Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-14691

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking with Public Health Scotland to deliver a cardiac audit programme with a governance structure to support the audit and improvement of services for people with heart disease, and, as part of this programme, whether it is supporting the development of a wider range of heart disease and risk factor quality indicators to gain a better understanding of the provision of care across the full pathway.

Question reference: S6W-14672

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has established nationally-agreed pathways of care for heart disease, and, if so, what (a) these include and (b) resources it provides to support their implementation.

Question reference: S6W-14680

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) meets the needs of people with heart disease, and how it is ensuring the delivery of access to computerised CBT across all cardiac rehabilitation and specialist cardiac nursing services nationally.

We have significantly increased access to digital mental health treatments, products and services since the first cCBT treatment was rolled out in 2017. We now have 27 different computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (cCBT) treatments available across all NHS Boards. This includes the tool ‘Space in Coronary Heart Disease’.

Through delivery of the Heart Disease Action Plan, we have worked with five health boards to encourage their utilisation of this tool within cardiac rehab services. We are in the process of evaluating this to support further adoption within cardiac services.

Question reference: S6W-14755

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many non-native gamebirds are released in Scotland each year.

Question reference: S6W-15187

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01165 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 July 2021, whether it will provide the complete figures for (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23.

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

Table 1: Average expenditure per place for each education level in cash terms
Education level	2012-13 1	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16 2	2016-17 3	2017-18 4	2018-19 4,5	2019-20 4,6	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23 8
Pre-School	£3,194	£3,102	£3,411	£3,957	£4,344	£4,561	£5,190	£6,916	£9,366	£10,435	-
Primary School	£4,899	£4,880	£4,819	£4,877	£4,980	£5,169	£5,444	£5,791	£6,130	£6,550	-
Secondary School	£6,629	£6,714	£6,795	£6,920	£7,046	£7,127	£7,454	£7,789	£7,906	£8,174	-
College	£4,012	£4,043	£4,029	£4,024	£4,092	£4,196	£4,539	£4,665	£4,878	£4,952	£5,054
University	£7,139	£7,175	£7,240	£7,237	£7,005	£7,013	£7,182	£7,187	£7,316	£7,433	£7,558

Table 2 provides the same information in 2022-23 prices. Real terms conversions are based on HM Treasury’s GDP Deflator series, January 2023.

Table 2: Average expenditure per place for each education level in real terms (2022-23 prices)
Education level	2012-13 1	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16 2	2016-17 3	2017-18 4	2018-19 4,5	2019-20 4,6	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23 8
Pre-School	£3,983	£3,790	£4,121	£4,743	£5,103	£5,269	£5,891	£7,651	£9,750	£10,942	-
Primary School	£6,108	£5,961	£5,823	£5,846	£5,849	£5,972	£6,179	£6,406	£6,382	£6,869	-
Secondary School	£8,265	£8,201	£8,210	£8,295	£8,276	£8,234	£8,460	£8,617	£8,230	£8,572	-
College	£5,003	£4,939	£4,868	£4,824	£4,806	£4,848	£5,152	£5,161	£5,078	£5,193	£5,054
University	£8,902	£8,765	£8,747	£8,675	£8,228	£8,102	£8,152	£7,951	£7,616	£7,794	£7,558

Methodologies and key policy changes

The methodologies used to determine the average expenditure per place for each education level are provided in more detail below. This section will also explain the methodology and policy changes, and why some of the figures provided in this answer differ from those provided the last time this question (PQ S6W-01165) was answered in July 2021.

Pre-school: average gross revenue expenditure per child in pre-primary education is arrived at by taking the total gross revenue expenditure on pre-primary education, adjusted for inter-authority transfers, as reported by local authorities to the local financial return. These figures are then divided by the number of pupils in funded early learning and childcare as per the statistics reported in the early learning and childcare census.

