Question reference: S6W-00745
- Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 15 June 2021
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Current status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 1 July 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 70,000 devices for learners had been (a) ordered but not received by local authorities (b) received but not distributed, and (c) distributed by the date on which in-person learning resumed, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
Grant funding allocations were made to councils based on levels of deprivation and rurality within their areas, allowing them to purchase devices and connectivity for learners to align with local digital strategies. Local authorities have been responsible for securing and distributing devices, and for reporting to Scottish Government on progress. Global pressure on supply chains (primarily as a result of the pandemic and the move to home learning and working) has resulted in delayed delivery times for some devices.
The following table shows the number of devices ordered, received and distributed at end-March 2021 (immediately before the Easter break after which in-person learning resumed), as reported by individual local authorities.
Local Authority | Devices ordered but not yet received by council | Devices received by council but not yet distributed | Devices distributed to learners | Total |
Aberdeen City | 0 | 0 | 1777 | 1777 |
Aberdeenshire | 907 | 57 | 4214 | 5178 |
Angus | 0 | 0 | 1555 | 1555 |
Argyll and Bute | 39 | 0 | 1317 | 1356 |
City of Edinburgh | 0 | 0 | 2550 | 2550 |
Clackmannanshire | 33 | 0 | 828 | 861 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 0 | 0 | 2371 | 2371 |
Dundee City | 0 | 0 | 2150 | 2150 |
East Ayrshire | 439 | 6 | 2138 | 2583 |
East Dunbartonshire | 0 | 0 | 1015 | 1015 |
East Lothian | 399 | 0 | 1407 | 1806 |
East Renfrewshire | 0 | 0 | 623 | 623 |
Falkirk | 0 | 0 | 1840 | 1840 |
Fife | 0 | 0 | 5465 | 5465 |
Glasgow City | 0 | 0 | 7240 | 7240 |
Highland | 100 | 2 | 4499 | 4601 |
Inverclyde | 0 | 93 | 1107 | 1200 |
Midlothian | 0 | 0 | 1235 | 1235 |
Moray | 0 | 0 | 1315 | 1315 |
Na h-Eileanan Siar | 0 | 0 | 357 | 357 |
North Ayrshire | 0 | 0 | 1734 | 1734 |
North Lanarkshire | 1253 | 250 | 4537 | 6040 |
Orkney Islands | 0 | 150 | 275 | 425 |
Perth and Kinross | 600 | 0 | 1257 | 1857 |
Renfrewshire | 0 | 0 | 1800 | 1800 |
Scottish Borders | 0 | 0 | 316 | 316 |
Shetland Islands | 0 | 0 | 475 | 475 |
South Ayrshire | 15 | 9 | 1497 | 1521 |
South Lanarkshire | 0 | 0 | 5544 | 5544 |
Stirling | 0 | 0 | 1794 | 1794 |
West Dunbartonshire | 0 | 0 | 2084 | 2084 |
West Lothian | 0 | 0 | 2905 | 2905 |
Total | 3785 | 567 | 69221 | 73573 |