The fourth and final meeting of the Building Standards (Fire Safety) Review Panel 2020-22 took place on 24 January 2022. Draft minutes of the meeting were circulated to members of the panel for comment on 03 March 2022. The final minutes will then be published by the end of March 2022.

The following table shows how many devices have been distributed by councils to school aged children using the £25m digital inclusion funding made available by Scottish Government in 2020-21.

Local authorities across Scotland have a range of approaches to provision of technology in schools, including some councils who have undertaken to provide cohorts of their school population with devices using their own budgets. We do not hold information centrally on those approaches, therefore, the table only shows devices distributed through the funding made available by Scottish Government in 2020-21.

The Scottish Government are committed to providing a device for every school aged child by the end of this Parliament.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on how many households have received the single person’s council tax discount in each year between 1999 and 2003, broken down by local authority.

The Scottish Government does hold data on how many households have received the single person’s council tax discount in each year between 2004 and 2021, broken down by local authority.

A copy of the table has been placed in SPICE - BIB number 63208.

In this government’s first 100 days, we established six pilot schemes to provide free bikes for school age children who cannot afford one. A further four pilots were then established by the end of 2021. These pilots will run for up to 12 months, testing different approaches and delivery models to help inform a national rollout. There are currently 12 local authorities, including East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire which are not covered by a pilot.

Funding for devices was provided to local authorities by the Scottish Government. As such, local authorities undertook their own procurement exercises and devices purchased became assets of, and are managed by individual local authorities. Decisions on their use, are taken locally. We do not hold information on how devices are used and monitored.

Current building regulations require that fire spread on external walls is inhibited. The guidance which supports the regulations calls for non-combustible or limited combustibility cladding and insulation materials on the exterior walls of high rise buildings over 11m and high-risk buildings. Combustible cladding and insulation can only be used in such situations when the fire performance of the whole of the cladding system (including thermal insulation and fire barriers) has passed a large scale fire test. The Scottish Government requires to be notified when such a test has been used to demonstrate compliance with the regulations.

The current review of building regulations has considered a ban of the highest risk cladding materials including the role of the large scale fire test, BS 8414. It is expected that amended regulations will be laid in the Scottish Parliament shortly.

The Care Inspectorate for Scotland are responsible for setting and reviewing the expected adult to child ratios for all childcare settings in Scotland. They also hold legislative responsibility for the scrutiny of childcare settings, which includes ensuring that the child to adult ratios are being adhered to.

The latest available data from the Scottish Health Service Costs book shows that for 2019-20 the percentage of NHS expenditure spent on child and adolescent mental health services was 0.61%.

We are working with partners to deliver the 2021-22 Programme for Government commitment to ensure that at least 10% of frontline NHS spend goes towards mental health and 1% goes on child and adolescent services by the end of this Parliament.

The majority of funding local authorities receive for preventing and responding to homelessness is provided through the annual local government finance settlement. On top of that, we have committed £53.5 million to local authorities to support the development and implementation of local authority rapid rehousing transition plans (RRTPs). This funding also includes an investment of up to £6.5 million for the Housing First pathfinder programme to support people with multiple and complex needs. The RRTP funding distribution is agreed with COSLA.

Annually, local authorities complete an activities and spend template which provides details of all RRTP activities over the course of the year, including details of funding sources in addition to Scottish Government funding. This allows the Scottish Government to monitor how local authorities are allocating resources to deliver priorities in their RRTPs.

Alongside the funding, there are a number of supporting structures which help local authorities develop and implement their RRTPs. These include five housing options hubs which bring together all 32 local authorities to share practice and experience; RRTP co-ordinators’ meetings; and the RRTP sub-group of the Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group.

The Scottish Government is not aware of any further plans to use facial recognition technology in schools in Scotland however, as the First Minister stated in her response question S6F-00388 on 28 October 2021, she is clear that the use of facial recognition in schools to be neither a proportionate nor a necessary measure. I can confirm this remains the position, although the decision on whether to introduce biometric identification systems into schools is ultimately a matter for local authorities and individual schools to consider for themselves. I also understand that North Ayrshire Council no longer use facial recognition technology and have reverted back to using Personal Identification Numbers for pupils to collect their school lunches.

I would like to be clear in stating our position, which is that prior to introducing biometric systems education authorities should carry out a privacy impact assessment, or a proportionate equivalent, and consult with pupils and parents. Information should also be provided on data protection; how to opt out; consent; and about alternative systems that can be used. Schools and education authorities will also pay due attention to the Information Commissioner’s Office requirements that organisations that are using facial recognition technology should comply with data protection law before, during and after its use.