Official Report 378KB pdf
14:07
Queen’s Park Glasshouses
I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests, which shows that I am a member of Glasgow City Council. To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to assist Glasgow City Council in securing the necessary funding, resources and practical support required to keep the historic Queen’s Park glasshouses open, preserved and thriving as a valued community asset. (S7O-00060)
The Government appreciates the historic and community value of the Queen’s park glasshouses. Responsibility for their operation rests with Glasgow City Council. However, I am happy to engage with the council and with partners. Such discussions can include help to facilitate access to relevant funding programmes, encouraging partnership and community-led approaches, and ensuring that the council has advice and guidance from Historic Environment Scotland on suitable conservation.
As the cabinet secretary knows, Glasgow faces a unique responsibility with its array of listed heritage buildings in council ownership, coupled with an acute lack of capital infrastructure funding. In Glasgow Southside, we are already navigating the devastating prolonged closures of Govanhill baths and Langside hall. We cannot allow the historic Queen’s park glasshouses to become the next victim of the funding gap. The Glasgow Building Preservation Trust estimates that £400,000 is urgently needed to safeguard this vital community asset. Will the cabinet secretary commit today to meeting me, Glasgow City Council representatives and local campaigners at the glasshouses during the upcoming recess period to explore how we can bridge that funding gap?
Holly Bruce will know that the Government understands the importance of those matters, which is demonstrated not least by the investment that we are committed to making in the People’s Palace in Glasgow. My colleague Tom Arthur will shortly update the Parliament on those plans.
Projects such as the Queen’s park glasshouses can draw on a range of funding sources. The Government provides direct support for similarly ambitious projects through our regeneration capital grant fund and the place-based investment programme. There is more than £12 million available in annual Historic Environment Scotland grants for conservation, restoration and community engagement, and opportunities also exist through the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It is worth noting that a blended approach that combines public funding, partner contributions and community-led fundraising is often the most successful route.
Before I take a supplementary question from Paul Sweeney, I remind members that you should press your request-to-speak button only when you come to your question or wish to ask a supplementary question to someone else’s question. There are members who have pressed their button but who do not, I believe, want to ask a question about this specific issue. However, Paul Sweeney is not one of those members.
The cabinet secretary outlined an array of funding options. Capital funding is certainly one aspect, but the challenge in the immediate term is ongoing revenue funding. That issue is a direct result of the Scottish Government’s disproportionate cuts to Glasgow City Council’s core budget. Will the cabinet secretary identify any potential sources of short-term funding that could allow the council to maintain the asset’s operation in the next three months in order to bridge the gap so that we can get an agreed new permanent use in place?
I restate that I understand the connection that is felt to the Queen’s park glasshouses. Anecdotally, they provided an important day out for my own family in the south side of Glasgow, and we want to see them continue to do so. I have set out my willingness to have discussions with Glasgow City Council, community groups and MSPs who are keen to see the glasshouses back up and running. I have also made clear the range of funding sources that exist. I take on board what Mr Sweeney said about revenue versus capital funding, which is a matter that can be taken forward as part of the discussions that I have offered to have.
Air Pollution Monitoring (City Primary Schools)
I refer to my entry in the register of members’ interests and declare that I am a serving councillor on Dundee City Council.
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to calls from the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh for a national pilot programme to monitor air pollution around city primary schools. (S7O-00061)
The placement of air quality monitors is prioritised to cover potential air pollution hotspots. Additionally, over time, local authorities have progressively adapted their monitoring strategies to address specific local air quality issues. That approach ensures that any areas of concern, including locations such as schools where vulnerable groups may be present, will be covered.
We know that there is a correlation between areas of high deprivation and poor air quality for children and adults, which exacerbates pre-existing health inequalities. We also know that children are among the most susceptible to harm from air pollution. In Dundee, we are lucky enough to work with Professor Jill Belch, who is a professor of vascular medicine at the University of Dundee’s school of medicine. She advised me that only four of our 34 primary schools are within a 250m range of any accurate monitoring equipment. That means that, at present—
Ask a question, please.
—in 30 of our primary schools, we do not know how safe our children are from damaging air pollution. Would the cabinet secretary welcome Dundee City Council piloting an air monitoring project at primary schools in our city?
I would welcome anything that the council decides to do in relation to where it puts its monitors and any pilot that it might want to go forward with. Improving air quality to protect the health of Scotland’s population, particularly children and young people, is a key priority.
