- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Independent
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 28 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to increase the uptake of abdominal aortic
aneurysm screening in NHS Ayrshire and Arran, in light of recently reported
local health warnings.
Answer
The Scottish Government is unaware of any particular concerns regarding uptake of abdominal aortic aneurysm screening in NHS Ayrshire and Arran. The social media posts reported in the press were routine reminders posted by NHS Ayrshire and Arran as part of a targeted campaign to raise awareness of all national screening programmes.
The latest Public Health Scotland report shows that 83.5% of men in Ayrshire and Arran attended abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening by the age of 66 years and 3 months for 2023/24. This exceeds the acceptable standard of 75%, and the national average of 77.3%. In addition, uptake was above the acceptable standard for men in all of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation quintiles.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out on whether there is a link between the reported fall in pupil suspensions and the rise in the number of teachers being assaulted.
Answer
Information on assaults on teachers is not held centrally as, under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, education is the responsibility of local authorities.
The biennial Attendance, Absence and Exclusions data collection gathers data on the number and reasons recorded for temporary or permanent exclusions from schools. These data show that there were 1,281 cases of exclusion (temporary or permanent) from publicly funded schools in Scotland during 2022-23 where the reason recorded was either ‘physical assault using improvised weapon against staff’, ‘physical assault using weapon against staff’ or ‘physical assault with no weapon against staff’.
- Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 28 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it provides support to the Scottish Assembly, and if this is the case, what kind of support it provides.
Answer
Over the last three years, the Scottish Government has provided the Scottish Assembly with £425,136 to build capacity via our leadership and engagement framework and £316,349 of core funding via our Inspiring Inclusion charity portfolio over the last 4 years. Both of these funds are managed and distributed by fund manager, Inspiring Scotland.
Inspiring Scotland offer management consultancy services to the Scottish Assembly’s executive team and Board and provide intensive support where needed. This includes support to explore alternative funding and income streams aimed at long term sustainability of the organisation.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 28 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many in-person visits have been undertaken by health visitors in each local authority area in each year since 1999.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 28 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how it has engaged with the construction sector in East Ayrshire to determine the demand for roof slating and tiling apprenticeship opportunities in the area, in light of reports that the National Federation of Roofing Contractors was unable to get a course re-established at Ayrshire College because it did not meet the requirement set out in the final report of the Skills Delivery Landscape Review, Fit for the Future: developing a post-school learning system to fuel economic transformation, that “to use resources to best effect, and to ensure funding and provision can be aligned to need (not just demand), then there must be a clear articulation of the areas that are a national priority”.
Answer
Skills Development Scotland has operational responsibility for delivery of apprenticeships in Scotland, including assessment of demand. There are currently 3 different pathways linked to the roofing sector (embedded within Modern Apprenticeship Construction frameworks).
Ayrshire college, as with all of Scotland’s colleges, is responsible for its own course provision and operational decisions. Scotland’s colleges work with the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to ensure that education provision meets local and regional requirements. SFC has delivered on various asks from the college sector to help invest funds more effectively, including giving colleges a more flexible way to invest in vital changes to curriculums so they can meet local and national skills needs.
The Scottish Government funding for apprenticeships prioritises Construction frameworks. The construction and related occupational grouping accounted for the highest number of Modern Apprenticeship (MA) starts and MAs in training in 2023-24. MA allocations are also informed by consultation with employers through demand statements from Sector Skills Organisations and bodies, Industry Leadership Groups, Skills Investment Plans, and Regional Skills Assessments.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 28 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that apprentices have equitable access to learning opportunities, and what its response is to reports that some roofing apprentices in East Ayrshire have a two-hour journey to and from college for training.
Answer
We are committed to ensuring that apprentices have equitable access to learning opportunities regardless of their background or circumstances. This commitment is reflected through various policies and initiatives aimed at promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.
Recognising the challenges apprentices in remote and rural areas face, the government remains committed to working with training providers, employers and local authorities to improve accessibility. While apprentices in East Ayrshire do not qualify for the rural uplift supplement, we acknowledge that travel costs can be a barrier for young people. To support them we continue to offer free bus travel for those under 22 years of age, to encourage the early adoption of bus travel and to expand access to social, education and employment opportunities, including apprenticeships.
- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 28 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government on what date Bhagat Holdings first had contact with its (a) ministers and (b) agencies in relation to the former Pinneys of Scotland plant in Annan.
Answer
According to Scottish Government records, the first contact between representatives of Bhagat Holdings and Scottish Ministers was on 20 February 2019. Scottish Enterprise's records show that it first had contact with Bhagat Holdings in January 2019.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 25 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people have been placed in temporary accommodation in each year since 1999.
Answer
The following table shows the total number of children and young people that were in temporary accommodation at some point during each year from 2017-18 to 2023-24.
Data on temporary accommodation placements (HL3) is only available from 2017-18.
Children and young people are defined as when a household member is aged 24 and under.
| | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
Number | 26,569 | 27,787 | 27,315 | 26,482 | 28,757 | 30,383 | 31,944 |
Data source: Scottish Government, HL1 & HL3 Homelessness statistics
Notes:
The Scottish Government records temporary accommodation placements (HL3 data collection) and the number of people by age band associated with households making homelessness applications (HL1 data collection). HL1 and HL3 household records have been linked to provide an estimate of the number of children and young people in temporary accommodation placements.
Please note that it is not necessarily the case that all household members within a homelessness application will enter associated temporary accommodation placement(s). For example, alternative arrangements may be made for children so they are never present in the temporary accommodation.
Households can have multiple temporary accommodation placements. Only one placement per reporting period has been included. This means a child or young person will be included in each year in which they have spent time in temporary accommodation and not counted multiple times within the same year.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 25 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration was given to the Scottish Human Rights Commission’s November 2024 report, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the Highlands and Islands, when allocating its 2025-26 Budget, and what the outcome was.
Answer
The Scottish Government's 2025-26 Budget was published on 4 December 2024. This was a week after the Scottish Human Rights Commission published their report on rights in the Highlands and Islands, so there was not sufficient time to fully consider and incorporate the report and its recommendations into the Scottish Government's 2025-26 Budget.
However, an Island Communities Impact Assessment was undertaken on the 2025-26 Budget, to consider the unique needs of Scottish island communities.
We are considering the Scottish Human Rights Commission’s report with a view to formally responding to its recommendations ahead of the summer recess.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 25 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-35432 by Kaukab Stewart on 19 March 2025, whether it will provide a breakdown of the costs associated with the "Refugee Support Service".
Answer
Scottish Government are currently procuring a replacement for the grant funded Refugee Support Service for which we committed up to £3.6m in 2024/25. We do not intend to publish a breakdown of costs. We are currently at a sensitive point in the procurement process and providing a breakdown of costs for the delivery of the existing service could compromise this.
