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Every contribution to the Official Report — chamber and committee — searchable in one place. Pulled from data.parliament.scot, indexed for full-text search, linked through to every MSP.

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1999–2026

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Showing 60 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Ind Chamber

Remote, Rural and Island Communities (Sustainability)

I thank Jamie Halcro Johnston for securing the debate and other members for their kind words.Many people in Scotland’s urban areas and central belt still care deeply for our remote, rural and island communities. I have visited a number of islands with the Parliament’s committe...

John Mason Ind Chamber

Visitor Levy (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Does the member think that he is being realistic? Edinburgh has millions of tourists who come for all sorts of reasons, but they could be put off doing so by the exchange rate, problems in the middle east and other sorts of things. Does he really think that we can pin things d...

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Ind Chamber

Visitor Levy (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Would the member accept that lots of things can change after somebody books a holiday? Beer duty often goes up overnight. People buy things, and a few pounds here or there will not make a difference.

John Mason Ind Chamber

Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I welcome both Daniel Johnson’s and Willie Rennie’s comments, as well as those of the cabinet secretary.Willie Rennie used the word “ambiguity”; other people would use the word “flexibility”. I fully accept that there is a balance to be struck. If we are too rigid, something m...

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Ind Chamber

Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Amendment 1 will provide a regulation-making power to amend the definitions of restraint and seclusion in section 1 at a future date, where ministers consider it necessary to do so. I understand that the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills is keen on such an amendment a...

John Mason Ind Chamber

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Question Time · Lobbying Register

I thank the member for that answer, but does she agree that the lobbying register is a complete waste of money and that it serves no valuable purpose at all?

8. John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Ind Chamber

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Question Time · Lobbying Register

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, regarding its role in staffing and resourcing the lobbying register, what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of the register in its current form. (S6O-05644)

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Ind Chamber

Parliamentary Bureau Motions

Is the answer not to consider compulsory voting, so that prisoners would have to vote along with the rest of the population?

John Mason Ind Committee

Community Sporting Initiatives for Children and Young People

That is fine—it is interesting.

John Mason Ind Committee

Community Sporting Initiatives for Children and Young People

John Mason Ind Committee

Community Sporting Initiatives for Children and Young People

If a young person was not into football or rugby but, say, wanted to run—I used to do cross-country running—swim or do curling or something, could they come to you or would they go to other groups?

John Mason Ind Committee

Community Sporting Initiatives for Children and Young People

That sounds good. A lot of young people—perhaps especially boys—are attracted to come to you because Spartans is very football orientated. Perhaps this is an unfair question to ask, but not every young person is into football—I was certainly not into playing football when I wa...

John Mason Ind Committee

Community Sporting Initiatives for Children and Young People

Ms McCulloch, you work with schools. Do they ever talk to you about concerns over physical activity or the lack of it?

John Mason Ind Committee

Community Sporting Initiatives for Children and Young People

I suppose that you must get a feel for how fit and active the young people are just by looking at them, and for whether that is getting worse over the years. The military say that the young people coming to them are less active than they were.

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Ind Committee

Community Sporting Initiatives for Children and Young People

I was going to ask about funding, but we have covered that, so I will try something else.You have both totally convinced us that you are having a huge impact on young people’s academic improvement, family issues, youth disorder and many other things, but what about physical ac...

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Ind Chamber

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill

One of my colleagues suggested to me that he would rather that religious people be up front and say that they oppose the bill because of their belief in God. As that is one of my reasons, I am happy to say a little from that angle. However, I have other reasons for opposing th...

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Ind Chamber

Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill

I think that it was the member’s Conservative Government that actually brought in equivalent legislation in England, where I presume it will have a similar effect. Would it not have been better to charge a bit more in corporation tax?

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Ind Chamber

Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Does Michael Marra accept that the Parliament has been put into a bit of a corner by Westminster and that we have had to have such a bill, which might not have been ideal?

John Mason Ind Committee

As you pointed out, it is too late for this committee, but not for successor committees in the future. The more realistic that you can be, the better. It would be better to build in some caution so that if you do a bit better, everyone is delighted. I am afraid that, if the de...

John Mason Ind Committee

I fully accept that you are going to encounter problems. The question for the committee is about how well you are anticipating those problems. If you give us a forecast of 40 per cent but we hit 26 per cent or 30 per cent, that suggests that you may have been a little bit over...

