Pre-Budget Fiscal Statement: Equality and Fairer Scotland Impact Assessment

Education and skills

Agreed saving: HE Student Support

Description: These savings are currently anticipated due to the demand-led nature of this budget line and underlying trends such as previous COVID places

£million (reduction): 6.0

Equality and fairness – evidence and impact analysis:

There is no quantifiable impact from the savings. HE student support is an entitlement model and the budget is demand-led. These savings are anticipated due to a recorded reduction in applications received to date by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland.

Agreed saving: Other

Description: Savings are anticipated from reduced demand and reprofiling of spend activity across activities

£million (reduction): 0.2

Equality and fairness – evidence and impact analysis:

These savings are anticipated to materialise from reduced demand in programmes or from reprofiling. At this stage, there is no quantifiable impact from the savings.

Agreed saving: Early Learning Childcare (ELC)

Description: Savings are anticipated from reduced demand and reprofiling of spend activity

£million (reduction): 0.2

Equality and fairness – evidence and impact analysis:

These savings are anticipated to materialise from reduced demand in programmes or from reprofiling. At this stage, there is no quantifiable impact from the savings.

Agreed saving: Children’s Rights, Protection and Justice

Description: No existing programmes or projects are being stopped as a result of this reduction from unallocated funding

£million (reduction): 0.3

Equality and fairness – evidence and impact analysis:

No quantifiable impact since decisions on how the funding would be allocated had not been finalised. The £25k which remains in the budget will enable us to fund age assessment training for local authorities, and to update some key parts of the guidance for local authorities on age assessment.