Chamber and committees

Our latest figures show that a total of 3,047 vouchers have been paid out at an average cost of £1,858.99 per voucher. This consists of 1,079 interim vouchers at an average of £389.24 per voucher, and 1,968 main vouchers at an average of £2,884.81 per voucher.

On behalf of the Scottish Government, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) plays an active role in managing information relating to the performance of apprenticeships and regularly engages with training providers and employers to continue to adapt and improve apprenticeship provision and delivery in Scotland.

SDS’ Skills Investment Advisers provide support on an individual basis to training providers, working with them to ensure they can support learners and overcome any challenges they are facing. This support is also provided as part of ‘Community of Practice’ events which SDS host to provide valuable information and best practice for all training providers.

In relation to engagement with employers, SDS and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), as members of the Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board , engage directly with the employers who are responsible for overseeing the end-to-end delivery of apprenticeships on behalf of employers, ensuring they are fit for purpose and reflect the needs of business, learners and the Scottish economy.

SDS regularly seeks out the views of employers on apprenticeship delivery and one of the key mechanisms for doing this is the Apprenticeship Employer Survey , with the most recent survey from 2020 highlighting 88% employer satisfaction with Modern Apprenticeships overall.

The details of the current fee codes can be found in the Statement of Dental Remuneration and the discretionary fee guide. Copies of these documents are available online at:

• Statement of Dental Remuneration (scottishdental.org)
• Discretionary fee guide | National Services Scotland (nhs.scot)

We intend to introduce the 45 new fee codes for general dentistry from 1 November. A copy of the revised Determination I can be found online at: PCA(2023)4 – Fees for Determination I | Scottish Dental.

Our priority with payment reform was to ensure that we have set the fee levels to encourage the dental sector to increase NHS provision, whilst ensuring that patients can access the full range of NHS care and treatment.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19548 on‎ 14 August 2023. 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

We are making available £3 million from our £10 million long COVID Support Fund over this financial year to support NHS boards to increase the capacity of existing services, develop these into more clearly defined local pathways and provide a more co-ordinated experience for people living with long COVID.

Initiatives being supported by the funding include provision of single point of access for assessment and co-ordinated support from services including physiotherapy and occupational therapy. These services aim to support people with the impact of their symptoms on their day to day lives and to achieve personal outcomes which are important to each individual, which can include support to return to, or maintain employment.

The Scottish Government also invests in a range of further initiatives to support people with health conditions to sustain or return to work, such as through the NHS delivered Working Health Services Scotland and the Public Health Scotland led Healthy Working Lives resource. They provide advice and support on work related physical and mental health promotion, ill health prevention and return to work practices.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20183 on‎ 14 August 2023. 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20183 on‎ 14 August 2023. 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

Scottish Government does not hold information on the numbers of children who are home educated in Scotland.

As autonomous bodies, Scottish universities continue to strengthen pre-existing relationships with European higher education institutions through all available channels.

The Scottish Government, in conjunction with road safety partners, developed a world leading Road Safety Framework to 2030 (RSF 2030) which was published in 2021 and sets out a compelling long-term goal for road safety, where no one is seriously injured or killed on our roads by 2050.

The journey to achieving this goal also includes ambitious interim targets where the number of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads will be halved by 2030.

The delivery of the RSF 2030 is monitored through the three-tier structure of the framework governance and reported through its annual delivery plans .

The Scottish Government and our partners are committed to road safety and never complacent. We are resolute in our determination to save lives and meet the long-term goal set out in the framework.