Chamber and committees

In order to support delivery of the commitment the Scottish Government will invest nearly £1.5 million in 2017-18 to fund additional places for teacher training and on the BA Childhood Practice. As a result of this investment we expect an additional 126 students to start their teacher training and an additional 270 students to commence BA Childhood Practice in 2017-18.

We are currently working closely with local authorities to progress this commitment, and will ask them to provide plans setting out how they propose to allocate, and fill, the additional places in their area.

We are currently working closely with local authorities on the implementation of this commitment. Local authorities will be asked to provide plans setting out how they propose to allocate, and fill, the additional places in their area.

Allocations of the additional graduates to local authorities were determined by their share of the nurseries located in the 20% most deprived postcode areas. Using the Care Inspectorate data on Early Learning and Childcare settings, and the latest Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), 432 nurseries were identified as being located in the 20% most deprived postcode areas. Each of the three local authorities (Orkney, Shetland, and Western Isles) without a nursery in the 20% most deprived postcode areas will also receive one additional full-time equivalent graduate.

However, to ensure that this commitment benefits as many children as possible local authorities will be given flexibility to draw on their local data to prioritise how they allocate these additional places.

We are currently working closely with local authorities on progressing this commitment, and will ask them provide plans setting out how they propose to allocate the additional places in their area.

The Scottish Government's estimate of non-domestic rates income attributable to the large business supplement for 2017-18 by Assessors' property classification is set out in the following table.

The Scottish Government does not collect information on the qualification route of teachers in Early Learning and Childcare. The number of teachers working in this sector is collected through the Early Learning and Childcare census each year, and these teachers must be registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland.

The Scottish Government does not collect information on the qualification route of teachers in schools or in Early Learning and Childcare.

Information on school teachers is collected in the teacher census every year, and information on early learning and childcare teachers is collected in the early learning and childcare census every year. For both of these collections, teachers must be registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland.

Taking next year's local government finance settlement plus the other sources of income available through potential increases in council tax, and Health and Social Care Integration, the overall increase in spending power to support local authority services in 2017-18 amounts to £241 million (2.3 per cent in cash terms) or over £91 million (0.9 per cent in real terms).

Furthermore, we will meet out Programme for Government commitment to maintain the budget for active travel at record levels throughout this Parliament, with planned investment in 2017-18 of £39.2 million.

Funding has increased 34% from 2012-13 to 2016-17 (estimated spend) on the specific programmes listed below where figures have been provided.

The following tables shows the amount spent on the specific programmes requested.

a) Developing Young Workforce (regional groups)

b) The Flexible Workforce Development Fund is a new fund and funding is expected to be available in Autumn 2017.

c) Digital economy and skills and business support

Through the Digital Scotland Business Excellence Partnership the Scottish Government has made £15.5 million available over the past four years to both; help tackle digital skills shortages; and help Scottish businesses increase their digital capability.

d) Voluntary Sector Development Fund

2016-17 figures on basis that not all acceptances have been received.

e) Early years recruitment and training

Local authorities are responsible for recruitment and training in their early learning and childcare settings; and, can support partner providers with training and continuing professional development (CPD). It is for local authorities to fund this through their own allocations from the Scottish Government block grant. Local authorities have received an additional £329 million revenue since 2014 to implement the additional hours of Early Learning and Childcare, flexibility, and 2 year old children. However, the exact amount of the funding settlement which is used for recruitment and training within each local authority is not held centrally.

f) Transition Training Fund

g) Teacher Training

This includes only the element of teacher training covering workforce development. It covers the Into Headship provision and the Scottish College for Educational Leadership.

h) Individual Learning Accounts

i) Support to employers to help disadvantaged young people access and sustain employment

Includes projects such as Community Jobs Scotland and Scotland’s Employer Recruitment Incentive.

j) Other workforce development programmes

Includes Flexible Training Opportunities, Low Carbon Fund and Employer Support and Innovation Fund. The Flexible Training Opportunities programme ceased in 2015-16.

Starting dates for three year olds are defined in legislation. Under these provisions, children who could start school at around 4½ are entitled to an additional year of ELC if parents wish and start school around 5½; children who will be closer to their 5^th birthday can request an additional year at the local authorities discretion and start closer to their 6^th birthday. In addition, local authorities can and do start children earlier than the term after their 3^rd birthday where they have capacity to do so, and this is for them to fund and manage.

Our main priority is to extend the entitlement to eligible two year olds. However, we will consider this report along with all the responses we have received to our ‘Blueprint for 2020’ consultation on the expansion of early learning and childcare in order to inform policy development, planning and implementation for the expansion to 1,140 hours.

Following the considerations of the GP Premises Short Life Working Group, an implementation group has been established, which includes representation from NHS boards (including Lothian), BMA and Scottish Government. This group will review and recommend updates, where required, to the legal framework outlined in the Premises Directions. If necessary, changes to the Scottish Government Property Transactions Handbook will also be considered.