Seòmar agus comataidhean

Good morning and welcome to the 33rd meeting in 2024 of the Education, Children and Young People Committee. The first and only item on our agenda is day 1 consideration of the Scottish Languages Bill at stage 2.

I welcome to the meeting the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic, Kate Forbes, along with her supporting officials. The officials who are seated at the table are here to support the Deputy First Minister, but they cannot speak in the debates on the amendments. Members should therefore direct their comments or questions for the Scottish Government to the Deputy First Minister.

Before we begin, for anyone who is watching, I will briefly explain the procedure that we will follow this morning. The amendments that have been lodged have been grouped together in various groups. There will be one debate on each group of amendments. I will call the member who lodged the first amendment in the group to speak to and move that amendment and to speak to all the other amendments in the group.

I will then call any other members who have lodged amendments in that group. Members who have not lodged amendments in the group but who wish to speak should indicate that to me. If she has not already spoken on the group, I will then invite the Deputy First Minister to contribute to the debate.

The debate on the group will be concluded by me inviting the member who moved the first amendment in the group to wind up. Following the debate on each group, I will check whether the member who moved the first amendment in the group wishes to press the amendment to a vote or to seek to withdraw it. If they wish to press it, I will put the question on that amendment. If a member wishes to withdraw their amendment after it has been moved, they must seek the agreement of other members to do so. If any member present objects, the committee will immediately move to a vote on the amendment.

If any member does not want to move their amendment when it is called, they should say, “Not moved.” Please note that any other member present may move such an amendment. If no one moves the amendment, I will immediately call the next amendment on the marshalled list.

Only committee members are allowed to vote. Voting in a division will be by a show of hands. It is important that members keep their hands raised until the clerks have recorded the vote.

The committee is also required to indicate formally that it has considered and agreed to each section of the bill, so I will put the question on each section at the appropriate points.

I hope that those instructions were helpful. Now that we have covered the housekeeping matters, we can move on to the substantive business.

Section 1—Status of the Gaelic language

I will only check for this amendment as it is our first one, but I see that no other member has indicated that they want to come in. Therefore, I ask Ross Greer to wind up and to press or seek to withdraw amendment 76.

Amendment 1, in the name of the Deputy First Minister, is in a group on its own.

Amendment 2, in the name of Ross Greer, is grouped with amendments 2, 9 to 12, 17, 18, 78, 19 to 25, 26, 42, 48 and 49.

Jackie Dunbar will speak to the amendments that were lodged by Emma Roddick. I call Jackie Dunbar to speak to amendment 34 and other amendments in the group.

Amendment 56, in the name of the Deputy First Minister, is grouped with amendment 73.

I have met Gillian Munro, the principal of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, who I thought made a compelling case for that. That was a very useful meeting for me, and I wanted to get that on the record.

The question is, that amendment 37 be agreed to. Are we agreed?

Members: No.

There will be a division.

For

Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Lab)
Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green)

Against

Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP)
Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con)
Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP)
Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP)
Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind)
Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD)
Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Tweed, Evelyn (Stirling) (SNP)

The result of the division is: For 2, Against 8, Abstentions 0.

Amendment 37 disagreed to.