Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognises the critical importance of providing the current and future workforce with high-quality lifelong skills – either acquired through new learning or upskilling and reskilling – and the pivotal role this plays in our plans to unlock Scotland’s green potential. Scotland is already leading the UK in delivering a green jobs revolution, with colleges and universities acting as key anchor points for research, innovation, and training, which will be reflected in the Biodiversity Investment Plan.

On 6 December I hosted the 42nd meeting of the British-Irish Council Summit on behalf of the Scottish Government. The Summit marked the 25th anniversary of the first Council meeting which was held in London in December 1999 following the historic Good Friday Agreement. The meeting was attended by the Heads of Government from all eight of the BIC Member Administrations, including the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer.

The theme of the Summit was ‘Financing a Just Transition’.

With global emissions continuing to rise, Council members discussed the importance of working in collaboration and shared the experience of their respective governments in supporting communities in the journey towards net zero – and about how best to attract global finance to maximise the social, economic and environmental benefits of the transition to net zero.

I highlighted Scotland’s leadership in this area by acting to underpin our net zero targets in a legislative commitment to achieving a just transition. I also highlighted the proactive, ‘investor-friendly’ approach that the Scottish Government is taking to attract investment in priority areas of net zero, housing and infrastructure.

The Council also reflected on the latest political developments such as international issues including the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Israel/Gaza as well as domestic issues such as the measures included in the Scottish budget to mitigate the two child benefit cap as an important step towards eradicating child poverty.

In addition to the formal Summit meeting, I had the opportunity to further build the Scottish Government’s relationship with the UK, Irish, Welsh Governments, the Northern Ireland Executive and the Crown Dependencies through bilateral meetings.

The consultation closed on 20 September. Published consultation responses and an analysis report can be found at: Review of the Regional Strategic Bodies within the Glasgow and Lanarkshire college regions - Scottish Government consultations - Citizen Space

I can confirm that the Scottish Government will be proceeding with plans to:

• Dissolve the Glasgow Colleges’ Regional Board, the Regional Strategic Body for the Glasgow college region;
• No longer have New College Lanarkshire, designated as the Regional Strategic Body for the Lanarkshire college region; and
• Designate each of the Glasgow and Lanarkshire colleges as “regional colleges”.

Subject to the Parliamentary process, I expect the new arrangements to be in place for the start of academic year 25-26.

The Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) will work with both boards to develop transition arrangements and ensure the boards have appropriate support in place for any affected staff.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring all children and young people receive high quality relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) education, which is an integral part of the health and wellbeing area of the curriculum. The curriculum is not statutory and it is for schools to decide the development and implementation of the curriculum within the overall framework. The Scottish Government expects children and young people to gain knowledge appropriate to their age and stage of education.

Education Scotland has produced Experiences and Outcomes | Curriculum for Excellence documents | Curriculum for Excellence | Education Scotland on RSHP education to provide a set of clear and concise statements about pupil’s learning and progression. This includes specific learning outcomes on respect, boundaries, which behaviours are right and wrong, what constitutes a healthy relationship. They also include learning outcomes on consent, gender stereotypes, power dynamics in relationships and where to access support if required.

To support learning and teaching of these experiences and outcomes, RSHP lesson plans are available, from Education Scotland's website, that include learning at first level (P2-P4), encouraging children to be whatever person they want to be, free from stereotypes and gender biased expectations. At second level (P5-P7), on a fair and equal life for boys and girls; on consent, where children learn abuse is wrong; and, on protecting me and abuse and relationships. And at third/fourth level (S1-S3), on sexual harassment as well as an activity on equalities and feminism.

The Scottish Government is revising the statutory teaching guidance on RSHP education following recommendations that the guidance should be updated to include, for example, appropriate guidance to ensure that consent education is age and stage appropriate and reflects the issues that are facing children and young people, especially from online influences.

The Scottish Government has also published a resource for professionals to help them support young people aged 11-18 in their understanding of healthy relationships and consent. The Healthy relationships and consent: key messages for young people - gov.scot sets out that relationships should be mutually respectful, consensual, positive, healthy and enjoyable.

Hydrogen creates significant economic opportunities, supporting a just transition, high-quality jobs, and investment while meeting the growing demand in Europe, particularly Germany, for Hydrogen as a green and secure energy source.

A key aim of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 (the 2020 Act) is to ensure the child’s best interests are at the centre of contact and residence cases.

The 2020 Act will reform the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (the 1995 Act) which is the key legislation in relation to child contact and residence. In deciding whether to make a contact order under section 11 of the 1995 Act, the welfare of the child must be the court’s paramount consideration.

The court must – taking into account the child's age and maturity – have regard to any views the child wishes to express. The court is also required to have regard to the need to protect the child from any abuse, or the risk of any abuse, which affects or might affect the child.

In advance of full implementation of the 2020 Act, the Scottish Government has convened a working group on child welfare reporters. These may be appointed in contact cases to seek the child’s views and report on their best interests. The working group will look back at changes made in the past in this area. It will also consider if further action can be taken in advance of the register of child welfare reporters envisaged by the 2020 Act being set up.

The Scottish Government has continued to support local authorities to decarbonise fleets and since 2014 we have now provided over £41 million to fund leasing and purchase of ultra-low and zero emission vehicles and installation of associated infrastructure.

Since 2021-22, support for local authority fleet decarbonisation has focused on the installation of fleet EV charging infrastructure to enable further fleet decarbonisation, rather than the purchase or lease of zero emission vehicles. Local authorities are provided funding by means of a block grant, each local authority allocates part of this grant to manage, operate and decarbonise its fleet. Figures for funding support in addition to the block grant for each local authority in each year following 2021-22 are set out in the following table.

In 2024-25 no additional funding has been provided to local authorities. We continue to work with public bodies to decarbonise the public sector fleet and we are working with the public sector to develop a Fleet Decarbonisation Action Plan that reflects the current fiscal operational environment, and the scale of emission reduction required.

Information on the schools which meet the PE target is available from the school contact details dataset.

The percentage of primary schools meeting the target of providing at least two hours of PE per week as of July 2024 is 99.6%

Shoplifting and other forms of retail crime causes considerable distress to their victims. We have seen a significant rise in recorded shoplifting throughout the UK according to our own figures and those released by the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales and Scotland, part of which is being driven by organised criminal groups.

As announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government on 4 December 2024, £3 million will be specifically provided through the draft budget for 2025/26 to enable Police Scotland to work with the retail sector to target the unacceptable levels of crime on Scotland’s high streets.

This funding is an important step in the fight against retail crime which costs businesses millions each year, and has a knock-on effect on the prices we pay in the shops.

This is a matter for individual schools and local authorities. This level of information is not held centrally.

I also refer the member to the answer to question S6W-31840 on 12 December 2024. 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.