Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 08 January 2026 [Draft]
08 Jan 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Portfolio Question Time
Schools (Damage and Repair Costs)
Education and Skills
It was my forlorn hope that the Tories might have made a resolution to stop talking Scotland down in 2026. Does the cabinet secretary share my concern that there is an assumption that such issues are caused by children of school age and that they involve the majority of children? Is there a failure to focus on anything positive in our schools? What action is the Scottish Government taking to ensure that our schools are safe, welcoming and high-quality places for pupils and staff?
In the same item of business
1. Douglas Lumsden (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to manage and reduce damage and repair costs in schools. (S6O-05347)
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills (Jenny Gilruth)
SNP
Local authorities are responsible for the management of their school estate, including managing damage and repair. Although it is the statutory responsibilit...
Douglas Lumsden
Con
In the past five years, Aberdeen City Council has spent more than £1.2 million on repairing vandalism in schools, with annual costs more than doubling during...
Jenny Gilruth
SNP
Mr Lumsden’s question has been informed by freedom of information data that has been gleaned by the Scottish Conservatives. If they are able to share that in...
George Adam (Paisley) (SNP)
SNP
It was my forlorn hope that the Tories might have made a resolution to stop talking Scotland down in 2026. Does the cabinet secretary share my concern that t...
Jenny Gilruth
SNP
It is important that members from across the chamber do not seek to demonise the next generation of children and young people, who are the generation that li...
Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Ind)
Ind
For more than two years, more than half of St Kentigern’s academy in Blackburn has been shut after deteriorating reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete rende...
Jenny Gilruth
SNP
I have visited the school in question and seen the fantastic work that West Lothian Council is leading in response to the huge challenges facing its school e...