Proposals to ensure that every school pupil in local authority or grant-aided schools can attend a course of residential outdoor education are to be scrutinised by the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee.
If passed, the Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) (Scotland) Bill would give all state school pupils the chance to have four nights and five days residential outdoor education. The Scottish Government would be expected to fund the proposals.
The Committee is now asking for views on the proposal to see whether this would work in practice. It is also keen to hear views on the school year during which pupils should be entitled to residential outdoor education, and whether this should be specified in the Bill, and the requirement for the Scottish Government to fund the programme.
The Bill was introduced by Liz Smith MSP, who has stated the importance of outdoor education as being one of the most valuable and rewarding learning experiences that a young person can have access to.
Sue Webber MSP, Convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee, said:“This Bill would enshrine in law that all state school pupils must have the chance to attend residential outdoor education during their school careers.
“According to the documents presented alongside the Bill, many pupils do not have access to this.
“Our Committee is really keen to hear what the public, and particularly young people, think of the proposal in general and some of the specific ideas within it, before we embark on detailed public scrutiny.
“Please share your views with us by visiting the Scottish Parliament’s website.”
The call for views is now open and will run until 4 September 2024:
A Holyrood Committee is seeking views on substantial amendments the Scottish Government is proposing to make to the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill.
The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee backed the Bill at Stage 1 (by a majority) but made clear they would seek to carry out detailed further scrutiny of the proposals at Stage 2. This followed the conclusion of a consensus agreement between COSLA and the Scottish Government on shared legal accountability for governance of the proposed National Care Service, which the Scottish Government had indicated would require the Bill to be substantially amended.
Maree Todd, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, has now provided the Committee with draft Scottish Government amendments to the Bill and the Committee is keen to find out views on these proposed amendments, ahead of formal Stage 2 proceedings.
One of the key proposed changes to the Bill which the Committee is seeking views on is the creation of a National Care Service Board which would be responsible for national oversight and improvement of social care and social work services.
The Committee is also seeking views on a newly proposed ‘National Care Service strategy’ and substantial reform of integration authorities via amendment of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014.
In a letter to the Committee, the Minister outlines four areas where she says, ‘further work is needed to confirm which legislative approach would best deliver the intended changes.’ These include direct funding, the inclusion of children’s services, the inclusion of justice social work and Anne’s Law, and the Committee is asking for views on each of these areas.
Clare Haughey MSP, Convener of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, said:“When a majority of our Committee backed the general principles of this Bill, we made clear we would need to carry out detailed further scrutiny at Stage 2.
“Now the Government has provided a package of proposed draft amendments, we are determined to make sure stakeholder organisations and the public are given an opportunity to comment on these proposed changes.
“Since this Bill was first introduced as a ‘framework Bill’, many of the original proposals have changed. These amendments represent some quite fundamental changes, including the introduction of a National Care Service Board and far-reaching reforms to integration authorities through amendment of the 2014 Public Bodies Act.
“That’s why it’s essential our Committee takes the time to scrutinise these proposals effectively. After we have considered the views received, we intend to take further oral evidence before formal Stage 2 proceedings.
“The evidence we gather will be vital to aid our Committee’s scrutiny of these proposals, and to inform individual Members as they prepare their own Stage 2 amendments to the Bill. We look forward to hearing your views.”
The call for views is open until Friday 30 August 2024.
People across Scotland are being invited to have a say on how crofting is reformed. A programme of meetings will take place from 3 July to 15 August, stretching from Oban to Shetland.
The consultation, which runs until 2 September 2024, seeks views on a range of proposals for crofting reform. These will help to create opportunities for new entrants, encourage the active management and use of crofts and common grazings, and support rural population.
The crofting system must support effective and sustainable land use.
The consultation seeks the public’s views on proposals on:
entry to crofting
crofting communities
use of common grazings
strengthening residency and land use
enhanced Crofting Commission powers
simplifying crofting
Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie said: “Crofting has a special place in the cultural heritage of Scotland, and we want it to play its part in our future too.
“We want to ensure that legislation enables and supports the sustainability of crofting, crofters and crofting communities, while allowing for modernisation, innovation, diversification and adaptation to help meet today’s and tomorrow’s climate and environmental challenges.
