Alex Cole-Hamilton

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of changes in classroom behaviour since 2020.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government’s assessment of changes in classroom behaviour since 2020 is primarily informed by the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR), which provides robust, nationally representative evidence on behaviour in Scottish schools.BIS…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been provided for programmes aimed at reducing knife carrying among young people.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: The Scottish Government has invested over £6 million to support implementation of the Violence Prevention Framework since its publication in May 2023. It has also provided over £2 million over 2026-27 to continue delivery of the violence preventio…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it collects data on assaults involving knives on school premises.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Where reported to police, a knife-related assault within a school would typically involve two crimes being recorded – one for possessing a bladed/pointed article within a school and a second for the assault. Information is not held centrally on the volu…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to schools on responding to incidents involving knives.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Weapons should never be in our schools and violence towards pupils or staff is unacceptable.The Scottish Government’s national guidance on preventing and managing exclusion provides clear advice for schools on the response to incidents involving weapons…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils have been excluded from school for possession of a knife or offensive weapon in each of the last five years.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government does not hold data on school exclusions due to weapon possession.Statistics on the number of exclusions by the reason for exclusion are published in School exclusion statistics - gov.scot.

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents involving possession of a knife or bladed article have been recorded in schools in each of the last five years.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: Table 1 shows the number of police recorded crimes of having in a school an article with a blade or point over 2021-22 to 2025-26.Table 1: Crimes of having in a school an article with a blade or point, Scotland, 2021-22 to 2025-26Crime category2021-222022-232…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the relationship between school attendance and youth offending.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: There is a known relationship between persistent non-attendance, exclusion and anti-social behaviour. That is why the Scottish Government is clear that good school attendance is vital for children and young people. Schools and local authorities must do all th…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to businesses affected by persistent youth disorder and vandalism.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: I deplore any instances of disorder and vandalism and would urge any business affected by such behaviour to report it to Police Scotland.We are aware of collaborative approaches being adopted by partners including a number of local authorities and Police Scot…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address reports of intimidation and disorder in town centres by groups of youths.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: We are aware of collaborative approaches being adopted by a number of local authorities alongside Police Scotland to tackle antisocial behaviour in town centres. The Scottish Government supports local authorities and Police Scotland through record funding.We …

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents involving groups of young people causing public disorder have been recorded by Police Scotland in each of the last five years.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: The Scottish Government does not hold information on incidents recorded by Police Scotland.

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of trends in youth-related antisocial behaviour since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: The Scottish Government commissioned an Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour which discussed this topic. Its report is available on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/publications/report-independent-working-group-antisocial-beh…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been provided to local authorities for antisocial behaviour prevention and enforcement in each year since 2021.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: The Scottish Government has provided record funding to local authorities for 2026–27. It is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including on anti…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many antisocial behaviour complaints have been recorded in each local authority area, in each of the last five years.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: The Scottish Government does not hold information on complaints recorded by Police Scotland.The number of complaints recorded by local authorities concerning antisocial behaviour is also not held by the Scottish Government.Under section 1 of the Antisocial Be…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the existing powers available to Police Scotland to respond to the antisocial use of (a) quad bikes, (b) off-road motorcycles and (c) scrambler bikes.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: The Scottish Government has had ongoing discussions with Police Scotland regarding the antisocial and illegal use of quad bikes, off-road motorcycles and scrambler bikes, while respecting the principle that operational policing, including the deployment of re…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding strengthening enforcement against illegal off-road vehicle use.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: The Scottish Government continues to have discussions with Police Scotland about the illegal use of off-road vehicles. These discussions respect the principle that operational policing including deployment of resources is a matter for the Chief Constable acti…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many vehicles have been seized under powers relating to the antisocial use of (a) quad bikes and (b) off-road motorcycles in each of the last five years.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: This information is not held by the Scottish Government. The number of vehicles of any type seized due to antisocial use is not held. The data we receive from Police Scotland is a simple count of the number and type of crimes and offences recorded. We do not …

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the illegal use of (a) quad bikes and (b) off-road motorcycles on rural communities.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: The Scottish Government recognise the particular concerns that the illegal use of quad bikes and off-road motorcycles can cause in rural areas, including road safety risks, damage to agricultural land and property, and disturbance to local communities.All ins…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many complaints regarding the illegal use of (a) quad bikes and (b) off-road motorcycles have been recorded by Police Scotland in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Kirsten Oswald: The Scottish Government does not hold information on complaints recorded by Police Scotland.

