Pam Duncan-Glancy
Independent · Scotland
“I know that because I have been all the people I have described. They live in fear every single day, worrying about what new limit someone else will put on their life and what little power they will have to change it. They live every single day without choice at all.”
“It is the lack of support, and the lack of options, that makes me feel like I cannot go on. Disabled people do not have real choices in life. There will be countless disabled people in our constituencies tonight who have not had the choice to have a shower in weeks.”
“During the pandemic, my husband and I were so scared of other people’s power over our lives— lives that we could see others devaluing daily— that we wrote letters to each other making it clear that we wanted to be resuscitated.”
“From fighting to go to the same nursery as my sister to delaying university for two years because I could not get a care package, and from fighting to be allowed to travel on the same bus as my husband to fighting to get a bathroom adapted so that I could have a shower, absolutely everything that I have has been a fight.”
“The bill will not only put sick and disabled people at a risk that cannot be mitigated in one bill or by one policy, including the risk from coercion, but will serve to reinforce the internalised ableism that we live with every day of our lives, and legitimise the view that a life such as ours—a life of dependence and, often, pain—is not…”
“I, too, thank Liam McArthur for the way in which he has engaged on the bill and with me. Last week, we considered the specifics of what the bill would mean in real life. For 25 hours, we heard personal reflections and experiences as well as some of the difficulties in the detail.”
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“However, the amendment would go a step further and give communities the ability to trigger that process. That is important, because, too often, policy is done to communities, not with them—nowhere is that more true than in rural, island, and Gaelic- speaking parts of our country. The amendment would do three things. First, it would allow any community to make a formal request to its local authority to consider designation. Secondly, if a local authority decides not to proceed with that designation, it would have to set out its reasons and make those reasons public. Thirdly, the amendment would create a right of appeal. Communities would be able to challenge a decision not to designate via a process that would be set out by ministers in regulations.”
“Those amendments would ensure that, at certain stages in the process, the local authority must consult community representatives from an area that is likely to be designated. That will be an essential part of the process: the local authority will designate—and that is important—but decisions to designate and the activity that flows from that designation will be for the local community, and it is right that its voice is clearly heard. Amendment 22 in my name would provide for an important new democratic right: the ability for communities to request that their area be considered for designation as an area of linguistic significance. The bill already establishes a framework in which local authorities can designate an ALS, and other amendments that I have lodged would create duties to do so where Gaelic- speaking populations are significant.”
“Amendment 13 would introduce a new subsection into section 1A of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 to require that any area with a significant Gaelic-speaking population be designated as an ALS. Amendment 14 would delete the existing provision that will allow but not require such designations to be made. Amendments 15 and 16 would make consequential changes to ensure that the duty is fully reflected across section 1A. Taken together, the amendments would shift the emphasis in the bill. We know from evidence to the Education, Children and Young People Committee and from decades of advocacy by Gaelic communities that policy must begin with place. Those amendments would make sure that it does. Amendments 1 and 2, in my name, would be an important part of the local authority process for designating areas of linguistic significance.”
“I will speak to amendments 13 to 16, 1 and 2, all in my name. Amendments 13 to 16 relate to the process by which areas will be designated as areas of linguistic significance. As it stands, the bill will already enable a local authority to designate part of its area as an ALS when certain criteria are met. However, as the legislation is currently drafted, that designation is discretionary. My amendments would strengthen the framework by introducing a clear duty that an area that “contains a significant number of people with Gaelic language skills ... must be designated as an area of linguistic significance”. That change is essential. If Gaelic is to be protected where it is most at risk and supported where it is most widely spoken, the bill should provide more than optional powers; it must create obligations.”
“The poverty-related attainment gap between young people from the most deprived areas and those from the least deprived areas who are meeting standards in literacy in primary school is at a record low, so we are seeing progress. It is very important that we look to our colleges and universities to encourage young people on whatever path they choose. Once again, we have heard a long list of suggestions from Labour on how to spend money, but it has shown absolutely no responsibility by failing to bring forward plans on how any of those suggestions would be paid for. I am not surprised, but I continue to be disappointed by that.”
