Does the cabinet secretary agree that ADP helps people to get into and stay in employment? If ADP is cut, more people in Scotland will have to claim other benefits because they are not able to work. I remind members that I am in receipt of higher-rate ADP.

I, too, thank Fulton MacGregor not only for only bringing the debate to the chamber but for all the work that he has done as the convener of the cross-party group on social work. I have had the pleasure of being part of that group, which has been very much driven by him. I am grateful for his contribution.

Lest I forget, I add the same comments that others have made about the minister as she leaves this place. I am sure that her future is bright and rosy.

As this might well be my last speech in this session—who knows what the electorate will do in a few weeks’ time?—I put on record my thanks to the people of Lothian for allowing me to represent them for the past 10 years. I also thank all the people in the Parliament who look after us and help us. I want to put on the record that their support for me has been outstanding. I made my maiden speech in a members’ debate like this one, so it seems fitting for me to conclude in this debate.

As I said in the debate last week on the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill, my wife and I have had personal experience of breakdown of adoption. It is not appropriate to go into the details of that, but, from that experience, and having spoken to many other people, particularly here in Edinburgh and Lothian, about their stories, I think that the report shines a light on many of the difficulties that people face, not only once they have adopted but in getting to the point of adoption.

I hope that whoever is returned to the Parliament after the election and whoever forms the next Government will build on what we did last week and continue on the journey. As my friend Roz McCall said, there is still a lot to do and this is not the end of the journey.

In my short contribution, I will make three simple points from personal experience and from picking up on what the report says. First, as Martin Whitfield said, support needs to come at key moments, which will vary for people, depending on their adoption journey. For some, it will mean early intervention and help. For others, it will come when the child hits their teenage years or when they transfer between secondary and further education or job opportunities. It might come at other times in people’s lives. We all know that social workers are under pressure, and there is often a lack of flexibility. There is too much of a postcode lottery, as other members have said—not only a postcode lottery but a council lottery. Given the size of our nation, there must be some way in which we can pull together good practice from across Scotland to do this.

Secondly, again, as Martin Whitfield said, there is the financial cost, which is often ignored. It is looked at well in fostering but less so in adoption. If we are to fully support people who take on children, they should have some financial help throughout that journey.

Finally, there is an issue around the process of how the transfer takes place when the child comes into the family. Again, that is often left to a postcode lottery and it often does not happen well. Support is not there, and too many people encounter difficulties and fall at the first hurdle, whereas, if there was just a bit more support at that point, it could be a different story.

I thank Fulton MacGregor, and I look forward to hearing the minister’s response. I hope that we all—whether we are in the Parliament or outside—commit to real changes in the next parliamentary session.

19:27

I, too, thank Fulton MacGregor not only for only bringing the debate to the chamber but for all the work that he has done as the convener of the cross-party group on social work. I have had the pleasure of being part of that group, which has been very much driven by him. I am grateful for his contribution.

Lest I forget, I add the same comments that others have made about the minister as she leaves this place. I am sure that her future is bright and rosy.

As this might well be my last speech in this session—who knows what the electorate will do in a few weeks’ time?—I put on record my thanks to the people of Lothian for allowing me to represent them for the past 10 years. I also thank all the people in the Parliament who look after us and help us. I want to put on the record that their support for me has been outstanding. I made my maiden speech in a members’ debate like this one, so it seems fitting for me to conclude in this debate.

As I said in the debate last week on the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill, my wife and I have had personal experience of breakdown of adoption.

It is not appropriate to go into the details of that, but, from that experience, and having spoken to many other people, particularly here in Edinburgh and Lothian, about their stories, I think that the report shines a light on many of the difficulties that people face, not only once they have adopted but in getting to the point of adoption.

I hope that whoever is returned to the Parliament after the election and whoever forms the next Government will build on what we did last week and continue on the journey. As my friend Roz McCall said, there is still a lot to do and this is not the end of the journey.

