Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-15339

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will take action to ensure that the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan Implementation Steering Group makes a full assessment of the skills needs of (a) seafarers and (b) operators of ferry services in Scotland.

The Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan is central to creating a future workforce that can support our transition to a net zero economy and ensure workers are equipped with the skills that employers will need in a green economy.

The Implementation Steering Group (ISG) for the Action Plan has an independent chair and is comprised of senior representatives from local government, public agencies, skills providers, and industry. The ISG currently has three sub-groups, including a transport sub-group which is exploring the skills required across the transport sector for the transition to net zero.

The ISG is not currently conducting a full assessment of seafarers and operators of ferry services in Scotland however could consider this as part of ongoing work.

Question reference: S6W-15161

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights report, Racially Motivated Bullying: Policies and Recording in Scotland's Schools, published in November 2022, which found that, in 2020-21, 61% of schools did not record any incidents of bullying using the SEEMiS Bullying and Equalities module, and 83% of schools did not record any incidents of racially motivated bullying.

Bullying or racism of any kind is unacceptable and must be addressed quickly and effectively whenever it arises. Schools need to be clear on the distinctions between bullying and other forms of prejudice such as racism.

It is for schools and local authorities to decide what action should be taken depending on the individual circumstances of challenging behaviour. We expect schools and authorities to record and monitor all incidents of bullying and racism in schools.

On 23 February 2023, HM Inspectors of Education published their report of the thematic inspection we commissioned on the national approach to recording and monitoring bullying incidents in schools.

There are positive findings in the report that we should build on. However, we acknowledge that there is also room for improvement and we are taking immediate action to ensure schools and school staff have the right support in place to prevent and respond to bullying.

We are also working with a wide range of anti-racism organisations to further strengthen resources and approaches to prevent and respond to racist incidents through the Anti-Racism in Education Programme Board.

Question reference: S6W-15170

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide a breakdown of the number of school culture coordinators that Creative Scotland has (a) fully funded and (b) part funded with local authorities in each year since 2016.

The role of a school culture coordinator is a discretionary role that supports the delivery of the Youth Music Initiative (YMI) programme, administered on behalf of Scottish Government by Creative Scotland with local authorities.

A school culture coordinator is a role that I understand only exists currently in two local authorities: Falkirk Council and Argyle & Bute Council. The various roles within all other local authorities who manage YMI programmes include Instrumental Music Service Managers, Music Instructors, Creative Learning Officers. As a result, there is no funding programme for which Creative Scotland supports the role of culture coordinator across the entire local authority network.

Question reference: S6W-15141

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14258 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 February 2023, how many visits ministers have made to state schools over the course of the current parliamentary session, and how many invitations to visit independent schools have been received by ministers over this period.

During this period Scottish ministers received 27 formal invitations to visit independent schools and at least two visits have taken place. Government officials have ongoing engagement with the Scottish Council of Independent Schools to discuss a range of issues that affect the sector.

In addition, Scottish ministers have made 48 visits to local authority schools to date this parliamentary session.

Question reference: S6W-15168

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether Creative Scotland plans to ask regularly funded organisations to rely on their organisational reserves for the financial year 2023-24, rather than on grant funding.

No. Creative Scotland’s board announced on 19 December 2022 its decision to maintain funding for the Regularly Funded Organisations at current levels for the 2023-24 financial year, using its accumulated reserves from National Lottery funding.

The Scottish Government’s announced on 21 February an uplift of £6.6 million in grant in aid for Creative Scotland so that Creative Scotland can use its lottery reserves for additional support for the sector.

Question reference: S6W-15187

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01165 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 July 2021, whether it will provide the complete figures for (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23.

Table 1 provides information on average gross revenue expenditure in Scotland per pre-school registration, and primary and secondary pupil along with information on allocations (accounting for teaching and tuition fees funding) per college and university place.

Table 1: Average expenditure per place for each education level in cash terms
Education level	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	2021-22	2022-23 8
Pre-School	£3,194	£3,102	£3,411	£3,957	£4,344	£4,561	£5,190	£6,916	£9,366	£10,435	-
Primary School	£4,899	£4,880	£4,819	£4,877	£4,980	£5,169	£5,444	£5,791	£6,130	£6,550	-
Secondary School	£6,629	£6,714	£6,795	£6,920	£7,046	£7,127	£7,454	£7,789	£7,906	£8,174	-
College	£4,012	£4,043	£4,029	£4,024	£4,092	£4,196	£4,539	£4,665	£4,878	£4,952	£5,054
University	£7,139	£7,175	£7,240	£7,237	£7,005	£7,013	£7,182	£7,187	£7,316	£7,433	£7,558

Table 2 provides the same information in 2022-23 prices. Real terms conversions are based on HM Treasury’s GDP Deflator series, January 2023.

