Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is working with developers and investors alongside Scottish Enterprise as part of the Investment Taskforce to identify any barriers to the deployment of projects at Grangemouth, including near term funding challenges as well as longer term policy challenges.

There is no guidance in place for Scottish Minsters to specify how to consider the recommendations of a public inquiry reporter in renewable energy cases.

The Scottish Government is taking forward work to assess and further understand the policy recommendations set out in Project Willow. When available, we will update parliament of our conclusions.

The Dynamic Support Register (DSR) provides a mechanism for national data collection on people with learning disabilities and complex care needs. However, data collected through the DSR is not broken down by how many individuals with autism and learning disabilities remain in hospital settings, despite being clinically fit for discharge.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) collect and publish quarterly data, with the most recent collection, from 26 December 2024, published in March 2025. At that time, there were 1,273 people on the DSR, of which there were 84 delayed discharges and 51 inappropriate out-of-area placements.

The full March PHS report is available here: Insights into learning disabilities and complex needs: statistics for Scotland - 18 March 2025 - Insights into learning disabilities and complex needs: statistics for Scotland - Publications - Public Health Scotland

The next DSR data collection will be published by PHS in June 2025.

Additionally, PHS publish monthly data on delayed discharges here: About this release - Delayed discharges in NHSScotland monthly - Figures for March 2025 - Delayed discharges in NHSScotland monthly - Publications - Public Health Scotland. This data is broken down to Health Board and Local Authority level.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills has met recently with the Principal of Edinburgh University to discuss its cost-saving programme and potential impact on staff.

Staffing and operational matters are the responsibility of individual universities as autonomous institutions, however the Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Councill will continue to engage closely with the sector and offer appropriate support to universities, including Edinburgh, as they develop their plans to address financial challenges.

Whilst Ministers cannot compel institutions to commit to no compulsory redundancies, the Scottish Government’s expectation is that universities work with staff to make every effort to protect jobs, and for compulsory redundancies to be considered as a last resort, after all other cost saving measures have been fully explored.

This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold this information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Scottish Water is investing some £36m every year to reduce leakage and this investment includes active leakage management to find and repair leaks, as well as repairs of visible and reported leakage and capital schemes to reduce leakage. This sum is part of a broader investment of some £110m every year in the operating and capital costs of managing leakage, repairing bursts, and rehabilitating water networks.

Information on university retention rates is published by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) in the statistics publication “Report on Widening Access”. There is no breakdown by those with teacher assessed grades. The latest published data on retention rates covers those students starting in 2021-22 and continuing on to 2022-23.

There are numerous reasons why students may drop out of university which may include personal circumstances or moving into other positive destinations such as work or other forms of study.

We continue to learn from good practice in the sector, such as the University of the West of Scotland’s Student Success Model, which is premised on early intervention and supports student retention and progression.

Scottish Government is committed to enhancing outcomes for young people by delivering a fair and credible qualifications and assessment system as part of our work on qualification reform.

We want young people to have the opportunity to undertake the learner pathway that best matches their abilities and aspirations and ensures they are: successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.

The Scottish Government has met with the EHRC and we will continue to engage as they update the Code of Practice.

The Scottish Government has already begun work on implementation. We have established a Short Life Working Group to ensure support and consistency across Government. The EHRC are aware of our approach and this work will position us towards a state of readiness to take all necessary steps when the EHRC’s Code of Practice and updated guidance are published.

The group consists of senior civil servants representing all relevant portfolios across government. The aims of the group are to;

- ensure that there is a consistent approach to the understanding of the ruling;

- review legislation, guidance and policies within Scottish Government portfolios that the ruling impacts on; and

- ensure the Scottish Government is ready and prepared once the EHRC's revised Code of Practice is published.

There are many factors that influence the price consumers pay for electricity. It is essential that we deliver net zero and build a secure energy system, but people in Scotland must see the benefit from that in their energy bills. The Scottish Government has been calling for the UK Government to take urgent action to address the high cost of electricity, as high energy prices remain the single greatest driver of fuel poverty in Scotland.