Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to reducing the number of young people aged 16 to 24 who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) by helping them access the opportunities and support they need to achieve positive and sustainable outcomes.

This is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service as an employer. The information requested is not held centrally. The member may wish to contact the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service directly.

The cost of the contract for the provision of the national standardised assessment for the 2025-25 academic year was £3,490,202.67

The Scottish Government provides grant funding to Family Fund, some of which enables low income families raising disabled children to purchase technology. In 2025-26, they received £3.18m (including £250k additional funding via Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan). In 2026-27 they have been awarded £2.974m.

In 2025-26, this enabled families to purchase the following to support their digital access:

• 269 grants for Computers - £118k
• 74 grants for Mobile phones - £14.1k
• 622 grants for Tablets - £244k

Under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016, every area must have a local carer information and advice service providing information on a range of issues including support available. That information and advice must be accessible to carers and proportionate to their needs. These services are normally delivered via local carer centres and accessible via phone or face to face, as well as providing online information. Unpaid carers can also approach their local authority for information and advice about support. On a national basis, Care Information Scotland provides information on carers rights to support, which is available online or by telephone.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving awareness and take-up of support for unpaid carers through implementation of Section 13 of the Care Reform (Scotland) Act 2025. Work is underway to develop the necessary regulations and engage with key stakeholders to support a more proactive, preventative and rights-based approach to carer support.

Social Security Scotland local delivery advisers can provide information and signposting including referral to the Independent Advocacy Service by a range of methods to suit people’s needs, including through client letters, emails, texts, leaflets, and online content.

The Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 also requires local authorities to prepare and publish a short breaks services statement to ensure that local carers and those that they care for can easily access information about what short breaks services and opportunities are available to them in their local area.

The Shared Care Scotland short breaks directory gives online access to short breaks and they also provide a telephone enquiry service for those that don’t have access to the internet or those who can’t find what they’re looking for online.

Our Parent Club website provides advice for parents of disabled children and young people on the organisations, benefits and services available. Included in Parent Club is the Family Support Directory which provides together all the helpful organisations, benefits and information that support parents and carers, no matter what their situation or stage their child is at.

Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) is Scotland's approach for meeting the needs of children, young people and their families, including those with additional support needs. One of the core components of the GIRFEC approach is the offer of advice and support from the named person. The role of a named person, or equivalent role, is to provide a clear point of contact within universal services for information, advice or help. They can refer the child or young person and their families to support within their own service, or request support from other services or agencies. A named person is usually a health visitor until children start school, and a head or senior teacher thereafter.

The Scottish Government considered a range of evidence in reaching its conclusion that an exemption from Air Departure Tax (ADT)is necessary to protect Highlands and Islands aviation connectivity.

The responsibility for the delivery of education rests with individual local authorities. The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 (the Act) enables local authorities and schools to make such arrangements for the day-to-day delivery of education as they see fit.

The ongoing Curriculum Improvement Cycle, led by Education Scotland, is considering the skills, knowledge and understanding that children and young people will be required to develop, including in relation to Digital Skills and how this should be managed as a crucial element of the updated curriculum. This work has been co-created with a group of practitioners and non-education stakeholders and will help improve learning and teaching in digital literacy.

The Curriculum Improvement Cycle will update and strengthen Scotland’s 3-18 curriculum supporting more consistent teaching and learning experiences, and improved attainment and achievement of our children and young people. This is being undertaken in tandem with the dialogue with local government on public sector reform and our ambition, set out in the Programme for Government to empower school leaders, raise standards and reduce variation.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested. This would be an operational matter for First Glasgow, the operator of the Glasgow Airport Express service.

Ministers were advised on 10 July that evidence returns were slower than expected and agreed to extend the deadline to 30 September. At that point, only 552 of 1,750 beneficiaries, 32%, had submitted evidence. No verification backlog or processing capacity concern had been identified at that stage.

The pressure arose subsequently as evidence submissions became concentrated over a short period. Of the 765 cases received by the end of July, 712, 93%, assessments have now either been completed or are under review.

We do not consider that the current position demonstrates a failure to learn lessons from previous schemes. Grants were paid in advance specifically to give businesses the cash flow to make the approved investments. However, 557 beneficiaries, have still to provide evidence that the funded investment was carried out. As of 15 September 2026, 45 completed cases have resulted in recovery of grant (either in whole or in part), totalling £373,444. This demonstrates why the required verification controls must be completed.

Discussions with Local Government partners over the summer established an agreed need for reform of public services to meet the complex demographic, fiscal and demand-led challenges facing those services. Alongside engagement at an official level, the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Reform, First Minister and I each held discussions with COSLA on behalf of local authorities which informed the approach.

As the Scottish Government takes forward implementation of this work and considers the wider reform agenda, we will continue to work closely with our Local Government partners to build consensus around a shared vision for the future of local governance. As part of this process, we will consider which functions and responsibilities may be more effectively delivered at a regional level, alongside the powers and resources that should sit closer to communities.

The Scottish Government does not mandate a single national training programme recognising heart attacks in women for NHS Scotland staff. Decisions on workforce training and professional development are primarily a matter for individual NHS Boards, informed by national clinical guidance, professional standards and evidence-based practice.

NHS Scotland staff are supported through a range of clinical guidelines, professional education and evidence-based resources relating to the recognition, diagnosis and management of cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction. For example, NHS Inform provides dedicated information on women's heart health, including information on heart attack symptoms in women and the importance of seeking urgent treatment. NHS Inform also highlights that women may experience symptoms differently and may delay seeking help, emphasising the importance of recognising symptoms and accessing emergency care promptly.