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Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels (ACEL) data for 2022-23 showed record levels of attainment in literacy with 73% of primary school pupils achieving the expected Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) level for literacy, the highest figure since records began in 2016/17.

The proportion of P7 pupils achieving the expected level were at record highs in 2022-23 for literacy, and for each of the literacy organisers including reading where 81% achieved the expected level. The literacy gap between Primary 7 pupils from the most and most deprived areas and those from the least deprived areas was the narrowest on record in 2022-23 (20.5 percentage points). More information can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/achievement-curriculum-excellence-cfe-levels-2022-23/documents/

As set out in the Headteachers’ Charter and the associated empowerment guidance, the Scottish Government is fully committed to ensuring that schools are empowered and supported in taking the decisions they need to improve pupil outcomes.

The Scottish Government's Devolved School Management (DSM) scheme is intended to support improved consistency, transparency and equity in decisions on school funding, ensuring local authorities and headteachers work together so that decisions are taken at the most appropriate level. This is a matter for local decision making, and it is up to local authorities to allocate budget for their DSM scheme. I am pleased that almost all local authorities have implemented their revised DSM schemes and work is ongoing with a small number of local authorities.

The Gender Equality Taskforce in Education & Learning developed a set of ambitions in order to help inform its work, including consideration of the optimum way in which to deliver these ambitions, including through the establishment of working groups. Since then, discussion and work has been ongoing to refine the workplan, to ensure that it is able to enact the type of long term, complex, systemic change that is needed. I am committed to continuing and accelerating such work to ensure that girls and young women have a gender equal experience of education and learning.

The statutory minimum walking distances set out in legislation are a long-standing feature of our education system and there are no plans to change them. The Scottish Government published guidance for local authorities regarding home to school transport in 2021. The provision of home to school transport is responsibility of local authorities and decisions about changes to eligibility for free school transport are for local authorities to make, subject to the applicable statutory requirements.

The Scottish Government and sportscotland passionately believe that sport is for everyone. We should all feel included, and able to take part and access the benefits of sport.

An ongoing priority for the Scottish Government is to support participation across all groups and tackle inequalities in participation.

Currently available Scottish Health Survey data shows that 11-15 year old’s participation in sport appears to have remained stable since pre-covid levels at 65%. Other data that we use to track participation in sport is published by sportscotland.

Recent data published by sportscotland in 2023 shows significantly increased participation levels in their national Active Schools programme, across the past academic year (2022-23), with over 4.6 million visits (a rise of 34% on 2021-22) made to almost 247,000 Active Schools sessions. The number of Active Schools participants (over 269,000 children and young people), deliverers (over 17,900 with 90% of those being volunteers), and school/club links (over 2,500) also increased from the previous academic year as the recovery from covid continued.

Table 1 provides information on average gross revenue expenditure in Scotland per child attending pre-school, and primary and secondary pupil alongside allocations (accounting for teaching and tuition fees funding) per college and university place.

A significant amount of work is still required to make Section 8 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 law. Transport Scotland Officials are currently progressing work to determine the scope of the required public consultation which will help inform the secondary legislation required to bring this into force.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-25373 on 26 February 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 .

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

HMP Glasgow will deliver safe and secure accommodation, with maximum possible benefit and opportunity to those who live and work there, as well as the surrounding communities. The new prison will provide a better quality of living environment and enable strong relationships with staff and those in our care.

The final design will be concluded in summer 2024, prior to the planned award of the construction contract that is scheduled for autumn 2024.

The provision of court transcripts to those involved in the case, other than a person convicted at the trial, is governed by Section 94(2)(b) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 which allows for, on payment of the relevant costs, and subject to the Transcripts of Criminal Proceedings (Scotland) Order 1993, the Clerk of Justiciary to direct that a transcript be made and sent to the person who requested it. A cost is therefore incurred whenever a transcript is prepared, and in common with other parts of the UK, unless in specific circumstances, those costs currently require to be met by the requester as opposed to the wider public finances.

That having been said, we have listened to campaigners and survivors on a number of concerns that have been raised about the financial challenges associated with the access to transcripts for rape and sexual offences complainers.

From 1 March 2024, the Scottish Government will be in the first in the UK to launch a pilot which will allow complainers in High Court cases involving charges of rape or sexual assault to have free access to transcripts of their court cases.

The pilot will improve our understanding of the reasons why applications are being made in these particular cases. This will include understanding the potential volume of applications and the extent to which cost has been a barrier for applying previously.

The pilot and associated evaluation process will help inform future policy and operational development, including how the criteria for accessing free transcripts may develop, the potential implications on the public finances, and whether there is a need for a change to existing legislation.