Seòmar agus comataidhean

Local authorities employ education staff and must ensure their schools have policies in place that determine clearly what action should be taken to address challenging behaviour and protect their staff in the workplace. This includes having processes in place to record violent and abusive incidents towards staff including teachers.

Data on school violence and staff assaults is collected at local authority level, where it is primarily used to monitor trends and ensure appropriate support is available for staff and young people. This remains appropriate and we have no plans to collect and publish this data on a quarterly basis.

I have made clear to Parliament on several occasions, including in my statement to Parliament on 29 November 2023, my position on the need for more accurate recording of all incidents of inappropriate, abusive or violent behaviour in our schools, and I continue to encourage all schools to do that. To support schools and education authorities, as part of the Relationships and Behaviour in Schools Action Plan 2024-27, over the coming year we will undertake work to review processes for recording incidents, with a view to streamlining and improving consistency. We will also commission the next wave of the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research, with fieldwork expected in early 2026.

Exclusion statistics are currently reported biennially. The next data will be published in December 2025 covering 2024-2025. There are currently no plans to change the frequency of this publication.

The Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM) requires that all land or property not needed are declared as surplus and should be disposed of as quickly as possible. The SPFM sets out a number of ways disposals can achieve best value for money and wider public benefit.

As recent examples, Scottish Government officials discussed Knocknagael Farm, Inverness with Highland Council. As part of the local development plan, some land at the farm was zoned for housing which was sold to Knocknagael Ltd via community asset transfer.

Dumfries and Galloway Council is updating its local development plan and have issued a call for sites. Scottish Government officials submitted an application in March 2025 and have suggested that land at Crichton Farm, Dumfries could be zoned for residential development or economic development.

NHS Boards are responsible for the management of their administrative assets and for identifying restructuring requirements. Any such costs would be met from Boards’ delegated budgets.

The Scottish Government is committed to the sustainability of frontline GP services and has increased the budget for General Medical Services by more than £227 million since 2020-21.

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/.

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.

Scottish Government do not hold information on all public sector leases centrally. The following table shows the top 10 most expensive leases held by Scottish Government. This is made up of the costs of rent and service charges.

The NHS Recovery Plan 2021-2026 was published in August 2021 with a commitment to provide annual reports on progress through the delivery outcomes set out in the plan. These reports are published online and can be found at:

NHS Recovery Plan: annual progress update 2022 – https://www.gov.scot/publications/nhs-recovery-plan-annual-progress-update/

NHS recovery plan: progress report 2023 – https://www.gov.scot/publications/nhs-recovery-plan-progress-report-2023/

NHS Recovery Plan 2021-2026: annual progress update report 2024 – https://www.gov.scot/publications/nhs-recovery-plan-2021-2026-annual-progress-update-report-2024/

In line with previous years, an further annual progress report for 2025 will be published by the end of this year.

With respect to the use of e-consultations and telephone triage, while the Scottish Government sets the strategic direction, it is for Health Boards to plan their services based on local need. What is most important is appointments are agreed through shared decision making, balancing patient choice and clinical judgement. We continue to engage with stakeholders in support of service delivery.

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.

The Scottish Government has not received any requests from local authorities for funding for teacher self-defence training in each of the last five years.