“The Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Bill has been roundly rejected by stakeholders, and colleges, which are key to lifting people out of poverty, barely get a mention—there was nothing in the statement to address budget concerns, course closures or college staff losing their jobs. What will it take for the Government to realise that education and colleges are key to lifting people out of poverty? Shirley-Anne Somerville: Education is critical to our approach, which is exactly why we are investing up to £1 billion in the Scottish attainment challenge in this parliamentary session, including in pupil equity funding, in order to empower our headteachers to take approaches that best suit their pupils’ needs. That is an exceptionally important piece of the work that we are undertaking.”
“Data that has come out today shows that the number of young people in the most deprived communities who go on to a positive destination has fallen to the lowest point since 2019 and that the gap has widened. The impact of the SNP’s failure to meet the interim child poverty targets is leaving Scotland’s most disadvantaged pupils behind. What is fundamentally wrong with the Government’s approach is that it refuses to change direction or address the root causes of poverty. Education and skills are key to that, but there was precious little on those aspects in the Government’s statement.”
“We see that in East Calder, where my Lothian region colleagues Sarah Boyack and Foysol Choudhury have led the campaign to expand the local health centre. The East Calder health centre was originally built for 4,000 patients but now serves up to 16,000, as the towns and villages in the area have expanded rapidly, which has led to challenges for medical staff and for patients who are trying to access those services. The lack of investment in infrastructure has left patients and staff in limbo. GP surgeries are only one aspect of the health service, but they play a crucial role at the front line and in preventative care. If we help them, we help to unburden our emergency rooms and our hospitals. 15:16”
“The recent increase in employer national insurance contributions has led many GP practices to freeze or scale back their recruitment plans. The Scottish Government must work to deliver the future medical workforce project urgently and to complete the implementation of the nursing and midwifery task force as soon as possible. The Scottish Government must increase the general practice workforce and, just as important, increase capital investment in general practice premises to expand and enhance facilities and infrastructure. A 2022 survey by the Royal College of General Practitioners found that 62 per cent of respondents considered that their premises were not fit for purpose, with issues such as a lack of consulting rooms.”
“The Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland agrees with me on that. The Scottish Government could help by creating a national umbrella body that was capable of sponsoring IMG visas to remove the bureaucracy and costs from GP practices. Of course, the UK Home Office could remove that at the stroke of a pen, but here we are. The UK Government should also rethink its unworkable fiscal rules, commit to taxation of the most wealthy and of polluting industries and reverse the increase in employer national insurance contributions, which were its only options after making self-harming promises on taxation during its election campaign. There is a great deal of anxiety among GPs about the risk of underemployment due to constrained practice finances.”
“We are all aware of the absurd rigmarole that we go through when we try to get a GP appointment and we have to call over and over at 8 am or 2 pm to get through. We have all done that. It is quite a challenge to anyone who has a job or daytime responsibilities. Increasing the number and availability of GPs and expanding and enhancing general practice facilities and premises must be an urgent priority, and there are some things that we need our Governments to do to fix that. We need the UK Government to let up on its hostility to foreigners and immigration. Some 40 per cent of GP trainees across the UK are international medical graduates—IMGs. The Labour Government at Westminster should offer them all indefinite leave to remain upon successful completion of GP speciality training.”
“Will the member acknowledge that hundreds of her constituents are going private because they cannot get appointments on the NHS in Scotland? Lorna Slater: I do not disagree that there is a crisis in NHS Scotland. I will come to that, but the member will also acknowledge that many of the problems that we face in Scotland are made at Westminster. For example, the persecution of asylum seekers, who are not allowed to work, takes valuable people out of our workforce, and there is the persecution of immigrants and the hostility to people who come here. I will come to those points. Scotland has a crisis in our medical and nursing workforces, as the member says. Everyone is aware of that.”
