Chamber and committees

The Director General and I had a constructive meeting in November last year during which we exchanged views on the depopulation challenges that both Scotland and Spain face and, following from the work done recently by officials in the Scottish Government’s Population and Migration team, proposed a policy exchange so that we can learn from the expertise in both countries.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussion. However, Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

The information requested is published by the Scottish Social Services Council and is already available in the public domain. The details can be viewed via the following link:

Scottish Social Service Sector: Report on 2021 Workforce Data (sssc.uk.com)

The Scottish Government receives quarterly financial reporting from IJBs which includes information on the funding received from their Local Government and NHS partners. The reports consolidate information already in the public domain as published by individual IJBs, and are published on the Scottish Government website. This exercise began in 2018 and no data collection was performed by the Scottish Government in respect of IJB funding prior to this.

The funding figures, taken from the IJB reports provided have been collated below. The totals include reported figures from all 30 IJBs and the position in respect of the NHS Highland Lead Agency arrangement. Any information regarding IJB funding prior to 2018-19 can be found in the annual accounts published by individual IJBs.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that every school aged child has access to a device by the end of this Parliament.

In 2020-21, we provided £25 million to local authorities across Scotland to tackle digital exclusion, resulting in over 72,000 pupils receiving a device to support their learning.

Local authorities have also invested in devices from their own budgets. Information from them indicates that up to 280,000 devices have already been distributed to learners across Scotland (including the 72,000 funded by the Scottish Government).

We provided £25 million of funding in 2020-21 to local authorities across Scotland to tackle digital exclusion.

The Cabinet Undersecretary and I had a constructive meeting in November last year during which we spoke about the shared challenges that the COVID19 pandemic had brought to the culture sector and our Culture Strategy for Scotland, setting out our vision on how to protect and empower culture.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions. However, Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

I refer the member to answer to question S6W-10759 on 20 September 2022. 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 continue to work with local authorities on plans to ensure every school-aged child has access to a device and connectivity by the end of this parliamentary term in 2026.

The Secretary of State and I had a constructive meeting in November last year during which we spoke about areas of collaboration with Spain, in particular depopulation, culture and the challenges of the cost of living crisis.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions. However, Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

The Scottish Government has not provided any guidance specific to the Care Inspectorate for the financial year 2023-24. As a non-departmental public body (NDPB), the Care Inspectorate follows the Scottish Public Finance Manual and the Government Financial Reporting Manual. The 2023-24 Public Sector Pay Strategy was also published in March 2023, and applies to the Care Inspectorate as a NDPB.

Commissioner Hicken and I had a constructive meeting in December last year during which we discussed Scotland’s green hydrogen priorities in Germany.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions. However, Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.