Chamber and committees

What will your next project be? Have you thought about that? Do you want to get this one finished first?

That is good. Thank you very much for coming in. You should be proud of raising such a huge amount of money and proud to be here today. We are delighted to see you.

One of the main thrusts of your petition is the whole idea of how the conifer plantations come into the process. You want to identify and stop, or stem, some of that process, so your views on how that should be balanced in the whole system would be useful.

I have a question specifically for Claudia Rowse from NatureScot. Some of the submissions that we have received have mentioned, as a barrier to protecting ancient woodlands, the lack of resources at NatureScot. That could be having an impact on surveys, monitoring, managing and updating inventories, and dealing with planning applications. Is that an issue that NatureScot recognises? If so, how should it be addressed?

I agree with that, convener. It is very important to have an evidence session.

I was surprised and shocked by the numbers across the local authorities. Obviously, the situation with the night-time economy and other issues in communities have had an impact, but there has been a massive erosion of the taxi industry. It would be really useful for us to collect some information from the federation and the petitioner. They could come and give us an update, because, if the industry is not supported, the demise of taxis could be a massive issue in some communities the length and breadth of Scotland.

I have a great deal of sympathy for the petitioner and with the issues that the union has identified. Having a number of individuals in a classroom who require additional support in order to undertake their mainstream education can be a big issue for schools today, and providing that support potentially has a detrimental effect on the rest of the class.

The petitioner makes some strong points, and I am aware that the local authorities in my region have issues in this regard. I believe that the matter could be looked into more; therefore, it might be useful to write to the Scottish Government to ascertain what assessments are taking place in teacher training and to ask about producing guidance that recognises the link between the communication needs of certain children and the behaviour that takes place in the classroom.

The strain on the teachers is immense. At First Minister’s question time the week before last, a question was asked about the situation in Aberdeen. A survey showed that there are daily situations in classrooms because the specific needs of children are not being addressed. That puts a burden on teachers, and the survey showed that a large number of them are contemplating leaving the profession as a result.

There is real scope for us to look at the matter.

How much did you raise?

So you beat your target.

Thank you for your comments and for imparting your knowledge through your statement and evidence.

Scotland is due to update its biodiversity strategy. That could be of real benefit, if it makes the progress that you want to see. What would you like to see in that strategy to assist you to achieve your goals?

You acknowledge that that issue is a concern, and you have indicated that you have to deal with priorities. In doing that, your organisation must at times feel frustrated that it is unable to progress to the level that it would like to achieve because of financial constraints. The submissions that we have received reinforce that.