Scottish Parliament 7 June 2000 (Afternoon) [THE PRESIDING OFFICER opened the meeting at 14:30]

Welcome back, everyone. I welcome the Very Reverend Graham Forbes, who is the provost of St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh, to lead our time for reflection today.

Our next item of business is consideration of Parliamentary Bureau motions. We have several such motions, which will be followed by the business motion.

Before we begin I will run through the stage 3 procedure, as it is still fairly new to members, although they should be becoming familiar with it. We will deal first with amendments to the bill...

• Section 1 — Right of child to school education

  21 speeches

  I call Nicola Sturgeon to move amendment 11, which is grouped with amendment 13.

Section 3 — Raising standards

23 speeches

We come now to amendment 17, which is grouped with amendments 1, 22 and 23.

Section 5 — Education authority's annual statement of improvement objectives

16 speeches

We now come to amendment 19, which is grouped with amendments 20, 21 and 34.

Section 6 — School development plans

4 speeches

Amendment 21 not moved. Amendment 22 moved—[Mr Stone].

Section 7 — Review of school performance

Amendment 23 not moved.

Section 10 — Code of practice as regards inspection of education authorities

Amendment 24 not moved.

After section 11

3 speeches

We come to amendment 2, in the name of the minister.

After section 12

11 speeches

We move to amendment 25, which is grouped with amendments 35, 36, 37 and 38.

Section 12A — Requirement that education be provided in mainstream schools

27 speeches

Amendment 3 is grouped with amendments 26, 27 and 4.

After section 20

13 speeches

We now come to amendment 29, in the name of Mr Brian Monteith.

Section 25 — Vacancies for parent members of School Boards

3 speeches

We now come to amendment 5, which is grouped with amendment 6.

Section 28 — Delegation of education authority's functions to School Board

27 speeches

We now move to amendment 31, which is grouped with amendment 43.

Section 29 — Provision of education for pre-school children etc

10 speeches

We now come to amendment 33, in the name of Dennis Canavan. I ask Mr Canavan to be very brief.

After section 36

5 speeches

Amendment 34 has already been debated in the third group. Amendment 34 moved—[Michael Russell].

Section 37 — Education outwith school

2 speeches

Amendments 35, 36, 37 and 38 have already been debated, in the fifth group. Mr Stone, are you moving these amendments?

After section 37

4 speeches

We now come to amendment 40, in the name of Cathy Jamieson. Please say only two sentences in moving the amendment.

Section 41 — Further provision as respects placing requests

2 speeches

We now come to amendment 7, which is grouped with amendments 8 and 9.

Section 46 — Professional Conduct Committee and Investigating and Disciplinary Sub-committees

11 speeches

I call Mr Monteith to move amendment 41.

Section 51 — Abolition of Scottish Joint Negotiating Committee for School Education

8 speeches

We now move to amendment 42, which is grouped with amendment 45.

Section 51A — Code of practice as regards inspection of education authorities

4 speeches

Amendment 43 moved—[Mr Monteith].

After section 52

14 speeches

We move to amendment 44, which stands on its own, in the name of Helen Eadie.

Long Title

3 speeches

Amendment 45, in the name of Dennis Canavan, has been debated with amendment 42.

The next item of business is a debate on motion S1M-877, in the name of Mr Sam Galbraith, which proposes that the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc Bill be passed.

I have four questions to put as a result of today's business. The first is, that motion S1M-967, in the name of Mr Tom McCabe, proposing that decision time begin at 5.30 pm on Thursday 22 June,...

We turn now to members' business. I apologise to the Rural Affairs Committee, which will meet immediately after this debate. It will be running about half an hour late. Would members who are...