- Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to develop a strategic workforce plan that ensures fair and sustainable employment for teachers while addressing the current challenges faced by teachers in their employment conditions.
Answer
The Scottish Government undertakes a detailed annual workforce planning process to determine intake targets for Initial Teacher Education (ITE), based on data from the annual Summary statistics for schools in Scotland and following consultation with the Teacher Workforce Planning Advisory Group.
To inform this process, we develop and publish an annual statistical model on future teacher number requirements. We also engage with universities throughout the year to collect data and monitor progress of intakes against targets.
As part of December’s education agreement with COSLA, we are also committed to working with local government to restore teacher numbers to 2023 levels in 2025-26, and make meaningful progress towards reducing class contact time for teachers. Medium and long-term joint workforce planning will take into account the importance of responding to these issues, including different local needs.
Improving employment opportunities for Scotland’s teaching workforce will also be a key feature of the Education Assurance Board, that we are working with COSLA to establish, noting that the recruitment and deployment of teachers is the responsibility of local authorities.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of its budget is allocated to local authorities, and how this compares with 1999-00.
Answer
Given the changes in the Scottish Government's devolved powers since devolution it is not possible to apply a direct like with like comparison in Scottish Government funding levels between 1999-00 and 2025-26. Similarly, the powers and responsibilities of Local Government have changed over that time, most notably due to the devolution of around £5.6 billion for the administration of social security benefits, as well as the transfer of Police and Fire services out of Local Government in financial year 2013-14 which resulted in over a £1 billion adjustment to General Revenue Grant.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many people are currently in receipt of adult disability payment, also broken down by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile; how many (a) are and (b) are not in employment, and how many have been in receipt of the payment for (i) one to two, (ii) more than two to three and (iii) more than three years.
Answer
As of 31 October 2024, there were 374,655 clients on the Adult Disability Payment Caseload.
Social Security Scotland does not currently publish statistics on Adult Disability Payment caseload broken from by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). It also does not hold information on the employment status of clients as it is not necessary to collect information on a client’s employment to assess their application.
Adult Disability Payment provides financial support for adults with a disability or long-term health conditions and is available to applicants regardless of their employment status which is the same as Department for Work and Pensions’ Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
As of 31 October 2024, 129,460 clients have been in receipt of Adult Disability Payment for one to two years. 3,380 clients have been in receipt of Adult Disability Payment for two to three years, and no clients have been in receipt of Adult Disability Payment for more than three years. Adult Disability Payment was introduced in March 2022; hence no clients have been in receipt of Adult Disability Payment for more than three years.
The latest Adult Disability Payment official statistics publication can be found at:
https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications/statistics. The next release of Adult Disability Payment statistics which will cover the period to the end of January 2025, is due to be published on 18 March 2025.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus Robertson on 6 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it still plans to open an international office in Warsaw, and, if so, when it will open; how many staff will be based there, and what its annual running costs will be.
Answer
The opening of a Scottish Government office in Warsaw is currently under review given ongoing budget pressures.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 6 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made on delivering each of the recommendations of the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland, in particular, recommendations 52, 53 and 54.
Answer
Valuable work has been undertaken to deliver against the recommendations made by the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland.
In December 2024 work concluded to address all 55 of the recommendations, and each has now been completed or transitioned into ongoing workplans to see the remaining tasks through to completion.
A detailed report will be shared with Parliament in March 2025 outlining the rationale for this, including recommendations 52, 53 and 54, and confirming the timelines for the remaining actions to conclude.
- Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 6 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the outcomes of the £10 million that it designated in 2023-24 to support people with long COVID, including how this was spent.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s £10 million long COVID Support Fund was announced in September 2021 and resource has been allocated from the fund from the financial year 2022-2023 onwards. The following table provides an overview of funding recipients from the start of the financial year 2022-23 to 28 February 2025. Allocations to NHS boards are made in tranches across the financial year to account for any slippage in programme delivery. It is anticipated that further allocations will be made to NHS boards from the fund before the end of this financial year, and in the financial year 2025-26.
The 2025-2026 budget outlines £7.586 million for the ‘Long Covid, ME, Chronic Fatigue and other similar conditions’ budget line. This represents a £4.5m uplift to the 2024-2025 long COVID budget line.
