 The first item of business is portfolio questions, and we start with question number one from Alexander Stewart. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking regarding the charitable status of university commercial activities. Minister Shirley-Anne Somerville. There are no plans to review the charitable status of universities or their commercial activities. The Scottish Government responded to the recent Barclay review on 12 September and indicated that it will undertake further engagement on the recommendation to remove charity rates relief from certain types of university activity. Barclay was clear that the recommendation did not relate to core functions of universities, including education provisions and research and development. Barclay was also clear that there were not recommending that the charitable status should be removed from universities. Alexander Stewart. I thank the minister for her response. The Scottish Government is still consulting on the decision whether to remove the charitable status on commercial elements of universities as laid out in the Barclay review. Can the minister comment on the advice that she has taken to date on that and whether it has considered the financial impacts that it will have on universities and local communities in an era of very tight local government budgets? Minister. As Mr Mackay set out when he responded to the Barclay review, the Scottish Government will undertake a thorough consultation on that and some other recommendations within that review. I am sure that both myself and Mr Mackay will have numerous conversations with universities, Scotland and with different institutions to seek their views. I look forward to taking part in that process. Marie Todd. To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has with Inverness College UHI. Minister Shirley-Anne Somerville. The Scottish Government is engaging regularly with Inverness College, along with four other colleges as part of the colleges improvement project on retention and attainment. The Scottish funding council also engages with Inverness College as part of the University of the Highlands and Islands through the annual outcome agreement process. Marie Todd. I thank the minister for that answer. In a recent newspaper article, the new principal and chief executive of Inverness College UHI, Professor Chris O'Neill, said that the cloud of uncertainty about the nature of the final Brexit deal meant that he did not still did not know what he was going to have to do to support his EU colleagues and UHI's cohort of 374 EU students. Expressing particular fears for the future of science industries, he said that it was interesting that Brexit leader David Davis was talking about the way in which he wants to negotiate a relationship with Europe that preserves our extraordinary capacity to attract and develop world-class science. UHI is, of course, a university that would not have come into existence without EU support. Does the minister agree with Professor O'Neill's description of the UK's decision to leave the EU as a tragedy? Minister. I agree with the principal's statements. While we welcome the UK Government's wish to continue to participate in EU science and innovation programmes, it is very difficult to see how our institutions are going to do that effectively without continued freedom of movement for our academics, our researchers and our students. I am afraid that this is yet another example of that lack of long-term planning and the joined-up thinking around the UK Government's decisions around Brexit. When you combine that with the UK Government's student visa policies and with its intention to still tighten the grip on immigration for international students, that continues to send a negative message to students considering Scotland for their studies, and that is something that the Scottish Government is determined to work against. Richard Lyle, question 3. First, I refer members to my register of interests and the convener of the showman's cross-party group and the member of the showman's guild Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes when drafting educational documentation, equality monitoring and learning tools to ensure that show people are considered. As part of our commitment to excellence and equity in education and in planning and policy development processes, we routinely consider the needs of a wide range of stakeholders and groups. A recent example is the work to develop guidance for improving the educational outcomes of children and young people from travelling cultures. My officials worked with a diverse group of stakeholders with a breadth of experience and skills in working with a range of travellers to prepare the draft guidance that has been consulted on. My officials made sure that the Scottish showman's guild was aware of the consultation and invited their input, met with them directly to hear their views as part of the consultation exercise. Richard Lyle I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer and for the work that it is carrying out with the showman's guild. Through my work as the showman's guild convener, I frequently came across issues relating to representation of show people on formal school documents. Can I therefore ask the cabinet secretary specifically what further guidance and action can be taken by the Scottish Government to deliver for show people by ensuring that they are represented as an ethnic group, they are not travellers and they are not gypsies on relevant school records and documentation? Richard Lyle Some of the issues that Mr Lyle raises in this respect are material for the decisions around the composition of the census, for example, which is a responsibility of the registrar general for Scotland. I will ensure that the registrar general hears the points that Mr