Chamber and committees

Scottish Government and the Improvement Service continues to support Local Authorities with their local implementations of PARD. Support ranges from guidance on data preparation, through to examples on when PARD can be used.

Scottish Government and the Improvement Service are also drafting a ‘quick start guide’ that will be distributed to Local Authorities by the end of October 2023. The guide answers frequently asked questions.

Scottish Government Digital Directorate has engaged with the Society of Local Authority Lawyers & Administrators in Scotland (SOLAR) FOI, Data Protection & Human Rights Group working group to brief them on the Data Protection requirements around PARD. The working group will provide support to Local Authorities when preparing Data Protection documentation relating to PARD.

Additionally, Scottish Government Digital Directorate presented PARD to a Public Engagement Panel that was looking at public acceptance and Data Ethics around the use of personal data by the Public Sector. The panel was very supportive of the use of personal data in PARD and in general for incidents and emergencies.

At her recent appearance at the Education Committee, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills outlined the rationale for developing a new funding model and that the Scottish Government was at an early stage in its deliberations. The Skills Delivery Landscape Review outlined that there was significant funding within the system that could be better utilised that this commitment is looking to address.

The Scottish Government will update on wider reform including progress on the funding model in the coming months.

The information requested relates to Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) data and is not held by the Scottish Government.

SQA has advised that it does not collect candidate type data. However it does collect centre type data, which includes “HM Prisons” and they have provided this as set out in the table which has been placed in The Scottish Parliament Information Centre Bib number 64623. Certifications contained within the table may relate to prisoners, prison officers or any other person entered by the prison service.

Progress is being made. At a national level the poverty-related attainment gap remains narrower than it was pre-pandemic for National 5s, Highers and Advanced Highers. We’ve seen good progress in primary school literacy and numeracy, with the latest data showing the biggest reduction in the gap on record and a record low gap in positive destinations for school leavers 9 months after leaving school.

The Scottish Government gathers a range of data via the National Improvement Framework, which includes 11 key measures of particular relevance to the attainment gap in both the Broad General Education and Senior Phase – with two new key measures added on School Attendance and Initial Positive Destinations. A detailed breakdown of attainment and the poverty-related attainment gap can be found on the Scottish Government website - Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence levels: 2021/22 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) and Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations, No. 5: 2023 Edition - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

At a local level, the publication of the Scottish Attainment Challenge: Framework for Recovery and Accelerating Progress includes a requirement for all local authorities to set locally identified stretch aims for progress in raising attainment and closing the poverty related attainment gap. The national aggregation of all 32 local authority 2022/23 stretch aims for progress closing the gap is available to access here:- Scottish Attainment Challenge - local stretch aims: 2022 to 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . Collectively, the core stretch aims set by local authorities showed a great deal of ambition for both recovery and accelerating progress. Further, we have now received all local authorities’ stretch aims for progress for 2025-26 and are reviewing these ahead of publication later in the year.

Local Authorities and schools in Mid Scotland and Fife are able to access ongoing advice and guidance from Education Scotland's Attainment Advisor team who help to share best practice and provide guidance on effective planning, implementation and evaluation of interventions helping to maximise improved outcomes for children and young people in schools and local authorities.

Our Women’s Health Plan includes a commitment to improve information and public awareness of heart disease symptoms and risks for women.

Throughout February 2023 we delivered an awareness campaign related to this action. Outreach posters were placed in 1,000 pharmacies and 1,600 organisations (such as GPs and community centres).

Posters included a link to the NHS Inform Women’s Heart Health page . The page notes that the symptoms of a heart attack can vary person to person, though both women and men may experience some common symptoms.

Diagnosis, treatment and care for people with heart disease is being provided across a range of services delivered by our NHS, supported by record funding of more than £19 billion for the health portfolio.

While the Scottish Government provides core funding and is responsible for setting the strategic policy for the NHS in Scotland, responsibility for service delivery rests locally with Health Boards who configure services taking into account local circumstances and the reasonable needs of their patient populations.

This is a matter for NHS Scotland and individual Health Boards. The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government.

You may wish to refer to the Public Health Scotland Scottish Health Service Costs reports .

The changes to examination recall times follow independent best practice guidelines set by NICE, allowing dentists to tailor recalls based on patients’ individual oral health needs. The guidelines can be found online at: Overview | Dental checks: intervals between oral health reviews | Guidance | NICE.

No one will have reduced access to dental examinations if they need them, alongside the annual extended clinical exam, there is a new review examination available, free of charge, as often as the dentist deems it clinically necessary.

The fee per item system of payment affords the opportunity to robustly monitor and evaluate payment reform, building on existing statistical publications. Officials are presently working with partners on the precise details of the data monitoring programme. Evaluation will be a future consideration, once the new system has bedded-in.

Government recognises that it is important that reform is supported by evidence demonstrating the reality of the position on the ground, in order to support the Scottish Government commitment to sustain NHS dental services.

Further to the response to S6W-21420, we continue to develop delivery plans including consideration of the funding and reporting procedures.