I met local ambulance staff in North East Fife today to discuss the challenges facing the service. We talked about waiting times as well as drug misuse, mental health, and the first responder services in the East Neuk and Howe of Fife.

The SNP government has failed to close the poverty-related attainment gap as Nicola Sturgeon promised in 2016. Ministers insisted that their pandemic recovery plan would be sufficient to support pupils to regain their lost learning, but now they use covid as a defence for breaking the promise.

The risk of strikes in Scotland's schools remains after teachers' unions said that the education secretary's latest proposals do not adequately address their dispute on reducing teacher class contact time. I questioned the education secretary on what she is going to do to resolve the dispute.

In many health boards covering almost a third of Scotland's adult population, the NHS does not offer adult neurodevelopmental assessments. That makes it difficult for people to get the support they need. I asked the government to act more urgently to solve the problem.

The education secretary gave a statement today on the government's approach to tackling child sexual abuse and exploitation. I urged caution on the issue of mandatory reporting and asked her to listen closely to expert opinion.

The education committee questioned the justice secretary about comments she made which misrepresented the views of Professor Alexis Jay, who subsequently asked for her position to be clarified. 1/2

The education and children committee heard evidence from Professor Alexis Jay who has been appointed as the independent chair of a national strategic group on child sexual abuse and exploitation.

MSPs passed the Residential Outdoor Education Bill yesterday to ensure that all children are offered an outdoor residential trip. This reflects the importance and benefits this can provide.

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Cllr Gary Holt and I met with Stagecoach yesterday to convey the real anger of people across North East Fife at the recent changes they have made to their services. We also discussed possibilities for the way forward, including municipal bus services, franchising and quality bus partnerships.

It was great to visit the Bowhouse market with Wendy Chamberlain at the weekend. We talked to some of the local businesses who were selling their products there and did some Christmas shopping.

It is right to have a social security system which treats people with the dignity and respect they deserve, but we also need to address the increasing costs of the system.

There was positive news in the government's statement on Grangemouth today, and I hope that the full benefits of the projects which were mentioned can come to fruition. I asked the energy secretary what is being done to track the outcomes for workers who have lost their jobs.

Today is Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day, part of their campaign to help children in Scotland and around the world have happy, healthy and thriving childhoods. You can find out more and support the campaign here: www.savethechildren.org.uk/christmas-ju...

I asked the Deputy First Minister for an update on what is being done to support the workers and the local community at Mossmorran after ExxonMobil announced the closure of the site.

Official figures published this week showed that just 23% of newly qualified teachers found full-time permanent work, down from 56.5% in 2016/17. The SNP have badly mismanaged teacher recruitment and have led down people who want to contribute to young people's education.

The delayed and overbudget ferries built at Ferguson's are the direct result of the SNP's decisions, but ministers still talk as if it is nothing to do with them. They still haven't put forward a proper plan for the yard's future and the future of the workers who have been badly let down.

Nicola Sturgeon promised to close the poverty-related attainment gap in schools by 2026. Since then the gap for primary literacy is just one percentage point smaller. At that rate of progress it would take more than a century to close.

The fishing industry in North East Fife struggles to recruit skilled crew. Willie questioned the further education minister about increasing the provision of training opportunities in local communities so that more people can start a career in the sector.

There has been real progress to increase the number of people from disadvantaged backgrounds going to university in Scotland, but there are also challenges which have seen that progress stall, including the failure to close the poverty-related attainment gap in schools. 1/2

Private nurseries have been clear that the funding rate they received from councils does not cover their costs. This means they have to make up the difference from non-funded places or threatens their viability.

Wendy Chamberlain and I visited Royal Mail staff at the delivery office in St Andrews last week to thank them for their work ahead of the busy festive period.

It was lovely to see the busy St Andrews Day market at the weekend, including stalls for the St Andrews Men's Shed and St Andrews Environmental Network.

Happy St. Andrews Day #StAndrewsDay

It was a moving experience to attend the opening of the memorial garden in St Monans last week. The memorial was planned to mark the 150th anniversary of the storm in which 37 fishermen from the East Neuk were killed off the coast of East Anglia.

