Chamber and committees

Pre Budget scrutiny 2022 to 2023

Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills regarding the budget and the portfolio

Dear Convener

Pre-Budget Scrutiny 2022-23

Thank you for your letter of 10 November 2021 on behalf of the members of the Education, Children and Young People Committee setting out the views of the Committee in advance of the Scottish Government budget 2022-23.

As you know the Draft Budget 2022-23 was published on 9 December. For Education and Skills, the resource budget has increased by 4% and the capital budget by 21.6%. As part of this allocation we are making our biggest increase in funding to support teacher recruitment since 2007. We are providing £145.5 million for teachers and classroom assistants, sufficient to employ around 2,500 teachers and 500 support staff. This funding will enable local authorities to employ additional staff recruited during the pandemic on permanent contracts. It marks significant progress in delivering our commitment to the recruitment of at least 3,500 teachers and 500 classroom assistants over this Parliament. We are also increasing initial teacher education places to support further growth, supported by an additional £2 million.

The Scottish Government has also provided funding of over £70 million for Primary 4 and 5 term time and special school lunches and for initial investment in school kitchens ahead of the roll-out of free lunches to all primary school children later in the parliamentary term. My officials will also be working with CoSLA to agree a new delivery timetable for the roll-out of lunches to children in Primary 6 and 7.

We are also investing £15 million in the infrastructure required to provide a digital device to every school-aged child by 2026, split across both resource and capital budgets. We will also
tackle the digital divide in further and higher education by investing £5 million for universities, colleges and community learning providers to purchase digital equipment.

The Education and Skills portfolio is investing a further £5 million to renew play parks in Scotland. This is the next phase of our investment in a £60 million programme to ensure children have access to high quality outdoor play in their own communities. We will have invested £10 million by the end of 2022-23.

We are providing over £328 million in higher education student support for bursaries, grants and tuition fees. Our continued commitment to free tuition ensures that eligible Scottish domiciled students studying in Scotland do not incur up to £27,750 of additional student loan debt. The draft budget ensures the lowest student debt levels in the UK, provides the care experienced bursary, and delivers the most generous bursary support in the UK for college students.

In 2022-23, the draft budget allocation in cash terms across resource and capital is the highest level of funding ever for colleges and universities. The college budget for 2022-23 maintains college resource funding at £675.7 million. Capital funding for colleges has increased by £41 million to £74.7 million. It has increased in line with the capital spending review but also includes the additional £5 million of digital funds to be allocated to the college, university and community learning and development sectors. The budget for 2022- 23 increases university resource funding by £21 million to £789.2 million and increases capital funding by £1.3 million to £348 million. The increase of £21 million for university resource is ongoing support for additional places previously added for those affected by the SQA alternative certification model.

In regards to your letter, the Annex below responds to the points raised by the Committee as part of your Pre-Budget Scrutiny. I am giving evidence to Committee on 12 January 2022 and I am happy to answer further questions at that time.

I hope you and the Committee members have an enjoyable Christmas recess.

Yours sincerely

Shirley-Anne Somerville

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