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I am finished, unless any other members of the panel want to come in.

What do you think that the consequences of that will be in the long and the short term?

I do not want to focus only on you, Andrea—maybe the others will come in in a second—but I know that you have focused on this area. Do you think that a rush to get back to the way things were might result in longer-term mental health problems, unemployment and criminal activities? We know that a whole range of issues come from the attainment gap, and the gap between the wealthy and the less wealthy. Do you think that the situation will get worse if we rush to get back to normal in the way that you have described?

I appreciate that the report is about far more than the personalities involved—it is about organisation, culture and broader leadership. I understand that. Nonetheless, how difficult will it be for the new qualifications Scotland body to win over the profession if the old leadership remains in place?

In your previous role with the General Teaching Council for Scotland, child protection will have been close to you. The GTCS made a submission in which it talked about—to put words in its mouth—the vacuum around regulation of employers when it comes to child protection and safeguarding. As you know, the GTCS has a role in regulating the profession, but because local authorities—the employers—are regarded as the front line in child protection, referrals are passed on to them to be dealt with. The GTCS does not necessarily know what happens to those referrals. It says that there is a gap in the system, because no one is regulating that aspect.

We know that local authorities sometimes manage people out, instead of dealing with issues head on. They are not necessarily doing anything that is inappropriate, but there is a tendency to manage issues out. Why did you not include in your report a recommendation on regulation of employers in that regard, given that the GTCS had suggested that there is a gap in the arrangements?

Thank you very much.

I will come to child protection in a moment, but I first want to ask about Education Scotland and the new national agency, because that is the next meaty part of the report. The report talks about a “cluttered landscape”, “patchy” delivery in schools and teachers feeling “bombarded” with the material that is provided. You have also talked about a teacher-responsive approach. To be honest, I am not sure what that means. I get the idea, but what difference would a teacher notice with the new national agency in comparison with what they currently receive?

The Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland was quite forceful this week about the particular issue of restraint. We still have problems with members of the profession using inappropriate restraint methods. How important is it that the inspector makes that a significant area of work and that we look at how employers are dealing with such issues? How do we address issues to do with restraint?

You talk about the hierarchy and the top-down approach. Are you saying that the national agency will have a filtering or gatekeeping role to make sure that the teachers and education providers are put first, and that it will have a role in filtering any interference that contradicts that? You talk in the report about co-ordination and coherence; is that what you mean?

How do the proposed powers impact on the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005?