Official Report 875KB pdf
Regeneration Projects (Support for Community Organisations)
To ask the Scottish Government what support it offers to community organisations that are seeking to take forward regeneration projects. (S6O-05307)
We have a strong history of supporting community-led regeneration in Scotland through a range of policies, initiatives and funding opportunities across Scottish Government. Those include, for example, our regeneration programmes—which we have delivered successfully for more than 10 years—such as the regeneration capital grant fund. Through that fund, we have supported the delivery of more than 230 community projects with nearly £250 million of investment. That is complemented by our strengthening communities programme, which supports community organisations to build their capacity to develop and take forward shared local plans for the community.
The United Kingdom Government recently announced pride in place funding, and I was disappointed that Mayfield in my constituency was not included, following the abandonment of a previous funding pledge from the Conservative UK Government in 2024. Will the Deputy First Minister advise whether the UK Government had any contact with the Scottish Government during the allocation of that funding?
I am conscious that Welsh Labour politicians are also raising legitimate concerns about the UK Government’s approach to devolution, describing the decision to impose policy on Wales as “deeply insensitive” and “a constitutional outrage”. I hope that the Scottish Labour members will speak out as well as their Welsh counterparts.
The Secretary of State for Scotland wrote to me, along with other stakeholders, seeking input on potential neighbourhoods for receipt of pride in place funding, but that was after he had already determined the selection methodology. The UK Government did not consult us on the development of the pride in place programme and the methodology does not align with our approach to delivering regeneration in Scotland. Therefore, the UK Government made the decision on which places will receive pride in place funding and the Scottish Government was not involved.
Will the Deputy First Minister at least welcome the fact that £40 million of capital investment is going into two very deprived communities in Glasgow—Springburn and Sighthill, and Castlemilk—and that the funding will be allocated and prioritised by a neighbourhood board that will be set up in conjunction with the local authority, local parliamentarians and councillors? That could be an interesting experiment in how we direct significant levels of capital funding in deprived communities. Is the Scottish Government interested in engaging with that in a way that will enable us to build further capital investment in clearly deprived communities?
On Paul Sweeney’s point on funding for deprived communities, I make it clear that, whether it be under the Conservatives or Labour, communities will always welcome being in receipt of funding. The first challenge that we have concerns the methodology for determining the funding, because there will be other deprived communities that were looking forward to some funding and will be confused as to why some communities were chosen over others.
Secondly, the transparency of the methodology is also vital if we are to ensure that every penny is well spent. In that respect, it will benefit from being aligned with other money that is being spent.
Finally, the Scottish Government will always engage with communities such as those that Paul Sweeney has identified.
Transport Workers (Assaults)
I remind members of my voluntary registration of trade union interests.
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address the issue of assaults against transport workers. (S6O-05308)
Assaults against transport workers are never acceptable and will not be tolerated. This month, I helped launch the respect our rail workers campaign, which pledges that partner organisations will work together to ensure that staff feel more protected and supported when they are faced with unacceptable behaviour. We have convened a working group to examine police enforcement powers on the railway and to strengthen responses to unacceptable behaviour.
We are also working with Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to review existing fixed-penalty notice legislation. I have also written to the British Transport Police Authority to express my concerns about its budget cuts to Scotland, which were not consulted on or agreed to.
I thank the cabinet secretary for that reply.
Violence on our rail network is on the rise, and transport workers are in particular danger. British Transport Police has reported a 43 per cent increase in assaults against rail workers in Scotland between April and September this year, compared to the same period last year. When I met workers from rail, ferries and the taxi trade just last week, they described to me assaults at work that no one—no one—should face, and all this is happening at a time when the British Transport Police is reducing jobs and station coverage.
So, will the cabinet secretary act to end unsafe lone working practices on ScotRail and make sure that minimum safe staffing levels are met? Will she support the creation of a stand-alone offence for assaulting a public transport worker, similar to existing protections for other high-risk sectors like retail?
There are a number of aspects to that. I have raised my concerns about the situation with the British Transport Police—indeed, I wrote to it on 15 December. Part of the action that I am taking, along with our rail authorities, is to look at an enhanced police service agreement. That should not be needed, but we are prepared to take such action.
As for further legislation, the working group that I mentioned is bringing people together, including the unions. I work with the unions on a regular basis, and they are pleased with the activity that has been taking place through the group, which is looking at a number of issues including fixed-penalty notices, banning orders, greater protections for rail workers and youth justice. As I have said, we are working with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, too.
The measures that Richard Leonard has set out would involve my working with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, and the member has my full assurance that we are taking the matter extremely seriously.
