- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question (a) S6W-15576 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 27 March 2023 and (b) S6W-17101 by Jenny Gilruth on 22 May 2023, whether it will provide the same information for 2022-23.
Answer
Spending data on additional support for learning (ASL) is provided below. This data is collected from local authorities via the 2022-23 Local Financial Returns (LFR). These figures show that spending on ASL by local authorities reached its highest level on record, £926m in 2022-23.
Local authorities are asked to provide this data in line with guidance to ensure returns are completed on a consistent basis to allow for a reasonable degree of comparability. However, these figures may be affected by variations in local accounting practices and education strategies. It is important to bear this in mind when making comparisons between local authorities and years.
Local authorities are asked to record all centrally funded ASL expenditure under Special Education, irrespective of where it is delivered. Decisions about prioritisation and budgets, including those for the provision of services for pupils with additional support needs, are a matter for individual councils. We recognise the challenges facing authorities in balancing their need to meet a wide range of statutory duties, local priorities and local circumstances.
Table 1 shows gross revenue expenditure on (ASL) education for 2022-23, split by Pre-Primary, Primary, Secondary and Special Education.
Table 1 – 2022-23 ASL expenditure by Local Authority (£000)
Local authority | Pre-Primary Education | Primary Education | Secondary Education | Special Education | Total |
Aberdeen City | £1,103 | £6,002 | £6,756 | £18,020 | £31,881 |
Aberdeenshire | £0 | £0 | £0 | £53,746 | £53,746 |
Angus | £0 | £0 | £0 | £13,885 | £13,885 |
Argyll and Bute | £711 | £4,211 | £4,801 | £3,112 | £12,835 |
City of Edinburgh | £5,474 | £26,029 | £12,472 | £48,983 | £92,958 |
Clackmannanshire | £0 | £0 | £0 | £13,636 | £13,636 |
Dumfries and Galloway | £0 | £0 | £0 | £22,609 | £22,609 |
Dundee City | £212 | £6,098 | £2,709 | £9,113 | £18,132 |
East Ayrshire | £0 | £0 | £0 | £21,246 | £21,246 |
East Dunbartonshire | £431 | £2,407 | £2,157 | £15,579 | £20,574 |
East Lothian | £176 | £3,091 | £2,153 | £12,318 | £17,738 |
East Renfrewshire | £1,010 | £1,754 | £1,453 | £10,656 | £14,873 |
Falkirk | £0 | £0 | £0 | £27,603 | £27,603 |
Fife | £0 | £0 | £0 | £42,578 | £42,578 |
Glasgow City | £5,339 | £17,158 | £26,509 | £87,332 | £136,338 |
Highland | £0 | £0 | £0 | £45,900 | £45,900 |
Inverclyde | £0 | £0 | £0 | £14,750 | £14,750 |
Midlothian | £53 | £3,162 | £1,305 | £15,597 | £20,117 |
Moray | £0 | £0 | £0 | £19,357 | £19,357 |
Na h-Eileanan Siar | £0 | £0 | £0 | £5,880 | £5,880 |
North Ayrshire | £0 | £0 | £0 | £15,008 | £15,008 |
North Lanarkshire | £111 | £11,839 | £5,151 | £45,229 | £62,330 |
Orkney Islands | £124 | £606 | £812 | £2,366 | £3,908 |
Perth and Kinross | £350 | £5,313 | £4,336 | £10,947 | £20,946 |
Renfrewshire | £1,686 | £5,199 | £2,971 | £17,142 | £26,998 |
Scottish Borders | £0 | £0 | £0 | £12,179 | £12,179 |
Shetland Islands | £0 | £0 | £0 | £8,770 | £8,770 |
South Ayrshire | £17 | £932 | £663 | £16,983 | £18,595 |
South Lanarkshire | £0 | £9,793 | £9,361 | £31,444 | £50,598 |
Stirling | £0 | £1,521 | £2,809 | £6,040 | £10,370 |
West Dunbartonshire | £591 | £4,477 | £2,711 | £12,190 | £19,969 |
West Lothian | £0 | £0 | £0 | £29,621 | £29,621 |
All local authorities | £17,388 | £109,592 | £89,129 | £709,819 | £925,928 |
Source: Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government: Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
Table 2 shows the percentage of total gross revenue expenditure on education by local authorities which was accounted for by spending on additional support for learning in 2022-23.