Lyle has made. Those issues were touched upon during the meeting that I had with Christine Stirling, the education officer of the showman's guild, with Mr Lyle back on 15 March. Having said all that I have said about the classification issues that are involved, I want to assure Mr Lyle that the additional support for learning act places duties on education authorities to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils, whatever the reason is for that support. The act does not require a child to be identified as belonging to any particular defined group for those duties to apply. The issues and concerns that Mr Lyle raises should be taken into account by the provision that is designed to fulfil the statutory obligations on local authorities in terms of the additional support for learning act. Jeremy Balfour Do the Scottish Government when it will review its guidance on mobile phone use in primary schools? The Scottish Government currently has no plans to review its guidance on mobile phone use in schools. We urge schools on local authorities to think carefully about how they can best utilise mobile phones to enhance education, while also educating learners about their appropriate use. Jeremy Balfour Can I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer? Will he be aware that two studies have identified the risk of allowing primary school children access to mobile phones while attending school? Research carried out by the London School of Economics found that schools were restricted access to mobile experience average improved their test score of about 14.2 per cent. In the USA, it shows that children between 18 and 11 are significantly more likely to be victims of cyberbullies if they own a mobile phone and take it to school. Based on those and other findings, will the cabinet secretary agree with me that it is now time to ban mobile phones in all primary schools in this country? No, I do not share that opinion. The research that Mr Balfour sites in the London School of Economics indicates what he has described to the research, but it also noted that it is possible that structured use of mobile phone technology can enhance learning and teaching. The fundamental point comes down to the appropriate use and the arrangements that are put in place for appropriate mobile phone use within our school system. I do not think that that should be prescribed from St Andrew's house. I think that that should be decided by teachers in the classrooms of our schools, and they should have the freedom to determine what is the appropriate approach to take and how mobile phones can contribute towards enhancing the learning environment. Mr Balfour raises a significant issue, which is about the exposure to cyberbullying, which I do not in any way minimise. There is a significant point to be addressed here, where, as a Government, we need to be part of the education process to equip young people with the resilience to be able to resist any bullying that takes place in whatever circumstance, particularly in relation to the question in a cyberspace, and to make sure that young people are educated in the proper and effective use of technology that can enhance their learning opportunities. That is the way that the Government will take forward those issues. To ask the Scottish Government how the number of teacher training places at the University of Aberdeen in the current academic year compares with last year. Presiding Officer, student teacher intake targets are agreed annually between the Scottish Funding Council and universities. The agreement is dependent on capacity within individual universities and subject requirements. The number of initial teacher education places available at the University of Aberdeen in the current academic year is 578 compared to 565 in 2016. Lewis MacDonald? I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. He will know that the number of postgraduate places for primary teachers has been reduced this year across Scotland, including a loss of very disappointing reduction of six places at the University of Aberdeen. Can he undertake today that there will be no further reduction in the number of primary education training places at Aberdeen? The workforce planning model used for that purpose will take proper account of the continuing challenge in recruiting and retaining primary teachers in the north and northeast. I certainly give Mr MacDonald the assurance on the last point that he raised that the workforce planning model will be designed to address the requirements for recruitment into the teaching profession around the country. That model is informed by a variety of different strands of information. Some of them are about the number of pupils that we anticipate to have in our schools, the level of retirement from the profession, the level of voluntary exits from the profession and a variety of other factors that are borne in mind as part of that process. The workforce planning model then drives the decisions that are made about the initial teacher education intake into individual institutions. The work is undertaken openly and comprehensively with a range of information sources to enable us to arrive at the best assessment of the level of intake that would be appropriate. That is the model that is applied in every year, and it will be applied in future years into the bargain. Ash Denham Can the cabinet secretary outline what impact the teaching makes people campaign has had on the profession and whether recent trends show an increase in the proportion of post-probationary teachers in employment? In the last year, the increase in the teacher intake as a consequence of all our efforts, which included the teaching makes people campaign, was a 19 per cent increase in PGDE students into Scottish universities compared to the previous year. The