Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government fulfilled a Programme for Government commitment by publishing its first International Education Strategy (IES) on 7 February 2024. British Council Scotland plays an important role in supporting its implementation as a member of the International Education Strategy Governance Group, providing strategic oversight and advice on the delivery of the Strategy’s objectives.

Through its extensive global networks and expertise, British Council Scotland supports Scottish colleges and universities in a range of areas, including transnational education, international student recruitment and access to seed-funding opportunities.

British Council Scotland also collaborates with sector partners to produce evidence-based research and analysis. This includes Scotland’s Higher Education: Partnering for Global Impact, published in partnership with Universities Scotland, which showcases the global reach and impact of Scotland’s higher education sector.

The Scottish Government provides funding to the British Council (BC) to deliver their Language Assistants Programmes, supporting both the placement of Modern Language Assistants from overseas in Scottish classrooms and universities, and Scotland-based students to travel and teach English abroad as English Language Assistants.

The British Council is set to become the National Agency for Erasmus+ in the UK. This will enable Scotland to achieve its vision of becoming more active internationally, forming connections and partnerships across the globe with countries who share our ambitions to alleviate poverty, achieve net zero and be an attractive place to live, work, visit, study and do business.

The Scottish Government supports the Higher Education Scholarships for Palestinians (HESPAL), a British Council UK scholarship programme developed in partnership with Palestinian universities. The programme aims to strengthen the Palestinian higher education sector by responding to its needs and priorities.

HESPAL seeks to nurture the next generation of senior academics who can uphold international quality standards within Palestinian universities, while also fostering renewed and sustainable partnerships between institutions in Palestine and the United Kingdom.

The Scottish Government looks forward to continued collaboration with the British Council, creating a lasting legacy for scholarship students who have arrived and settled in Scottish Universities from Palestine.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01058 on 13 July 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01058 on 13 July 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 expects colleges to comply with all relevant health and safety legislation and to follow relevant guidance issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), including in relation to the management of risks from welding fumes and other hazardous substances. Responsibility for setting and enforcing health and safety standards rests with the HSE, while implementation remains a matter for individual institutions.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01058 on 13 July 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. Responsibility for health and safety in colleges rests with individual institutions, with enforcement of legislation undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

As the statutory regulator, the HSE is responsible for investigating concerns, determining compliance with health and safety legislation, and taking any enforcement action where necessary.

The Scottish Government published the annual Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2025-26 statistical bulletin on 23 June 2026. The publication provides information on crimes and offences recorded by the police across Scotland, including breakdowns by crime type and local authority area. Supporting tables published alongside the bulletin include local authority-level data for a range of crime categories, including vandalism.

While data on crimes of vandalism recorded by the police is available at local authority level, the published statistics do not include information on the ages of suspected perpetrators. Although age breakdowns are available for some crime types through other statistical publications, equivalent data is not published for vandalism. Consequently, it is not possible to identify from these statistics the number of vandalism incidents involving individuals under the age of 18.

The statistics show that vandalism has fallen substantially over the longer term. More generally, recorded crimes of damage and reckless behaviour—of which vandalism accounts for the majority—are now at their lowest level since 1976.

The member may wish to contact Police Scotland, who may be able to provide further information. They can be contacted at: [email protected].Postal requests should be addressed to: FOI - Information Management, Police Scotland, Clyde Gateway, 2 French Street, Glasgow, G40 4EH.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01050 on 13 July 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 British Council is set to become the National Agency for Erasmus+ in the UK.

The Erasmus+ Programme is the European Union’s flagship funding programme for education, training, youth and sport. With a budget of approximately 26 billion, it allows individuals of all ages and backgrounds to study, train, volunteer, or gain work experience abroad while providing organizations with grants to build international partnerships.

The Scottish Government will continue to collaborate closely with the British Council Scotland to ensure that Scotland’s learners, students, apprentices and education staff fully benefit from the opportunities arising from association with Erasmus+ from January 2027.

Ministers and officials engage regularly with the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) on oversight of the college sector, including governance and institutional performance.

Operational matters, including health and safety, remain the responsibility of individual colleges. Regulation and enforcement are undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Within this framework, the SFC expects colleges to comply with their legal duties and seeks assurance on this through its ongoing monitoring and engagement, helping to ensure that appropriate standards are maintained across the sector.