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Statistics on more able pupil as a reason for support are published in the pupil census supplementary statistics. This is available on the Scottish government website here .

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, including more able pupils.

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: .

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.

The Scottish Government routinely analyses data related to the labour market. The link between waiting times and the economy is most frequently viewed through economic inactivity due to ill-health. A 2024 Scottish Parliament Information Centre briefing, for example, examined Annual Population Survey responses alongside Accident and Emergency (A&E) performance in Scotland. They found that the correlation between A&E performance and economic inactivity due to ill health was very low but statistically significant. Similarly, the Office for Budget Responsibility in 2023 found that “the rising NHS waiting list itself is unlikely to have been a significant driver of rising inactivity due to long-term sickness in recent years”.

We are looking closely at how our health system can better support people to stay healthy in work and move back in to work, alongside actions which can be taken by government, employers and individuals.

The Programme for Government sets out action we will take in health to address the challenges faced by those who are economically inactive, and to support those at risk of becoming economically inactive. This includes:

• Creating a single point of access through Healthy Working Lives for employers and workers to access advice and support, with ongoing improvements to the site’s accessibility and navigation.
• Free NHS case management support, available through Working Health Services Scotland, is available to employees and employers, focusing on small to medium size businesses. As of January 2025, within existing budget, we have been able to expand this service to 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday with early indications showing healthy demand for these extended hours (between 80-90% of appt slots filled).
• Continued support for the Healthy Working Lives’ online platform to help employers build mentally healthy workplaces, and delivery of the Mentally Healthy Workplaces network for employers.

We are also developing a new heath and work action plan, with engagement currently taking place cross-government.

Ministers approved recommendations in July 2024 to maximise the effect of existing service provision across fair work and employability, health and local service delivery to reduce the risk of people leaving the labour market due to ill health.

Our , examines the evidence on supporting those with longer-term conditions and disabilities to remain in work. Its focus is on the upstream prevention of economic inactivity to ensure the protective factors for health that good work provides.

The action plan, due for Summer 2025, will reflect both the priorities of the Programme for Government and the longer-term system changes noted in the forthcoming Population Health Framework and will focus on enabling those wanting to work to enter, thrive and remain in the workforce and to tackle Scotland’s increasing rates of economic inactivity due to ill health.

Recognising reserved powers and our own levers within the Scottish Government, the plan will bring together health, mental health, employability services, social security, business representative organisations, the UK government and other organisations established in the delivery of healthy, safe and fair work.

Information on teacher vacancies is not held centrally.

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 –

NHS recovery plan: progress report 2023 –

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: .

I have asked Alison Byrne, Chief Executive of NRS to respond. Her response is the National Population Projections (NPPs) for Scotland are produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on behalf of National Records of Scotland (NRS). They are based on assumptions about future levels of fertility, mortality and migration. The latest set are 2022-based and were published on 28 January. Projections are typically produced every 2 years.

The assumptions are developed by analysing trends in past and current data and taking into account advice from NPP Expert Advisory Panels, devolved administrations and, in the case of mortality assumptions, the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD).

The ONS produce a principal projection and a number of variant projections based on alternative assumptions. The information referred to below relates to the principal projection. Equivalent information for variant projections is also available from the .

The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is the average number of children that a group of women would expect to have if they experienced the observed age specific fertility rates in each of their childbearing years. Projected total fertility rates (TFR) can be found in Table 1 of the . Between 2025 and 2075 these are projected to vary between 1.26 and 1.29. This compares to a TFR of 1.30 in 2023.

The same table also provides figures for Expectation of Life at Birth (EOLB) which are based on assumed projected mortality rates. EOLB is projected to rise to 83.3 years for males and 86.6 years for females by 2075. The more detailed information on the projected mortality rates on which these are based can be found in the mortality assumptions sheet within the .

Projected mortality rates are based on an assumed long-term rate of annual mortality improvement in 2047 of 1.1% for ages 0 to 90 years. Mortality rates are assumed to converge to this long-term level of improvement over the first 25 years of the projection.

Latin can be taught in both primary and secondary state schools as part of the Scottish Government’s 1+2 approach to language learning. It is also offered as a National Qualification from National 3 to Advanced Higher level.

Education Scotland work closely with partners to develop resources to support the teaching of Latin and other classical subjects in schools.