Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-21945

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to promote the consultation on the statement of intent for its National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy.

We are working in collaboration with key stakeholder groups, including representatives of parent carers; local authorities; the third sector; health; social care; education; and employment, to share the Statement of Intent and promote completion of the questionnaire amongst relevant stakeholders with a role or interest in supporting disabled young people’s transition to adulthood. In addition, we are working with a number of organisations to seek feedback on the Statement of Intent from more young people.

Question reference: S6W-21833

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the costs associated with colleges transitioning to net zero.

The Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) engage regularly with colleges, which, are key anchors for the transition to Net Zero, acting as both community enablers and demonstration hubs in cities and regions.

Published in November 2022, SFC’s ‘Net Zero and Sustainability Framework for Action’ establishes a clear, long-term plan to support Scotland’s colleges and universities through the transition to Net Zero, reflecting improved corporate accountability and collective responsibility across the Further and Higher Education sector.

The plan sets out a clear timeline of actions which aim to embed net zero and sustainability across all aspects of the sector which you can find more information about here: https://www.sfc.ac.uk/net-zero/net-zero-reponse.aspx .

Question reference: S6W-21832

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with universities to understand the costs associated with transitioning to net zero.

The Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) regularly engage with universities on a wide range of issues, such as budgets and priorities for the future, including Net Zero.

Published in November 2022, SFC’s ‘Net Zero and Sustainability Framework for Action’ establishes a clear, long-term plan to support Scotland’s colleges and universities through the transition to Net Zero, reflecting improved corporate accountability and collective responsibility across the Further and Higher Education sector.

The plan sets out a clear timeline of actions which aim to embed net zero and sustainability across all aspects of the sector which you can find more information about here: Net Zero response (sfc.ac.uk)

Question reference: S6O-02675

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 October 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy, following its statement of intent on 28 September.

Question reference: S6W-21776

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 25 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-20525 by Graeme Dey on 28 August 2023, whether it anticipates that the review of purpose-built student accommodation will publish its recommendations ahead of the Scottish Parliament's October 2023 recess.

Question reference: S6W-21806

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many children have met the expected level of (a) literacy and (b) numeracy in each of the past 10 years at each stage of assessment.

Information on the proportion of P1, P4, P7 and S3 children achieving the expected Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels in literacy and numeracy is available from 2016-17 from Table 1 of the Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels (ACEL) publication which can be found on the Scottish Government website: www.gov.scot/publications/achievement-curriculum-excellence-cfe-levels-2021-22/

Between 2011 and 2016 the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy (SSLN) was used to monitor national performance of school children at P4, P7 and S2 in literacy and numeracy in alternate years. The SSLN provided information on reading, writing and listening & talking individually but not for literacy as a whole. Reading, Writing and Listening & Talking data for 2014 and 2016 can be found in table 1 and Numeracy data for 2013 and 2015 is in table 2.

The data collected via the SSLN differed from that collected via ACEL. The SSLN reported on the proportion of pupils "performing well or very well" at the relevant CfE level. Data was collected through a sample survey rather than for all pupils and was based on the results of assessments completed by participating students as opposed to being based on teacher professional judgements, as is the case for ACEL. As a result SSLN results are not directly comparable with ACEL results.

Table 1: Proportion of pupils performing well or very well in Reading, Writing and Listening & Talking, 2014 and 2016

Stage	Organiser	2014		2016
Stage	Organiser	Percentage of pupils	Confidence interval 95%	Percentage of pupils	Confidence interval 95%
P4	Reading	78	(76 , 80)	77	(75 , 79)
P7	Reading	88	(87 , 90)	88	(86 , 89)
S2	Reading	80	(78 , 82)	82	(81 , 84)
P4	Writing	64	(62 , 66)	62	(60 , 64)
P7	Writing	68	(66 , 69)	65	(62 , 67)
S2	Writing	55	(53 , 57)	49	(47 , 51)
P4	Listening & Talking	59	(56 , 62)	60	(57 , 64)
P7	Listening & Talking	66	(63 , 69)	67	(64 , 70)
S2	Listening & Talking	52	(49 , 55)	49	(47 , 52)

Table 2: Proportion of pupils performing well or very well in Numeracy, 2013 and 2015

Stage	2013		2015
Stage	Percentage of pupils	Confidence interval 95%	Percentage of pupils	Confidence interval 95%
P4	69	(67 , 71)	66	(64 , 68)
P7	66	(64 , 68)	66	(64 , 68)
S2	42	(40 , 44)	40	(38 , 42)

Note: As the SSLN was based on a sample of pupils rather than on the whole population, the results shown are estimates. That is to say there is an element of uncertainty within the results because the pupils sampled may not reflect the population exactly. Associated confidence intervals are shown in the table.

Question reference: S6W-21816

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 25 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent engagement it has had with universities regarding cybersecurity.

The Scottish Government recently convened a Multi-Agency Co-ordination Group in July 2023, in response to a cybersecurity incident at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). The group was comprised of officials from the Scottish Government, UWS, NCC Group, the National Cyber Security Centre, the Scottish Local Government Digital Office and the Scottish Cyber Co-ordination Centre.

The Group was subsequently stood down once the initial attack and response work had come to an end, with communication lines remaining open in case any further assistance is required.

Question reference: S6W-21781

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 25 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it gathers data on the number of students accessing mental health services at colleges and universities.

Question reference: S6W-21804

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 25 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with (a) trade unions and (b) further education management teams, regarding settlements to resolve industrial action, and (i) on what date and (ii) with whom any such discussions took place.

The Scottish Government has regular meetings with both College Employers Scotland and the representative campus trade unions, where a number of broad workforce issues are discussed.

Given there is no timeframe set out in your question, I have provided a note of all meetings for the 2023 calendar year where pay and industrial relations within the sector was discussed since I have taken up office as Minister for Higher Education and Further Education.

Date of meetings	Further Education Trade Unions & Further Education Management Teams
10 May 2023	EIS-FELA Bi-annual meeting
31 May 2023	Unison Bi-annual meeting
14 June 2023	College Employers Scotland
15 June 2023	Unite Bi-annual meeting
13 September 2023	College Employer Scotland
20 September 2023	EIS-FELA and College Employers Scotland
5 October 2023	Unison

Question reference: S6W-21783

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 25 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to promoting the Young Person's Guarantee among employability staff since it was launched.

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