Chamber and committees

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 is in regular contact with the UK Government on all aspects of energy policy, including the transition to renewable energy and the need to bring down bills.

It is essential that the UK Government puts customers at the heart of all policy decisions across the energy market and we continue to call on the UK Government to take immediate action to address high fuel bills.

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.

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.

The Scottish Enterprise and UK Office for Investment have established the Grangemouth Investor taskforce which is focussed on identifying and attracting investment in the proposals outlined in Project Willow, with a particular focus on opportunities that the Grangemouth Just Transition Fund could support to ensure they become market investible.

I agreed the remit of the Review of Creative Scotland with the independent Chair, Angela Leitch, and it is available on the Scottish Government’s website at the following link: Independent Review of Creative Scotland: remit - gov.scot

The review will include consideration of Creative Scotland’s finances and distribution of funds.

The Review is independent of the Scottish Government and will deliver its recommendations in November.

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.

Our immediate priority is to capitalise on the near term opportunities set out in Project Willow, with a focus on bringing forward new jobs at Grangemouth as quickly as possible. The Grangemouth investment taskforce is delivering on this priority by working with businesses with an interest in developing projects aligned to those suggested in Project Willow.

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.

Creative Scotland assesses all applications made - irrespective of theme, subject matter or artform - in accordance with the published criteria and guidance for each funding stream. This guidance states explicit restrictions on the use of funding provided by Creative Scotland for party political activities. The terms and conditions of the agreements entered into with successful applicants further support this position, making clear that funding awarded cannot be used for such activities.