John Mason Ind Committee

On the NHS, your letter of 11 March says:“At Committee I noted we were targeting 40% RSS completion by the end of March. As at 3 March, we had completed 26%”,which sounds a bit short.

John Mason Ind Committee

Some of that data may not even be computerised—it may be on paper records.

John Mason Ind Committee

That sounds like quite a process to me.

John Mason Ind Committee

We will probably never know the true estimates—certainly not in my lifetime. We sometimes look at long-term planning in this committee, and I am sure that they do at Westminster as well, so I would have hoped that somebody down there would be making new estimates.I take your p...

John Mason Ind Committee

Do you mean not that you are aware of?

John Mason Ind Committee

Yes, I fully understand that. However, it will obviously still affect UK finances—the figure for the UK is quite a big number—and, by default, our finances. Has nobody done a renewed estimate?

John Mason Ind Committee

Okay. They are getting about £178 more per month than they would have otherwise, so that is all good. How does that impact the £1.7 billion estimate for what this is all going to cost? Are we clearer on that estimate, or has it gone up or down?

John Mason Ind Committee

Perhaps we should be pressuring MPs to do something on that.Did you say that a minority of 26 per cent are choosing to change when they are given their RSS?

John Mason Ind Committee

I understand that, and, therefore, I have some sympathy with you. However, it is having quite a serious impact on the 90 or so people in that cohort, is it not? They are having to continue working when they might not have wanted to.

John Mason Ind Committee

I accept that, for people who have not yet retired, it is less important, although people are planning to retire, and what they get in their pension will be a factor in that.Tied to that is an article that appeared in the 1919 Magazine, which is produced by the Police Federati...

John Mason Ind Committee

You talked about taking the deferred and immediate choice ones together, but my understanding was that no statements have been issued for deferred members.

John Mason Ind Committee

That is slightly reassuring.Your submission says that three public sector schemes in the UK are struggling or do not even have deadlines. You are ahead of them, obviously, but three does not seem to be very many.

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Ind Committee

I will touch on some of the issues that have already been raised. I am not particularly keen on comparing with England, but I was struck by the point in your submission that“National Police Chiefs Council figures for police schemes show 96% delivery at December 2025”.You also ...

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Ind Chamber

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I am happy to support Douglas Ross’s amendment 256.Amendment 257 would introduce an institutional opt-out, which is an essential safeguard to ensure that no hospice, palliative care provider or other health or social care organisation is forced to participate in or facilitate ...

John Mason Ind Chamber

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I understand the risks of amendment 112, but one of our challenges has been to engage the public more in decision making. We have tried different approaches, such as citizens assemblies. It was because there was a referendum in 2014 that people thought about independence in mu...

John Mason Ind Chamber

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I am on board with Mr Marra on a lot of this. However, he has not mentioned savings, which also came up at the Finance and Public Administration Committee. One of my fears with the bill is that, in future, Governments and the NHS could save money by encouraging early deaths. D...

John Mason Ind Chamber

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Will Mr Marra give way?

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Ind Chamber

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

The member has had a few negative comments, so I will give him a positive reaction. Does he agree that one of the differences between the 2014 independence referendum and the Brexit referendum in 2016 was that in 2014 the whole population got really engaged, thought it through...

John Mason Ind Chamber

General Question Time · Fiscal Framework

I thank the cabinet secretary for the fact that we are looking for an ambitious review. The fiscal framework was based on our competing with or matching the rest of the UK. We can do that with most regions in Northern Ireland and Wales, but we struggle to do that—and always ha...

3. John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Ind Chamber

General Question Time · Fiscal Framework

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the current fiscal framework is biased against Scotland. (S6O-05629)

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Ind Chamber

Business Motions

I largely agree with what Jeremy Balfour is saying, but we are where we are. Does he have a suggestion of when would be a better time for us to meet?

John Mason Ind Chamber

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Does it really matter what happened in the past? Perhaps that is a debate for another time. We have been here for 10 and a half hours and expect to be here until 10 o’clock tonight and 10 o’clock tomorrow night. Does he not agree that we should just get on with the detail of t...

John Mason Ind Chamber

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Will the member give way?

