Hansard

I thank Ruth Maguire for bringing tonight’s debate to the chamber. I apologise to her and to the minister for having to leave before the end of the debate to make a constituency engagement.

I want to say a few words because of the importance of play to children’s development and early learning. A great deal of research provides us with clear evidence of that. I have seen the importance of play with my own eyes because, in previous jobs, I have seen children and their parents trying to do the best that they can in the most difficult circumstances—in circumstances of war, of displacement or of grinding and almost unimaginable poverty. It is remarkable that, no matter how difficult the circumstances, children will still find a way to play and a way to exercise their imaginations with the most limited resources.

We must understand that the importance of play is an international issue. I know that Play Scotland is part of the International Play Association. In the previous parliamentary session, the IPA’s executive body met here once. I hosted a meeting of the IPA’s board in the Scottish Parliament as the IPA wanted to show its interest in what was happening in Scotland.

The right to play is very much an international issue, which is why it appears in article 31 of the UNCRC. However, it is right that we look to home and do not assume that just because we do not have the particular difficulties, everything is fine, because it is clear from many of the contributions that it is not and that we could do better.

I will make a couple of remarks on one or two issues that have come up. In the play charter, Play Scotland is very clear that children’s right to play is not an add-on; it must be embedded in our approach to parenting and to early learning. That is critical.

In passing, I mention the excellent programme support from the start, which East Lothian Council runs as part of its early learning strategy. The programme provides many opportunities, particularly but not solely in the school holidays, for children to play and for their parents to learn more about how to support effective play.

Places are important to play. That really matters and it is a big factor in the concern that many have expressed about the reduction in recent years in the opportunity or capacity to play outside and in children being allowed to play outside. Daniel Johnson mentioned concerns about the number of school playing fields being reduced. That is not the case in East Lothian Council’s area, where 86 per cent of our schools have playing fields, which is the second best percentage in Scotland.

A local authority’s approach to school playing fields is reflected in its approach to the greater community spaces that Clare Haughey spoke about. For example, again in East Lothian, there has been tremendous effort by a community group that supports Cuthill park, which has transformed the park and the play opportunities there. On Saturday, the group will launch the latest of those—the woodland learning zone.

Finally, I know that this is not really in the minister’s brief, but perhaps he could talk with his colleague the Minister for Local Government and Housing about the detrimental effect that new housing developments and the factoring of common land can have on play areas. Many private housing developments in my constituency have children’s play areas because the planning permission demands that but, having provided that, the developers pass on the ownership of those small packets of land to factors, which sometimes sell them on to somebody else altogether. That makes it difficult to maintain those play areas, which often end up being a blight rather than an opportunity for children.