The latest air quality data shows that Dundee is meeting its air quality objectives, which is great news and reflects sustained improvements across the whole city. That is underpinned by a robust monitoring network. There are six automatic monitoring stations, which are supplemented by 89 non-automatic monitors located in areas that have been identified by the local authority as having the most need.
The low-emission zone in Dundee is also helping to drive cleaner air. Decisions on where monitors are placed are for the council, but they tend to be in areas of higher pollution. Because those monitors show a decrease in pollution, the low-emission zone is obviously having an effect across the whole city.
The science shows that even modest improvements in air quality result in significant improvements in health, particularly in disadvantaged communities. Will the Scottish Government be revising the current out-of-date air quality standards that we have in Scotland to reflect the better, more up-to-date, more science-based World Health Organization standards, which will start to put some ambition back into our air quality strategy? I know that the cabinet secretary will be revising that strategy, but will the standards reflect the better, more up-to-date WHO standards?
Mark Ruskell is absolutely right, and 2026 is a key year in that regard. Proposals for a long-term air quality policy framework will succeed the cleaner air for Scotland 2 strategy when it expires at the end of this year. We are developing those proposals, including assessing the feasibility of matching or exceeding the new European Union targets that were introduced in 2024, and we are making progress towards meeting the remaining WHO guidelines.
Winchburgh Train Station
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when construction work on Winchburgh train station will begin. (S7O-00062)
The member knows that the Government is committing to ensuring that there is a new train station at Winchburgh. We are continuing to work with West Lothian Council and Winchburgh Developments in that regard. I hope that I will be able to update the chamber in the not-too-distant future in respect of that.
Currently, it takes more than an hour to get the bus from Winchburgh to central Edinburgh. That is a journey of under 15 miles. The train to Waverley would take around 15 minutes.
Last week, the cabinet secretary opened a debate on growing Scotland’s economy, which I know is a topic that is close to his heart and important to our country. Does he appreciate how important the station will be for the local economy and for Scotland’s wider economy? Will he tell my constituents when they will be able to board the first train?
I would love to be in a position to do that here today. It is important to recognise that it is for West Lothian Council and Winchburgh Developments to take forward construction of a new station, but we are willing to engage with them in that process. They have already been in communication with the Government.
I hear the member championing the cause, and I have read that other members championed it prior to the election, too. I assure her and her constituents that I am very conscious of that.
I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests, as I am an elected member of West Lothian Council.
I welcome the Scottish Government’s clear commitment to delivering a Winchburgh station, including reference to it in this year’s budget statement and in the Scottish National Party’s election manifesto. The cabinet secretary will also be aware of the important work that was undertaken by his predecessor, Fiona Hyslop, as the previous local constituency MSP, and by Jim Fairlie, in his ministerial role, in convening partners through a steering group. Will he commit to building on that work and to continuing to provide the leadership that is needed to bring partners together to ensure that this long-awaited station is delivered?
It is important to place on record the important work that was undertaken by the former constituency member, Ms Hyslop, and by Mr Fairlie in his ministerial role. I look forward to working with the new constituency member to take forward the matter, and I am sure that we will be able to do so in a collegiate fashion.
Flood Protection (Grangemouth)
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made regarding funding for the Grangemouth flood protection scheme. (S7O-00063)
The Scottish Government is in close contact with Falkirk Council on how to progress the Grangemouth flood protection scheme. In February, we provided £1.6 million to the council, which will be used to support the next stage of the scheme’s development. That is in addition to the £23 million that the council has received from the Scottish Government for the scheme since 2016-17.
Falkirk Council deserves credit for the years of work that it has put into managing flood risk. With climate change increasing the risk of flooding around Grangemouth and upstream, plans to protect 6,000 people, 2,760 homes, 1,200 businesses and 23km of roads from a major flood event are very welcome. As initial design work is about to start, what discussions has the Scottish Government had with the major industrial companies in Grangemouth about their financial contribution to the Grangemouth flood protection scheme?
I thank Martin Day for that important supplementary question. We will continue to work with Falkirk Council, the United Kingdom Government, businesses and investors to secure a long-term sustainable future for the industrial cluster. My officials working on flood policy have been invited to join the Grangemouth future industry board, where substantive discussions on how local companies can contribute to the scheme can happen. I am certain that offers of private contributions will be greatly appreciated by the local authority, given that the scheme will ultimately protect those businesses as well as residents.
