 The next item of business is members' business debate on motion 3584 in the name of Ruth Maguire. It's on welcoming play Scotland's playcharta, and the debate will be concluded without any questions being put. May I ask those members who wish to participate to press the request-to-speak buttons now? Ruth Maguire, to open the debate around seven minutes, please, Ms Maguire. I'd like to begin by thanking all the MSPs from right across the chamber who signed the motion allowing this debate to take place, and all those who have stayed to participate or to watch the debate. I need to make a special mention of some play champions in my constituency, St Luke's primary and early years in co-winning. I visited the school on Friday and was hugely impressed by their commitment to play. One of the early years, Pupils Finn, gave me a brilliant guided tour of their junkyard garden, of which they are all rightly proud. Thank you, Finn. I also extend a warm welcome to all of our visitors in the public gallery, particularly Marguerite and Sharon from Play Scotland. I'm grateful for all the good work they do in encouraging play and look forward to joining with them and their colleagues after the debate for a reception in committee room 5. Members are encouraged to join us. Presiding Officer, this debate is about the importance of play and of children's right to play. Growing up in the 80s, or the olden days, as my daughter calls it, the opportunity to be outside playing was something my friends and my brother and I took for granted. Exploring on our bikes, building ramps, bogies and games of Kirby that went on all day, we also used to play at our favourite TV games. The fall guy, being the one that I remember vividly, involved us trying our best to emulate Colt, Howie and Jody, climbing and jumping off things. I don't remember any serious injuries but I do remember the occasional gentle warnings shouted by our mums to get off the garage roof and that someone was going to end up breaking something soon. The minister tweeted a picture of some magnificent chalk art on his street the other day and it brought a smile to my face, another thing that we used to play when we were younger and I hadn't seen that since my girls were young, another great play activity that provided hours of amusement for them. The UN definition of children's play is any behaviour, activity or process initiated, controlled and structured by children themselves. It takes place whenever and wherever opportunities arise. In other words, it's what children and young people do when they follow their own ideas and interests in their own way and for their own reasons. It's also frequently heard described as what children and young people do when they're not being told what to do by adults. Play is an essential part of every child's life. It's vital for the enjoyment of childhood as well as for social, emotional, intellectual and physical development. The importance of play was unequivocally recognised when it was enshrined as a right of the child in the UN convention on the rights of the child, which came into force in 1990. Article 31 of that convention states that children have the right to relax and play and to join in a wide range of cultural, artistic and other recreational activities. That article was lent even more force in 2013, when the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child adopted a general comment that clarifies and underlines for Governments worldwide the meaning and importance of article 31, as well as its obligations to promote, protect and fulfil children's rights to play by means of appropriate legislation, planning and budgets. Part of the comment says that, while play is often considered non-essential, the committee reaffirms that it is a fundamental and vital dimension of the pleasure of childhood, as well as an essential component of physical, social, cognitive, emotional and spiritual development. The fundamental value of play is also recognised by the Scottish Government, which launched Scotland's first national play strategy in 2013. That strategy recognises the life-enhancing nature of play and affirms a commitment to enabling all children and young people to realise their right to play, in particular through facilitating sufficient space and time for play and to promoting positive support for play. I thank Ruth Maguire for taking on an intervention for bringing the debate to the Parliament. The point that she made about providing the facilities and the time for play is an essential one. One of the feedback that I get locally is around a deterioration in those facilities and play parks, for example. Is there more that can be done liaising between Scottish Government and local Government to ensure that those facilities are maintained so that that enjoyment can be provided? I thank Liam McArthur for that intervention. It sounded a bit more like a question for the Government than for me. I guess what I'd say is that it's not always about play equipment, it's about space and time, and that can be making sure that the green spaces that we have outside are accessible. One of the most depressing things that you can see is a no-ball game sign on a bit of pristine grass that looks perfect for football. The play charter describes our collective commitment to play for all children and young people in line with article 31 of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child and builds on both the Scottish Government's play strategy and the GERFEC approach to supporting children, young people and their families. The charter is hugely important in positively promoting play and in providing a clear reference and rallying point for all those with an interest in and responsibility for play. I would like to conclude by encouraging all MSPs who signed the motion to also consider pledging their support to the charter and becoming play champions and encourage relevant individuals and organisations in their constituency to pledge their support to the play charter, and let's do all that we can to make sure that the children and young people in the communities that we serve can enjoy all the wonderful opportunities to play that we did. It's their right. Before we go on any further, can I ask those in the public gallery, whilst I know that they will appreciate some of the things that are said, not to clap after each speaker? I'll give you the opportunity at the end when the meeting closes to show any appreciation. I call Brian Whittle to be followed by Rona Mackay. I thank Ruth Maguire for bringing the debate to the chamber and giving us the opportunity to discuss what everybody in the chamber already knows is a topic very close to my heart and which I'm extremely passionate about. I have said many times in this chamber that education is a major solution to health and welfare. A key element of that education is physical literacy and its impact on health inequality and the attainment gap. I maintain that we cannot close the attainment gap nor close the health inequality gap, both physically and mentally, without fully addressing the physical literacy deficit that exists in tandem with other inequalities. From a physiology perspective—I can just get that out of the way first—we know that cardiovascular system, neuromuscular system, bone density, neural pathways important to speech and listening skills and behavioural traits, attention, capacity and so