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Could we have another little meeting about that?

Yes. Are we going to agree again?

I dispute that, because, with a gun licence, somebody has to license the person’s expertise. They will have expertise with a gun, and the expertise that is required for management of the land. In the circumstances, there is enough in common—although there is not a direct similarity—to say that there should be a register, which would allow people to know and to feel secure.

Edward Mountain turned the issue on its head and used the word “victimised”. I would put it the other way round: the person who is being granted that exceptional licence as published knows that when they are out and about exercising the licence, they are doing so, and if any member of the public challenges them, they are able to say, “Well, have you checked the register? I’m licensed to do this.” That turns the situation on its head.

What I am asking for is quite plain stuff—it does not go down to the granular level. I am asking that we

“keep a register of licences granted, including the start and end dates of the licence and the name of the licence holder.”

That is it. The rest can be done by regulation. It does not get into the detail of the guns and so on, which Edward Mountain has just exemplified.

It is my understanding that the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission has suggested that we should have such a register. I see security in it for people who have been granted exceptions. The public will think, “Oh well, this is the law now,” and they will not necessarily appreciate that there are exceptions to exceptions whereby there could be an increase in the activity. Rather than see it as victimisation—to repeat myself—I would see it as something that would give security to the licence holder.

I have nothing further to add, convener. If you feel that it is appropriate, perhaps the minister could answer some of those points, as I just want explanations.

I will speak to the Scottish Government’s amendment but, as a preamble, I advise members that, many moons ago, I was a secondary teacher of English. I am notorious for my pedantry. I correct those who say “less” instead of “fewer” or “disinterested” instead of “uninterested”—I will give lessons later.

Incidentally, I went on strike in the 1980s, when inflation was running at above 23 per cent. I was married to an assistant head, and I had two sisters who were primary teachers—one on Orkney and the other in Ayr. Our generations of teachers continue, as my niece is a deputy head of a primary school. I therefore have high regard for the profession, and not only as a parent and grandparent. I have became accustomed to having my ear bent on all matters from those at the chalk face.

Although we obviously disagree on many aspects, as is evidenced by the motion and amendments, I think that we all agree that all children, young people and adult learners have the right to a first-class education, and we commend the hard work of staff and teaching professionals in Scotland’s schools, colleges, universities and early learning and childcare centres. That hard work was particularly tested during Covid, which proved the dedication of the profession. Teaching was adapted and moved online, individual teachers went to households to provide lesson materials, and staff kept schools open, exposing themselves to Covid in doing so.

I will now speak about how important education is in helping children to make the most of their talents in a comfortable environment and, in particular, helping the least well off. The mantra is “closing the attainment gap”, but in my book it is about closing the poverty gap. In 2022-23, Midlothian has received £174,000 or so in pupil equity funding and Scottish Borders has received £225,440, with more to come in successive years. That money supports qualifying children from primary 1 to secondary 3.

However, there is support even before that, starting with pre-school. The first intervention is the baby box, which is delivered to all who request it and is filled to the brim with high-quality items. Its percentage take-up is in the upper 90s, and it demonstrates the value of a child in tangible terms from the very start, because education starts at birth.

There is then the provision of 1,140 free hours of nursery, and we move on to free school meals for all P1 to P5 pupils and free bus travel for all under-22s. I say “free”, but those are choices that the Scottish Government has made about expenditure in order to provide as level a playing field as possible for young people. A hungry child will have difficulty with learning. With free bus travel, children have chances to access out-of-school activities, which are all part of education in its wider sense. Tuition fees were abolished in Scotland, whereas in England a student, if they are not well-heeled, will leave with almost £30,000 in debt at the end of a three-year degree course.

Why should we focus on poverty in an education debate? It is because, although schools and teachers will do their utmost for every child, if a child is living under stress in their household because of poverty and shortages of food and warmth, it will be hard for them to learn. That is why the Scottish child payment, which is now £25 a week for every child under 16 in a qualifying family, is so significant, and it is even more so when it is combined with the other Scottish benefits that I have listed. Some £84 million has been paid out since the payment was introduced.

If the Tory UK Government was to reinstate the £20 per week uplift to universal credit, that would give Scottish families a further £780 million, thereby lifting 30,000 children out of poverty. I ask members to think about the difference that that payment would make, bearing in mind that most people who claim universal credit are working, and the fact that it would ease the financial concerns of households and children.