“Crofting’s place in agriculture and food production will remain at the heart of the system, but alongside these we now see crofting playing an increasing role in tourism, renewable energy generation, forestry, peatland restoration, beekeeping and small-scale horticulture production.
“The consultation proposals range from relatively small technical changes to significant innovations and I would encourage everyone with an interest to respond to the consultation or come to one of the meetings if they are able.”
A consultation on simplifying funding for universities, colleges and apprenticeships, as well as student support, has opened for views.
Currently, funding is provided by Skills Development Scotland (SDS), the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS), and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).
In December, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Graeme Dey, announced this will be streamlined to help enhance support for young people as part of the ongoing reform programme across the sector.
Yesterday, two options for change were set out:
one would see all student support funding delivered through SAAS, including responsibility for further education student support which is currently with colleges and SFC. Responsibility for national training programmes, including apprenticeships, would move to SFC and away from SDS.
the other option would see the SFC become the single funding body responsible for student support funding, as well as funding for all national training programmes, including apprenticeships – effectively creating a single funding body for post-school education, research and skills
Work will now be taken forward in consultation with the bodies affected and wider stakeholders, with changes expected for the 2026-27 academic year.
Mr Dey said: “More than £3 billion a year is invested across Scotland’s post-school system. This enables around 500,000 people in any given year to pursue opportunities at colleges and universities, with free tuition benefiting 120,000 students.
“Over the past decade the funding system has become increasingly fragmented with multiple bodies involved in different aspects of provision.
“We are facing the most challenging public spending climate since devolution, and it is vital that investment delivers the greatest impact to support learners. To do that, we must reduce complexities and the options being set out today are an important step towards this.”
The City of Edinburgh Council has appointed AtkinsRéalis to look at potential opportunities for improvements to two areas of open space at Granton Medway.
The first site is the area of land between the two rows of housing blocks to the south of Granton Medway. The second site is the larger area of grassland siting to the north of Granton Medway.
At this early stage we are looking to gather local knowledge from the residents to help us inform both developments and shape the improvements for the communities who use them most. These improvements are looking to address accessibility, safety, biodiversity, flood water management, and general landscape improvements.
To facilitate this, we will be holding 2 separate consultation events on Wednesday 26 June for residents to drop in and talk to the team together with the city council’s Housing team at the following venues and times:
Granton Medway Orchard Garden: 11am – 2pm at The Salvation Army Community Centre, 36 Wardieburn Drive, Edinburgh, EH5 1BZ
Granton Medway Community Park: 4pm – 7pm at the entrance to the park on Granton Medway (Outdoor)
THE city council would like your views on revised plans for a major expansion of West Edinburgh based on feedback from residents, businesses and Scottish Government.
Consultation asks whether newly qualified dentists should commit to delivering a minimum amount of NHS work after graduating or repay some training fees
Proposals would require dental graduates to work in the NHS for several years after graduating or repay their training fees
Part of Westminster government and NHS plan to recover dentistry and boost the dental workforce through 40% training expansion
Training an individual dentist can cost up to around £300,000, of which costs in the region of £200,000 are not repayable by the student.
However, a growing proportion of dentists are opting to go straight into private practice or are choosing to deliver little to no NHS work shortly after completing postgraduate dental foundation training.
Of more than 35,000 dentists registered with the General Dental Council in England, just over 24,000 delivered some NHS care in England in 2022 to 2023. This means nearly one-third of registered dentists are not contributing to NHS dentistry and may be working solely in private practice.
Under its consultation, which will run for 8 weeks, the government is asking whether newly qualified dentists should commit to delivering a minimum amount of NHS dental care for a minimum number of years after graduating, and whether they should repay some of the public funding invested in their training if they do not.
Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “I want to make access to dentistry faster, simpler and fairer for everyone – and part of this is ensuring that dentists are supporting the NHS with their skills and expertise.
Taxpayers make a significant investment in training dentists, so it is only right to expect dental graduates to work in the NHS once they’ve completed their training.
“This builds on our dental recovery plan, which set out how we will create up to 2.5 million extra appointments this year alone and is already showing results with an extra 500 practices providing appointments.”
Thursday’s proposals form part of the government’s overall plan to accelerate the recovery of NHS dentistry from the COVID-19 pandemic and reform how NHS dentistry operates.