Workers in the oil and gas industry deserve a just transition which protects jobs and makes the most of economic opportunities in the renewables sector. But so far they are being let down by a Scottish Government which was caught off guard and... 1/2

Progress in improving children's dental health has stalled since the pandemic, and the gap between the best and worst off is increasing. The Scottish Government needs to end the crisis in NHS dentistry.

Last week the St Andrews Fairtrade Town Campaign Group marked the twentieth anniversary of St Andrews as a Fairtrade town. I joined members of the group to celebrate this great achievement and to reflect on the work which has been done to maintain this status.

Earlier this week I met with Moffat & Williamson to discuss changes to local bus services but also the possible introduction of franchising. This could lead to greater local control of services and prevent constant changes to routes and timetables. I am keen to explore these issues further.

Teachers and staff do great things in schools to transform young people's lives, but too often the government is standing in their way. Ministers used to say that education was their priority, but now they lack a vision for dealing with the many challenges faced in schools.

Whilst I didn't win it was still a huge compliment to be shortlisted for Local Politician of the Year!

The SNP have had years to make good on their 2021 manifesto promise to reduce teacher class contact time by ninety minutes per week but have yet to deliver it. Now they have to show that the education secretary's new plan is serious and can prevent strikes.

Whatever interpretation the SNP tries to put on the figures, people in Scotland feel the burden of higher taxes. The government needs to take that into account in the budget process.

We need a joined-up and flexible college and apprenticeship system which responds to the needs of employers and ensures that young people and people looking to gain new skills are given the opportunities they deserve.

Huge congratulations are due to the Scotland men's football team for their landmark achievement in qualifying for the world cup. I asked the health and sport secretary whether the government will support fan parks and changed licencing arrangements for late-night matches.

Despite the two ferries being years late and taxpayers shouldering hundreds of millions of pounds of overspend, no SNP minister has ever lost their job over the scandal.

ExxonMobil have announced that they plan to close the ethylene plant at Mossmorran early next year. I asked the Deputy First Minister why this seemed to come as a surprise to the Scottish Government when the challenges facing the plant have been known for years.

Council franchising of bus services could lead to greater local control and prevent constant changes to routes and timetables. But the Scottish Government is moving too slowly to give councils this power.

SNP ministers claim to be leading the world on the response to climate change, but they have just delayed legislation on home heating which was already years overdue.

I spoke to secondary school headteachers from across the country at the School Leaders Scotland conference today. I was particularly keen to address parity of esteem between vocational and academic options.

I was glad to meet with young people taking part in the Agritourism Futures Scholarships today in parliament. Their passion for developing agritourism businesses across Scotland was clear, but so were the obstacles and challenges they face. We discussed their ideas to help the sector thrive.

I'm grateful to St Andrews Links and Skills Development Scotland for inviting me to visit as part of Scottish Careers Week 2025, to learn about the work experience opportunities they provide to young people.

The SNP's latest currency plans don't seem to inspire confidence even amongst independence campaigners, let alone the wider public. They still haven't come up with answers to the hard economic problems of wanting to break up the UK.

I support Daniel Johnson's member's bill on restraint and seclusion in schools, but it was important to put questions to him when he appeared at the education committee about how it will work in practice.

Wendy Chamberlain and I attended Remembrance commemorations in St Andrews and Cupar on Sunday. It is important to remember those who served and died in past wars so that future generations can live in peace.

The extremes of flooding and water scarcity that we have seen in recent years make it all the more urgent for the Scottish Government to commit to river catchment management plans. We need to make the most of natural flood prevention measures, with advice and incentives in place for landowners.

The Scottish Government published its draft climate change plan today, but it contained very little which was new. Ministers need to solve the problems in the Home Energy Scotland scheme which is causing energy efficiency companies to lose customers because of unnecessary bureaucracy.

I joined party leaders in marking Remembrance Sunday later this week ahead of First Minister Questions. As memories of the two world wars fade it is all the more important that we commit to remembering the sacrifice which has been made during times of war.

Private hospital admissions reached a record high of 50,000 in Scotland last year. With thousands of people on long NHS waiting lists are being left with no option but to use their savings to pay for private treatment, the SNP government is effectively privatising the NHS by stealth.

I welcomed Lori Quate and his family to the Scottish Parliament today where he reiterated his demand for a national investigation into maternity care in Scotland.