Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-36171

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the suggestion by the Scottish Retail Consortium that the £3 million fund to deal with retail crime, which was announced in its 2025-26 Budget, should be made permanent.

I was pleased to welcome the launch of Police Scotland’s plans to tackle retail crime last month, which is being funded by an additional £3 million from the Scottish Government.

I hope to see these plans make a difference to the rates of shoplifting Scotland has seen in recent months, and we will continue to liaise closely with Police Scotland as their planned actions are rolled out.

We have increased police funding year-on-year since 2016-17, investing more than £14.6 billion since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government has initiated planning for the next Scottish Spending Review, that will identify opportunities to optimise the use of Scottish Government funding over the longer term.

The conclusion of the UK Government’s 2025 spending review will provide key funding information to underpin the Scottish Government’s own multi-year spending review. Provision of funding in future years will also be part of discussions with the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland to understand the budget requirement to deliver their three-year business plan.

Question reference: S6W-35764

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much will be spent on (a) the maintenance of and (b) staffing for the rural payments IT system in each of the next two years.

The expenditure of a) and b) in 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 is expected to be broadly similar to 2024-2025. In addition to rural payments systems this budget will be used to maintain and support a number of other IT systems such as the Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS), Estate Management Database (EMA), Drawing Office, Plant Health, Livestock Inspection System (LIS). These systems collectively assure eligibility for payments, support of inspections, responding to legislative requirements and supporting corporate systems.

ARE IT/Digital services support a range of other government departments, functions and agencies including NatureScot, Forestry, Estates Management, Plant Health and Livestock Inspections meaning our IT / Digital services support a wider range of stakeholders.

Question reference: S6W-35751

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many rural school closures have taken place in each year since 1999, also broken down by local authority.

In 2003 there were 1,025 publicly funded schools in Scotland classed as being in either an 'Accessible Rural Area' or 'Remote Rural Area'. In 2023 there were 853 publicly funded schools in Scotland with this classification.

Local Authority	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Aberdeen City	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	2	3	3	3	2	2	4
Aberdeenshire	128	127	125	125	123	122	121	121	121	121	120	120	119	120	119	116	115	117	114	113	113
Angus	37	36	35	36	33	31	31	29	29	29	29	29	29	28	27	28	28	28	28	28	28
Argyll & Bute	80	79	79	79	78	80	81	81	80	81	81	80	73	74	73	73	72	71	69	68	68
Clackmannanshire	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Dumfries & Galloway	84	83	81	81	80	79	78	76	75	75	74	74	74	72	72	73	72	72	72	72	69
Dundee City	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
East Ayrshire	21	21	19	21	22	22	21	20	20	18	20	20	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21
East Dunbartonshire	5	5	5	6	6	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3
East Lothian	17	17	17	18	19	19	19	19	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	18	18	19	19	20
East Renfrewshire	4	4	4	4	5	5	5	4	4	4	5	5	4	5	5	4	5	5	5	5	5
Edinburgh	4	4	4	4	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Falkirk	13	13	13	14	14	12	11	12	13	12	11	12	12	11	11	11	9	9	9	9	9
Fife	57	56	56	56	47	47	47	46	47	47	51	49	46	46	46	44	42	42	45	44	43
Glasgow City	2	2	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Highland	159	158	164	159	159	158	157	157	156	150	149	150	151	148	146	144	144	144	144	139	138
Inverclyde	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Midlothian	16	15	13	13	13	9	9	9	8	9	8	8	7	8	9	8	7	7	7	6	6
Moray	31	31	32	31	31	31	31	31	30	30	30	30	30	30	29	29	29	29	29	29	28
Na h-Eileanan Siar	45	45	47	44	47	44	43	41	37	30	26	26	25	23	23	23	22	22	21	21	21
North Ayrshire	14	14	14	14	15	12	12	12	12	13	13	13	13	15	13	15	14	15	15	16	16
North Lanarkshire	20	20	20	20	19	14	15	15	16	16	16	16	19	18	18	18	18	18	18	19	19
Orkney Islands	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	23	22	22	22	22	22	22	21	21	21	21	23	23	23
Perth & Kinross	57	56	56	56	56	54	55	54	53	53	52	52	52	51	49	50	50	50	50	50	50
Renfrewshire	6	6	6	6	6	4	4	5	5	5	5	5	5	4	4	4	4	4	5	5	6
Scottish Borders	51	48	45	45	45	44	43	44	45	44	41	41	41	40	41	41	40	40	40	39	39
Shetland Islands	39	39	38	38	38	38	38	37	37	36	36	34	34	32	32	33	33	33	33	32	32
South Ayrshire	21	21	21	21	20	20	20	20	18	18	17	17	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16
South Lanarkshire	38	38	37	37	36	36	35	34	36	33	34	34	33	31	31	31	31	31	31	30	30
Stirling	30	30	28	28	29	27	27	26	25	25	25	26	26	25	25	24	23	23	23	23	23
West Dunbartonshire	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
West Lothian	15	15	16	16	14	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	9	10	10	10	10	13
All local authorities	1025	1014	1008	1005	989	958	954	945	934	916	910	907	894	882	874	868	859	861	861	852	853

Data is only available from 2003 onwards and is based on schools which were classed as either 'Accessible Rural Areas' or 'Remote Rural Areas' according to the Urban Rural Classification at the time. Note that an area's Urban Rural Classification may change over time, therefore a decrease in the number of schools classed as rural over the years could be due to this area being reclassified, rather than being due to school closures. The table shows how many rural schools were open in each local authority in each year since 2003.

