Bill Kidd
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“I think that it is possible to do that, and that having a child-centred and trauma- informed manner is important. I therefore urge members to accept my amendment or to accept Roz McCall’s amendment 75. Amendment 77 defines child-centred legal advice and representation.”
“Section 18(2) distinguishes local authorities because, unlike most other referring bodies, they will usually have on-going involvement with the child and the family once a referral has been made.”
“The minister also concedes that the amendments would not do any harm, so I would still ask the Government to accept them, because they would clarify the situation and leave things in no doubt at all. Finally—the Deputy Presiding Officer will be glad to hear—I will speak to amendment 201.”
“However, in line with the UNCRC, recent reforms made by the Parliament, such as the Children (Scotland) Act 2020, have moved away from arbitrary presumptions or distinctions about a child’s capacity that are based purely on age.”
“Notwithstanding that point, I have confidence that the dedicated infants and babies workstream will bring about changes, given who is involved in it—although I fear that those changes might not be dissimilar to what is being articulated in the amendments.”
“There is no consensus on the term, which means that there is some difficulty with legislation that contains it. The amendment relates specifically to section 18, which says that local authorities must provide the child in question with information on the children’s hearings process, the availability of child advocacy services and child-ce…”
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“I commend Monica Lennon for introducing the bill and for her tenacity in getting it to this stage. The word “ecocide” is from the Greek “oikos”, which means home, and “cide”, meaning killing— so it means killing our home, also known as planet earth. Today, the issue could not be more pressing. In an era of accelerating climate breakdown, biodiversity loss and environmental injustice, doing everything that we can to protect our environment—our planet—is not optional but essential. The modern understanding of ecocide is, sadly, rooted in real and devastating modern history. During the Vietnam war, as an act of war, the USA sprayed more than 19 million gallons of the herbicide agent orange over south Vietnam to deliberately destroy crops and starve the so-called enemy—everybody.”
“Patients who undergo those treatments demonstrate extraordinary courage and resilience, and they, and their families, deserve the support that reflects the full reality of their experience. I urge all those who are involved in delivering cell therapies—Government, NHS boards, clinicians, charities and Parliament—to commit to working together to implement the Anthony Nolan report’s recommendations. By doing so, we can ensure that every patient in Scotland receives not only cutting-edge medical treatment but the psychological support and the dignity that they deserve. The Deputy Presiding Officer: We move to the open debate. 18:38”
“On that particular note, I am very pleased to be hosting a round-table event alongside the Anthony Nolan charity next Thursday lunchtime, on 12 February, on the issues that we are discussing today, bringing together the Scottish Government, clinicians, charities and patient representatives. The meeting will represent an important opportunity to build consensus and accelerate progress, and I hope that many members will consider joining us on the day. Scotland has rightly earned a reputation for excellence in clinical innovation and compassionate healthcare. As cell therapies continue to evolve and save more lives, we must ensure that mental health care evolves alongside them.”
“I also thank Myeloma UK for its innovative support projects, such as its peer buddy service, which matches people with a trained peer buddy for one‑to‑one support from someone who has experience of high‑dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplant—HDT-SCT—and its myeloma support groups, which provide the opportunity to meet other patients, carers and family members to share experiences and information in an informal and supportive setting. I am encouraged by those and other initiatives, and by the collaborative approach that is emerging across the sector.”
“Those strategies are very welcome, and I believe that they demonstrate the Scottish Government’s commitment to holistic healthcare. I also welcome the continuing engagement and support from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and from ministers, who have shown genuine interest in addressing the mental health challenges that are associated with advanced therapies. Alongside thanking Anthony Nolan for the work that it does, I thank the NHS-Macmillan psychological support project for its valuable mapping work, and Blood Cancer UK.”
“The charity calls for every cell therapy patient to have access to a specialist transplant psychologist throughout their treatment journey. It emphasises the importance of training all patient-facing staff so that mental wellbeing is recognised and supported at every stage of care. Crucially, it highlights the need to extend psychological support to families and siblings, recognising that serious illness affects entire households, not only individuals. It is, however, important to acknowledge the progress that is already being made in Scotland. The Scottish Government’s “Mental Health Strategy: 2017-2027” sets out an ambitious national framework, and the “Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033” recognises that psychological care must be a fundamental part of cancer treatment.”