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many teachers have been dismissed in each of the last five years.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The responsibility for these matters rests with local authorities in their role as employers of teachers. You may wish to contact the relevant local authority. You may also wish to contact the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), the independent regu…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many teachers have been suspended from teaching in each of the last five years.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The responsibility for these matters rests with local authorities in their role as employers of teachers. You may wish to contact the relevant local authority. You may also wish to contact the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), the independent regu…

12 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many level 2 complaints have been made against teachers in each of the last five years.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The responsibility for these matters rests with local authorities in their role as employers of teachers. You may wish to contact the relevant local authority. You may also wish to contact the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), the independent regu…

9 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding support available to people who experience two consecutive miscarriages, (a) what support is currently available, (b) how NHS boards are expected to implement it, (c) what monitoring is undertaken to assess compliance with national guidance, and (d) what assessment has been ca…

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government Delivery Framework for Miscarriage Care in Scotland, published in February 2025, sets out a graded model of miscarriage care after one, two and three or more miscarriages and tasks NHS Boards with introducing this model of care in Earl…

9 Jun 2026 · First Minister's Question

Question to be taken in Chamber.

3 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is planning to ensure that young people will still be able to access low experience jobs despite the rise of AI.

Answer · Tom Arthur: Careers support is provided to school-age pupils through teaching in the curriculum, access to professional careers advisers, Developing the Young Workforce(DYW).and specialist additional support is available as required.DYW, funded by the government, was set…

3 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is planning to ensure the safety of jobs available for graduates in the ever-increasing world of AI. 

Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Scottish Government recognises the challenges facing graduates from changes in technology. Our 2026-27 Budget invests over £2.4bn in post school education and skills and reinforces our steadfast commitment to free education. The Scottish Government …

2 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the number of deaths from synthetic opioids recorded in Scotland reaching the highest level on record in 2025, what specific action it will take to combat the increasing availability of synthetic opioids in Scotland.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government fully recognises the need to tackle drug supply and organised crime groups. Police Scotland works with agencies in Scotland, the UK and internationally to take illegal substances, including synthetic opioids, off Scotland’s stree…

2 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the number of deaths involving synthetic opioids in Scotland reaching the highest level on record last year, whether any specific ministerial meetings have been held to discuss the threat posed by these substances and their increasing availability in Scotland.

Answer · Maree Todd: The increased prevalence of new synthetic substances is of real concern, not only in Scotland but across the whole of the UK. We are working closely with partners to communicate vital information and advice. We have been able to identify and respond to new an…

2 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, following its withdrawal from the Home Office and National Crime Agency Wastewater Analysis for Narcotics Detection (WAND) Programme, how will it coordinate and gather intelligence with the rest of UK to tackle the increasing availability of synthetic opioids, which can be significantly…

Answer · Maree Todd: As confirmed in the answer to S7W-00736 on 16 June 2026, the Scottish Government has not withdrawn from the Wastewater Analysis for Narcotics Detection (WAND) programme.Reports from the WAND study have highlighted the difficulties in being able to detect the …

2 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the National Crime Agency's determination that there are currently no up-to-date national estimates of drug consumption in Scotland, and for what reason it has withdrawn from the Wastewater Analysis for Narcotics Detection (WAND) programme, which is intended …

Answer · Maree Todd: As confirmed in the answer to S7W-00736 on 16 June 2026, the Scottish Government has not withdrawn from the Wastewater Analysis for Narcotics Detection (WAND) programme.The latest WAND programme report published by the Home Office – covering a period wh…

2 Jun 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide any information, including expert advice or relevant data, that informed its decision to withdraw from the Home Office and National Crime Agency Wastewater Analysis for Narcotics Detection (WAND) programme.

Answer · Maree Todd: As confirmed in the answer to S7W-00736 on 16 June 226, the Scottish Government has not withdrawn from the Wastewater Analysis for Narcotics Detection (WAND) programme. This was a fully Home Office-funded programme, to which the Scottish Government has not co…