Chamber and committees

The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic is in Dundee today to visit the university and meet senior leadership and trade unions, having engaged with both parties in recent months. Although the university is autonomous and responsible for its own decisions, ministers have emphasised that fair work principles and meaningful engagement with staff and students are essential to compliance with the Scottish Funding Council’s conditions. The education secretary most recently met the SFC on 25 August to seek assurances on the university’s collective consultation and confirmation that the SFC would advise ministers on the university’s compliance before any further funding decisions.

I fully appreciate the concerns that have been raised regarding the university’s cost reduction measures, and I sympathise with those who are affected. It is imperative that the SFC continues to monitor the university’s compliance with all conditions, which apply throughout the funding period. The university has stated that the Scottish Government support has staved off the threat of insolvency and has protected jobs, and we remain committed to supporting the university towards a sustainable future.

Following the chief social work officers’ joint statement, I immediately convened a meeting with them to discuss all the concerns that were raised. After that, on 7 August, I jointly convened a multi-agency round table with Councillor Buchanan from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to identify practical actions that can be taken at local and national levels.

Through that collaborative work, partners have agreed a range of measures to be taken forward urgently to help to address the immediate pressures in the system, alongside longer-term actions that are aimed at increasing capacity. Although there is no single solution to these really complex challenges, all partners are committed to working together to deliver meaningful and sustained improvements.

As I said, the Scottish Government is very concerned about the challenges in securing suitable care placements for children and young people who are unable to remain with their families and about the pressures that that is placing on children, carers, families and the workforce. As I said, we are working very closely with COSLA and social work, which will incorporate work across portfolios, including housing.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital role that churches and other places of worship play for people of faith and wider communities across Scotland. Following the UK Government’s sudden decision to end the UK-wide listed places of worship grant scheme, I am pleased that Historic Environment Scotland has announced the new Scotland’s places of worship fund. The pilot scheme will make £1 million available in 2026 and 2027 to help eligible listed places of worship to meet VAT costs that are associated with repair and conservation works. It will also provide immediate support to faith communities while helping to inform consideration of future arrangements.

We are in the very early stages of discussing that issue, which I had a conversation about just yesterday. I will be happy to engage with the member on that topic.

The Care Leaver Payment (Scotland) Regulations 2026 state that, to be eligible for the care leaver payment, a young person must have been looked after under section 17(6) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 on or after their 16th birthday, and they must also have left care or continuing care on or after 1 April 2026.

The purpose of the payment is to help care leavers—those who have been looked after in accordance with section 17(6) of the 1995 act—to overcome financial challenges and to provide additional financial security when they leave care. Section 17(6) includes children who are in looked-after kinship care, which means that they are looked after by the local authority that places them with kinship carers. Young people who are subject to an order under section 11 of the 1995 act are not looked after for the purposes of section 17(6) and are therefore not eligible for the payment.

I am more than happy to meet the member. More broadly, however, we have to recognise the vital role that kinship carers play in caring for children and young people. That is why, earlier this year, we published “Scotland’s vision for kinship care: our offer of support for families”, following the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Act 2026, and introduced new rights for kinship carers and the children they care for.

We are now working with partners to develop a delivery plan to improve support and outcomes for kinship families across Scotland, so I would welcome a conversation with the member.

Under the Schools General (Scotland) Regulations 1975, local authorities must ensure that schools are open for at least 190 days of the year. A four-day school week would require an amendment to those regulations, and I emphasise that the Government currently has no plans to do that.

However, I recognise the value of opportunities for activities outwith formal education. That is why we are investing in initiatives such as the Scottish Football Association’s extra time programme and Sistema’s big noise, and we are taking forward plans to deliver outdoor education following the Parliament’s passing of the Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) (Scotland) Act 2026 in the previous session.

I thank the children at Sanderson’s Wynd primary school for engaging and for raising their views. I hope that they are watching.

We know that time outwith the school day is important to children and young people. When we engaged with primary school children in 2023 to co-design a children’s charter for school-age childcare, they told us that they valued choice about how to spend that time. They want to relax and spend time with friends and family, as well as to play and take part in a range of activities.

The choice to take part in clubs and activities is really important. As pupils will know, that can help children to feel happier, to make new friends, to do better at school and to learn new skills. We want every child to have the chance to choose something that they enjoy, whether that is sport, music, drama or any other activity that they love.