More detailed information about school openings, closures, mergers and instances where a school has been mothballed can be found on the school contact details spreadsheet in the 'Schools opened or closed' tab: School contact details - gov.scot, but recording of this data is only available from 2007 onwards.

Question reference: S6W-35802

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings of the University of Stirling project, Football and Alcohol Scoping Study, and what its position is on what impact controlled, responsible alcohol sales inside football grounds could have on (a) levels of so-called binge drinking before matches, (b) matchday revenues and (c) the overall supporter experience.

The University of Stirling research was commissioned by the Scottish FA and SPFL. The Scottish Government has not undertaken any detailed analysis of the report to date. Our position remains that we have no plans at the current time to amend the legislation governing alcohol at football but we will consider any proposals put forward by the football authorities, and which we would expect to address the issues set out in the University of Stirling report.

Question reference: S6W-35768

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is regarding ScotRail trains entering service without a functioning toilet onboard.

Question reference: S6W-35755

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many young people have been recorded as moving into training as a positive destination in each year for which data is available, also broken down by local authority.

The latest data showing the number of school leavers in each initial destination (three months after the end of the school year) by local authority and nationally for each year since 2009-10 can be found in Table L2.1a in the supplementary tables published alongside the Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations, No. 7: 2025 edition. The supplementary tables with data on initial destinations are available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-for-attainment-and-initial-leaver-destinations-no-7-2025-edition/documents/.

The latest data showing the number of school leavers in each follow-up destination (nine months after the end of the school year) by local authority and nationally for each year since 2009-10 can be found in Table L2.2 in the supplementary tables published alongside the Summary statistics for Follow-Up Leaver Destinations, No. 6: 2024 Edition. The supplementary tables with data on follow-up destinations are available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-follow-up-leaver-destinations-no-6-2024-edition/documents/.

Question reference: S6W-35779

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to measure waiting times for follow-up appointments for chronic pain services, and whether it will publish any such data.

Waiting times for first clinician led chronic pain appointments are currently reported every quarter on the PHS website, Publications - Public Health Scotland. The Pain Management Service Delivery Framework Implementation Plan contains a specific action to work with PHS to improve how we capture and report national data on chronic pain. The current focus of which is to review and improve waiting times data for first appointments. We are considering the feasibility of collecting and reporting national data on waits for return appointments.

Question reference: S6W-35769

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is regarding ScotRail trains entering service without a functioning accessible toilet.

Question reference: S6W-35756

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many young people have been recorded as moving into personal skills development, including employability, in each year for which data is available, also broken down by local authority.

The latest data showing the number of school leavers in each initial destination (three months after the end of the school year) by local authority and nationally for each year since 2009-10 can be found in Table L2.1a in the supplementary tables published alongside the Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations, No. 7: 2025 edition. The supplementary tables with data on initial destinations are available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-for-attainment-and-initial-leaver-destinations-no-7-2025-edition/documents/.

The latest data showing the number of school leavers in each follow-up destination (nine months after the end of the school year) by local authority and nationally for each year since 2009-10 can be found in Table L2.2 in the supplementary tables published alongside the Summary statistics for Follow-Up Leaver Destinations, No. 6: 2024 Edition. The supplementary tables with data on follow-up destinations are available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-follow-up-leaver-destinations-no-6-2024-edition/documents/.

Question reference: S6W-35766

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the most recent South of Scotland Enterprise business panel survey report.

The South of Scotland Business Panel survey interviews over 600 South-based companies and social enterprises each year. It provides an important temperature check of business confidence and helps to identify challenges and opportunities.

In line with similar surveys across Scotland, this year’s results show that business confidence has understandably been affected by the current challenging economic environment.

However, in this context it was good to see positive change in Net Zero planning and in businesses supporting their employees, with three-quarters of businesses taking action to help their workforce through, for example, investment in training or offering more flexible working and the number of businesses with a formal plan in place to reduce emissions more than doubling since 2023.

Scottish Government recognises the challenges highlighted by the survey and we remain committed to working closely with SOSE and other partners to provide as much support as we can. Last year, for example, SOSE provided £6.9 million of funding to SMEs in the south. By providing investment, expertise and mentoring to businesses, SOSE will continue to develop the economic potential of the region.

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