Table 2 – 2022-23 share of education expenditure accounted for by ASL
Local authority | ASL spend as a share of education spend |
Aberdeen City | 13% |
Aberdeenshire | 14% |
Angus | 9% |
Argyll and Bute | 9% |
City of Edinburgh | 17% |
Clackmannanshire | 17% |
Dumfries and Galloway | 11% |
Dundee City | 9% |
East Ayrshire | 12% |
East Dunbartonshire | 11% |
East Lothian | 13% |
East Renfrewshire | 9% |
Falkirk | 12% |
Fife | 9% |
Glasgow City | 17% |
Highland | 13% |
Inverclyde | 13% |
Midlothian | 13% |
Moray | 15% |
Na h-Eileanan Siar | 11% |
North Ayrshire | 8% |
North Lanarkshire | 13% |
Orkney Islands | 9% |
Perth and Kinross | 10% |
Renfrewshire | 11% |
Scottish Borders | 8% |
Shetland Islands | 15% |
South Ayrshire | 12% |
South Lanarkshire | 11% |
Stirling | 7% |
West Dunbartonshire | 14% |
West Lothian | 11% |
All local authorities | 12% |
Source: Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government: Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
All figures in tables 1 and 2 are based on gross expenditure on a funding basis. This means they have not been adjusted for inter/ intra authority transfers.
Table 3 shows average per-ASL pupil spending on ASL by local authority in 2022-23. More precisely, this calculation shows gross revenue expenditure on ASL in primary, secondary and special education from the local financial returns, divided by the number of pupils identified as having additional support needs recorded in the Pupil Census.
Table 3 – 2022-23 ASL spending per pupil (cash terms)
Local authority | ASL spend per ASL pupil |
Aberdeen City | £3,079 |
Aberdeenshire | £3,040 |
Angus | £3,591 |
Argyll and Bute | £3,733 |
City of Edinburgh | £3,492 |
Clackmannanshire | £6,322 |
Dumfries and Galloway | £3,407 |
Dundee City | £2,756 |
East Ayrshire | £4,427 |
East Dunbartonshire | £4,909 |
East Lothian | £3,926 |
East Renfrewshire | £3,149 |
Falkirk | £3,968 |
Fife | £2,949 |
Glasgow City | £4,922 |
Highland | £3,419 |
Inverclyde | £4,410 |
Midlothian | £3,626 |
Moray | £3,907 |
Na h-Eileanan Siar | £5,297 |
North Ayrshire | £2,509 |
North Lanarkshire | £7,087 |
Orkney Islands | £3,459 |
Perth and Kinross | £3,381 |
Renfrewshire | £3,684 |
Scottish Borders | £2,369 |
Shetland Islands | £6,762 |
South Ayrshire | £4,072 |
South Lanarkshire | £3,943 |
Stirling | £2,495 |
West Dunbartonshire | £3,669 |
West Lothian | £2,966 |
All local authorities | £3,764 |
Sources:
1. Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government: Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
Table 4 provides real terms spend per primary and secondary school pupil based on 2022-23 prices, to align with the most recent Local Government Financial Returns.
Table 4 – Real terms average spend per pupil, 2007-08 to 2022-23
Year | Primary Education | Secondary Education |
2007-08 | £6,481 | £8,834 |
2008-09 | £6,500 | £8,930 |
2009-10 | £6,483 | £8,676 |
2010-11 | £6,527 | £8,612 |
2011-12 | £6,330 | £8,330 |
2012-13 | £6,170 | £8,349 |
2013-14 | £6,030 | £8,296 |
2014-15 | £5,884 | £8,296 |
2015-16 | £5,912 | £8,388 |
2016-17 | £5,902 | £8,350 |
2017-18 | £6,032 | £8,317 |
2018-19 | £6,221 | £8,518 |
2019-20 | £6,465 | £8,696 |
2020-21 | £6,491 | £8,371 |
2021-22 | £6,993 | £8,726 |
2022-23 | £7,075 | £8,766 |
Primary and secondary education figures are adjusted to exclude inter-authority transfers. However, this breakdown is not available for ASL spending, therefore ASL figures in Table 5 are based on gross expenditure on a funding basis. Inflation adjustments are based on HM Treasury’s 15 February 2024 GDP Deflator outturn data.
Sources:
1. Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government: Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
2. Pupil Census - published annually - for further details go to: Pupil census: supplementary statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
3. GDP deflators at market prices: GDP deflators at market prices, and money GDP - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Table 5 provides real terms spending specifically on ASL divided by the number of ASL pupils, based on 2022-23 prices. ASL spend is provided from 2012-13, when the data was first collected. The following figures do not represent all spending benefitting ASL pupils, who also benefit from spending incurred in delivering the wider school system.