“In an earlier answer, I said that we are rolling out a specialist disabled people’s employability service. We have also protected the overall employability funding in this year’s budget, so I am keen to understand what has driven that change, because, from my perspective, the Scottish Government has not just protected employability funding but has increased support specifically to disabled people. Former Mills and Disused Buildings (Redevelopment) 6.”
“The Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living in my region runs an internship programme to get disabled graduates placements in the national health service. The programme supports disabled people to unlock their potential and to contribute, and it has an 88 per cent success rate for getting people into employment. Last year, it had support for 20 graduates; this year, it has had support from the Government for only six graduates. Does the Deputy First Minister agree that scaling the programme back risks stifling that potential, and will she commit to working with me to restore and expand the programme so that more disabled graduates get the opportunity that they deserve? Kate Forbes: I am very impressed with those figures and with that success rate, for want of a better term. I am more than happy to look at the matter in more detail.”
“Stakeholders such as the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance support our taking an incremental approach to increasing provision in order not to overwhelm the sector. Going forward, by reviewing and reporting on our independent advocacy provision in the first two years and then every four years thereafter we can ensure better planning and give more clarity to providers. I move amendment 44.”
“We need to consider that before laying the regulations. I welcome Mark Ruskell’s amendments 72, 73 and 82, which would put a definition of independent advocacy services into the bill, and I ask all members to support them. As I have touched on, I encourage members to support Mr Ruskell’s amendment 78, which would put ministers under a duty to review and report on the provision of independent advocacy funded by them. The Feeley review recommended an increase in the independent advocacy provision for people accessing social care support. I understand how important independent advocacy is in helping people to have their voice heard and in realising their rights, which is why we are providing £500,000 for the financial year 2026-27 to increase provision of those vital services.”
“I am committed to ensuring the delivery of high-quality independent advocacy across Scotland, and amendment 71 will help with that, allowing us to develop the standards and regulations by engaging with providers in the sector and the people they support. I also welcome Mr Whittle’s amendment 70, which would require the providers of independent advocacy, advice and information services to collect and anonymise data about those they help, and for Scottish ministers to review the data and publish a report on it. The lessons that we can learn from data on why people access those services could support improvements in the social care system. However, it is important that the collection and processing of anonymised data do not become overly burdensome for the relatively small organisations that operate in the sector.”
“As a consequence of that change and the fact that section 13 was moved in the bill at stage 2, my amendments 47 to 50 reposition the order in which section 13 and the new section that will be created by amendment 45 are referred to in section 46, so that the list of section numbers will run in the right order after the bill is passed. The amendments will not change the legal effect of the provisions. Turning to the more significant amendments from other members, I welcome Brian Whittle’s amendment 71 and encourage members to support it. It will provide for advocacy service standards to be introduced by regulations.”
“Section 13—Independent advocacy The Deputy Presiding Officer: Group 11 is on independent information, advice and advocacy. Amendment 44, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 71, 70, 72, 73, 45, 78, 47, 48, 82, 49 and 50. Maree Todd: First, I will speak to the amendments in my name, which are simply technical in nature and will, I hope, be uncontroversial. Amendments 44 and 45 split section 13 into two sections, so that what will be left in section 13 will be a regulation-making power in relation to independent advocacy, with the regulation-making power in relation to independent information and advice appearing in a separate section. That will make the provisions easier to follow.”
“Similarly, people who suffer from a terminal illness can have the comfort that their care needs will be evaluated more rapidly, so that we can avoid horrific situations in which someone faces death from a terminal illness in circumstances that they would not want to be in. There are too many such cases in Scotland. Once a person has passed away, their family will just be trying to get over their grief and will not necessarily be advocating improvements, so it is important for us, as parliamentarians, to rise to that challenge. I commend the relentless work of Scottish hospices in trying to improve the situation in Scotland. I think that my amendments are very worthy improvements to the bill, and I press amendment 68. Amendment 68 agreed to. Amendment 69 moved—[Paul Sweeney]—and agreed to.”