In my short contribution, I will make three simple points from personal experience and from picking up on what the report says. First, as Martin Whitfield said, support needs to come at key moments, which will vary for people, depending on their adoption journey. For some, it will mean early intervention and help. For others, it will come when the child hits their teenage years or when they transfer between secondary and further education or job opportunities. It might come at other times in people’s lives. We all know that social workers are under pressure, and there is often a lack of flexibility. There is too much of a postcode lottery, as other members have said—not only a postcode lottery but a council lottery. Given the size of our nation, there must be some way in which we can pull together good practice from across Scotland to do this.

Secondly, again, as Martin Whitfield said, there is the financial cost, which is often ignored. It is looked at well in fostering but less so in adoption. If we are to fully support people who take on children, they should have some financial help throughout that journey.

Finally, there is an issue around the process of how the transfer takes place when the child comes into the family. Again, that is often left to a postcode lottery and it often does not happen well. Support is not there, and too many people encounter difficulties and fall at the first hurdle, whereas, if there was just a bit more support at that point, it could be a different story.

I thank Fulton MacGregor, and I look forward to hearing the minister’s response. I hope that we all—whether we are in the Parliament or outside—commit to real changes in the next parliamentary session.

19:27

I, too, thank Fulton MacGregor not only for only bringing the debate to the chamber but for all the work that he has done as the convener of the cross-party group on social work. I have had the pleasure of being part of that group, which has been very much driven by him. I am grateful for his contribution.

Lest I forget, I add the same comments that others have made about the minister as she leaves this place. I am sure that her future is bright and rosy.

As this might well be my last speech in this session—who knows what the electorate will do in a few weeks’ time?—I put on record my thanks to the people of Lothian for allowing me to represent them for the past 10 years. I also thank all the people in the Parliament who look after us and help us. I want to put on the record that their support for me has been outstanding. I made my maiden speech in a members’ debate like this one, so it seems fitting for me to conclude in this debate.

As I said in the debate last week on the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill, my wife and I have had personal experience of breakdown of adoption. It is not appropriate to go into the details of that, but, from that experience, and having spoken to many other people, particularly here in Edinburgh and Lothian, about their stories, I think that the report shines a light on many of the difficulties that people face, not only once they have adopted but in getting to the point of adoption.

I hope that whoever is returned to the Parliament after the election and whoever forms the next Government will build on what we did last week and continue on the journey. As my friend Roz McCall said, there is still a lot to do and this is not the end of the journey.

In my short contribution, I will make three simple points from personal experience and from picking up on what the report says. First, as Martin Whitfield said, support needs to come at key moments, which will vary for people, depending on their adoption journey. For some, it will mean early intervention and help. For others, it will come when the child hits their teenage years or when they transfer between secondary and further education or job opportunities. It might come at other times in people’s lives. We all know that social workers are under pressure, and there is often a lack of flexibility. There is too much of a postcode lottery, as other members have said—not only a postcode lottery but a council lottery. Given the size of our nation, there must be some way in which we can pull together good practice from across Scotland to do this.

Secondly, again, as Martin Whitfield said, there is the financial cost, which is often ignored. It is looked at well in fostering but less so in adoption. If we are to fully support people who take on children, they should have some financial help throughout that journey.

Finally, there is an issue around the process of how the transfer takes place when the child comes into the family. Again, that is often left to a postcode lottery and it often does not happen well. Support is not there, and too many people encounter difficulties and fall at the first hurdle, whereas, if there was just a bit more support at that point, it could be a different story.

I thank Fulton MacGregor, and I look forward to hearing the minister’s response. I hope that we all—whether we are in the Parliament or outside—commit to real changes in the next parliamentary session.

19:27

I, too, thank Fulton MacGregor not only for only bringing the debate to the chamber but for all the work that he has done as the convener of the cross-party group on social work. I have had the pleasure of being part of that group, which has been very much driven by him. I am grateful for his contribution.

Lest I forget, I add the same comments that others have made about the minister as she leaves this place. I am sure that her future is bright and rosy.

