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Seòmar agus comataidhean

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 6 July 2025
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Displaying 2221 contributions

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Public Audit Committee

Additional Support for Learning

Meeting date: 19 March 2025

Stuart McMillan

Paragraph 16 of the briefing touches on the fact that accessing ASL can require a diagnosis by a specialist before support can be provided. Will you provide a bit more information and detail on how that impacts the broader understanding of ASL provision in Scotland?

10:00  

Public Audit Committee

Additional Support for Learning

Meeting date: 19 March 2025

Stuart McMillan

First, I will just make you aware that I chair the cross-party group on visual impairment and I am the deputy chair of the cross-party group on dyslexia.

I found the briefing fascinating. It certainly highlighted a few different areas for consideration, to say the least. I have been working with a local additional support needs group for the past nine months, so that has helped to frame some of my thinking about the briefing.

The first issue that I picked up on is the bullet point on annually published data in the recommendations. My first consideration of that was that it might lead to an unintended consequence of having league tables that people would look at and use to pit one local authority against another.

Public Audit Committee

Additional Support for Learning

Meeting date: 19 March 2025

Stuart McMillan

Is any information available from, say, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg and so on?

Public Audit Committee

Additional Support for Learning

Meeting date: 19 March 2025

Stuart McMillan

The briefing highlights the disparities in the likelihoods of different pupils requiring ASL, with boys, pupils in deprived areas, and secondary school pupils being the ones most likely to need support. Although that also focuses on pupils from deprived areas, the five local authorities that were sampled would not be considered to be among the most deprived areas of Scotland.

The briefing says that the data that was provided does not provide clarity about the reasons for those disparities in relation to deprivation.

Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee

Instrument subject to Affirmative Procedure

Meeting date: 18 March 2025

Stuart McMillan

Under agenda item 2, we are considering one instrument, on which no points have been raised.

Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee

Instrument subject to Affirmative Procedure

Meeting date: 18 March 2025

Stuart McMillan

Is the committee content with the instrument?

Members indicated agreement.

Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee

Decision on Taking Business in Private

Meeting date: 18 March 2025

Stuart McMillan

Good morning and welcome to the 10th meeting in 2025 of the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee. We have received apologies from Roz McCall MSP, and I remind everyone to please switch off or put to silent their mobile phones and other electronic devices.

Agenda item 1 is a decision on taking business in private. Is the committee content to take items 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee

Instrument not subject to Parliamentary Procedure

Meeting date: 18 March 2025

Stuart McMillan

Is the committee content with the instrument?

Members indicated agreement.

Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee

Instrument subject to Negative Procedure

Meeting date: 18 March 2025

Stuart McMillan

Under agenda item 3, we are considering one instrument, on which no points have been raised.

Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee

Instrument not subject to Parliamentary Procedure

Meeting date: 18 March 2025

Stuart McMillan

That concludes the public part of the meeting.

10:01 Meeting continued in private until 10:12.