current campaign has resulted in a 21 per cent increase in STEM undergraduates considering teaching as a profession. The efforts that we have put into promoting and encouraging the profession and encouraging individuals to see teaching as an opportunity to transform the life chances of individuals is proving successful. In relation to the point on post-probationary employment, I can share with the chamber that the census has indicated that the percentage of post-probationary teachers in employment increased from 58 per cent in 2010 to 87 per cent in 2016. It is a significant increase in post-probationary employment. Thomas Mason Thank you, convener. Minister, you promised that the class sizes would be no more than 2025 in secondary schools. Recently, it has been reported that the number of classes over 30 has come up by 25 per cent. Have you any comment on this? Is the teacher places that you say going to be filled, coming from the colleges, going to be fulfilled to reduce that gap sufficiently so that the generation of children will not be disadvantaged? The recruitment into the teaching profession is a significant priority for the Government. It is for that reason that the level of places that are available at initial teacher education settings has increased by 77 per cent since 2010, so the Government is making determined efforts to ensure that we have the appropriate number of teachers in our schools. We work with local authorities, as I explained in my answer to Mr MacDonald a moment ago, to identify the appropriate number of teachers that need to be recruited to ensure that we have an adequate supply. I am, of course, aware that there are challenges in certain subjects and in certain areas of the country, and for that reason the Government has put in place a number of specific measures that are designed to encourage individuals to come in to teach STEM subjects, for individuals to come in to teach home economics and for individuals to come in to teach English. We will continue to assess the scale of the workforce to be driven by the information and data that comes from our dialogue with local authorities in the recruitment of teachers. Tavish Scott Thank you, Presiding Officer. I wonder if the cabinet secretary could clarify whether teacher trainer applications now include the SIMD data, the SIMD data, in respect of the criteria for widening access to universities. Is that now something that is used in assessing whether an undergraduate gets a place or not? Obviously, the approach on widening access is an agenda that is comprehensive across all the areas of the recruitment into our universities. There will not be specific targets in relation to the teaching profession, but there will be particular objectives that the commission on widening access set for us across the range of different institutions. As Mr Scott will be aware, the Scottish funding council just on Tuesday published the information that the commission on widening access asked it to produce on the approach to widening access. That will now become an annual source of reporting on a transparent basis. Obviously, ministers are encouraging institutions to engage strongly on the widening access agenda. It is a central part of the guidance letter that the minister for higher and further education has issued to the sector and will be the subject of scrutiny as part of progress on the fulfilment of outcome agreements by institutions. To ask the Scottish Government how many foundation apprenticeships there are. Minister, Jamie Hepburn. We are committed to providing up to 5,000 foundation apprenticeship places by 2019. This year, we are already expanding the availability of foundation apprenticeships and ensuring that they are available in all local authority areas. Foundation apprenticeships are an additional choice for every pupil who sees the value in work-based learning. They are a new way for young people to learn with the chance to get a head start in a career by gaining industry recognised qualification, working on real projects and real experience that employers look for. The programme is designed to provide a challenging vocational learning experience with a focus on developing the skills that employers and learners need for. In 2016-18, there was a total of 354 foundation apprenticeship starts registered by the end of September 2016. It will be in a position in the coming weeks to confirm the number of requested starts for 2017-19 foundation apprenticeships. The young workforce in the foundation apprenticeship scheme is bringing together schools, colleges and the business sector to give young people more opportunities both when they are at school and when they leave. Can the minister tell me if there are any barriers to accessing foundation apprenticeships and if there are any plans to introduce them in other sectors? Thank you, Presiding Officer. Ms Ross mentions the developing young workforce initiative. Of course, that is a critical element of ensuring pupils come out of school better prepared for the world of work. It does indeed involve close engagement between employers. Ms Ross is quite right to talk about the business sector across all sectors, public, private and third sector, but to bring close engagement between employers and the educational environment. I have been very fortunate and privileged to go to the Highlands and Islands to see some of the great work that Ms Ross is doing. If she would like me to visit there, I would be very happy to. Foundation apprenticeships are a critical element of our developing young workforce offer. There are around 400 foundation apprentices being provided in the Highlands and Islands this year. It is an increasingly important offer. We are determined not only to grow the number of foundation apprenticeships, but also the number of opportunities. There