As this might well be my last speech in this session—who knows what the electorate will do in a few weeks’ time?—I put on record my thanks to the people of Lothian for allowing me to represent them for the past 10 years. I also thank all the people in the Parliament who look after us and help us. I want to put on the record that their support for me has been outstanding. I made my maiden speech in a members’ debate like this one, so it seems fitting for me to conclude in this debate.

As I said in the debate last week on the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill, my wife and I have had personal experience of breakdown of adoption. It is not appropriate to go into the details of that, but, from that experience, and having spoken to many other people, particularly here in Edinburgh and Lothian, about their stories, I think that the report shines a light on many of the difficulties that people face, not only once they have adopted but in getting to the point of adoption.

I hope that whoever is returned to the Parliament after the election and whoever forms the next Government will build on what we did last week and continue on the journey. As my friend Roz McCall said, there is still a lot to do and this is not the end of the journey.

In my short contribution, I will make three simple points from personal experience and from picking up on what the report says. First, as Martin Whitfield said, support needs to come at key moments, which will vary for people, depending on their adoption journey. For some, it will mean early intervention and help. For others, it will come when the child hits their teenage years or when they transfer between secondary and further education or job opportunities. It might come at other times in people’s lives. We all know that social workers are under pressure, and there is often a lack of flexibility. There is too much of a postcode lottery, as other members have said—not only a postcode lottery but a council lottery. Given the size of our nation, there must be some way in which we can pull together good practice from across Scotland to do this.

Secondly, again, as Martin Whitfield said, there is the financial cost, which is often ignored. It is looked at well in fostering but less so in adoption. If we are to fully support people who take on children, they should have some financial help throughout that journey.

Finally, there is an issue around the process of how the transfer takes place when the child comes into the family. Again, that is often left to a postcode lottery and it often does not happen well. Support is not there, and too many people encounter difficulties and fall at the first hurdle, whereas, if there was just a bit more support at that point, it could be a different story.

I thank Fulton MacGregor, and I look forward to hearing the minister’s response. I hope that we all—whether we are in the Parliament or outside—commit to real changes in the next parliamentary session.

19:27

The number of pupils who are identified as having additional support needs has risen by about 97 per cent since 2013, with about 43 per cent of pupils now recorded as having an ASN. However, support provision has not kept pace. Although the £29 million funding increase from 2025 is welcome, Audit Scotland reports that only 12 per cent of education spending is allocated to ASL and only a minority of schools have dedicated facilities. Given the gap between demand and provision, what specific action will the Government take to increase pupil support assistant staffing and ensure that funding delivers tangible improvements for pupils in every classroom?

I thank the former First Minister for her words. I am not sure that there are lots of things that we agree on politically, but I think that her advice to her younger self is excellent. I had the privilege of being a lobbyist in this Parliament 26 years ago, and I can see the difference since then. Some of the changes have been very positive, but I absolutely agree with Nicola Sturgeon that the way that we conduct ourselves in this chamber is not the way that the Scottish people would want us to. I also want to acknowledge that we have this bill before us today only because of the work that Nicola Sturgeon has done, and, on behalf of the many young people whom I have engaged with on the bill, I thank her for getting us here.

I also thank the charities and groups that have contacted me, spoken to me and helped me with the amendments that I moved last night.

I think that we are still in a good place with cross-party support. I hope that, no matter who forms the next Government and which parties are represented in the next Parliament, that will continue and hold together.

There are some really good things in the bill. I am particularly pleased about the movement on kinship care, and I thank the minister for the work that she has done on that.

In the speaking time that I have left, I will ask three simple questions about where we are and about the bill.

The first is on the issue of UNCRC compliance, on which I agree absolutely with Ross Greer—again, that does not happen often. I hope that the bill is compliant. We have had warnings from the Law Society of Scotland and a number of charities questioning compliance, even given the amendments that we agreed to yesterday. I fear that there will be a legal challenge to the bill from somebody. Clearly, it will take better legal minds than mine to decide on that, but I hope that, whatever challenge comes, we can build on the bill and that, whatever challenges the court brings back to the next Parliament, they can be dealt with quickly.

