Seòmar agus comataidhean

I made a statement to Parliament on 15 December 2021 setting out the reasons behind the Scottish Government’s intervention regarding the 2016 transaction involving Dalzell and Clydebridge.

This statement is available on the Scottish Government website.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/update-dalzell-historical-industrial-transaction-ministerial-statement/

The Scottish Government cannot unilaterally ban mobile phones in schools. The statutory responsibility for the delivery of Education in Scotland rests with Local Authorities, under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980.

In August 2024 we published updated guidance on use of mobile phones in schools, which was developed in consultation with the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools. The guidance makes clear that headteachers can take the steps that they consider appropriate to respond to the disruption caused by mobile phones, including banning their use in schools. A number of schools and Local Authorities have now enacted such approaches as a result and they will continue to have the full support of the Scottish Government in so doing.

The Scottish Government’s guidance on the use of mobile phones in schools, published in August 2024, sets out the features of a respectful and responsible use of mobile technology policy, including consideration of digital etiquette (standards of conduct when using mobile phones), digital rights and responsibilities (what individuals can and cannot do), and safe and secure use of mobile technology (precautions that can be taken to ensure digital safety).

The guidance supports schools and local authorities to develop an ethos of citizenship that promotes respectful and responsible use of mobile technology, encouraging positive use to enhance learning now and in the future, while protecting staff, children, and young people from potential misuse and harm.

The guidance is clear that high expectations for respectful and responsible conduct are to remain consistent, regardless of the context, and in line with this, policies on mobile technology use in schools should be rooted within existing positive relationships and behaviour policies. Any breach of expectations in relation to mobile technology should therefore be treated in accordance with a school’s relationships and behaviour policy. The guidance outlines consideration within a mobile phone policy should include agreed consequences for the misuse of mobile phones that are integrated with each school’s existing policies and approaches and clear procedures for removal and return of mobile phones, in the circumstances of inappropriate use, in alignment with the wider relationships and behaviour policy.

We expect schools and local authorities to have appropriate measures in place on devices provided by the school and on school networks.

Finally, schools must help pupils develop an understanding of safe use of digital technologies and privacy.

We remain committed to implementing a high quality and clinically safe thrombectomy service that is available across Scotland whenever people need it and Scottish Government officials and NHS planners are working at pace on developing a plan for the next steps for service expansion.

We have provided funding for thrombectomy nurse posts in spoke sites with high rates of ischaemic stroke and this will support maximising access to thrombectomy across Scotland.

We are also funding the procurement of an artificial intelligence imaging tool to help delivery of the service by improving detection of patients with strokes suitable for thrombectomy by supporting stroke clinicians and radiologists to detect patients with large vessel occlusion.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government currently employs four civil servants in its AI Policy Team, with plans to increase this number in the coming weeks. However, this Team does not represent the full range of staff who currently work on, or have an interest in AI. This complement extends across the Scottish Government and its agencies to other publicly funded organisations and beyond. That is why the Scottish Government has committed to launching AI Scotland, a new national transformation programme founded on a partnership of business, academia, agencies and government, to operate as a focus for our collective effort to harness the full potential of AI to drive sustainable economic growth.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

HMP Glasgow’s design is built on lessons learned from previous builds and other jurisdictions. The design utilises a formation of smaller household units. This structure support safety and provides flexibility to contract or expand in line with operational and regime requirements.

The 5 residential houseblocks will have 20 cells within each of the 3 spurs. Each spur will have 18 single cells of 9.44 m² and 2 double cells of 13.60 m².

The Scottish Government has not had any recent discussions with airport operators in relation to drop-off fees for blue badge holders.

Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Prestwick, and Inverness Airports already offer free access to allow drop-off and pick-up for Blue Badge holders. Further information is available on the relevant operator websites.

In 2016, Scottish Government legislation came into force that increased the maximum sentence for weapons possession from four years to five years. The average length of custodial sentence for weapons possession in 2022-23 was 332 days; this compares with 218 days in 2007-08 and represents an increase of 52%.

The prosecution of knife crime is an independent operational matter for COPFS.

The Scottish Government routinely analyses labour market data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The latest ONS Annual Population Survey (APS) statistics for April 2024 – March 2025 show that the estimated economic inactivity rate for people aged 16 to 64 in Scotland was 23.4% compared to 21.6% for the UK. They also show 34.6% of inactive people aged 16 to 64 in Scotland gave their reason for being inactive as “long-term sick or disabled”, compared to 28.4% for the UK.

Reducing economic inactivity can have economic benefits. Scottish Government analysis published in October 2024 indicated that even a relatively small increase of 0.25 percentage points in the economic activity rate could boost GDP in the long-term by around 0.1%, or around £180 million each year (in 2024-25 prices). This analysis is available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-economic-insights-october-2024/