are presently 10 frameworks in place. There will shortly be 12 from 2018. There will be two new frameworks in accountancy and food and drink operations. That demonstrates the commitment that we have to the scheme. We are determined to further embed it as an important part of the school experience. It was interesting to hear the minister's reply to the question because, unlike modern apprenticeships, no statistics or numbers are published on a regular, quarterly or even annual basis for foundation apprenticeships or graduate apprenticeships either. Will the minister undertake to ensure that that information is made available as the programme develops? Yes, I will. I am glad that the minister mentioned the Highlands and Islands. Unlike the two pilot projects where there were seven choices, young people in Kirkwall, Lowick, Stonaway and Thurso have only two subject choices, while those in Elgin currently only have three. Can the minister assure me that the Scottish Government is committed to increasing the subject choices available for young people in Scotland's remote and rural communities? Yes, I can. Admirably brief. Do you ask the Scottish Government how many care experienced and accommodated young people are eligible for continuing care and how that compares with the number that is receiving it? Since 1 April 2015, 16-year-olds who have been looked after in foster kinship or residential care have been eligible for continuing care. Entitlement is being increased annually for this initial group of eligible young people until they reach the age of 21. Thereafter, all young people who are in those care placements will be eligible for continuing care between 16 and 21. The first four-year of data on continuing care will be published in the national statistics publication Children's Social Work statistics in 2019. We will consider that data and other information from local authorities to consider what is working well and what more we might need to do to ensure that looked-after young people are able to exercise their right to choose to continue living in care until 21. Kezia Dugdale? I thank the minister for that answer and I was incredibly proud of this Parliament when it introduced the continuing care provision. I did my own freedom of information request into how well that was going and asked all of Scotland's 32 local authorities about it. So far, 20 have replied, showing that there are 3,177 young people eligible for continuing care, but only 177 are actually receiving it. That is 99 per cent of people eligible to receive the provision, not getting it. Will the minister therefore agree to look at the findings of this FOI with me and see what we can do collectively together to increase uptake of the continuing care provision? I am more than happy to meet Kezia Dugdale. I am aware that she has tabled a number of written questions in relation to that as well. I notice an area on which she worked extremely constructively with my predecessor during the passage of the 2014 act, so I can give her that assurance. We also have to remember that, as well as the continuing care, there is also aftercare as well. The estimate that we made in the 2014 act was that we estimated an approximate uptake of around 74 placements per year, but I am more than happy to sit down and look at some of the detail that she has received in her FOI responses. Obviously, we are awaiting the comprehensive picture from the national statistics before we start thinking about different approaches that might need to be taken, but I am more than happy to discuss that with Kezia Dugdale. What action is taking to ensure that young people from Scotland are not limited in their ability to go to university? The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all of our young people have an equal chance of going to university. That is why we established the commission on widening access and accepted all 34 of its recommendations in full. Good progress on the implementation of those recommendations is being made, with all five of the commission's foundational recommendations either delivered or on track for delivery by the recommended dates. That includes a full bursary for students with a care experience and the appointment of the commissioner for fair access in December last year. I have also established the access delivery group, which will co-ordinate and monitor progress on the implementation of the recommendations across all parts of the education system. That group brings together all those who are responsible for delivering the recommendations, those leading delivery projects and other key stakeholders. Jamie Greene I thank the minister for that response, but we already know that twice as many students from disadvantaged areas in England are going to university compared to in Scotland. Now we learn that the number of Scottish students enrolling at the University of Edinburgh has fallen, with a 20 per cent rise in admission from fee-paying students from the rest of the UK. Given that the number of Scottish students admitted is capped by the Scottish funding council, what is the minister doing to ensure that Scottish students are not being left behind? That is why I was pleased that the total number of Scottish domiciled full-time first degree university entrants rose by 12 per cent from 25,790 in 2006-07 to 28,770 in 2015-16. Regardless, I am not complacent about the need to ensure that every young person in Scotland has the opportunity to apply for a university and receive a place. That is why we are taking widening access very seriously within my role, and we will continue to do so. Colin Beattie Can the minister advise how student debt levels differ here in Scotland under an SNP Government compared to those in England under a Tory Government and in Wales under a Labour administration? The