on, are all established preschool. I also think that we all intrinsically understand that if a child is given the opportunity to be active outside the classroom, they are more likely to have a positive behavioural traits inside the classroom and are more likely to engage in the classroom and are therefore more likely to achieve. We seem to be increasingly obsessed with making our children sit still all the time. It is unnatural. Part of the brain switches off in youngsters if they are forced to sit still for too long without any physical activity. Children are not built to sit still. Good grief, Deputy Presiding Officer. I am not built to sit still. I would be in constant trouble if part of your remit was to get MSPs to sit still with their arms crossed and sit up straight. It would be a naughty step in which I lived on all the time. That brings us to the importance of active play, especially in the early years. As I have said before, youngsters want to move about a lot with their peers. In do so, they set patterns for life. They learn interaction skills, confidence, resilience and self-awareness. Awareness of others, all behaviours that are much more difficult to learn sitting still in a nursery or a classroom yet have a huge influence and outcomes from the classroom. We have not gotten this right yet. We need to consider how we give every child the opportunity for outdoor and indoor play, climbing and jumping in puddles if necessary, falling down, getting back up, catching, throwing and all the other ways that they can invent to learn in their own way. That is the blueprint for life. That is the way in which we tackle preventable health, the way in which we stack the cards in our favour, the way we give ourselves a better opportunity to tackle the obesity crisis or diabetes on musculoskeletal issues or chest, heart and lung issues, not to mention rising mental health issues, all of which are disproportionately affect the most disadvantaged in our society and, apart from anything else, cost our NHS billions of pounds. That is also what I mean when I talk about behavioural drivers. I advocate that if we could get our youngsters active at the earliest opportunity and give them the pathway to remain active all through the school years, the chances of them choosing not to smoke, choosing not to take up alcohol or be overweight or eat well or have good mental health is hugely increased. We have to look at access of this kind of opportunity and the barriers to participation and then break them down. I had the power to have footballers from Asher Tigers in the Parliament today and I know that I have mentioned them often in this chamber and the fact that they hammered the MSP team last year. If you ever want to understand what having an opportunity to participate means and the impact it can have on lives, speak to them. They are just the most amazing group of people. Participation has taken them out of isolation and into mainstream. That all starts from access to active play and the premise that it is every child's right to play with their friends, get dirty, be noisy, be sociable, irrespective of background or personal circumstance—all the things that we took for granted when we were kids. In my view, it is the basis of solving many of the issues that we see in our society today and, in my humble opinion—and once again, I thank Ruth Maguire for bringing this debate to the chamber and allowing me another chance to rant once again on my very favourite topic. You know what I am like in the idea of a naughty step. Rona Mackay, followed by Daniel Johnson. I thank my colleague Ruth Maguire for bringing this important debate to the chamber. Children have a right to play, as enshrined in article 31 of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, as Ruth outlined, but it is much more than that. We all know that play is what teaches our children social skills, how to compromise, be tolerant and resilient. Play is the universal language of childhood. Even young animals play. We buy our dogs, cats, rabbits and hamsters toys, and the benefits cannot be overstated of play in the developing years. However, not all children are lucky enough to be given the encouragement to play or be bought toys most children come to expect. As a former children's panel member, I saw children who were so neglected and starved of attention that they had to be taught how to play, and then I realised what an important part of a child's development play is. Since 1998, the benefits of play Scotland's inclusive strategic approach have been significant. It aims to ensure that no child is left out. The play charter challenges barriers and ensures discrimination and stigma based on age, gender, disability, ethnicity, poverty or low income has no place in affecting children's play experiences to ensure that all children feel included. The benefit to children and young people's physical, emotional and mental health is immense, as was outlined by Brian a moment ago. They are able to develop social skills and responsibility, appreciate the environment and participate in sports, art and culture. That grows their identity and self-esteem and in turn makes them less likely to offend and engage in social behaviour in later life. I welcome this positive development building in both the Scottish Government's national play strategy and getting it right for every child approach to supporting children, young people and their families. The play charter's commitment to training adults so that they can support high-quality play experiences in a variety of places where children play is also hugely positive. Those can range from nurseries and childcare, schools, children's services, out-of-school clubs and holiday schemes. It works towards ensuring high-quality play experiences across key areas that contribute to children's development and growth, and that affects their daily life experiences. The charter supports children's participation in the planning, developing and evaluating of play services, recognising them as the play experts and seeking out their views. Of course, that ensures that children and young people are engaged and that the play charter is reflective of their interests and needs. Play Scotland's campaigning through the play charter to ensure that play is more strongly embedded in policies, strategies and key qualifications is welcome in making sure that we get it right for every child. To conclude, we must all encourage our children to play and create the correct environments indoors and outdoors where they can do that. It is our responsibility. That is not a luxury for our children. It is, in my view, essential to the health and wellbeing of future generations. I wish to play Scotland continued success in its campaign. We would be happy to be a play champion. I wish them well in raising the awareness of the benefits of play and providing inclusive play experiences for children right across Scotland. I call Daniel Johnson to be followed by Alison Johnson. I, too, would like to give my thanks to the member for bringing forward this debate, not least because it gives me yet another opportunity to talk about my children in the chamber. It is always a delight to do so. One of the most recent innovations in my household is that my 18-month-old daughter has taken to leaving the sitting room, pulling the door behind her, going, bye-bye. A couple of moments later, we