More generally, Scotland’s national flood resilience strategy commits to exploring new ways in which public and private finance can contribute to creating flood-resilient places.
That scheme is so big that it is of UK significance, and it has always been my view that the UK Government should help to fund it. Has the cabinet secretary been in any direct discussions with the UK Government about sourcing funding for the scheme?
I agree with the substantive premise of Graham Simpson’s question. Flood defences are for the Scottish Government to provide, but given the size of the scheme, any contribution would be welcome. Obviously, the UK Government has been working with the Scottish Government on issues around the industrial cluster, but the member raises an important point. In multifaceted schemes such as this one, we need to look at where we can find additional support where it is needed. I do not think that I have asked the UK Government for any assistance with this scheme, but I will certainly take Mr Simpson’s suggestion on board.
Road Infrastructure Commitments (North East Scotland)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will honour, in full, commitments made by previous ministers for transport to upgrade road infrastructure in the north-east of Scotland. (S7O-00064)
Yes.
I am grateful to hear that reassurance, because the minister will know the dangers of the A90 north of Ellon, particularly at the Toll of Birness and Cortes junctions, which the Scottish National Party Government has shamefully failed to address. In fact, in 2007, Alex Salmond promised to dual the A90 in his first 100 days as First Minister.
With the SNP Government having failed to deliver on that for approaching two decades, will the cabinet secretary commit to a completion date, or will he follow his predecessors by abandoning communities north of Ellon?
Of course, in order to get to Ellon from the south, people right across Scotland have the opportunity to drive on the Aberdeen western peripheral route—a nearly £1 billion project that was delivered by the SNP Government of the time and which Mr Kerr seems to have forgotten even exists.
In relation to the junction—indeed, the road slip—that Mr Kerr refers to, which I go past often on my way to Peterhead, we made a clear commitment on that in our manifesto, and we will stick to it.
Can the cabinet secretary remind the chamber what improvements to road infrastructure the SNP Government has made in the north-east and outline what more it will deliver in the future? [Interruption.]
Of course I can, but I appreciate that members are conscious of time, so I do not want to list them all. I can draw Mr Middleton’s attention to what I drew Mr Kerr’s attention to, which is the Aberdeen western peripheral route. It was a huge investment in the north-east of Scotland and the city of Aberdeen that has improved the lives of many of Mr Middleton’s constituents and ensured that we have consistent economic growth in our city.
Teaching Contracts
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress it has made towards reducing the number of teachers on short-term or temporary contracts. (S7O-00065)
Local authorities are responsible for teacher employment practices, as they are the employer of teachers. However, the Government is doing everything possible to maximise the number of teaching jobs that are available, including permanent posts. The 2026-27 budget continues to provide local authorities with an additional £186.5 million to protect teacher numbers. The number of teachers in Scotland’s classrooms has increased by more than 2,700 over the past decade as a result of investment, and we have the best teacher pupil ratio in the United Kingdom.
However, in recognition of difficulties in securing permanent posts, we have committed to delivering the reforms that are necessary to provide a jobs guarantee for a minimum of three years for newly qualified teachers.
Teaching unions have raised concerns that the way in which local authorities advertise temporary contracts is making work difficult to access for some teachers, by creating an inequality for those with caring responsibilities and those who are unable to check their phones because they are working.
The advertising sites are not collecting data that would highlight the scale of the issue. Will the cabinet secretary commit to looking into ways to collect that data to ensure that all teachers have equal access to work?
As we do the careful work that is required to design and, thereafter, implement the conditions for a three-year teacher job guarantee, I will, of course, consider, among many other issues, the points that Katherine Sangster has put to me about the very practical question of how roles are advertised and the ways that individuals with different needs can access the roles. That is but one important part of developing the right conditions for the three-year teacher job guarantee that the Government is undertaking.
I hope that we can all welcome the Scottish Government’s plans to deliver the reforms that are necessary to provide a teacher job guarantee for a minimum of three years for newly qualified teachers. How does the cabinet secretary anticipate that that measure will support Scotland’s teaching workforce?
