Hansard

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

04 Jun 2026

Decision Time

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I could not vote. I would have voted yes.

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

04 Jun 2026

Decision Time

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I could not vote. I would have voted yes.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic (Màiri McAllan) SNP Chamber

04 Jun 2026

Decision Time

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I could not vote. I would have voted no.

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

Jackie Dunbar is absolutely right. The principle of meaningful participation is central to the adoption of a children’s rights-based approach and is a general guiding principle of the UNCRC. We are developing our approach to engagement with children’s organisations to ensure t...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

I would certainly be interested to engage with Willie Rennie on the growing body of concern that he has spoken of regarding the use of digital devices being unregulated. There is a distinction to be made between personal mobile devices and digital devices that are provided by ...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

I would reflect to Meghan Gallacher that the law in Scotland is as it stands, and the Government’s position has long been that we cannot unilaterally implement the policy nationwide without a change in the law. As has been reflected, the development and co-development of guida...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

I associate myself with Marie McNair’s question. Recently, I spoke to a guidance teacher who said that, almost exclusively, she begins her mornings by dealing with the emotional upset or turmoil of one young person, or a number of young people, as a result of something that ha...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

Trust is vital, and we absolutely trust our school leaders and teachers to lead the policy. That is why the Deputy First Minister’s guidance put them front and centre and put our support behind them. Support is also vital. As I have reflected, we have heard calls for increased...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

I am pleased to note that the guidance that my colleague the former education secretary developed had exemptions at its heart. The guidance provided a strong statement of intent, but it explicitly included exemptions to take into account instances in which phones will be neede...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

I thank Jenny Young for her insights, and I will add her as another teacher whose input I look forward to getting in this role. I assure her that teachers’ views are central to how we develop the policy. I have listed the range of stakeholders with whom we have been working on...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

I hope that, when the changes come into force, we will find that disruption in the classroom is lessened, that concentration in the classroom is heightened and that teachers find themselves more able to conduct their professional duties without distractions from phones. As I s...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

In my response to Katherine Sangster, I reflected that, anecdotally and in a constituency capacity, parents and teachers have said to me that a national position would be helpful. In developing this policy, we have been clear that we do not have the powers to unilaterally impl...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

It is not at all daunting to have one former teacher sitting next to me and one over my shoulder, but that helps to stress how much I hope that we can deliver the change in the law in a way that takes on board the views of the teaching profession, parliamentarians across the c...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

I would reflect a similar experience to that of Katherine Sangster. She mentioned having spoken with a number of parents who are keen to see this carefully developed policy move to the next stage and to a nationwide position. I, too, have had that experience. Most teachers who...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

I thank Angela Ross for her question and her support for the policy. I hope that we can continue to garner that support right across the chamber. I also acknowledge her comments about the preparedness and the preparations that have gone into the policy. I give credit to my pre...

The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic (Màiri McAllan) SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

My priority is to ensure that our school environments support pupils to thrive and to reach their full potential. There is no doubt that new and evolving technologies can provide opportunities for learning and communication. However, they also bring the risk of a spectrum of h...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

Jackie Dunbar is absolutely right. The principle of meaningful participation is central to the adoption of a children’s rights-based approach and is a general guiding principle of the UNCRC. We are developing our approach to engagement with children’s organisations to ensure t...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

I would certainly be interested to engage with Willie Rennie on the growing body of concern that he has spoken of regarding the use of digital devices being unregulated. There is a distinction to be made between personal mobile devices and digital devices that are provided by ...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

I would reflect to Meghan Gallacher that the law in Scotland is as it stands, and the Government’s position has long been that we cannot unilaterally implement the policy nationwide without a change in the law. As has been reflected, the development and co-development of guida...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

I associate myself with Marie McNair’s question. Recently, I spoke to a guidance teacher who said that, almost exclusively, she begins her mornings by dealing with the emotional upset or turmoil of one young person, or a number of young people, as a result of something that ha...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

Trust is vital, and we absolutely trust our school leaders and teachers to lead the policy. That is why the Deputy First Minister’s guidance put them front and centre and put our support behind them. Support is also vital. As I have reflected, we have heard calls for increased...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

I am pleased to note that the guidance that my colleague the former education secretary developed had exemptions at its heart. The guidance provided a strong statement of intent, but it explicitly included exemptions to take into account instances in which phones will be neede...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

I thank Jenny Young for her insights, and I will add her as another teacher whose input I look forward to getting in this role. I assure her that teachers’ views are central to how we develop the policy. I have listed the range of stakeholders with whom we have been working on...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

I hope that, when the changes come into force, we will find that disruption in the classroom is lessened, that concentration in the classroom is heightened and that teachers find themselves more able to conduct their professional duties without distractions from phones. As I s...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

In my response to Katherine Sangster, I reflected that, anecdotally and in a constituency capacity, parents and teachers have said to me that a national position would be helpful. In developing this policy, we have been clear that we do not have the powers to unilaterally impl...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

It is not at all daunting to have one former teacher sitting next to me and one over my shoulder, but that helps to stress how much I hope that we can deliver the change in the law in a way that takes on board the views of the teaching profession, parliamentarians across the c...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

I would reflect a similar experience to that of Katherine Sangster. She mentioned having spoken with a number of parents who are keen to see this carefully developed policy move to the next stage and to a nationwide position. I, too, have had that experience. Most teachers who...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

I thank Angela Ross for her question and her support for the policy. I hope that we can continue to garner that support right across the chamber. I also acknowledge her comments about the preparedness and the preparations that have gone into the policy. I give credit to my pre...

