Chamber and committees

I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

Membership of the PVG Scheme is available for an individual coaching or training children in sports. It is the responsibility of the recruiting organisation to make use of the PVG disclosure checks. Membership of the PVG Scheme will become a legal requirement on 1 April 2025. Currently, though, many organisations (including sports governing bodies) treat the Scheme as though it is a legal requirement. This de facto requirement is primarily because, if an organisation was to employ a barred individual to do regulated work, they would be guilty of an offence under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007.

In cases where a self-employed individual (and that includes paid, and unpaid or voluntary work) teaches or trains children scheme membership is available to that person. The individual can use their scheme membership to satisfy parents or carers of children in receipt of teaching or coaching that they are not unsuitable for that type of regulated work.

Particularly since the 2017 Health and Sport Committee report on Child Abuse in Sport, Disclosure Scotland has worked closely with all sports governing bodies (“SGBs”), including sportscotland and the Scottish Youth Football Association, to ensure that PVG disclosure checks are undertaken on sports coaches eligible for scheme membership. This includes providing guidance to SGBs on specific duties and requirements under the Scheme, and carrying out compliance audits. It is our assessment that most, if not all, SGBs require PVG membership as part of any role that involves working with children or protected adults.

The Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 will make PVG scheme membership a legal requirement for all individuals carrying out a regulated role in Scotland, which includes sports coaches and agents. It will be an offence for an organisation to employ an individual into a regulated role if that individual is not a member of the PVG Scheme.

CMAL Board appointment campaigns are carried out in line with the Ethical Standards Commissioner’s Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies in Scotland.

Scottish Ministers consider the recommendation presented to them by the selection panel appointed to take forward Public Body Board appointment campaigns. The selection panel includes an advisor appointed on behalf of the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

In this instance the CMAL Board required a candidate with specialist risk and assurance expertise and experience. The selection panel evaluates the evidence presented by each candidate as part of the Board appointment process, this is tested when reviewing each application form and also at interview. The selection panel recommend to Scottish Ministers the candidates they consider as being most able to meet the requirements of the role or roles as advertised. This is based on merit and is in line with the Ethical Standards Commissioner’s Code of Practice.

The Scottish Government agrees that Scotland’s school libraries play a key role in supporting literacy and cultivating a love of reading.

Responsibility for school libraries rests with local authorities, who have a statutory duty to ensure there is adequate provision of library services.

At a national level, the Scottish Government worked with key partners to develop and publish the National Strategy for School Libraries. Over the course of 8 years we have provided over £1.8 million via the School Libraries Improvement Fund to enhance school library provision.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on fees set by ports.

Statutory Harbour Authorities are independent bodies governed by their own legislation. A Statutory Harbour Authority’s powers, duties and geographic area of jurisdiction are set out in local Acts of Parliament, or a Harbour Order under the Harbours Act 1964.

All ports are obliged to act in accordance with their local legislation and other relevant laws.

Delivery of healthcare and the NHS is devolved and therefore work on the safety of and continuous improvement in maternity services in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scottish Government. The National Maternity Safety Ambition was launched in 2015 by the Department of Health and Social Care and applies to maternity services in England only. Officials and professional advisors meet regularly with colleagues across the UK, including from the Department of Health and Social Care in England, to discuss priorities across the UK, such as the Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK (MBRRACE-UK) and to better understand work underway across each of the four nations.

Since 2018, the number of education psychologists in training has more than doubled from a total of 29 in 2016-2017 to over 76 in 2023-2024. This is due to the continued investment Scottish Government in partnership with COSLA make to deliver the training programme for educational psychologists which has risen to nearly £2m per year.

The living costs grant for educational psychologist trainees, in addition to tuition fee funding, is not income assessed and does not need to be repaid. Most post-graduate students studying other subjects are eligible for a £6,900 living costs loan for the duration of their course.

Since 2022, work has been undertaken by Scottish Government, COSLA officials, supported by the National Scottish Steering Group for Educational Psychologists (NSSGEP) and Dundee University, to establish a 3-year doctorate model of training. This package equates to £29,000 per student, per annum, for the duration of the 3-year training programme.

Floral arrangements are supplied via our service partner for Catering Services, Sodexo Limited. Their flower supplier is a small business in Edinburgh established for over 25 years providing fresh flowers and arrangements throughout the year for various events and requests. Sodexo use SME businesses on behalf of the Scottish Parliament prioritising whenever possible using local and Scottish produce.

The Scottish Government recognises the impact that child poverty has on families with a baby, and that some of these families may use baby banks.

Anyone supporting a family in desperate need should refer them to their local authority or a health professional, such as a health visitor, midwife or family nurse, in order to make sure they are getting the holistic support they need, including financial advice and a referral to cash-first crisis supports such as the Scottish Welfare Fund. To support this work, the Scottish Government has published a toolkit to help local areas to respond to and prevent food insecurity.

Our five family payments aim to give children the best start in life and could be worth over £10,000 by the time an eligible child turns six. These include the Scottish Child Payment, which is only available in Scotland, Best Start Foods and three Best Start Grants. They offer financial support to families who are on a low income, both in and out of work. There are no limits to the number of children in a family who can receive these benefits.

Scotland’s universal Baby Box is also offered to all parents in Scotland. It provides essential items worth around £400 for the first 6 months of a baby’s life.

The Scottish Government is developing a new digital strategy which is due for publication in early 2025, for school education in Scotland. This is being developed in partnership with COSLA and key education stakeholders and will help support the use of technology in our schools.

In November 2024, we published an updated Additional Support for Learning Action Plan and a third progress report. The next update is due to be published in 2026. Officials continue to work with local government partners on the ASL Project Board to deliver the remaining actions to improve the experience of children and young people with additional support needs at school, including those who benefit from digital learning and assistive technology.

The Scottish Government also grant fund CALL Scotland £367,177 per year to have a positive and enabling impact on the provision of support to children and young people who can benefit from assistive technology or augmentative and alternative communication.