smiley face pops around and they are going, hello. That demonstrates the importance of play. By doing that, my daughter is exploring language, learning how to use words and having a wee laugh as she does it. I think that that encapsulates just how important play is in the development of children. We are right to talk about the importance of article 31 about the right to relax and play and take part in cultural and artistic activities, but it is much more important than that. It is about how our children learn. The insight that children need to play in order to learn goes back to the early 20th century. Indeed, it is well demonstrated the importance of play in terms of children's cognitive, emotional development, their ability to self-regulate and, indeed, their ability to develop and learn language. The 16 most powerful predictors of children's academic achievement are based on how well they learn to play as children. That is why it is so concerning the fact that the children's area where they are allowed to range and play unsupervised has shrunk by 90 per cent since the 1970s. That is why the debate is important, because we need to talk about those issues, not just because our children are right, but because it is what our children need in order to learn. I would like to talk briefly about a scheme that I visited and took part in in Edinburgh, the playing out scheme. Last year, through the frenetic activity and lobbying of a group of parents, there were a number of roads that were closed for a single day in Edinburgh, so that children could come out and play. It was fantastic. There were chalk drawings on the pavements, there were bicycle races going up and down the road, and there were parents sitting, standing, talking, drinking coffee and sharing home baking. There were huge benefits, not just to the children but to the adults and the communities that they lived in. What has happened this year has turned into a pilot. There is a five-month-long pilot, ranging from April through to August, where local streets can have five dates within that period. The council has prepared a simple checklist in the application form, and it is free for parents to apply for it. I think that that demonstrates a simple thing that can be done that addresses many of the challenges that enables parents to take the initiative themselves and makes it easy for them to do it. I think that it is exactly the sort of thing that we should be looking at. We should welcome the charter. I think that it sets out a number of great things, but the key thing is that we need to ensure that those actions are embedded within policy. The play strategy that has been set out by the Government is right, but we also need to set out the challenges. One in six children in Scotland do not have access to outdoor space. 85 per cent of children in Scotland say that they do not spend enough time engaged in free play, and more than 1,000 Scottish schools have no access to outdoor facilities. We have to not just put the warm words and support the actions, but we need to set out the challenges for the Government. That is a consensual debate, and I think that it should remain that. However, when we talk about facilities, we need to talk about local services and the impact of local funding. We must have some innovation. Things such as the playing act will come at little cost to local government, but we should also look towards whether or not we should be opening up our schools and summer holidays to enable play and to address childcare through summer holidays. We also need to talk about local services, because if we are going to have accessible, stimulating parks for our children to play in, that requires investment and funding to local services. I thank the member for bringing forward the debate. This is a hugely important topic. We should all champion play, but let us also have some challenge to government, and let us have some action, and let us have some investment. Alison Johnstone and then Kenneth Gibson Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I share Daniel Johnson's approval of the play out days. I chalked on Abbotsford Crescent. The thing about the play out day, the street was closed. It did not just attract children. There were people out there from toddlers to 80-year-olds. It turned the street into a place for people. I really like to thank Ruth McGuire for securing this debate. It is a really important issue, because we all can do more to safeguard and promote the rights of children. The right to play is absolutely central to children's experience. We know that challenging active play is essential for children's health and wellbeing. However, when we look at the rates of childhood obesity in this country and others, it is clear that we can and we must do better. A recent study by the University of Strathclyde shows that children's level of physical activity begins dropping off as early as seven. We really need to push for a more child-friendly play-centred society, and that requires a cultural shift. Ruth McGuire spoke about the no-ball game sign and a little cul-de-sac just down the road from where I stay. The cul-de-sac was tailor-made for children's play, but one morning residents woke up and said, what was there? A no-ball game sign. It took quite a lot of work to have that sign removed. How many children's sporting skills and physical activity have been held back by that kind of intolerant attitude? Developing more child-centred communities is crucial. We have to put that at the heart of any planned expansion in childcare in Scotland. Make sure that our nurseries have adequate outdoor space. My colleague John Finnie shared a photo on Twitter recently, a sign, Play Street, from 4pm till sunset. If you could have found any space to play in between the parked cars, you are more able than I am to imagine how you would play in that busy urban space. There are simple things, simple steps that we can take. If we had space for wellies and waterproofs and they were provided as a matter of course in our primary school changing areas, there wouldn't be such things as an indoor break time because it was a little wet. We all know the impact of children who are just bursting with energy and how difficult it is for them to sit down and focus. It's not fun for teachers, it's not fun for pupils. I think that we can all agree that children's needs have rarely been at the heart of planning processes. Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child gives children a right to be consulted for their views to be given due weight and to be heard in matters that affect them. But how often are they truly involved in consultations about residential developments and planning decisions about places where they can play? The space afforded to play areas in some developments is meager and their design is dull to put it politely. The play area closest to my home, to be honest, you'd have to have the hands of probably a man of six foot five to be able to hold on to the bars. It would never have been designed if toddlers had been asked what they'd like to see. That said, there are some excellent examples of challenging play spaces for children and their families. I'd like to mention the fantastic play project The Yard here in Edinburgh, and it shows how inclusive play can be. I'm glad that Scotland's play charter stresses that we must promote inclusive play, ensuring that our play environments meet the needs of children with disabilities too. Sadly, it remains the fact that too many children in Scotland don't have appropriate access to places to play. Good quality housing plays a part here too, too many new homes lack adequate space for children to play indoors or out. Who's got room for a sandpit or a little water table in a small two-bedroom flat? Shelter Scotland's recent report showed that families with children in temporary accommodation spent almost one million days in that accommodation last year. Thirteen per cent of families with children who needed temporary accommodation were there for longer than a year, and those children are being badly failed on their right to play in their homes. Playing outdoors, Presiding Officer, I will begin to wind up. It's more difficult than it should be. Traffic poses a real barrier to outdoor play. A 20-mile-per-hour speed limit across all built-up areas would make it much safer and would also improve air quality. I'd just like to finish by mentioning that article 31 established the right to play for all children and young people aged up to 18. I would ask the Scottish Government, in any work going forward, that it does not forget that the right to play in an explosive environment and socialise does not stop at 10, 12 or 15. It goes on. Let's all work together to promote the charter and the right to play. Before I call Mr Gibson, there are still quite a few members who wish to speak in the debate. I'd be happy to accept a motion without notice. That is under rule 8143 to extend the debate by up to 30 minutes. I invite Ruth Maguire to move that motion without notice. The question is that the debate be extended by up to 30 minutes. Are we all agreed? That is then agreed. I now call Kenneth Gibson, who will be followed by Jeremy Balfour. Presiding Officer, I, too, would like to thank Ruth Maguire for lodging this motion and for bringing Scotland's first play charter to the chamber. For years, experts from health and education have called for an inclusive, formal play charter to help to ensure that every child in Scotland is given the opportunity to play, explore and develop. Today, thanks to play Scotland, this charter is now a reality. We all know the importance of playing, developing a happy, healthy, well-rounded young children from our getting-it-right-from-every-child approach to the play strategy action plan, plays at the heart of guaranteeing the wellbeing of children. We want Scotland to be the best place for children to grow up in. By supporting a play charter, we can show our commitment to this valuable cause. As a debate has progressed, I have been thinking about Tim O'n Childhood, particularly up until the age of eight, when I lived in Kelvin Grove. I spent a lot of time building dens and climbing trees. I also spent a lot of time in dishes and railway tunnels, sneaking into the old Sweety factory in Kelvin Grove through tunnels, and looking for tunnels under the York Hill hospital. I was not digging them, but also digging for treasure under the Glasgow art gallery before sneaking in to count the nipples on the statues, as young boys invariably do. I have to say that my tunneling did not extend quite to the Steve McQueen extent of trying to get a motorbike over the Swiss border, but I can say that my childhood was extremely adventurous. I tried, when I became a father, to ensure that I continued with my own children, taking them into the forest to look for trolls, which are a notorious problem in the campsies in particular, and, of course, taking them river rafting, canyoning, etc. Wrestling with them as often as possible is something that my wife criticised me heavily for until a Sunday Times article pointed out the importance of rough and tumble tune fathers, and in particular, male children. Although I have to say that my daughter was much more violent and unforgiving than either of her two brothers. The benefits of play, I believe, are huge. That has been well proven not just for ourselves but for our communities. If we look at what is going on in our communities, we can see that play still forms an integral part of life for young people and among children of all backgrounds. It is important that children have the freedom to construct their own play. I take, for example, Eglinton country park, inclusive play area, which was opened in North Ayrshire in 2011. That space is available for children and young people, boys and girls, of all physical, mental and social abilities, and was designed in consultation with four special needs schools in North Ayrshire. By listening to what children really wanted, a space to allow them to develop and explore the world in their own way, and that has been successfully created and opened. That project sheds light on what Scotland's play charter is all about. Inclusive play means that no child is left behind, and we should continue to address the barriers that prevent children from enjoying play no matter the circumstances. I hope to see other such projects flourish throughout my constituency and across Scotland. As we know, the right of children to relax and play is formally enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by the UK in 1991. Under that convention, children have a right to play, regardless of age, gender, disability, ethnicity and socioeconomic background. I thank Place Scotland for doing such an excellent job in increasing importance of play to the development of children and young people in our country. I welcome the fact that 88 per cent of households now have access to some form of play area in their neighbourhood, but more could clearly be done particularly for the 12 per cent who do not have access to ensure that players are accessible, safe and inclusive for all. I am happy to see many fellow MSPs who have already played themselves in Scotland's play charter and I hope that many more will join the list in the coming weeks. We can demonstrate our commitment to play in our policies and strategies, inspire individuals, play providers and organisations to promote a range of play activities that are inclusive for all children. I look forward to working with Place Scotland to find further opportunities to remove barriers to inclusive play in my Cunningham North constituency to help to ensure that we really get it right for every child. Regardless of whether children play on their own or with friends, whether they play loud, boisterous, quiet and contemplative, whether it is spontaneous and creative or serious and strategic, it is time for us all to take play much more seriously in our homes, our schools and our communities. I call Jeremy Balford to be followed by Clare Haughey. Thank you, Presiding Officer. One of my favourite programmes when I was growing up was Why Don't You. It was a programme that challenged you to switch off the television and go and do something more useful instead and it gave you lots of ideas about how to play. Actually, that was really important for me and my younger brothers, we were growing up because suddenly our world was giving a new horizon that we could go into our back garden and not see it as a back garden only but see it as many different things and many happy hours played there. However, I wonder if I could just touch on a slightly different area in regard to this and I also welcome Place Scotland's reception. I apologise if I won't be coming