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The SQA will oversee the exam diet in 2025. Legislation establishing the new qualifications body will be introduced this parliamentary year enabling the new qualifications body to be established in late 2025.

The number of decisions to refuse applications for onshore wind developments*, with a capacity of less than 50 megawatts, which have been upheld (appeal dismissed) by the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division is set out in the following table.

The number of decisions to refuse applications for onshore wind development which have been overturned (appeal allowed) by the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division are provided as a point of comparison.

As set out in Programme for Government 2023, the Scottish Government is continuing to prioritise working across the Health and Wellbeing portfolio to maximise the contribution of culture to achieving key cross-policy outcomes.

The Scottish Government has set up an internal Health and Culture Working Group to support this work and will continue to ensure that culture is represented in any wider Scottish Government discussions about social prescribing going forward.

Our response to the National Partnership for Culture’s recommendations committed to begin the scoping of a new Youth Arts Strategy, which we are taking forward with Creative Scotland. Our refreshed Culture Strategy Action Plan, which will be published in the coming months, will provide an update on this work.

While the Scottish Government keeps legislation under review, we have no current plans to introduce a social responsibility levy.

There are no available estimates on the amount of funds that could be raised on the section 14 provision contained within The Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act 2010, as this provision has not been enacted.

Scottish Ministers would be required to consult on the draft regulations relating to the social responsibility levy if this provision was to be enacted in the future.

The Scottish Government has robust processes in place for assessing outcomes, performance and value for money in relation to expenditure from Portfolio budgets.

Accountable Officers are in place to ensure that public money is used efficiently and effectively in line with guidance published in the Scottish Public Finance Manual. This includes scrutinising significant policy proposals or plans to start or vary major projects/policies, and then assess whether they measure against the required standards for regularity, propriety, value for money and feasibility.

As you will be aware, the Scottish Government’s National Performance Framework tracks progress toward our national outcomes and the associated national indicators. There are further tools that are more specific to the Education and Skills portfolio. For example, the primary purpose of the National Improvement Framework since January 2016 has been to bring together an enhanced range of information and data at all levels of the system, to drive improvement for children and young people in early learning and childcare settings, schools, and colleges across the whole of Scotland.

Furthermore, all recipients of grant funding receive letters which clearly outline their objectives and expected outcomes from the funding and targets/milestones in which progress against these objectives and outcomes will be measured.

As Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills I engage with the SQA and Education Scotland regularly on a range of business, including on education reform. This involves meetings with the SQA Chair and Chief Executive and with Education Scotland’s Interim Chief Executive. Additionally, I have undertaken direct engagement with staff in both organisations, by attending an all-staff session with SQA on 4 September 2023 and an Education Scotland all-staff event on 22 August 2023.

Ministers and Scottish Government officials have met representatives of the college sector frequently since 1 April 2021 through in-person meetings, visits and online meetings.

Young Scot are provided with core funding from the Scottish Government. The funding comes from the Children's Rights team and the Health Inequalities team. They have received £975,000 annually since 2014.

The Scottish Youth Parliament are provided with core funding through the Scottish Government’s Children Young People and Families Early Intervention & Adult Learning and Empowering Communities (CYPFEI & ALEC) Fund. This fund is administered by the CORRA Foundation on behalf of Scottish Ministers. They received £325,000 in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 and received £341,250 in 2022 and 2023.

The information requested relates to Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) data and is not held by the Scottish Government.

SQA has advised that this information is available on their website, including historical data for all courses including those specifically listed. The data can be accessed at https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105159.html .