Chamber and committees

Valuable work has been undertaken to deliver against the recommendations made by the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland.

In December 2024 work concluded to address all 55 of the recommendations, and each has now been completed or transitioned into ongoing workplans to see the remaining tasks through to completion.

A detailed report will be shared with Parliament in March 2025 outlining the rationale for this, including recommendations 52, 53 and 54, and confirming the timelines for the remaining actions to conclude.

On 13 January 2025, the Scottish Government launched a survey for people working in or with an interest in culture. This asked about their experience of currently available support and what they would like to see provided in the future to better meet the needs of the sector.

Responses to the survey are currently being analysed and will help to inform the scope of the Scottish Government’s review of how the culture sector is supported, including exploration alternative and additional funding mechanisms to grow the overall funding pot for culture in Scotland.

Social Security Scotland routinely publishes statistics on Adult Disability Payment caseload, broken down by mobility award level. However, it does not currently publish statistics on clients leaving the Adult Disability Payment caseload. It also does not currently publish statistics on Adult Disability Payment by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). It also does not hold information on the employment status of clients as it is not necessary to collect information on a client’s employment to assess their application.

Spending data on Additional Support for Learning (ASL) is collected from local authorities via the 2023-24 Local Financial Returns (LFR). These figures show that spending on ASL by local authorities reached its highest level on record, over £1 billion in 2023-24.

Local authorities are asked to record all centrally funded ASL expenditure under Special Education, irrespective of where it is delivered. Decisions about prioritisation and budgets, including those for the provision of services for pupils with additional support needs, are a matter for individual councils. It is important to note when making comparisons between local authorities and years that there may be variations in local accounting practices.

Table 1 shows gross revenue expenditure on (ASL) education for 2023-24, split by Pre-Primary, Primary, Secondary and Special Education.

Table 1 – 2023-24 ASL expenditure by Local Authority (£000)

Source: Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government:Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Table 2 shows the percentage of total gross revenue expenditure on education which was accounted for by spending on additional support for learning in 2023-24.

Table 2 – 2023-24 share of education expenditure accounted for by ASL

Source: Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government: Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

All figures in tables 1 and 2 are based on gross expenditure on a funding basis. This means they have not been adjusted for inter/intra authority transfers.

Table 3 provides total spend per primary and secondary school pupil at the national level. Rather than focusing on ASL spending alone, this calculation shows total gross revenue expenditure in primary and secondary education from the local financial returns, divided by the number of pupils attending primary and secondary schools recorded in the Pupil Census.

Table 3 – Average spending per pupil (£)

Primary and secondary education figures are adjusted to exclude inter-authority transfers. However, this breakdown is not available for ASL spending, therefore ASL figures in Tables 4 and 5 are based on gross expenditure on a funding basis. Note that because figures in Table 3 are based on 2023-24 prices, they are not comparable to the figures based on 2022-23 prices provided in PQ S6W-26184 on 26 March 2024.

Sources:

1. Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government: Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
2. Pupil Census - published annually - for further details go to: Pupil census: supplementary statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
3. GDP deflators at market prices: GDP deflators at market prices, and money GDP - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Table 4 shows average spending on ASL per ASL pupil by local authority in 2023-24. More precisely, this calculation shows gross revenue expenditure on ASL in primary, secondary and special education from the local financial returns, divided by the number of pupils identified as having additional support needs recorded in the Pupil Census.

Table 4 – 2023-24 ASL spending per pupil (£)

Sources:

1. Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government: Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
2. Pupil Census – published annually - for further details go to: Pupil census: supplementary statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
   

Table 5 provides average spending on ASL per ASL pupil at the national level in 2023-24. The following figure does not represent all spending benefitting ASL pupils, who also benefit from spending incurred in delivering the wider school system.

Table 5 – Average ASL spend per ASL pupil (£)

ASL spending figures are based on gross expenditure on a funding basis. Note that because figures in Table 5 are based on 2023-24 prices, they are not comparable to the figures based on 2022-23 prices provided in PQ S6W-26184 on 26 March 2024.

Sources:

1. Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government: Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
2. Pupil Census - published annually - for further details go to: Pupil census: supplementary statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
3. GDP deflators at market prices: GDP deflators at market prices, and money GDP - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Spending data on additional support for learning (ASL) is provided below. This data is collected from local authorities via the 2022-23 Local Financial Returns (LFR). These figures show that spending on ASL by local authorities reached its highest level on record, £926m in 2022-23.

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

As of 31 October 2024, there were 374,655 clients on the Adult Disability Payment Caseload.

As of 31 October 2024, 182,395 clients were in receipt of the enhanced daily living award of Adult Disability Payment.

As of 31 October 2024, 156,045 clients were in receipt of the enhanced mobility award of Adult Disability Payment.

The Scottish Government will provide an additional £20m to Creative Scotland for its Multi Year Funding programme in 2025-26. 193 of the 251 successful organisations that will be supported by Multi Year Funding are undertaking performances, exhibitions or events which include UK-wide tour dates.

Creative Scotland’s Open Fund for Organisations, with a total budget of £6m for 2025/26 funded by the National Lottery, will also allow applications from Scottish cultural organisations for UK tours of up to three venues.

The Scottish Government is also providing £4m additional funding for Scottish Festivals in 2025/26. This includes £3m to significantly increase the value and reach of our Festivals EXPO Fund, which supports the development of work that can be taken across the UK and internationally.

The EXPO fund will also continue to support the Made in Scotland programme. So far, 104 shows have toured to 44 countries with the support of Made in Scotland’s Onward Touring fund, with some shows even touring year on year since 2009.

The Scottish Government's international offices all held both Burns Night and St Andrew's Day celebrations in the past year. These cultural celebrations have proven instrumental in fostering meaningful connections with international partners and engaging with Scotland's global diaspora. They provide valuable opportunities to showcase Scotland's rich cultural heritage while simultaneously advancing our trade and investment objectives.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34544 on 6 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