We also need to have decent school buildings, which is not easy in a time of raging inflation that impacts on, for example, materials. In the Borders and Midlothian, three new secondary schools are on the cards at Galashiels academy, Peebles high school and Beeslack, just outside my patch. However, none of those schools will be built under the disgraceful public-private partnership or private finance initiative routes, which were introduced by the Tories and unhappily continued in Scotland under Labour and the Liberal Democrats. They have left councils carrying millions of pounds of debt, with the most costly borrowing possible.

In 2021 alone, the cost of those extravagant contracts to Midlothian Council was £11 million, or 12 per cent of its education budget. In Scottish Borders, the most recent figure is £9 million, which represents 8 per cent of the education budget. That is money wasted.

I will finish where I started, with teachers. In the current harsh economic climate, which has been exacerbated by Tory mismanagement, Boris, Truss and Brexit for starters, I understand the demands for pay rises. As members in the chamber are aware, teachers know that the Scottish Government has a fixed budget—it was fixed when inflation was around 3 per cent, not 11 per cent—and that increased salaries mean cuts elsewhere. I therefore hope that a middle ground will soon be found.

I note that Stephen Kerr would not answer the simple question of how much should go to the teachers and from which budget. His contribution—I think that it is appropriate to say this in a debate on education—was

“full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

That is a quote from “Macbeth”, act 5, scene 5. I thank Ms McGuffie, circa 1960, who is still fondly remembered for compelling us to learn all of Shakespeare’s soliloquies.

I congratulate the member on securing the debate and pay tribute to all who care for another, be it family, friend or neighbour, whether or not they are eligible for carers allowance, because caring comes in many forms. It may be simply calling on a neighbour to help with the messages and check that they are okay, or it may involve living in a household, providing 24-hour support for seven days—and nights—a week, and everything in between.

Carers come in all ages, from the school pupil who cares for a disabled mum to the octogenarian who cares for his equally elderly wife who has dementia. Those are not random examples, but constituency cases that have, along with many others, crossed my desk during my many years in the Parliament.

It is reckoned that the number of carers in Scotland, as Paul O’Kane said, stands at more than 800,000, but the real figure is probably much higher as many do not identify themselves as carers—they are simply looking after a loved one, keeping them in their own home where they want to be.

According to the Carers Trust website, carers save the Scottish purse some £10.3 billion each year in meeting needs that would otherwise have to be met by social and health services. During the Covid pandemic, carers had an even heavier burden to bear, while worrying that they might bring the virus into the home. When we clapped for carers, it was for all carers.

There is some financial support available through the carers allowance if certain criteria are fulfilled—if, for example, the person who is caring does so for more than 35 hours per week and the person for whom they care is in receipt of certain benefits such as the personal independence payment. There is also in Scotland—and only in Scotland—the carers allowance supplement, with two payments of £245.70 for the year 2022-23. Even then, it is a struggle for carers, and inflation on all fronts, including in food, fuel, mortgages and rent, has meant that, according to Carers Scotland—as Paul O’Kane mentioned—some 40 per cent of carers have cut back on their food and heating and on other necessities of life.

Indeed, there are dreadful issues of high energy bills, when the person who is supported requires specialist medical equipment—let alone heating—often with electricity running day and night. I have raised that issue in the chamber and am following it up with NHS Lothian and NHS Borders to establish whether any financial support is available.

Finally, there is the issue of respite for carers. A break can make all the difference to a carer maintaining their own health and wellbeing. A recent case of mine concerns a loving daughter who cared for her father. He suffers from dementia and requires almost constant supervision so as not to endanger himself. He lives close by her and, with her help, is keeping much of his independence. No respite service was available to her just a few days ago. She was therefore concerned for others in a similar position.

I have established that, in the Borders, in five council care homes, there are only 28 beds, of which 14 are currently unavailable, nine are intermediate, and five are in planning. Members can work out the small number of respite beds that are available for people to put their loved one in. Given the demographics of the Borders, it is as plain as a pikestaff that that is a drop with the ocean. However, if carers do not have periods of relief, they may reach breaking point—then, at least two people will require care and support.

I would like there to be progress in that area perhaps most of all. Put bluntly, that would save the public purse, as well as be the right thing to do. I ask the minister—if he cannot today, then at some point—to address the position of respite for carers not just in Midlothian and the Borders but across Scotland.