Organisation | Purpose | Funding allocated 2022-2023 | Funding allocated 2023-2024 | Funding allocated 2024-2025 (as of 28 Feb 2025) |
NHS Ayrshire and Arran | Assist provision of healthcare support to people with long-term effects of COVID-19. | £131,288 | £143,152 | £131,288 |
NHS Borders | £35,509 | £50,727 | £38,319 |
NHS Dumfries and Galloway | £55,598 | £55,598 | £55,598 |
NHS Fife | £124,636 | £124,636 | 124,636 |
NHS Forth Valley | £99,414 | £133,896 | £99,414 |
NHS Grampian | £178,393 | £254,847 | £178,393 |
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde | £416,618 | £583,446 | £416,618 |
NHS Highland | £83,749 | £167,586 | £117,310 |
NHS Lanarkshire | £320,007 | £320,007 | £224,005 |
NHS Lothian | £260,551 | £378,412 | £268,168 |
NHS Orkney | £14,716 | £14,716 | £10,301 |
NHS Shetland | £9,573 | £9,573 | £9,573 |
NHS Tayside | £194,620 | £194,620 | £138,330 |
NHS Western Isles | £19,988 | £19,988 | £13,992 |
NHS National Services Scotland | Operation of National Strategic Network for long COVID. | £101,498 | £180,916 | £126,641 |
NHS National Services Scotland | Procurement of C-19 YRS digital tool. | 0 | 0 | £124,781 |
NHS National Services Scotland | Clinical safety assessment of C-19 YRS digital tool. | 0 | £49,728 | 0 |
NHS National Services Scotland | Evaluation of data gathered through C-19 YRS digital tool. | 0 | £62,500 | 0 |
Smarts | Production and editing of NHS inform case study videos. | £5,112 | £5,676 | |
Progressive Partnership | Recruitment of participants for NHS inform user experience research and case study videos. | £9,450 | | |
Leith Agency | Development of creative brief and options for potential marketing campaign | £9,174 | | |
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland | Integration of long COVID support application within Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s case management system. | £28,904 | | |
Covid Aid | Delivery of long COVID advertising and signposting activity, development of mobile phone application for Covid Aid Support Community, delivery of Covid Aid/ Let’s Get on With it Together (LGOWIT) Self-Management Programme, development of online support community for people with long COVID | £144,095 | | |
Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland | Delivery of long COVID Support Groups within Glasgow City and West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership areas. | £13,345 | | |
Long Covid Scotland | Investment in systems and equipment required to widen organisation’s impact. Administrative capacity to support development of educational resources. | £25,000 | | |
Scottish Ballet | Delivery of the ‘Emerge’ programme. | £3,035 | | |
Scottish Opera | Expanding course capacity on the ‘Breathe Cycle II’ project. | £86,892 | | |
Thistle Foundation | Delivery of a ‘Good Conversations’ training programme for healthcare staff and expansion of national Self-Management and Rehabilitation programme. | £106,343 | | |
Total | | £2,477,508 | £2,750,024 | £2,077,367 |
An analysis of Patient Reported Outcome Measure (PROM) data provided by 701 patients accessing NHS long COVID support showed they reported that they got somewhat better in symptoms and abilities over the first six months. Despite improvements, many reported that they still had major health issues compared to before having COVID.
The report notes that long COVID can be a fluctuating condition, meaning there is not necessarily a linear trend of improvement or deterioration in the symptom burden, functional disability, and overall health of patients. Therefore, care needs to be taken in drawing any conclusions changes in PROM scores, particularly when over a short space of time. The full report is accessible at NHS Scotland Service Evaluation of Long-COVID Services – Long COVID.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus Robertson on 6 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the location of its network of international offices, with a view to adding an office in the Middle East.
Answer
There are currently no plans to open an office in the Middle East.
We will continue to work closely with Scottish Development International (SDI) and its network of trade and investment offices around the world, which includes offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 6 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what funding opportunities are available for spirits distilleries looking to expand their visitor facilities.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34544 on 6 March 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
- Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 6 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the outcomes of the long COVID support service pilot that took place across Edinburgh in 2022-23, including whether it considers it to have been successful.
Answer
Information on the outcomes of the long COVID pilot project undertaken by Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, Pogo Digital Healthcare and NHS Lothian is not held centrally. This is a matter for those organisations.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many people are currently in receipt of the enhanced living award of adult disability payment, broken down by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile; how many (a) are and (b) are not in employment, and how many have been in receipt of the payment for (i) one to two, (ii) more than two to three and (iii) more than three years.
Answer
As of 31 October 2024, 182,395 clients were in receipt of the enhanced daily living award of Adult Disability Payment.
Social Security Scotland does not currently publish statistics on Adult Disability Payment caseload broken from by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). It also does not hold information on the employment status of clients as it is not necessary to collect information on a client’s employment to assess their application.
Adult Disability Payment provides financial support for adults with a disability or long-term health conditions and is available to applicants regardless of their employment status which is the same as Department for Work and Pensions’ Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
Social Security Scotland routinely publishes statistics on Adult Disability Payment caseload, broken down by daily living award level. However, it does not currently publish statistics on Adult Disability Payment caseload broken down by both daily living award level and duration.
Social Security Scotland does not hold this information for clients who have been in receipt of Adult Disability Payment for one to two, and two to three years. Adult Disability Payment was introduced in March 2022; hence no clients have been in receipt of Adult Disability Payment for more than three years.
The latest Adult Disability Payment official statistics publication can be found at: https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications/statistics. The next release of Adult Disability Payment statistics which will cover the period to the end of January 2025, is due to be published on 18 March 2025.
