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Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) Tuesday 25 August 2020 Session 5 © Parliamentary copyright. Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Information on the Scottish Parliament’s copyright policy can be found on the website - www.parliament.scot or by contacting Public Information on 0131 348 5000 Tuesday 25 August 2020 CONTENTS Col. TIME FOR REFLECTION ....................................................................................................................................... 1 BUSINESS MOTION ............................................................................................................................................. 3 Motion moved—[Graeme Dey]—and agreed to. TOPICAL QUESTION TIME ................................................................................................................................... 4 Masks (World Health Organization Guidance) ............................................................................................. 4 Delayed Discharge into Care Homes ........................................................................................................... 7 Cancer Services ......................................................................................................................................... 13 FERGUSON MARINE ......................................................................................................................................... 17 Statement—[Fiona Hyslop]. The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture (Fiona Hyslop) ............................................ 17 BUSINESS MOTION ........................................................................................................................................... 31 Motion moved—[Graeme Dey]—and agreed to. CHILDREN (SCOTLAND) BILL: STAGE 3 ............................................................................................................. 32 CHILDREN (SCOTLAND) BILL ............................................................................................................................ 99 Motion moved—[Ash Denham]. The Minister for Community Safety (Ash Denham) .................................................................................... 99 Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Con)..................................................................................................... 101 James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) ................................................................................................................... 103 John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Green) ........................................................................................... 104 Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD) ....................................................................................................... 105 Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) ................................................................................... 107 James Kelly .............................................................................................................................................. 108 Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con) .............................................................................................. 109 Ash Denham ............................................................................................................................................. 110 PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU MOTION ................................................................................................................. 113 Motion moved—[Graeme Dey]. DECISION TIME .............................................................................................................................................. 114 1 25 AUGUST 2020 2 The grace of God, however the word “God” is Scottish Parliament understood, could mean something like: “Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are, Tuesday 25 August 2020 because the party wouldn’t have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and [The Presiding Officer opened the meeting at terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid. I am 14:00] with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It’s for you I created the universe. I love you.” Time for Reflection There is only one catch—[Interruption.] The Presiding Officer (Ken Macintosh): Good The Presiding Officer: Colleagues, I will pause afternoon. The first item of business is time for for a second to see whether we can get the Rev reflection, and our leader today is the Rev Fraser Macnaughton back. Macnaughton, the minister of St Magnus We recorded him earlier. No, he is live. Can you Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney. I invite the Rev Fraser hear me? I can see that you can hear us. It is to speak. typical that we managed to lose the last words of The Rev Fraser Macnaughton (St Magnus your thoughtful contribution on words. I also Cathedral, Orkney): I got a new parlour game for apologise for confusing your first name and your my birthday, which coincided with lockdown. It is surname. You are the Rev Macnaughton, not the called “Wordsmithery” and is a combo of charades Rev Fraser. and “Who’s in the Bag?”, determining the We lost the signal just before you finished. I vocabularic competence of the players. You can wonder whether you could pick up before the last maybe guess from the end of that last sentence paragraph of your thoughtful contribution. You are that I am keen on words. still on mute. Can you unmute yourself? Words come in numerous forms, languages and The Rev Fraser Macnaughton: How is that? sounds—I think that the words rose and rows have eleven different meanings—not to mention The Presiding Officer: That is perfect. accents and dialect. For a Weegie living in [Applause.] Orkney, that has taken a while to get a handle on. The Rev Fraser Macnaughton: Okay. Then, when it comes to grammar—well, let’s not go there. The Presiding Officer: That is a round of applause from the chamber. The late, great Ronnie Barker was, of course, a genius when it came to playing with words. The The Rev Fraser Macnaughton: The grace of special bag that we have in St Magnus Cathedral God, however the word “God” is understood, could for the spent night lights that people place on the mean something like: “Here is your life. You might stand is labelled “Fork ‘andles”—just one of the never have been, but you are, because the party memorable Barkerisms that folk grew up with but wouldn’t have been complete without you. Here is which transcends generations. the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever All through my ministry, I have attempted to separate us. It’s for you I created the universe. I avoid being sucked into religious words. After love you.” centuries of handling and mishandling, most religious words have become so shopworn that There is only one catch. Like any other gift, the nobody is much interested any more. However, gift of grace can be ours only if we will recognise it there is one word—there may be others—that and accept it. bucks the trend. Grace, for some reason, The Presiding Officer: Thank you. You can mysteriously, still has some of the bloom left. That add “perseverance” to your list of words this week. is even more true of its derivatives, such as gracious and graceful . Grace is something that we can never get but can only be given. There is no way to earn it or deserve it or bring it about, any more than we can deserve the taste of raspberries and cream or earn good looks or bring about our own birth. A good sleep is grace and so are good dreams—but we cannot try to have a good dream. The smell of rain is grace. Somebody loving us is grace. Loving somebody is grace. Have you ever tried to love somebody? 3 25 AUGUST 2020 4 Business Motion Topical Question Time 14:07 14:07 The Presiding Officer (Ken Macintosh): The Masks (World Health Organization Guidance) next item of business is consideration of business motion S5M-22527, in the name of Graeme Dey, 1. Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green): To on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, setting out ask the Scottish Government what its response is a change to today’s business, which is to move to the latest World Health Organization guidance decision time. that young people over the age of 12 should wear a mask to help prevent transmission of Covid-19. Motion moved, (S5T-02332) That the Parliament agrees to the following revision to the programme of business for Tuesday 25 August 2020— The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills (John delete 5.00 pm Decision Time Swinney): In the light of the latest scientific and and insert 6.30 pm Decision Time—[Graeme Dey] public health advice, including the World Health Organization guidelines, the Scottish Government Motion agreed to. has, after discussion with the education recovery group, updated the advice on the use of face coverings in secondary schools and on school transport. Unless specific exemptions apply, face coverings should now be worn in secondary schools by adults and pupils in corridors and confined communal areas where physical distancing is difficult to maintain. Face coverings should be worn also by all children aged five and over on dedicated school transport, in line with the guidance for public transport. The guidance on school reopening will be revisited to reflect that latest advice. Ross Greer: I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer and I welcome today’s announcement, although I am unsure why it could not have come before schools reopened,