to reception, so I'm going to rush off to play with my children at home after this. However, I think that there is an area there that some parents do not know how to play with their children or how to encourage their children to play. I was struck when my two young girls were slightly younger. We used to go on a Saturday morning to an organisation called Dad's Rock here in Edinburgh and Dad's Rock was set up for one purpose and that was to encourage fathers to play with their children because I still think that there's a legacy going back many decades where fathers do not interact and play with their children perhaps as well as their mothers. This organisation on a Saturday morning simply brought together children and fathers and gave the tools and the framework to learn to play and it worked really well. Not only will we allow the snack which my wife would never let us have at home but we actually got to play with toys and boots and given a framework of how to do that. The only sad thing about that was that where it was placed was in a more deprived part of this city but it was middle class people coming in from middle class areas that benefited from this free service and when we're talking about play I think we need to look how do we encourage all fathers and mothers from whatever background they come from to be able to interact and to take that time to play with their children. We all live very busy lives, we all have emails to respond to, we all have work to do in my house, we all have pressing demands upon us and I suspect for too often playing with our children drops down that agenda and I think we need to give a message that actually if the washing isn't done up quite when it should be done or if that doesn't happen just when it shouldn't happen because you were playing with your children well that was a sacrifice worth making. The second area that I want to cover very briefly has already been mentioned by two members, the man who is playing out here in Edinburgh. I too attended that event last year and I think that we can again recapture even on limited situations where we can close streets off, roads off and children can learn again to play on the street with each other, with parental supervision and parental input, when we start to break down those barriers. I again thank Ruth Maguire for bringing this motion, for highlighting this really important issue and which plays Scotland all the best as they move forward, along with other organisations as they seek to encourage all of us, whether grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts to play with children and to encourage them to play in the flow of their ways. I would also like to add my thanks to Ruth Maguire for bringing this debate to Parliament. We as parents can sometimes find it too easy to fear for the safety of our children and it can become a habit to keep children indoors off the streets. Time feels increasingly scarce and, if you work shifts or a single parent, it can be a real challenge to send your children outside rather than keep them indoors, especially when you know that a child indoors on their computer or watching TV is safe and secure. However, we should not lose sight of the real benefits of play from an early age. For infants, programmes such as the baby brain workout, promoted by Barnados during last year's infant mental health awareness week, identify play as one of the key pillars of infant learning and emotional development. As Brian Whittle mentioned earlier, that early interaction is important for the neurobiological development of infants' brains. When they grow older, children who play outside with others grow into curious, well-adjusted adults who are not only healthier but develop key social skills. Play stimulates and enhances learning and fosters creativity, meaning that time that we value indoors should be balanced with time outdoors consolidating learning. Outdoors play is also a great leveler. It allows those who come from more challenging backgrounds to have some of the same stimulation and fun as those from wealthier families. Understanding that children have different abilities and interests, we should create spaces for play that reflect that. We should bring children of different interests and abilities together using universal design rather than separating them into over-specialised spaces. Breaking the monoculture of public spaces is a good thing. Not all children are interested in a football pitch or are able to take advantage of the facilities that are focused on able-bodied children, but the biggest obstacle to play, especially in more deprived communities, is a lack of play spaces, as we have heard already from some speakers. In my constituency of Rutherglen, the redevelopment of Cunningar Loop has been a fantastic step towards giving everyone the opportunity to play and to reconnect with the outdoors in their own way. It has set up in 15 hectares of what was derelict land, the size of 15 football pitches, and it has been transformed into a community green space for local people and visitors to get involved, to get active and to be inspired by the outdoors. In the one cohesive space, it has walking and cycling facilities, a work-out area, and Scotland's first outdoor bouldering park, as well as picnic and outdoor classroom facilities. It was part funded by the Scottish Government as part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games legacy, and it provides just the sort of opportunities that Scotland's play charter is looking to achieve. The Scottish Government has also invested £7 million through go-and-play and go-to play to support play for children in disadvantaged communities across Scotland. Women's Aid in South Lanarkshire has also received funding from the go-to-play capacity building fund to introduce free play clubs. Those clubs allow primary school-aged children who have experienced domestic abuse the opportunity to play with peers in a safe environment. The organisation also promotes the benefits of play for children from challenging backgrounds. It is through an active commitment to the value of play that we can target mental health, educational attainment and social mobility. A happy, stimulated and socially integrated child has a far greater chance of leading a fulfilling and happy life. I, along with this Government, believe in the value of play in improving the lives and the life chances of children in Scotland. That is why I have pledged my support to the charter and have signed up to become a play champion, and I recommend that everyone in the chamber do so to support our young people. