- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 30 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether there have been any consequences for any of its officials as a result of any investigations into any leaking of ministerial statements or other information to the media, and, if so, what the consequences were.
Answer
The Civil Service Code requires that officials must not disclose official information without authority. No investigations have identified that officials have deliberately leaked information. We have offered guidance and engaged with teams on improving the handling of sensitive information.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 29 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many children and young people have been placed on part-time timetables in schools in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
The number of pupils that have been recorded with a part-time timetable absence code for 1 or more openings (half-day sessions) in each local authority from 2018-19 is set out in the following table.
Local Authority | 2018-19 | 2020-21 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
Aberdeen City | 175 | 245 | 403 | 566 |
Aberdeenshire | 263 | 249 | 522 | 635 |
Angus | 122 | 142 | 229 | 230 |
Argyll and Bute | 46 | 75 | 160 | 191 |
City of Edinburgh | 223 | 527 | 780 | 986 |
Clackmannanshire | 11 | c | 12 | c |
Dumfries and Galloway | 34 | 87 | 241 | 619 |
Dundee City | 46 | 107 | 164 | 139 |
East Ayrshire | 219 | 341 | 572 | 627 |
East Dunbartonshire | 27 | 100 | 102 | 138 |
East Lothian | 122 | 217 | 250 | 189 |
East Renfrewshire | c | 18 | 75 | 156 |
Falkirk | 72 | 133 | 140 | 104 |
Fife | 86 | 94 | 128 | 76 |
Glasgow City | 100 | 215 | 196 | 350 |
Grant Aided | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Highland | 264 | 426 | 556 | 623 |
Inverclyde | 46 | 39 | 76 | 168 |
Midlothian | 177 | 274 | 305 | 442 |
Moray | 86 | 164 | 187 | 186 |
Na h-Eileanan Siar | c | c | 7 | c |
North Ayrshire | 49 | 72 | 74 | 113 |
North Lanarkshire | 148 | 156 | 253 | 410 |
Orkney Islands | 16 | 14 | 36 | 60 |
Perth and Kinross | 102 | 154 | 257 | 377 |
Renfrewshire | 44 | 63 | 106 | 119 |
Scottish Borders | 72 | 113 | 124 | 202 |
Shetland Islands | 13 | 41 | 34 | 47 |
South Ayrshire | 13 | 47 | 58 | 97 |
South Lanarkshire | 84 | 201 | 447 | 389 |
Stirling | 75 | 134 | 148 | 205 |
West Dunbartonshire | 39 | 152 | 160 | 270 |
West Lothian | 288 | 547 | 995 | 1094 |
c = value suppressed to protect against the risk of disclosure of personal information.
Note that information on pupils recorded with a part-time timetable code was not collected centrally by the Scottish Government before the 2018-19 school year. Two new absence codes – part-time timetable (health related) and part-time timetable (exclusion related) – were available for schools to use from the 2018-19 school year. As with any new coding, variation in the use and application of these new absence codes was identified during the quality assurance of the 2018-19 attendance and absence data. There is evidence to suggest that this is still happening, although to a lesser extent.
These part-time timetable absences are part of the ‘other authorised absence’ category for the purposes of reporting in the 2018-19 statistics onwards. The number of absences reported using these new part-time timetable codes was very small so the inclusion of them as ‘other authorised absence’ does not have a large impact on the size or quality of this category.
Furthermore, prior to 2022-23, statistics on school pupil attendance and absence were collected and published biennially. The table above sets out the number of pupils that have been recorded with a part-time timetable absence code for 1 or more openings (i.e. half day) in each school, local authority and school year. However, due to pupils moving schools’ part-way through the school year, some pupils may be double-counted within and across local authorities.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 29 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the current spend per individual on palliative care by each Integrated Joint Board (IJB).
Answer
This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.
In Scotland, it is for Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) to govern, plan and resource adult palliative care in their areas, using the delegated budgets under their control, to meet the needs of their local populations.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many children and young people have been reported to (a) the police, (b) social work services and (c) education support services for carrying a knife or weapon in school since 1999.