Recent reports from across Scotland highlight a rise in antisocial behaviour, and not just on our transport network. The reason for that is simple: there is no deterrent in place. There are hardly any consequences for perpetrators, and they know it. How can the cabinet secretary assure transport workers and the public that those responsible will face real consequences? Just writing a letter and having more talking shops will not cut it.
I do not think that Sharon Dowey listened to my first answer, in which I talked about looking at legislation on fixed-penalty notices and what can be done in relation to enforcement. Enforcement is an operational matter for Police Scotland, as I am sure that Sharon Dowey understands.
However, in terms of visibility, we are looking at having more workers on our transport network and at the idea of safety officers, particularly on our bus network. There is also the legislation that has just been laid before the Parliament on the enforcement of bus pass suspension measures. Those are all actions that are being taken by our Government. We are also providing funding to Police Scotland to allow it to do what Sharon Dowey is asking for—that is, its job, which is all about enforcing existing legislation.
Programme for Scotland’s Childminding Future (Support)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to further support the programme for Scotland’s childminding future beyond its current three-year cycle in order to continue to grow the number of childminders across Scotland. (S6O-05309)
Childminding is a welcome, valued and important part of the childcare offer for children and families in Scotland. I am keen to enable more people to become and to remain childminders.
We are providing £1.6 million of funding to the Scottish Childminding Association this year to help to improve the recruitment and retention of childminders. The association’s current programme is expected to run until 2027 and has expanded across Scotland, with 30 local authorities now involved, including South Lanarkshire Council.
The £1 million funding that was announced last year was designed to improve the recruitment and retention of childminders and to increase the childminding workforce by 1,000. However, the most recent statistics show that the number of childminders fell from 3,225 in 2023 to 3,040 by the end of last year. Does the Scottish Government still agree with its 2023 programme for government that childminders are “essential” to the childcare ecosystem? If so, is it prepared to better the token gestures that it has so far come up with?
This is a really positive programme, but the decline in the childminding workforce is a long-term trend that, sadly, is mirrored across the entire United Kingdom. The programme has been active for 18 months, and it can take six to nine months for prospective new childminders to complete their induction.
However, recruitment is only part of the solution. More than 200 childminders have already participated in innovative pilots as we explore different ways of better supporting existing childminders. It is still relatively early days, but we have invested the funding and are committed to our childminding workforce.
Recent statistics on the uptake of early learning and childcare funded hours demonstrate the Scottish National Party Government’s investment in supporting children and families. What assessment has the minister made of those figures in relation to the evaluation of ELC expansion?
I welcome the 2025 census, which shows that more than 90,000 children were registered for funded ELC across Scotland in 2025. It is encouraging to see further evidence that so many families are choosing to take up our expanded ELC offer.
An interim evaluation that was published in 2024 found promising signs that the ELC expansion is delivering improvements in flexibility and affordability for families across Scotland. That speaks to our overall investment and, equally, to the priority that we have given to all forms of childcare, such as through our investment in childminding. Next year, we are due to publish our overarching outcomes-based evaluation, which will provide further important insights.
Question 4 has not been lodged.
Edinburgh Tram Network (Funding)
Presiding Officer, I wish you and other members a very happy Christmas.
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm that it will not allocate any further funding to the extension of the tram network in Edinburgh. (S6O-05311)
Work has recently begun to develop a proposed mass transit system for the south-east Scotland region known as SEStransit, which will be led by the regional transport partnership. The project is an important recommendation from the second strategic transport projects review. It aims to improve connectivity across the region, potentially comprising a mix of tram and bus-based transit modes, including bus rapid transit.
The Scottish Government has no plans to fund a stand-alone extension of Edinburgh’s tram network, which is a separate project that is being promoted by the City of Edinburgh Council.
I thank the cabinet secretary for her answer and, in particular, the end of it. Does she agree that any extension of the Edinburgh tram network would be a vanity project by the City of Edinburgh Council and that it would be far better if the council spend its money on fixing potholes and mending the pavements, which are so badly maintained?
I will not comment on the City of Edinburgh Council’s running of its own transport system. That is a matter for the council, which is held to account by the city’s councillors and by the public.
I emphasise that the second strategic transport projects review is quite specific about the need for a cross-region mass transit system, which is what we anticipate will be developed.
On trams, I point out that 11,000 responses were submitted during the consultation period, which closed on 17 November, and that the consultation will inform the development of a strategic business case for the expansion of the tram network. The business case will be presented to the City of Edinburgh Council’s transport and environment committee in 2026, and that is the appropriate course.
New Teacher Recruitment
Presiding Officer, I draw members’ attention to my entry in the register of members’ interests, which shows that I am a former teacher.