“In several national health service boards, there is as yet no specialist oncology psychology support at all, which means that patients leaving hospital are often left to navigate general mental health services, which may not fully understand a patient’s complex clinical experience. Certain groups are particularly vulnerable. Patients who are undergoing treatment for non- malignant conditions, such as sickle cell disease and thalassaemia, frequently fall outside oncology pathways, despite facing identical treatment burdens. Families, carers and siblings, who often experience their own trauma and distress, rarely receive structured psychosocial support. The recommendations that Anthony Nolan has set out are both practical and achievable.”
“One patient described how “Mental health support, particularly during and following treatment, would be a very welcome addition to patient care”, as “the ongoing risk of return affects mental health and family relationships going forward.” Another added: “Mental health is sadly overlooked; patients aren’t given the support urgently required when given a blood cancer diagnosis.” Those voices must guide our response. The evidence clearly shows that mental health support remains inconsistent across Scotland. Currently, only NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has access to a specialist bone marrow transplant psychologist, despite transplant centres also operating in Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh. As new CAR-T centres open and patient numbers increase, specialist psychological provision has not, unfortunately, expanded at the same pace.”
“The charity’s June 2025 report, “How we can improve the mental health and wellbeing of cell therapy patients”, presents compelling evidence that mental health must be treated as an integral part of the overall care experience. The report highlights that almost half of all patients experience anxiety prior to transplant; more than a third experience depression during treatment; and a fifth develop post-traumatic stress disorder. Those figures remind us that survival alone cannot be the only measure of success. The emotional toll extends well beyond the patient to families, carers and others, who often face exhaustion, anxiety and significant financial pressures, with families losing on average around £30,000 in income during treatment and recovery.”
“While they offer hope and, in many cases, a cure, they can also bring immense psychological strain for patients and their families. I thank the Anthony Nolan charity, and all its staff and volunteers, for their invaluable work in supporting patients, families and donors. The organisation was founded in 1974 by Shirley Nolan to find a stem cell donor for her son, Anthony, and it has grown into a world-leading charity that has transformed transplant services and donor registries. For decades, the charity has been at the forefront of research, patient advocacy and clinical support, and Scotland’s transplant community owes a great deal to its dedication.”
“I thank parliamentary colleagues from across the chamber for their overwhelming support in signing the motion. Cell therapies, including stem cell transplantation and chimeric antigen receptor T- cell—CAR-T—therapy, represent one of the most significant breakthroughs in modern medicine. Stem cell transplantation involves replacing damaged or diseased bone marrow with healthy stem cells, often following intensive chemotherapy or radiotherapy. CAR-T therapy involves collecting a patient’s immune cells, re-engineering them in a laboratory to recognise and attack cancer cells and then reinfusing them into the patient. These treatments are often complex, lengthy and physically demanding. They can involve prolonged hospital stays, isolation from loved ones and a lengthy recovery period that extends far beyond discharge from hospital.”
“Lord Brodie will reach his own conclusions, but will the cabinet secretary confirm whether it is the Scottish Government’s intention to implement any and all recommendations that Lord Brodie may make? Neil Gray: Absolutely—I have already committed to fully considering all parts of Lord Brodie’s final report and, in particular, the recommendations that are made whenever Lord Brodie makes them. We owe it to the families and patients who have been impacted to effect real and meaningful change, and we will fully and transparently implement any recommendations that Lord Brodie makes to the”
“We estimate that more than 100,000 properties will remain eligible for our small business bonus scheme, which will remain the most generous of its kind in the UK. We will continue to offer the most generous relief package for renewable energy generation in the UK, and unique reliefs such as day nursery relief, our business growth accelerator and fresh start reliefs will also remain the most generous in the UK. Scottish Information Commissioner Legal Action 3.”
“The Scottish Government’s small business bonus scheme and the business growth accelerator reliefs are the most generous of their kind in the United Kingdom. Will the minister say any more about the total support that is available across revaluation to retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in Scotland? Ivan McKee: The Scottish budget for next year reduces the basic, intermediate and higher property rates, which will ensure the lowest basic property rate since 2018-19, and it supports a package of reliefs that will be worth an estimated £864 million in 2026-27. It offers more than £320 million of support through transitional relief schemes and retail, hospitality and leisure relief in the next three years.”
