 The first question is from Tom Arthur, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I remind the chamber that I am a member of the Musicians Union and a co-chair of the collective learning partnership group within the Parliament. To ask the Scottish Government how it supports trade unions to deliver skills, training and lifelong learning. Trade unions play a key role in supporting the learning needs of workers. That is why, in 2019-20, we are maintaining £2.262 million to Scottish Union Learning to support workforce development and £100,000 for its fair work leadership and equalities programme. Scottish Union Learning is also using £85,000 to provide over 2017-2019 from Scotland's allocation of the national cybersecurity programme fund to build the cyber resilience capacity of unions. I thank the minister for that answer and the Government's continued commitment to Scottish Union Learning. Given that the quickening pace of change in the world of work, driven by increasing automation and greater adoption of artificial intelligence technologies, could mean that those entering the labour market today may be employed in a range of different and varied jobs over their working lives. Does the minister agree that trade unions can play a valuable role in ensuring that Scotland's workforce is supported in skills development through what has been characterised by some as coming forth industrial revolution? In respect of that last point, this area has to be an increased focus of our activity, a major area of our activity in relation to the wider skills system. We need to make sure that we are well placed to respond to the challenges and, indeed, the opportunities that automation presents. Our first future skills action plan will publish shortly. The work that we are taking forward in the national retraining partnership will feed into that more widely. However, one of the things that we are discussing is that the strategic labour market group that I chair is that where we have more cohesive labour markets, we have good industrial relations. The workforce is less fearful of the impact of automation. Trade unions are hugely important in this agenda. Indeed, the Scottish Union Learning initiative is important as well. Are there members in the chamber when I said that the clocks are running at real time, but I have a clock here that is telling me exactly the time that people are taking? As we go on, it is something to do with stage 3 continuing. Do not ask me what it means. I do understand that it is ridiculous, but there we go. To ask the Scottish Government how many equal schools there are in the Stirling Council area. There are currently 27 equal schools in the Stirling Council area. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that it is the younger generations who are going to suffer most from the effects of climate change, particularly if we allow our planet to continue to be harmed in the way that it has been? Therefore, what more schools can do to educate young people about the importance of protecting our delicately balanced natural environment? The nature of curriculum for excellence is that it relies heavily on the concept of interdisciplinary learning. Understanding climate change encompasses, through the broad general education and understanding of science, about the life in the outdoors, about the use of resources, about the science behind all the questions of use of resources. It is a broad opportunity for that to be the case. This morning, I launched the learning for sustainability action plan, which reinforces many of those concepts. I was delighted by the cross-sectoral endorsement that we have had for this work, and it provides a great opportunity for schools to take forward the vital work that equal schools have taken forward throughout many schools in Scotland, which creates the very clear aspirations within young people in our society for urgent action to tackle climate change that this Government is determined to do. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update regarding the status of the new school butterstone. The proprietor of the new school butterstone, which provided education and care for 24 learners, closed the school on 23 November 2018. The priority of the local authorities was then to ensure that a long-term solution was in place for every young person. Every family was offered support and education by their local authority, including alternative places or interim provision. Moorhouse, who operated another independent school, has successfully registered an independent day school on the same site as the former new school of butterstone. As a result, the butterstone house school was registered on 9 May 2019 and opened its doors to 13 students for secondary school provision on 13 May. 11 pupils previously attended the new school butterstone. Mark Ruskell? I thank the cabinet secretary for that response, but he will be aware, of course, that many families are still looking for answers, particularly about why their children did not receive education for over six months in some cases. Will the Government commit to supporting an independent inquiry into the actions of Perth and Kinross Council, the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland's actions in inspecting, reporting and advising on the closure of the new school? That is an issue to which I am now giving consideration. I indicated to families that my priority was to ensure that young people had continuity of education. As I said in my earlier answer, every effort was made to make sure that that could be in place, but I acknowledge that that is difficult for a number of the young people involved because of the very specific nature of the education that they received at the new school butterstone. I am giving consideration to that point, but I highlight to Mr Ruskell and the chamber that the priority has always been to ensure that young people are educated in a safe environment, an appropriate educational environment. The inspectorates have particular statutory functions to exercise in that respect, and at no stage did any of the inspectorates, either the emergency inspectorate of education or the care commission, require the closure of the new school butterstone. I am very happy to put that point on the parliamentary record today. Thank you, cabinet secretary. You