Table 5 – Real terms average ASL spend per ASL pupil, 2012-13 to 2022-23
Year | ASL pupils at primary, secondary and special schools |
2012-13 | £5,698 |
2013-14 | £5,238 |
2014-15 | £4,977 |
2015-16 | £4,575 |
2016-17 | £4,204 |
2017-18 | £3,992 |
2018-19 | £3,778 |
2019-20 | £3,607 |
2020-21 | £3,610 |
2021-22 | £3,748 |
2022-23 | £3,764 |
ASL spending figures are based on gross expenditure on a funding basis. Inflation adjustments are based on HM Treasury’s 15 February 2024 GDP Deflator outturn data.Sources:
1. Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government: Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
2. Pupil Census - published annually - for further details go to: Pupil census: supplementary statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
3. GDP deflators at market prices: GDP deflators at market prices, and money GDP - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to a supplementary to question S6O-03191 by Jenni Minto on 13 March 2024, whether the ADHD medication, lisdexamfetamine, may be considered a specialist medicine so that NHS National Services Scotland could potentially explore alternative procurement options within devolved competence through its national procurement service.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no plans to designate lisdexamfetamine (Elvanse ® ) as a specialist medicine or to explore options for commissioning the direct procurement of this medicine through National Services Scotland’s NHS National Procurement.
Manufacturing issues and increased global demand are the main reasons for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicine supply issues and as such it is unlikely that a central procurement of lisdexamfetamine (Elvanse ® ) or of any other ADHD medicine would offer an effective solution. This is anticipated to be a short term problem.
The regulatory powers on the supply of medicines, are reserved to the UK Government and the Department of Health and Social Care’s Medicines Supply Team are co-ordinating the shortage of ADHD medicines at a UK level. Advice has been issued to healthcare professionals including on the availability of unlicensed imports. In addition, the UK Government has added lisdexamfetamine (Elvanse ® ) to the restricted medicines lists – which means it cannot be exported out of the UK.
The Scottish Government recognises the impact of these global shortages on people living with ADHD and their families. Scottish Government officials continue to engage with the UK Government on this supply issue and other shortages. NHS Scotland has robust systems in place to manage medicine shortages when they arise. Anyone affected by this issue should speak to their clinical team.
- Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-25452 by Jenni Minto on 27 February 2024, whether the work planned by RSM UK includes analysis of the accommodation capacity required to ensure that parents do not have to leave their baby overnight under the new neonatal model of care; if so, what standard of provision this capacity is being measured against, what progress is being made by RSM UK with this work, and when its findings will be published.
Answer
The Scottish Government have commissioned RSM UK to provide analysis of the capacity requirements associated with the new model of neonatal care.
The scope of this work is to model the current and future demand and requirements for neonatal intensive care cot capacity, in order to inform regional implementation planning.
The work has involved engagement with operational and strategic stakeholders to collect feedback on implementation considerations, of which accommodation requirements has been documented.
Detailed analysis and quantification of accommodation capacity requirements is not in the scope of this work. However, this is a key part of the model of neonatal care described in Best Start and we expect all Boards to provide emergency overnight accommodation on the unit for parents who need it, with other accommodation for neonatal parents nearby. Boards are expected to include provision for this in their planning.
We also provide support to all families with babies in neonatal care to cover the costs of food, travel and accommodation as part of our Young Patients Family Fund.
The report is due to be finalised by the end of March 2024.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria dental providers must meet to benefit from the Scottish Dental Access Initiative.
Answer
In order to receive a grant under the Scottish Dental Access Initiative, prospective applicants must set out their intention to i) establish a new practice or ii) extend an existing practice within designated geographical areas. Designated areas are defined by Scottish Government with reference to overall availability of General Dental Services. Once granted, SDAI funding is monitored to ensure ongoing compliance with a number of conditions which the grantee agrees to when signing the grant offer letter. These include.
- Maintaining the number of NHS patient registrations at the time of offer of the grant (if purchasing or extending an existing practice);
- Registering, or causing to be registered, at least 1,500 NHS patients per grant-aided surgery, and;
- At least 80 per cent of the practice’s income should derive from General Dental Services.
For further information on all the areas included in the grant and for all other listed conditions, please see attached link here: https://www.scottishdental.nhs.scot/nhs-pcad20232-revised-scottish-dental-access-initiative-25-april-2023/
- Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report on how women born in the 1950s were affected by increases to the state pension age, and given that women are more likely to live in poverty than men, what assessment it has made of the potential impact that changes to the state pension age have had on the poverty rate among women in Scotland.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2024
- Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Scotland has become the "worst country in Europe" for unqualified beauticians injecting customers with cosmetic treatments.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2024
- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to tackle child poverty.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2024
- Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 28 March 2024
To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on what action the Scottish Government is taking to deliver the New Deal for Tenants.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 28 March 2024
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 28 March 2024
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to expedite the restoration of the Glasgow School of Art, in light of it being nearly a decade since the first fire.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 28 March 2024
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 28 March 2024
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government plans to take following the publication of the University of Stirling study highlighting the reported risk of crumb rubber infill on artificial pitches.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 28 March 2024