“To ask the Scottish Government how the measures announced in its draft budget for 2026-27 will further its aims of tackling child poverty. (S6O- 05377)”
“Members might view that as being life changing or as making an impact on some of the resourcing issues that we have been discussing. Nicola Sturgeon has said that she wants to walk away with a sense of pride. That is the test for us all; it is the crucial test that we must apply to the amendments lodged at stages 2 and 3. We once again give our commitment to engage in the process, but that will be a high bar to reach in whether or not we support the bill at its subsequent stages. 17:19”
“That goes back to the fundamental point that we need to ensure that the scaffolding that sits around all the services is right and is well funded, so that professionals can do their jobs to support young people in the system more broadly. We have outlined our position this afternoon. We are clear in our support for ensuring that the bill can move to its next stage. Martin Whitfield eloquently and passionately outlined where our significant concerns are and our disappointment with the approach taken thus far, as well as our desire to re-engage ahead of stages 2 and 3 to move the bill to a place such that people can be proud and pleased that we have made significant progress. That will be the test for many colleagues. Will we walk away from this session having passed an act of the Parliament that will make a demonstrable difference?”
“There is something crucial and fundamental there. I recognise what Nicola Sturgeon said in her speech about not wanting the bill to fall foul of the knockabout politics that we sometimes have during an election campaign. We would all want to avoid that in relation to the core issues, but we cannot escape the fact that there is a bigger debate about resourcing and the choices that are made around resource, particularly for those in local government, for the social work profession and for those who provide a support function. That also concerns issues such as housing, access to justice and all the things that sit around the work that we are discussing today. There will be and has to be a debate around much of that. We heard much of that yesterday in response to the budget, and I know that there will be much of that in the days ahead.”
“I have heard colleagues saying that we need to do more work in the next session, but the reality is that we will have to make significant progress very quickly in the life of the next session—in its early days—if we are to have any hope of meeting the commitments that have been made. I recognise many of the reflections that have been made this afternoon, including the point that one bill was never going to be able to deliver the Promise. I recognise much of what Nicola Sturgeon said in her speech about changing mindsets, changing hearts and minds and changing our processes. Of course we need to make a whole-system change. Indeed, that chimes with what Willie Rennie said in his speech about the Promise not being the responsibility of just one minister or one bill; it sits across a wider piece.”
“No one is saying that the Government is moving back or away from its commitment to the Promise and to the whole agenda; it is just that so many frustrations are coming through as a result of the process, including the legislative process, with only 30 days of legislative time left, as I said at the outset of my remarks. There is frustration that we have not done more and that it will fall to the Parliament in the subsequent session to move much of the work forward. There are concerns that we will not achieve the Promise by 2030. In the course of the next session, 2030 will not be that far away.”
“It was useful that he took us back to reflections on Duncan Dunlop and the young people who came into the Parliament to tell their story all those years ago, beginning the whole process of what we have come to understand as the Promise, which was made in this place. It is important to put that on the record again. Thinking about those who are now adults, young people who are in the system at the moment and those who are yet to come into the system, there will be many reflections this afternoon on trying to get it right first time and avoiding situations that have arisen over many years whereby young people have been failed, with a catalogue of promises made to them that were broken. We are all agreed that we want to avoid that, and that is at the heart of this afternoon’s debate.”
“It has produced a robust and important report with important recommendations that have helped to focus this afternoon’s debate and will help to inform what happens at stages 2 and 3. Willie Rennie set the context for where we are and the challenge that exists for the minister, having inherited the Promise and the work around it. I agree with Mr Rennie in that I respect the minister, and I believe that her intentions are good and that she has been doing what she can to drive the bill forward. However, there is much work to be done, as I outlined in my opening remarks. Context is really important, and Ross Greer set out much of it in his opening speech.”
“I will repeat Nicola Sturgeon’s point that we should all be making every effort in the next few weeks to make sure that this is a great bill, primarily so that there is less work for us to do when we come to the next bill in order to genuinely fulfil the ambitions of the Promise in the next parliamentary session. 17:12 Paul O’Kane: I am glad to follow the speeches of Ross Greer and other members this afternoon, which have been useful in highlighting the challenges that exist in the bill; my opening remarks focused on that, too. I found the contributions from committee members particularly helpful. Douglas Ross, as convener, set the context. Willie Rennie, Ross Greer, Jackie Dunbar and others contributed much of what they had heard in evidence at stage 1. I am grateful to the committee for the work that it has done.”
