Chamber and committees

It is well established that some occupations are restricted by capacity and age due to the physical demands of those roles, making it untenable to expect them to be carried out until the State Pension Age. This was recognised by the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 which set a pension age of 60 for firefighters, police officers and the armed forces.

Prison officers do not have a dedicated pension scheme as they are members of the Civil Service pension scheme, which is a reserved matter for the UK Government. The Scottish Government has raised concerns with the UK government regarding the requirement for prison officers to carry out frontline operational duties including control and restraint until the age of 68. We have always accepted that some jobs are restricted by capacity and age, and need to be viewed and treated as such.

The Scottish Government and SPS both duly recognise that prison officers work in a very challenging environment and are committed to a person centred approach to all employees and their circumstances.

In collaboration with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), and other key justice organisations, we are taking action to tackle the rising prison population.

Prison will always be necessary for those who pose a risk of harm or threaten the delivery of justice. Equally, the Scottish Government is committed to shifting the balance between the use of custody and justice in the community. The budget for 2024-25 includes an additional £14m in support for community justice services and ongoing work to further enable a shift away from the use of custody, bringing the total to £148m. This will support work to strengthen alternatives to remand and the provision of community sentences and interventions, which we know can be more effective in reducing reoffending and assisting with rehabilitation than short-term custodial sentences, leading to fewer victims and safer communities.

To date we have taken action such as the extension of the presumption against short sentences from three months or less to twelve months or less, to enable a further shift away from short custodial sentences, and introduced the use of electronic monitoring on bail. We have established a Prison Population Leadership Group, engaging a range of Justice partners, to further consider the challenges and mitigations associated with the rising prison population.

SPS is taking forward action to respond to the pressures caused by the rising prison population and remains committed to prioritising the health and wellbeing of staff and those living in prison. It is keeping its current population management strategy under review in order to accommodate the rising prisoner numbers. It is also taking forward a range of proposals to optimise the current prison estate which has already seen the transfer of male prisoners into accommodation previously housing women at HMP Edinburgh and the transfer of robustly risk assessed adult male prisoners to HMP&YOI Polmont.

I am clear that everyone involved with the education system must redouble efforts to ensure children and young people are fully engaged in their learning, in line with education authorities’ responsibilities to follow up and monitor and manage absence.

The Scottish Government has provided national guidance to local authorities and schools – Included, Engaged and Involved Part 1: Promoting and Managing School Attendance. The guidance focusses on engagement and motivation, including for those at risk of poor attendance. It also sets out follow up actions when a pupil is absent from school.

I have also asked Education Scotland to undertake work to better understand the current barriers and challenges experienced by schools, children and young people and their families which influence school attendance. Education Scotland published this report, “Improving Attendance: Understanding the Issues,” on 28 November 2023. In addition, Education Scotland will work with Directors of Education to take forward improvement on attendance as a priority.

The findings from the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR), published in November 2023, provide evidence- on the extent to which pupils are disengaging from learning. Officials are considering these findings and Education Scotland’s work as part of the joint Scottish Government and COSLA action plan on relationships and behaviour, which will be published in the spring.

The Scottish Government is also working with Education Scotland, COSLA and the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES), to agree meaningful, measurable outcomes in response to the education asks within The Promise.

This aims to improve the experience, achievement, attendance, engagement in learning and attainment of those with care experience and their transition from education.

On 30 October 2023, the Scottish Government announced the following 10 successful Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) Phase 3 projects:

1. Hazlehead Academy (Aberdeen City)

2. Mull Campus (Argyll and Bute)

3. Lochies ASN School (Clackmannanshire)

4. Lenzie Academy (East Dunbartonshire)

5. Carrongrange ASN School extension (Falkirk)

6. Forres Academy (Moray)

7. Chryston High School extension (North Lanarkshire)

8. Kirkwall ASN Centre (Orkney)

9. Brae Campus (Shetland)

10. Riverside and Letham Primary School (West Lothian)

Every local authority which has submitted a bid through the LEIP has been awarded funding for a project in Phases 1, 2 or 3.

The £2bn LEIP is being delivered in partnership with local authorities and will benefit tens of thousands of pupils across Scotland.

The proportion of schools in “good” or “satisfactory” condition in Scotland has increased from 61% in April 2007 to almost 91% in April 2023, and LEIP investment will build on this progress.

The Scottish Government does not collect data on CAMHS appointment costs across NHS boards centrally.

Every presentation to CAMHS is treated differently depending on the individual needs of the young person. It may involve a multidisciplinary response involving a range of specialists. Therefore the cost per appointment will vary depending on the range of professionals involved and the needs of the child or young person.

The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) NHS Scotland national service specification outlines provisions young people and their families can expect from the NHS.

The Scottish Government and sportscotland passionately believe that sport is for everyone. We should all feel included, and able to take part and access the benefits of sport.

An ongoing priority for the Scottish Government is to support participation across all groups and tackle inequalities in participation.

Currently available Scottish Health Survey data shows that 11-15 year old’s participation in sport appears to have remained stable since pre-covid levels at 65%. Other data that we use to track participation in sport is published by sportscotland.

Recent data published by sportscotland in 2023 shows significantly increased participation levels in their national Active Schools programme, across the past academic year (2022-23), with over 4.6 million visits (a rise of 34% on 2021-22) made to almost 247,000 Active Schools sessions. The number of Active Schools participants (over 269,000 children and young people), deliverers (over 17,900 with 90% of those being volunteers), and school/club links (over 2,500) also increased from the previous academic year as the recovery from covid continued.

The Scottish Government has been exploring the workforce demand for skilled stonemasons through engagement with the stonemasonry short life working group led by Historic Environment Scotland. The working group was set up to look at stonemasonry and traditional skills provision in Scotland with a view to identifying sustainable models of stonemasonry training for future delivery.

Additionally, Historic Environment Scotland ran a stonemasonry consultation in early 2023 to inform understanding of the size, shape and resilience of the stonemasonry sector in Scotland. The stonemasonry working group have since provided their report of findings and recommendations to Ministers for their consideration.

Regarding the cessation of stonemasonry apprenticeship training at Edinburgh College, the then Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development and I met Historic Environment Scotland in recent months to discuss stonemasonry and we await their proposals to address the skills issues in the sector.

Table 1 provides information on average gross revenue expenditure in Scotland per child attending pre-school, and primary and secondary pupil alongside allocations (accounting for teaching and tuition fees funding) per college and university place.

The OBC from NHS Lanarkshire considered in great detail the impact of the pandemic within their design. The new facility has considered best use of space and layout alongside ventilation to ensure consideration has been given to any future pandemic so that areas like Critical Care and Operating Theatre suites can accommodate reconfiguration to continue to provide services to high-risk infected patients. NHS Lanarkshire continues to embrace digital technology, brought on as a requirement in the pandemic, to reduce unnecessary patient attendances.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-25429 on 4 March 2024.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 .