- Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the priority set out in the 2020 document, Recovery and Redesign: An Action Plan for Cancer Services, to "work with the Scottish Hepatobiliary Network and support clinical consensus on redesign of pancreatic...cancer pathways", whether it has completed this work, and, if so, what actions resulted from this.
Answer
The Pancreato-Hepatocellular Cancer Pathway Improvement Project (PHCC PIP) was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and did not commence until last year. The pilot is now in its second year.
More information on the project, including how to make specific enquiries, can be found at the following webpage: Pancreato-Hepatocellular Cancer Pathway Improvement Project (PHCC PIP) – SCAN Scotland .
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 6 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has changed its target for the publication of the final version of its biodiversity strategy to 2045, along with the first delivery plan, since the draft strategy was published, and, if so, what the original target was.
Answer
Our original intention was to consult on the final draft biodiversity strategy and delivery plan in Spring 2023 with a view to publishing the final strategy and delivery plan in in Summer 2023. The time frame was put back by 3 months to allow key elements of the proposed Natural Environment Bill to be included in the consultation. The expanded consultation will be launched shortly with a view to final publication of the strategy and delivery plan later this year.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide a full appraisal of the Scottish Funding Council's Upskilling Fund, from its inception in 2019, including details on (a) uptake, (b) type of learner, (c) level of qualification, (d) the (i) hours and (ii) credits of learning provided and (e) any employer engagement.
Answer
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
Sex | 2020-21 | 2021-22 |
Enrolments | % | Enrolments | % |
Male | 2,270 | 37.4% | 3,080 | 39.5% |
Female | 3,770 | 62.1% | 4,685 | 60.0% |
Other | 30 | 0.5% | 40 | 0.5% |
Total | 6,065 | 100% | 7,805 | 100% |
Age | 2020-21 | 2021-22 |
Enrolments | % | Enrolments | % |
20 and under | 145 | 2.4% | 270 | 3.4% |
21 to 29 yrs | 1,640 | 27.0% | 1,665 | 21.3% |
30 and above | 4,280 | 70.6% | 5,870 | 75.2% |
Total | 6,065 | 100% | 7,805 | 100% |
Ethnicity | 2020-21 | 2021-22 |
Enrolments | % | Enrolments | % |
White | 5,020 | 82.7% | 6,405 | 82.1% |
BME | 675 | 11.1% | 860 | 11.0% |
Ethnicity Not Known | 375 | 6.2% | 540 | 6.9% |
Total | 6,065 | 100% | 7,805 | 100% |
Disability status | 2020-21 | 2021-22 |
Enrolments | % | Enrolments | % |
Has a Disability | 645 | 10.6% | 890 | 11.4% |
No Known Disability | 5,425 | 89.4% | 6,915 | 88.6% |
Total | 6,065 | 100% | 7,805 | 100% |
Deprivation status | 2020-21 | 2021-22 |
Enrolments | % | Enrolments | % |
MD20 | 580 | 10.0% | 720 | 9.7% |
Other | 5,170 | 89.2% | 6,620 | 89.3% |
Not Known | 50 | 0.9% | 70 | 1.0% |
Total | 5,800 | 100% | 7,410 | 100% |
Level of qualification or credit obtained on Upskilling course | 2020-21 | 2021-22 |
Enrolments | % | Enrolments | % |
SCQF L11 | 295 | 29.9% | 2,635 | 77.3% |
SCQF L10 | 500 | 50.6% | 325 | 9.6% |
SCQF L9 | 155 | 15.6% | 245 | 7.2% |
SCQF L8 | 5 | 0.7% | 95 | 2.8% |
SCQF L7 | 30 | 3.1% | 110 | 3.2% |
Total | 985 | 100% | 3,410 | 100% |
For the purposes of data protection the figures for enrolments and qualifications have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 5.The percentages are based on unrounded figures.
(c) Level of qualification or credit
The Upskilling Fund supports SCQF levels 7-11
(d) The (i) hours The University Upskilling Fund Guidance stipulates that provision should be shorter in duration – usually significantly shorter – than a full AY.
And (ii) credits of learning provided.
Guidance states that courses/provision should normally be credit-bearing and have some form of appropriate assessment built-in. However, this is not a necessary eligibility criterion and is at the university’s discretion, based on the nature of the particular course/ provision and the needs of students.
(e) Any employer engagement
Universities are strengthening their relationships with employers as they use their employer groups and networks and trade body partnerships in the design of programmes and in the recruitment of learners.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 6 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16710 by Jamie Hepburn on 16 May 2023, what mechanism or measure it would potentially plan to use to determine whether “the people of Scotland wish that to be the case”.
Answer
The Scottish Government will always be guided by the democratically expressed wishes of the people of Scotland on constitutional matters.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 6 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to use the evidence collected in the call for evidence on single-use food containers and other single-use items.
Answer
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.
- Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government for what purpose the £26 million previously allocated to the college sector in the Scottish Budget 2023-24 was redeployed.
Answer
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.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and what was discussed.
Answer
Scottish Government Ministers and officials meet regularly with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, to discuss areas of mutual interest.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 6 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the recommendations in the report of the Short-life Food Security and Supply Taskforce, published on 23 June 2022, have been implemented to date, and how many staff will be employed in the new dedicated Food Security Unit announced on 18 May 2023.
Answer
The Short-Life Food Security and Supply Taskforce set out a number of short and long-term recommendations in its report and all of the immediate actions are either complete or substantially complete, including the establishment of a Food Security Unit, with other actions becoming legacy activity for it.
As the Food Security Unit becomes more established, the number of staff involved directly will vary depending on business needs. The Food Security Unit will work collaboratively with the wide range of teams across the Scottish Government that work on aspects of food security.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the Faculty of Occupational Medicine and what was discussed.
Answer
Scottish Government Ministers and officials meet regularly with a wide range of health professional stakeholder organisations, including the Scottish Academy of which the Faculty of Occupational Medicine are members.
- Asked by: Stephanie Callaghan, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many Adult Disability Payment Change of Circumstances forms have been submitted in each month since January 2023, and, of these, what the (a) longest, (b) average and (c) median processing time was for these unscheduled reviews of Adult Disability Payment.
Answer
Social Security Scotland does not currently produce information relating to Change of Circumstances but we do routinely publish information about Adult Disability Payment, including processing times of new applications.
These statistics were most recently published in March 2023, covering up to end January 2023, and are available at:
Social Security Scotland - Social Security Scotland statistics: publications
The next publication, covering up to end April 2023, will be published on 13 June.
Social Security Scotland is committed to giving clients timely decisions, while allowing sufficient time to ensure the necessary information is in place to get decisions right the first time. Clients can advise us of a change of circumstance for a number of reasons, and if the change is relevant to their entitlement, a review would be carried out. Every case is individual and processing times will vary.