“There are opportunities in the bill to extend eligibility, in very specific provisions where it would be relevant, to include those who are estranged; that is, those who were in the care of their parents until they became an adult but, at that point, became estranged from them and therefore do not have the family support systems that many others would recognise and are then in a similar situation to those who have been in kinship care or in the care of the state. Any opportunity through the bill to make sure that we include estranged young people in the support that we are trying to offer would be welcome. We have already been talking about what needs to be in the next bill. That is a shame and a wasted opportunity.”
“There also needs to be not just individual advocacy for individual situations but collective advocacy for the entire community of care- experienced people, whether at local authority or national level. The expansion of eligibility for aftercare is welcome. However, I am not yet convinced that it is appropriate for one-member panels to make decisions on supervision orders. I align myself with the comments that Sheriff Mackie made in that regard. Other areas in which the bill can be strengthened include estranged young people. That relates to what I have just said about eligibility. Estranged young people have not really been part of the conversation so far. There is no organisation dedicated to advocating for estranged young people in Scotland since the last charity doing so wound up a couple of years ago.”
“I also echo what Nicola Sturgeon said about the need for advocacy to be genuinely independent. The best model for us to use is the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, which clarifies what is meant by independence. An equivalent to that definition in this case would clarify that it cannot involve someone who works for the local authority or the national health service or somebody who is involved in the system already. A crystal clear point of feedback from the care-experienced community for many years has been that its members need somebody who is fighting their corner, whom they can trust, who is not split in their considerations and who is entirely and completely dedicated to advocating on their behalf.”
“In many of the conversations about the issue, we have been able to achieve a level of consensus and clarity about the fact that we do not want money to disappear out of the system into the pockets of company shareholders, when that money could instead be invested in the children who need to be cared for. However, trying to clarify that in legislation is tricky. An area that would be worth the Government looking at is the role of community interest companies as a potential status option, which I think would address some issues around ensuring that we are keeping money in the system without throwing the baby out with the bath water. On independent advocacy, I congratulate Who Cares? Scotland, in particular, and everyone else who has been involved in the campaign on that for a number of years.”
“I understand that those that are not currently charities were never going to be keen on the proposal, but I think that the provision is necessary. It would be helpful if the minister were to provide further information about discussions that she has had with agencies about the length of time that they believe that they would need to make the transition to change the status of their organisation. In principle, I absolutely agree with the wider steps towards removing profit from the system, although I associate myself with many of the comments that John Mason made about clarifying exactly what that means and how we would go about it.”
“Although, to be honest, a lot of the concerns about it from local authorities have been knee-jerk responses to the idea that something might be taken away from them, there is a legitimate concern about duplication, which would lead to further fragmentation and things falling through the gaps. Therefore, I welcome any further comments that the minister can make on that provision, which I think will bring benefits. It is the same for requiring independent fostering agencies to be charities instead of businesses. That is not only about profit and the role of profit in the system but about transparency, as Nicola Sturgeon said. Forcing any fostering agency to be a charity will bring significant benefits with regard to transparency and our collective ability to have oversight of the system. Some of those agencies have fair concerns, however.”
“I am sure that many of us in the chamber have been involved in local efforts across the country—in the past or, indeed, at the moment—to encourage people to consider fostering. A national register will bring clear benefits. In particular, it will be better for safeguarding because it will reduce the potential fragmentation in the system. It was first recommended in 2013 and was rejected at the time, so it is a shame that it has taken us well over a decade to recognise the value in that proposal. That being said, I recognise some of the concerns about the register. It must not duplicate existing work and double the administrative workload.”
“17:06 Ross Greer: In my opening speech, I ran through the range of challenges that we still face, as colleagues did, but I want to be clear that there is a lot to welcome in the bill. I thank the minister for her engagement on the bill. It is sometimes the case that Opposition members must chase the Government to get a meeting and engagement ahead of a bill. I need to apologise to the minister because, in this case, it has been the other way round—I have been quite hard to pin down. However, I have appreciated the engagement that we have had so far. I am sure that there will be more ahead of the stage 2 deadline. I want to run through some parts of the bill that I particularly welcome, starting with the national fostering register. Fostering is an amazing thing for people to choose to do.”