“I am grateful to Mr Sweeney for lodging the amendments in the group, and I encourage members to support them all. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I call Paul Sweeney to wind up and to press or seek to withdraw amendment 68. Paul Sweeney: I thank the minister for her support for my amendments. We are in no doubt about the impact that the amendments will have on disabled people, who can be assured that moving around will not have a detrimental impact on their care packages. That will provide greater opportunities for many disabled people in our communities across Scotland to move without fear.”
“Amendment 68 and its connected amendments 48A and 83 will allow regulations to be made to ensure continuity of community care services when a person with a disability moves from one local authority area to another. We know how important it is for people to have that assurance so that they can move confidently from one part of the country to another without facing anxiety about major upheaval in their care arrangements. Amendment 69 and its connected amendments 48B and 84 will allow ministers to specify timescales within which local authorities must undertake assessments and reassessments of the care needs of people with a terminal illness. It is especially important that the needs of people with a terminal illness are assessed and met quickly and that those needs are revisited regularly as their condition progresses.”
“The amendment is slightly technical but, nonetheless, important. Amendment 84 requires that regulations that are made as part of the duty on the Scottish ministers that will be created by amendment 69, in relation to timescales for assessment of persons who have a terminal illness, are also to be subject to the affirmative procedure. As an alumnus of the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee, I know how important the affirmative procedure is, so it is good to have such provisions in place, and I welcome the Government’s support in that regard. I commend all six amendments in the group to the Parliament. I move amendment 68. Maree Todd: I welcome and support all the amendments in the group, and I am grateful to Mr Sweeney for engaging constructively with me to get them right.”
“We must avoid that at all costs, because the fact that it happens is a terrible indictment of our current situation. I found the exhibition very moving, and I hope that the amendment will at least help to address some of the appalling cases that the exhibition featured. I commend it to the chamber. Amendments 48A and 48B are largely technical in nature. They are about ensuring that those provisions do not impact on the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill once it is enacted and that they avoid any potential unintended consequences. 17:00 Amendment 83 sets out that regulations that are made as part of the duty on the Scottish ministers that will be created by amendment 68, in relation to continuity of services for persons who have a disability, are to be subject to the affirmative procedure.”
“Another important factor that came through at the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee in our stakeholder engagement on the bill was the issue of the timeliness of care assessments. The regulations will specify timescales around reassessments for increased care as a person’s terminal illness progresses. I am sure that many of us went to the “Dying in the Margins” exhibition that was hosted by some of Scotland’s hospices, which showed the appalling situation of care packages simply not keeping up with the progression of disease. Ultimately, it means that someone has a bad death and is not able to die on the terms that they would like, often in hospital or, for example, out of the familiar setting of their home because adaptations could not be made in time or care could not be provided in the home setting.”
“As I mentioned, when they move from one local authority area to another, the disabled person’s care package should provide care that is at least equivalent, without further assessment being needed before the new local authority can carry out its own assessment or evaluation of the disabled person’s needs. That might vary according to proximity to family or the conditions of the town or city that they live in, but the key point is that there should be no detriment. That is a very powerful function of the amendment, which I commend to the chamber. Amendment 69 will require Scottish ministers to create regulations that specify timescales for an assessment of care needs for individuals who have a terminal illness.”
“Does Paul Sweeney agree and acknowledge that: portability of social care across local authorities is a long-standing issue that has been experienced by many disabled people and other social care users; it has sometimes prevented them from taking up work or education opportunities or supporting other family members; and the passing of this amendment would be a fundamental shift that would help to support the human rights of disabled people across Scotland? Paul Sweeney: I thank my friend for making that really important point. The function set out in the amendments will improve people’s lives, and it is exciting to see the opportunity that it might provide for our country’s disabled community and how it might improve their situation.”
