Seòmar agus comataidhean

Transport Scotland conducts machine-based based surveys of the trunk road network each year using specialist vehicles to gather information on the surface integrity of the road; the friction characteristics of the surface; and the structural capacity (strength) of the underlying road construction. This is similar in nature to the Scottish Road Maintenance Condition Survey conducted by Scottish Local Authorities and it provides an annual snapshot of the road condition across the network. Output from these condition surveys is published each year in the National Transport Statistics

The Performance Audit Group (PAG) is employed to audit, monitor and report on the performance of the Operating Companies who manage, maintain and operate Scotland’s trunk roads. PAG continues to monitor Operating Company performance, deliver an annual programme of audits and publish annual reports.

National Audits on road maintenance are the responsibility of Audit Scotland on behalf of the Auditor General for Scotland (for Scottish Government bodies) and the Accounts Commission (for Councils and local government). The Auditor General for Scotland (AGS) is a Crown appointment and both the AGS and Accounts Commission are independent of both the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament. More information including their Corporate Plan and their planned audit work can be found on their website: Our work programme | Audit Scotland

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43303 on 5 February 2026. 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.

The Scottish Government heard the concerns raised by local government and social care providers regarding the funding challenges in relation to the uplift to the Real Living Wage in commissioned care services.

In direct response to those concerns, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government confirmed to the Scottish Parliament our intention to amend the Budget Bill at Stage 2 to allocate a further £20 million of funding to the Local Government Settlement. In tandem with the original budget commitment, that funding is sufficient to meet the uplift to the Real Living Wage in full across adult social care, children social care and early learning and childcare and highlights the benefits of open and robust engagement.

The Scottish Government heard the concerns raised by local government and social care providers regarding the funding challenges in relation to the uplift to the Real Living Wage in commissioned care services.

In direct response to those concerns, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government confirmed to the Scottish Parliament our intention to amend the Budget Bill at Stage 2 to allocate a further £20 million of funding to the Local Government Settlement. In tandem with the original budget commitment, that funding is sufficient to meet the uplift to the Real Living Wage in full across adult social care, children social care and early learning and childcare and highlights the benefits of open and robust engagement.

The Scottish Government heard the concerns raised by local government and social care providers regarding the funding challenges in relation to the uplift to the Real Living Wage in commissioned care services.

In direct response to those concerns, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government confirmed to the Scottish Parliament our intention to amend the Budget Bill at Stage 2 to allocate a further £20 million of funding to the Local Government Settlement. In tandem with the original budget commitment, that funding is sufficient to meet the uplift to the Real Living Wage in full across adult social care, children social care and early learning and childcare and highlights the benefits of open and robust engagement.

The Scottish Government heard the concerns raised by local government and social care providers regarding the funding challenges in relation to the uplift to the Real Living Wage in commissioned care services.

In direct response to those concerns, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government confirmed to the Scottish Parliament our intention to amend the Budget Bill at Stage 2 to allocate a further £20 million of funding to the Local Government Settlement. In tandem with the original budget commitment, that funding is sufficient to meet the uplift to the Real Living Wage in full across adult social care, children social care and early learning and childcare and highlights the benefits of open and robust engagement.

Spending data on Additional Support for Learning (ASL) is collected from local authorities via the 2024-25 Local Financial Returns (LFR). These figures show that almost £1.1bn was spent on ASL by local authorities in 2024-25.

Local authorities are asked to record all centrally funded ASL expenditure under Special Education, irrespective of where it is delivered. Decisions about prioritisation and budgets, including those for the provision of services for pupils with additional support needs, are a matter for individual councils. It is important to note when making comparisons between local authorities and years that there may be variations in local accounting practices.

Table 1 shows gross revenue expenditure on (ASL) education for 2024-25, split by Pre-Primary, Primary, Secondary and Special Education.

Table 1 – 2024-25 ASL expenditure by Local Authority (£000)

The Scottish Government heard the concerns raised by local government and social care providers regarding the funding challenges in relation to the uplift to the Real Living Wage in commissioned care services.

In direct response to those concerns, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government confirmed to the Scottish Parliament our intention to amend the Budget Bill at Stage 2 to allocate a further £20 million of funding to the Local Government Settlement. In tandem with the original budget commitment, that funding is sufficient to meet the uplift to the Real Living Wage in full across adult social care, children social care and early learning and childcare and highlights the benefits of open and robust engagement.

The draft Budget 2026-27 set out a further £160 million investment to enable the payment of the Real Living Wage to adult social care workers in commissioned services in the next financial year.