- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many young people have been recorded as moving into employment as a positive destination in each year for which data is available, also broken down by local authority.
Answer
The latest data showing the number of school leavers in each initial destination (three months after the end of the school year) by local authority and nationally for each year since 2009-10 can be found in Table L2.1a in the supplementary tables published alongside the Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations, No. 7: 2025 edition. The supplementary tables with data on initial destinations are available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-for-attainment-and-initial-leaver-destinations-no-7-2025-edition/documents/.
The latest data showing the number of school leavers in each follow-up destination (nine months after the end of the school year) by local authority and nationally for each year since 2009-10 can be found in Table L2.2 in the supplementary tables published alongside the Summary statistics for Follow-Up Leaver Destinations, No. 6: 2024 Edition. The supplementary tables with data on follow-up destinations are available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-follow-up-leaver-destinations-no-6-2024-edition/documents/.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what visits Healthcare Improvement Scotland made to the Skye House mental health unit between 2017 and 2024.
Answer
Health Improvement Scotland (HIS) does not currently regularly inspect children and young people’s mental health services and did not visit Skye House between 2017 and 2024. The Mental Welfare Commission have visited Skye House seven times since 2016, using a mix of pre-announced and unannounced inspections to provide assurance.
Given the concerning issues raised in the BBC Disclosure Documentary, we have asked HIS and the Mental Welfare Commission to start joint inspections of the four units providing inpatient care to children and young people as a matter of priority.
These joint inspections will provide assurance of the safety and quality of the care provided in Scotland’s Child and Adolescent mental health (CAMHS) inpatient units as well as highlight any national recommendations to strengthen the quality and safety of CAMHS care.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government when the consultation on long-term conditions will conclude, and by what date a strategy and action plan will be published.
Answer
We are exploring a new long term conditions strategy to better recognise the fact that many people living with long term conditions need the same types of support and care, regardless of their condition.
A public consultation will launch soon and will be open for responses for 12 weeks. We plan to publish a Long Term Conditions Framework before the end of 2025 with action plans following thereafter.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that specialist chronic pain services are retained.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone living in Scotland is able to access the best possible care and support. We will continue to ensure specialist services are retained by engaging with boards, in particular service managers, including the national services division.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many teachers have received training in brief mental health interventions in each year since 1999 in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools, also broken down by local authority.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. Local authorities may hold this information.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the behaviour code for all passengers who have a concessionary bus pass.
Answer
As noted in my previous response on 6 January 2025 (S6W-32278 on 6 January 2025),applicants already have to agree to specific terms and conditions when signing up for the scheme, however we are working to strengthen these through changes to application forms to specify expected standards of behaviour when travelling and development of a behaviour code linked to operator’s conditions of carriage and existing legal protections.
We are exploring the legal means to suspend access to concessionary travel for perpetrators of persistent antisocial behaviour of any age, and this will inform development timescales. The National Concessionary Travel Schemes in Scotland are provided on a universal statutory basis, therefore detailed and thorough consideration of any process and penalty must be undertaken to ensure consistency and fairness.
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/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government when the Aberdeen–Central Belt 2026 Enhancement Project was renamed the Aberdeen–Central Belt Service Improvement Project; for what reason the name was changed; at the time that the name was changed, whether anything else was changed, such as the scope, outcomes or delivery dates, and which stakeholders were consulted prior to the name change.
Answer
The name change was made in early 2024 during the development of the Aberdeen Route Upgrade business case, to reflect the planned project output of service improvements. There was no change to project scope. This was a project level decision, as such no consultation was undertaken nor was required.
In respect of project timescales, I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32369 on 8 January 2025. 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/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-35073 by Fiona Hyslop on 4 March 2025, whether it will provide the information requested regarding what increase in freight capacity will be delivered through the Aberdeen–Central Belt Service Improvement Project, and for what reason it did not provide this information in its answer, which instead referred to a "freight path".
Answer
Freight capacity is usually measured in the number of available paths, i.e. the number of freight trains it is possible for infrastructure to accommodate alongside passenger trains. I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-35073 on 4 March 2025. 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/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether in applications for (a) lethal control and (b) trap and removal licences for beavers, evidence is required to prove that alternative mitigation options have been tried but deemed unsuccessful.
Answer
All applications for trapping or lethal control of beavers require that satisfactory alternatives are considered.
The beaver licence application form asks what alternative mitigations have been attempted. NatureScot specialists can advise whether there are other satisfactory alternatives that could be put in place and can require that these should be attempted first, before determining an application for a licence.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it has had with (a) farmers and (b) agricultural bodies regarding the practicalities of meeting agricultural net zero targets.
Answer
We are committed to co-developing and co-designing our agricultural policies with industry and rural partners.
The Whole Farm Plan was co-developed with industry and will help farmers and crofters measure their businesses’ impact and find ways to become more efficient and to cut emissions. The Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board continues to support us to develop new proposals for sustainable farming support and we are working closely with the agricultural industry and rural partners to co-develop the Code of Practice for Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture through the Agriculture Reform Programme. Our Agricultural Reform Programme has engaged with over 700 farms and crofts in the last two years through interviews and surveys.
We are focused on developing our proposals for the next Climate Change Plan, which is due to be published later this year. It will set out key policies for our farming sector to continue to contribute to our ambitious national net zero target. Stakeholder engagement is fundamental to our policy development approach.
We have already engaged with key agricultural stakeholders as part of the development of our agricultural policies for the Climate Change Plan and are planning further engagement prior to its publication. We will continue to seek expertise from a wide-ranged audience to inform the development of a credible plan.
