Senga Beresford
Reform UK · Scotland
“To ask the Scottish Government what it considers to be the top three learning priorities for primary school pupils. (S7O-00120) The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic (Màiri McAllan): We believe that every young person should receive an excellent education that equips them to succeed in life.”
“Senga Beresford: I thank the cabinet secretary for her response, although I am surprised that she mentioned literacy, as I recently spoke to a former deputy headteacher who currently serves in a senior role on Dumfries and Galloway Council, who told me that spelling is not deemed important in our current education system, due to the rise…”
“I remind members that the latest data shows that the proportion of pupils who are achieving their expected curriculum for excellence levels in literacy has reached its highest recorded level for the second consecutive year in both primary schools and secondary schools. Learning Estate Investment Programme (School Buildings) 6.”
“Can the minister name one major economic challenge that people in South Scotland currently face that would not still exist had Scotland remained in the European Union? Does he accept that it is only another political excuse for continued SNP failure?”
“I start by commemorating the hard work of many, and in particular Nigel Farage, on pushing for the necessary referendum on the UK’s leaving the European Union 10 years ago.”
“I am afraid to say that I do not have all day to go through the member’s party’s failures; I have been through some of them. I remind her to go back to South Scotland and talk to her constituents about the dip in agrifood exports that her region relies on so much; the increase in energy prices that is costing households in her area; and t…”
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“I remind members that the latest data shows that the proportion of pupils who are achieving their expected curriculum for excellence levels in literacy has reached its highest recorded level for the second consecutive year in both primary schools and secondary schools. Learning Estate Investment Programme (School Buildings) 6.”
“Senga Beresford: I thank the cabinet secretary for her response, although I am surprised that she mentioned literacy, as I recently spoke to a former deputy headteacher who currently serves in a senior role on Dumfries and Galloway Council, who told me that spelling is not deemed important in our current education system, due to the rise of spellchecker and Google. I ask the cabinet secretary to tell me how someone can google a word that they cannot spell. Màiri McAllan: I will frame my response on the generality of the question, which was about the importance of literacy for our young people. Literacy plays an absolutely foundational role in lifelong learning, wellbeing and tackling poverty, which is why, in response to the initial question, I ranked it among the top issues.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what it considers to be the top three learning priorities for primary school pupils. (S7O-00120) The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic (Màiri McAllan): We believe that every young person should receive an excellent education that equips them to succeed in life. The Scottish Government’s priorities are to ensure all learners achieve the expected levels in literacy and numeracy, and that they engage in learning across the curriculum while developing attributes necessary to be successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. Scotland’s curriculum is designed to equip young people with the foundations that they need for success. It has been endorsed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development as the right approach for Scotland.”
“I am afraid to say that I do not have all day to go through the member’s party’s failures; I have been through some of them. I remind her to go back to South Scotland and talk to her constituents about the dip in agrifood exports that her region relies on so much; the increase in energy prices that is costing households in her area; and the removal of rights that previous generations took for granted.”
“Can the minister name one major economic challenge that people in South Scotland currently face that would not still exist had Scotland remained in the European Union? Does he accept that it is only another political excuse for continued SNP failure? Stephen Gethins: I thank the member for reminding us that Reform has a poor track record of dragging us out of the EU at a cost of billions to the Exchequer, which cost is now having to be made up. It has a track record of pushing up our energy prices and our food and drink prices during a cost of living crisis. As the member rails against flags, I remind her that a Council of Europe flag also sits outside the chamber; it flies proudly and should remain there. It underlines the rights that we have as European citizens, which her party wants to take away.”
“I start by commemorating the hard work of many, and in particular Nigel Farage, on pushing for the necessary referendum on the UK’s leaving the European Union 10 years ago. I take this opportunity to make known my long-held frustration with the idea that Scotland did not vote for Brexit when, in fact, far more Scots voted for it than voted for the Scottish National Party in the recent election: 1,018,322 people in Scotland voted for Brexit and 877,000 Scots voted for this rotten Scottish Government. The voices of more than 1 million Scots are not counted when the Parliament flies the EU flag at its door. We constantly hear the Scottish Government blaming Brexit for the country’s failings.”
