Seòmar agus comataidhean

We will have one final question from Michael Marra, which is on the same line, before I return to the deputy convener for a comment.

That is exceptionally clear.

Michael Marra wants to come in on another topic.

I see nodding heads. Thank you.

Under the third item on the agenda, the committee will hear evidence from the Minister for Children and Young People and her officials on the draft Provision of Early Learning and Childcare (Specified Children) (Scotland) Amendment (No 2) Order 2021.

I welcome the minister to the committee. She is accompanied by Joanne Mackenzie, team leader for targeted children and family wellbeing at the Scottish Government, and by Claire Cullen, a lawyer in the school education branch of the Scottish Government’s legal directorate.

I invite Ms Haughey to speak to the draft instrument.

Okay. So changes cannot happen automatically, whatever the rate is. I have two colleagues who want to come in. I will bring Willie Rennie in, then Oliver Mundell.

I will ask the final question. You have packaged together quite a lot of recommendations in your report. My simple question—to which, I am afraid, I must ask you to give a short answer—is this: what recommendations should be prioritised? Which of your recommendations do you feel we should look at first?

Who would like to answer? I left the difficult question to the end.

Thank you, minister. I thank colleagues who have contributed thus far. If anyone else wishes to say anything, this is the moment to say so. If not, I will proceed.

I thank the minister and her officials for their evidence this morning.

Under our next item, I invite the minister to move the motion.

Motion moved,

That the Education, Children and Young People Committee recommends that the Provision of Early Learning and Childcare (Specified Children) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 2) Order 2021 be approved.—[Clare Haughey]

You have given us a tour de force of the report, which I appreciate. I will ask my question again: is it correct to say that the pandemic restricted your ability to come here and, I assume, your usual way of doing business? Would you normally have come here and been on the ground? Has it been a different experience?

It would be better to have been here on the ground. Are you satisfied with the diversity of the voices that you heard in building the report? One aspect of the constructive feedback that came after the report’s publication is that most of the people and organisations that you consulted are on, or had been on, Scottish Government committees or had developed or managed CFE—the so-called insider bodies. That is one of the criticisms of the report. How do you respond to that?

I am not sure that we can say that what occurred was abuse, but your point has been made. Would you like to make a further point to the OECD?