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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

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Question reference: S6W-01165

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-29691 and S5W-22664 by Angela Constance on 2 March 2016 and by John Swinney on 1 May 2019, whether it will provide the figures for each year since 2018-19.

Table 1 provides information on average gross revenue expenditure in Scotland per pre-school registration, and primary and secondary pupil along with information on teaching allocations per college and university place (Average Teaching Grant Funding per FTE - including controlled SG funded places – expenditure on tuition fees and student support not included).

Table 1: Average expenditure per place for each education level in cash terms
Education level	2010-11	2011-12	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
Pre-school	£3,456	£3,193	£3,194	£3,102	£3,411	£3,957	£4,344	£4,561	£5,190	£6,958	-
Primary School	£5,001	£4,935	£4,899	£4,880	£4,819	£4,877	£4,980	£5,169	£5,444	£5,779	-
Secondary School	£6,598	£6,495	£6,629	£6,714	£6,795	£6,920	£7,046	£7,127	£7,454	£7,787	-
College	£3,803	£3,601	£3,496	£3,317	£3,317	£3,421	£3,527	£3,615	£3,972	£4,064	£4,284
University	£5,219	£5,115	£5,379	£5,514	£5,620	£5,655	£5,435	£5,437	£5,560	£5,563	£5,703

Table 2 provides the same information in 2020-21 prices.

Table 2: Average expenditure per place for each education level in real terms (2020-21=100)
Education level	2010-11	2011-12	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
Pre-school	£4,321	£3,933	£3,854	£3,678	£3,989	£4,589	£4,917	£5,073	£5,641	£7,397	-
Primary School	£6,252	£6,078	£5,912	£5,785	£5,635	£5,657	£5,636	£5,749	£5,917	£6,143	-
Secondary School	£8,249	£7,999	£8,000	£7,959	£7,946	£8,026	£7,975	£7,927	£8,102	£8,278	-
College	£4,754	£4,435	£4,219	£3,932	£3,879	£3,968	£3,992	£4,021	£4,318	£4,321	£4,284
University	£6,525	£6,299	£6,492	£6,537	£6,572	£6,559	£6,152	£6,047	£6,044	£5,913	£5,703

For pre-school education, estimates are derived by dividing total expenditure adjusted for inter-authority transfers on pre-school education, reported by local authorities in the Local Finance Return, by the total number of early learning and childcare registrations, reported in the Scottish Government’s Early Learning and Childcare statistics.

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 most recent statistics reported in the pupil census.

To ensure comparability with the 2019-20 figures, the earlier figures provided here for pre-primary, primary and secondary education expenditure have been re-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. Some of the figures presented here, therefore, may differ from those provided previously in answers to parliamentary questions.

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 fee waiver grant divided by the weighted SUMs (relative cost to a college of delivering different subjects). Expenditure excludes tuition fees not paid by SFC (mainly the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS)) and student support funding or funding from the European Social Fund.

The cost of a University place, also provided by the SFC, is estimated by taking the total teaching grant awarded to Universities divided by the total number of SFC funded places for Scottish and EU domiciled FTEs. Expenditure figures exclude funding for student support, SFC’s research and strategic funds, and tuition fees that SAAS pay. Total FTE figures are SFC/SG funded places and do not include fees only and international places.

Real terms figures are in 2020-21 prices and are calculated using HM Treasury’s GDP Deflator Series, June 2021.

Additional notes

1. The rest of UK 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 HEI gross teaching prices.

4. In 2017-18 and 2018-19, funding for colleges includes additional funding for national bargaining.

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

6. 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

7. 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.

8. SFC (not matched) ESF funding included together with all ESF student number targets.

9. A “-“ symbol indicates no available data.

Question reference: S6W-01337

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-35656 by John Swinney on 11 March 2021, what progress has been made regarding updated guidance for schools on supporting transgender children and young people, and whether the guidance will be ready for the return of schools in August 2021.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the lives of trans and non-binary people in Scotland. Trans people continue to suffer poorer outcomes relative to the wider population, and this needs to change.

We are committed to ensuring that all children and young people are supported in school and are able to reach their full potential, including transgender young people. We committed to develop guidance to support schools to do this and will publish guidance shortly.

Question reference: S6W-00932

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 28 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to SEPA issuing a "very poor" draft assessment of the Ineos Kinneil terminal for 2019, due to significant non-compliance and the requirement for urgent improvement, and what discussion it has had with (a) SEPA and (b) Ineos about (i) the assessment, and (ii) flaring and effluent breaches.

SEPA has not yet published information on its Compliance Assessment Scheme results for 2019 and expect to publish the results later this year. As such, no discussions have been held with SEPA or Ineos in relation to the assessment.

The draft result for Ineos Kinneil Terminal was included in the information stolen from SEPA in the cyber attack and was subsequently published in the press. The information stolen was an draft of this assessment - and had therefore not been subjected to all the necessary verification processes to finalise the assessment.

Question reference: S6W-01154

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many school pupils have not returned to full-time education since school buildings reopened.

Question reference: S6W-01121

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many hours of health and wellbeing education or training are provided to student teachers during each course provided by each of the education institutions.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) is the independent, regulatory body for the teaching profession and are responsible for the accreditation and approval of all Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes. They will only approve programmes which meet the requirements in their Guidelines for Accreditation of ITE Programmes. The Framework specifically asks how student teachers are supported to develop an understanding of a range of pedagogy approaches in a number of key areas. One of the key areas is health and wellbeing education.

ITE providers regularly meet to discuss the quality of their provision and, on 8 June, held a symposium covering health and wellbeing. The learning from this symposium will inform future revisions to programmes.

Question reference: S6W-01187

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 02 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00525 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 June 2021, whether the meetings on (a) 24 May, (b) 3 June and (c) 24 June were minuted, and if so, whether those minutes will be published.

Since my appointment to the role of Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills I have had a number of introductory discussions with the Chief Examining Officer to develop my understanding of matters pertaining to the alternative certification model and to discuss issues being raised by stakeholders.

The meeting of 24 May informed my understanding of the ACM and the approach to 2021 appeals.

On the phone call of 3 June I discussed my priorities and the upcoming publication of the OECD review ahead of my Parliamentary Statement that day.

At the meeting of 24 June SQA were invited to share thoughts on the Reform of SQA and Education Scotland.

These meetings were informal and as a result no minutes were taken.

Question reference: S6W-01155

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 02 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the absence rate for pupils has been 50% or greater since full-time education in school buildings returned, broken down by (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

No. Absence rates for pupils were never 50% or greater when schools were fully open for all pupils during the 2020/21 school year.

The Scottish Government have published information in relation to school pupil attendance and absence throughout the 2020/21 school year, which can be found here:

COVID19 - Schools and Childcare Information 2021 | Tableau Public

Coronavirus (COVID-19): daily data for Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Coronavirus (COVID-19): trends in daily data - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

COVID-19 Education Recovery Group: children and young people infographic - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-01267

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided for research into long COVID.

Question reference: S6W-01224

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the independent reviewers appointed to undertake the Gateway Review into the go-live date of the Deposit Return Scheme have interviewed representatives of small producers.

Question reference: S6W-01265

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many disabled interns each NHS board has hired in each of the last three years.