I congratulate my colleague on securing this timely debate. There is no better time to focus on local shops and shopping than in the run-up to Christmas—of course, I must not omit the trades and professions. In refurbishing my Gala office, I have used as many local trades as I can. Small businesses also include local pubs and hotels. Many of those small businesses are family owned, often over the generations, so both the businesses and their owners are embedded in and committed to their communities.

There are many great small businesses across Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, from the main streets of Lauder and Earlston to the town centres of Melrose and Galashiels, the high street of Peebles, the Penicuik precinct and the villages of Broughton and Oxton with their community shops, which I am pleased to say are doing well. I have visited both villages and community support is especially important there.

In addition, I am a shopper. This jacket—I just happen to have it on, by the way; I did not mean it as a prop—was made in the Borders and bought in Peebles. For the avoidance of doubt—this is for Jamie Halcro Johnston—I am not on commission.

All those businesses are key to the communities they serve. They all depend on local patronage and they are accessible year round when rural roads may be impassable and, of course, there is limited public transport.

Covid was tough on all small businesses, but especially on retail and hospitality. Covid restrictions, with movement curtailed and folk stuck indoors ordering online from the supermarkets and the likes of Amazon, meant that shopping habits changed, and they have remained to some extent changed to this day. Those small businesses were coming back into their own, but now they have yet another double whammy, as mentioned before: the cost of living and the energy crisis.

The Scottish Government has helped with its small business bonus scheme—I reference Fergus Ewing—which means that many local businesses pay no rates whatsoever. The recent figures for this year show that in the Borders, 5,820 businesses get relief, of which 5,600 pay no business rates whatsoever. In Midlothian, the figures are 1,220 with some relief and 1,130 with 100 per cent relief, paying no rates at all. However, I accept some of the comments made by Daniel Johnson, given his expertise.

The pressure on family budgets has meant that many people are cutting back as Christmas approaches. Some are finding that the choice is between heating and eating, and the rest is simply not on the agenda. Then there is the cost of energy to businesses themselves. I have heard of local businesses—cafes, in particular—that now have sky-high energy costs and simply will not be able to stay open.

The UK has the energy business relief scheme, which automatically caps the cost per unit of non-domestic energy, so businesses need not apply because it is automatic. However, that scheme ends in March 2023. The First Minister has written to Rishi Sunak asking that something be put in its place for businesses that are still in need, and she also requested an enhanced windfall tax, which could raise £93 billion that could be applied to assist with both domestic and non-domestic energy bills. The Deputy First Minister wrote to the then—very temporary—chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng to ask for VAT, which is mostly at 20 per cent on non-domestic bills, to be reduced. Replies are awaited.

In Scotland, there are grant schemes to assist small businesses. If they have not already done so, businesses should check out the Business Energy Scotland website and see what there is there. It may not be appropriate, but they should at least check it out.

Against a background of inflationary pressures on domestic budgets and additional costs on local business, it is time for us to do our bit, no matter how little, to support our local businesses. Shopping locally keeps the pennies and pounds local. It also leads to weary feet—with parcels—having a wee rest in the local cafe or pub. They need us, but we need them. Our town and village centres need them, too. We must not take them for granted—so, I say, shop local if you can afford to.

Tom Arthur brings to mind a story that I have been told more than once: when someone did not call at the local shop for a few days, the shopkeeper went to find out whether they were all right, because they knew that something was very wrong if it was an elderly or infirm person. That is another example of how important small businesses are in the social system of a community.

Further to that exchange, I advise the cabinet secretary that my proposed bill on the welfare of dogs is shortly to be presented to the Parliament. Its purpose is responsible dog ownership—in other words, the tackling of demand as a way of dealing with the supply of the illegal trade. I associate myself with the exchange with Jamie Greene. In so far as it is possible, I seek to stop online purchase from sites such as Gumtree. Although the cabinet secretary does not have the relevant portfolio responsibility, I ask whether he looks forward—as I do—to Scottish Government support for my bill.

I am trying to find out where the answer to that question is. Members could just fill in time a little bit.

All recycling bins are colour coded, and they include the text and symbols recommended by Zero Waste Scotland, which is the not-for-profit environmental organisation funded by the Scottish Government and the European regional development fund. John Mason can therefore check on its website. Those standard colours, symbols and texts should be consistent across Scotland, and they help individuals, including Mr Mason, to recognise the same bin and waste streams at home, work, and out and about. There is also a guide to our recycling bin system on our intranet site, and there are regular communications about waste and recycling.

I am sure that Mr Mason will improve.