– in the Scottish Parliament am ar 11 Ionawr 2024.
Pam Gosal
Ceidwadwyr
8. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that teachers are fully equipped to safeguard the wellbeing of pupils. (S6O-02949)
Jenny Gilruth
Scottish National Party
The wellbeing and safety of children and young people in Scotland is a key priority for the Government. Our national guidance for child protection in Scotland describes the responsibilities and expectations for everyone who works with children and young people, and it emphasises the key role that the education workforce has in supporting and protecting children.
Education Scotland’s safeguarding in education national network brings together local authority leads to share safeguarding and education practice. The professional standards for Scotland’s teachers also set out the role of teachers in ensuring the wellbeing and safety of children and young people.
Pam Gosal
Ceidwadwyr
Last month, the United Kingdom Government published comprehensive guidance for teachers on how to support pupils who question their gender in schools. The guidance acknowledges the critical role that biological sex plays in maintaining safety and promoting equality in schools, and it recognises the profound psychological effects that social transitioning has on young people and the need for parental involvement in such life-changing decisions. Does the Cabinet secretary agree that teachers should be fully equipped to discuss those issues with pupils? Will the Government introduce the same guidance for Scottish schools?
Jenny Gilruth
Scottish National Party
As the member might be aware, we are currently reviewing our relationships, sexual health and parenthood guidance, the consultation on which closed at the end of November last year. We received more than 4,000 responses to the consultation, which my officials are currently analysing. A report on that consultation will be produced shortly.
The initial findings suggest that the guidance needs to give more clarity, and it will be updated in the light of that feedback and other findings of the consultation in due course. I would be more than happy to write to the member with an update as soon as we publish the consultation data.
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
That concludes portfolio Question Time. There will be a brief pause before we move on to the next item of business.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