Table 2: Average expenditure per place for each education level in real terms (2022-23 prices)
Education level	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	2021-22	2022-23 8
Pre-School	£3,983	£3,790	£4,121	£4,743	£5,103	£5,269	£5,891	£7,651	£9,750	£10,942	-
Primary School	£6,108	£5,961	£5,823	£5,846	£5,849	£5,972	£6,179	£6,406	£6,382	£6,869	-
Secondary School	£8,265	£8,201	£8,210	£8,295	£8,276	£8,234	£8,460	£8,617	£8,230	£8,572	-
College	£5,003	£4,939	£4,868	£4,824	£4,806	£4,848	£5,152	£5,161	£5,078	£5,193	£5,054
University	£8,902	£8,765	£8,747	£8,675	£8,228	£8,102	£8,152	£7,951	£7,616	£7,794	£7,558

Methodologies and key policy changes

The methodologies used to determine the average expenditure per place for each education level are provided in more detail below. This section will also explain the methodology and policy changes, and why some of the figures provided in this answer differ from those provided the last time this question (PQ S6W-01165) was answered in July 2021.

Pre-school: average gross revenue expenditure per child in pre-primary education is arrived at by taking the total gross revenue expenditure on pre-primary education, adjusted for inter-authority transfers, as reported by local authorities to the local financial return. These figures are then divided by the number of pupils in funded early learning and childcare as per the statistics reported in the early learning and childcare census.

The per child expenditure for early learning and childcare has risen over the period of these figures. This is due to the expansion in the number of funded hours of early learning and childcare which children are eligible for. The Children and Young People Act (Scotland) 2014 made 600 hours of funded ELC per year available for all 3 and 4 year olds, and extended the entitlement to eligible 2 year olds. This entitlement was expanded to 1140 hours per eligible child from August 2021. This recent expansion, from 600 hours to 1140, has contributed to the increasing expenditure per child from 2018-19 onwards.

Primary and Secondary school: 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 statistics reported in the pupil census.

Figures for 2019-20 are slightly different from those in the response to PQ S6W-01165 because of subsequent revisions to 2019-20 local government financial return data. The earlier figures provided here for pre-primary, primary and secondary education expenditure have been 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.

Colleges: 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 assumed tuition fee income and dividing this by the number of student places.

Universities: the cost of a University place, also provided by the SFC, is estimated by taking the total teaching grant awarded to Universities (excluding teaching grant associated with rUK students studying expensive strategically important subjects, who are not eligible for funding) and assumed tuition fee income associated with those places and dividing this by the total number of SFC funded places for Scottish and EU domiciled FTEs. Expenditure figures exclude funding for student support, and SFC’s research and strategic funds. Total FTE figures are SFC/SG funded places and do not include fees only and international places.

In answering an earlier similar PQ S6W-01165 on 28 July 2021, the methodology for Universities and Colleges excluded any external fees element, and for Universities only it included expensive strategically important subjects. However, SFC, who hold the data and provided estimates to Scottish Government, have advised the methodology should include a fees element for Universities and Colleges as fees are considered inherent to teaching provision, and expensive strategically important subjects should be removed for Universities as the additional funding for these courses are only for rest of the UK students who are not associated to funded places. Therefore, estimates will be different compared to those provided in the last version of this question.

Supplementary notes

1. Rest of the UK university 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 University gross teaching prices.

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

5. For 2020-21 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.

6. 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.

7. Assumed fees include income from SAAS, SDS, employers and students paying their own tuition fees for SFC funded programmes.

8. A “-“ symbol indicates no available data for this year.

Question reference: S6W-14988

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether Marine Scotland will have sufficient capacity to process applications for offshore windfarms through the ScotWind process.

Over the last 12 months Marine Scotland Directorate has recruited a significant number of new staff across Marine Scotland Licensing Operations Team, Marine Scotland Planning and Policy Division and the science function within Marine Scotland to address increased demands expected from processing ScotWind applications. Resources will be kept under review in light of the number of lease options awarded for ScotWind and applicants’ proposed timelines. In addition, the Marine Scotland Directorate has established a streamlining team to identify and implement efficiencies in consenting processes.

Question reference: S6W-14694

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to (a) improve access to data relevant to, (b) agree indicators to support data mapping for and (c) support the streamlining and standardisation of information currently collected for heart disease.

Question reference: S6W-14672

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has established nationally-agreed pathways of care for heart disease, and, if so, what (a) these include and (b) resources it provides to support their implementation.

Question reference: S6W-15459

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development and Minister with special responsibility for Refugees from Ukraine on 1 November 2022, whether it will provide an update on its plans to work with Palladium to deliver modular housing for Ukrainians moving from temporary accommodation in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The Scottish Government is working with Palladium to consider how modular housing could be used to provide longer-term sustainable housing. . The contract that the Scottish Government entered into with Palladium in August last year will end on 15 March 2023. The Scottish Government has competitively tendered for a successor contract to be put in place after the current contract ends. This will support the Scottish Government’s plans to pilot the use of short-term modular accommodation. However, the successor company will also work with the Scottish Government to continue to develop a proposal to deliver longer-term modular housing. Bids for the successor contract are currently being reviewed and a decision will be taken very shortly.

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