Chamber and committees

This government has overseen a long period of sustained improvement in S4 Leaver positive initial destinations from 78.4% in 2010 to 91.9% in 2024. We are however not complacent and recognise the proportion of S4 leavers in positive initial destinations has decreased by 0.8 percentage points between 2023 and 2024. We are actively working with local authorities on how to further improve the percentage of school leavers in positive destinations.

Ministers, local authorities and schools share statutory responsibilities for education, as well as the wider wellbeing of children, young people, and families which are intertwined and longstanding. National and local government need to work together, with a collective responsibility to improve educational outcomes such as these.

This information is not held centrally. Under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, education is the responsibility of local authorities.

In any meetings relating to offshore wind, I encouraged investors to continue engaging with Scotland’s economic development agencies.

The UK Government is responsible for national security, the regulation of international trade, elements of critical national infrastructure including energy, and the application of the NSIA. We continue to engage closely with the UK Government to understand the security implications of potential foreign investment in energy-related infrastructure.

Powers over maternity leave and pay are reserved to the UK Government and we know that in comparison to OECD countries, maternity payment rates in the UK are amongst the lowest, with less than one-third of gross average earnings replaced by the maternity benefit.

The Scottish Government recognise that families with a child under the age of one are at greater risk of poverty and that families will see a considerable reduction in their earned incomes following the first 6 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay. Support through Statutory Maternity Pay is also only payable for 39 weeks, which can leave a period where parents receive no support if they decide to stay home with their baby.

Tackling child poverty is a key priority for the Scottish Government. Our investment in Scottish Child Payment has seen more than £786 million worth of Scottish Child Payments already issued by 30 June 2024; that is money directly in the pockets of those families who need it most.

Our Best Start Grant which aims to help tackle the impacts of child poverty by giving eligible families additional money at key stages in children’s early years, adding to the family budget and avoiding the need for borrowing. Between launching on 10 December 2018 and 30 June 2024, Best Start Grant has provided over £107 million to those families who need it most.

As an employer, the Scottish Government is fully committed to providing support and flexibility to parents. This includes providing full pay for 27 weeks followed by statutory maternity pay up to 39 weeks which far exceeds statutory entitlements.

We continue to use our Fair Work policy to drive up labour market standards for workers across Scotland to tackle poverty by using all the levers at our disposal to encourage employers to adopt inclusive and family friendly workplace practices to support pregnant workers and new parents.

I refer the member to the answers provided in response to S6W-36894 and S6W-36895 on 13 May 2025. 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 is committed to doing all it can to bring forward investment at Grangemouth and across Scotland. We have given clear signals to investors and prospective developers at Grangemouth that we want to work with them to make the projects outlined in Project Willow a reality including establishing the £25 million Grangemouth Just Transition Fund. Additionally, we have established an investment taskforce, led by Scottish Enterprise and the UK Office for Investment, which is working at pace to identify and attract inward investors at Grangemouth.

As the Care Inspectorate is an independent non-departmental body, it operates at arm’s length from Government. The Care Inspectorate therefore issues its own guidance independently from the Scottish Government to maintain its role as an impartial and objective regulator.

The Scottish Government recognises the serious impact that the investigation of unsubstantiated allegations can have on foster carers, including the retention of existing carers and the willingness of others to consider fostering.

In our recent consultation on the Future of Foster Care, we asked for views on how allegations are currently managed, including whether national guidance should be updated and what more can be done to ensure investigations are handled fairly and quickly. We are currently analysing responses, and we will set out next steps in due course, informed by the views of foster carers and others in the sector.

We strongly encourage staff to report all instances of violent and aggressive behaviour, including sexual violence, through their local reporting systems. We expect Health Boards to record and report all instances of violent behaviour, including sexual assaults. These should be investigated and reported to the police where appropriate.

For NHSScotland Staff, the Managing Health at Work policies include guidance on preventing, reporting and dealing with violence and aggression. This staff policy is being refreshed under the NHSScotland ‘Once for Scotland’ Workforce Policies Programme.

We expect all health boards to be actively committed to protecting staff from violence and assault, including sexual violence, and make sure that any employees who are victims of violence or aggression have access to appropriate support.

A Sexual Harassment Guide is also in development to supplement the Gender Based Violence Policy which is currently being refreshed.

A number of process are in place to support those who may need additional assistance to receive their vaccination. Health Boards maintain lists of those requiring home visits for vaccination, and there are clear instructions on appointment letters on how a person can seek a home visit, if not already on a local list. Boards provide travel advice services to help people get to clinics easily, and also provide interpreting services for those for whom English is not their first language, as well as offering private vaccination spaces for people with specific needs.

The Scottish Government funds the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) mobile vaccination service, a year-round service, covering all vaccination programmes, including the spring COVID-19 campaign. The service is designed to offer accessible vaccination to those in rural and island areas, as well as underserved urban communities, identified by Boards.

Many clinics offer evening and weekend appointments, for those who work during the week, and some Boards are offering drop-in clinics.

More generally, the Scottish Government is working with Public Health Scotland and Health Boards to ensure that those who are eligible are easily able to access a COVID-19 vaccination. Eligible people have been sent an invite via letter, email or text message, depending on their communication preference. People are appointed to their nearest available clinic, with flexibility to reschedule into any clinic in Scotland, via the online booking portal or the national vaccination helpline, should their original appointment be unsuitable. This gives citizens flexibility to get their vaccination outside their own area, should it be easier for them to receive vaccination nearer their place of work or somewhere they visit regularly.