The per child expenditure for early learning and childcare has risen over the period of these figures. This is due to the expansion in the number of funded hours of early learning and childcare which children are eligible for. The Children and Young People Act (Scotland) 2014 made 600 hours of funded ELC per year available for all 3 and 4 year olds, and extended the entitlement to eligible 2 year olds. This entitlement was expanded to 1140 hours per eligible child from August 2021. This recent expansion, from 600 hours to 1140, has contributed to the increasing expenditure per child from 2018-19 onwards.

Primary and Secondary school: average gross revenue expenditure per pupil in primary and secondary education respectively is arrived at by taking the total gross revenue expenditure adjusted for inter-authority transfers, reported by local authorities on primary and secondary education to the local financial return, divided by the number of pupils in primary and secondary education as per the statistics reported in the pupil census.

Figures for 2019-20 are slightly different from those in the response to PQ S6W-01165 because of subsequent revisions to 2019-20 local government financial return data. The earlier figures provided here for pre-primary, primary and secondary education expenditure have been calculated on a consistent basis and have been updated to take into account any methodological changes and revisions to the calculation of expenditure figures from the Local Government Financial returns.

Colleges: the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) have supplied detail of the cost of a College place (expenditure per full-time equivalent (FTE)). This is calculated by taking funding provided to Colleges for core teaching and assumed tuition fee income and dividing this by the number of student places.

Universities: the cost of a University place, also provided by the SFC, is estimated by taking the total teaching grant awarded to Universities (excluding teaching grant associated with rUK students studying expensive strategically important subjects, who are not eligible for funding) and assumed tuition fee income associated with those places and dividing this by the total number of SFC funded places for Scottish and EU domiciled FTEs. Expenditure figures exclude funding for student support, and SFC’s research and strategic funds. Total FTE figures are SFC/SG funded places and do not include fees only and international places.

In answering an earlier similar PQ S6W-01165 on 28 July 2021, the methodology for Universities and Colleges excluded any external fees element, and for Universities only it included expensive strategically important subjects. However, SFC, who hold the data and provided estimates to Scottish Government, have advised the methodology should include a fees element for Universities and Colleges as fees are considered inherent to teaching provision, and expensive strategically important subjects should be removed for Universities as the additional funding for these courses are only for rest of the UK students who are not associated to funded places. Therefore, estimates will be different compared to those provided in the last version of this question.

Supplementary notes

1. Rest of the UK university places were removed from 2012-13 on a phased basis (new students in 2012-13 and each new cohort thereafter over a 5 year period).

2. In AY 2015-16 SFC moved college funding to a credits based system, rather than WSUMS. It is assumed that 15 credits = 1 FTE.

3. In AY 2016-17 there was a 2.9% reduction in University gross teaching prices.

4. In 2018-19, additional places at St Andrew’s University for rUK Calman students clinical training were funded separately by the SFC however are not included for continuance.

5. For 2020-21 the university allocation includes funded places and funding for childcare that were announced after the publication of the final funding announcement, to ensure consistency with other years.

6. The funded places/weighted SUMS/credits figures used are taken from the final published main grant letters or outcome agreements, and do not take account of any subsequent adjustments.

7. Assumed fees include income from SAAS, SDS, employers and students paying their own tuition fees for SFC funded programmes.

8. A “-“ symbol indicates no available data for this year.

Question reference: S6W-15190

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of any audits that (a) it and (b) its agencies have conducted regarding the impact of current employability support schemes for people with learning disabilities.

The Scottish Government publishes yearly evaluation studies and annual reports of Fair Start Scotland. These contain data on the impact and experience of disabled people, as part of the overall reporting on the service. These evaluations have not specifically or separately considered the experiences and outcomes for people with learning disabilities. All evaluation reports relating to Fair Start Scotland are available on the Scottish Government website and are listed below. The first evaluation of No One Left Behind is currently underway and a report will be published in early Summer 2023. This will not specifically consider the experiences of people with learning disabilities.

