Chamber and committees

As I have explained previously, it is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage their early learning and childcare estate in consultation with local communities to which they are democratically accountable. Although it would not be appropriate for me to comment on an individual council’s processes, I can confirm that senior officials have written to Aberdeenshire Council to highlight the requirements of statutory guidance in relation to the mothballing of local authority services.

I understand that Mr Burnett is keen to take up my previous offer of a meeting, which I believe is now in the process of being arranged, and I look forward to it.

Ms Mackay raises an extremely important point. In relation to the challenges, the addressing depopulation action plan sets out the Scottish Government’s strategic approach to supporting local communities that face population decline, of which lack of childcare is an important driver. We have made grants available to local authorities via the fund, and two of those grants focus on addressing childcare issues in areas that are affected by acute population decline. For example, Highland Council is examining the workability of subsidised childminding, and Western Isles Council was granted funding to pilot new models of training in childcare in order to bolster employability.

Any bullying is unacceptable and must be addressed promptly and effectively. Online bullying can take place at any time of day, during school time or after hours, and we recognise the impact that it can have on a young person.

In November, we published updated anti-bullying guidance, which has an increased emphasis on how schools can support young people who are experiencing online bullying. Together with the Minister for Victims and Community Safety, I am leading a joint ministerial task force that is focused on tackling online harms, which will seek to identify what more can be done to protect young people online.

I can confirm, as I said in my previous answer, that senior Scottish Government officials wrote to the council’s director of education on 29 May to draw the council’s attention to the existing mothballing guidance, including the provisions relating to consultation with affected families and communities.

Mr Hoy has raised a crucial point. As he said, online bullying can take place outside the school gates, which adds an extra level of complexity. A lot of what we have been talking about in the chamber this afternoon is to do with tackling violence. Supporting our teachers has a part to play in that, as well as ensuring that incidents are recorded and children and young people have the confidence to come forward and report such incidents.

On the work that I am leading alongside Ms Brown, I can confirm that the online safety task force’s priority will be to engage with the UK Government and social media and tech companies on those exact matters in order to seek a better way forward to protect our children and young people from online harm.

Wi-fi in local schools would be a matter for local schools and local authorities. However, I am more than happy to write back to Mr Whitfield with more detail on the matter that he has brought to me.

Disclosure Scotland engages regularly with sectors that use its services. Feedback received covers a range of areas related to the PVG scheme, highlighting needs and questions and addressing what works well.

The PVG scheme covers a diverse base of stakeholders, some of which have unique needs and concerns, but feedback is continuously addressed and has led to the provision of additional guidance for certain sectors, alongside training workshops and a dedicated stakeholder engagement function.

Yes, absolutely, and I would like to provide clarity today. In response to feedback, Disclosure Scotland has developed an exceptions process to allow children to apply for PVG scheme membership from the age of 15 years and eight months, so that it is active from their 16th birthday in order to prevent what Mr Eagle has referred to from happening. The exceptions process is available across all sectors, including sports, and it was put in place to support young people who leave school and move into a regulated role as their chosen career or to a further education pathway that can include training or work in sports coaching.

The process requires the child to make a paper application, which will be processed to commence from their 16th birthday. However, as a result of what Mr Eagle raised with me, we will look at the guidance and work with Disclosure Scotland on the information that is being provided to ensure that it reflects an accurate position.

I thank Roz McCall for her questions. I do not agree with the sentiment that we are in the same position that we were in when I delivered my first statement on the issue. I have been very open and transparent with the Parliament. I have recognised the issues, and we have taken direct action. I have laid out progress in every single statement that I have made to the Parliament. Although I appreciate that there are still on-going issues, I am committed to laying out, and have been very open and honest with the Parliament in doing so, the routes that we are exploring at the moment. They might not all come to fruition, but this Government is taking action.

On how many children are placed in secure care or have not been able to get a place, the Scottish Government does not routinely hold case-specific information on that—I believe that I gave the same answer to Roz McCall in response to her question on my previous statement. However, I assure her that every single child’s case is assessed on a case-by-case basis to ensure the safety of that child and of the other children in the secure care estate. That will continue as we go on. I highlight that we have four spaces, and I am looking to augment that further.

I am interested in understanding how Meghan Gallacher believes that the statement shows that we have no confidence in our response. I have been very clear that I have confidence in our response. It is a difficult issue, and nobody is backing away from it. Meghan Gallacher is bringing to me hypotheticals about what would happen if Rossie was not available. Rossie is available, as a direct result of Scottish Government funding and Scottish Government priority.

I do not want to deal with hypotheticals; I want to deal with fact and reality, which is exactly what I have laid out in my statement.

In relation to the Promise bill, I was clear in committee, and I have been clear today, that the Promise bill is coming, and that it will come in good time to ensure that the committee can scrutinise it. I want to make sure that the bill is as strong as possible so that it can deliver on the Promise that was made to care-experienced children and young people, and I am sure that, when the bill is introduced, it will do just that.