 The next item of business is consideration of business motion 13536, in the name of Jofits Patrick, on behalf of the parliamentary bureau, setting it a revision to the business programme for this week. Any member who wishes to speak against the motion should press the request-to-speak button now. I call on Jofits Patrick to move motion number 13536. Firmly moved. No member has asked to speak against the motion, therefore I now put the question to the chamber. The question is that motion number 13536, in the name of Jofits Patrick, be agreed to. Are we all agreed? The motion is therefore agreed to. The next item of business is the topic of question is question 1, Liam McArthur. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures suggesting that there are no head or deputy head teachers from black or minority ethnic backgrounds. The Government is committed to equality. We want to see a diverse education workforce that reflects Scottish society. Statistics indicate that around 2 per cent of the teaching workforce and around 1 per cent of individuals in promoted posts are from a black or minority ethnic background. As employers, it is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure that their recruitment practices are fair and inclusive and that the Scottish Government is committed to work with local authorities on that matter. Liam McArthur. I thank the minister for that response. The Scottish Government's comment last week was that it was ensuring that the master's qualification for headship due in 2018-19 is fully impact assessed. I think that the minister would agree that that is not good enough. The Government is, rightly, I think, proud of its record on the number of women holding cabinet position and on its work generally in relation to gender equality. Does the minister not agree that it is time to widen the Government's equality work to give greater opportunity to those from BAME backgrounds? If so, what specific further steps does the Scottish Government propose to take to remove barriers for those from BAME backgrounds to reaching the top of the teaching profession? The member is right to point to the fact that we need to promote equalities and diversity in all aspects of the teaching profession. The new master's qualification that he refers to the master's qualification for headship, which will be mandatory from 2018-19, will be fully equality impact assessed by the Scottish College for Educational Leadership so that it is fair and accessible for all. We have, as the member has alluded to, put some effort into ensuring that there is more of a balance between the genders, particularly in primary school, in the future and encouraging men to come forward for the teaching profession. We equally need to—the member is right to point to it—to ensure that our teaching workforce is reflective of and representative of Scotland's population as a whole. There are one or two points that I could point to in the statistics that are referred to in the question, but I think that it is suffice to say that we, all of us, want to improve the situation and make it clear that people from all ethnic minority backgrounds are welcome in the teaching profession and are equally likely to be promoted. Liam Kerr, thank you for that further response. Teaching unions have also raised concerns about the overall number of teachers from black and minority ethnic backgrounds in the profession. In order to establish a way of progressing that and making the progress that Liam Kerr has alluded to, has the Scottish Government undertaken any analytical work on the reasons for the lack of diversity in our school's workforce, and particularly among those in senior management positions within schools that might inform future decisions about how to remove those obstacles? I am very willing to work with education Scotland and others to establish some of the reasons. There are anecdotally many possible reasons for that. It may be that, for instance, other professions and other parts of our public life are, for whatever reason, more diverse, more representative than a teaching profession. It may be to do with the progression of teachers in their careers. In terms of the figures, it is worth saying that the data is slightly complex and is capable of being interpreted in a couple of different ways. I say that not to get away from the member's central point, but, for instance, some people who would define themselves as minority ethnic would fall within the white other category. Across all sectors that are publicly funded, the number of individuals in promoted posts—principle teacher, deputy head, headteacher—who fall within non-white ethnic groups is 102. I say none of that to take away from the central point, which is that we should, of course, be encouraging much more diversity within our schools. I think that one of the first steps in increasing the number of black and minority ethnic members from that community who hold senior management posts in schools would be to increase the pool of available candidates in the general teaching workforce. I ask the minister whether he has had any discussions with the Scottish funding council or teacher training institutions as to the intake and percentages of students from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. We will not withstand the point that the member makes. Obviously, the Government is not in a position to dictate to general teaching councils such as an independent body or others around some of those questions. We do not operate the system of quotas, but we need to get to the bottom of why the teaching profession may not be as attractive to people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds as perhaps other professions are. We need to work with the general teaching council for Scotland and, indeed, with the universities that provide the initial teacher education to examine those issues. That is something that I intend to do. To ask the Scottish Government how it is responding to the concerns of the CalMac workforce who has been recently been balloted for strike action. Derek Mackay CalMac's ferry services play a crucial role in the daily lives of our island communities and the Scottish Government has made clear its commitment to the continued delivery of a safe and reliable ferry network. We want to protect CalMac employees by ensuring a fair, affordable and sustainable pension scheme is written into the next ferry service operating contract. I encourage CalMac and