Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13958 on‎ 26 January 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 expect all eligible premises within R100 contract build plans to have been connected by the time of the programme’s completion. As the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme is demand-led, it is not possible to know with certainty the percentage of properties that will secure a connection via the Scheme upon completion.

In an update published to their website on 2 February 2023, Ofcom’s latest figures show that full fibre coverage in Scotland has been extended to around 1.1 million properties – 41% of all properties, which is the same percentage coverage as England (source: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector-research/infrastructure-research/connected-nations-2022 ).

This is, in large part, a direct result of the policies we have put in place to enhance Scotland’s digital infrastructure and improve digital connectivity. This includes our R100 programme, where the vast majority of connections delivered through the R100 contracts are full-fibre and gigabit-capable, delivering speeds up to 30 times faster than our original superfast commitment.

The cost crisis created an unprecedented challenge with the Scottish Government exploring all financial options to support the emergency response to help people and businesses through its Emergency Budget Review (EBR) in 2022.

The then DFM and Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy, John Swinney MSP, publicly confirmed to Parliament in his EBR statement that the deferred budget of £33 million would be returned to the sector in future years, ensuring this money is ultimately used to deliver on Scotland's rural priorities.

Future budgets are set through the annual parliamentary Budget Bill process and the appropriate profile for returning this funding will be considered as part of the 2024-25 process.

Transport Scotland is taking an evidence-based approach to what might work to discourage unnecessary car travel including learning from what others are doing across the UK and in other countries. We have commissioned research on equitable options for car demand management, referred to in S6W-15653 on 21 March 2023. Using the findings of this and other research, we will work with local and regional partners to develop options and proposals to support the 20% car km reduction target for inclusion within the Demand Management framework. We are now looking at the most appropriate way to review the existing powers conferred on local authorities which can support this objective, to ensure they are fit for purpose for use in the future.

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

The public consultation on the revised relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) teaching guidance will be published shortly.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-16260 on 17 April 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

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. However the Scottish Social Services Council estimated that in 2021, approximately 10% of social care sector staff are employed on zero hours or equivalent contracts. Their Report on Workforce Data can be reached at the following link; https://data.sssc.uk.com/data-publications/22-workforce-data-report/295-scottish-social-service-sector-report-on-2021-workforce-data

The Scottish Government does not routinely collect data on mothballed schools in Scotland. The Scottish Government does collect data from local authorities in order to collate a list of schools regarded as rural for the purposes of the Schools (Consultation)(Scotland) Act 2010. The most recent rural schools list was published on 25 October 2021 - Rural schools in Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . The rural schools list includes those schools the relevant local authority has mothballed. The 2021 rural schools list shows that 21 schools were reported as being mothballed. The following table shows how many rural schools are mothballed by local authority area.

We recognise that rises in the cost of living are putting a huge strain on some families and they are facing unforeseen challenges.

The management of debt is an issue for education authorities and their finance departments. Councils have the power to make discretionary offers of free school meals to families, where they are experiencing financial hardship due to exceptional circumstances, who do not meet the regular eligibility criteria.

COSLA, working with partners from across Local Government, have developed a set of good practice principles for the management of school meal debt, which were published on 20 February 2023. The intended audience for these principles is local authority staff across a range of departments (including education, catering, finance and debt collection) as well as Head Teachers, class teachers and other school staff. The principles can be accessed through the following link: COSLA Publish Good Practice Principles for Managing School Meal Debt - 20th February 2023 | COSLA .