My second question is on whether the bill can be delivered in practice. I welcomed the comments about that from the minister in her opening speech and from other members. We have to listen carefully to those who have given us briefing papers and warnings on the issue, whether that is social workers, COSLA or others. They have said that the bill will not work unless we fund local services better. This Parliament and this Government cannot do that; it will be a challenge for the next Government and Parliament. If we are truly going to have children’s hearings that work, if we are truly going to have the right interventions at the right time, and if we are truly going to support grandparents, uncles, aunties and others to provide kinship care, it all needs to be funded, and I hope that that will happen.

Finally, what comes next? I join colleagues in thanking the minister for her work at stages 2 and 3. If I am honest, the reason why she is such a good minister is that we gave her a hard time as convener of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee when she first arrived in the Parliament. She has grown in her role as a leader, and she has taken the bill through in a way that many others could learn lessons from.

With both the minister and the former First Minister leaving, and with who knows who being elected in May, my worry is this: who will pick up the challenge after the election? I hope that, in the same way as the present First Minister, Mr Rennie and Mr Greer have done, the two leaders from the Labour Party and the Conservative Party will give a commitment that, whoever forms the next Government, we will see the Promise delivered by 2030. The bill will not be worth the paper that it is written on unless we—not just this Parliament but civic society as a whole—do that.

I hope that the bill will be delivered. It is the first step, and I look forward to seeing what bill is introduced in the next session of Parliament. I am sure that we will all get behind whoever leads it, so that it will be delivered and, most importantly, so that some of the most vulnerable children in our society get a better chance than they have today.

18:29

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether the current levels of pupil support assistant staffing in schools to support pupils with additional support for learning are adequate, including steps required where shortages exist. (S6O-05668)

I thank the former First Minister for her words. I am not sure that there are lots of things that we agree on politically, but I think that her advice to her younger self is excellent. I had the privilege of being a lobbyist in this Parliament 26 years ago, and I can see the difference since then. Some of the changes have been very positive, but I absolutely agree with Nicola Sturgeon that the way that we conduct ourselves in this chamber is not the way that the Scottish people would want us to. I also want to acknowledge that we have this bill before us today only because of the work that Nicola Sturgeon has done, and, on behalf of the many young people whom I have engaged with on the bill, I thank her for getting us here.

I also thank the charities and groups that have contacted me, spoken to me and helped me with the amendments that I moved last night.

I think that we are still in a good place with cross-party support. I hope that, no matter who forms the next Government and which parties are represented in the next Parliament, that will continue and hold together.

There are some really good things in the bill. I am particularly pleased about the movement on kinship care, and I thank the minister for the work that she has done on that.

In the speaking time that I have left, I will ask three simple questions about where we are and about the bill.

The first is on the issue of UNCRC compliance, on which I agree absolutely with Ross Greer—again, that does not happen often. I hope that the bill is compliant. We have had warnings from the Law Society of Scotland and a number of charities questioning compliance, even given the amendments that we agreed to yesterday. I fear that there will be a legal challenge to the bill from somebody. Clearly, it will take better legal minds than mine to decide on that, but I hope that, whatever challenge comes, we can build on the bill and that, whatever challenges the court brings back to the next Parliament, they can be dealt with quickly.

My second question is on whether the bill can be delivered in practice. I welcomed the comments about that from the minister in her opening speech and from other members. We have to listen carefully to those who have given us briefing papers and warnings on the issue, whether that is social workers, COSLA or others. They have said that the bill will not work unless we fund local services better. This Parliament and this Government cannot do that; it will be a challenge for the next Government and Parliament. If we are truly going to have children’s hearings that work, if we are truly going to have the right interventions at the right time, and if we are truly going to support grandparents, uncles, aunties and others to provide kinship care, it all needs to be funded, and I hope that that will happen.

