Meghan Gallacher

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the recommendations of the March 2026 report, Additional Support for Learning: A Review of System Delivery for Learners, (the McManus Review) will be fully implemented.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The McManus review of additional support for learning published in March, set out six high level and far reaching recommendations to address the evolving ASN systems challenge. The first step in implementing the recommendations will be the publication of a ti…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the resource requirements and annual investment required to fulfil the commitments of The Promise by 2030.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Since 2020, the Scottish Government has made a sustained and significant financial commitment to keeping The Promise, with investment delivered annually through the Children and Families Directorate and across wider portfolios.Keeping the Promise is not funde…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what indicators it will use to assess the success of its public health approach to smartphone use among children and young people.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: We are adopting a public health approach to online harm as an overarching approach to protecting children and young people from the risk of a spectrum of harm linked to the online world.We understand the spectrum of harm can range from, among others, loss of …

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the review of the College Sector of the Future Programme will (a) commence and (b) be published.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-44232 on 12 March 2026, work on the Colleges Sector of the Future workstream is underway and will continue over the coming months. The workstream consists of three interconnected pillars: development of the evi…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when every school will have access to behaviour specialist teachers.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Scottish Ministers are committed to improving the educational experiences of children and young people with additional support needs and recognise the important role all staff play in supporting those who are most vulnerable.The 2026-27 budget set out an addi…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to provide all Primary 1 pupils attending a local primary school with a welcome to school bag, what timetable it has established for the procurement, distribution and delivery of the bags.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government has committed to begin procurement for the ‘Welcome to School bag’ within the first 100 days by working with children and families to shape the best items for the start of school. Scottish Government Officials have begun en…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when childcare support for children from nine-months old will be rolled out.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government has committed to expanding childcare support to children from nine months through to the end of primary school over the course of this Parliament. As this work progresses, we will set out a detailed programme to enable Parliament and t…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding will be allocated annually to the Apprenticeship Accelerator Grant.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: Funding for the Apprenticeship Accelerator Grant will be considered as part of preparation for the Scottish Budget 2027-28. Funding for subsequent years will be a matter for future budgets.

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the single national skills plan will be published.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Scottish Government is taking forward the commitment for a national skills plan aligned to economic need. We are working with partners in developing the plan and will update parliament in the autumn.

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils will receive support from the expanded tutoring programme by the end of the curremt parliamentary session.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: During the previous parliamentary session, funding was provided for academic year 2025-26 whereby 475 pupils across a number of schools and Local Authorities received support from the tutoring pilot. The tutoring programme aims to support individuals from dep…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to legislate to ensure that there is a national mobile phone ban in all of Scotland’s classrooms, what support will be made available to schools to implement phone-free learning environments.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00956 on 24 June 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the expansion of tutoring support pilots with Queen Margaret University and the University of Glasgow will be completed.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Scottish Government provided funding to Queen Margaret University and the University of Glasgow to extend tutoring provision to more pupils and schools in early 2026. Project staff will produce an end-of-project evaluation and impact report post-August 20…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to maintain pupil teacher-ratios over the course of the current parliamentary session.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The 2026-27 Budget continues to provide local authorities with an additional £186.5 million to protect teacher numbers. We will work in partnership with local government to agree delivery of the commitment to maintain pupil-teacher ratios.There are now …

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish National Staged Intervention Model on Additional Support Needs will be introduced.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: We have committed to convene stakeholders within the first 100 days to agree a timeline and route-map for the development of a new national staged intervention approach to additional support needs in education.The route-map will set out indicative timeframes …

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to legislate to ensure that there is a national mobile phone ban in all of Scotland’s classrooms, when it expects to this legislation to come into force.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: As I set out in my statement to Parliament on 2 June, we will launch a consultation on a legislative approach within the first 100 days of this government.Further development of the legislative approach will be informed by the outcomes of this consultation bu…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that a number of secondary schools are reducing subject choice from the curriculum due to a lack of specialised teachers.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Teacher employment practices are matters for local authorities as employers however Local Government is responsible for providing a complement of teachers and all the necessary staff that best meets the needs of each school and its pupils within the resources…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what annual targets it has set to achieve the commitment to deliver 150,000 apprenticeships over the current parliamentary session.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: Plans to deliver this commitment will be set out in due course. In 2026-27, the Scottish Government has provided funding to support around 25,500 new modern apprenticeship starts and 1,500 graduate apprenticeships starts. Funding for apprenticeships in 2027-2…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether all newly-qualified teachers will receive a guaranteed three-year post under the proposed Teacher Jobs Guarantee.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00962 on 24 June 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when free school meals will be available to every primary school pupil.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government is committed to eradicating child poverty and our Free School Meal programme is saving families who take up this offer every day approximately £450 per child, per year. As a result of our expansion programme, around 84% of primar…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the review of modern language provision in schools will conclude.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government plans to commence the review of modern language provision in schools this year. A timeline for its completion will be established as part of that work.

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains on track to fulfil the commitments of The Promise by 2030.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government continue to prioritise delivery of the Promise by 2030.The Promise Implementation Plan, published in March 2022, set out the Government’s approach to fulfilling these commitments. A comprehensive update on progress was provided i…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when Bright Start Breakfast clubs will be operational in all primary and special schools.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: As part of the 2026-27 Scottish Budget, the Scottish Government announced it will provide £3 million to continue to fund an additional 9,000 Bright Start Breakfasts club places in 2026-27.The Scottish Government will also provide recurring investment of…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many childcare settings are operating below their registered capacity due to workforce constraints.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The information requested is not held centrally.The Care Inspectorate collects and publishes data on the registered capacity of individual services (available here: Resources, publications and statistics | Care Inspectorate)

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will take during the current parliamentary session to improve workforce retention in children's social work services.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: We know that demand for social work services continues to grow. The National Social Work Agency was launched on 17 March 2026, to empower the profession, champion social justice, and keep people safe. As part of the launch, investment of up to £994,000 …

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to provide all Primary 1 pupils attending a local primary school with a welcome to school bag, how much it estimates that this scheme will cost.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The cost of the Welcome to School Bags will be determined by decisions on content, design, and delivery method, underpinned by a need to provide value for money. We have committed to work with children and families on design and content.

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the £2,000 Care Leaver Payment will become fully operational nationwide.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Care Leaver Payment provides a payment of £2,000 to young people leaving care, with the intention of providing additional financial security for care leavers as they transition into adulthood and more independent living.The Care Leaver Payment (Scot…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what reforms it is taking forward to empower headteachers to have a greater say in the education that their schools provide.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of empowering headteachers in schools across Scotland, as set out in the SNP manifesto, to ensure continuous improvement.We will build on the 2018 Joint Agreement with COSLA on school empowerment, which led to…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many childcare providers have indicated that they have sufficient capacity to participate in the expanded childcare offer.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00937 on 25 June 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the review on the Shape of Future Funding Framework for universities will (a) commence and (b) be published.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Framework for the Sustainability and Success of Scotland’s Universities is a collaborative project between the Scottish Government and Universities Scotland and was launched on 18 December 2025.Development of the Framework is led by a steering group…

10 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the proposed Teacher Jobs Guarantee will come into force.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government has been clear that we will support the delivery of a guaranteed three-year employment for newly qualified teachers.Local authorities, as the employers of teachers, hold full responsibility for creating employment contracts and the dec…