Chamber and committees

This year's Budget included £36 million for the walk-in pilot programme.

The Additional Support for Learning (Scotland) Act 2004 places duties on education authorities to identify, provide for, and regularly review support to enable each learner to benefit fully from education, including those who are neurodiverse. Education authorities can ask other agencies (including Social Work Services, Health Boards and Skills Development Scotland) for help in carrying out their duties under the Act. Education authorities and schools take a needs-led rather than diagnosis-led approach. The recommendations of the McManus Review, which will include a new National Staged Intervention model, will inform this new administration’s approach to ASL.

To support parents and carers, young people and children, the Scottish Government funds Enquire, the national advice and information service on additional support for learning, as well as My Rights My Say which supports children aged 12 and over, to access advice and to exercise their rights. Education Scotland provides free professional learning resources and information for educators to better understand and support children and young people who may have or have been diagnosed with Autism/ADHD.

The Scottish Government’s Client Guide to Construction Projects provides guidance to the public sector on the conduct of construction projects. This includes guidance on how to ensure value for money through the planning, design, procurement and management of projects. It covers a range of topics including governance, risk management, change control, business case development and delivery of quality during project initiation and construction.

The Scottish Government has also rigorous processes to assure that all projects are technically feasible and commercially viable. These are mandated for all projects which fall within the scope of the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM) and are conducted routinely at various set stages of projects. The Scottish Government also leads best practice guidance and capability for inviting, awarding and managing construction contracts, including dealing with external pricing and logistical shocks which could materially affect project delivery.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00342 on 5 June 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.

Qualifications Scotland is a Non-Departmental Public Body and acts as a data controller in relation to the personal data it processes, including exam candidates’ access to their marker comments.

The Scottish Government expects all public authorities to comply with their statutory duties under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

In February we announced our intention to introduce a Rural and Islands Housing Grant Scheme to complement existing funds within the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, including the Rural and Islands Housing Fund and the Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund, both of which are open to application to March 2028.

The development of this new grant scheme will be taken forward with rural and housing partners. The scheme will be open to individuals to help meet the cost of securing a permanent home. It is expected it will provide support to first time buyers, families, rural returners and others to help them access affordable owner occupation in the rural and island communities of their choice.

Our intention is that the fund will be operational in 2026-2027 but will want to take time to develop the finer details in collaboration with rural and island housing partners to ensure that this scheme meets the needs of rural and island communities.

The Scottish Government expects development of Vision Anywhere for Scotland to progress in line with the wider Vision programme and migration timetable to June 2027.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7O-00002 taken in chamber on 2 June 2026, which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament.

The initial cost model to establish a full lung screening programme prepared by the Scottish Expert Advisory Group (SEAG) estimated £36.7 million in implementation costs, followed by recurring costs of between £28.6 million and £39.7 million per annum (dependent upon uptake levels).

It is essential to note that full roll-out of lung screening will take between 7-10 years; this mirrors the experiences and plans of the other UK nations, and reflects the inherent challenges of establishing a programme of this size and complexity. Based on the cost model, the first phase will require at least £3.5 million, although this will be refined as planning progresses.

While statutory responsibility for managing and maintaining school estates rests with local authorities, the Scottish Government has engaged with the Highland Council on the issues at Rosebank Primary School. The Council has confirmed that no further class cancellations are expected and that remedial works to the affected toilet facilities will be completed before the start of the new school session in August. It has also committed to keeping the Parent Council updated on progress.

Through the £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme, the Scottish Government is providing the Council with significant funding support for its Broadford Primary School, Nairn Academy and Tain Campus projects. This funding is intended to augment, rather than replace, the Council’s own investment in its school estate.

More broadly, the latest School Estate Statistics, published in September, show that the proportion of school buildings reported as being in “good” or “satisfactory” condition has increased to a record 92%, compared with 62.7% in 2007.