Tables which accompany the quarterly publication Scotland’s Devolved Employment Services: statistical summary provide equalities information for participants on Fair Start Scotland, which includes data for disabled people and people with learning disabilities. The data reporting template for people receiving support through No One Left Behind has recently been expanded to capture where people have a learning disability, learning difficulty, autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disorders (such as ADHD). This data will be published as part of the quarterly statistical reporting in due course.

We have also undertaken a review of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and of Supported Employment to identify areas of improvement and make recommendations on future delivery of these two forms of specialist employability support in Scotland. These reviews, along with Scottish Government responses, were also published on our website and are listed below.

Evaluation reports for Fair Start Scotland

Implementation Review:

Fair Start Scotland evaluation report 1: implementation and early delivery review

Evaluation Report 2

Overview Report:

Fair Start Scotland evaluation report 2: overview of year one - November 2019

Participant Phone Survey:

Fair Start Scotland evaluation report 2: participant phone survey - November 2019

Local Area Case Studies:

Fair Start Scotland evaluation report 2: local area case studies - November 2019

Evaluation Report 3

Overview Report:

Fair Start Scotland - evaluation report 3: year two - overview

Participant Phone Survey:

Fair Start Scotland - evaluation report 3: participant phone survey - year 2

Local Area Case Studies:

Fair Start Scotland - evaluation report 3: local area case studies - year 2

Annual Evaluation Report 4

Overview Report:

Fair Start Scotland: evaluation report 4 - year 3 overview

Participant Phone Survey:

Fair Start Scotland: evaluation report 4 - participant phone survey - year 3

Local Area Case Studies:

Fair Start Scotland: evaluation report 4 - local area case studies - year 3

Economic Evaluation:

Fair Start Scotland: economic evaluation

Individual Placement and Support Review

Fair Start Scotland - individual placement and support review: findings

Support Employment Review

Supported employment: review report and Scottish Government response

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of robust data and caveated evidence to build understanding of the inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities.

Therefore, we have been collaborating with our partners through the Keys to Life, the Scottish Strategy for Autism and the Towards Transformation Plan to take forward research to better understand the daily lives of people with learning disabilities and autistic people and the inequalities/barriers they face.

The Scottish Government has also commissioned the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory (SLDO) to understand the health equalities and barriers faced by people with learning disabilities. SLDO reports and their methods can be found on their website.

Similarly, the Scottish Commission for Learning Disability (SCLD) also produced a variety of evidence-based reports to inform the development of policy around experience of people with learning disabilities including employment, hate crime, health, social care, parenting and human rights. Through the pandemic SCLD also produced the How's Life Survey and provides a snapshot of the lives of people with learning disabilities through the pandemic. They also work alongside Public Health Scotland to produce routine Learning Disability Statistics Scotland using census data.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring people with learning disabilities have access to data that is important to them, including evidence about employment and employability in Scotland.

To achieve this Scottish Government are working with our partners to refocus data collection efforts to encompass the whole life journey through a Learning Disability and Autism Data Action Plan.

Question reference: S6W-15155

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14330 by Lorna Slater on 8 February 2023, when it anticipates that Zero Waste Scotland's urgent review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes will report.

Question reference: S6W-15169

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted any analysis on the potential impact of regularly funded organisations using their organisational reserves to fund long-term spending decisions.

Question reference: S6W-15170

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide a breakdown of the number of school culture coordinators that Creative Scotland has (a) fully funded and (b) part funded with local authorities in each year since 2016.

The role of a school culture coordinator is a discretionary role that supports the delivery of the Youth Music Initiative (YMI) programme, administered on behalf of Scottish Government by Creative Scotland with local authorities.

A school culture coordinator is a role that I understand only exists currently in two local authorities: Falkirk Council and Argyle & Bute Council. The various roles within all other local authorities who manage YMI programmes include Instrumental Music Service Managers, Music Instructors, Creative Learning Officers. As a result, there is no funding programme for which Creative Scotland supports the role of culture coordinator across the entire local authority network.

Question reference: S6W-15167

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether Creative Scotland can monitor the organisational reserves of regularly funded organisations.

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