The First Minister confirmed that the Scottish Government are providing the right resources for the curriculum for excellence in terms of money, time and commitment to ensure that all Scotland's young people are equipped with the skills for learning, life and work that they need in the 21st century.

The First Minister also highlighted the excellent work being done by South Ayrshire Council, saying:

"I am delighted to note that South Ayrshire Council has organised for today a curriculum for excellence festival for 1,400 teachers and colleagues who are involved in making the curriculum for excellence real in classrooms. Over two venues, some 78 workshops are planned that will examine how to set about improving learning and teaching to provide the young people of Scotland with the skills for learning, life and work for the 21st century. I think that the whole Parliament should welcome such indications that local authorities across Scotland are taking their responsibilities seriously."



Sustainable Communities

Knockroon, Cumnock has been revealed as one of Scotland's low carbon communities of the future.

Backed by a support package worth £400,000, the projects have been selected to further the objectives of the Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative (SSCI).

SSCI encourages the creation of places which are designed and built to last, where a high quality of life can be achieved and which demonstrate how we can reduce our ecological footprint.

The projects selected include innovative design and building principles but they also promote environmental solutions which communities across Scotland can adopt.

It is vital for our long term economic and social success that we create communities which provide new homes in the right place, of the right type and which contribute to reducing energy demand and impact on the environment.


Scottish Cabinet Summer Programme

The First Minister has emphasised that the recession makes it "even more important" for politicians to discuss issues with the public. I am therefore very pleased to note that, in a repeat of last year's initiative, Scottish Cabinet meetings are planned to take place in Dundee, Melrose, Stornoway, Aberdeen and Glasgow.

Our summer Cabinet programme allows the ministerial team to hear the views and concerns of wider Scottish society, helping the Scottish Government keep close to the communities we serve.



Rights of Young People with Additional Needs Strengthened

As Minister for Children and Early Years I was delighted that the rights of children with additional support needs and their parents were strengthened as the Scottish Parliament passed the Additional Support for Learning (ASL) Bill this week.


The Bill amends the 2004 ASL Act and will mean that young people with additional support needs and their parents can make out of area placing requests; receive mediation and dispute resolution services following such a request; while increasing access to the Additional Support Needs Tribunals for Scotland.


The ASL Act places a duty on local authorities to meet the needs of all young people with additional support needs and ensure children can get the support they need when they need it.


We have moved to strengthen the 2004 Act to ensure that all children are fully supported, with the opportunity to learn and develop.


Across Scotland we have good provision for children with additional needs, however there are times when parents believe that their child's specific needs would be best catered for through facilities available in a different local authority.


These changes mean that the parents of children with additional support needs have the right to make a placing request for their child outwith the local authority area. The Bill also ensures they receive the support they need to secure the best outcome for the young person involved.



Cancer Target Met for First Time

I welcome the latest statistics which show NHS Scotland has met the national target to treat 95 per cent of urgently referred cancer patients within two months for the first time.

Latest statistics show that in the period October 1 to December 31, 2008, 95.4 per cent of patients across Scotland began treatment within 62 days of urgent referral.

This is up from 94.6 per cent in the previous quarter and 84.5 per cent in January-March 2007.

Until now, successive Governments have not met this challenging target, which was set in 2001 and was originally due for delivery in 2005.

The achievement of this key cancer waiting times target on a national basis is a significant achievement and testimony to the hard work of all our NHS staff. In particular Ayrshire & Arran have exceeded the national target of 95% with 96.3%.

The improvement since this Government took office in May 2007 shows how seriously we take this issue.

However, we must continue to strive for further improvement within specific NHS Boards and cancer types, and to ensure this achievement is sustained for the future.

A cancer diagnosis is always extremely worrying for patients and they deserve the shortest possible wait between a decision to treat and that treatment starting.

This Government and our NHS partners will channel every effort into making sure cancer patients are treated swiftly and to the very highest standards.

Under the Scottish Government's action plan, Better Cancer Care the current 62 day target will be amended to all patients urgently referred with a suspicion of cancer and extended to include patients who are referred through the national cancer screening programmes. The action plan also sets a new target that by 2011, all patients diagnosed with cancer, whatever the route of referral, will start treatment within 31 days from the date of decision to treat.



Scottish Government Acting to Protect Tenants

I also welcome the announcement from the Housing Minister Alex Neil MSP, that the Scottish Government are considering a statutory tenancy deposit scheme to protect tenants in the private sector


I am sure this news will also be given a positive reception by private tenants and housing bodies.

It shows how the Scottish Government, together with the housing sector, have what it takes to address important issues like this in these troubled economic times.

It is wrong that some tenants in the private sector are having their deposits withheld unfairly. This can have serious implications for tenants – particularly in the current economic environment. It is also important because it will protect the good name of the vast majority of landlords from that minority who are acting unfairly.

The minister has made it clear that those minority of landlords need to raise their game and the Government has also set out a timetable for action should they fail to do so.


Welcome for Boundary Commission Report

I welcome the fact that the integrity of Ayrshire constituencies and communities have been restored with the revised boundaries.


These proposals are much more sensible; I particularly welcome news that Cumnock & Doon Valley communities are to be kept within one constituency and that Ayr is to be 'reunified' within another.


I also welcome the fact that the whole of East Ayrshire is now included within the South of Scotland region.


