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Why has that not been done before now?

Why was the Scottish outdoor learning strategic working group set up this year?

I am asking about the vision for outdoor learning, which was a 27-page document that came out in 2010. What has been the impact of that document?

Why was it not set up in 2010, when the vision was set out?

Was there no equivalent group before then?

Do we know what impact that strategy has had since 2010? Do we have a timeline of progress?

It is a sign of the frustration that we all feel that it takes a member’s bill on outdoor residentials to trigger the Government into taking actions that it should have taken years ago. If the Government does not understand the impact of a strategy, what is the point of producing those strategies?

This is an evidence session about outdoor learning and residentials, and you do not have the key facts about the progress that the Government has made. Everything that you have provided this morning is valid, but it is all anecdotal about what you have seen. I want to know what the Government has seen over those 14 years, and you do not have that this morning.

We are not making any progress, so let us move on. If the bill is rejected, we would not go back to the position that we were in before. The message that could be sent to local authorities is that outdoor residentials do not matter and are not valued by the Parliament and the Government. How will you respond to that? We are not taking a neutral position because, if the Parliament and the Government reject the bill, there could be ramifications. Some people have said that that could trigger the closure of many more outdoor centres. How would you respond to that?

I am not asking for a bullet-by-bullet breakdown of what has happened, but I would quite like the headline figures about any impact that has been made. I know that you have not been the minister for long, but you represent a Government that has been in power since 2007, so I would expect you to have an understanding of what that impact has been. Can you give us the headlines?

I hope that you understand my frustration that the only reason we are debating this here today is because of a member’s bill. Where is the Government action? Where is the Government measurement during that 14-year period? Perhaps we have reached this crisis point because the Government has not really focused on that. Is that not a fair accusation?