latest student loan company figures published on 15 June this year show that, in England, under the Conservatives, an average student loan debt has risen to 32,220 and, in Wales, under Labour, 19,280. In Northern Ireland, the average debt is nearly 21,000. By contrast, Scotland has the lowest average student loan debt by some considerable margin at 11,740. I am not complacent about student debt, however, as well as widening access. The Government is taking a serious look at this. That is why we have established the independent review looking into student report, and I look forward to receiving the recommendations from the independent review later this year. Iain Gray Removing barriers to access to university is important, but so is support to complete courses. The funding council will tell us that 13 per cent of students from the most disadvantaged families drop out of university, and that is almost twice the equivalent percentage for those from the most affluent backgrounds. Will the minister undertake to restore her Government's cuts to student grants to help poorer students to see their studies through to completion? I just said to the member in my previous answer that I await the recommendations of the independent review into student support, but I would point out the work that is already on-going by this Government to take retention very seriously. In our college sector, we have already developed recruitment and retention improvement work with the colleges. Within universities, I made it very clear at the delivery group—when I chaired that delivery group—that retention was very important, that we were looking for widening access, not to fresher sphere but to graduation. That point was taken up by the delivery group, and we will look for that in our work programme. 10. James Dornan To ask the Scottish Government how it will support the Respect Me anti-bullying week in November 2017 to help to promote respect for LBGTI people in schools. Anti-bullying week aims to raise awareness of bullying of children and young people in schools and elsewhere and to highlight ways of preventing and responding to it. Bullying of any kind, including homophobic, biphobic and transphobic, is entirely unacceptable and must be addressed swiftly and effectively whenever it arises. The theme for this year's anti-bullying week is to promote difference and equality in schools with the tagline, all different, all equal. The Scottish Government and Education Scotland will be encouraging young people, practitioners, parents and carers to share what respect means to them on social media. In addition, Respect Me will be undertaking a number of activities during anti-bullying week, including organising a conference that will create a forum in which to showcase, share and discuss different examples of anti-bullying practice. James Dornan I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that while Scotland has made great progress towards respecting members of the LBGTI community, the Scottish Government's policies can and must continue to help to create a more positive and respectful culture to help to eradicate bullying both in and out of the school place? I certainly associate the Government with those aspirations, Presiding Officer, and the work that we take forward is designed to support that agenda. The findings of the most recent Scottish social attitude survey shows that discriminatory attitudes towards transgender people in Scotland are on the decline. We have taken forward a number of different policy steps in this respect and we will continue on that agenda during this Parliament. The progress that is made towards inclusion for all is the heart of our education agenda and I have taken a number of steps, including the establishment of the inclusive education working group, to provide some of the steps forward that will be necessary to address this important question. Annie Wells Thank you, Presiding Officer. New figures show that cyber sex crime offending numbers have jumped by 50 per cent in the last three years, with the analysis showing the media major victims to be 14. How will respect me anti-bullying week incorporate spreading awareness of this subject? Cabinet Secretary? That approach will be at the heart of the approach on anti-bullying week. I had the opportunity to participate in a summit on education issues in relation to sexual crime, which was organised by the Solicitor General for Scotland in Glasgow a couple of weeks ago. It was a very effective opportunity to bring together a number of interested parties. The crucial point that was made in the whole day was the importance of education and prevention to equip young people with the knowledge to avoid getting into the situation of either being the victims of or the perpetrators of such sexual crimes. Obviously, that can end up in the criminal justice system, with very damaging outcomes, as we all know, but the heart of the professional advice that was given to that summit was the importance of education and prevention to avoid those negative outcomes happening. I am very happy to assure Annie Wells of the importance that the Government attaches to that. I am grateful to the Solicitor General for taking the initiative to establish that summit and to bring together officials from different disciplines, not just in the criminal justice system, to work collaboratively to try to address that issue. In my first date secondary school, the smallest boy in my class ran over to the tallest, jumped up and headbutted him without provocation, knocking him to the ground. Willing can be inflicted on people causing them great pain and distress for a host of reasons, from how they look, behave because of a speech impediment, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation. However, in this Parliament, it seems that we