The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic (Màiri McAllan) SNP Chamber

02 Jun 2026

Phone-free Classrooms

My priority is to ensure that our school environments support pupils to thrive and to reach their full potential. There is no doubt that new and evolving technologies can provide opportunities for learning and communication. However, they also bring the risk of a spectrum of h...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

28 May 2026

Decision Time

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I am not sure whether my app connected. I would have voted no.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic (Màiri McAllan) SNP Chamber

28 May 2026

Decision Time

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I could not connect to the voting app. I would have voted no.

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

Will the member give way?

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

To pick up on Claire Baker’s point about the value of provision for eligible two-year-olds, I completely agree with her about the importance of early learning at that point. Will she, like me, welcome the findings in the evaluation report—I said that it was published by Diffle...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

I hear Meghan Gallacher’s points about delivery and public trust. I take the opportunity, early in the development of the policy, to acknowledge the importance of delivery, to put on record that it is what I want to happen, and to ask her whether she will work constructively w...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

In our manifesto, we set out an estimate of about £500 million. However, the Government is in the early days of developing the policy, so the estimates on costs and workforce requirements will be developed in due course. I remind members that the commitment is to have complete...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

I will, of course, give way.

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

Will I get the time back, Presiding Officer?

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

The member is absolutely right to point out the importance of the workforce. The workforce, which consists mainly of women, is the single most important factor in whether good, high-quality early learning and childcare is provided. The roll-out of 1,140 hours necessarily resul...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

I was going to come to that later, but I will address it now. I will talk about some of the work that we have been doing in our priority communities. We have been working with our six priority families and testing the roll-out of childcare as it is needed in different circumst...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

I do not think that it is realistic to say that progress has not been made. In my first response to Willie Rennie, I noted that Scotland is the only place in the UK that funds the real living wage, because we have put fair work at the centre of our expansion to 1,140. I say to...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

We are in the early days of a significant expansion project. I say to the chamber that I am open minded about learning with regard to the delivery of 1,140 hours as we work to expand the provision. Pay, rates and flexibility, among many other issues, will be taken into account.

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

When it comes to pay, I am proud that Scotland is the only part of the United Kingdom that, through its funding for early learning and childcare, creates the circumstances in which the real living wage can be paid. However, I understand the call for parity. All those aspects w...

The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic (Màiri McAllan) SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

I am delighted to open the debate for the Government on the important topic of early learning and childcare and the Government’s plans to transform provision in Scotland. The early emphasis that we are placing on the topic, and its centrality in our manifesto, will, I hope, un...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

Will the member give way?

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

To pick up on Claire Baker’s point about the value of provision for eligible two-year-olds, I completely agree with her about the importance of early learning at that point. Will she, like me, welcome the findings in the evaluation report—I said that it was published by Diffle...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

I hear Meghan Gallacher’s points about delivery and public trust. I take the opportunity, early in the development of the policy, to acknowledge the importance of delivery, to put on record that it is what I want to happen, and to ask her whether she will work constructively w...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

In our manifesto, we set out an estimate of about £500 million. However, the Government is in the early days of developing the policy, so the estimates on costs and workforce requirements will be developed in due course. I remind members that the commitment is to have complete...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

I will, of course, give way.

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

Will I get the time back, Presiding Officer?

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

The member is absolutely right to point out the importance of the workforce. The workforce, which consists mainly of women, is the single most important factor in whether good, high-quality early learning and childcare is provided. The roll-out of 1,140 hours necessarily resul...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

I was going to come to that later, but I will address it now. I will talk about some of the work that we have been doing in our priority communities. We have been working with our six priority families and testing the roll-out of childcare as it is needed in different circumst...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

I do not think that it is realistic to say that progress has not been made. In my first response to Willie Rennie, I noted that Scotland is the only place in the UK that funds the real living wage, because we have put fair work at the centre of our expansion to 1,140. I say to...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

We are in the early days of a significant expansion project. I say to the chamber that I am open minded about learning with regard to the delivery of 1,140 hours as we work to expand the provision. Pay, rates and flexibility, among many other issues, will be taken into account.

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

When it comes to pay, I am proud that Scotland is the only part of the United Kingdom that, through its funding for early learning and childcare, creates the circumstances in which the real living wage can be paid. However, I understand the call for parity. All those aspects w...

The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic (Màiri McAllan) SNP Chamber

27 May 2026

Childcare

I am delighted to open the debate for the Government on the important topic of early learning and childcare and the Government’s plans to transform provision in Scotland. The early emphasis that we are placing on the topic, and its centrality in our manifesto, will, I hope, un...

Màiri McAllan (Clydesdale) (SNP) SNP Chamber

14 May 2026

Oaths and Affirmations

I, Màiri Louise McAllan, do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God.

Màiri McAllan (Clydesdale) (SNP) SNP Chamber

14 May 2026

Oaths and Affirmations

I, Màiri Louise McAllan, do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God.

Màiri McAllan (Clydesdale) (SNP) SNP Chamber

14 May 2026

Oaths and Affirmations

I, Màiri Louise McAllan, do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God.

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

25 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Temporary Accommodation

I would say that, although I said in response to Clare Adamson that temporary accommodation is a vital safety net for families and individuals who find themselves facing homelessness, we must reduce the length of time that people spend in temporary accommodation and make rapid...

Màiri McAllan SNP Chamber

25 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Temporary Accommodation

That fund, which goes directly to councils to help them to turn around social voids quickly and to acquire family homes on the market, is a critical part of our response to the housing emergency, because although we are putting a huge amount of work into delivering more afford...