the unions to continue with the current process of engagement on proposed changes to the pension scheme and to work together towards an outcome that avoids the need for industrial action. I have had two constructive meetings with the CalMac unions and the STUC in recent weeks and have offered to continue that dialogue. The minister will be well aware that more than 90 per cent of our team members in CalMac voted for industrial action, as they have genuine and heartfelt concerns over job security conditions and particularly pensions. The Scottish Government owns CalMac. What specific actions is the minister going to carry out to resolve those very unsatisfactory and worldly poor climate of industrial relations? I can advise the member that we will ensure that the processes that we are responsible for are carried out competently. I would say again that we want to give the assurance to employees that we continue to support the services by investing in them and that we will conduct a procurement exercise that is in keeping with the same legislation that the previous Labour administration would have to have complied with to come at an outcome in terms of the procurement of services and our guarantees around the pension as well. To put the issue into context, we are aware that there is an identified deficit that is up to £59 million in terms of the revaluation of the pension, and the trade unions are not resisting reform. I am very mindful about what their issues are, and that is why dialogue, continued meetings in a constructive and positive fashion, is necessary and is right. I will do everything that I can to support those discussions, but our support for the public service is absolutely resolute. Does the minister share the views of the RMT general secretary who said, and I quote, that the members in CalMac feel that they are caught in the crossfire of unnecessary and damaging tendering battle that leaves jobs, conditions and pensions hanging by a thread? Surely the Scottish Government has learned the lessons of the fiasco of the Northern Isles contract award when circle axed a crossing and sacked staff? I certainly do understand why employees would feel nervous when their jobs are subject to the same procurement exercise that the Labour Administration would have been undertaking as well, one that we cannot escape in terms of legislation. That is why we set very robust specification around the services that we want. We are investing in the ferry network, with new vessel provision as well, and we will support employees through this process. Can I be clear in terms of what is being procured? Regardless of the ownership status of the successful bidder, those ferry services are not being privatised. What is being tendered is a public service contract to operate lifeline services on behalf of Scottish ministers. The operator will have to comply with the service specification that is defined by Scottish ministers and, as now, will be subject to stringent contract management conditions. All of the vessels and ports currently in public ownership will remain in public ownership and, together with Clyde and Hebride, services remain under public control by Scottish ministers throughout the contract. That is not privatisation as some elements of the Labour Party are suggesting and much to the regret of the Conservatives that I can hear to my right both politically and literary. However, we will protect our public services and conduct this procurement exercise in keeping with European and all necessary legislation and arrive at the right decision in which we protect the lifeline services and also support employees through what I do respect as a difficult process. Thank you very much. Can I ask the minister if he will give a guarantee that, in reacting to the action of the trade unions in relation to CalMac, he will also put his highest priority through this tendering process—value for money for the taxpayer and a quality service for the fair-paying passenger? Of course, those issues are about balance. It is a matter of fact that there was a deficit in the pension fund previously and the Scottish Government has been supporting that. We will look at the assessments and the revaluation once again and, through the employer's dialogue with the trade unions, continue that discussion. However, we will do it in a culture of positivity, a constructive approach in which we encourage CalMac and the unions to talk and to work together so that we can all avoid any industrial action. I am sure that that climate will lead to a positive outcome, as I say, in keeping with all the necessary considerations. Minister, let me get this right. A service currently run by the public sector may be run by the private sector, and that is not privatisation. The reality is that the northern ferries have gone to Cerco, the sleeper has gone to Cerco, and ScotRail has gone to the Dutch company Abelio. Is it any wonder that the RMT and its members have no confidence in the minister's handling of what is going on at the moment? I have to say to Neil Findlay that I recall what privatisation looks like as delivered by the Tory Government, and it is ripping apart of public services and leaving it to the private sector. That is not what is being proposed. We are talking about public services, we are talking about the provision of services as specified by ministers, and they will remain in the ownership and direction of Scottish ministers. Neil Findlay, as I should say not unexpected, uses the intemporate language. I think that he would do well not to try and stoke up grievance and try and create a toxic situation for the employees. We should be looking after the employees of CalMac and working in partnership with the trade unions to arrive at a positive outcome so that we can continue to provide those public services in the interests of the communities that they serve, and we will continue to do so in keeping with the law. Does Neil Findlay suggest that we should break the law? Does he think that that would leave us in a satisfactory position? No, it would lead to a challenge, and the people who would suffer would be the communities and the staff who would suffer if we did not deliver this procurement exercise in keeping with the necessary procurement legislation. I ask the next item of business, which is a statement by Paul Wheelhouse on the Scottish Government's report on the operation of the offensive behaviour at football and threatening communication of Scotland.