Chamber and committees

Launched in April 2023, the first public procurement strategy for Scotland articulates a high-level vision and roadmap for Scottish public procurement. A copy of that strategy can be accessed on the Scottish Government’s website at Public procurement strategy: 2023 to 2028 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

There is a multifaceted approach to monitor the effectiveness and impact of procurement policy and practice in Scotland, informing continuous improvement. This approach includes:

• publishing the Scottish Ministers annual report on procurement, evidencing the impact of procurement activity across Scotland
• researching and evaluating evidence to measure and benchmark our impact, to inform opportunities for improvement and to address emerging challenges
• engaging with businesses of all shapes and sizes to underpin our policy development and implementation
• benchmarking our policies and practices domestically and internationally
• regularly reviewing, testing and refreshing our tools and guidance
• taking cognisance of external scrutiny.

It is by focusing on what the evidence is telling us, responding to that evidence, and by working together with public, private and third sector organisations, that we will maximise the impact of public procurement for communities across Scotland.

The Bathing Water Directive is implemented in Scotland by the Bathing Waters (Scotland) Regulations 2008. Under these Regulations Scottish Ministers designate bathing waters where they expect a large number of people to bathe, having regard to past trends and infrastructure and facilities provided, or other measures taken to promote bathing. We have set this figure at around 150 bathers. Across Europe large numbers of bathers can range up to 300 bathers per day.

We have taken a proportionate approach to designating bathing waters and there are no plans to change it. 2023 not only sees the highest number of bathing waters ever in Scotland, but the highest number rated excellent for water quality – and a total of 98% of locations achieving a classification of sufficient or better.

The Scottish Government has robust processes in place for assessing outcomes, performance and value for money in relation to expenditure from Portfolio budgets.

Accountable Officers are in place to ensure that public money is used efficiently and effectively in line with guidance published in the Scottish Public Finance Manual. This includes scrutinising significant policy proposals or plans to start or vary major projects/policies, and then assess whether they measure against the required standards for regularity, propriety, value for money and feasibility.

As you will be aware, the Scottish Government’s National Performance Framework tracks progress toward our national outcomes and the associated national indicators. There are further tools that are more specific to the Education and Skills portfolio. For example, the primary purpose of the National Improvement Framework since January 2016 has been to bring together an enhanced range of information and data at all levels of the system, to drive improvement for children and young people in early learning and childcare settings, schools, and colleges across the whole of Scotland.

Furthermore, all recipients of grant funding receive letters which clearly outline their objectives and expected outcomes from the funding and targets/milestones in which progress against these objectives and outcomes will be measured.

The Cross-Sector Working Group on RAAC remains our main forum for engagement with public sector partners and key stakeholders in the private sector. Meetings provide updates on sector progress, recent UK information and topics of interest such as RAAC identification and assessment process and a presentation and Q&A with IStructE. The minutes of the meetings of that group are published on The Scottish Government Website.

Outwith those meetings, officials will also continue to engage with sector organisations on a one-to-one basis.

We have had no specific discussions of bankruptcy with local authorities and no local authorities have indicated concerns of potential bankruptcy.

We recognise the challenging environment local authorities face and that is why we are committed to a New Deal with Local Government in order to ensure the sustainability of local services.

Officials will next meet with representatives from Disability Equality Scotland on 1 November 2023.

We meet regularly with Disability Equality Scotland as part of the development of the Immediate Priorities Plan and will continue to engage with representatives as the longer-term Disability Equality Strategy is developed and implemented.

I have committed to updating the Scottish Parliament on Phase 3 of the Learning Estate Investment Programme by the end of October.

Audit Scotland conduct annual audits of the financial reports of local authorities in Scotland. In addition, Best Value audits ensure that a local authority is delivering its duty of best value and operating in a prudent and sustainable manner. The audit and assurance and best value frameworks are overseen by the Accounts Commission and any risk of bankruptcy should be identified at an early stage.

The Scottish Government also captures and scrutinises local authority financial data and would identify any financial concerns through this process.

The Cross-Sector Working Group on RAAC remains our main forum for engagement with key stakeholders in the private sector. The minutes of the meetings of that group are published on The Scottish Government Website.

Outwith those meetings, officials will also continue to engage with organisations on a one-to-one basis.

The number of post probationers in each local authority on temporary contracts will be published in the Summary Statistics for Schools publication in December.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the proportion of temporary contracts offered to post probationers, as the recruitment and employment of teachers including recruitment practices are matters for individual councils.