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Under this Government, spending on additional support for learning has reached a record high of £830m in 2021-22 and the number of pupil support staff in Scotland has reached a record high of over 16,600. We have invested an additional £60m since 2019-20 (£15m per year) and provide over £11m of funding to directly support pupils with complex additional support needs and services to children and families.

We do not hold information regarding the allocation of specific additional support needs budgets in each local authority or a breakdown of the expenditure of these budgets.

The Additional Support for Learning Act places duties on education authorities to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils. It is for individual authorities to determine the training required for all staff to ensure pupils reach their full potential and to manage their budgets accordingly.

All initial teacher education programmes must align with the General Teaching Council for Scotland’s Standard for Provisional Registration. The Standard sets out that student teachers are required to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of additional support needs and to take account of learners with such needs.

A new edition of the Scottish Ministerial Code was published on 20 July 2023 and is available here: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781835210567 .

Inspiring Scotland will open applications for the new Autism Support Fund in the next couple of weeks. The application window will remain open for a period of 4 weeks and awards will be announced to recipients two to three weeks after applications close.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18294 on 14 June 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 Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 stipulates that the Chief Constable of Police Scotland is responsible for the policing of Scotland, and is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) for this, rather than to Scottish Ministers directly. These arrangements are in place to ensure public confidence that the police act independently, free from unwarranted ministerial interference.

The Scottish Government believes that effective and appropriate use of digital technologies, such as mobile phones, can improve educational outcomes.

We encourage local authorities and schools to think carefully about how to incorporate the safe and responsible use of smart and mobile phones into learning and teaching. However, it is a matter for authorities to make their own decisions about the use of mobile phones in their schools, including imposing a ban if they so choose.

The Scottish Government published ‘A Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland’ in 2016. The strategy will help ensure that schools can deploy digital technologies appropriately and effectively and deliver educational improvements.

The Scottish Government is prioritising investment in a range of support available both pre and post diagnosis.

Our new £1 million Autism Support Fund will soon be launched by Inspiring Scotland. Individual funding awards will be announced following a fair and open application and assessment process based on set criteria. Where these criteria are met through projects already underway, funding can be backdated to 1 April 2023.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19460 on 17 July 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 recognises the importance of Personal Assistants who offer bespoke, personalised and flexible care, enabling those with support needs to remain healthy and at home for longer.

The Personal Assistant (PA) Programme Board was established in 2021 to provide advice to Ministers on issues and actions needed to support this workforce. The work of the PA Programme Board Training sub group is led and informed by key stakeholders including PA employers. Work underway during 2023 includes funding of up to £91K, to build on the successful leadership in this area by Self Directed Support Scotland, to prepare a national PA training framework which will be developed with consideration of neurodiversity. Further information about the PA Programme Board is available at: Self Directed Support Scotland .

The Scottish Government is prioritising investment in a range of support available both pre and post diagnosis.

Our new £1 million Autism Support Fund will soon be launched by Inspiring Scotland. Individual funding awards will be announced following a fair and open application and assessment process based on set criteria.