Chamber and committees

Details are as follows:

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) provides modelling of the projected amount of (short duration) battery storage that could be required in the GB system and Scotland. On 5 November NESO published advice to the UK Government on how to achieve Clean Power by 2030. At the same time, NESO also published consultations on the connections queue reform. We are currently considering this advice and modelling, which will inform our approach. We will also consider any measures proposed in the forthcoming UK Government Clean Power Action Plan.

Scotland’s National Planning Framework 4 ensures that the impacts of proposals on communities and nature are important considerations in the decision-making process.

The Scottish Government policy towards local authorities’ spending is to allow local authorities the financial freedom to operate independently. As such, the vast majority of capital funding is provided by means of a block grant. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including on flood protection, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities. Individual local authorities hold information on spending in this area.

Financial Year 2023-24

*Paid-for media public health campaigns:

Statistics on the pupil-teacher ratio in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year since 2019 are published in Figure 4 of Summary statistics for schools in Scotland 2023, which is available on the Scottish Government website at:

Summary statistics for schools in Scotland 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

Statistics on the number of children educated in category (a) C and (b) D school buildings in each of the last eight years are available in Table 4.1c of the school estate supplementary statistics, available on the Scottish Government website at: School estates supplementary statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

Statistics on the average class size for each primary school year group in each year since 2016 are available from Table 2.10 of the pupil census supplementary statistics, available on the Scottish Government website at:

Pupil census supplementary statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

Following the implementation of emergency spending controls (which included the public sector marketing expenditure freeze), a process was put in place across all policy areas to rigorously assess which essential marketing expenditure should still proceed in 2024-25 and what activity can be halted or postponed. This assessment process is aligned with the 4 key priorities of the Scottish Government and with individual policy outcomes. All Scottish Government marketing expenditure with an essential need for 2024-25 is subject to the First Minister’s approval.

For clarity, the Scottish Government has not suspended public health marketing campaigns and remains committed to the importance that campaigns have in communicating public health priorities. It should be noted, however, that marketing is just one of a number of interventions that can affect health outcomes.

All Scottish Government media planning and buying is proposed by media agencies appointed in call-off arrangements from the Media Planning, Buying and Associated Services Frameworks. The Providers of the Framework services have all been successful as a result of competition which evaluates Quality and Price, therefore offering the Most Economically Advantageous Tender(s) within the market place.

Media agencies take an evidence-based approach to developing a media strategy to deliver campaign objectives reflecting audience media consumption. All media plans and schedules procured in the call-off arrangements from media agencies are robustly assessed by Scottish Government marketing teams, across a range of different criteria including audience reach and frequency by channel; effectiveness of the media mix in delivering against SMART marketing objectives and policy outcomes; along-side quality and price.

As detailed in the answer to question S6W-30730 on 20 November 2024, individual campaign requirements were assessed on a case by case basis further to the implementation of emergency spending controls, and decisions on whether or not to proceed with planned activity were taken in line with Scottish Government priorities, the desired policy aims and outcomes, and budget impact. 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.