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Ind Chamber

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I wondered how the bill’s provisions would work in rural areas. Alasdair Allan represents quite a rural and spread-out constituency. Does he think that it would be okay for people in such areas to have in-person visits?

John Mason Ind Committee

School Reform (Curriculum and Assessment)

That is helpful.

John Mason Ind Committee

School Reform (Curriculum and Assessment)

Do you think that employers understand a lot of what is going on? All of you from whom we are taking evidence this morning are very expert on education. However, does an employer who employs somebody perhaps every four or five years understand the changes that are taking place...

John Mason Ind Committee

School Reform (Curriculum and Assessment)

Ms Ayed, perhaps you can say something about this. Ms Stewart mentioned the workplace, the relationship with employers and that side of things. I am interested in that, because I used to take in young people for work experience. Around October, we had young people come in for ...

John Mason Ind Committee

School Reform (Curriculum and Assessment)

Do you want to come in, Ms Brown?

John Mason Ind Committee

School Reform (Curriculum and Assessment)

Is that what the OECD was mentioning? When I read what the OECD has said, it seemed almost like it wants a more structured and less flexible approach—or am I misunderstanding what it is looking for?

John Mason Ind Committee

School Reform (Curriculum and Assessment)

Thank you for that.I come to Ms Stewart. It was mentioned in the previous evidence session today that different approaches appeal to different young people. I quite like the fact that I chose three subjects in S3 or S4—whenever it was—and I was then just told what else to do. ...

John Mason Ind Committee

School Reform (Curriculum and Assessment)

I will come to Ms Stewart in a minute. I get the bit about tram lines—you do not want people to be on a fixed course, or in silos or something like that. However, even the word “modular” seems to me like the opposite of a broad general education. I am a lay person— I do not kn...

John Mason Ind Committee

School Reform (Curriculum and Assessment)

I will come to Professor Hayward first. The OECD had suggested that there should perhaps be more structured pathways in place during the senior phase, including a limited number of compulsory courses, specialisation courses and space for additional or optional units. Where are...

John Mason Ind Committee

School Reform (Curriculum and Assessment)

I will leave it at that.

John Mason Ind Committee

School Reform (Curriculum and Assessment)

You say that it will be. Does that mean that it has not become more coherent in recent years?

John Mason Ind Committee

School Reform (Curriculum and Assessment)

Mr Bray, is the whole three-to-18 spectrum becoming more coherent?

John Mason Ind Committee

School Reform (Curriculum and Assessment)

It was said at one point that kids in primary school do not interact with enough adults and that, in secondary school, they may interact with too many—or, at least, too many teachers. Is that inevitable or is there a way around it?

John Mason Ind Committee

School Reform (Curriculum and Assessment)

I remember that, when I was at school, the big jump in my school life was from P7 to S1, not so much from age 15 to 16.

John Mason Ind Committee

School Reform (Curriculum and Assessment)

Mr Macluskey, is cohesion improving?

John Mason Ind Committee

School Reform (Curriculum and Assessment)

That suggests that the two phases are more joined up, so is that not a good thing in some ways? You are perhaps suggesting that it is having a negative influence.

John Mason Ind Committee

School Reform (Curriculum and Assessment)

No, I got “cohesion”, which is why—

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Committee

Education, Children and Young People Committee 18 March 2026 [Draft]

18 Mar 2026 · S6 · Education, Children and Young People Committee

Item of business

Community Sporting Initiatives for Children and Young People

Debbi McCulloch Watch on SPTV

Yes: it will be PEF, as well as strategic equity funding—SEF. It is very much up to the schools how they distribute that.Our senior alternative school costs roughly £200,000 a year to run and our junior alternative school costs £40,000. There is a three-part funding model for the senior school: schools fund part of the scholarship for the young person, there is a council grant and there is funding that we provide ourselves. That is not split into thirds, because the cost for us is about £80,000 of that £200,000, but we are very committed because we understand the impact that the school has for those young people. We are lucky that the junior alternative school is fully funded by a funder that we have a very good relationship with.10:45Would we like to duplicate the alternative school model throughout the city? Absolutely. Are we willing to share our intellectual property and to explain what has gone well and what has not? Yes, 100 per cent, because we are not precious about that at all.As you say, a lot of organisations are funded from hand to mouth. The key thing for us is having the other two elements of our funding profile. One is to have a social enterprise. I understand that a lot of third sector organisations would not find it attractive to make money, but I think we need to change that mindset and make as much money as we possibly can, because the more we make, the greater significance we can have. We are lucky to have key individuals within our organisation who run a fundraising dinner for the charity every year, with this year’s profit on the night being about £230,000.