“The purpose of the review is to build on the previous work that has been done—we are not going to reinvent the wheel—and to get some impetus, rather than waiting until the cycle of Healthcare Improvement Scotland reports has been completed. The eighth report is due to be published soon, and there will be 18 in total. We need those Healthcare Improvement Scotland reports, because they shine a light on the good practice, the compassionate care and the value of midwives in this country. They also shine a light on where improvements must be made. The job of the task force will be to work at pace to implement change that, I hope, we can all get behind.”
“I thank the cabinet secretary for her statement. I appreciate the attempts, which she outlined, to address the issues that maternity care in Scotland faces. While we wait for the outcome of the new national review of maternity services, will action be taken to help the expectant mothers who, since the Galloway community hospital maternity wing was shut down, have had to travel 75 miles to access maternity care? Angela Constance: I am becoming aware of the history of the range of local issues in different parts of Scotland, including the south-west. We cannot turn back time, so we must look forward and address the issues that are being wrestled with in relation to choice, safety, access and equity—equity irrespective of where a woman stays and in relation to the other challenges that women might face in their lives.”
“On behalf of the 62 per cent of people who voted against you, I say: just do your job and stop wasting everybody’s time. 15:23”
“Frankly, after two decades in office, the Government should have enough confidence in its own domestic record to defend it. Instead, every time that pressure builds and standards fall, we see the same playbook being rolled out once again: the Government will change the subject, reignite division and whine about the constitution. Scotland deserves better than permanent campaigning. People want competent government and they want outcomes, not distractions. Leadership is about priorities, and the Scottish people made their priorities clear, with the majority voting against separation, against division and against expensive referendums during a cost of living crisis. I say to the Government: stop focusing on the politics of division and start focusing on the responsibilities of government.”
“The Government wants to distract and subvert, so that it does not need to answer for its abysmal record. Let us remember what the SNP told the Scottish people: if it secured a majority, it would claim a mandate for another independence referendum. The Scottish people gave their verdict, and they did not give the Government a majority. Not only did the SNP fail to secure that mandate; more than 60 per cent of voters voted against it. That matters. In a democracy, mandates cannot simply be invented after the fact because a Government dislikes the outcome. If the Scottish Government respected the will of the people, it would recognise that voters are exhausted by constitutional obsession and want the Parliament to focus on the day job.”
“A constituent even told me that his mother was sent to Liverpool for an operation, because our services are so backlogged this side of the border. It seems that the SNP wants to throw stones at the UK, but it is all too happy to accept Westminster’s help when its failings become too extreme. Small businesses are being crushed and, in the hospitality sector, restaurants and pubs are closing daily. Those are not just Opposition talking points; they are the lived realities of people across Scotland—the people the Government is tasked to protect. Yet, instead of focusing on fixing the problems that it created, the SNP wants to spend parliamentary time debating independence. Why? Because constitutional grievance is easier than Government responsibility.”
“Because of that, my two youngest children travel across the border on a daily basis to a school that offers a better education. I wonder whether the First Minister would have them show their passports on that trip. At a time when people across Scotland are worried about their failing public services, I find it astonishing that the Government has once again chosen to drag a Parliament that is meant to be focused on delivering for the people into this divisive constitutional debate. People did not send us here to endlessly rehash the arguments of the past; they sent us here to deal with the problems of the present. Our NHS is under enormous strain. Expectant mothers in Stranraer, which is in my region, have needed to travel 75 miles to reach the nearest maternity unit since the Galloway community hospital maternity wing was shut down.”
“I give my biggest thanks to all the Reform voters in the south of Scotland who have given me the opportunity to stand here today. I am a mother of four and a small business owner from Dumfries. I am here in the chamber today not because I have a political ambition but because I grew sick of watching my beloved country be failed by a procession of incompetent SNP Governments and equally incompetent Opposition parties. It was the country’s declining education system that really opened my eyes. My own children range in age from 32 to 13, so I have seen such failures first hand. Spelling no longer matters, we do not bother to mark pupils before they sit their first exams at 15, and we have taken away any element of competitiveness.”
“I, Senga Beresford, do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law. So help me”