Answer
In terms of part (a), statistics on police recorded crimes of weapon possession within a school are available in the following table. Information is available from 2017-18 onwards, the first year that data was collected separately for school settings. The fall in 2020-21 will reflect the closure of schools due to the Covid pandemic. Information is not held centrally on the age of the perpetrator, so whilst it is likely the majority of these crimes in a school involve a child or young person, it is not necessarily the case for every incident.
| | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
Possession of an offensive weapon in a school – not used | 33 | 36 | 34 | 18 | 28 | 35 | 42 |
Having in a school an article with a blade or point – not used | 128 | 91 | 112 | 56 | 98 | 112 | 94 |
Possession of an offensive weapon in a school - used | 32 | 38 | 40 | 27 | 65 | 69 | 60 |
Having in a school an article with a blade or point - used | 29 | 34 | 21 | 9 | 37 | 27 | 35 |
Total | 222 | 199 | 207 | 110 | 228 | 243 | 231 |
Source: Recorded Crime Accredited Official Statistics, 2023-24
In terms of parts (b) and (c), the information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many play parks have been upgraded in each local authority area in each year since 2021.
Answer
The Scottish Government is investing £60 million to renew play parks in Scotland, so children have access to free, high-quality outdoor play in their own communities. Since funding began in 2021, a total of 887 play parks have been renewed or are in the process of being renewed by local authority partners, up to April 2024. Local authority partners will be reporting on progress in 2024-25 in April 2025. Local authority partners have confirmed that all funding provided to date is allocated to the current and future renewal of play parks that have been identified by the local authority in need of improvement.
Local Authority | Play parks renewed in 2021-22 | Play parks renewed in 2022-23 | Play parks renewed in 2023-24 |
Aberdeen City | 11 | 46 | 28 |
Aberdeenshire Council | 15 | 13 | 20 |
Angus Council | 6 | 3 | 8 |
Argyll and Bute Council | 0 | 0 | 0 |
City of Edinburgh Council | 14 | 16 | 22 |
Clackmannanshire Council | 1 | 2 | 6 |
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Council | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dumfries and Galloway Council | 0 | 28 | 18 |
Dundee City Council | 0 | 4 | 18 |
East Ayrshire Council | 12 | 40 | 57 |
East Dunbartonshire Council | 1 | 3 | 8 |
East Lothian Council | 1 | 1 | 24 |
East Renfrewshire Council | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Falkirk Council | 2 | 7 | 9 |
Fife Council | 12 | 9 | 10 |
Glasgow City Council | 1 | 5 | 8 |
Highland Council | 0 | 38 | 16 |
Inverclyde Council | 6 | 5 | 5 |
Midlothian Council | 2 | 18 | 14 |
Moray Council | 1 | 6 | 6 |
North Ayrshire Council | 0 | 29 | 19 |
North Lanarkshire Council | 7 | 4 | 12 |
Orkney Islands Council | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Perth and Kinross Council | 3 | 10 | 21 |
Renfrewshire Council | 2 | 3 | 7 |
Scottish Borders Council | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Shetland Islands | 0 | 1 | 4 |
South Ayrshire Council | 6 | 4 | 4 |
South Lanarkshire Council | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Stirling Council | 9 | 6 | 8 |
West Dunbartonshire Council | 5 | 5 | 9 |
West Lothian | 42 | 6 | 22 |
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many students from (a) Scotland have accessed apprenticeship courses in English institutions and (b) England have accessed apprenticeship courses in Scottish institutions in each year since 1999.
Answer
1.The Scottish Government do not hold this information on Modern Apprentices centrally.
2.Skills Development Scotland (SDS) have operational responsibility for apprenticeships in Scotland. They have supplied the following data:
| | Modern Apprenticeships Total Starts | England volumes with Scottish Employer based on trainee postcode | % England volumes with Scottish Employer based on trainee postcode |
2008-09 | 10,579 | 31 | 0.29% |
2009-10 | 20,216 | 52 | 0.26% |
2010-11 | 21,561 | 42 | 0.19% |
2011-12 | 26,427 | 69 | 0.26% |
2012-13 | 25,691 | 55 | 0.21% |
2013-14 | 25,284 | 51 | 0.20% |
2014-15 | 25,247 | 41 | 0.16% |
2015-16 | 25,818 | 74 | 0.29% |
2016-17 | 26,262 | 65 | 0.25% |
2017-18 | 27,145 | 52 | 0.19% |
2018-19 | 27,270 | 79 | 0.29% |
2019-20 | 27,875 | 66 | 0.24% |
2020-21 | 18,655 | 70 | 0.38% |
2021-22 | 25,401 | 96 | 0.38% |
2022-23 | 25,447 | 71 | 0.28% |
2023-24 | 25,365 | 83 | 0.33% |
Total | 384,243 | 997 | 0.26% |
Eligibility criteria for apprenticeships in Scotland can be accessed on the SDS website https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/dnif1kfl/modern-apprenticeship-programme-specification.pdf
SDS were formed in 2008 so they do not hold data prior to this date.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many reports of children and young people being exploited have been recorded by Police Scotland in each year since 1999.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Police Scotland would be the best suited to provide the required information on this matter.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been allocated to each local authority to upgrade play parks in each year since 2021.
