Chamber and committees

Scottish Government are currently developing options for a National Digital Academy. A core team of four officials within Education Scotland are currently working together on the development of options. Other officials within Education Scotland and Scottish Government are also inputting as necessary to this work.

The £140 million indicated in the Capital Spending Review was for the years 2023-24 to 2025-26. As you will be aware, the current Budget allocates £13m of capital funding for 2023-24. As reported by the Deputy First Minister on 21 November, that £13 million has been announced as part of the budget savings required to reach a balanced budget.

In developing the actions within Scotland’s National Innovation Strategy, including our Innovation Funding Review, we engaged extensively with a diverse and extensive range of institutions, organisations and stakeholders from across the innovation ecosystem.

This included a public consultation, events, workshops and engagements with businesses from a range of different sectors and sizes across the country, industry leadership groups, all of our universities and colleges, our innovation centres, investors, entrepreneurs and the wider public sector including our enterprise and skills agencies.

As we further develop the Innovation Funding Review we will continue to utilise this evidence-led, open, inclusive and collaborative approach to ensure we meet the needs of our diverse innovation community.

The Scottish Government has continued to use its convening power to meet both trade unions and employers to urge continued dialogue and collaboration over a range of workforce issues, including the ongoing pay negotiations. However, the Scottish Government has been absolutely clear that it has no locus to be involved directly in the national bargaining process. This position is in line with the findings of the Lessons Learned report and respects the national collective bargaining framework.

The Scottish Government is still awaiting some responses to the Lessons Learned report from partners in the National Collective Bargaining process and is currently considering next steps with respect to the report’s recommendations that are for Scottish Government to progress, particularly in relation to the independent Chair of the National Joint Negotiating Committee (NJNC).

Once all responses have been received from all partners in the National Collective Bargaining process, the Scottish Government will engage with the Education, Children and Young People Committee on those findings.

The Scottish Government does not hold this data. The Teacher Induction Scheme is administered by the General Teaching Council of Scotland (GTCS). As such, the GTCS is best placed to advise on how many newly qualified teachers are eligible each year to undertake probation, and subsequently how many teachers complete their probation year.  

There is a currently a mixed delivery of breakfast provision across Scotland with a range of service providers including public, private and third sector. We have conducted provisional modelling of breakfast provision and have begun work with local authorities and key stakeholders to better understand and map provision in order to identify gaps in provision. This will help us develop a plan for breakfast provision, designed around the needs of children and families.

The Scottish Government has committed to develop plans to deliver free breakfasts to all primary and special school children. Breakfasts are being provided across Scotland by a range of service providers including public, private and third sector. We are working with local authorities and key stakeholders to better understand and map existing provision. This will help us develop a plan for breakfast provision, designed around the needs of children and families, which will include delivery timescales.

Breakfasts are being provided across Scotland by a range of service providers including public, private and third sector. We are working with local authorities and key stakeholders to better understand and map existing provision. This will help us develop a plan for breakfast provision, designed around the needs of children and families, which will include estimated costs and appropriate delivery models.

Breakfasts are being provided across Scotland by a range of service providers including public, private and third sector. We do not collect national-level data associated with this provision.