Seòmar agus comataidhean

Under the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977, a registrar cannot issue a Marriage Schedule to permit a marriage to proceed within 28 days of the receipt of a couple’s marriage notices unless the registrar has been authorised to do so by the Registrar General for Scotland after a request by one or both of the parties.

The minimum period following submission of a couple’s marriage notices allows the registrar to carry out the necessary checks on whether there is any legal impediment to the marriage.

The minimum period was increased from 14 days to 28 days by the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014.

In exceptional circumstances, for example where a party is terminally ill, or is being immediately deployed overseas with the armed forces, the Registrar General will exercise their discretion and permit a marriage to take place if less notice is given.

The Scottish Government has no plans to review these arrangements.

The Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (SIETF) has offered: £3.1 million during 2021; £6.8 million during 2022; and £7.5 million across 2023 and 2024 combined.

Many projects are implemented in the subsequent year, or years. Therefore, the funding spent per financial year (FY) has been: £2 million in FY 2022-23; £5 million in FY 2023-24; and a forecast of £9 million in FY 2024-25.

This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I have asked their Chief Executive, Adrian Gillespie, to contact you directly with a response.

The information requested is not held centrally. This request should be directed to Skills Development Scotland.

This is an operational matter for Skills Development Scotland. I have asked the Chief Executive of SDS, Damien Yeates to write to you outlining these costs.

This is an operational matter for Skills Development Scotland. I have asked the Chief Executive of SDS, Damien Yeates to write to you outlining these costs.

Since the Scottish Digital Academy was established in 2018, there have been 206 registrations from the third sector.

2018 (0)

2019 (10)

2020 (12)

2021 (8)

2022 (63)

2023 (54)

2024 to October end (59)

Since the Scottish Digital Academy was established in 2018, there have been 1,348 employee registrations from Scottish public bodies. This includes recognised Advisory and Executive Non Department Public Bodies.

Broken down by year:

2018 (51)

2019 (39)

2020 (33)

2021 (56)

2022 (238)

2023 (483)

2024 to October end (448)

Number of registrations by public body:

Accounts Commission for Scotland (1)

Bord na Gaidhlig (1)

Cairngorms National Park Authority (4)

Care Inspectorate (40)

Children’s Hearings Scotland (19)

Community Justice Scotland (20)

Creative Scotland (14)

Crofting Commission (22)

Highlands and Islands Airports (4)

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (10)

Historic Environment Scotland (37)

Independent Living Fund Scotland (2)

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority (33)

National Library of Scotland (52)

National Museums of Scotland (4)

NatureScot (93)

Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (2)

Public Defence Solicitors Office (1)

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (12)

Scotrail (6)

Scottish Agricultural Wages Board (1)

Scottish Childrens Reporter Administration (44)

Scottish Enterprise (146)

Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (317)

Scottish Funding Council (48)

Scottish Land Commission (2)

Scottish Legal Aid Board (70)

Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (16)

Scottish Natural Heritage (33)

Scottish Qualifications Authority (146)

Scottish Social Services Council (53)

Skills Development Scotland (71)

Sports Scotland (8)

Visit Scotland (11)

Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland (3)

Scottish Commission for Social Security (2)

Since the Scottish Digital Academy was established in 2018, the total number of employees completing courses is 9,452 which is 49 per cent of the total number of course registrations (19,209).

2018 (162)

2019 (400)

2020 (477)

2021 (771)

2022 (1712)

2023 (3307)

2024 to October end (2623)

Figures include core Scottish Government employees and Scottish Government Executive Agency employees.

In 2023-24, total Scottish Government funding for Connecting Scotland and Ethical Digital Nation combined was £1.3 million. This was allocated as follows:

• Grant funding to the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) to develop digital training, continue support for existing clients and deliver existing projects. This funding covers support for a wide range of digital inclusion initiatives including:
  • ‘Digital Champion’ training, delivered through Mhor Collective, which equips individuals to support others in engaging safely and meaningfully online, building digital confidence within communities;
  • Offboarding support for existing Connecting Scotland users, including temporary extension of connectivity with further support for users to transition to other means of connectivity;
  • Supporting the delivery of three digital inclusion programmes - lending libraries, social housing, and place-based initiatives - helping more people to get online through access to devices, connectivity, and technical support, and providing public and third-sector organisations and their staff with support in digital inclusion provision;
• £100,000 for the Digital Participation Charter Fund to promote and recognise digital inclusion amongst organisations. Some of the projects funded include:
  • Budding Engineers (£10,000 award) to provide access to digital skills and teaching for people with additional support needs in several areas of Scotland;
  • Deaf Action (£10,000 award) to provide digital and employability support for people experiencing hearing loss across Scotland;
  • Milan Senior Welfare Organisation (£9,850 award) to provide basic digital skills and digital support for older people and their carers from the South Asian community in East Lothian and Edinburgh;
• Programme incidentals (e.g. software licences, training, stakeholder engagement, advertising and marketing);
• Staffing costs to support the ongoing management of both programmes