In the same item of business

The Convener (Douglas Ross) Con

Good morning, and welcome to the 11th meeting of the Education, Children and Young People Committee in 2026. This morning, we will be taking evidence on comm...

Mark Williams (Denis Law Legacy Trust)

Thank you for inviting me to the committee. I am from the Denis Law Legacy Trust, which is a small children’s charity that is based in Aberdeen. We specialis...

The Convener Con

That is excellent. That is the type of information that we want, so we are grateful for that evidence. Ms McCulloch, we come to you.

Debbi McCulloch (Spartans Community Foundation)

Thank you for inviting me along this morning. I have worked at the Spartans Community Foundation since 2009. We opened our doors in north Edinburgh in Decemb...

The Convener Con

Please do not apologise. It is very inspiring to hear what you both are speaking about. My next question is on what you are doing in your localities. What is...

Mark Williams

It obviously very different for us because we are not part of the SFA or have a football club connection. Obviously Denis Law has a huge connection there but...

Debbi McCulloch

Numerous clubs across Scotland are doing fantastic work through their foundations in similar areas as us—Falkirk, Hibs, Hearts, Morton, to name a few.First, ...

The Convener Con

That gives us a good start and takes us in the direction that a lot of fellow committee members’ questions will follow.

Jackie Dunbar (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) SNP

Good morning. Thank you very much for taking the time to come along. As the Aberdeen Donside MSP, I absolutely know the benefits that the Denis Law Legacy Tr...

Debbi McCulloch

Last year, we asked young people who access our youth work programmes whether they felt that they had a trusted adult at Spartans, and 94 per cent of them sa...

Jackie Dunbar SNP

Do you mean in Spartans or outwith it?

Debbi McCulloch

With regard to the employment opportunities?

Jackie Dunbar SNP

Debbi McCulloch

Definitely in Spartans. We have employment and volunteering opportunities, and young people who have started with us at nine years old are now near enough 25...

Jackie Dunbar SNP

I put the same question to Mark.

Mark Williams

Ours is a different model, but it has similar outcomes. Sport and creative activity are our main hook—they are the gateway to engagement. What some people ca...

Jackie Dunbar SNP

Your volunteers are absolutely key to everything that you do. How many of your volunteers attended your sessions as bairns and have come back?

Mark Williams

I love that question. Volunteers are the spine of our organisation, as they are with most voluntary organisations. They are massively important. We spent a l...

Jackie Dunbar SNP

I will be honest—I did not expect the figure to be 60 per cent. That is a large number. I often see on your Facebook page pictures of certificates being hand...

Mark Williams

I think that, last year, it was just under 5,000, which is a huge number. We do employ a volunteer officer, because, when it comes to volunteers, what we cal...

Jackie Dunbar SNP

Okay, thank you. Debbi, do you want to comment?

Debbi McCulloch

Last year, our organisation was awarded the King’s award for voluntary services. The majority of our volunteers are involved in the football club side of thi...

Jackie Dunbar SNP

I believe in bigging up successes. That is why I was asking.

Debbi McCulloch

More than 150 girls and 400 boys play at the club on a regular basis. Those teams would not go ahead, and that level of physical activity, social engagement ...

Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD) LD

I visited the Community Trade Hub in Leven recently. Debbi, you were talking about the way that you treat young people and the relationship that you have wit...

Debbi McCulloch

The alternative school model is for children who will not really be attending school outwith that. They have the opportunity to come to Spartans for two and ...

Willie Rennie LD

The second point was about funding. The Community Trade Hub seems to be able to scrape together different pockets of money, mostly pupil equity funding, but ...

Debbi McCulloch

Yes: it will be PEF, as well as strategic equity funding—SEF. It is very much up to the schools how they distribute that.Our senior alternative school costs ...

Mark Williams

Your first question was about increased attendance. We wanted that to happen, which was why we introduced Denis Law’s academy. We wanted young people to feel...

Willie Rennie LD

Do you both feel that your operations are properly evaluated by the local authorities and that that is accepted by their leadership as being properly validat...