Chamber and committees

Additional revenue funding allocated to local authorities over the last five years under the Bellwin Scheme as a result of flooding was as follows:

2013-14 – No claims made.

2014-15 – No claims made

2015-16 – Aberdeenshire Council received £2,065,929;

Angus Council received £362,165;

Perth and Kinross received £750,691; and

Scottish Borders Council received £3,797,731.

2016-17 – No claims made.

2017-18 – No claims have been made to date.

It is not possible to provide an average for these staff groups as pay for all staff in the Agenda for Change system is dependent on individual job descriptions which are then matched to the appropriate pay band. However, the largest nursing group are paid on the Band 5 range, and most staff on Band 5 are at the top of that range which in 2015-16 was £28,462. Similarly, the largest group of midwives match to Band 6, with most staff in that Band at the top of the range also. In 2015-16 this was £35,225. Most staff in these groups will also receive enhancements on their salary for unsocial hours or on-call work, raising their overall take home pay.

Scottish Government analysis of Scottish Household Survey data shows that there were an estimated 120,000* people living in a privately rented property in the Edinburgh local authority area in 2016, a figure which includes both adults and children. This equates to an estimated 23 per cent of the total Edinburgh population estimate of 507,170.

The number of private rented households in the Edinburgh local authority area in 2016 was estimated to be 60,000*, which equates to 26 per cent of the 232,885 households in the area.

* The Scottish Household Survey is a sample survey and therefore the results provided are subject to a margin of error and should be considered to be approximate estimates and not exact values. Figures have been rounded to the nearest ten thousand to reflect this. At a 95% confidence level, the number of people in the private rented sector in Edinburgh in 2016 is estimated to be between 100,000 and 130,000, and the number of households is estimated to be between 50,000 and 70,000.

The figures provided are the numbers of schools not inspected in each local authority in each of the last 10 years, based on the Scottish Government list of schools as at September of the relevant inspection year, broken down by local authority for publicly funded and independent schools separately.

The following figures have been calculated only on the basis of inspections carried out in a single academic year. The figures are not cumulative.

Improving weight and diet is a top priority for this government as we made clear in the Programme for Government. We will shortly publish and consult on our new Diet and Obesity Strategy which will be brought forward this year. In developing that strategy we look forward to hearing stakeholder views on what further action can be taken, within the powers of this Government, to impact on moving and supporting Scotland's population towards better and healthier lifestyle choices.

The information requested is not currently available. 2015-16 data is the latest data available from the Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA). 2016-17 data will be published in January 2018

8,370 children in Edinburgh were affected by school closures in 2016-17 because of concerns regarding building standards and none of these children lost more than 5 days of schooling.

The following table shows the number of entrants each year on teacher education courses at Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) from 2011-12 to 2015-16. 2015-16 data is the latest data available from the Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA). 2016-17 data will be published in January 2018.

Entrants on teacher education courses at Scottish HEIs, UK and EU domiciled

Source: HESA, SG analysis

Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5. Totals based on unrounded numbers

Using HESA variable TQSSEC and CTITLE

ScotRail’s performance information does not capture the train services affected by 'leaves on the line’ as low rail adhesion can be experienced on many services during the autumn and early winter months, for a variety of reasons including contamination of rail head surfaces with leaf litter. This is why ScotRail is investing £2.6 million this year in clearing the track and managing rail adhesion.

The current Air Passenger Duty rate amounts are set by the UK Government, which is responsible for assessing the impact of the tax on Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Our aim is to reduce the burden of Air Departure Tax (ADT) by 50% and to abolish the tax altogether when resources allow. Cutting the tax burden will help to ensure a more level playing field with many other European airports competing to secure the same airlines and routes.

We will publish the findings of an independent study of the economic impact on Scotland of reducing the overall ADT burden by 50% in the Autumn.