- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding in total has been allocated for
digital youth work projects, including virtual youth clubs, as part of
its current Budget, and in each financial year since 2012-13.
Answer
The Scottish Government highly values youth work and continues to fund digital youth work across Scotland in a variety of ways. Local Authorities are required to provide adequate and efficient Community Learning and Development (CLD), which includes youth work, as set out in the Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013. In line with the Verity House Agreement, Local Authorities have the autonomy to allocate resources to meet the specific needs of young people in their areas.
In addition to the block grant given to Local Authorities, the Scottish Government directly funds a range of youth work initiatives, projects and programmes. These initiatives aim to support diverse youth work models, promote partnership working and enhance the quality of youth work.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of its youth work budget for the next three years, and what percentage increase is planned.
Answer
The Scottish Government highly values youth work in Scotland. The Scottish Government published its budget for 2025-26 on 4 December 2024. Scottish Government budgets are published on an annual basis and information can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/budget/
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of its education budget has been
allocated to youth work in each financial year since 2012-13 to the current
financial year.
Answer
The Scottish Government highly values youth work and continues to fund youth work across Scotland in a variety of ways. Local Authorities are required to provide adequate and efficient Community Learning and Development (CLD), which includes youth work, as set out in the Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013. In line with the Verity House Agreement, Local Authorities have the autonomy to allocate resources to meet the specific needs of young people in their areas.
In addition to the block grant given to Local Authorities, the Scottish Government directly funds a range of youth work initiatives, projects and programmes. These initiatives aim to support diverse youth work models, promote partnership working and enhance the quality of youth work.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many youth work organisations have had to reduce services or close due to any funding reductions since 2012.
Answer
The Scottish Government highly values youth work in Scotland. Local Authorities are required to provide adequate and efficient Community Learning and Development (CLD), which includes youth work, as set out in the Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013. In line with the Verity House Agreement, Local Authorities have the autonomy to allocate resources to meet the specific needs of young people in their areas.
These regulations require that a CLD plan is produced every three years by each education authority. Current CLD plans covering period 2024-2027 can be found on Local Authority websites. As the regulations set out the duties at a local level, the Scottish Government does not collate information on youth work organisations.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what the most recent data is for participation in physical education among school pupils, broken down by (a) year group, (b) gender and (c) local authority.
Answer
The level of information requested in relation to participation in PE is not held centrally. For information on the schools which meet the PE target, I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-31840 on 12 December 2024. 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.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of primary schools currently meet its target of providing at least two hours of quality physical education per week.
Answer
Information on the schools which meet the PE target is available from the school contact details dataset.
The percentage of primary schools meeting the target of providing at least two hours of PE per week as of July 2024 is 99.6%
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what percentage of schools have (i) reduced, (ii) increased and (iii) maintained the hours allocated to physical education in each of the last five years.
Answer
This is a matter for individual schools and local authorities. This level of information is not held centrally.
I also refer the member to the answer to question S6W-31840 on 12 December 2024. 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.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been allocated to improving physical education facilities in schools in each of the last five years.
Answer
This is a matter for individual schools and local authorities. This level of information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 2 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the quality of primary school meals across local authorities, and how frequently these checks are carried out.
Answer
Local authorities have a statutory obligation to comply with the Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020 (Nutritional Regulations).
The nutritional quality of local authority school catering provision is evaluated as part of Education Scotland’s school inspection programme.
Specialist Health and Nutrition Inspectors (HNI) join some school inspection teams to evaluate compliance with the Nutritional Regulations, including the nutritional quality of school meals. This involves engaging with staff and reviewing documentation. In academic year 2023/24 HNI visited 100 schools.
If a school or local authority does not meet the expected standards, HNI provides clear advice on the improvements needed. Local authorities are required to provide evidence to HNI showing how they have addressed any areas of non-compliance
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 2 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the food used in primary school meals is sourced locally.
Answer
All local authorities are under a statutory duty to ensure their menus comply with the standards set out in The Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020. What food and drink they choose to include on their menus, including locally sourced, is a matter for each local authority taking into account local needs and preferences.
We encourage local authorities to use local and sustainable produce in school catering, which is supported by the Scotland Excel procurement framework.