“Regarding attendance at children’s hearings, there is concern that removing the obligation for children to attend hearings could reduce participation, especially for those with disabilities. I encourage the committee to address that concern at stage 2. The bill represents a significant opportunity to transform Scotland’s care system and to deliver on our collective commitment to the Promise. It is about ensuring that care-experienced children and young people are not only supported but respected and empowered throughout their lives. I urge colleagues to support the general principles—I have heard that they will do so—and to work together at stage 2 to address the concerns that have been raised, so that the bill truly delivers the compassionate rights-based system that Scotland’s children deserve.”
“The commissioner believes that care- experienced voices must be central to that process, pointing out that, without clarity, there is a risk of inconsistency and stigma. I would welcome the Government’s thoughts on that issue. With regard to advocacy services, the commissioner urges that care-experienced children be explicitly included in consultation on how those services are delivered. Although the commissioner is broadly supportive of limiting profit, the briefing notes that we must ensure that that does not reduce the availability of placements and invites the committee to explore safeguards so that provision is maintained while we move towards a not-for-profit model.”
“The briefing from the Children and Young People’s Commissioner, while broadly welcoming the bill, highlighted a few areas in which the commissioner believes that further consideration would be beneficial. Those points chime with the evidence from other organisations. I will therefore summarise some of those areas in the hope that the minister will have the opportunity to address them when summing up or that, going forward, they can be addressed in the work of the committee. In relation to the definition of care experience that is contained in section 5 of the bill, the commissioner noted that the Promise calls for a universal definition, and that, at present, the bill only requires the Scottish Government to develop guidance that “may” include a definition of care experience.”
“With regard to children’s services planning, the bill will require local authorities, health boards and integration joint boards to jointly plan services— recognising that children’s and adult services are interconnected—and to streamline planning to deliver better outcomes for families and communities. Taken together, the measures are not just legislative changes; they represent a cultural shift towards compassion, dignity and respect for care-experienced people. I welcome that. Although the bill has been widely welcomed, no legislation arrives oven ready, as I have said many times in the Parliament. I thank the various organisations that have provided briefings for today’s debate and that have taken the opportunity to engage with the committee on areas in which they believe that further scrutiny would be beneficial.”
“The bill will expand corporate parenting duties to ensure that public bodies act like good parents and support young people as they transition to adulthood. It will also enshrine a legal right to advocacy, ensuring that care-experienced people have access to independent advocacy at all stages of their journey. The bill will introduce statutory guidance on care experience with the aim of normalising language and reducing stigma. It will tackle profit in residential care, requiring providers to operate transparently, and it will introduce a register of foster carers. The bill also proposes changes to the children’s hearings system to modernise processes and empower children’s voices.”
“It will put the needs and rights of care-experienced children and young people at the heart of Scotland’s care system by introducing a package of measures that are designed to improve experiences across the care journey in direct response to what care-experienced people have told us they require. It will build on the findings of the independent care review, which gave voice to more than 5,500 care-experienced children, adults and families. The bill covers two main areas: the children’s care system and children’s services planning. Regarding the children’s care system, the aim of the bill is to extend aftercare support to those who left care before their 16th birthday, which will address a significant gap in current legislation.”
“As a member of the Education, Children and Young People Committee and the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee, I, too, thank all those who have been involved in the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill to date—committee members, witnesses, clerks and those who have given thoughtful contributions in this debate. As one of the last speakers in the debate, I will take the opportunity to summarise the aims of the bill and to explore some of the issues that have been raised, which the Education, Children and Young People Committee and the Government may wish to consider at stage 2. The bill is a vital step forward in keeping the Promise by 2030.”
“Our continued investment in relation to the Scottish attainment challenge over the past decade is helping to drive improvements at local authority level and in our schools, as is evidenced by the very welcome progress that we saw in the data on achievement in curriculum for excellence levels, which was published in December. Budget 2026-27”
“We all know that it is crucial that Scotland’s classrooms provide positive learning environments to support children and young people. How is the Scottish Government funding improvement to the pupil teacher ratio and, in turn, learning environments, as well as addressing the cost of the school day for those children who are most impacted by poverty? Jenny Gilruth: As I have set out, thanks to additional investment that was secured in last year’s budget and the efforts of education authorities, the census data that was published in December showed an increase in the number of teachers in our schools for the first time since 2022, which is to be welcomed. It also showed an improvement in pupil teacher ratios.”
“That is in addition to the cashback for communities initiative.”
