- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is issued to teachers regarding the identification and development of high-ability pupils, and when any such guidance was last updated.
Answer
Highly able learners are entitled to support under the Additional Support for Learning (Scotland) Act 2004.
Local authorities oversee the delivery of education and have a statutory duty to identify, provide for, and to review the support that they provide for pupils with additional support needs. This includes highly able children and young people.
There is existing guidance in the Additional Support for learning Statutory Guidance: Additional support for learning: statutory guidance 2017 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).We have committed to refreshing this during this Parliamentary term and have been working collaboratively with a range of education partners and policy areas to ensure it continues to fully support schools and local authorities to fulfil their duties under the ASL Act.
Education Scotland provide guidance for teachers of learners who are working, or who are capable of working, significantly ahead of their peers. This guidance was last updated on 28 June 2024 and is available here: A summary of resources relating to highly able learners | Resources | Education Scotland.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what recent data it has on what proportion of people who register with an employment agency, on average, are in sustained employment six months after a placement.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not collect or hold statistics specifically on sustained employment for people who register with an employment agency.
The Scottish Government collects and publishes statistics related to Scottish Government funded employability support, No One Left Behind and Fair Start Scotland, including data on sustained employment by participants.
The most recent statistics for Scottish Government funded employability support are available at: Scotland's Devolved Employment Services statistics - gov.scot.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what immediate action it is taking to identify and close any legal loopholes that leave domestic abuse victims without safe accommodation following court proceedings.
Answer
The Scottish Ministers keep the law that sits within the powers of the Scottish Parliament under review to ensure it is fit for purpose.
The Scottish Law Commission’s aspects of family law project is focusing on a review of the civil remedies available for domestic abuse as part of the 11th Programme of Law Reform. We will consider the outcomes of this work when the Commission’s report is published.
In terms of safe accommodation, local authorities have the legal duty to provide advice and assistance to people who are at risk of homelessness or experiencing homelessness. This includes providing temporary accommodation in the short term if someone has nowhere safe to stay, and permanent accommodation if someone is found unintentionally homeless. Therefore, anyone at risk of homelessness following court proceedings should contact their local authority. They are best placed to provide advice on the housing options available and what further support they can offer.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many new public sector bodies have been established since 2013, and what their core functions are.
Answer
There have been 35 public bodies established since 2013 which are included below. Further information on their core functions is publicly available on the National Public Bodies Directory: https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-public-bodies-directory/.
Children’s Hearing Scotland | Community Justice Scotland |
Consumer Scotland | Convener of the School Closure Review Panel |
Crown Estate Scotland | Environmental Standards Scotland |
Ferguson Marine | First-tier Tribunal for Scotland |
Food Standards Scotland | Forestry and Land Scotland |
Glasgow Prestwick Airport | Historic Environment Scotland |
Independent Living Fund Scot | National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board |
Patient Safety Commissioner | Police Negotiating Board Scotland |
Poverty and Inequality Commission | Public Health Scotland |
Redress Scotland | Revenue Scotland |
Scottish Biometrics Commissioner | Scottish Commission on Social Security |
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service | Scottish Fiscal Commission |
Scottish Forestry | Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel |
Scottish Land Commission | Scottish National Investment Bank |
Scottish Police Authority | Scottish Rail Holdings Ltd |
Social Security Scotland | South of Scotland Enterprise |
Upper Tribunal for Scotland | Zero Waste Scotland |
In 2013 there were a total of 144 Public bodies which has now been reduced over time to 131 as a result of merger, abolishment, or reclassification, including 34 being replaced by a new body, these are outlined below.
Children’s Hearings Scotland: replaced (32) Children’s Panels
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland: merged with Historic Scotland (1)
Scottish Police Services Authority: ceased to exist on 31 March 2013 and subsumed into the new single Police Service of Scotland under the terms of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 (1).
There have been 35 public bodies established since 2013 which are included in the following table. Further information on their core functions is publicly available on the National Public Bodies Directory:
https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-public-bodies-directory/
Children’s Hearing Scotland | Community Justice Scotland |
Consumer Scotland | Convener of the School Closure Review Panel |
Crown Estate Scotland | Environmental Standards Scotland |
Ferguson Marine | First-tier Tribunal for Scotland |
Food Standards Scotland | Forestry and Land Scotland |
Glasgow Prestwick Airport | Historic Environment Scotland |
Independent Living Fund Scot | National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board |
Patient Safety Commissioner | Police Negotiating Board Scotland |
Poverty and Inequality Commission | Public Health Scotland |
Redress Scotland | Revenue Scotland |
Scottish Biometrics Commissioner | Scottish Commission on Social Security |
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service | Scottish Fiscal Commission |
Scottish Forestry | Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel |
Scottish Land Commission | Scottish National Investment Bank |
Scottish Police Authority | Scottish Rail Holdings Ltd |
Social Security Scotland | South of Scotland Enterprise |
Upper Tribunal for Scotland | Zero Waste Scotland |
In 2013 there were a total of 144 Public bodies which has now been reduced over time to 131 as a result of merger, abolishment, or reclassification, including 34 being replaced by a new body, these are outlined below.
Children’s Hearings Scotland replaced (32) Children’s Panels
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland: merged with Historic Scotland (1)
Scottish Police Services Authority: ceased to exist on 31 March 2013 and subsumed into the new single Police Service of Scotland under the terms of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 (1).
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of housing stock it expects to be retrofitted with low-carbon heating systems by 2030, under its revised proposals.
Answer
On 3 April I announced the intention to bring forward a revised Heat in Buildings Bill to set a new target for decarbonising heating systems by 2045 alongside continuing work to reduce fuel poverty.
Further information will be published when the Bill is introduced to Parliament.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the teacher vacancy rate has been in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) local authority area, (b)(i) primary, (ii) secondary and (iii) special schools and (c) subject for secondary education.
Answer
Information on teacher vacancies is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 17 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the report in The Scotsman on 29 March 2025, SNP ministers examine measures to help Scots have more children amid "fertility gap", what its position is on whether the adoption of Nordic-style family policies would have a measurable impact on Scotland’s birth rate.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36274 on 17 April 2025. 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.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 17 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the report in The Scotsman on 29 March 2025, SNP ministers examine measures to help Scots have more children amid "fertility gap", how much it would cost to implement Nordic-style family policies, and how these would be funded.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36274 on 17 April 2025. 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.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 17 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS hospital sites have been reported for vermin infestations in each of the last five years, and what action was taken.
Answer
Vermin infestation in hospital sites is a matter for local NHS Boards to deal with. The Scottish Government is not aware of any hospital site in Scotland being reported to a regulatory or statutory body for vermin infestation within the last five years.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 17 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with legal experts regarding any (a) constitutional and (b) ethical implications of the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.
Answer
Scottish Government decisions are informed by appropriate analysis of any legal considerations. All legal advice is confidential. It is a long-established convention that legal advice provided to the Scottish Government is not disclosed, and that the Scottish Government does not disclose the source of legal advice other than in the most exceptional circumstances.
The Scottish Government set out its position on the constitutional implications of the Bill, as well as that, given the strong feelings and deeply felt views on this matter, Scottish Ministers would be given a free vote at Stage 1, in a Memorandum to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee on 30 September 2024. This can be accessed at: Assisted Dying Bill for Terminally Ill Adults SG Memorandum (parliament.scot)
