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Largely, I tend to agree with Graeme Dey on this matter, and I, too, pay tribute to the petitioner, whose tenacity, perseverance and courage in pursuing the issues is to be commended by all of us.

However, I share the petitioner’s concerns about a lack of a statutory underpinning. I also have growing concerns about what is happening in our schools not just in terms of restraint and the other issues covered in this petition, but in terms of assaults on teachers. The lack of reporting is a growing concern for me.

I think that the only way that reporting measures can be adequately supported is if they are in law. That is why the rest of the United Kingdom is going down that particular route and making it a legal duty to report. That would give us a sounder basis for assessing how the guidelines—which are to be welcomed—will be used and how they will be adhered to. I also think that it gives a basis for the cabinet secretary, Scottish ministers and the Scottish Parliament to be able to assess whether the approach is working.

Therefore, I am happy to support what Graeme Dey has suggested, but, when we write to the cabinet secretary, I would like the issues that have been highlighted by the petitioner and the issues that I am focused on to be included in that letter.

You mentioned it: an annual check-in with some quantitative and qualitative information behind it.

I was going to say that, if it really was a market, it would be first in the queue to be investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority. Frankly, if you think that it is a market, let me disabuse you of that idea. It is not a market, because the local authorities are the funders of the private sector and their competitors. As a result, there is undoubtedly a drift that is beyond anecdotal—for example, in relation to staff, the private, voluntary and independent sector believes that it recruits and trains people and gives them experience, and then the local authority comes along and hoovers them up because it offers them such better salary terms.

I want to ask about your engagement with the PVI sector. Does it tell you similar things to what Willie Rennie and I have said in our questions? I will go first to Carrie Lindsay, then to Wendy Brownlie.

I seek the convener’s guidance. I respect the fact that the authorities that are represented before the committee are—I understand this from PVI partners across Scotland—among the best reputationally for some of the things that we are talking about, but I would like to hear from Stewart Westwater what Fife Council’s PVI partners are saying to the council.

Part of the important reflection that we need to make here is about what the sector is telling the council, because it is the funder and a competitor. We need to hear those partners’ voices, but we will not hear them in this evidence session unless our witnesses reflect to us what they have told them.

What are they telling you in your engagement with them?

I am interested in the recruitment profile. Carrie Lindsay mentioned that Fife Council has been successful in recruiting older people. It has been put to me that there is a bit of a cliff edge past the age of 19 in the support that is available. I wonder whether Fife’s success in recruiting older people is reflected in the PVI sector.

The convener has prompted me to bring in Margot Black. I am interested in hearing her response.

Is that happening in the PVI sector?

Are they bringing people in and training them?

Is that predominantly younger people because of the reduced rates for those who are over 19?