Part of Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 29 October 2025.
Richard Lochhead
Scottish National Party
We recognise that delivering high-quality computing science education is important to Scotland’s technology and digital economy. Although we do not hold data on the direct link between teacher numbers and employment in the sector, we are taking action to attract more students into teaching computing.
We are funding a pilot at Aberdeen university to support students with relevant higher national diploma qualifications to undertake further study to become computing science teachers. We established Scottish Teachers Advancing Computing Science to support teachers and, by the end of this financial year, we will have invested over £1 million in it. That fulfils key recommendations of Mark Logan’s 2020 “Scottish Technology Ecosystem Review”, which the Government commissioned and which was aimed at improving the talent pipeline for high-growth businesses. We also continue to offer bursaries to career changers to train in hard-to-fill subjects, including computing science.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