Answer
The Scottish Government is investing £60 million to renew play parks in Scotland, so children have access to free, high-quality outdoor play in their own communities.
Funding to support the Play Parks renewal programme has been allocated as follows:
2021-22 - £5 million
2022-23 - £5 million
2023-24 - £10 million
2024-25 - £15 million
The following table shows how much funding has been allocated to each local authority since 2021.
Local Authority | Allocation for 2021-22 | Allocation for 2022-23 | Allocation for 2023-24 | Allocation for 2024-25 |
Aberdeen City | £188,000 | £185,000 | £373,000 | £559,000 |
Aberdeenshire Council | £296,000 | £308,000 | £616,000 | £924,000 |
Angus Council | £108,000 | £111,000 | £220,000 | £330,000 |
Argyll and Bute Council | £76,000 | £79,000 | £157,000 | £235,000 |
City of Edinburgh Council | £414,000 | £406,000 | £811,000 | £1,216,000 |
Clackmannanshire Council | £47,000 | £46,000 | £93,000 | £139,000 |
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Council | £29,000 | £32,000 | £62,000 | £93,000 |
Dumfries and Galloway Council | £140,000 | £146,000 | £291,000 | £437,000 |
Dundee City Council | £125,000 | £122,000 | £243,000 | £365,000 |
East Ayrshire Council | £112,000 | £112,000 | £224,000 | £336,000 |
East Dunbartonshire Council | £102,000 | £100,000 | £202,000 | £303,000 |
East Lothian Council | £108,000 | £108,000 | £218,000 | £327,000 |
East Renfrewshire Council | £102,000 | £101,000 | £204,000 | £306,000 |
Falkirk Council | £147,000 | £145,000 | £289,000 | £434,000 |
Fife Council | £344,000 | £342,000 | £681,000 | £1,022,000 |
Glasgow City Council | £525,000 | £514,000 | £1,028,000 | £1,542,000 |
Highland Council | £234,000 | £245,000 | £488,000 | £732,000 |
Inverclyde Council | £65,000 | £63,000 | £126,000 | £189,000 |
Midlothian Council | £98,000 | £97,000 | £197,000 | £295,000 |
Moray Council | £92,000 | £94,000 | £188,000 | £282,000 |
North Ayrshire Council | £118,000 | £117,000 | £231,000 | £347,000 |
North Lanarkshire Council | £324,000 | £319,000 | £635,000 | £952,000 |
Orkney Islands Council | £24,000 | £26,000 | £51,000 | £77,000 |
Perth and Kinross Council | £140,000 | £144,000 | £291,000 | £437,000 |
Renfrewshire Council | £158,000 | £155,000 | £307,000 | £461,000 |
Scottish Borders Council | £113,000 | £117,000 | £234,000 | £352,000 |
Shetland Islands | £28,000 | £31,000 | £61,000 | £91,000 |
South Ayrshire Council | £94,000 | £94,000 | £189,000 | £283,000 |
South Lanarkshire Council | £298,000 | £296,000 | £597,000 | £896,000 |
Stirling Council | £84,000 | £85,000 | £168,000 | £253,000 |
West Dunbartonshire Council | £81,000 | £79,000 | £157,000 | £235,000 |
West Lothian | £186,000 | £184,000 | £369,000 | £553,000 |
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated cost is for delivering a new Edinburgh eye hospital.
Answer
As set out in answer S6W-32929 on 15 January 2025, the Scottish Government have confirmed that the replacement of the Eye Pavilion is a strategic priority and the 2025-26 Draft Budget has provided the necessary funding to allow the development of the business case to restart.
NHS Lothian’s Eye Pavilion replacement program had progressed to an Outline Business Case, the second of three approval stages, and therefore no Full Business Case or final estimate of costs has ever been produced.
We also do not yet have an updated cost estimate of a new eye hospital in Edinburgh, therefore it is not currently possible to answer this question. NHS Lothian are in the process of re-establishing the project team and will provide an updated forecast in due course.
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: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce a child and young person exploitation offence.
Answer
The Scottish Government is currently awaiting the UK Government’s proposals on introducing new child criminal exploitation (CCE) offence as part of the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill in England and Wales.
My officials are in regular contact with Home Office officials on the progress of these plans, and when the finalised proposals are made available, we will be in the position to assess the potential to extend this measure to Scotland through the Legislative Consent process.