seek to elevate the latter over all other sorts of bullying. I am pleased that the cabinet secretary agrees that all bullying is wrong. Does he also agree that school should do more to deter and deal with bullying, regardless of who is being bullied and why they are being bullied? One of the fundamental characteristics of our education system, which is essential if young people are to learn effectively, is that they must at all times feel safe in their schools. If we do not have that feeling of safety for young people in our schools, then the prospects of young people being able to learn will be diminished as a consequence. I accept the fundamental premise of Mr Gibson's question that it is important that bullying is tackled in any circumstance in which it prevails for whatever cause, because it will undermine the personal esteem of the young people involved, and it will affect their learning capability. That has the potential to blight the life chances of young people, and our education system is focused on enhancing and fulfilling the life chances of our young people. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to provide additional funding for the schools for the future programme to allow phase 2 of the Dumfries learning town project to go ahead. Through the 1.8 billion Scotland school for the future programme, Dumfries and Galloway council has been awarded significant funding of £24.5 million towards the north west campus and St Joseph's college, which form part of Dumfries learning town and also to Dobbyty high school. We recognise that there is more work that is to be done in the school estate, and that is why we will bring forward new proposals to build on the success of the programme. Options are currently being developed and we will announce details later this year. Projects that the cabinet secretary mentioned, the new north west Dumfries campus, Dobbyty academy, are phase 1 of that project. Phase 2 proposes a new Dumfries high school, the refurbishment of Dumfries academy, a new Lorburn, Lornynau and noble hill primary, not to mention the innovative work that is taking place with partners in business and further and higher education to make Dumfries truly the learning town. Does the cabinet secretary agree that the project will transform education in Dumfries and will he ensure that phase 2 becomes a reality by making it a priority for future government funding? I am very familiar with those issues. I visited Dumfries high school just the other week there, and I saw the work that is being undertaken on the Dumfries learning town project and was briefed on that, and I recognise the very good work that has been done at local level to advance such a proposition. As I indicated in my earlier answer, we are considering the options in relation to the development of the schools for the future programme and further announcements will be made in due course by the government when those details are to hand, but I hear the points made about the Dumfries learning town proposal. Can I share the aspirations for learning from the member for the Labour benches, but does the cabinet secretary agree with me that there will be far more opportunity for those kinds of developments, where we are not saddled with the private finance debt left by the Labour Government now costing Scottish taxpayers over £1 billion a year? We certainly are saddled with a tremendous amount of PFI debt, and the Government has to service that debt along with our local authority partners. The investment that the Government is making is designed to create a sustainable school estate, and it would have been more sustainable if we had not been burdened with the obligations of PFI that were bequeathed to us by the Labour Party. To ask the Scottish Government how it is investing in supporting young people in Paisley. Improving the education and life chances of children and young people is the defining mission of this Government. The Scottish Government is providing a range of support to young people in Paisley aimed at improving educational outcomes and employment prospects. The Scottish attainment challenge is this year providing almost £7.8 million of X-ray resources for schools in Renfrewshire through pupil equity funding and the challenge authorities programme, which provides support to schools supporting children and young people living in communities affected by high levels of deprivation. In addition, Renfrewshire Council received £275,000 from the innovation fund in 2016-17, which was used in schools to continue to build approaches that are already making a difference, such as family learning projects both within schools and in partnership with the local authority and external partners. Since April 2017, there have been 140 modern apprenticeship starts and more than 90 starts on the employability fund in Renfrewshire. As of June 2017, there are almost 650 apprentices in training in the area, and the Community Jobs Scotland programme has 32 employers in the Renfrewshire area and more than 160 people have benefited from a job training opportunity. The minister agrees with me that initiatives such as Invest in Renfrewshire, which is recently relocated to Paisley's historic Russell Institute building in the town centre, along with Skills Development Scotland. It is part-funded by the European Social Fund. It is a perfect example of how training and resulting skills can encourage employment and employability, which can be sustained in towns such as Paisley. I am aware of the Invest in Renfrewshire initiative and its recent relocation and co-location with Skills Development Scotland. I suppose that the best way of demonstrating its success is that when the programme was launched, I understand that July 2012, Renfrewshire was 27th out of the 32 local authorities for youth employment and is