Questions and answers

Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for ��˿�� to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-35740

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 26 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the support provided to parents receiving cancer treatment.

We take a comprehensive approach to reviewing support provided to people receiving cancer treatment, which includes those who are parents. We published our and initial three year along with a in 2023. Our aim is that every person with cancer will have access to the support they need, clinical and non-clinical, reflecting what matters to them.

We are also committed to reviewing patients’ experiences through the Scottish Cancer Experience Survey, Care Opinion and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measures Programme.

Question reference: S6W-35735

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 25 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on anti-smoking campaigns in schools in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Currently children and young people learn about a variety of substances including alcohol, medicines, drugs, tobacco and solvents in the school curriculum. They explore the impact risk taking behaviour has on life choices and health.

Paid for marketing channels are not used within the school setting. There is no recorded spend for Scottish Government marketing for anti-smoking campaigns within schools during this time frame.

ASSIST was a licensed, peer-led, school-based smoking prevention programme that encouraged the dissemination of non-smoking norms. The ASSIST pilot ran between 2014-2015 and 2016-2017.

Financial Year	Spend
2014-2015	£216,599
2015-2016	£65,000
2016-2017	£65,958

Funding was provided to Health Boards to pilot the programme in Glasgow city, across Lothian and Tayside Boards. It is not possible to provide Local Authority funding breakdown.

Question reference: S6W-35540

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many teachers have left the profession within five years of qualifying, in each year since 2004.

Question reference: S6W-35541

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many teachers have reported experiencing burnout or excessive workload in each of the last six years.

Question reference: S6W-35535

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils have been suspended from (a) primary and (b) secondary school due to (i) verbal abuse directed at and (ii) a physical assault on a teacher in each year since 2004.

The number of pupils that have been suspended for verbal abuse of staff or physical assault against staff in primary and secondary schools from 2005-06 is set out below.

Table 1. Cases of exclusion in primary schools due to (i) verbal abuse directed at and (ii) a physical assault against staff since 2005-06.

Year	Verbal abuse of staff	Physical assault against staff
2005-06	1,791	Not available
2006-07	2,006	Not available
2007-08	1,787	881
2008-09	1,633	901
2009-10	1,419	889
2010-11	1,368	874
2012-13	1,298	961
2014-15	1,341	1,279
2016-17	1,563	1,518
2018-19	1,260	1,261
2020-21	583	533
2022-23	739	856

Table 2. Cases of exclusion in secondary schools due to (i) verbal abuse directed at and (ii) a physical assault against staff since 2005-06.

Year	Verbal abuse of staff	Physical assault against staff
2005-06	8,472	Not available
2006-07	9,123	Not available
2007-08	8,202	517
2008-09	6,870	382
2009-10	6,161	380
2010-11	5,379	315
2012-13	4,433	320
2014-15	4,122	263
2016-17	3,648	297
2018-19	3,228	344
2020-21	1,633	185
2022-23	2,511	381

These statistics include temporary exclusions only. These statistics relate to cases of exclusion so due to pupils being excluded multiple times, some pupils may be double-counted. Where more than one reason in a single case of exclusion is given, those reasons are counted under each relevant category.

Before 2008, data on acts or threats of violence did not distinguish between incidents involving pupils and those involving staff. As a result, exclusion data for physical assaults against staff is unavailable prior to 2008.

The Scottish Government does not hold exclusion data from before 2005-06.

Since 2010-11, the Scottish Government has collected exclusion data biennially, meaning data is only available for odd-numbered years. Data will next be collected and published for the 2024-25 academic year.

Question reference: S6W-35538

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many external tutors have been employed in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year since 2004, also broken down by what the associated costs were each year.

Question reference: S6W-35539

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many times police have been called to incidents at (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year since 2004.

Question reference: S6O-04491

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when ministers last met with the City of Edinburgh Council to discuss the reported financial pressures facing the capital.

Question reference: S6W-35450

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to open the Fairer Funding Fund, following the closure of the recent pilot.

The Scottish Government news provides details of the announcement on 5 February 2025 of the new Fairer Funding multi-year funding pilot. It will give organisations the ability to plan for the future and make the most of their resources. The Pilot’s focus on grants connected to tackling child poverty and the delivery of frontline services to our communities will maximise the impact of longer term funding.

Officials are working with third sector partners to identify lessons and to evaluate the effectiveness of the Pilot in meeting their needs, as well as demonstrating value for taxpayers’ money.

In his address to third sector organisations at The Gathering, the First Minister stated that this was a small step, but one that signalled a clear direction of travel to increasing the number of multi-year funding agreements across the third sector.

The Pilot, which has been welcomed by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, is part of a wider package of policy measures under the Fairer Funding heading, which also includes improvements to the grant making process, more timely notifications of grant offers, streamlining reporting requirements and improving grant conditions.

Question reference: S6W-35537

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on restoring (a) primary and (b) secondary schools as a result of damage caused by deliberate fires in each year since 2004.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information because the statutory responsibility for managing and maintaining the school estate rests with local authorities.

However, through the £2bn Learning Estate Investment Programme, the Scottish Government will provide local authorities with substantial funding support to modernise their school estate, and also includes replacements for schools which were significantly damaged by deliberate fires. For example, we will provide funding support of £25.8m for a replacement Peebles High School in the Scottish Borders, and £40.2m for the new Greenfield Academy in Dundee which will replace Braeview Academy and Craigie High School.