Chamber and committees

As set out in the Headteachers’ Charter and the associated empowerment guidance, the Scottish Government is fully committed to ensuring that schools are empowered and supported in taking the decisions they need to improve pupil outcomes.

The Scottish Government's Devolved School Management (DSM) scheme is intended to support improved consistency, transparency and equity in decisions on school funding, ensuring local authorities and headteachers work together so that decisions are taken at the most appropriate level. This is a matter for local decision making, and it is up to local authorities to allocate budget for their DSM scheme. I am pleased that almost all local authorities have implemented their revised DSM schemes and work is ongoing with a small number of local authorities.

The Scottish Government does not hold information specifically on the number of car thefts. Information on the number of thefts of a motor vehicle is provided below, but it is not possible to break that down by type of motor vehicle.

In terms of a perpetrator breaking into a home to take keys, it should be noted that this is recorded as a crime of housebreaking and not as a theft of a motor vehicle. The data held by the Scottish Government does not include information on what was stolen during any recorded crime of housebreaking.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the use of so-called cloning equipment to steal a car without the keys.

Crimes of theft of a motor vehicle, Scotland, year ending December 2021 to year ending December 2023

No economic assessment has been carried out in regard to any potential delay to the Aberdeen – Central Belt Enhancement Project. An economic assessment of the impact of the proposed delivery, including cost and programme, of the Aberdeen – Central Belt Enhancement Project will be undertaken as part of the Outline Business Case assessment for the project.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Scottish Water has published its Improving Urban Waters Routemap ( https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Help-and-Resources/Document-Hub/Key-Publications/Urban-Waters-Improvements ) which outlines the process to identify and plan future investment for the highest priority Unsatisfactory Intermittent Discharges (UIDs). This planned approached is agreed in conjunction with the environmental regulator SEPA.

Each financial year (Apr-Mar) it reports UID figures within an Annual return to the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) and as at March 2023 the figure was 776. This number is revised each year as improvement projects address UIDs and on-going studies identify new UIDs. The figure for 2023-24 will be published later this year.

The Scottish Government welcomes the model of early intervention being piloted as part of the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) ‘No Time To Wait’ project. We will continue to engage with ECHC as the ‘No Time To Wait’ pilot continues and look forward to learning more from the evaluation of the model in due course.

We recognise the important role third sector organisations, such as ECHC, play in supporting and improving children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. That is why we fund a variety of organisations and services with a focus on prevention and early intervention to ensure all of Scotland’s children, young people and families receive the right care and support, at the right time, in settings which best meets their needs. In this financial year (23-24) we have invested a further £15 million into community mental health services for children, young people and families through our local authority framework to achieve this aim.

To comply with the UK’s Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU, that states each party shall respect and make best use of relevant international standards including the OECD Guidelines on corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises, the business is required to operate on a commercial basis and at arm’s length from the Scottish Government.

Scottish Government abides by international law and guidelines. Ministers do not intervene in commercial operations of the airport.

The Scottish Government has faced its most challenging budgetary settlement since devolution began – a settlement which has not been inflation-proofed, and which has subsequently required difficult decisions to be made, due to the pressures on our public services. Mindful of our missions and priorities for Scotland, we have had to prioritise legal and contractual obligations in determining how to deploy this budget across Education and Skills priorities. Our children, young people, families and learners of all ages continue to be a key priority for this Government and we will continue to focus on our three central missions of equality, opportunity, and community.

We remain committed to supporting a high quality post-school education, research and skills system with over £2.4 billion investment. This includes honouring this government’s commitment to free tuition and a £2,400 increase in student financial support for higher education students from the next academic year.

We have also made clear our commitment to reform our lifelong education and skills system. This is demonstrated within our 2023-24 Programme for Government where we committed to lead the development of a new funding model for Post-School education provision.

We look forward to receiving the subsequent reports where NUS will set out their roadmap towards an education system that’s collectively shaped by students’ views, values and ambitions which we hope will offer some robust proposals, including funding suggestions to drive forward our commitment to reforming the post-16 landscape.

Every death in custody is tragic and a matter for concern. We will carefully consider the findings of this report. The health and wellbeing of all those in custody is a priority for this Government and we continue to work with partners to ensure their safety.

Regarding drug use in custody, the Scottish Government funds a variety of programmes aimed at encouraging recovery. This includes the Prison Recovery Project, which supports access to recovery options and choice in prison, as well as creating links to the community and the Prison to Rehab pathway, which enables individuals to access residential rehabilitation on release from prison.

More broadly, the Scottish Government is supporting a range of actions in relation to deaths in custody: the Scottish Prison Service recently completed a thorough review of their Death in Prison Learning Audit and Review process, designed to improve their support for vulnerable people in their care; His Majesty’s Inspectorate of the Constabulary Scotland has undertaken joint healthcare inspections of police custody facilities, working with Healthcare Improvement Scotland to ensure that health issues are fully considered; and the Mental Welfare Commission recently concluded pilot work to develop a new investigatory system for those who died while subject to an order under mental health legislation.

The Lord Advocate is constitutionally responsible for the investigation of sudden, unexpected and suspicious deaths in Scotland. Any conclusions reached or recommendations made at the end of a Fatal Accident Inquiry are a matter for the Sheriff who has heard all the evidence.

The Just Transition Fund has allocated £75 million to date, supporting projects and communities across the North East and Moray to create jobs, support innovation, and secure the highly skilled workforce of the future.

Government does not fund North East Edinburgh Counselling Service directly from its mental health programme budget, therefore no objectives have been set.