“As we get towards the end of the parliamentary year, I hope that members will leave the debate inspired by the efforts of the people in Summerston, many of whom Bob Doris and others have mentioned, whether that is by the commitment of the Summerston Youth Football Club coaches, the enthusiasm of Ryan Rooney, the dedication of teachers and parents or the tirelessness of the Summerston Community and Environmental Group. I congratulate Summerston on its 50th anniversary and commend the work of everyone who takes the time to make the communities around it better with no motivation other than to see the people in the area have a better experience of the world. I again thank Bob Doris for securing the debate to allow us to do that for Summerston today. 17:31”
“It also means making sure that we lead by example in this increasingly diverse world and do our best to ensure that the communities that we represent are tolerant, peaceful, happy and safe places to live and grow up in. Although we might disagree politically in this chamber, the vast majority of my friends and colleagues across the chamber put politics to one side when the debate ends, and we get on personally outside these walls for the good of communities such as Summerston. Parliament and the communities in our constituencies would be much poorer if we or our constituents let ourselves be irreconcilably divided by politics and forget that, by working together, we can achieve more than we can alone. In fact, as has been proved by the many community groups in Summerston, that is the only way to make a difference in this world.”
“I also want to highlight the teachers, parents and pupils at the local schools—John Paul academy, Parkview primary school and St Blane’s primary school—as well as everyone who is involved in supporting and running Bellcraig community centre for their role in keeping it a vital part of Summerston over the past 40-plus years. As well as celebrating the past 50 years of Summerston, I, too, am asking that members consider the next 50 years. It is our duty as parliamentarians—one that I know that we all take very seriously—to ensure that communities thrive. What does that mean in practice? To me, it means supporting and growing community assets, including Bellcraig community centre and hubs like it across the city, so that people have better places to gather together over shared interests and get to know their neighbours better.”
“I am sure that it will get a fantastic turnout of local residents at all the events, not least because of our mentioning its work in the nation’s Parliament today. Summerston is full of people who work hard to make the community and Glasgow a better place to live in. One such person is Ryan Rooney, one of the community champions at the Summerston Asda store, who is a key link between the store and causes that matter to local residents. Another example is the volunteers who run Summerston Youth Football Club, making sure that grass-roots football is available for the children and young people of Summerston, which gives them a positive experience of sport that will stay with them for life.”
“I thank Bob Doris, who is one of my colleagues from the Glasgow area, for bringing the motion to the chamber. It is my honour and privilege to be a member of the Scottish Parliament for the Glasgow region and, in particular, to represent the area that we are discussing today, Summerston. I echo Bob Doris’s commendations of the Summerston Community and Environmental Group for its tireless efforts in raising awareness of the support and opportunities in the area; in ensuring that Summerston is a clean and vibrant place in which to live; and in organising events that bring the community together. The group is organising more than 30 activities in the area to mark 50 years of Summerston, and it will engage with 500 residents during the 12 months of the anniversary.”
“As I spoke about, the budget provided extra funding for ASN and teacher numbers. The budget agreement was contingent on our local authorities agreeing to reduce class contact time. The Labour Party abstained on that budget, so Ms Duncan- Glancy’s rhetoric this afternoon does not meet the reality.”
“The cabinet secretary has again listed the Government’s inputs, but that does not take away from the fact that thousands of teachers are working the equivalent of an extra day per week and only 1 per cent of them have sufficient time to support pupils with additional support needs, according to an Educational Institute of Scotland survey of more than 11,000 teachers that was published this week. Does the cabinet secretary accept that the Government’s failure to address the crisis in teaching or address teachers’ workloads is driving the growing ASN crisis in schools? Jenny Gilruth: Pam Duncan-Glancy claims that I did not address output, but in my previous response I talked about output in relation to the narrowing attainment gap for pupils with additional support needs. That news is to be welcomed.”
