- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of its youth work budget, by local authority area, for the current financial year.
Answer
The Scottish Government highly values youth work and continues to fund youth work across Scotland in a variety of ways. Local Authorities are required to provide adequate and efficient Community Learning and Development (CLD), which includes youth work, as set out in the Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013. In line with the Verity House Agreement, Local Authorities have the autonomy to allocate resources to meet the specific needs of young people in their areas.
In addition to the block grant given to Local Authorities, the Scottish Government directly funds a range of youth work initiatives, projects and programmes. These initiatives aim to support diverse youth work models, promote partnership working and enhance the quality of youth work.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of its youth work budget for the next three years, and what percentage increase is planned.
Answer
The Scottish Government highly values youth work in Scotland. The Scottish Government published its budget for 2025-26 on 4 December 2024. Scottish Government budgets are published on an annual basis and information can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/budget/
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many youth work organisations have had to reduce services or close due to any funding reductions since 2012.
Answer
The Scottish Government highly values youth work in Scotland. Local Authorities are required to provide adequate and efficient Community Learning and Development (CLD), which includes youth work, as set out in the Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013. In line with the Verity House Agreement, Local Authorities have the autonomy to allocate resources to meet the specific needs of young people in their areas.
These regulations require that a CLD plan is produced every three years by each education authority. Current CLD plans covering period 2024-2027 can be found on Local Authority websites. As the regulations set out the duties at a local level, the Scottish Government does not collate information on youth work organisations.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of primary schools currently meet its target of providing at least two hours of quality physical education per week.
Answer
Information on the schools which meet the PE target is available from the school contact details dataset.
The percentage of primary schools meeting the target of providing at least two hours of PE per week as of July 2024 is 99.6%
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what percentage of schools have (i) reduced, (ii) increased and (iii) maintained the hours allocated to physical education in each of the last five years.
Answer
This is a matter for individual schools and local authorities. This level of information is not held centrally.
I also refer the member to the answer to question S6W-31840 on 12 December 2024. 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.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been allocated to improving physical education facilities in schools in each of the last five years.
Answer
This is a matter for individual schools and local authorities. This level of information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what the most recent data is for participation in physical education among school pupils, broken down by (a) year group, (b) gender and (c) local authority.
Answer
The level of information requested in relation to participation in PE is not held centrally. For information on the schools which meet the PE target, I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-31840 on 12 December 2024. 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.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 2 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that feedback from pupils and parents regarding the quality of primary school meals is taken into account when developing or improving meal provision.
Answer
Local authorities are under a statutory duty to comply with the standards set out in the Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020 when designing menus. How they do this is a matter for local decision making taking into account local needs and priorities. The Scottish Government provides advice via ‘Better Eating, Better Learning’ guidance and encourages local authorities to involve pupils, parents and carers in menu development in order to take account of local preferences and feedback as they design new menus and encourage uptake.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 2 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to reduce the amount of saturated fat in primary school meals, and how compliance with these measures is assessed.
Answer
All local authority and grant aided schools in Scotland are under a statutory duty to comply with the standards set out in the Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020. The standards in the Regulations are based in scientific evidence and dietary advice designed to provide children and young people with an appropriate amount of energy and nutrients to support their healthy growth and development. The standards specify the maximum amount of saturated fat that can be contained in school meals and other food provided across the school day. Education Scotland Health and Nutrition Inspectors evaluate evidence of compliance by local authorities with the standards in the Regulations. This includes assessing saturated fat content of menus and other foods across the school day.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 2 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of primary school meals is prepared from fresh ingredients.
Answer
All local authorities are under a statutory duty to ensure their menus comply with the standards set out in The Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020. What food and drink they choose to include on their menus, including fresh produce, is a matter for each local authority taking into account local needs and preferences.