They build on the aims of NHS Long Term Workforce Plan to expand the dental workforce and improve access to NHS dental care, especially in under-served parts of the country.
The UK government believes working in the NHS will give dental graduates the best start to their careers, by giving them the broadest range of experience, great support from strong teams of dental professionals and the most comprehensive training.
Experience in NHS dentistry helps to produce well-rounded clinicians who can work alongside different professions and deliver high quality and safe patient care, and can be supplemented by additional work in private dentistry. The government believes this balance is better for our skilled dental workforce and better for the patients they treat.
NHS dentists are currently delivering a greater volume of NHS treatment than the year before, with ‘courses of treatments delivered’ increasing by 23% in 2022 to 2023, compared to the previous year.
Primary Care Minister Andrea Leadsom said: “I want to thank our hard-working dentists for their efforts in treating more and more patients over recent years and helping us improve access to care.
“Through our dental recovery plan, we’re helping the sector recover from the pandemic and making NHS dentistry a more attractive career choice.
“Today’s proposals will ensure dental graduates benefit from the broad experience and comprehensive training of working in the NHS, while also delivering value for money for the taxpayer.”
There is currently no requirement for dentists to work in the NHS following the completion of their training. In contrast, a graduate medic in the UK must undertake a minimum of one year of foundation training to register as a doctor, followed by an additional year of foundation training and at least 3 years of general practice specialty training to become a GP.
Jason Wong, Chief Dental Officer for England, said: “Dental services were severely impacted by the pandemic, and it is a priority for the NHS to improve access, so it is easier for people to see a dentist.
“We launched our dental recovery plan earlier this year to deliver millions more appointments across England – and boosting the workforce is one step we can take to achieve this.”
Neil Carmichael, Executive Chair of the Association of Dental Groups, said: “We welcome the chance to engage with this consultation and ensure the NHS benefits from the skills of our graduate dentists.
“We need to see more trained dentists entering the profession and we will work with the government to ensure these proposals reflect the sector’s mixed economy and considers the needs of both NHS and private dentistry.”
Louise Ansari, CEO at Healthwatch England, said: “We welcome the opportunity for the public to have their say about these long-term proposals to address dental workforce issues, especially as access to NHS appointments continues to be one of the main issues we hear about from people across the country.
“We also look forward to seeing separate government proposals on reforming the NHS dental contract in the coming months, as set out in the dental recovery plan.
“In the meantime, NHS bodies that plan and fund dentistry across England should take concerted and imaginative action to ensure people in greatest need can get dental care quickly.”
The launch of the consultation is the latest milestone in the delivery of the Westminster government’s dental recovery plan.
Since the plan was published in February, the government and NHS have worked to:
introduce a new patient premium, supporting dentists to take on new patients – with more than 500 more practices saying they are now open to new patients compared to January
launch the ‘golden hello’ recruitment scheme to incentivise dentists to work in under-served areas
raise the minimum units of dental activity (UDA) rate to £28 this year, making NHS work more attractive and sustainable
Responding to the proposal that Dental graduates in England could be compelled to work in the NHS work or face repaying some training costs,Prof. Grant McIntyre, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, commented: “As most dental graduates already start their careers in the NHS and contribute to NHS patient care as an undergraduate student and during their early professional career, we are uncertain of what practical benefits this proposal will have.
“Most dental graduates have also accrued significant personal debts to complete their dental training, usually in excess of £100,000. Therefore, we believe this proposal is likely to make NHS dentistry even more unattractive for dentists to provide NHS dental care as their career develops.
“As per our election manifesto, we believe a more constructive approach is needed that focuses on creating a positive working environment to encourage sustained delivery of NHS practice. This means reforming the current dental contract, improving workforce planning and a renewed emphasis on preventative health and reducing health inequalities.
“We believe positive rather than punitive steps are required to lift morale, improve dental recruitment and retention, and improve access to services for the benefit of patients and the population.”
A call for views on the Scottish Government’s proposals for National Outcomes has been launched.
The Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee will lead Holyrood’s committees in scrutinising the proposed new and revised measures under the National Performance Framework.
Views are being sought from across the public sector, from businesses, the voluntary sector and from communities.
The deadline for submitting views is 28 June 2024.