“That is the action that is needed to save the teaching workforce in Scotland. I move amendment S6M-17669.1, to insert at end: ", and further calls on the Scottish Government to develop a consistent national system of supply to support supply teachers across local authorities, make Pupil Equity Funding permanent to empower schools to properly plan, address concerns with the teacher census to ensure that it is known where staff are and where they are needed, ensure places on teacher training are aligned to workforce planning needs, including in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, and collect and publish data around the number of senior phase lessons being taught by non-subject specialist teachers." 15:11”
“Our amendment calls for a consistent national system of supply in order to reduce the uncertainty of work from week to week and to widen the pool from which schools can access teachers. It calls for pupil equity funding to be made permanent, so that schools can plan ahead. It calls for reform of the teacher census, so that we know where the gaps are and where resources need to go. It calls for alignment of teacher training places with workforce needs, to address the ridiculous situation where qualified and experienced primary teachers cannot access permanent jobs but, at the same time, are burning out. We also have some subjects without teachers. Lastly, in relation to subject-specific issues, we are calling for clear data on the number of senior phase lessons that are being taught by non-subject specialists.”
“As the amendment in Miles Briggs’s name highlights, it creates an environment in schools where the mental health and mental wellbeing of staff and pupils is unsupported, which leads to distressed behaviour and, in some cases, violence. Ultimately, as the Educational Institute of Scotland campaign highlights, it undermines quality education in Scotland. However, none of that is new. Last year, Scottish Labour warned of the growing precarity in the profession and of the damage that short-term contracts and underemployment were doing to teacher morale and retention. The Parliament supported our motion to address those issues then but, a year on, little has changed. That is why we will try again today, through our amendment, to get the Government to recognise the scale of the problem and to act accordingly.”
“The cabinet secretary cannot see that that is crucial, which is exactly why we are in the situation that we are in today and why schools face the problems that they face. Not accepting the failure to deliver on teacher numbers, for example—a key SNP manifesto commitment—and on the workforce plan, which is overdue by more than a year, shows a disconnect from the reality in schools. The reality is that the teaching profession is in crisis. To avoid having teachers without jobs, subjects without teachers and pupils without stability, we need the Government-led workforce plan. The lack of a strategic overview on having the right staff in the right place drives the crisis that we see and compounds the lack of support for pupils with ASN.”
“Jenny Gilruth: I am here, as cabinet secretary, taking responsibility today. I gently say to the member that local authorities, not the Scottish Government, employ our teachers. We have to work in partnership with our councils. Will the member please accept that point, or is she proposing a separate and new approach to the employment of Scotland’s teachers, with them coming out of local government employment? I am keen to understand that. Pam Duncan-Glancy: The cabinet secretary cannot see that we have gaps and that we have teachers without jobs in some areas and in some subjects. Only the Government has the overview and can provide the necessary strategic approach to support local authorities in the shared responsibility for the teaching and schools workforce.”
“When will the Government provide the leadership that is so desperately needed? The Government amendment seeks to delete the call for the Government to provide the leadership that is needed on a workforce plan and instead would replace the commitment with warm words on partnership working. We cannot support a Government amendment that passes the buck to local authorities—the very local authorities that have failed to provide support and resources to do the job. That is not leadership. It is the Scottish Government that sets national priorities. It made the promises, so it must now be held to account. Jenny Gilruth: Will the member take an intervention? Pam Duncan-Glancy: If the cabinet secretary is prepared to explain how she will take responsibility, I will be happy to take the intervention.”
“I thank Willie Rennie and the Scottish Liberal Democrats for bringing to Parliament this crucial motion, which we will support at decision time. Scottish Labour will also support the amendment in the name of Miles Briggs. However, we cannot support the Government amendment, which would delete crucial aspects of the motion. We must recognise that the Government’s failure to recruit the staff who are needed is a critical part of the issues that we are seeing in schools today. Again, the cabinet secretary has not helped with the perception that the Government does not take responsibility for that by pointing to things being worse elsewhere and by saying that councils should act, that universities should be the workforce planners and that the GTCS should step in. There was nothing about what the Government will do.”
