Gilruth pauses school ‘sex survey’ after data made available to researchers

Jenny Gilruth reflected that the Scottish Government “need to do better” in how information is gathered from pupils.

It comes after the BBC reported that data from the health and wellbeing survey, gathered in 2021 and 2022 from half of Scotland’s council areas, is being advertised for use by external researchers.

The Government has said pupils will not be identifiable from any data gathered and Ms Gilruth told the Scottish Parliament that access to the data is being being put on hold.

Conservative MSP Meghan Gallacher raised the issue as an urgent question on Wednesday, saying the “school sex survey” had involved children as young as 14 being asked “highly intrusive and inappropriate questions” about sexual experiences.

Parents were not informed of the details of the survey, she said, adding: “Since the SNP adopted an opt-out model for parents and pupils, many children were exposed to this inappropriate questionnaire without the active consent of their parents”.

The Education Secretary said she recognised the strength of feeling on the topic and the data had only been collected on one occasion. Parental consent should have been communicated via schools, she said.

Ms Gilruth said: “I, as Cabinet Secretary, have also taken a decision to pause how we collect this data.”

She continued: “I have directly discussed these concerns with the chief statistician, I will be meeting with him this evening following Parliament concluding.

“I have also been reassured he is taking appropriate steps that will reflect the strength of feeling in future discussions to collect this type of information.”

Ms Gilruth said a number of surveys take place to understand the lives of young people, though she acknowledged 16 local authorities decided not to take part in the health and wellbeing survey.

She said: “I do need to reflect that I think we need to do better in the future in relation to how that’s done.”

Data from the health and wellbeing census will be removed from the catalogue and access will be paused by the issue is considered, she said.