Chamber and committees

There have been a total of 95 submissions received by the Scotland Innovates service. 66 were received during the 2022-23 FY and 29 have been received so far during the 2023-24 FY.

Pupil Equity Funding is allocated directly to schools with headteachers having the discretion to make decisions about which particular interventions or approaches will be most effective at raising attainment and achievement and widening opportunities for children affected by poverty in their schools and communities. Although we expect schools to provide plans detailing their use of Pupil Equity Funding through existing planning procedures e.g. through School Improvement Plans and Standards and Quality reports, details of the particular interventions each school has implemented using Pupil Equity Funding are not held centrally.

In total 63 submissions have been closed – 36 were closed during the 2022-23 FY and 27 have been closed during the 2023-24 FY so far. Of those closed, 18 have been deemed “successful”; 9 in the 2022-23 FY and 9 in the 2023-24 FY so far.

For the purposes of Scotland Innovates the following defined closure reasons have been considered “successful”:

“Successful” submissions were targeted at the following Scotland Innovates categories:

• Food, Beverage & Catering / Catering Equipment / Catering Equipment & Supplies
• Social Care & Services / Other Social Care & Services / Other Social Care & Social Services
• Business Support Services / Information Services / Information Services
• Waste & Environmental Services / Environmental Services / Environmental Equipment & Services
• Healthcare / Pharmaceuticals / Sterilisation & Disinfection
• Other Goods & Services / Economic Development / Social Research Services
• ICT / IT Hardware & Software / Software as a Service
• Healthcare / Clinical & Medical / Diabetes
• Healthcare / Healthcare Services / Digital Health
• Healthcare / Clinical & Medical / Cardio (thoracic, vascular, ology)
• Healthcare / Clinical & Medical / Dermatology
• Facilities Management / Cleaning & Janitorial Services / Specialist Hygiene Services
• ICT / IT Hardware & Software / Software as a Service
• Public Sector Bodies / Emergency Services / Fire Services
• Education / Schools & Colleges / Primary School Supplies and/or Services
• Healthcare / Clinical & Medical / Cancer service
• Healthcare / Clinical & Medical / Physiotherapy
• Clothing / Clothing & Footwear / Clothing & Footwear Supplies & Services

There are 19 submissions where assessor(s) have been or are currently assigned and 5 with assessment completed.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Scottish Prison Service (SPS) staff are dealing with some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Every death, whether in prison custody or in our communities, is a tragedy for families, friends, and for those who have support the individual on a daily basis.

SPS are fully committed to engaging with key partners to gain a better understanding to prevent deaths occurring and to ensure wider supports are in place for those in our care.

Whilst SPS have taken into account the University of Glasgow report ‘ Still nothing to see here?’, the new SPS Mental Health Strategy will explicitly reference the Scottish Governments ‘Creating Hope Together Scotland’s Suicide Prevention Strategy’ and their emerging Self Harm Strategy. The new strategy goes even further to reference ‘Time, Space & Compassion’ which not only provides recommendations for improvements in suicidal crisis response, but is an overarching, whole person, whole system approach.

Police Scotland has concluded that a stand-alone portal is not the optimum route to create the capability for digital media submissions to be submitted by members of the public.

However, Police Scotland plan to utilise the Digital Evidence Sharing Capability (DESC) Programme, currently in pilot in Dundee, to build on the Scottish Government’s investment and make it easier to report poor road user behaviour, in support of making Scotland’s roads safer for all – especially for pedestrians and cyclists.

Timescales will be determined by the national rollout of DESC, which is expected to be complete during 2025. My officials remain in discussion with Police Scotland on this matter, as we look to implement this important road safety initiative.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The suspension of Throughcare Support Service suspension 2019, was a temporary measure in response to operational pressures within establishments which necessitated the need to redeploy operational prison staff.

Commitment was made at the time that this position would be kept under regular review, and this has as not changed. However, the rising prison population, together with the increasingly complex needs of those in the care of the SPS, means that it is unlikely that SPS will be able to resume a Throughcare Support Service whilst these pressures continue.

SPS will therefore look to continue to complement the distinctive throughcare support roles of third sector and community partners in order to meet the needs of those in our care, whilst transitioning from custody back into their communities.

The following table shows the number of care homes with a confirmed case of COVID-19, by week, for residents and staff since 1 January 2023. This data has been supplied by The Care Inspectorate.

Notes:

Data submitted to Care Inspectorate by care homes for adults and older people in "Confirmed case of COVID-19" notifications.

Data based on date of submission.

Data between 1 January 2023 and 24 September inclusive.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service utilises the Home Office Incident Recording System (IRS) to capture incident data.

Whilst there is currently no specific category to record incidents caused by lithium-ion batteries, this information can be recorded as “further information” and data can be collected and analysed via keyword search.

Work is ongoing to update the IRS to include more categories to reflect current and future needs in statistical recording and reporting.

It is inappropriate to comment on live proceedings or speculate on any possible outcomes and how they will be managed. The Scottish Government’s response to any challenges to Scotland’s Low Emission Zones will be considered on a case by case basis.

The Scottish Government places great importance on community sports and leisure facilities, such as swimming pools. They are crucial to the wellbeing of all our country and most importantly, for our children and young people to be healthy and active.

We are fully aware that local authorities are facing challenging financial circumstances, particularly in the maintenance and operating of facilities such as swimming pools, largely due to energy costs and other cost of living pressures.

The 2023-24 Local Government settlement of £13.5 billion provides a cash increase in day to day spending of over £793 million, a real terms increase of £376 million. As confirmed this week in the Autumn Budget Revision, all consequentials available from the UK Spring Budget have now been allocated, with the Local Government Settlement increasing by £264 million accordingly.

sportscotland are working with local and national partners to help them assess the impact of any potential facility closures and these discussions will continue over the coming weeks and months. It is vital that all avenues are explored to ensure, where possible, that local clubs and communities have access to sport and leisure facilities.

In addition, sportscotland are supporting Scottish Swimming to undertake the Scottish Swimming Facilities Project. This is a detailed piece of work to accurately understand the current pool provision and life cycle, and to predict the landscape in the short, medium, and long term.

We understand that access to facilities is necessary for a range of sporting activities. That’s why our Programme for Government for 2023 to 2024 sets out our intention to convene a working group, including representatives of sports organisations, community organisations and CoSLA, to explore how community access to community facilities, such as the school estate, can be enhanced. This will be a priority action in our refreshed Active Scotland Delivery Plan.