Early Years Education

I was pleased to announce that teachers with specialist skills in early childhood education are to be created in Scotland by new courses which begin after the summer. The Scottish Government believes that our young people are our greatest asset and by getting children off to a good start and helping them fulfil their potential we will create future economic and social benefits for everyone.

That's why our Early Years Framework is fostering an unprecedented focus on helping our youngest children and we have already delivered record levels of pre-

school entitlement for Scotland's children - with further increases on the way.

We're moving to build on that foundation and recognise how important good quality nursery education is to early development. It's vital that we ensure pre-school children are stimulated and encouraged by learning that is relevant to them and teachers are at the heart of that drive.

The courses will provide specific training in early education so that graduate teachers can best meet the needs of younger children in nursery and early primary.

The Scottish Government is committing over £150,000 to pilot a postgraduate degree in early education for teachers at the University of Aberdeen and over £60,000 to the University of Stirling to develop a primary teaching degree with an early years specialism.



Influenza A (H1N1) Update

Scotland has three new probable cases of influenza A (H1N1), Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon confirmed today.

This means the total numbers of Scottish cases are:

• 10 confirmed cases

• 3 probable cases

• 3 possible cases under investigation




The news in brief:

· Europe's largest operating onshore wind farm at Whitelees in East Renfrewshire was officially 'switched on' by First Minister Alex Salmond. He also performed the opening ceremony at the new £2 million Scottish Gas Energy Academy in Hamilton.

Scottish Power's application to extend its £300 million, 140-turbine windfarm at Whitelee has been granted, giving it the capacity to power 250,000 homes while enabling the company to create up to 300 'green jobs'. The Scottish Gas Energy Academy is a key part of Scottish Gas' commitment to double the number of apprentice engineers taken on in Scotland to over 100 each year, and is set up to train engineers in new green technologies such as domestic micro-generation, energy efficient products, smart meters and to offer energy efficiency advice to customers.

· More businesses will be able to feel the warmth of renewable heating that cuts emissions. Twenty six projects across Scotland have been awarded a share of 1.6 million under the Scottish Biomass Heat Scheme to install biomass heating systems and district heating systems in small businesses like hotels and offices.

The news comes as a new round of the Scottish Biomass Heat Scheme is now open to applications. An extra £1.3 million of European funding has been allocated - on top of the original £2 million, the total available under the Scheme is £3.3 million.

· A major milestone in the 300 year history of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) was reached today when Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead officiated at the topping-out ceremony of the John Hope Gateway Visitor Centre.

The Scottish Government has invested £10 million towards the Gateway, with the remaining £5.7 million from grant bodies - including an award of £3.2 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund - trusts, corporate organisations and individuals. The completion of external construction work on the building represents a landmark in the continuing evolution of RBGE as a scientific and horticultural research institution committed to extending public engagement.

· The Marine Stewardship Council's Scottish Fisheries Outreach Project was launched today with the aim of enhancing the future conservation credentials of Scotland's fisheries.

The project will:

- Encourage more fisheries to achieve recognition for their sustainable practices by becoming MSC-certified
- Increase understanding and access to MSC certification - the gold standard of sustainability - by providing more information through a dedicated outreach officer

- Make it clearer to consumers that the MSC eco-label is evidence of produce from a well-managed, sustainable fishery

· Almost 20,000 Scots took part in the Homecoming Scottish Cup trophy tour in the run up to the final at Hampden next Saturday.

From John O'Groats to Gretna Green, the world's oldest national footballing trophy has travelled the country over the last five months engaging communities in more than 27 towns and cities and spreading the Homecoming Scotland 2009 message.

Six thousand school pupils were also able to see the cup's magic for themselves when it was taken into 20 schools with 1,500 of them also receiving training from Scottish Football Association coaches.

· A new strategy aimed at increasing Scotland's share of the world's fastest growing food-producing sector has been unveiled. As the largest producer of farmed salmon in the European Union, and the third largest in the world, Scotland's aquaculture industry is a major success story. Of equal importance to the Scottish economy as Sea Fisheries, the fish farming sector has a farm-gate value of around £350 million, and employs nearly 6,000 people in production and processing in Scotland.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation recently stated that developing sustainable aquaculture policy is the only way to meet surging demand for seafood.

· Scots are being urged to help safeguard the environment, public health and the economy by taking part in International Biodiversity Day today. Various events are being held across Scotland to raise awareness of Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS). INNS are plants and animals originating from other countries which have the ability to spread and cause damage to biodiversity, our health and, at times, the way we live. INNS cause over £2 billion each year in damage.



The week ahead in parliament:

Wednesday 27

Scottish Government Debate: Influenza A (H1N1)

Members' Business – S3M-4150 Liam McArthur: Electronic Identification of Sheep

Thursday 28

Scottish Liberal Democrats Business

General Question Time

First Minister's Question Time

Themed Question Time; Health and Wellbeing

Scottish Government Debate: CashBack for Communities: Investing the proceeds of crime back into our communities

Members' Business – S3M-3741 Helen Eadie: Inadequate Infertility Treatment in Scotland

This week I will also be:


Tuesday 26th May - Visit to Early Years Centre of Excellence, Perthshire
Tuesday 26th May - Visit to Fife Council, Glenrothes
Tuesday 26th May - Meeting with Children's Panel Members, Glasgow
Saturday & Sunday 31st May - Visit to Inter Islands Council Shetland.

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