Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S7W-01884

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its proposed timeframe is for the delivery of its commitment to implement bespoke housing standards for accommodation used by seasonal agricultural workers.

Current housing standards do not cover agricultural seasonal workers’ accommodation such as mobile homes or other temporary structures, as mobile homes are not considered as houses for the purpose of legislation. This has resulted in inconsistent and unequal protection for seasonal workers and is something we want to address.

The Scottish Government expect local authorities to use the powers granted them to introduce byelaws, taking into account the specific circumstances relating to seasonal workers in their geographical area.

Local authorities will have their own individual timelines for delivery. Officials have had discussions with COSLA and are continuing to engage with them regarding local authorities’ responsibilities and to facilitate the timely implementation of byelaws that maintain standards of accommodation for seasonal workers.

Question reference: S7W-01942

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01102 by Ben Macpherson on 13 July 2026, what oversight it has of colleges' compliance with relevant health and safety legislation and guidance issued by the Health and Safety Executive.

Responsibility for regulation and enforcement of health and safety requirements rests with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) while the Scottish Funding Council retain oversight of the college sector on key issues of accountability and compliance. The Scottish Government engages regularly with the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) on their oversight. The SFC expects colleges to comply with their legal obligations and seeks assurance on this through its ongoing monitoring, and engagement with institutions.

As a result of the measures established by the SFC, the Scottish Government remains assured that appropriate governance and compliance arrangements are in place across the sector.

Question reference: S7W-01787

Asked by: Jenny Young, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of (i) 16- to 18-, (ii) 19- to 21- and (iii) 22- to 24-year-olds have not completed their apprenticeship in each year since 2018.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) collects and publishes Modern Apprenticeship (MA) data with the latest full year data covering 2025-26.

https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/josfrdus/modern-apprenticeship-supplementary-tables-quarter-4-2025-26.xlsx

Information on MA achievements and number of leavers is published by age band and year, but the age bands used by SDS are 16-19 and 20-24 and 25+.

Question reference: S7W-01786

Asked by: Jenny Young, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) 16- to 18-, (b) 19- to 21- and (c) 22- to 24-year-olds started apprenticeships in each year since 2018,

Question reference: S7W-01784

Asked by: Jenny Young, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of people aged (i) under 19 and (ii) 19 to 24 in further education did not complete their course in each year since 2017-18, and what information it holds regarding the reasons for this.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) collects and publishes information on withdrawal rates and reasons for withdrawal for further (FE) and higher (HE) education students at college in their annual ‘College Student Outcomes’ release. https://www.sfc.ac.uk/publications/college-student-outcomes-2024-25/

Information is published by age band, for courses lasting 160 hours or more, but this is not split by HE or FE nor by the age bands requested. The release also contains some information on reason for withdrawal.

Question reference: S7W-01872

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of the Respect for All anti-bullying framework in reducing bullying experienced by children with additional support needs in primary schools.

I am clear there must be a zero tolerance approach to bullying. Respect for All provides an important framework to support local authorities, schools and other settings to prevent and respond to bullying behaviour.

The guidance was updated in 2024 to reflect the latest evidence and good practice, and includes updated guidance on prejudice-based bullying, including bullying experienced by children and young people with additional support needs.

Question reference: S7W-01780

Asked by: Jenny Young, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of secondary school pupils eligible for free school meals has been recorded as being persistently absent from school in each year since 2017-18, and what analysis it has commissioned or carried out on the impact that this might have on the likelihood of them subsequently having the status of being classified as not being in employment, education or training (NEET) aged 16 to 24.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on pupil’s eligibility for free school meals (FSM). However, data on pupils eligible for, and in receipt of, free school meals are held.

The following table sets out the percentage of secondary school pupils each year where data was available who were persistently absent, by their free school meal registration status.

Table 1. Percentage of secondary school pupils persistently absent by free school meal registration, 2018-19, 2020-21, 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25.

FSM Registration	2018-19	2020-21	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25
Not Registered	26.4	21.5	35.9	35.2	31.9
Registered	53.8	47.9	64	64	61.4

Prior to 2022-23, absence data was only published every 2 years.

These statistics exclude pupils whose attendance records could not be matched to a pupil census record.

Pupils who are eligible but not registered for free school meals will be included in the not registered figures.

The Scottish government is clear that attendance is linked in many ways to attainment and thus to achieving positive outcomes. We welcome recent statistics that demonstrate 95.7% of young people are in a positive destination 3 months after leaving school and that the poverty related attainment gap has narrowed by almost two thirds for initial destinations in the last 15 years.

Question reference: S7W-01782

Asked by: Jenny Young, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what tools are used by schools to identify pupils at risk of having the status of not being in employment, education or training (NEET).

Each school works with partners, including the school-based Skills Development Scotland (SDS) career adviser(s), to identify the pupils who are most at risk of not transitioning to a positive destination post-school such as further / higher education, training or employment. Factors that are taken into consideration include, but are not limited to, whether the young person is care-experienced; has caring responsibilities; has any health issues or disabilities; has additional support needs; or has interrupted learning. The school and partners then discuss and agree the appropriate support for each individual.

SDS are responsible for managing the 16+ Participation Portal, a secure online portal which tracks the status of young people aged 16-24. By sharing information between partners, including local authorities, colleges, the Scottish Funding Council, the Student Awards Agency for Scotland and the Department for Work and Pensions, SDS can identify those young people not in a positive destination and will proactively make contact with them to offer support.

Question reference: S7W-01873

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Highland Council in the last three years regarding bullying in primary schools and support for pupils with additional support needs who experience this.

Ministers and officials engage regularly with local authorities on a wide variety of issues, including pupil wellbeing and support for Additional Support Needs. However, you will be aware responsibility for the delivery of education and support for children and young people, including responding to incidents of bullying, rests with local authorities and schools.

In 2024, we updated our national anti-bullying guidance Respect for All. We expect all local authorities, schools and organisations to develop and implement anti-bullying policies in line with Respect for All.

In 2026-27, we are providing £310,480 to respectme, Scotland’s anti-bullying service to provide advice, resources, and training for schools, local authorities and parents to help prevent and address bullying.

Question reference: S7W-01886

Asked by: Steven Bonnar, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding a coordinated oversight framework for large-scale data centre and AI infrastructure developments, in light of the cross-cutting issues that such developments raise across devolved planning powers and reserved matters, including energy and digital infrastructure.