Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government position on the responsibility for addressing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) has not changed. RAAC is primarily a building maintenance issue and responsibility lies with the owner of the building.

Scottish Government funded the Institution of Structural Engineers to develop guidance on the identification, assessment and remediation of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in residential properties. Scottish Government officials met with members of the Institution of Structural Engineers on 21 January 2026 to discuss this guidance.

Members of the Institution of Structural Engineers attended a meeting of the RAAC in Housing Leadership Group meeting on 28 January 2026, to deliver a presentation on the guidance. The meeting was chaired by the former Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Miri McAllan. Scottish Government officials also joined this meeting.

Decisions on how resources are deployed, including the operation of contact, command and control services, are matters for the Chief Constable, reflecting the operational independence of policing. Police Scotland has been very clear that 101 is a non-emergency number and callers are advised of other means by which they can contact the service while on hold.

The Scottish Government is providing record funding of over £1.7 billion for policing in 2026–27, giving Police Scotland the resources it needs to maintain a resilient and responsive service, including the 101 service.

We expect that investment to support effective and accessible services for the public, and to ensure communities continue to receive the prompt and reliable policing response they deserve.

The Scottish Government fulfilled a Programme for Government commitment by publishing its first International Education Strategy (IES) on 7 February 2024. British Council Scotland plays an important role in supporting its implementation as a member of the International Education Strategy Governance Group, providing strategic oversight and advice on the delivery of the Strategy’s objectives.

Through its extensive global networks and expertise, British Council Scotland supports Scottish colleges and universities in a range of areas, including transnational education, international student recruitment and access to seed-funding opportunities.

British Council Scotland also collaborates with sector partners to produce evidence-based research and analysis. This includes Scotland’s Higher Education: Partnering for Global Impact, published in partnership with Universities Scotland, which showcases the global reach and impact of Scotland’s higher education sector.

The Scottish Government provides funding to the British Council (BC) to deliver their Language Assistants Programmes, supporting both the placement of Modern Language Assistants from overseas in Scottish classrooms and universities, and Scotland-based students to travel and teach English abroad as English Language Assistants.

The British Council is set to become the National Agency for Erasmus+ in the UK. This will enable Scotland to achieve its vision of becoming more active internationally, forming connections and partnerships across the globe with countries who share our ambitions to alleviate poverty, achieve net zero and be an attractive place to live, work, visit, study and do business.

The Scottish Government supports the Higher Education Scholarships for Palestinians (HESPAL), a British Council UK scholarship programme developed in partnership with Palestinian universities. The programme aims to strengthen the Palestinian higher education sector by responding to its needs and priorities.

HESPAL seeks to nurture the next generation of senior academics who can uphold international quality standards within Palestinian universities, while also fostering renewed and sustainable partnerships between institutions in Palestine and the United Kingdom.

The Scottish Government looks forward to continued collaboration with the British Council, creating a lasting legacy for scholarship students who have arrived and settled in Scottish Universities from Palestine.

The British Council is set to become the National Agency for Erasmus+ in the UK.

The Erasmus+ Programme is the European Union’s flagship funding programme for education, training, youth and sport. With a budget of approximately 26 billion, it allows individuals of all ages and backgrounds to study, train, volunteer, or gain work experience abroad while providing organizations with grants to build international partnerships.

The Scottish Government will continue to collaborate closely with the British Council Scotland to ensure that Scotland’s learners, students, apprentices and education staff fully benefit from the opportunities arising from association with Erasmus+ from January 2027.

The Scottish Government published the annual Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2025-26 statistical bulletin on 23 June 2026. The publication provides information on crimes and offences recorded by the police across Scotland, including breakdowns by crime type and local authority area. Supporting tables published alongside the bulletin include local authority-level data for a range of crime categories, including vandalism.

While data on crimes of vandalism recorded by the police is available at local authority level, the published statistics do not include information on the ages of suspected perpetrators. Although age breakdowns are available for some crime types through other statistical publications, equivalent data is not published for vandalism. Consequently, it is not possible to identify from these statistics the number of vandalism incidents involving individuals under the age of 18.

The statistics show that vandalism has fallen substantially over the longer term. More generally, recorded crimes of damage and reckless behaviour—of which vandalism accounts for the majority—are now at their lowest level since 1976.

The member may wish to contact Police Scotland, who may be able to provide further information. They can be contacted at: [email protected].Postal requests should be addressed to: FOI - Information Management, Police Scotland, Clyde Gateway, 2 French Street, Glasgow, G40 4EH.

Youth work falls within the scope of The Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013. This regulation, in effect, requires local authorities to identify need and plan provision of Community Learning and Development (CLD) in their areas.

As the regulatory requirements for CLD are placed with education authorities, the Scottish Government does not collate information on youth workers.

The independent review of Community Learning and Development (Learning: For All. For Life.) report was published in July 2024 and recommended that the CLD Standards Council should lead on work to develop a CLD Workforce Plan.

The CLD Standards Council have established a working group with representation across the CLD sector to progress the recommendation and have also undertaken a National CLD Workforce Survey which will provide more detailed information on the youth work workforce.

Youth work falls within the scope of The Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013. This regulation, in effect, requires local authorities to identify need and plan provision of Community Learning and Development in their areas.

As the regulatory requirements for Community Learning and Development are placed with education authorities, the Scottish Government does not collate this information.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01050 on 13 July 2026. 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.

Under current international development priorities, Scottish Government has identified Pakistan and Malawi as key countries for collaboration with British Council. Notably through Scotland Pakistan Scholarships for Young Women and Girls 2025 | British Council administered by British Council team in Pakistan and the Scotland Malawi partnership.

Scottish Government support for the British Council-run Scotland–Pakistan Scholarships for Young Women and Girls scheme has been in place since 2013, reflecting Pakistan’s status as a long-standing country of focus. As the Scottish Government’s longest-running international development programme, the scheme aims to remove barriers for women and girls to pursue and complete secondary education and transition to higher education.

A 2025 British Council evaluation found the programme has expanded girls’ access to education and improved their prospects of entering the labour market. By easing financial barriers and promoting inclusivity, it is driving long-term academic and professional growth and benefiting families and communities.