I recognise, and the Government recognises, that the lack of available jobs after probation has, for some prospective teachers, been a significant concern. The commitment to a teacher job guarantee demonstrates that we have listened to that and are prepared and determined to work with partners to find solutions. The measures will provide greater certainty at the start of a teacher’s career, supporting early career retention and morale, while helping to ensure a more stable and sustainable workforce.
The former education secretary and now Deputy First Minister, Jenny Gilruth, said in January this year that teachers would need to relocate to where the jobs are. Mike Corbett from the NASUWT condemned those comments. Does the new cabinet secretary agree with the Deputy First Minister, or does she agree that the issue comes down to a dysfunctional teacher supply system that still sees teachers trapped in short-term or temporary contracts?
On the substance of Meghan Gallacher’s question—setting aside any misquoting of cabinet secretaries—the fact is that, as I put to Colm Merrick, the Government has invested significantly in the retention of teachers and the growth of teacher numbers in Scotland. We understand the importance of finishing one’s probation and then being able to move into secure employment. That is why, alongside the other investments that we are making, we are committing to a teacher job guarantee and doing the work required to develop that. I look forward to working with members and with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities as we develop that.
Pupil Support Assistants (Rural Primary Schools)
I refer to my entry in the register of interests, which shows that I am a sitting councillor on Highland Council. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how any reduction in hours or withdrawal of pupil support assistant posts will impact rural primary schools, particularly in the Highlands and Islands region. (S7O-00066)
Pupil support assistants play an absolutely vital role in our classrooms and schools and in our young people’s education. They are essential and valued members of the school learning teams and communities. That is why we continue to provide £15 million each year to help local authorities to maintain record levels of investment in those vital staff.
I thank the cabinet secretary for recognising the importance of our PSAs. However, every summer, pupils, parents, teachers and pupil support assistants are left wondering what their classrooms will look like after the holidays. One PSA recently told me that they were informed before the start of the school day that there was no allocation for their post beyond the summer. Having just moved into their first rented flat, they do not know how they will pay the bills.
Does the cabinet secretary accept that the annual cycle of uncertainty is failing staff and pupils? What action will the Scottish Government take with local authorities to ensure that young people receive the support that they need to reach their full potential?
I recognise the seriousness of the issue that Andrew Baxter raises. It bears repeating that local authorities are the employers of teachers and that, therefore, any assessment that is done regarding the reduction of hours or the withdrawal of pupil support staff in schools in the sort of rural setting that he mentions, or in any school, is a matter for the local authority. However, I am clear that local authorities must allocate resources, including for pupil support staff, on the basis of local needs and priorities and, crucially, through meaningful engagement with the school community.
Pupil support assistants have an essential role to play in our classrooms. Can the cabinet secretary provide any update on the steps that the Scottish National Party Government is taking to support schools, including in Scotland’s rural areas, to deliver more pupil support staff?
I can. It is worth noting for a moment where we are now. The latest figures show that, in Scotland, we have 16,908 pupil support assistants, which is the third highest number on record and an increase of nearly 1,645 since 2020. However, in our manifesto, the Government committed to considering ways that we can support the career pathways of pupil support staff by enhancing training, development and accreditation in order to improve recruitment and retention, which will ensure that those valued members of staff can make an impact on young people’s lives.
Air Quality (Scottish Transport Emissions Partnership)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work carried out by the Scottish transport emissions partnership in relation to local air quality management. (S7O-00067)
We all recognise the importance of clean air, particularly those of us who walk around with weans. Unfortunately, the Scottish transport emissions partnership is no longer active, but I advise Katie Hagmann that action is currently driven by the cleaner air for Scotland strategy.
The cabinet secretary will be aware that the A77 trunk road runs through Girvan in my constituency, carrying significant heavy goods vehicle traffic to and from the port of Cairnryan. Local groups, including GoGirvan, which is a community regeneration group, seek support in order to monitor air quality, noise and vibration impacts in Girvan. Given Transport Scotland’s responsibility for the trunk road network, can the cabinet secretary outline what direct support his officials can provide, and is he willing to meet the group to discuss its concerns and its request for a feasibility study on a bypass for the town?
I am sympathetic to the campaigners’ arguments—it is very hard not to be. I have asked my officials to engage with those campaigners and to feed back to me as quickly as possible whether any action could be taken that is within the Government’s scope.
Thank you, colleagues. That concludes general questions. I apologise to those whose supplementary questions were not called due to time constraints.
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