“I am conscious of time. I am keen to listen to the debate and to respond to members more fully in my closing remarks. I move amendment S6M-17669.3, to leave out from "further notes" to end and insert: “recognises that local workforce planning is led by local government and must be undertaken in partnership with it; supports local authorities, as the employers of teachers, to use the significant additional funding made available, including £186.5 million in the 2025-26 Budget, to increase teacher numbers and create more permanent posts, and calls for the Scottish Government to commit to working in partnership with COSLA, through the joint education and assurance board, to develop a joint evidence-led education workforce strategy with stakeholders.” 15:02”
“It is important to recognise that, although there are challenges, there are also opportunities for us to work differently, and we have to do that with local government. I do not think that a single amendment to the motion suggests otherwise. My legal responsibilities as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills mean that I have to work with local government on improving the availability of permanent posts, which is exactly the point that Mr Rennie made. That is why, in the budget, I protected and uplifted the value of the funding that goes to our local authorities. I sincerely hope that every local authority in the country—including Fife Council, where the Liberal Democrats supported the Labour administration’s budget—will be able to go back to the 2023 teacher numbers, which is what the budget settlement was predicated on.”
“It is less of an issue in our secondary schools, although the member’s motion talks about some issues regarding subject specialisms. I am keen to work with the General Teaching Council for Scotland on how we can support some of the primary teachers who are unable to gain employment, perhaps by transitioning them into additional support needs posts or into secondary teaching. We need to support the GTCS to that end. I am more than happy to engage with Willie Rennie and members from across the chamber on that point. The budget made available an extra £29 million to be ring fenced for local authorities to employ ASN specialists. There are opportunities for some primary teachers who may not be able to obtain posts to divert into other career options, but I appreciate that that might not be for everyone.”
“It is imperative that the Government, in investing in that scheme and in free tuition, sees buy-back in relation to the permanent post challenge that Mr Rennie alluded to. Mr Rennie also talked about the role of local government. The Government’s deal with local government saw an extra £186.5 million go to our local authorities to help to support extra teachers in Scotland’s schools. Willie Rennie: Will the cabinet secretary give way? Jenny Gilruth: I am happy to give way on that point, although I am conscious of time. Willie Rennie: When will the cabinet secretary mention unemployed primary school teachers? Jenny Gilruth: I have five minutes for my speech and less than a minute left. I will come on to talk about that, because part of the issue is specifically about our primary teachers.”
“Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention? Jenny Gilruth: I say to Ms Duncan-Glancy that I am conscious of time; I have one minute left. The teacher induction scheme has served us well for many years, and I have discussed it with colleagues from across the chamber in recent weeks. I confirm today that the Government will review the teacher induction scheme and the probationer allocation for new teachers to identify strengths and areas for improvement, so that we can support new teachers into the profession. That speaks to the point that Mr Rennie made in relation to Aberdeenshire Council’s probationer allocations. We need to review how the scheme is working. At the current time, probation is fully funded by the Government at an average cost of £40 million a year.”
“People living with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions make up a large number of people who have long- term conditions. In Glasgow, some of them have been waiting for trauma and orthopaedic support for more than 52 weeks. What measurable difference will the long-term conditions framework make for people living with arthritis and MSK conditions? Jenni Minto: I have set out the long-term conditions framework in a way that recognises that every condition can benefit from learning from others and that there will be certain golden threads that run through all conditions. As I said in two previous responses, if there are certain areas of the strategy that require specific strategies—similar to our 10-year cancer strategy, which focuses on certain cancers—that will certainly be considered. Ambulance Delays (NHS Grampian) 6.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with Glasgow City Council regarding support for the reported development of community food production and short supply chains, as outlined in the Glasgow city food plan. (S6O-04708)”
“I look forward to updates from energy suppliers on how they plan to ensure that the 22,579 people in the region that I represent who are still using the RTS will be switched over by 30 June. 18:22”
“Although I accept that the RTS has come to the end of its operational life, I cannot accept that energy suppliers could not have been more prepared ahead of the 30 June deadline. It is likely to be the hardest to reach in our communities who will struggle the most, including those who are digitally excluded, those who live in fuel poverty and those who live alone. There is not much time left until the RTS switch- off, and we, as MSPs, should do everything that we can between now and 30 June to ensure that affected constituents are supported financially and practically to replace their meters. I again thank Beatrice Wishart for securing the debate and bringing focus to this important issue.”