heard that the trust provides invaluable aid to parts of our constituencies that are most in need of help and rejuvenation. My relationship with the trust dates back to 2007, when I was first...
Colin Beattie: Ah, Borderers. [Laughter.] As I was saying, I recently had an extremely fruitful meeting with Pauline Douglas and Alex Downie of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to discuss the possibilities of partnering together to raise awareness of the Midlothian business launch pad and to expand participation. It has been clear to me for some time now that although the launch pad can provide all the...
Colin Beattie: 5. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that the gender pay gap in Scotland is 7.3 per cent, compared with 9.4 per cent in the United Kingdom. (S4O-05178)
Colin Beattie: I am sure that the minister will agree with me that, despite that good news, any gender pay gap is too high. What steps is the Scottish Government taking to continue to reduce the gap?
Colin Beattie: The independent review, “Improving Schools in Scotland: An OECD Perspective”, which the OECD published last month, clearly shows me that the Scottish Government is on the right lines with the progress that it has made to date in our education system. Further, the review confirms that the steps proposed for going forward are without doubt the correct ones, although there can be no resting...
Colin Beattie: There can be no doubt that Scotland’s education system will always face challenges, but it is clear that the steps that we have taken and will continue to take—including the national framework, the £100 million attainment fund, and the recent announcement of the £1.5 million innovation fund that will identify and fund projects to improve literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing for...
Colin Beattie: The SNP’s continuous commitment to higher education has proven to be extremely effective in advancing Scotland’s students and society as a whole. For example, in the past four years the Scottish Government has invested more than £4 billion in the higher education sector. That, in part, has resulted in Scotland’s students having the lowest average student loan debt in the United...
Colin Beattie: Professor von Prondzynski’s reputation in the sphere of higher education is pretty much undoubted and I accept his approach and his review. The bill used Professor von Prondzynski’s review as an outline and has the goal of modernising and strengthening governance, to instil principles of democracy and accountability in the higher education sector. First, a greater democratic culture in...
Colin Beattie: I welcome the First Minister’s recent announcement on the innovation fund. Will the cabinet secretary confirm whether local authorities and schools can apply for that money and what it will fund?
Colin Beattie: 3. To ask the Scottish Government when work will start on the schools that are receiving funding from the recently announced £230 million investment under the Scotland’s schools for the future programme. (S4O-05526)