Scottish Government and external users delete data from 'school sex survey'

The Scottish Government has deleted data from a controversial census which opponents dubbed a “school sex survey”, with researchers who received the data also destroying it.

The Health and Wellbeing Census was gathered in 2021 and 2022 from half of Scotland’s council areas, but in February last year, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth announced it would be paused.

Ms Gilruth admitted the government “need to do better” in how data is gathered from pupils.

It came after an outcry from opposition politicians, who said children as young as 14 were being asked “intrusive and inappropriate” questions about sexual experiences.

There was also concern at reports that data from the census was being advertised for use by external researchers.

The Mail on Sunday newspaper reported that the data has now been deleted by both “internal and external” users.

The move was confirmed in a statement from the Education Secretary, who was responding to a question from independent MSP Jeremy Balfour.

Mr Balfour told the newspaper: “It’s almost unprecedented for the Scottish Government to admit making a mistake and to withdraw all this information, but this is what has happened.

“It’s a win for parents and for the safety of children.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The Scottish Government recognises the concerns that parents and carers had about the Health and Wellbeing Census which was run in 2021-22, and will not repeat it in this format going forward.

“The Scottish Government has now deleted all versions of the 2021-22 Health and Wellbeing Census data held internally, and the recipients from any onward data sharing of this data, both internal and external, have also deleted their copies of these data.

“Ministers recognise the importance of gathering relevant research and data on children’s and young people’s health and wellbeing, so that local and national policies and services can be designed to improve their lives.

“We will continue to work with partners, including the NHS, to establish alternative ways of gathering this information.”

An oversight board will now consider the situation, the spokeswoman said, and the chief statistician will provide an update in due course.