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer, and thanks to Ruth Maguire for getting tonight's debate. I want to start by apologising to her and to the minister because I will have to leave before the end of the debate now to make a constituency engagement. However, I want to say a few words in this debate because of the importance of play in the development and early learning of children. That is something that there is a great deal of research that provides us with certain evidence that is the case. However, in my own case, I have seen nothing with my own eyes because, in previous jobs, I have seen children and their parents trying to do the best that they can in the most difficult circumstances of war, displacement or grinding almost unimaginable poverty. It is quite remarkable that, no matter how difficult the circumstances, children will still find a way to play and exercise their imagination with the most limited resources that they have. It is quite important to understand that this is an international issue. I know that Play Scotland is part of the International Play Association as well. In fact, in the last session of Parliament, the International Play Association's executive on one occasion hosted a meeting of its board here in the Scottish Parliament to show their interests and what was happening here in Scotland. It is very much an international issue. That is why it appears in the UN Convention of Rights of the Child in article 31. However, it is right that we look to home and do not assume that, because we do not have the particular difficulties that everything is fine, because it is clear from many of the contributions that it is not and that we could do better. I just wanted to make a couple of remarks on one or two of the issues that have come up. One is that Play Scotland and the Play Charter are very clear that children's right to play is not an add-on. It is something that must be embedded in our approach to Parington and to early learning. That is critical. I wanted to mention in the past the excellent programme in East Lothian, which is Lothian Council run as part of its early learning strategy. That is support from the start. That is a programme that provides many opportunities, particularly in the school holidays, but not solely in the school holidays, for children to play and their parents to learn more about how effective play can be supported. The other thing that I wanted to talk about was the importance of places to play. I think that that really matters. It is a big factor in the concern that many have expressed about the reduction of the opportunity, capacity or being allowed to play outside in recent years. Daniel Johnson mentioned the concerns about school playing fields being reduced. In East Lothian Council, that is not the case. 86 per cent of our schools have playing fields, which is the second best in Scotland. However, the approach of a local authority to their school playing fields is reflected in the approach to the greater community spaces that Clare Oche was speaking about. For example, in East Lothian, there is a tremendous effort by the community group that supports Cuthill Park, which has transformed that park and the play opportunities there. On Saturday, it will be launching the latest of those, the Woodland learning zone. The last thing that I want to say to the minister is—I know that that is not really his brief—if perhaps he would talk with his colleague the housing minister about the way in which new housing developments and the factoring of common land can have a detrimental effect on play areas. Many private housing developments in my constituency have children's play areas because the planning permission demands that they do. However, having provided that, the developers passed it on to the ownership of that small packet of land on to the factors that sometimes sell it on to somebody else altogether. The maintenance of those play areas is very difficult to ensure, and often they end up being a blight rather than an opportunity for children. I am delighted to speak in this debate. I would also like to thank Ruth Maguire for bringing it to the chamber and giving us all the opportunity to participate. I welcome the promotion of Scotland's first inclusive play charter by Play Scotland, and I agree that play for all children and young people is vital. Play is fundamental in allowing children to develop and grow, and it is important to the wider aim of tackling social inequalities. We must ensure that access to play is equally available to all children in Scotland as play acts an important role in learning and will aid in closing the attainment gap. It has been proven, and other speakers have alluded to, that children from lower social economic backgrounds have less access to play due to negative barriers, such as a lack of sustainable and safe local spaces. This is important in an area like mine, where two of the four secondary schools have nearly half of the children enrolled in the most deprived SIMD bracket. I fully believe that play should be offered at all levels school and all aspects of the community, and I have enjoyed hearing some of the stories about members talking about when they were growing up. Like Ruth Maguire, I grew up in the 80s, and there was lots of open space to play sports or take part in physical activity. In an area where I grew up in Coat Dyke, there was a bit that we called the grass. Everybody just went down there and I spent my whole summer holidays in that bit. From 9 o'clock in the morning right to through till 9 or 10 at night, we played football, hidey, whatever else we were playing. Now, if you go down there, walk down there, there's never anybody playing in all the no-ball games whose signs are up and around. Actually, looking at it, it's a pretty safe and good place to play, and it's such a real shame. A lot of the spaces as well, such as at Dunbeth Park or what used to be SBCD, now have 4G pitches on them. Those are excellent facilities that I've used on myself, but often they're unaffordable, particularly for young people. Actually, I received a letter just last week from a 13-year-old Christon high school. He and his friends were playing football on the 3G pitch there at the high school. Sorry, it's a 4G pitch, should they say, and they had to be removed. Now, it wasn't the fault of any of the staff that they had to be removed, but the pitch wasn't actually booked by anybody else. It's a big question, could we be making better use of these spaces at times when they're not used? Now, I know in North Lanarkshire there's a whole issue, the PFI's with schools and that sort of thing, so that maybe comes into play legal-wise, but I think that the general principle is one that we should be trying to make use of all our spaces, because obviously that helps with nurture, development and wellbeing, as well as, as I've already said, closing the attainment gap. I would like to take the time to mention an organisation by my constituency, Parents Action for Safe Play, who have a purpose built State of the Art playground, which I had the pleasure of visiting last month. They've worked in the area for over the last 15 years to develop and improve play youth and sport services for local children and young people, and their motto is that they're run by the local community for the local community. Their facilities are very impressive, including a soft play area, outdoor ball game, community garden, adventure playground, and the spaces enjoyed by the wider community. That's an example of where they are when they're not using it, they open it up so that people can come in, there's not a locked gate or anything like that, outdoor facilities are there for everybody to use. They also provide services for the local neighbourhoods, local community groups and schools in terms of training older children in the schools to become play champions in order for that to be sustainable, so maybe schools will buy into their services for a year or two, and then hopefully it can keep on going from there, but it's a really, really good setup. I was delighted to get an email last week to hear that they had received £120,000 of funding from children in need to provide even greater range of opportunities across my constituency. I will just say very briefly before finishing up that I'm also pleased that, through the Sevens Locks Wetland project, there's going to be a new PIPA site in North Lanarkshire at Trimpelliwyr Country Park, a crannog play unit, which is its first and its kind for Scotland. I know a lot of work and research has been into this, and it's a very much enhanced play provision. The Locks or Trimpelliwyr Park, as it's known wider, is already a very good tourist place in the area, so maybe more encouragement to come. I'll finish up just by thanking Ruth Maguire again, and I will have to say that I won't be able to make tonight's reception, not want to be outdone by either Daniel Johnson or Jeremy Balfour that I, too, also need to go home and play with my child. Just before I call Ross Greer as the last speaker, could I ask all members here to remember and perhaps to pass on to their colleagues and their groups? I find it courteous for members who take part in a debate to stay until the end of that debate unless they have received permission from the Presiding Officer by note to leave early. Mr Greer is the last of the open speakers. I thank Ruth Maguire for having brought the Police Scotland charter to the Parliament for debate. I'd also like to thank Robin Harper for having helped me prepare for this debate and welcoming him back to the chamber. I hope that it's as enjoyable of you from the public galleries that it was, and there's the time here down on the floor of the chamber. Over the last two decades in Scotland, we've seen some significant advancements in education. Importantly, many are based on an appreciation that the basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic need to be supported by strategies that encourage all of our children and young people to be confident to have good social skills and enhance their creativity. At the same time, we see a host of trends that work against the overall aims of the curriculum for excellence, especially the lack of esteem for physical, creative and communication components. Art, music and drama, technical subjects and languages are unfortunately always the first victims of budget cuts. That regressive trend, if allowed to continue, will deprive our youngest children during the very years in which they need to learn and develop at their own natural speed, using their own huge curiosity and their motivation to experiment. Restrictions that deprive children of the opportunity to play in the open air, set their own targets, develop their social skills and their ability to relate to others are counterproductive and, indeed, they can be destructive. Listening to other members reminisce about their time playing, I realise that, obviously, with mine not being that long ago, I have a connection with one other member in the chamber in that I played with Ron Mackay's son. We were in the same cub group, which I realised was at a risky play to make, and I am sure that I will suffer for it later on, but it was exactly the kind of outdoor play, exactly the kind of social skills that we were learning through that. That is not a fringe debate. It is a debate of vital importance to wellbeing and social cohesion in Scotland. You cannot separate play from the development of language skills. You cannot separate it from the development of motor skills. You cannot separate it from developing the kind of risk assessment that all children need to keep themselves safe. Many ambitious parents believe that they need to give their children an advantage by beginning formal education as early as possible. In our book, The Toxic Childhood, Sue Palmer cites evidence from across Europe that a playful approach to language and learning is as effective, and it is often more effective than an old-fashioned drill and learn regime. Indeed, by the age of 10, the language skills of children who have had the joys of a child-centred education are statistically the same as are often ahead of children who have been subjected to the rigours of formal education. All the research, including the UK's current effective provisions of preschool education project, point to the importance of talk arising from children's own interests of outdoor play, whether it is free or supervised, of music and song, and not until the age of 5 of introducing playfully phonics well before plunging into pencil and paperwork. Finland and Sweden, often cited in this chamber in various debates, where formal education does not start till the age of 7—yes, 7—are at the top of the international league for literacy attainment, with the additional benefits of a much lower achievement gap between rich and poor and between the genders. I congratulate Police Scotland and Ruth Maguire on bringing the play charter to the Parliament for debate this evening. Police Scotland is a great focal point for debate and discussion for professionals and practitioners of early years education in Scotland, and I hope that they continue to push to ensure that we improve what happens for our young people. There are many organisations working outside of and alongside our schools and nurseries, such as the Wildlife Trust, Forest Schools, John Muir Trust and EcoSchools, who in their own ways supplement the kind of work that is being done by early years and preschool teachers. The Government should be doing all that it can to ensure that we share the joy of nature and the outdoors with children across Scotland, and the play charter should give us all the push needed to make sure that that happens. Mark McDonald will respond to the debate. I will do my best to respond to what has been an excellent and wide-ranging debate, and I thank Ruth Maguire for securing the debate this afternoon and bringing it to the chamber this evening. I would also like to thank Play Scotland for its on-going support for play and for helping to facilitate this evening's reception to celebrate Scotland's play charter, which, by the turnout that we have had for this evening's debate—which is a lot more than we often get for members' business debates in this chamber—demonstrates the strong commitment that exists to play across Scotland. That is a commitment that is shared by the Government. I want to try to respond to some of the points that have been raised in the debate this evening. Ruth Maguire and Rona Mackay both emphasised the right to play as articulated in article 31 of the UNCRC. We see that as very important in Government as well. That is why we developed Scotland's national play strategy in collaboration with the play sector to help us to raise the profile of the impact of play and to ensure that Scotland's children achieve their full potential. We believe that play is central to that, so I would like to take this opportunity to put on record my thanks to the play strategy implementation group for working with us to create and enhance those fundamental building blocks that will enable and inform a more playful Scotland where children can realise their right to play every day. I strongly believe that the play charter will help us to further embed the principles of the play strategy. Again, I thank Play Scotland for continuing to diligently encourage us to commit to play as an essential ingredient to children's wellbeing. The play charter rightly focuses on inclusivity and our shared vision for play. It seeks to improve