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Children as young as 14 were asked how much sexual experience they had had
The Scottish government and researchers have deleted data from a controversial census which asked school pupils as young as 14 about their sexual experiences.
The Health and Wellbeing Census was gathered from pupils in S4 to S6 in half of Scotland's council areas during 2021 and 2022.
Parents said they were not told about the nature of the questions in advance and were not asked to agree that their children's private information could be shared.
In February last year, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth announced that the survey would be paused. She also admitted the government "need to do better" in how data is gathered from pupils.
What was the 'sex survey' row?
Pupils were asked to give their views on a range of subjects from physical and mental health, to bullying and the pressures of school work.
Older pupils were asked to give details about their use of alcohol and tobacco (S2 onwards), gambling experience (S3 onwards) and use of drugs (S4 onwards).
But a section on sexual relationships sparked controversy.
The questions were drawn up by public health professionals, local authorities, schools and Education Scotland, as well as the Scottish government.
Half of Scotland's 32 councils pulled out of the census following concerns about a lack of informed consent and worries over the anonymity for pupils.
There was an outcry from opposition politicians, who said teenagers were being asked "intrusive and inappropriate" questions.
And there was concern at reports that data from the census was being advertised for use by external researchers.
At the time, the Scottish government insisted that the census was confidential and voluntary.
It said it hoped the survey would give a better understanding on some of the factors which influence pupil attainment and achievement.
The Mail on Sunday newspaper revealed 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.
Balfour told the paper: "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."
PA Media
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth admitted the government needed to do better in how it gathered data from pupils
A Scottish government spokeswoman said it recognised the concerns that parents and carers had about the survey and it would not repeat the format again.
She added: "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 added, and the chief statistician will provide an update in due course.
