Chamber and committees

Operational decisions on pay and staffing matters are for college employers and trade unions to negotiate collaboratively, in the spirit of national bargaining. Ministers have no direct role in these decisions.

I expect management and trade unions to make every effort to reach a settlement that is fair and affordable, and without the need for further industrial action.

We currently face the most difficult public spending environment since devolution and as a government have had to make tough decisions. However, despite the unprecedented fiscal challenge, we have maintained college and university resource budgets at last year’s levels and our 2023/24 budget allocates nearly £2bn to Scotland’s universities and colleges, demonstrating our continuing commitment to tertiary education.

The Scottish Government recognises that students are being adversely affected by the current industrial action in sector and I urge all involved to quickly resolve this dispute so that students get the due reward for all their hard work

However, while the Scottish Government is not directly involved in the national collective bargaining process, I expect management and unions to make every effort to reach a settlement that is fair and affordable. I have reflected this expectation during my meetings with both sides, in recent weeks.

The Scottish Government will always be guided by the democratically expressed wishes of the people of Scotland on constitutional matters.

Consultation was undertaken prior to publishing design guidance on bus stop bypasses in the updated ‘Cycling by Design’ document in 2021, and considered impacts on those walking and wheeling as they interact with cycling infrastructure. The consultation included representation from the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland, Guide Dogs Scotland, Royal National Institute of Blind People, Spinal Injuries Scotland, Living Streets, Cycling UK and Cycling Without Age.

To inform the design guidance further, Transport Scotland commissioned Living Streets in 2021 to investigate issues of inclusion where bus stop bypasses have been introduced, primarily to accommodate cycle facilities. The study has visited sites across the UK, photographing, measuring and recording behaviours of pedestrian and cyclists, and has analysed footage using fixed cameras. The study has also included a literature review, and consultation with a wide range of user groups including disabled people and others who are most at risk. The study is due to report late summer 2023.

As set out in the letter dated 2 nd May to the Education Children and Young People Committee, the additional £46 million (£26 million for colleges and £20 million for universities) was identified as a necessary saving in Financial Year 2023-24. This is part of our wider duty to balance the budget and ensure fiscal sustainability. As you will know, the previous Cabinet Secretary also wrote to the Committee on 22 February confirming we have had to make difficult choices in meeting new pressures on the Education and Skills portfolio since the 2023-24 Budget announcement, including the recent agreement regarding teachers’ pay.

All data is provided by the Scottish Funding Council. Details are as follows:

(a) Uptake

A summary of enrolments for all courses in each of the academic years (AY) since 2019-20 is as follows:-

19-20 – 4,041 enrolments

20-21 – 7,056 enrolments

21-22 – 7,144 enrolments

(b) Type of learner

Data on type of learner is not complete due to reductions in reporting requirements during Covid for 2019-20 and due to limitations in Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA) reporting which covers students studying for a qualification or credit at HE level only.

The data included below has been recorded in the HESA returns for 2020-21 and 2021-22, with the caveat that this is not a complete dataset.

The following table has been taken from HESA returns

Circular Economy Business Support, provided by Zero Waste Scotland, continues to provide support for textile businesses wishing to develop circular models. Scottish Enterprise also recently published its Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Guide , https://unlockingambition.scot/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Scottish-Entrepreneurial-Ecosystem-Guide-April-2023.pdf

which provides an overview of the range of support available to new and growing companies in Scotland including incubators, accelerators, specialist industry programmes, co-working spaces and networking organisations. This support is available to any early-stage innovative business.

The evidence gathered through the call for evidence will help inform future policy on how to reduce the use of single-use food containers and other single-use items in order to align, where we are able to do so and in a manner that contributes towards maintaining and advancing standards, with the EU Directive on single-use plastics and to tackle Scotland’s throwaway culture.

The A&E departments across NHS Scotland currently include:

• 30 large consultant-led Emergency Departments; and
• 60 minor injuries units and community units.

At the end of the Action 15 commitment of the Scottish Government’s Mental Health Strategy 2017-2027, an additional 179.2 whole-time equivalent mental health professionals were recruited to A&E settings.

The Scottish Government does not currently collect the requested data on the total number of mental health professionals based in A&E departments. While data regarding the number of staff in post is available for specific mental health professional groups in NHS Scotland, this cannot be broken down by settings such as A&E.

Scottish Government Ministers and officials meet regularly with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, to discuss areas of mutual interest.