Chamber and committees

The increase in college withdrawal rates from 2020-21 to 2021-22 highlights the challenges faced by our colleges and their learners with the ongoing disruption to delivery caused by COVID, and the emergence of the cost-of-living crisis.

College learners faced repeated interruptions to normal delivery in 2021-22, particularly with the emergence of the Omicron variant; while some learners chose to enter employment due to the buoyant labour market and the beginning of the cost-of-living crisis.

We recognise that for many students, leaving college courses early for employment is a positive choice, despite its negative classification as a withdrawal within the Scottish Funding Council’s statistics. The SFC are currently working with the sector to better identify those who leave college to take up work opportunities.

Attainment is a complex area with many contributing factors. Our colleges provide education and training for a wide group of learners with different backgrounds, experience and levels of prior attainment.

Raising attainment is a shared priority across the education portfolio and we will continue to work with the sector to help students overcome barriers to learning to ensure they can reach their full potential.

Official Statistics published by the Scottish Funding Council in their annual College Statistics release show that in 2021-22 there were 69,036 full-time Higher (HE) and Further Education (FE) college enrolments in total. Although this is a decrease of around 10,000 on 2012-13, part-time HE and FE enrolments have increased by nearly 35,000 in total over the same period (from 218,616 in 2012-13 to 253,296 in 2021-22).

Academic year 2021-22 saw increases in enrolments, headcount and full-time equivalent places on the previous year; as well as increased numbers upskilling and reskilling on short courses, and increased opportunities for those furthest from the workplace.

Colleges continue to evolve their offer, whether full-time, part-time or a tailored mix, taking account of the diverse needs of learners; while continuing to respond flexibly to the social and economic needs of the regions they serve through the delivery of short courses aimed at upskilling and reskilling.

The Scottish Government is currently developing the new Palliative and End of Life Care Strategy for Scotland and intends to publish this in 2024.

We have appointed a National Clinical Lead for Palliative and End of Life Care to drive the development and delivery of the strategy, supported by a Clinical and Practice Advisory Group and a wide-reaching Strategy Steering Group (SSG).

The SSG is currently reviewing the information and evidence we have and need to develop the strategy, including current and projected data on palliative care needs, mapping services and support across Scotland, and engaging with patients, families and the wider public to understand their awareness and experiences of palliative and end of life care.

The SSG will discuss the timeline for producing a draft strategy for consultation, informed by this evidence gathering, at their next meeting in September.

The infrastructure levy powers in the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 would, once in force, provide local authorities with an additional mechanism for seeking financial contributions towards the cost of infrastructure. The definition of infrastructure in the Act is intentionally broad, enabling local authorities to spend levy income on a potentially wide range of projects in accordance with local priorities. This includes green and blue infrastructure but also educational and medical facilities, recreation facilities, flood defences and transport infrastructure – among other things.

Policy development to inform implementation of the infrastructure levy powers is at an early stage and in that context, it would be premature to comment on matters of detailed policy design. Furthermore, seeking to influence how local authorities might use future income from the infrastructure levy would seem to be contrary to the recently signed Verity House Agreement.

The Scottish Government has a duty to ensure that Government policies protect the rights of disabled people and reduce inequalities. Strategies, Plans and policies related to net zero, energy and transport are thoroughly assessed to ensure they do not discriminate against disabled people through our Equalities Impact Assessment requirement.

We also engage with protected groups to develop fair policy. Examples include engagement on Scotland’s Accessible Travel Framework and co-designing Just Transition Plans for the energy and transport sectors.

We are currently working with several disability organisations to enable them to engage with their members on the development of our Just Transition Plans, to ensure the needs of disabled people are reflected both in the Plans and in wider Scottish Government policy.

The proposal for a SDCF which could operate within current legislation, and which would suit the parameters set out by the Lord Advocate in November 2021, was shared with COPFS on 22 June 2022.

This was a proposal developed by Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership and Scottish Government facilitated that development.

The Scottish Government facilitated discussions between Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership and Police Scotland, both of whom input into the proposal, which was developed by Glasgow HSCP, for a Safer Drug Consumption Facility prior to it being sent to COPFS.

The Scottish Government’s Scam Prevention, Awareness and Enforcement Strategy 2021-24 states that an initial update would be published at an appropriate time within 18-24 months of its publication in March 2021. However, our response to the cost of living crisis has meant refocusing resource to ensure that the urgent help and advice required by consumers was delivered as quickly as possible.

We intend to provide a progress update to the Scottish Parliament by the end of this calendar year.

The Scottish Government continues to recognise the valuable contribution that organisations like Glasgow Life provide to communities across Scotland. Whilst Glasgow Life is a registered charity, the Scottish Government acknowledges that it operates as an arms-length external organisation to Glasgow City Council.

Councils are independent corporate bodies with their own powers and responsibilities separate from the Scottish Government. It is for Glasgow City Council to decide how to use their resources as efficiently as possible. This is both to best meet the needs of their local communities and deliver local and national government’s three shared priorities as set out in the Verity House Agreement: tackling poverty; transforming the economy through a just transition to net zero; and, delivering sustainable person-centred public services).

I refer the member to the answer to S6W-20201 on 14 August 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/questions-and-answers.