Chamber and committees

We have been working with the Chief Officers of Integration Joint Boards on the development of this commitment. This includes obtaining further detailed workforce plans to provide information on workforce allocation, location of workforce for 2018-19 and details on the trajectory toward the 800 total by 2021-22. From these plans, 30 out of 31 Integrated Joint Boards have now begun the process of recruiting additional mental health workers under this commitment.

The following table shows the number of students enrolled (full person equivalent) in either (a) a PGDE or (b) an undergraduate degree programme who have allocated Business Studies as their chosen subject, since academic year 2012/13.

Student enrolments in Education with Business Studies in Scotland

The details surrounding audio recording as part of the assessment process will be developed as part of forthcoming service design work, with input from people with lived experience of disability assistance assessments. Policies related to audio recordings will be designed in line with the relevant data protection legislation.

I refer the member to the answer to S5W-19124 on 17 October 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Other than Health & Safety Executive guidance there are currently no regulations which govern the storage and preparation of deceased persons prior to a funeral taking place or where funerals may be conducted.

The Scottish Government, in extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders, is currently drafting a statutory Funeral Director Code of Practice. Provision for such a document is set out within the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016.

This code will set out the standards and practices in relation to care of the deceased which funeral director businesses must adhere to. The code will include measures for the appropriate storage and preparation of the deceased before a funeral.

The content of this code will be publicly consulted upon later this year.

The latest available information on teacher vacancies can be found here:

https://beta.gov.scot/publications/teacher-vacancies-statistics-2016-2017/

It shows that there were 23 vacant business studies teaching posts in Scottish secondary schools in September 2017.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information on the number of state secondary school pupils entered for National Qualifications for 2018-19. Data on the number of pupils entered for Accountancy at National 5, Higher and Advance Higher for the last 10 years was provided in response to S5W–18830 on 15 October 2018. Data on 2018-19 entries is not yet available. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Statistics on the number of teachers buy main subject taught are published in Table 3.9 of the teacher census supplementary tables, available on the Scottish Government here:

https://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/teachcenssuppdata/TeaSup2017

These tables show the number of teachers with a main subject of Business Studies. Statistics on the number of accounting teachers are not collected.

Teachers’ pay in Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers. The Scottish Government was the first government in the UK to commit to lift the 1% public sector pay cap and this was reflected in the 2017-18 pay deal for teachers. The Scottish Government remains very happy to continue discussions with Trade Unions in securing a negotiated outcome for a 2018-19 pay deal.

It is encouraging that the OECD figures show that the average salaries of pre-primary and primary teachers in Scotland are now above the OECD average, and worth noting that Scotland is one of seven OECD countries where teachers receive the same salary irrespective of the level of education taught.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18827 on 15 October 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.