would be very helpful if I may say so. Over the new school issue, it has, as you know, raised questions about the availability of places within special schools, and particularly whether all the places that are available are being taken up. I ask what the Scottish Government is doing to have discussions with local authorities to ensure that there is an awareness of how many places are available at any one time and whether they are actually being taken up. There are a number of points in that very legitimate question, because Liz Smith will appreciate that there is a fine judgment to be arrived at as to the appropriateness of mainstream educational provision for all young people. If mainstream education is not addressing the needs of young people, what specific characteristics of education should be available to them. Of course, there is a range of special educational provision available in Scotland. We have to be satisfied, and local authorities have to satisfy themselves by statute that they are best meeting the needs of every individual child by the decisions that they take in consultation with families. As Liz Smith will know, we are looking at the whole area of the deployment of the mainstreaming principle and all the issues that she raises are legitimate issues to be considered as part of that process. I will, of course, keep the Parliament updated about how those discussions with local authorities take their course. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment the Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills has made of an initial and transferable skills strategy for meeting the net zero greenhouse gas emissions target. We established the Just Transition Commission, which is expertise in labour market skills, to advise ministers on the move to a net zero economy. The commission's work plan has identified skills as a key topic. Analysis of current and future labour requirements, including skills, will form an ongoing part of its considerations. I thank the minister for that answer, and he will be aware of Scottish Labour's position about the thinking that this should be on a statutory footing. I highlight that often it is the North Sea industries that are looked at in terms of a Just Transition and to give two other examples. Textiles, the opportunity to embed recycled materials into fashion and furnishing, and farming, for instance, the opportunity to embed agroforestry into the future are also issues. Can the minister update me possibly more in writing, if more appropriate, as to how assessments have been co-ordinated and the results maximised and shared in this climate and environment emergency? I am very happy to write to Ms Beamish in more detail, but I agree with the thrust of her question. We must make sure that we think about a transition to a net zero carbon economy that is not just the energy sector itself, but across all sectors. In that regard, it is going to be very important that we are geared up to ensure that our entire population is flexible and able to upskill and reskill. I agree very much with the minister, but I will be happy to write to her in more detail. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether multi-level teaching is the most effective way for pupils to learn. Multi-level teaching has long been part of Scottish education and teachers are well skilled to take account of the different needs of their pupils. We want to ensure that teachers are empowered to decide what is right in their individual settings. There will be varying levels of prior attainment in any class and we have yet to see any firm evidence of educational disadvantage due to multi-level teaching. I am aware that the issue of multi-level teaching has come up in the Education and Skills Committee's inquiry into subject choice. I will of course consider the conclusions of the committee on the range of issues that it has been exploring when it reports on due course. Peter Chapman At least 26 schools in the north-east are running combined classes of three or more qualifications, including two out of the 11 Scottish schools running classes with four or more qualifications being taught at the same time. In September to start the school year, we were 140 teachers short in the north-east. Can the cabinet secretary commit to giving the north-east a fair deal and north-east kids the best possible education? I am certainly devoted to making sure that the children of the north-east of Scotland, as I am, to the children of the whole of Scotland, get a first-class education. Mr Chapman will know that there are some specific challenges in recruitment of teachers in the north-east of Scotland, and that spreads across other public services for all the issues with which he will be familiar in the north-east. I am pleased to say that we have a rising number of teachers teaching in Scottish education, with teacher numbers at the highest level that they have been at since 2010. I am determined to make sure that we have in place the resources and the approaches. That is why I have invested to support the delivery of the e-school venture, which is designed to deliver flexible approaches to learning to meet the needs of young people who are staff who are not available in all circumstances. I am glad to see a number of mainland local authorities using the e-school venture, which is a great development from Western Ars Council and which is actively supported by the Scottish Government. Evidence given to the Education and Skills Committee from teachers noted that multi-level teaching is becoming commonplace. Every school represented had instances of it, with some commenting that teaching successfully in such circumstance is almost impossible. If the cabinet secretary is right that this poses no disadvantage, those teachers must be wrong. Why are they? If I look at all the evidence that the Education and Skills Committee has taken, it has taken evidence from individuals such as Dr Alan Britton from the University of Glasgow, who told the committee on 24 April that when he was teaching in Scottish secondary schools in the 1990s, he was teaching multi-level teaching. That has been a feature of Scottish education and what I look to the inspectorate to do is to look at the quality and the effectives of teaching. I cannot see in inspection reports an identification