Meeting of the Parliament Wednesday 3 October 2018 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 Wednesday 3 October 2018 CONTENTS Col. PORTFOLIO QUESTION TIME ............................................................................................................................... 1 EDUCATION AND SKILLS ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Childcare Provision (Expansion to 1,140 hours) .......................................................................................... 1 Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Technical Subjects) ........................................................................ 3 Autistic Children (Exclusion from School) .................................................................................................... 4 Outdoor Learning (Pre-school and Early Primary Settings) ......................................................................... 5 Subject Choice (Lothian) .............................................................................................................................. 6 Literacy (School Pupils) ................................................................................................................................ 8 Primary Schools (Teacher Pupil Ratios and Class Sizes)............................................................................ 9 Sex Education ............................................................................................................................................. 11 Bullying in Schools (Monitoring) ................................................................................................................. 12 Pupils with Additional Needs (Co-ordinated Support Plans) ...................................................................... 13 Zero Emissions Economy (Skills Development) ......................................................................................... 14 Dundee and Angus College (Part-time Course Places) ............................................................................. 15 School Exclusions....................................................................................................................................... 16 REMAND .......................................................................................................................................................... 18 Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con) ................................................................................................ 18 The Minister for Community Safety (Ash Denham) .................................................................................... 21 Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Con)....................................................................................................... 25 Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) .............................................................................................. 28 Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD) ......................................................................................................... 31 Shona Robison (Dundee City East) (SNP) ................................................................................................. 34 Maurice Corry (West Scotland) (Con) ........................................................................................................ 36 Fulton MacGregor (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) ................................................................................ 38 Mary Fee (West Scotland) (Lab) ................................................................................................................ 41 Ruth Maguire (Cunninghame South) (SNP) ............................................................................................... 43 Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Con) ......................................................................................................... 45 Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) ........................................................................ 47 David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) ............................................................................................. 49 Richard Lyle (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) ........................................................................................... 52 Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab) ................................................................................................... 55 Michelle Ballantyne (South Scotland) (Con) ............................................................................................... 57 Ash Denham ............................................................................................................................................... 59 Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) ..................................................................................... 62 BUSINESS MOTION ........................................................................................................................................... 67 Motion moved—[Graeme Dey]—and agreed to. PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU MOTIONS ................................................................................................................. 69 Motions moved—[Graeme Dey]. DECISION TIME ................................................................................................................................................ 70 AGE SCOTLAND (75TH ANNIVERSARY) ............................................................................................................. 71 Motion debated—[Sandra White]. Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) ....................................................................................................... 71 Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab) ................................................................................................................ 74 Bill Kidd (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP)........................................................................................................ 76 Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Con) .................................................................................................................. 77 David Torrance (Kirkcaldy) (SNP) .............................................................................................................. 78 Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD) ......................................................................................................... 80 Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP) ........................................................................................... 82 Tom Mason (North East Scotland) (Con) ................................................................................................... 84 Christine Grahame (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) .............................................. 86 The Minister for Older People and Equalities (Christina McKelvie) ........................................................... 87 1 3 OCTOBER 2018 2 Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP): Scottish Parliament Can the minister confirm that nurseries in Scotland are exempt from paying business rates under a Wednesday 3 October 2018 scheme that the Scottish National Party Government introduced, but those in England are [The Presiding Officer opened the meeting at not under the Tories, and that that approach 14:00] greatly supports the private nursery sector? Maree Todd: Yes—absolutely. On 1 April 2018, Portfolio Question Time we introduced a new 100 per cent rate relief for private properties that are wholly or mainly used Education and Skills as day nurseries. We have estimated that that relief will have removed the burden of rates from Childcare Provision (Expansion to 1,140 hours) up to 500 businesses. The relief will run for a period of three years. I can confirm that that is 1. Alison Harris (Central Scotland) (Con): To contrary to the situation in England, where ask the Scottish Government how the planned nurseries are not exempt from paying business increase of childcare provision to 1,140 hours is rates. progressing. (S5O-02419) Gillian Martin was quite right to say that, in The Minister for Children and Young People Scotland, we recognise that our partner providers (Maree Todd): We remain on track to deliver the will be crucial to the successful delivery of the 1,140 hours expansion. The programme is policy. I gather that the National Day Nurseries ambitious and challenging, but we are working Association and the Federation of Small hard with local authorities and delivery partners to Businesses are campaigning down south to urge create the required workforce and physical the United Kingdom Government to follow our capacity. In April, we reached a landmark example in Scotland. agreement with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities on a multiyear package to fully fund the Mary Fee (West Scotland) (Lab): Will the expansion, and we recently established a joint minister give an update on the size of the early delivery board, which I co-chair with Councillor learning and childcare workforce? McCabe, to oversee progress and respond to any Maree Todd: I certainly will. As members know, emerging issues. we have been running a recruitment programme Alison Harris: