Seòmar agus comataidhean

In that case, we move to our next agenda item, and I ask the Deputy First Minister to move motion S6M-01400.

Motion moved,

That the Education, Children and Young People Committee recommends that the Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Exceptions to Eligibility) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 be approved.—[John Swinney]

Motion agreed to.

As with the previous draft instrument, the committee must now produce a report in respect of our consideration of the instrument. Is the committee content to delegate responsibility to me and the deputy convener to agree the report on behalf of the committee?

Members indicated agreement.

There have been specific representations to the committee in relation to the cost of appearance work, which is when a solicitor appears before the panel in person. There is a concern that the cap that is currently in place on legal costs would not cover that additional expense and, therefore, would not cover the quality of legal work as defined by the Law Society of Scotland. That is subject to further and on-going discussions.

Having said all that, is the committee agreed that it does not wish to make any recommendations in relation to the instrument?

Members indicated agreement.

Indeed. I thank you for your statement. Both you and minister Freeman are to be congratulated and thanked for the way in which you have resolved the Scottish Government’s concerns.

Having said that, I wonder whether colleagues have any further questions to ask of the minister, given the very comprehensive, although short, statement that he made to the committee.

The second item on the agenda is evidence from the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery, John Swinney MSP, and his officials on the Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Act 2021 (Form and Content of Waiver etc) Regulations 2021. I welcome the Deputy First Minister to the committee. He is accompanied by Paul Beaton, who is the legislation and contributions unit head in the Scottish Government, and Barry McCaffrey, who is a lawyer in the Scottish Government’s legal directorate. Good morning, all.

I invite Mr Swinney to speak to the draft instrument.

I am still not hearing any analysis of what has brought us to this point. To be able to fix something, we must know what we are trying to fix. What are we trying to fix? Why are we not succeeding in training Scots for highly skilled jobs?

Before we conclude, I will ask a couple of questions. What research is being done into the impact on young people’s physical and mental health of having to wear face coverings for protracted periods?

Yes.

Good morning, and welcome to the fifth meeting in 2021 of the Education, Children and Young People Committee. For those of you who are watching, we are meeting in a hybrid format.

I welcome the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, and Graeme Logan, who is director of learning at the Scottish Government. This is the first time that we have met the cabinet secretary. We are delighted to have her with us, and we look forward to a long and happy time working together on this important area.

I understand that the cabinet secretary intends to make a short opening statement. We will then go straight to questions.

How will you ensure that the new teaching positions come with permanent contracts? I know that there was agreement over the summer on the permanence of the funding for teachers, but is the Government following through on that and measuring these things? When I recently asked a parliamentary question on the matter, I was told that one in eight teachers in Scotland were on temporary contracts, which is a situation that we will all agree needs to be changed. How is the Scottish Government monitoring and measuring that?