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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 4 May 2021
  6. Current session: 13 May 2021 to 23 March 2026
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Displaying 1474 contributions

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Education, Children and Young People Committee [Draft]

VAT and Independent Schools

Meeting date: 18 February 2026

Paul McLennan

You mentioned the interaction with local authorities, and I know that Compass works very well with its local authority. We are probably still in the early stages of seeing the impact on schools of applying VAT to fees. You talked about some numbers dropping already. It might be like asking, “How long is a piece of string?”, but what do you think the impact will be over the next two or three years? If you were to come back here in three years, what do you think you would say that the impact had been?

Education, Children and Young People Committee [Draft]

VAT and Independent Schools

Meeting date: 18 February 2026

Paul McLennan

I am the member for East Lothian and Lorraine Davidson mentioned Compass, which I have visited a few times. I will come to that in a second. Belhaven Hill school is also in my hometown of Dunbar, and I think that you mentioned that about 5 per cent of children travel into Edinburgh every day to attend schools.

I have a couple of things to ask. You mentioned the short implementation date. That was the biggest concern for Compass. As with any business, it needs to be able to plan around its cash flow into the future. The decision came on top of the employer national insurance contributions, which also put real pressure on the school. Can you say a wee bit more about the cumulative impact of the decision on VAT, as well as the impact of employer national insurance contributions on the sector as a whole? I have a few other questions, but if you could answer that first. Compass has real concerns about its long-term sustainability.

Education, Children and Young People Committee [Draft]

VAT and Independent Schools

Meeting date: 18 February 2026

Paul McLennan

In my discussions with Compass, that issue was specifically mentioned as being a real concern.

When I last visited Compass, the school had just won a national award for intergenerational education. The Minister for Equalities has been to speak to the school as well. It was fantastic to see the link to the local community, particularly Haddington, and the work that the school has done with people from different parts of the community.

Can you say any more about the sector and its influence in that regard? I can see the importance of the work of Compass in Haddington specifically, but can you say more about the sector’s work more generally?.

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee [Draft]

Neurodivergence

Meeting date: 17 February 2026

Paul McLennan

I am the SNP MSP for East Lothian.

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee [Draft]

Neurodivergence

Meeting date: 17 February 2026

Paul McLennan

I am the MSP for East Lothian.

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee [Draft]

Neurodivergence

Meeting date: 17 February 2026

Paul McLennan

I have a couple of questions. I looked through the information and wondered about the prevalence of neurodivergences in young offenders. It is really startling that the prevalence rate is 60 to 90 per cent in young offenders. The other thing that was talked about was inequalities. Autistic people are nine times more likely to die by suicide, but the prevalence of communication disorders in the general population is only 5 to 10 per cent. Can we do more in terms of prevention? Are we doing as much as we can in relation to the prevalence figures? For me, that is a really important point. Sixty to 90 per cent is startlingly different from 5 to 10 per cent. Are we doing enough at the start of the process?

Superintendent Gallie, I will come to you at some stage. I met the local command team, and one of the key things that they said is that they almost feel that their role is more social work than policing. Is there something that we can do on the prevalence figures?

Sarah Angus, you talked about people with vulnerabilities and then you moved on to people with communication disorders. Is there more that we can do in that area before it even gets to the stage of people offending? That 60 to 90 per cent figure is absolutely startling.

Superintendent Gallie, I will come to you first on the point about the police, but, more generally, can you comment on that figure? For me, that is the stand-out figure in the evidence.

10:00

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee [Draft]

Neurodivergence

Meeting date: 17 February 2026

Paul McLennan

I will open it up to others, as I was going to ask about reasonable adjustments, which I think that you almost moved on to.

Does anyone else want to come in? I see you nodding your head, Inga.

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee [Draft]

Neurodivergence

Meeting date: 17 February 2026

Paul McLennan

We will all be aware of the paper from the Royal College of Psychiatrists that contains the 10-point plan. One of the key things that it talks about is the national guidance on reasonable adjustments. I was a councillor for 15 years, but I also have experience of dealing with parents in East Lothian at the moment, and I see that there are different aspects of it. The way in which the guidance is interpreted in schools is different from teacher to teacher.

I have been working with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, which provided external support with neurodiversity for parents in East Lothian. The council then said, “We don’t need external support,” and removed that support, which has caused significant issues for parents.

It is a multifaceted issue. What are your views on the RCP’s paper and, in particular, what it says about reasonable adjustments? What more can be done about the way in which local authorities are operating, whereby there is not even a uniform policy within schools, never mind across the local authority area?

Every week, I engage with parents on this issue. As I have discussed the issue with Dani Cosgrove, I will come to her first.

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee [Draft]

Neurodivergence

Meeting date: 17 February 2026

Paul McLennan

I can see that Bill Colley is ready to come in.

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee [Draft]

Neurodivergence

Meeting date: 17 February 2026

Paul McLennan

Perhaps Sarah Angus can come in on this, too. The key point is that this is almost what you might call failure demand. If the prevalence rate is 60 to 90 per cent as opposed to 5 to 10 per cent, it means that we are having to deal with the symptoms before we can actually get to the causes. I do not know about the work that goes on where you are, Sarah, but, to me, that seems to be a key focus. Of course, rehabilitation is incredibly important, too.

I will come to you first, Sarah, and then open it up to others.