Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government remains committed to implementing legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament to tackle violence against women and girls.

We are working closely with stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of the Female Genital Mutilation (Protection and Guidance) (Scotland) Act 2020. Progress to date includes the development of court rules proposal papers, preparing statutory guidance and reviewing existing training provisions and awareness raising approaches. We aim to implement the Act by the end of 2026, although this timeline is also dependent on the readiness and capacity of partner organisations.

Despite the implementation challenges in relation to Part 1 of the Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Act 2021, the Scottish Government and associated partner agencies are committed to working together to consider how the protection notice and order scheme could be implemented.

A working group was established in 2025 to consider possible legislative changes to the 2021 Act to enable the protection notice and order scheme to be implemented in a way that is sustainable, deliverable and affordable.

The working group has met five times and has identified a number of potential changes to the legislation, with the intention of these informing a consultation in 2026. Following the election we will now look to refine the potential legislative changes further, with a view to a targeted consultation later in 2026. Following any such consultation and analysis of responses I will be able to provide a more detailed update on timelines for bringing forward the necessary legislative changes to enable the domestic abuse protection notice and order scheme to be operationalised.

The Scottish Government has committed to begin procurement for the ‘Welcome to School bag’ within the first 100 days by working with children and families to shape the best items for the start of school. Scottish Government Officials have begun engaging with learners, parents and carers, and headteachers on the various design, content, and delivery options, after which, we will produce a timeline for delivery.

During the previous parliamentary session, funding was provided for academic year 2025-26 whereby 475 pupils across a number of schools and Local Authorities received support from the tutoring pilot. The tutoring programme aims to support individuals from deprived backgrounds to improve their attainment and potentially go on to participate in higher education, where they can access the opportunities and outcomes made available via post-school education.

The Scottish Government has made a commitment to build on this pilot and ensure more young people can access bespoke support to raise their grades and attainment.

We will consider the end-of-project evaluation and impart report post-August 2026 exam results to inform our approach for this parliamentary session.

The Scottish Government provided funding to Queen Margaret University and the University of Glasgow to extend tutoring provision to more pupils and schools in early 2026. Project staff will produce an end-of-project evaluation and impact report post-August 2026 exam results, for publication by November 2026.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving outcomes for young people within under-represented communities to break down systemic inequalities across every educational pathway.

We aim to create a balanced and inclusive educational system that accommodates diverse learner needs, providing appropriate learning levels and destinations.

The 2026-27 Budget continues to provide local authorities with an additional £186.5 million to protect teacher numbers. We will work in partnership with local government to agree delivery of the commitment to maintain pupil-teacher ratios.

There are now 2,700 more teachers in Scotland's classrooms than a decade ago, as a result of sustained investment by the Scottish Government. Scotland also continues to have the lowest pupil-teacher ratio in the UK.

The Scottish Government has committed to expanding childcare support to children from nine months through to the end of primary school over the course of this Parliament. As this work progresses, we will set out a detailed programme to enable Parliament and the public to monitor progress.

Funding for the Apprenticeship Accelerator Grant will be considered as part of preparation for the Scottish Budget 2027-28. Funding for subsequent years will be a matter for future budgets.

The Scottish Government is taking forward the commitment for a national skills plan aligned to economic need. We are working with partners in developing the plan and will update parliament in the autumn.

Teacher employment practices are matters for local authorities as employers however Local Government is responsible for providing a complement of teachers and all the necessary staff that best meets the needs of each school and its pupils within the resources available.

However, we know there are challenges in some places and in subject areas and that is why we are working to encourage more students to pursue teaching careers through the Teaching Bursary Scheme, which offers £12,500 to individuals undertaking graduate teacher training in hard-to-fill subjects including Maths, Technical Education and Science.

We also recently ran a recruitment campaign, delivered between January to March, was aimed at encouraging more students to take up a career in teaching, specifically in hard to fill subjects and rural areas. Priority subjects that were covered include STEM, Modern Languages and Home Economics.

Where a subject cannot be offered by a school, national guidelines encourage flexibility, enabling schools to work collaboratively with other local schools or colleges or through online, digital approaches.

Plans to deliver this commitment will be set out in due course. In 2026-27, the Scottish Government has provided funding to support around 25,500 new modern apprenticeship starts and 1,500 graduate apprenticeships starts. Funding for apprenticeships in 2027-28 will be considered as part of preparation for the Scottish Budget 2027-28. Funding for subsequent years will be a matter for future budgets.