Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-21944

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to publish its National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy.

We published a Statement of Intent in September 2023 and this is currently being tested through wider engagement. This is a crucial step in gathering wider views on whether the draft vision and priorities are the right ones, ultimately for inclusion in the strategy.

Following this current engagement, the strategy will be drafted, and we aim to launch a formal public consultation in Spring 2024. We plan to publish a summary of all the responses to show what people have said, before publishing the final National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-21839

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-20561 by Graeme Dey on 21 August 2023, when it will publish its (a) delivery plan and (b) workforce action plan to support students' mental health.

Question reference: S6W-21830

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review guidance on home schooling, particularly in relation to placing a duty on home schoolers to notify local authorities.

The Scottish Government home education guidance sets out the legal position on home education and provides advice on the roles and responsibilities of local authorities and parents in relation to children who are home educated.

This guidance is currently in the process of being updated following consultation with local authorities, other public, community and voluntary sector bodies and home educators and their relevant representative bodies. The Scottish Government published the analysis of the consultation on 2 February 2023 and full consideration is currently being given to the issues raised in the consultation, including notifying local authorities of an intention to home educate. The analysis is available at: Home education guidance: consultation analysis - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The updated guidance will be brought forward in due course.

Question reference: S6W-21832

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with universities to understand the costs associated with transitioning to net zero.

The Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) regularly engage with universities on a wide range of issues, such as budgets and priorities for the future, including Net Zero.

Published in November 2022, SFC’s ‘Net Zero and Sustainability Framework for Action’ establishes a clear, long-term plan to support Scotland’s colleges and universities through the transition to Net Zero, reflecting improved corporate accountability and collective responsibility across the Further and Higher Education sector.

The plan sets out a clear timeline of actions which aim to embed net zero and sustainability across all aspects of the sector which you can find more information about here: Net Zero response (sfc.ac.uk)

Question reference: S6W-21833

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the costs associated with colleges transitioning to net zero.

The Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) engage regularly with colleges, which, are key anchors for the transition to Net Zero, acting as both community enablers and demonstration hubs in cities and regions.

Published in November 2022, SFC’s ‘Net Zero and Sustainability Framework for Action’ establishes a clear, long-term plan to support Scotland’s colleges and universities through the transition to Net Zero, reflecting improved corporate accountability and collective responsibility across the Further and Higher Education sector.

The plan sets out a clear timeline of actions which aim to embed net zero and sustainability across all aspects of the sector which you can find more information about here: https://www.sfc.ac.uk/net-zero/net-zero-reponse.aspx .

Question reference: S6W-21821

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to local authorities on offering temporary contracts to newly qualified teachers (NQTs).

The Scottish Government does not provide guidance to local authorities on offering temporary contracts to newly qualified teachers, as the recruitment and employment of teachers including recruitment practices are matters for individual councils.

All newly qualified teachers in Scotland must complete a period of probationary service to show that they meet the standards for full registration. Meeting this standard means that they can take on the demands and responsibilities of teaching.

Newly qualified teachers are not provided with 'temporary' contracts - they are provided with a probationary contract to ensure they complete the required training. This can be completed via the Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS) or via the Flexible Route and is financially supported by the Sottish Government.

We are supporting councils with an additional £145.5 million in this year’s budget to protect teacher numbers, which provides assurance of funding and removes this as a barrier to employing staff on permanent contracts.

Question reference: S6W-21813

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it plans to publish its new guidance on school uniforms.

Question reference: S6O-02675

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 October 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy, following its statement of intent on 28 September.

Question reference: S6W-21835

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many of its working groups are currently under the remit of its Education and Skills portfolio.

The following working groups sit under the remit of the Education and Skills portfolio:

National Response to Improving Mathematics in Scotland Short Life Working Group

National Response to Improving Literacy in Scotland Short Life Working Group

NIF Statutory Guidance Working group

National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy External Strategic Working Group

Scottish Government Cross-policy Working Group on Transitions

Improvement and Regulation Working Group

Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Working Group

Short Life Working Group on Data Sharing in Relation to Student Sexual Misconduct

Access Data Short-Life Working Group

Short Life Working Group on the Scope of the Accreditation and Regulation Function for the New Qualifications Body

Short Life Working Group on Economic and Social Opportunities for Gaelic

Question reference: S6W-21857

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 25 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of any recent discussions with key partners in the social care sector regarding (a) the introduction of a power for ministers to regulate secure transport, (b) the role of the Care Inspectorate in the registration, regulation and inspection of secure transport provision and (c) formal reporting and monitoring requirements for incidents that occur during secure transport journeys.

As outlined in my letter of 6 September secure transport is a complex and long-standing issue. Initial discussions have taken place with key partners to consider the registration, regulation and inspection of secure transport provision, most recently on 2 October. Those discussions are on-going and I hope to be able to update Parliament further during the forthcoming stages of consideration of the Children (Care and Justice) Bill.

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