Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-30242

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 9 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in order to prevent school meal debt and hidden hunger among pupils, what plans it has to widen the eligibility for free school meals to all families in receipt of Scottish Child Payment.

We remain focused on delivering the next phase of our free school meal expansion programme, which is to Primary 6 & 7 pupils in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment and will deliver this within the parliamentary term. We are committed to universal expansion in primary schools when the financial circumstances allow.

We review the eligibility criteria for free school meals regularly to take account of changes to the national living wage. The eligibility criteria were last updated in April this year.

Question reference: S6W-30141

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will carry out a comprehensive review of maternity experiences throughout Scotland to understand the occurrence of pregnancy-related trauma.

We are committed to gathering evidence on maternity care experiences across Scotland and are currently developing the next iteration of the Maternity Care Survey, which was previously run in 2013, 2015 and 2018. Our intention is for the next survey to take place in 2025. The survey will ask about experiences of antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal maternity care, including questions about person-centred care, trust in healthcare providers, and the provision of advice and support. However this survey is not the right vehicle to ask about pregnancy related trauma, which requires sensitive and responsive inquiry.

In line with NICE guidelines, we would expect Health Professionals to offer advice and support to women who have had a traumatic birth and wish to understand and talk about their experience. We are working with NHS Boards to develop specialist Community Perinatal Mental Health services to provide assessment and care for women with moderate to severe mental illness, including psychological impact following the birth of a baby.

Question reference: S6W-30110

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to implementing the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 earlier than April 2025.

I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

Implementation of the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 was initially to be April 2024. Following the onset of the cost crisis in the public sector, Disclosure Scotland advised its Ministers that a one-year delay would be more cost effective in the context of the worsening financial climate. This delay would allow Disclosure Scotland to build the required technology at reduced expense and deliver a better product in terms of quality.

Disclosure Scotland advised Ministers that the longer delivery period would also allow our stakeholders more time to get ready for the coming changes and that the delay would not diminish the child and adult protection services that are the number one priority for Scottish Ministers in operating the PVG Scheme.

Ministers decided to agree a one-year delay in Act implementation but asked that appropriate elements of the new legislation should be commenced sooner, where possible.

Accordingly, parts of the Act and the policy intent of the Act have commenced earlier than the substantive implementation date, specifically:

On 10 December 2021, the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 (Commencement No.1 and Transitory Provision) Regulations 2021 came into force. These related to sections 83-85 of the 2020 Act which enabled individuals to withdraw from the PVG Scheme, to apply for removal from the barred list(s), permitted Scottish Ministers powers to obtain information to assess whether an individual is no longer unsuitable and to remove an individual from the list(s).
On 19 December 2022,The Police Act 1997 (Offences in Schedules 8A and 8B) Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2022 updated the offence lists in the Police Act 1997 to reflect the changes listed in the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020.
On 01 April 2023,the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 (Commencement No.2) Regulations 2023 came into force. These related to section 89 of the 2020 Act and provided Scottish Ministers must issue guidance to the chief constable of the Police Service of Scotland relating to disclosure of ‘other relevant information’.
On 30 September 2024, Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 (Commencement No.3) Regulations 2024 brought into force provisions of the 2020 Act including section 82 which amended the PVG Act to give local authorities and integration joint boards referral powers.

Question reference: S6W-30150

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with (a) the UK Government and (b) Falkirk Council regarding the final sign-off of the Falkirk Growth Deal.

Officials are in regular contact with both the UK Government and Falkirk Council regarding the signing of the Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth Deal. Discussion continues at pace to align Ministers and Falkirk Council to secure a date for the signing to bring the Deal into delivery. Signing was previously scheduled before the General Election but had to be postponed during that process. Project development is led by Falkirk Council and other local partners and this has continued ahead of the formal signing, ensuring this delay does not adversely impact Deal progress.

Question reference: S6W-30044

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government by what date CMAL will publish the invitation to tender to design and build seven new ferries for the Clyde and Hebrides network under phase 1 of the Small Vessel Replacement Programme, and how many expressions of interest in this contract have been received.

