MEETING OF THE PARLIAMENT Wednesday 26 June 2013 Session 4 © Parliamentary copyright. Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Information on the Scottish Parliament’s copyright policy can be found on the website - www.scottish.parliament.uk or by contacting Public Information on 0131 348 5000 Wednesday 26 June 2013 CONTENTS Col. BUSINESS MOTION ..................................................................................................................................... 21543 Motion moved—[Joe FitzPatrick]—and agreed to. PORTFOLIO QUESTION TIME ....................................................................................................................... 21544 EDUCATION AND LIFELONG LEARNING ........................................................................................................ 21544 School Closures (Consultation of Children and Young People) ........................................................... 21544 Travel-to-school Times ......................................................................................................................... 21545 Educational Psychology Services......................................................................................................... 21546 College Mergers (Glasgow) .................................................................................................................. 21547 Colleges (Reclassification as Public Bodies) ....................................................................................... 21548 Universities (Senior Appointments) ...................................................................................................... 21549 Education (Diversity) ............................................................................................................................ 21550 Employability Fund (Promotion) ........................................................................................................... 21551 College Mergers (Glasgow) .................................................................................................................. 21552 Probationary Teachers (Employment Figures) ..................................................................................... 21553 Childcare and Early Years Education ................................................................................................... 21554 Draft Scottish Code of Good Higher Education Governance ............................................................... 21555 Langside, Anniesland and Cardonald Colleges Merger ....................................................................... 21556 Adam Smith College and Carnegie College (Regionalisation) ............................................................. 21557 Sustainable Economic Development (Further and Higher Education Support) ................................... 21558 Curriculum for Excellence (Renewables Industry) ............................................................................... 21559 Classroom Assistants ........................................................................................................................... 21560 POST-16 EDUCATION (SCOTLAND) BILL: STAGE 3 ...................................................................................... 21561 POST-16 EDUCATION (SCOTLAND) BILL ..................................................................................................... 21691 Motion moved—[Michael Russell]. The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning (Michael Russell) ................................... 21691 Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab) .................................................................................................................. 21694 Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) .............................................................................................. 21697 Marco Biagi (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) ............................................................................................... 21699 Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Lab) ......................................................................................................... 21700 Stewart Maxwell (West Scotland) (SNP) .............................................................................................. 21702 Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD) ................................................................................................... 21704 Liz Smith ............................................................................................................................................... 21706 Hugh Henry (Renfrewshire South) (Lab) .............................................................................................. 21708 Michael Russell..................................................................................................................................... 21709 BUSINESS MOTIONS ................................................................................................................................... 21714 Motions moved—[Joe FitzPatrick]—and agreed to. PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU MOTIONS ........................................................................................................... 21716 Motions moved—[Joe FitzPatrick]. Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Lab) .................................................................................................... 21716 The Minister for Parliamentary Business (Joe FitzPatrick)................................................................... 21718 DECISION TIME .......................................................................................................................................... 21720 ASH SCOTLAND’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY ...................................................................................................... 21725 Motion debated—[Duncan McNeil]. Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab) ................................................................................ 21725 Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) .................................................................. 21727 Jackson Carlaw (West Scotland) (Con) ............................................................................................... 21729 Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab) .......................................................................................................... 21730 The Minister for Public Health (Michael Matheson) .............................................................................. 21731 CORRECTIONS ........................................................................................................................................... 21734 21543 26 JUNE 2013 21544 Scottish Parliament Portfolio Question Time Wednesday 26 June 2013 Education and Lifelong Learning [The Deputy Presiding Officer opened the meeting at 14:00] 14:00 The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott): Business Motion We move to portfolio questions. In order to get in as many members as possible, I would prefer The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott): short and succinct questions and answers, please. Good afternoon, everyone. The first item of business this afternoon is consideration of School Closures (Consultation of Children and business motion S4M-07154, in the name of Joe Young People) FitzPatrick, on behalf the Parliamentary Bureau, setting out a timetable for stage 3 of the Post-16 1. Fiona McLeod (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) Education (Scotland) Bill. (SNP): To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a mechanism for insisting that local Motion moved, authorities follow Scotland’s Commissioner for That the Parliament agrees that, during stage 3 of the Children and Young People’s guidance on Post-16 Education (Scotland) Bill, debate on groups of consulting children and young people on school amendments shall, subject to Rule 9.8.4A, be brought to a closures and other significant changes. (S4O- conclusion by the time limit indicated, that time limit being 02292) calculated from when the stage begins and excluding any periods when other business is under consideration or The Minister for Learning, Science and when a meeting of the Parliament is suspended (other than Scotland’s Languages (Dr Alasdair Allan): It is a suspension following the first division in the stage being called) or otherwise not in progress: important that children and young people who will be affected by a school closure proposal, or other Groups 1 to 3: 45 minutes, significant change, understand what is being Groups 4 to 6: 1 hour 35 minutes, proposed and have the opportunity to express their views. That is why the legislation in this area Groups 7 to 9: 2 hours, already requires that children and young people Groups 10 to 12 2 hours 20 minutes.—[Joe FitzPatrick.] be consulted. The statutory guidance for those Motion agreed to. consultations explains how local authorities should go about consulting children and young people. It also makes reference to best practice, as set out by Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People. Local authorities are not compelled to follow the commissioner’s best-practice guidance, but I certainly encourage them to do so. Fiona McLeod: I thank the minister for that answer. Can I draw his attention to an aspect of yet another saga of East Dunbartonshire Council’s informal consultation on school closures? The council is sending local authority officers into classes of children as young as primary 1, which directly contradicts the advice on page 18 of the commissioner’s