Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The annual pupil census records whether pupils have an additional support need and the type of support recorded for them but does not collect information on whether an individual pupil has received a written report from an educational psychologist.

Education authorities are responsible for identifying, providing for and reviewing the additional support needs of children and young people in their area. The assessment of additional support needs is not limited to assessment by an educational psychologist. The nature of any assessment, and the professionals involved, will depend on the individual circumstances and needs of the child or young person.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-03583 on 6 October 2026. 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.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The annual pupil census collects information on pupils recorded as having additional support needs and the types of support recorded for them but does not collect information on whether that support has been assessed or reviewed by an educational psychologist.

Education authorities are responsible for identifying, providing for and reviewing the additional support needs of children and young people in their area. Educational psychologists are one of a range of professionals who may contribute to the assessment and review of a pupil’s needs and support, depending on the individual circumstances of the child or young person.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-03746 on 15 October 2026. 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.

The Scottish Government does not routinely undertake a specific assessment of the socioeconomic backgrounds of students entering allied health professional (AHP) training programmes. However, data on participation in higher education by socioeconomic background, including measures based on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), are collected and published through widening access reporting by the Scottish Funding Council.

The Scottish Government is committed to widening access to higher education and supporting applications from individuals from deprived communities and lower-income households, including those applying for allied health professional courses. Universities are expected to deliver on widening access objectives through measures such as contextual admissions, outreach activity and articulation pathways.

In addition, the Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP) provides progression routes for learners who may not have followed traditional educational pathways into a range of allied health professions, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, radiography, podiatry and paramedic science.

The Scottish Government also continues to work with the higher education sector, NHS Education for Scotland and the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer to implement recommendations arising from the Allied Health Professions Education and Workforce Policy Review, which includes actions to support recruitment, education pathways and workforce diversity.

The Scottish Government is committed to broadening access to creative careers and working to alleviate the financial barriers that often prevent talented people from lower-income backgrounds from pursuing opportunities in the cultural sector, including comedy.

We recognise that entering and sustaining a career in the cultural sector can present financial challenges. Our commitment to Fair Work is central to addressing financial barriers. The Scottish Government welcomed the report published by the independent Culture Fair Work Task Force late last year, and a response will be published in due course. We continue to encourage fair pay and fair working practices across the cultural sector and have embedded Fair Work principles within our funding arrangements through Fair Work First.

We have an opportunity to explore new approaches to supporting sustainable artistic careers through the commitment to pilot a Scottish Artists Minimum Income. We recognise the need for meaningful consultation and co-design with artists and creative workers as part of this process.

The Scottish Government is investing £6 million in 2026-27 in Childcare Early Adopter Communities across six local authority areas, expanding access to childcare, activities and wider family support services for families with children from early years to end of primary school.

While there are currently no plans for a pilot scheme in West Lothian, we will ensure that learning from the Early Adopter Communities informs development of a childcare transformation blueprint which we will publish and consult on next year. I would encourage parents and carers in West Lothian and across the country to input to that consultation.

The Scottish Government will next year publish and consult on a childcare transformation blueprint. We will continue to look at the existing evidence to understand what works for families, particularly those experiencing poverty and complex circumstances. The experience of the childcare sector will also be vital as we progress this important and exciting agenda.

We know that clear and open collaboration is critical, and we will continue to engage with stakeholders throughout the process, listening to the voices of the sector, childcare professionals, parents and carers, and children themselves.

The Scottish Government has committed to transforming the childcare offer to provide support for children from nine months through to the end of primary school over the course of this Parliament.

The Scottish Government will publish and consult on a childcare transformation blueprint next year, which will set out proposals for future childcare provision. Decisions on the timing of support for children aged between nine and 23 months will be informed by the outcome of this work.

Delivery will be phased across the Parliamentary term, with families able to access breakfast clubs across Scotland from August 2027, and a new after school and holiday childcare offer for primary school children available from August 2029.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken a formal assessment of the overall health and sustainability of Scotland’s professional comedy sector. However, we recognise that professional comedy faces many of the same challenges as the wider cultural sector, underlined by our commitment to provide an additional £100 million annually for culture by 2028-29.

Creative Scotland supports comedy practitioners and organisations through funding for creative development, new work, venues and festivals as well as strategic initiatives undertaken by Screen Scotland to support screen-based comedy.

In addition, the Scottish Government is providing £500,000 to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society in 2026-27 to support its digital transformation and wider work supporting artists of all varieties, including comedy, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This investment reflects our commitment to supporting the resilience and long-term sustainability of Scotland’s cultural sector.