Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-19642

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 9 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it undertook with the Educational Institute of Scotland Further Education Lecturers Association (EIS-FELA) on the recommendation in the final report of the independent review of the skills delivery landscape, Fit for the Future: developing a post-school learning system to fuel economic transformation, to establish a single national funding body, including any amalgamation of responsibilities from Skills Development Scotland, the Scottish Funding Council and the Students Awards Agency for Scotland.

The Skills Delivery Landscape Review was carried out as an independent review, and as such the Scottish Government was not involved in consultations that led to the recommendations.

As set out in Fit for the Future: developing a post-school learning system to fuel economic transformation the Independent Advisor, James Withers, ran an open call for evidence and engaged directly with a range of individuals and organisations as a core part of his review process.

Question reference: S6W-20163

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 9 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent survey findings of the Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland that, of the businesses that have never offered an apprenticeship, two fifths had not done so due to not having the financial resources to do so, and how it plans to address these findings.

Small and micro businesses tend to make up a high percentage of Modern Apprentice (MA) employers. Data from Skills Development Scotland (SDS) shows that in 2019, 49.7% of MA employers were microbusinesses (0-9 employees) and 30.8% were small businesses (10-49 employees).

SDS, our national skills body, undertakes a variety of activity to promote apprenticeships to small businesses. This includes Scottish Apprenticeship Week (SAW) which is a long-standing and award winning campaign designed to raise the profile of apprenticeships, supported by hundreds of employers each year.

During SAW, the annual Scottish Apprenticeship Awards recognises apprenticeship delivery and seeks to reward and recognise employer apprenticeships, including a category for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

SDS also commission learning providers to promote and recruit apprentice employers including SMEs. Apprenticeships.scot is a platform which enables employers to advertise apprenticeship opportunities for free which SMEs are encouraged to use. SDS undertakes a comprehensive digital marketing programme in support of Scottish Apprenticeships, including ongoing engagement through social media channels and promotion of Apprenticeships.scot .

Question reference: S6W-20052

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 9 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the number of (a) graduate, (b) foundation and (c) modern apprenticeships by (i) occupational grouping and (ii) employer size in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-19551

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 31 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 9 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has asked Skills Development Scotland to consider widening the range of courses eligible for modern apprenticeship funding.

Apprenticeships in Scotland are demand-led, and our apprenticeship system aims to be as responsive to industry demand as it can be. Any new Modern Apprenticeship (MA) frameworks created would be as a result of sufficient demand from employers for a new MA and a clear indication that an MA is the right training route. Skills Development Scotland (SDS) work with industry to assess the level of demand and can support the development of new apprenticeship frameworks where required.

Question reference: S6W-19550

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 31 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 9 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Skills Development Scotland regarding removing or changing the time limit in place on accessing funding for modern apprenticeships to allow an individual to begin a modern apprenticeship at any point in their career.

Question reference: S6W-20102

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 9 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, following initiatives such as the 2016 Enterprise and Skills Review, its 2017 commitment to improving skills planning, and the 2022 Auditor General for Scotland report, Planning for skills, which stated that the "Scottish Government has not provided the necessary leadership for progress", what assessment it has made of the reasons for the reported lack of progress in planning for workforce skills.

The Scottish Government accepted the recommendations in the 2022 Planning for Skills Report and have taken action to improve our assurance and oversight of skills planning, including through the actions taken as part of the Shared Outcomes Framework (published in March 2022). The Scottish Government also published the National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) in March 2022, which includes analysis and actions to develop Scotland’s Skilled Workforce.

In Autumn 2022, the Scottish Government initiated the independent review of the Skills Delivery Landscape, led by James Withers, to provide recommendations on how the skills functions of our public bodies, including skills planning, should change to ensure the system remains fit for purpose for delivering the ambitions in NSET.

In his final report, published in June 2023, James Withers recommends that the Scottish Government takes responsibility for national skills planning. Following that report, in its Initial Priorities paper, published on 28 June 2023 alongside the Purpose and Principles for post-school education, research and skills, the Scottish Government accepted the basis of many recommendations made by James Withers including taking responsibility for national skills planning and enhancing the role of employers in shaping system planning priorities, pathways and provision.

We will be working over the coming months, with partners, to explore the practicalities of implementing these priorities including our approach to developing new national and regional skills planning processes.

Question reference: S6W-20103

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what work it is undertaking to incorporate the 10 demands of offshore oil and gas workers for a just transition, as laid out in the report, Our Power: Offshore workers’ demands for a just energy transition, published in March 2023 by Friends of the Earth Scotland and the Platform collective, and which have reportedly been backed by over 90% of over 1,000 workers surveyed.

The Scottish Government welcomes the report detailing offshore workers’ demands for a just energy transition and agrees that listening to and acting on recommendations from workers is critical to ensure a Just Transition.

We must ensure a fair and just transition for our skilled offshore workers and that is why we have provided £100,000 in funding to the STUC to ensure workers’ voices are at the heart of our just transition planning.

The recommendations provided within this report are being carefully considered as part of the work to finalise the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan (ESJTP).

Question reference: S6W-20049

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 9 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the integration of the Skills 4.0 model into work-based learning and the broader skills and education systems.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance equipping people of all ages and stages of life with the knowledge, skills and attributes to thrive in the 21 st Century. This forms a core part of all post-school pathways, including apprenticeships, and is reflected in the recently published Purpose and Principles for post-school education, research and skills, as well as underpinning the Curriculum for Excellence. Our overarching programme of education and skills reform will continue to ensure that we have a system that is fit for the future.

Question reference: S6W-20051

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 9 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of its Skills and Training budget detailing (a) resources committed per programme, (b) staffing costs and (c) capital costs in each of the last five years.

A breakdown of the Skills and Training budget is set out in the Scottish Government’s annual budget publications:

Scottish Budget 2023-2024

Scottish Budget 2022-2023

Scottish Budget 2021-2022

Scottish Budget 2020-2021

Scottish Budget 2019-2020

The Skills and Training budget consists of funding for Skills Development Scotland, Education Maintenance Allowance, Employability and Skills.

The largest proportion of the Skills and Training budget funds Skills Development Scotland, who publish a breakdown of spend, including resource, staffing and capital costs in their annually published Accounts:

2021-22

2020-21

2019-20

Accounts for 2022-23 and 2023-24 are not yet available and will be published on the SDS website when they have been audited and laid in parliament.

Question reference: S6W-20170

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 9 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-18723 by Graeme Day on 20 June 2023, whether it can provide an update on its progress towards delivering a Scottish Education Exchange Programme.