Question reference: S6W-30137

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle dangerous driving behaviours, such as (a) speeding, (b) driving too slowly, (c) using a mobile phone while driving and (d) racing, and what measures are in place to improve road safety across Scotland.

Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2030 sets out a vision for Scotland to have the best road safety performance in the world by 2030 and a long-term goal where no one is seriously injured or killed on our roads by 2050.

In response to interim figures in 2023 showing an increase in road casualties in Scotland, the Scottish Government has allocated a record £36m for road safety investment in the 2024/25 financial year. Latest figures in 2024 show that fatal casualties are tracking 26% above the same period last year.

In response to this, a range of interventions totalling £5.5m will be delivered. These include driver behaviour campaigns targeting speeding and seat belt use, as well as advancing the use of distracted driver technology. Additionally, local projects will focus on reducing pedestrian and cyclist casualties.

Further initiatives include launching a consultation on the National Speed Management Review, overseeing the £10m Road Safety Improvement Fund to support local authorities reduce casualties and risk, and the rolling out of a pioneering training and education programme which includes the development of the world’s first Safe System Manual for road safety practitioners.

This comprehensive approach underscores the Scottish Government’s unwavering commitment to achieving its goal of making Scotland’s roads among the safest in the world by 2030.

Question reference: S6W-30170

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it last reviewed the Adoption Support Services and Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 2009, and what conclusion any such review reached regarding the efficacy of the regulations in providing proportionate and equitable support for adoptive families.

A National Review of Care Allowances was published in 2018 which highlighted that each local authority is able to develop their own adoption allowance scheme within the parameters of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 (‘the 2007 Act’). Under the 2007 Act, local authorities have a duty to assess someone’s need for adoption support services and to provide this support.

Adoption agencies should ensure that prospective adopters are made aware at the earliest opportunity of the adoption process about the purpose of an adoption allowance, as well as the process for applying.

In addition, the Adoption Support Services and Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 2009 (‘the 2009 Regulations’) are designed to ensure that those persons identified in section 1 of the 2007 Act can access and receive the ongoing support for an adoption required to ensure the improved outcomes associated with adoption. It is the duty of local authorities to implement these duties to ensure that adoptive families receive this support.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that adoptive families receive the support they need, when and where they need it throughout life. This includes the provision of over £770,000 funding in 2024/25 to organisations delivering services and support to adoptive families and practitioners.

Question reference: S6W-30112

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made any assessment of its current ability to provide additional childcare to (a) parents and (b) guardians of nursery-age children with (i) short- and (ii) long-term additional support needs.

Education authorities have a duty under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (as amended) to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their children, including in respect of funded early learning and childcare (ELC). The Scottish Government provides funding to education authorities for additional support for learning as part of their block grant. It is for individual education authorities to manage their own budget and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

Question reference: S6W-30149

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to bring forward Falkirk Growth Deal projects, in light of reports of the Grangemouth refinery closure.

Project development and delivery are led by Falkirk Council and other local partners. Officials are in regular communication with both the UK Government and Falkirk Council regarding the signing of the Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth Deal. Partners are currently preparing business cases for all projects and officials are working to support this process to enable project delivery to commence. This crucial project development work has been ongoing ahead of the formal signing. Partners have identified the Deal projects which are sufficiently developed to commence and have prioritised those accordingly within the 10 year delivery programme of the Growth Deal.

Question reference: S6W-30171

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review the Adoption Support Services and Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 2009 during the current parliamentary session.

The Scottish Government has no plans to undertake a review of The Adoption Support Services and Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 2009, however we continue to keep adoption policy and practice under review. This is in close collaboration with stakeholders, as we work collectively to Keep the Promise by 2030. As part of this we will publish an adoption vision statement which sets out the place of adoption in Scotland today and our strategic priorities moving forward. This includes a focus on understanding the needs and priorities in relation to improving the consistency of post-adoption support across Scotland.

Chamber and committees