of particular problems or challenges that come with multi-level teaching. Obviously, we will continue to look at inspection evidence on this question, but I think that we have to acknowledge that this has been a characteristic of Scottish education for many years and I do not think that the educational evidence is marshald, that is disadvantaged in pupils, particularly because attainment is rising in Scottish schools. I want to get the last three questions in, so I want short supplementaries, question 6, Bob Doris. To ask the Scottish Government how it seeks to support reading opportunities for underfives across the Mary Hill and Springburn constituency. Underfives across Scotland will benefit from our transformational investment in early learning and childcare. Children in Mary Hill and Springburn are already benefiting from early phasing of the expanded offer. In addition, there are 11 equity and excellence leads currently working in the constituency. Those additional graduate professionals provide support to children in our most disadvantaged communities, including support with literacy. As well as that, we have the boot bug programme, which delivers free sessions across Scotland, including in Springburn library, and we have invested £7 million in the play-talk read campaign on the importance of playing, talking and reading with children in the early years. I thank the minister for that answer, and I know that the Scottish Government has a partnership with the Imagination Library, but so does the Blockhouse Association in my constituency provide free reading books to all under five children every single month, direct to all resident children in the Blockhouse Association area. It is a fantastic scheme. Will the minister meet me, the Blockhouse Association and the Imagination Library to hear how the successful partnership with the Blockhouse Association has been with the young people? I think that the minister has got the message, Mr Doris. I will do a bit of that. No, no, no. Finally, do not try that on. No, she got half the message, Presiding Officer. Sit down, please. Sit down, please. Sit down. Minister. Yes, I am aware of the Dollypartner Imagination Library on a personal basis. I am a huge fan of her music, but her passion for reading and the work that she has done to improve literacy has been incredible and worldwide. The initiative was launched in Scotland in 2011, and the Scottish Government has been providing funding to date for this programme to operate nationally. In the last year, 33,451 books were provided to 2,309 looked after and adopted children aged not to five in Scotland. I am more than happy to meet the member to discuss that further, if that would be helpful. Thank you. Thank you. Question 7, Lewis MacDonald. To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to ensure that Scottish students can access medical school places at Scottish universities. Minister Richard Lochhead. The Scottish Government is taking a number of measures to ensure that Scottish students from across all sectors of society can access medical places. We are, for instance, funding 50 ring-fence wedding access places, focused on the 20 per cent of most deprived wards and applicants from there. We are also increasing numbers from 40 to 50 as of 2019 on our targeted pre-medical entry courses, focused on social disadvantage, as well as remote and rural applicants. Thank you very much. I have raised a case recently where a young person was offered a place as an international fee-paying student, but when his residency led to him being reclassified as a home student, the offer was withdrawn. Does the minister agree with me that that is simply unacceptable and discriminates against my constituent? Minister. Well, as autonomous institutions, universities and colleges, of course, have responsibility for managing their own affairs. That includes decisions made on the fee status of individual students and institutions of sessions based on criteria laid out in regulations and on evidence provided by the students themselves. As a result, on rare occasions, those decisions can vary from institution to institution. Clearly, in the case cited by Lewis MacDonald, the institution concerned has taken a particular decision on who or who is not a home-based fee-paying student. Therefore, I take it that he has raised the issue with the institution, but, of course, if he feels that there is anything that I should do to investigate it, he should send me the details and I will do that. Question 8, Maureen Watt. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what the criteria are for people applying to university who have left to remain when assessing their home or overseas status. Well, as autonomous bodies, it is for universities themselves to determine the tuition fee status of students who apply for higher education courses in accordance with the education fees Scotland regulations of 2011. Eligibility for home rate fees is determined with reference to an applicant's residence rather than a nationality or place of birth. Maureen Watt. I thank the minister for that reply. I have a family in my constituency who came to this country in 2002 and have all left to remain. Two of their children currently attend university and receive home fees. However, when their daughter applied for higher education, certain universities and colleges classed her as an overseas student, meaning that she would have to pay fees. Therefore, does the minister not agree that the criteria should be applied equally over Scotland, all Scotland's higher institutions? Well, I think that this question is similar to the previous question as well. I should reiterate that there are residency rules that are laid out in legislation and set out eligibility for tuition fee and living cost loan support. As I said before, we are speaking about autonomous institutions, and there are, however, rare occasions where those decisions vary from institution to institution, so perhaps I could make a similar offer and ask Maureen Watt to send me more details about that particular case. If there is a case for my intervention to have more consistency across institutions, I will certainly look at that very carefully. Thank you. That concludes Portfolio Questions. I will have a short pause before we move on to the next item of business.