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of an increase of 63 full-time equivalent teachers in 2025 compared with the previous year, how it will fulfil its commitment to recruit 3,500 new teachers before the end of the current parliamentary session. (S6O-05312)
The Scottish Government has been clear that teacher numbers not only support the profession but lead to improved outcomes for pupils. Since 2014, the number of teachers has increased by more than 2,500 as a result of investment from the Scottish Government. In last year’s budget, we provided extra funding, with an uplift in ring-fenced funding for teacher numbers to £186.5 million. This year’s census data shows that, as a result of the increased funding to protect teacher numbers, there was an overall increase in the number of teachers for the first time since 2022. Scotland’s pupil to teacher ratio also improved to 13.2 and remains by far the lowest in the United Kingdom.
I am grateful for that response. So, the commitment will not be kept?
There is an awful lot of good news in Scottish education in 2025. Teacher numbers have increased for the first time since 2022, thanks to direct—[Interruption.]
Let us hear the cabinet secretary.
Teacher numbers have increased for the first time since 2022, thanks to direct investment from this Government. As a result of the budget—which, I remember, Scottish Labour members were unable to bring themselves to vote for—[Interruption.]
Thank you, members.
—the attainment gap for primary pupils in literacy and numeracy has reduced to its lowest level on record. Class sizes have reduced in our primary schools. Attendance rates are improving. Nearly all three and four-year-olds are in receipt of 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare, which is saving families up to £6,000 per year. The Government’s investments are improving outcomes for Scotland’s young people. What a pity that, even at Christmas time, the Scottish Labour Party cannot bring itself to celebrate that progress.
Marionville Fire Station (Proposed Closure)
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s public consultation on the proposed closure of Marionville fire station in Edinburgh. (S6O-05313)
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service completed a public consultation on its service delivery review, and an analysis of the responses is currently being conducted. It is important to stress that that analysis is independent of both the Scottish Government and the SFRS and that it will inform the final decisions that the SFRS board takes in 2026.
The purpose of the review is to better align resources to current risks. The SFRS plans to redeploy resources that are freed up by any changes that it makes to provide greater resource to its prevention and protection function, to boost training provision, to ensure that firefighters remain fully ready and competent to keep communities safe from the changing risks that they need to respond to, and to invest in the fire stations that need investment the most.
There is overwhelming public and cross-party opposition to that fire station being closed. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has acknowledged that the closure will lead to slower response times—an extra four to six minutes for residents in the north-east of the city. Once that analysis has been reported, will the minister meet a cross-party delegation and local residents to understand the real concern across Edinburgh about the closure of that fire station? The Government should understand that and take on board the public feeling.
The emergencies that the SFRS responds to have changed significantly over the years. For example, the number of dwelling fires has reduced by 20 per cent since 2013. The SFRS chief officer would not make changes to operations that would put the public at an unacceptable level of risk. Those in the SFRS are the experts—we, as politicians, are not—so we should allow them to take decisions on how the service should be best configured.
Scotland’s Rural College (Elmwood Campus)
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the on-going reduction to both provision and facilities at the Elmwood campus of Scotland’s Rural College in Cupar, what its position is on the future of the college’s base in the North East Fife constituency. (S6O-05314)
SRUC’s Elmwood campus continues to play an important role in delivering further and higher education in Cupar. Although SRUC is an autonomous institution with responsibility for its own decisions in relation to provision and facilities at Elmwood, I would expect it to take into account the needs of students, staff and the wider community. In line with its statutory responsibilities, the Scottish Funding Council will continue to offer appropriate support to further and higher education institutions, including SRUC, as they develop their own plans.
Since SRUC took over the Elmwood campus, courses and facilities have been gutted. There has been a college in North East Fife since 1953. Will the minister agree to meet the local groups that have formed and that are concerned that there will be no future for the campus if SRUC is allowed to continue to strip its assets and reduce the number of courses that are available?
I would be happy to engage with Alex Rowley and take up that correspondence, if he can facilitate that.
I had a good meeting with SRUC in recent weeks. I am aware that SRUC’s decision earlier this year to close its main building at Elmwood due to concerns about structural deterioration and long-term financial viability has raised questions. However, SRUC provides an important role for further and higher education students in Cupar—we are very aware of that—so it is welcome that it has stated its commitment to retaining a presence in Elmwood and that there are no plans to close the campus.
SRUC has also advised that its animal care provision will remain on offer at its other campuses, while horticulture and gamekeeping provision will remain on offer at Elmwood.
That concludes general question time.
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First Minister’s Question Time