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It is the Scottish Government’s view that both parents should be involved in their child’s life, as long as this is in the child’s best interests.

The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 is the key legislation on contact, residence, and parental responsibilities and rights. When deciding whether to make an order under section 11 of the Act (e.g. a contact order) the welfare of the child must be the court’s paramount consideration.

The court must also – taking into account the child's age and maturity – have regard to any views the child wishes to express and the need to protect the child from any abuse, or the risk of any abuse, which affects or might affect the child.

There is no legal presumption in favour of contact contained in section 11 of the 1995 Act. It is for the court to decide what information and evidence it needs to make a decision about what is best for a child, based on the facts and circumstances of the case.

However, recent research suggested there is a general presumption that contact is in the child’s best interests: Domestic Abuse and Child Contact: The Interface Between Criminal and Civil Proceedings - SCCJR.

Following this research, the Scottish Government has held workshops with key stakeholders on how to improve the interaction between the civil and criminal courts in the context of domestic abuse. The Scottish Government is currently considering potential changes to take forward.

Scottish Government does not collect the information on the number of children and young people in receipt of home education.

Local authorities hold responsibility for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children being home educated, and that the education they are receiving is suitable for their age and ability. In line with the Scottish Government's home education guidance, it is recommended that local authorities should make contact on an annual basis with those families who are known to be home educating within that local authority area.

As part of the update to this guidance, Scottish Government will work with local authority partners to consider options for collecting an aggregate number of children and young people home educating in their area.

Local Authorities have the statutory responsibility for education therefore the Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. Local authorities may hold this information.

As part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to invest in access to school counselling services, since 2021 local authorities have reported on key measures of their service delivery. A summary of these reports can be found at: Access to counsellors in secondary schools and children and young people’s community mental health services – summary reports - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government works closely with Local Authorities on the delivery of the renewal programme and use of the funding through the annual reporting process and the quarterly network meetings referenced in S6W-38037. As agreed with COSLA at the start of the funding programme in 2021, Local Authorities are not required to report any such issues.

The aerospace, defence, and shipbuilding sectors play a vital role in supporting jobs and driving economic growth across Scotland. We are committed to promoting manufacturing and innovation, and Ministers continue to engage with businesses in these sectors as part of that commitment. Ferguson Marine's (FMPG) work for BAE Systems is consistent with the Scottish Government’s policy that public money is not used to support the manufacture of munitions.

The Scottish Government is not aware of any recent review by Scottish Borders Council of its additional needs assistant allocation process for secondary schools.

Local authorities have existing discretionary powers to introduce local road user charging schemes under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001, which was brought into statute by a previous Parliament.

We have committed, in our recently published 'Achieving Car Use Reduction in Scotland: A Renewed Policy Statement', to take the opportunity to conduct a regulatory check of the secondary legislation, given the passage of time since they were brought into statue to ensure that these existing discretionary powers remain fit for purpose. Once the necessary regulations and guidance are in place, it will be a decision for local authorities or RTPs whether and how to implement schemes.

We welcome local authorities’ commitment to local measures which support delivery of car use reduction in Scotland. We will continue to work with COSLA and local authorities to support equitable measures which encourage active travel and accompany greater investment in public transport for a fairer and greener transport system to ensure a just transition to net zero. Local authorities are best placed to determine whether a local road user charging scheme supports the objectives set out in their local transport strategy.

Whilst the Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland, operational matters including staffing are in the first instance the responsibility of the relevant NHS board working alongside General Practices. The model for General Practice will depend on local population health needs as well as local service planning priorities.

NHS Boards are required to undertake workforce planning to ensure a full range of services are provided, including working with independent contractors in primary care. These plans should align with the National Workforce Strategy.

The Scottish Government is aware of an increasing gap between the GP Registered Population and Scotland’s population as estimated by the census. A working group has been established to look at the disparity between the two in more detail.

The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament on 27 March 2024 by Liam McArthur MSP (Liberal Democrats). As such, this is a Member's Bill, not a Scottish Government Bill.

As with all Bills, at Stage 2 of the Bill’s passage through Parliament it is for the Convener of the lead Committee to make a decision on the admissibility of any amendment put forward.

At Stage 3, it would be for the Scottish Parliament’s Presiding Officer to make decisions on admissibility.

Statistics on the class sizes of P1 to P3 pupils are published in the pupil census supplementary statistics, available on the Scottish Government website at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/pupil-census-supplementary-statistics/