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Bursaries for independent schools are a matter for the proprietors of each institution, as each independent school is a private company. It is for the school itself to administer and provide bursaries for pupils to attend their establishment.

We continue to engage with the UK Government on this matter. My officials have been assured by the UK Government that their mailbox for school enquiries remains open. We have provided this to all Scottish independent schools, should they wish to contact them.

Where Ministers have agreed that an appointee should be remunerated, the Daily Fee Framework for Chairs, Board Members and Public Appointments must be used to determine the appropriate Daily Fee. The framework does not mandate that a fee be paid.

It is open to the Sponsor Team to decide whether a payment need be made. Remuneration may be proposed where it is particularly important to have representation from as wide and diverse a range of candidates as possible, or where there is specific need for appointees to be drawn from otherwise under-represented groups.

Any remuneration payable is not intended to meet the market rate that could be commanded by the individuals concerned.

The relevant Scottish Government approval must be obtained prior to implementing any daily fee and prior to advertising, negotiating a remuneration package or confirmation of appointment.

Ministers met with stakeholders from the agricultural, food and drink, research and eNGO sectors on 27 March to discuss their views on the use of gene edited crops and products in Scotland. Stakeholders were invited to give their views on the potential impact of gene editing on crop yields, food security and future sustainability of production in response to changing climate and pest and pathogen pressure. Stakeholders also shared their views on how regulatory regimes for gene editing in other jurisdictions might affect, or are already affecting, their sectors, including potential operational and reputational impacts arising from differences in approach. Ministers are taking into account this evidence from stakeholders, alongside developments in the EU, as they consider the Scottish Government’s position.

It is a matter for the Scottish Funding Council to allocate funding to individual institutions, including whether there is a need to apply any conditions as part of this process.

The member may be interested to know that the Scottish Funding Council wrote to the Convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee on 20 March outlining the conditions applied to the liquidity support for the University of Dundee. A link to the letter is as follows:

Letter from the Scottish Funding Council to the Convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee on 20 March 2025

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36866 on 6 May 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

Myself and the previous Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills have supported the annual Vision Schools Scotland Awards ceremony by attending and contributing to the ceremonies where achievement of schools and pupils in Holocaust Education are recognised.

Since 2021, Scottish Government has provided £126,247 in funding to the Vision Schools Scotland programme to further support Holocaust education in schools. This includes funding up to £36,352 for the 2024-25 financial year.

Scotland does not have a mandatory curriculum. Instead, Curriculum for Excellence is a flexible framework for teachers to determine what they wish to teach and how, including providing learning and teaching about the Holocaust.

The Curriculum Improvement Cycle will begin the review of Social Studies this academic year, where all aspects of the social studies curriculum will be reviewed. Practitioners will play a central role in this process.

The salary and pay range of a Chief Executive should be within the pay bands in the Scottish Chief Executive Framework (as detailed in the Chief Executive Pay Policy). This is to ensure consistency and fairness between the remuneration of Chief Executives in public bodies covered by the Pay Policy, and senior staff employed in Scottish Government Agencies and associated departments, who are civil servants (and members of the Senior Civil Service).

For local government employees, pay and other employment matters are delegated to local authorities. The Scottish Government and COSLA have committed to respect this arrangement as part of the Verity House Agreement.

For Senior Civil Servants, pay is reserved.

Gender equality is at the heart of the Scottish Government’s vision for a fairer Scotland. We want women of all ages to be empowered to exercise equal rights and opportunities, and to have equitable access to economic resources and decision making.

The Scottish Government’s A Fairer Scotland for Older People: framework for action contains a dedicated strand focused on activity we are undertaking to ensure people are financially secure and supported as they age. In addition, we provide funding of £2.2 million, through the Equality and Human Rights Fund, to older people’s organisations and age equality projects. This funding is delivering a range of initiatives that tackles poverty among older people.

Our Pension Age Winter Heating Payment supports older people in receipt of relevant benefits to help with the costs of heating. Next winter, we will expand Pension Age Winter Heating Payment to pensioner households in Scotland not in receipt of a relevant benefit, providing £100 of support towards their heating bills. This universal payment will provide much needed support not available anywhere else in the UK.

We aim to enable better access to a range of services for older people as and when they need them. We want to ensure people are financially secure and supported as they age. This is why, in 2025-26 the Scottish Government has allocated over £15.4 million for the provision of free income maximisation support, welfare and debt advice.

Between Apr 24-Sep 24, investment from the Equalities and Human Rights Fund resulted in a total of 16,087 individuals helped directly with the provision of support, information and advice, with the Age Scotland Helpline providing £1,184,367 of income maximisation advice, with a further 1,039 organisations have also been supported via capacity building and information sharing.

We engage regularly with the Older People’s Strategic Action Forum on actions we take to support the needs of older people in Scotland.