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The Scottish Government has not conducted analysis to determine the impact of career advice services on the reported increase in the number of early school leavers.

The Scottish Government is aware of the reports indicating that the cost of publicly funded care home beds in Scotland is higher than in England. This disparity is likely to be influenced by several factors, including differences in service models, staffing levels, and the geographical distribution of care facilities.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-37086 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

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.

It is the primary duty of Integration Joint Boards (IJB’s) to strategically plan the delivery of integrated adult health and social care provision in a local authority area. This duty will include the gathering of information regarding the impact of local decision making. Therefore, the Scottish Government does not collect or hold this information centrally.

The Official Statistics on Recorded Crime in Scotland provide data on shoplifting and offences recorded under the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021. The statistics include the number of crimes and offences recorded by the police, and the proportion cleared up (i.e. where there exists a sufficiency of evidence under Scots law to justify consideration of criminal proceedings against the suspected perpetrator). Information is not held centrally by the 8 Scottish Parliamentary regions, as these do not fully align with local authority boundaries (which form the basis of how data is received from Police Scotland).

Data on recorded shoplifting and the proportion of cases cleared up is available in the Recorded Crime in Scotland 2023-24 publication. The number of crimes recorded is available in Table 1 with the percentage of recorded crimes cleared up by the police in Table 3. Both of these tables include the latest 10 years of data.

The following tables show both the number of crimes and offences recorded and the proportion cleared up under the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021 Data is available from 24 August 2021 (the point from which the Act came into force).

Crimes of assault or threaten a retail worker recorded in 2021-22 to 2023-24

The Scottish Government currently own 22 properties under the core estate.

We recognise the importance of schools and families working together to promote positive relationships and behaviour in schools. A strong partnership between home and school helps create a consistent, supportive environment where children feel safe, respected, and are better able to learn and thrive.

The Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research published in 2023, highlighted a desire from some staff for greater engagement with parents, as not all parents were perceived as being supportive of schools’ efforts to address behaviour.

In response, the relationships and behaviour in schools action plan 2024-27 emphasises the vital role of parents and carers in supporting positive behaviour. As part of the action plan, we are currently developing guidance on responding to behaviour in schools. The guidance will be available later this year and will include advice for schools on working with parents to support positive relationships and behaviour.

Public bodies are reviewed quarterly as part of the Scottish Government’s Assurance cycle to ensure they are operating efficiently and effectively. We also set frameworks and provide guidance documents. One of the key aims of our Public Service Reform (PSR) programme is to drive efficiency and effectiveness across government and public bodies, making sure we have the public body landscape to deliver the services the people of Scotland need.

Scottish Government also ensures public bodies within our remit are subject to parliamentary scrutiny and accountability through a combination of legislative instruments, oversight bodies, and ongoing engagement with the Scottish Parliament. These include:

• Ministerial Accountability: Where appropriate, Ministers will update the Scottish Parliament on the actions and performance of relevant public bodies during debates, written and oral parliamentary questions and committee appearances. However, Ministers are not the Accountable Officers for Public Bodies, and, although Ministers may appoint the Chair and members of some boards, they do not influence how boards function.
• Parliamentary Committees: Scottish Government and its public bodies are scrutinised through the current 16 parliamentary committees, such as the Public Audit Committee and the Finance and Public Administration Committee which regularly hold inquiries into the activities of public bodies.
• Annual Reports and Audits: Public bodies and agencies are required to submit annual reports and accounts to the Scottish Parliament. These reports and accounts are also subject to audit by the Auditor General for Scotland, who reports to Parliament on the financial health and governance of these bodies. This independent scrutiny ensures transparency and accountability.
• Legislative Oversight: The Scottish Parliament has the power to introduce and pass legislation that sets the framework for the governance and scrutiny of public bodies. This includes legislation such as the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010. The Scottish Government’s annual budget process provides further structures for scrutiny and accountability.

Additionally, members of the public can contact their MSP to raise concerns and have the following mechanisms to scrutinise public bodies:

• The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman: The SPSO provides an independent process for investigating complaints about public bodies. This ensures individuals have a mechanism to question public bodies on their decisions and actions.
• Freedom of Information: All public bodies and agencies are required to be transparent about their activities. This allows the public to access information about their operations, further increasing accountability.

Teaching is a rewarding and exciting career, with opportunities to share passion and expertise to inspire young people on their future pathways. While it is encouraging that intakes for primary teaching are overall above target, we are taking action to encourage more people into teaching, including in the hardest to fill teaching subjects.

These are long-term systemic challenges being faced globally, and we are committed to working together with partners, including teachers, unions, and COSLA, to develop solutions.

With COSLA, we are committed to working together to restore teacher numbers to 2023 levels, freeze learning hours and make meaningful progress towards reducing class contact time for teachers.. This will help ease teacher workload and improve outcomes for our children and young people.

Work is being taken forward through the joint Education and Childcare Assurance Board with COSLA on pupil behaviour and workload to overcome some of the challenges facing the profession and encouraging more people to consider teaching as a career.