the experiences of all children and young people, including those with disabilities or disadvantaged backgrounds. It aims to ensure that all children and young people can access play opportunities in a range of settings that offer variety, adventure and challenge. They must be able to play freely and safely while learning to manage risks and make choices about where, how and when they play according to their age, stage, ability and preference. Brian Whittle spoke of physical literacy, as he often does in this Parliament, and rightly so, and the impact on children's health and wellbeing. I believe that play is crucial for children's healthy development. A growing body of evidence supports the view that playing throughout childhood is not an innate behaviour but also contributes to children's quality of life, their wellbeing and their physical, social and cognitive development. I am firmly of the belief that there is nothing more powerful than the imagination of a child. It can take you anywhere and make you anything. Through investment in play, we are working with families to create spaces and places for that imagination to thrive. Play is, I believe, one of the keys to unlocking the potential of Scotland's children. That is why, as part of our expansion of early learning and childcare to 1,140 hours per year by the end of the current Parliament, we are working with Care Inspectorate, Scottish Future Trust and others to publish new practice design guidance for all early learning and childcare centres across the sector by the summer, which will include looking at outdoor play provision. We are also running a series of trials, some of which will look at outdoor play, one of them being based here in Edinburgh, looking at the establishment of outdoor nursing provision through a nature kindergarten. This morning, Presiding Officer, I had the pleasure to go to West College, the Clydebank campus, and speak to early learning and childcare HNC students. One of the questions that came back to me was about how we get the public understanding of the importance of early learning and childcare in children's development and that it is not just about sitting around playing. I questioned back why we need to have that distinction. Fundamental to children's development, I believe, is exploratory play. It is how children learn about shapes, textures, colours, words and numbers. I believe that that is absolutely critical in children's early development. Daniel Johnson spoke of investment. The Government continues to invest in play. We have invested more than £3 million in the area this year alone, including funding for Play Talk Read of £700,000, £1.6 million for the bookbug programme and £260,000 for Play Scotland, plus a whole host of other initiatives. We have also invested more than £3 million since 2012 in inspiring Scotland's go-to-play playranger fund. The fund supports Scottish charities to develop playranger provision for vulnerable children and disadvantaged groups and to engage them in active outdoor play. Playrangers provide a huge number of benefits not only for our children but for parents' communities by enabling children to play in spaces familiar to them, such as their street or local park, while giving parents peace of mind and encouraging positive interaction between children and the wider community. Alison Johnston mentioned the yard, who we had a reception in Parliament recently to celebrate their 30th birthday. I believe that inclusive play is very important. It is something that I want to see being encouraged much more widely. I have a concern that it is often an afterthought, particularly for soft play centres that often run relaxed and inclusive sessions, but do so at what they deem to be quiet times. The reason that they are quiet times is because they are also inconvenient times and they are just as inconvenient for families with disabled children as they are for other families. I think that there needs to be a recognition in relation to that. Alison Johnston spoke about consulting children. I have experience of this from my time as a councillor, a local play park in my community, which was the one that I used to play in as a child, had fallen into disrepair. Working alongside some of the community workers in the council, we consulted widely with children living around the play area about what they wanted to see done in relation to its redevelopment. A budget was identified, the park was redeveloped and it is now a busy and thriving play area where previously it had been the kind of area that families tended to avoid. I think that there are good examples out there of where children are being consulted in relation to play opportunities. Kenneth Gibson gave us an interesting insight into his own childhood. We will perhaps leave it there, but I also emphasise the point that plays about freedom and opportunity. If we restrict that freedom and opportunity, we restrict opportunities for children to fully develop their potential. Jeremy Balfour made a very important point about the issue of fathers who perhaps do not interact and play with their children, perhaps not until those children are a bit older, and emphasising the importance of early play and early interaction for fathers to develop those bonds and develop some of those crucial cognitive abilities. Claire Hawke touched on the various areas in which play has an impact and mentioned mental health. That is an area that is worth recognising, particularly when we look at some of the other pressures that children and young people face in our communities today. Ian Gray highlighted a number of good examples from his local area in East Lothian. He also asked me to raise an issue with the housing minister about ensuring that play areas in new developments are suitable, but also suitably maintained going forward. I can say that I will be happy to raise that with my colleague Kevin Stewart following this debate. Fulton MacGregor made an important point about how best to use spaces. It was a point that was also made by Daniel Johnson. We need to look more carefully at how well we are using spaces and facilities, particularly facilities that are often empty for long periods of time and could be brought into better use with a bit more creative thinking. Ross Greer touched on the importance of nature in the outdoors, and part of what we are doing in relation to the trial that I mentioned at Edinburgh, but it is also happening in a number of other areas. We are looking at collaborative approaches between universities. The University of Aberdeen recently ran a scheme alongside a project called Wee Green Spaces, which was about offering opportunities to children to use the botanic gardens at the university as a place to play and explore. There are good examples out there of that kind of collaboration that we want to see and encourage further. I recognise that I have run over time, but I hope that I have managed to get everybody in. I recognise that I am stopping Jeremy Balfour from getting away to play with his children, so I would better not hold him up any further. The rest of us, I hope, are going to go and join the rest of the individuals in the gallery at the reception later on as we continue to celebrate play and emphasise its importance to the children of Scotland. I have turned my microphone on now. I closed this meeting, and you may now show your appreciation if you wish.