Chamber and committees

I have asked Janet Egdell, Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

NRS are currently publishing topic data from Scotland’s Census 2022. Later in 2024, we will publish multivariate data. This means we will publish tables which include more than one census topic variable.

An evaluation of Scotland’s Census 2022, with a focus on lessons learned for any future census and other complex programmes, will be laid before the Scottish Parliament by the end of 2024.

Our plans to open an office in Warsaw will be considered as part of the wider review of government spending. It is necessary to ensure resources are used economically, efficiently and effectively, and high levels of scrutiny are applied to expenditure.

Yes. The First Minister will set out his priorities in the new Parliamentary term and these plans will be announced in due course.

The Scottish Budget set out the considerable financial challenges faced for 2024-25. The Scottish Government is committed to delivering vital public services and supporting households, but also has an obligation to balance the budget each year. This requires some difficult decisions and robust spending control.

Ministers made the difficult decision to reduce the ICF budget by 5% on 8 July 2024 and stakeholders were informed on 10 July 2024.

Launched in 2017, No Wrong Path is an initiative led by Developing the Young Workforce (DYW), designed to provide inspiration and reassurance to young people receiving their exam results. DYW facilitates the engagement between employers and schools to support young people transition into the world of work. 

In the decade since the DYW programme started we have seen a significant increase in the numbers of young people achieving vocational and technical qualifications, recognising the breadth of young people’s talents and skills.

We must ensure that people have the skills they need at every stage of life to have rewarding careers and meet the demands of an ever-changing economy. DYW and its no wrong path initiative is continuing to support this ambition, playing an important role in preparing young people for the world of work and working with industry to match the needs of employers with the needs of young people.

The Young Person’s Guarantee Implementation Progress Report highlights the progress made against the initial recommendations contained within the Young Person Guarantee- No-one Left Behind: initial report, as well as outlining the next steps against the commitments made in the supporting activity plan. The full report can be accessed here:

Young Person's Guarantee Implementation Progress Report (www.gov.scot)

On 10 August 2023, we published the implementation evaluation for No One Left Behind, which specifically included the employability activity delivered under the Young Person’s Guarantee. The study found that most employability staff thought the Young Person's Guarantee had made a positive difference to the way employability services were being delivered to young people in their area, that it was the right response to mitigating the impact of the pandemic on young people's progression, and supported employer engagement. The full report can be accessed at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/implementation-evaluation-no-one-left-behind-young-persons-guarantee.

Specific area-based assessments are not held by the Scottish Government, therefore requests for this information would need to be directed towards Local Authorities. Employability contacts for each local authority can be found on the Employability in Scotland website which can be accessed here:https://www.employabilityinscotland.com/local-employability-services/

Employability support for young people is now delivered through the No One Left Behind approach across Scotland including Edinburgh, as part of the long-term ambition to simplify the employability landscape for service users. Assessments of No One Left Behind delivery can be assessed at: https://www.gov.scot/collections/scotlands-devolved-employment-services-statistics/

Following the decision by the Court of Session the appeal has been returned to DPEA to be re-determined by another reporter. As the appeal is still live it would not be appropriate to comment on the merits of the case at this stage.

Designation is devolved to Historic Environment Scotland as our lead public body for the historic environment. Historic Environment Scotland will shortly be reviewing the principles and priorities of the designations policy, including the approach to listed buildings. There will be an opportunity for the public to submit their views on these matters to ensure our built heritage can continue to be protected for current and future generations.

National Planning Framework (NPF4) aims to protect and enhance historic environment assets and places and enables positive change as a catalyst for the regeneration of places. It provides that historic buildings are brought back into use, and recognises the social, environmental and economic value of the historic environment to our economy and cultural identity.

The Scottish Government launched the Young Person’s Guarantee in November 2020, with the aim of protecting young people against the immediate economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Guarantee was set up to ensure every young person between 16 and 24 had the opportunity of a job, apprenticeship, further or higher education, training or volunteering. Between November 2020 and March 2023 we invested over £175m in additional support from Covid-related funding. 

We have now mainstreamed this work across Government, with activity across education, skills and employability supporting young people into opportunities. This includes support for lower income households and to advance equality and inclusion. For example, specialist support continues to be provided to young people from lower income households to enable them to move towards a positive destination through third sector partners such as the Young Person’s Consortium (Barnardo’s, Princes Trust and Action for Children).

The Scottish Government launched the Young Person’s Guarantee in November 2020, with the aim of protecting young people against the immediate economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Guarantee was set up to ensure every young person between 16 and 24 had the opportunity of a job, apprenticeship, further or higher education, training or volunteering. Between November 2020 and March 2023 we invested over £175m in additional support from Covid-related funding to support young people in Scotland towards employment, training and apprenticeships.

We have now mainstreamed this work across Government, with activity across education, skills and employability supporting young people into opportunities.