Finally, what comes next? I join colleagues in thanking the minister for her work at stages 2 and 3. If I am honest, the reason why she is such a good minister is that we gave her a hard time as convener of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee when she first arrived in the Parliament. She has grown in her role as a leader, and she has taken the bill through in a way that many others could learn lessons from.

With both the minister and the former First Minister leaving, and with who knows who being elected in May, my worry is this: who will pick up the challenge after the election? I hope that, in the same way as the present First Minister, Mr Rennie and Mr Greer have done, the two leaders from the Labour Party and the Conservative Party will give a commitment that, whoever forms the next Government, we will see the Promise delivered by 2030. The bill will not be worth the paper that it is written on unless we—not just this Parliament but civic society as a whole—do that.

I hope that the bill will be delivered. It is the first step, and I look forward to seeing what bill is introduced in the next session of Parliament. I am sure that we will all get behind whoever leads it, so that it will be delivered and, most importantly, so that some of the most vulnerable children in our society get a better chance than they have today.

18:29

I thank the former First Minister for her words. I am not sure that there are lots of things that we agree on politically, but I think that her advice to her younger self is excellent. I had the privilege of being a lobbyist in this Parliament 26 years ago, and I can see the difference since then. Some of the changes have been very positive, but I absolutely agree with Nicola Sturgeon that the way that we conduct ourselves in this chamber is not the way that the Scottish people would want us to. I also want to acknowledge that we have this bill before us today only because of the work that Nicola Sturgeon has done, and, on behalf of the many young people whom I have engaged with on the bill, I thank her for getting us here.

I also thank the charities and groups that have contacted me, spoken to me and helped me with the amendments that I moved last night.

I think that we are still in a good place with cross-party support. I hope that, no matter who forms the next Government and which parties are represented in the next Parliament, that will continue and hold together.

There are some really good things in the bill. I am particularly pleased about the movement on kinship care, and I thank the minister for the work that she has done on that.

In the speaking time that I have left, I will ask three simple questions about where we are and about the bill.

The first is on the issue of UNCRC compliance, on which I agree absolutely with Ross Greer—again, that does not happen often. I hope that the bill is compliant. We have had warnings from the Law Society of Scotland and a number of charities questioning compliance, even given the amendments that we agreed to yesterday. I fear that there will be a legal challenge to the bill from somebody. Clearly, it will take better legal minds than mine to decide on that, but I hope that, whatever challenge comes, we can build on the bill and that, whatever challenges the court brings back to the next Parliament, they can be dealt with quickly.

My second question is on whether the bill can be delivered in practice. I welcomed the comments about that from the minister in her opening speech and from other members. We have to listen carefully to those who have given us briefing papers and warnings on the issue, whether that is social workers, COSLA or others. They have said that the bill will not work unless we fund local services better. This Parliament and this Government cannot do that; it will be a challenge for the next Government and Parliament. If we are truly going to have children’s hearings that work, if we are truly going to have the right interventions at the right time, and if we are truly going to support grandparents, uncles, aunties and others to provide kinship care, it all needs to be funded, and I hope that that will happen.

Finally, what comes next? I join colleagues in thanking the minister for her work at stages 2 and 3. If I am honest, the reason why she is such a good minister is that we gave her a hard time as convener of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee when she first arrived in the Parliament. She has grown in her role as a leader, and she has taken the bill through in a way that many others could learn lessons from.

With both the minister and the former First Minister leaving, and with who knows who being elected in May, my worry is this: who will pick up the challenge after the election? I hope that, in the same way as the present First Minister, Mr Rennie and Mr Greer have done, the two leaders from the Labour Party and the Conservative Party will give a commitment that, whoever forms the next Government, we will see the Promise delivered by 2030. The bill will not be worth the paper that it is written on unless we—not just this Parliament but civic society as a whole—do that.

I hope that the bill will be delivered. It is the first step, and I look forward to seeing what bill is introduced in the next session of Parliament. I am sure that we will all get behind whoever leads it, so that it will be delivered and, most importantly, so that some of the most vulnerable children in our society get a better chance than they have today.

18:29