The Local Government finance funding formula provides a complex but objective assessment of need and uses the most up to date information for the full range of indicators, including factors such as rurality, population, road length and deprivation. Rurality is accounted for within the Local Government finance settlement, both in relation to Early Learning and Childcare and school funding. In Early Learning and Childcare this relates to support being distributed in relation to the number of pupils living in rural areas.

The vast majority of funding allocated to councils is provided by means of a block grant. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including on Education, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

The annual Funding of Local Government publication provides an overview of the process of funding council in Scotland, while the Local Government Allocation Statistics (Green Book) publication sets out in more detail the date, methodology and calculations underlying the distribution of the funding between councils. https://www.gov.scot/collections/local-government-finance-statistics/#thefundingoflocalgovernmentinscotland.

The Scottish Government does not collate data on the number of people who have cited ADHD as part of their defence.

Having ADHD would not amount to a defence in law to a criminal charge, though it might be something a defence solicitor presents in mitigation on behalf of a client with ADHD.

The information held on the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Services (SCTS) live operational case management systems is structured to support the processing of court business, rather than for statistical reporting or research purposes. SCTS and their staff provide administrative support to the Scottish courts, tribunals and their judiciary and rely on information provided by justice partners to consider any adjustment that may be required to facilitate a court hearing.

The Scottish Government welcomes the work done by Carers Scotland and IPPR Scotland on a Minimum Income Guarantee pilot for unpaid carers.

We recognise the importance of unpaid care, which is why we made a Programme for Government commitment to work with the independent Minimum Income Guarantee Expert Group to model a Minimum Income Guarantee for unpaid carers.

The Scottish Government will carefully consider how this and wider work on a Minimum Income Guarantee for unpaid carers is incorporated into the independent Expert Group’s report and recommendations that we expect to see shortly.

It is essential as we move towards the establishment of Qualifications Scotland that the education system and wider public have confidence and trust in the qualifications body in Scotland.

Operational responsibility for the qualifications, such as the marking of assignments and associated quality assurance processes, is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). The Scottish Government has received reassurance that no young people will be disadvantaged by the sharing of annotated assignment materials. It is also important to reassure learners that materials did not relate to exams in any way and were shared after learners’ assignments had been submitted. SQA has advised that it is taking actions forward to enhance and strengthen their quality assurance measures for markers for National 5 History and ensure that the integrity and standards of their qualifications are being maintained.

The governance model for the new qualifications body will ensure the knowledge and experience of learners, teachers and practitioners are central to decisions taken in relation to qualifications and assessment matters, driving greater transparency and accountability.

Scotland does not have a mandatory curriculum. Instead, Curriculum for Excellence is a flexible framework for teachers to determine what they wish to teach and how, including providing learning and teaching about the Holocaust.

The Curriculum Improvement Cycle will begin the review of Social Studies this academic year, where all aspects of the social studies curriculum will be reviewed. Practitioners will play a central role in this process.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-37115 on 6 May 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.

The Scottish Government has been working with CoSLA to look at options for removing non residential care charging. Given pressures being faced across the system, this has focussed on financial analysis but has also included modelling on potential increases in the number of people accessing social care should charges be removed.

The Scottish Government recognises that some people have had to wait longer than they should for audiology services, and this is not acceptable. Sustained pressure is being experienced across the system, and we are taking action to support service recovery and improvement.

Audiology is considered a clinical priority area within the NHS in Scotland and improvement work is being progressed through the National Planning and Delivery Board under leadership from the Chief Operating Officer, NHS Scotland.

As part of this work, all NHS Boards have been asked to include audiology in their Annual Delivery Plans from 2025-26 onwards. We are also supporting Health Boards to undertake baseline assessments for Improving Quality in Physiological Services (IQIPS) accreditation, which will help drive improvements in service availability, quality, and waiting times.

The Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring that audiology services are safe, effective, and accessible for all those who need them.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.

The Scottish Government’s decision-making for the flu vaccination programme continues to be guided by the expert clinical advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI currently advises flu vaccination for those aged 65 and over, as well as at-risk groups. As such, we are not considering expanding the flu programme to the healthy 50-64 year old age group for winter 2025.

Scotland expanded its flu programme to those aged 55 and over in 2021, and then those aged 50 and over in 2022 and 2023, as part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to reduce pressure on the NHS in unprecedented times.

In winter 2024, as we moved beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, we reverted to the standard JCVI-advised groups, and healthy individuals aged 50-64 were no longer included. Those aged 50-64 who have certain underlying medical conditions remain eligible by virtue of their clinical risk status.