Finance and Public Administration Committee Convener Kenneth Gibson said:“The Scottish Government must, by law, review the National Outcomes for Scotland at least every five years.
“Earlier this month the government published its proposals for new and revised National Outcomes.
“Our committee will lead the Parliament’s scrutiny of the new proposals and, working with other Committees, consider whether the proposed National Outcomes are the right ones for Scotland, and whether the Government should make any other changes.
“Our Committee, along with others, will also examine whether the 13 proposed Outcomes will lead to better lives for the people of Scotland, as intended by the Scottish Government.”
Call for Views
The committee’s call for views asks nine questions about the proposed National Outcomes.
The Scottish Government explains that the National Performance Framework is Scotland’s wellbeing framework.
The National Performance Framework aims to get everyone in Scotland to work together to deliver on the National Outcomes. This includes:
national and local government
public and private sectors
voluntary organisations
businesses and
communities.
What are National outcomes?
The Government explains that National Outcomes are part of the NPF and are the broad policy aims which, with the NPF, describe the kind of Scotland “in which we all want to live”.
The Scottish Parliament must be consulted on proposed National Outcomes and also considers the consultation the Government has carried out.
The Scottish Government’s Report on proposed National Outcomes and its consultation was published on 1 May 2024.
Committee Scrutiny
The Finance and Public Administration Committee is leading consideration of the proposed National Outcomes, although some other Committees will wish to consider evidence in their areas of interest. There is one consultation for all Committees which seeks views on the Government’s proposed National Outcomes.
What happens next?
Once the consultation has closed, the responses will be analysed, and that analysis will be sent to the relevant Committee to consider.
It will be for each Committee to consider what action they may wish to take, including whether to publish their views in a letter or a report to Parliament.
In this article, Ofcom explain some of the main measures and the difference we expect them to make. Whether you are a parent, carer or someone working with children, this can help you understand what is happening to help children in the UK live safer lives online.
Protecting children is a priority
Protecting children so they can enjoy the benefits of being online, without experiencing the potentially serious harms that exist in the online world, is a priority for Ofcom.
Under the Act social media apps, search and other online services must prevent children from encountering the most harmful content relating to suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, and pornography. They must also minimise children’s exposure to other serious harms, including violent, hateful or abusive material, bullying content, and content promoting dangerous challenges.
What will companies have to do to protect children online?
Firstly, online services must establish whether children are likely to access their site – or part of it. And secondly, if children are likely to access it, the company must carry out a further assessment to identify the risks their service poses to children, including the risk that come from the design of their services, their functionalities and algorithms. They then need to introduce various safety measures to mitigate these risks.
Our consultation proposes more than 40 safety measures that services would need to take – all aimed at making sure children enjoy safer screen time when they are online. These include:
Robust age checks – our draft Codes expect services to know which of their users are children in order to keep protect them from harmful content. In practice, this means that all services which don’t ban harmful content should introduce highly effective age-checks to prevent children from accessing the entire site or app, or age-restricting parts of it for adults-only access.
Safer algorithms – under our proposals, any service that has systems that recommend personalised content to users and is at a high risk of harmful content must design their algorithms to filter out the most harmful content from children’s feeds, and downrank other harmful content. Children must also be able to provide negative feedback so the algorithm can learn what content they don’t want to see.
Effective moderation – all services, like social media apps and search services, must have content moderation systems and processes to take quick action on harmful content and large search services should use a ‘safe search’ setting for children, which can’t be turned off and must filter out the most harmful content. Other broader measures require clear policies from services on what kind of content is allowed, how content is prioritised for review, and for content moderation teams to be well-resourced and trained.
What difference will these measures make?
We believe these measures will improve children’s online experiences in a number of ways. For example:
Children will not normally be able to access pornography.
Children will be protected from seeing, and being recommended, potentially harmful content.
Children will not be added to group chats without their consent.
It will be easier for children to complain when they see harmful content, and they can be more confident that their complaints will be acted on.
Our consultation follows proposals we’ve already published for how children should be protected from illegal content and activity such as grooming, child sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as how children should be prevented from accessing pornographic content.
Next steps
Our consultation is open until 17 July and we welcome any feedback on the proposals. We expect to finalise our proposals and publish our final statement and documents in spring next year.