“Every pupil and member of staff deserves to feel safe in Scotland’s schools. How is the Scottish Government working with the third sector, as well as with teachers and young people, to reduce the risk of young people engaging in violent behaviour? Angela Constance: All young people and staff should feel safe in our schools. Our third sector plays a crucial role in supporting schools and wider communities to tackle youth violence. In my original answer, I noted our investment in the violence prevention framework, which includes work with Medics Against Violence and with young people in schools and youth clubs on the consequences of knife carrying. The Scottish Violence Reduction Unit works with police school liaison officers on training teachers, and YouthLink Scotland delivers the national no knives, better lives programme.”
“The Law Society of Scotland has said that the legislation represents a “modern approach” and will “address uncertainties on a number of specific points around contract law”. If we agree to this very focused bill, we will make the law more accessible to lawyers and laypersons alike, reduce the number of disputes with consequential litigation, allow savings in court time and support preparation for litigation in contributory negligence cases. We must take our opportunity to ensure that contract law is fit for a modern Scottish economy. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I call Oliver Mundell, who has around four minutes. 13:44”
“I am pleased that the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee, working with stakeholder witnesses, has managed to show a broad consensus on the general principles of the bill, because we have to make the law clearer and more accessible. The Scots law of contract has largely developed as a matter of common law, which limits the law’s accessibility to those without legal training. We need to introduce a modern and clear statute that will deal with disputes between parties in a way that is not possible in any single court case. The bill will introduce legislation that makes changes to improve, simplify and update aspects of common law. The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee recommends that the general principles of the bill should be agreed to.”
“I will not need 16 minutes or four minutes or anything like that, but that is beside the point. I thank Lady Paton, as everyone else has done. The way in which she has led this work and work on other elements of Scots law is absolutely brilliant. I thank the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee’s clerking team, which has been excellent, as always. I also thank the Scottish parliamentary legal team for all the help that it has given us; it has been absolutely fabbydoo. The bill restates and reforms aspects of contract law in Scotland and will produce rules that are clear, certain and accessible. It is important economically and socially that the contract law regime in Scotland is fit for the 21st century, so we have to make changes to improve, simplify and update aspects of contract law.”
“The Deputy Presiding Officer: We will need brevity in both questions and responses.”
“Most powers in this area are reserved to the UK Government, so it is important that it uses its full powers and the levers at its disposal to make clean heating more affordable. It is vital that the electricity and gas markets are further reformed. On the Scottish Government’s work towards energy efficiency, we recently consulted on proposals for homes in the domestic private rented centre to meet new energy performance certificate heat retention rating band C by the end of 2033. The requirement will apply to new tenancies from 2028. We also recently introduced new regulations on energy performance certificates, which will bring an improved EPC rating system into force. We are taking steps to ensure that poor energy efficiency is no longer a driver of fuel poverty, which will positively contribute to the eradication of child poverty.”
“It is vital that we ensure that Scotland’s buildings become warmer, greener and cheaper. However, the high cost of energy continues to be prohibitive to many energy-efficient heating upgrades. Do you agree that we need substantial reform of the energy system to achieve affordable climate goals? Can you give any more detail on the Scottish Government’s work? The Deputy Presiding Officer: Members should speak through the chair. Gillian Martin: Bill Kidd is absolutely right that, in an energy-rich nation such as Scotland, no household should be struggling to heat their home. Measures that were announced by the chancellor will reduce average bills by only £12 a month, while significantly scaling back investment in energy efficiency and clean heating, when those are the actions that would cut bills permanently.”
“Earlier I mentioned the primary school in Kirkcaldy where I saw the employment of a family liaison officer. Other headteachers take different approaches. Across the country, around 3,000 extra staff are being employed in those roles as a result of the additionality from the Government, which is making a key difference and driving improvement.”
“As the cabinet secretary has mentioned, the poverty- related attainment gap in literacy and numeracy among primary school pupils reduced to its lowest ever level in 2024-25. How will the Government continue to combat that gap? Jenny Gilruth: I am delighted to see the progress across the board that the member has spoken about. The Government has given an undertaking that we will continue with the Scottish attainment challenge. Of course, it will be a matter for the next Government to decide on a policy approach, but, as we have seen evidence of today, it is delivering improvements in our schools as a direct result of the additionality that the Scottish Government has provided, whether through the pupil equity fund or the Scottish attainment challenge. For example, the addition of extra staff in our schools is making a huge difference.”