currently 4th in Scotland. Renfrewshire is the biggest youth employment growth in Scotland for three years running, so that has to speak somewhat of its success. I am hugely enthusiastic about the recent initiative of co-locating with Skills Development Scotland at the Russell Institute. That is a good approach, building on the success of the Invest in Renfrewshire approach and utilising the skillset of Skills Development Scotland. George Adam correctly identified that there have been EU funds utilised for the Invest in Renfrewshire initiative. Of course, we know that there is significant concern around the long-term funding prospects as a result of Brexit, and we continue to look for clarity on that particular matter from the UK Government. To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to recent research from Baths Bay University, suggesting that exposure to high levels of organisational change without listening to the views of teachers is contributing to extremely poor working conditions for teachers in Scotland. The Scottish Government welcomes all discussion on how to improve conditions for teachers in Scotland. We will give this report full consideration. We want to create a world-class education system that helps all our children to succeed, and, of course, highly skilled, motivated and appropriately rewarded teaching professionals are an integral part of that. The Scottish Government has been working with teachers, teachers' reunions, local authorities and other partners to address concerns around workload levels, and that will continue to be a key theme of our education reforms. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. This report is not the only one to say it. In fact, it was not even the only one in the week that it was published to say this. The Scottish Government's own international education advisers, as well as academics who responded to their consultation, have indicated that the organisational reform has no evidence that that links directly to improved education outcomes. Why when those in the education sector are so hostile to the Government's reforms when academics say that there is no evidence for them, are the Government not taking an evidence-led approach to education reform? The Government is taking an evidence-led approach to education reform and we engage strongly in the pursuit of that objective. The evidence suggests that greater empowerment for schools will significantly enhance the performance of our education system. School empowerment is at the heart of the Government's education reform agenda to ensure that more decisions affecting the learning of young people can be taken as close as possible to those young people. I am also taking an evidence-led approach in relation to the provision of professional and pedagogical support to the school community, where professional associations have been quite clear that the regional collaboration proposed by the Government will be of assistance in strengthening that assistance to professional practice. The Government will continue to engage with all-interested parties on this agenda, but our objectives are clear to ensure that we strengthen the effectors of the education system by putting in place greater professional support and by empowering the teaching profession. Minister Shirley-Anne Somerville. We are committed to building a sustainable medical workforce for the future and welcome students from Scotland to the rest of the UK and EU who want to study and work here. We are taking action to increase the supply of Scottish medical school graduates and to retain those graduates working in NHS Scotland. The Scottish Government has invested £23 million in the medical education package. It is increased medical undergraduate places by 50 from 2016. Scotland's first graduate medical entry programme, ScotGem, will commence next year, creating an additional 40 places. Part 1 of the national health and social care workforce plan published in June commits to a further increase in undergraduate numbers of 50 to 100 over the course of this parliamentary term. Miles Briggs. Does the minister accept that under the SNP Government, the percentage of Scottish domicile students studying clinical medicine has now fallen sharply from almost two thirds to just 50 per cent and that too many bright young Scots are being denied the chance to actually study medicine at Scottish universities? Given ministers themselves now acknowledge that Scottish domicile medical students are more likely than others to choose to work in our NHS when they qualify, will the Scottish Government urgently look at this matter and show that more Scottish students are able to study medicine in our universities? Whilst the Scottish Government sets the annual intake into medicine in line with academic feed on the selection and recruitment of individual students admitted to study medicine, it is a matter for individual universities. However, Miles Briggs said in my original answer that the work that has already been undertaken by the Government to encourage and ensure that we have further recruitment of Scottish domicile students includes the increase in medical undergraduate places, the introduction of a graduate entry medical programme and the introduction of a pre-medical entry programme focused on students from socially deprived backgrounds. That Government has already taken action on this area. Thank you very much and that concludes the topical questions. The next item of business is a statement by Rosanna Cunningham on air quality, delivering improvements for public health and the environment. The cabinet secretary will take questions at the end of her statement, so there should be no interventions. I would ask any members who wish to ask a question of the cabinet secretary to press their request to speak buttons now.