The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 4488 contributions
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 5 February 2025
Edward Mountain
Thank you, convener. I always like to come to the petitions committee because of the wide range of subjects, but this petition is particularly personal for me. It revolves around the question of safeguarding children. The simple question that we seem to be faced with is: what price do we put on safeguarding children, and do we think that what we are doing at the moment is right?
If I may, convener, I will briefly allude to a story that I have been dealing with in my constituency. It relates to a child who was approached by a teacher who was making sexual comments and innuendo to that child. The child made a complaint and left the school before they had finished their schooling. The complaint took a very long time to go through the Highland Council, and the consequence was that the teacher was found guilty. However, there were complications in that some of the investigation was prolonged by the fact that the teacher in question had had a relationship with one of the people who was investigating, and the outcome was that the child failed to complete their education.
It is actually worse than that, because it was all a secret story that resulted in the teacher being dismissed and saying, “I’ve done nothing wrong” to members of the public and the child being unable to defend themselves because nothing was made clear. I believe that Highland Council misrepresented and did not carry out its safeguarding responsibilities for that child. The council ended up marking its own homework and keeping the results quiet and not publishing them. The long-term consequences happened purely to the child.
I struggled with that and with the parents having to deal with that, because it seems so wrong. I find it difficult to accept, which is why I absolutely believe that we need an independent inquiry and an independent national whistleblowing officer, so that parents can make sure that their children are actually safeguarded in schools. At the moment, in my humble opinion, the situation favours the employee, because the employer is investigating and has a responsibility for protecting the employee, however bad they have been, from the outcomes of any inquiries.
I raised that issue with the General Teaching Council in Scotland and I did not get an acceptable outcome, which is why I believe that the committee ought to consider the matter further and push the Government harder. Frankly, it does not know who will do the role. There was a question about cost, which is unacceptable. What cost do we place on safeguarding people? What cost do we place on safeguarding our children? Frankly, I do not think that the cost is too high, because we need to get it right.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 February 2025
Edward Mountain
I hoped that that was what it meant, but I could not find it laid down definitively in any valuation manuals that I remembered from my days of being a surveyor, which are long gone.
I have a final, very straightforward, yes-or-no question that I have asked everyone who has come to give evidence on the bill. The cabinet secretary has said that the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill aims to deliver strengthened rights for local communities and greater involvement in decision making, development that takes account of local need, more diverse land ownership, environmental purposes and modernisation of the legal framework for tenant farming and small holdings.
As it stands, is the bill going to deliver that, Rob Carlow—yes or no?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 February 2025
Edward Mountain
I have not taken part in our discussion on riparian management but, because Sarah Madden has mentioned it, I point out that my entry in the register of members’ interests shows that I have an interest in a salmon fishery, which involves the carrying out of such activities.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 February 2025
Edward Mountain
I add that so that there is no dubiety.
Kevin Stewart wants to come in, after which I will go to Rhoda Grant.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 February 2025
Edward Mountain
Good morning, and welcome to the fifth meeting in 2025 of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee.
Our first item of business is to decide whether to take items 3 and 4 in private. Item 3 is consideration of the evidence that we will hear today on the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, and item 4 is consideration of a draft report on the Great British Energy Bill legislative consent memorandum and supplementary LCM. I am asking members also to agree that consideration of the report be taken in private at future meetings, if there need be any. To be clear, that is a contingency, and I hope that we will not need to have any more meetings and that we will be able to sign off the report today so that Parliament can consider the LCM on Thursday. Do members agree to take those items in private?
Members indicated agreement.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 February 2025
Edward Mountain
I am happy if you deal with—
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 February 2025
Edward Mountain
Welcome back to our meeting of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee. This is our second panel on part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill and it is made up of investors and/or investment experts. We have Rob Carlow, director of investment and operations, forestry, at Gresham House; Finlay Clark, head of energy and climate at Bidwells; and Sandra Holmes, head of community assets at Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
I remind members that I made a full declaration of interests at the start of the session, which remains extant. I also say for clarity that I have known Finlay Clark for some years because we worked together until 2006—I do not mean that, since then, we have worked against each other, but that we were in the same company until then.
I start with an easy question to Rob Carlow. For the record, could you clarify the scale and extent of the landholdings of Gresham House and its subsidiary companies—however that land is actually held, not just managed?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 February 2025
Edward Mountain
Okay. It is probably fair to say that it is more than 1,000 hectares.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 February 2025
Edward Mountain
Okay, that will be on the record, and it will be up to the committee members whether they want to take that forward.
Thank you very much for coming to give evidence this morning. We will now move into private session.
12:19 Meeting continued in private until 13:08.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 February 2025
Edward Mountain
Is that a yes or a no?