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Bus Companies must comply with all safety regulations and conditions as required to be able to hold a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licence. The PSV licensing is reserved and is managed by the Traffic Commissioner, the main purpose of the regime is to ensure safe and proper use of vehicles including regular maintenance. Drivers must also complete driver CPC training which includes Fire Evacuation and Fire Safety Training Courses.

This information has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre under BiB No 64673.

Data relating to colleges and the Open University in Scotland is based on bimonthly returns to the Scottish Funding Council from institutions delivering the Flexible Workforce Development Fund and should therefore be considered as an informal indication of how the Fund has been spent.

Data relating to AY 2022-23 is provisional as 2022-23 delivery is due to be completed at the end of December 2023.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Scottish Government have held no discussions with Stagecoach regarding reports of bus fires.

Vehicle safety is a reserved matter that is dealt with by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). Road safety remains an absolute priority for this government, and that includes the safety of those using buses.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22410 on‎ 7 November 2023. 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

The Scottish Government continues to deliver on its commitment to give people the information they need to make an informed choice about their future, and I’m pleased to confirm that today we are publishing An independent Scotland in the EU.

This is the seventh paper in the Building a New Scotland series, which sets out the Scottish Government’s vision for an independent Scotland in the EU. It details how EU membership is central to Scotland’s future economic and social success, and explains the benefits of EU membership to an independent Scotland, as well as what Scotland could contribute to the EU as a member state.

I can also confirm that we intend to bring the matters raised in this publication forward for a debate in the Chamber.

The Scottish Government is continuing to prepare further papers in the Building a New Scotland series. The next will be published shortly setting out our prospectus for the marine environment in an independent Scotland.

Building a New Scotland: An independent Scotland in the EU is available to view on the Scottish Government website from today at www.gov.scot/newscotland .

We have taken stock and listened to the initial feedback to the consultation, which showed that around 95% of respondents did not support the proposal. I can confirm that the Scottish Government will not change the Council Tax Multipliers to increase Council Tax for Bands E to H in 2024-25.

All children and young people should receive the support they need to reach their full potential. In the most recently published figures, spending on additional support for learning by authorities reached a record high of £830m. We have invested an additional £15m per year since 2019-20 to support the recruitment of pupil support assistants to help local authorities respond to the individual needs of children and young people. In addition, we provide over £11m of funding to directly support pupils with complex additional support needs and services to children and families.

We recognise that children and young people should learn in the environment which best suits their needs and there is a range of provision available to support the needs of learners. This includes 109 local authority special schools across Scotland, in addition to the specialist provision in place within mainstream schools. In 2022, we saw an increase in the number of pupils attending a special school by 222.

The Scottish Government is determined to improve the experiences of children and young people with additional support needs, and we work closely with local government partners to do so. We are currently implementing the actions in our Additional Support for Learning Action Plan, in response to the recommendations of the Morgan review, which were published in 2020. Progress reports were published in November 2021 and November 2022. A further update is due to be published in May 2024.

The Scottish Government does not hold this data. The Teacher Induction Scheme is administered by the General Teaching Council of Scotland (GTCS). As such, the GTCS is best placed to advise on how many newly qualified teachers are eligible each year to undertake probation, and subsequently how many teachers complete their probation year.  

Breakfasts are being provided across Scotland by a range of service providers including public, private and third sector. We do not collect national-level data associated with this provision.