The next item of business is debates on motion 14194, in the name of Jo Fitzpatrick, on women and girls in sport week. Can I ask those who wish to speak in the debate to press the request to speak buttons? I call on Jo Fitzpatrick to speak to and move the motion for up to 13 minutes, please minister. I want to start by acknowledging the great and many successes we have seen at the highest level in women's sport this year. The success of the Scottish women's national football team in getting to the world cup 2019 finals in France. The success of athletes such as Laura Muir and Eilish Macoghan at the European Championships and the many fantastic performances by female athletes at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Those are all defining moments for women and girls in sport across the country and thank you to all of those fantastic role models. I am absolutely clear about the benefits of sport and physical activity. My ministerial portfolio, public health, sport and wellbeing signifies a deliberate, clear and connected approach that exploits the benefits of physical activity and sport to improve the health of the people of Scotland. I am more convinced than ever of that, as I have seen first hand the powerful force that sport and physical activity can play in transforming people and communities. We want to create a culture in which healthy behaviours are the norm throughout people's lives. Only by doing that can we achieve the Scottish Government's vision of a Scotland where more people are more active more often. Sport has an important role to play. As you will be well aware, in Scotland we have developed a world-class sporting system at all levels, connecting sport in schools, education, club and community sport, and performance sport. Through our investment in facilities, we are providing participation opportunities for people and communities across Scotland. Since 2007, Sport Scotland has invested some £168 million in supporting local clubs, local authorities, sports governing bodies and other organisations delivering a wide range of new and upgraded sports facilities. That is all about behavioural change. In order for children from all backgrounds to benefit and have access to sport and physical activity, the Government has invested £11.6 million in supporting schools to meet our PE commitment of two hours or periods per week. That is up from 10 per cent in 2014-5 to 98 per cent in 2016, so that is a real success. That is backed by up to £50 million to be invested in active schools between 2015 and 2019. Figures published in September showed an uptake in the active school programme with 7.3 million participant sessions delivered in 2017-18. That is an increase of 6 per cent from the previous year. 44 per cent of the female school role participated in active schools in 2017-18, a 2 per cent increase from the previous year. That 147,655 females made up 48 per cent of the active schools' distinct participants in 2017-18, representing a 7,604 increase on the previous year. Although 48 per cent is not 52 per cent, as it probably should be, although more young men than women are still taking part in active schools overall, the trend reverses for leadership opportunities, where more young women than young men take part in sportscotland-supported leadership opportunities, as we see in the application for the membership of sportscotland young people's sports panels. Those leadership opportunities help to build strong role models and inspire other girls and young women. In our 192 community sports hubs across the world, there are nearly 56,000 female playing members. 27 per cent of community sport hub coaches are female, which picks up a point that Alison Johnstone was making in her amendment, which was not selected. It is progress, but we have a distance to go. Over 55,000 women and girls are members of those community sports hubs that are embedded in our community. The programme is only made possible by an army of more than 19,000 volunteers who deliver sport and physical activity in their communities. The Government accepts that we have work to do, and we are committed to doing more to encourage women and girls to participate in sport. The number of women and girls taking part in a wide variety of sport and physical activity has increased over recent years. That includes significant progress in recreational walking, netball, hockey, cycling, basketball, rugby and shinty. We have also seen physical activity levels among teenage girls increasing, but we recognise that there is still much to do to increase participation and raise awareness across the sector to remove the barriers that some still face when it comes to getting involved in sport and physical activity. The Scottish Government, in recognising that challenge, established the Women and Girls in Sport advisory board to help us to understand what more we could do to increase opportunities for every women and girls in Scotland and raise awareness across the media and business sectors. As part of the Women and Girls in Sports board's work, it has been to form the Women and Girls in Sports week 2018, which this debate is part of. The week provides the opportunity to promote and celebrate women and girls in sport. My ministerial colleagues and I will undertake a range of activities across the country to raise the profile of the week and to encourage more women and girls to take part in sport, to try out new sports, to build more regular physical activity to their everyday lives. There is a huge range of activities already this week. I have been able to join some women from Edinburgh in tennis on Friday. I will be joining some women in taking part in football and on Friday night I will be attending Dundee ice arena to see some of the women and girls who are taking part in ice skating. A really important part, and maybe next year we need to widen that out so that more members from across the chamber can take part in that. As part of that week, I was very pleased to be able to announce a £300,000 national fund to support projects encouraging female participation. Funding awards will range from between £10,000 and £30,000, building on the 2017 sporting equality fund that was awarded to projects such as wheelchair basketball in Glasgow, netball across Scotland and bikepacking adventures in the highlands. The continuation of that funding for that type of projects will continue to help to encourage the inactive and encourage them into physical activity. I think that everyone must agree that there is a lot of really good work going on across Scotland. I am really pleased that as I have gone around the country in the three and maybe nearly four months now, since I became sports minister, the understanding of the importance of physical activity and sport to people's physical and mental health is embedded right across our sporting community at every level. One of the first sporting events that I was honoured to be able to take part in was the Euro championships. The great thing for me as new sports minister was that I was able to engage with and meet lots of people at the highest level of European sport. From every single one of our fantastic governing bodies in Scotland understood the importance of getting people involved in sport at the grass-root level for the success of their sports going forward. On every occasion, they understood the importance of getting women involved in sport and girls involved in sport as part of that. I have attended a large number of community sports hubs where I have seen traditional male sports clubs who have grasped the ffistle and accepted that they need to do more to encourage women into their sport, whether by extending the range of sports on offer. I have seen football clubs who have gone out with their comfort zone to encompass women's boxing, which in some areas has been really successful in encouraging some women and girls who are otherwise disconnected from the normal sporting environment into sport. They have found it really exciting. They do not always take part in the competitive part of sport, but I do not think that that matters. We have got women and girls coming to join a boxing club in order to do the training. That is what is most important. Some of them will possibly go on to be part of competitive sport, but I do not think that that is the primary objective here for me. I think that if we can encourage more people at all levels, particularly women and girls, in this week to engage in sport, we will naturally find more people moving through into the higher levels of sport, moving from recreational sport into club sport, and some on up the course. I was a former voluntary netball coach and umpire, and one of the biggest barriers that I found for the girls who were in the club—it was an all-female club—was that all women do not need to go into competitive sport, but ultimately that happens if a woman is quite good at sport. In that circumstance, some of the girls could not get the transport, so the school had to fund the bus and we had to take a small fee for the club. We had to get somebody who could drive. Very often, the teacher was not available to drive the bus and we were not qualified to drive the bus, so we found that we had to sometimes turn down that competitive edge in order to—because of the transport issues that we had. Joe FitzPatrick I think that the member makes an important point that we need to understand if there are barriers to people participating, whether it is from women and girls or people from the private areas. We need to understand those barriers and try to break them down because it is so important that we get folk involved in sport. Netball is one of the sports in which we have seen a real uptake. The work that Sport Scotland has been leading on has been encouraging an uplift in participation in netball, so that is one particular area in which we have a really good success story. However, we need to understand whether there are barriers to people and women and girls in particular to taking part in sport, and we need to understand what they are and see if we can find ways around that. We will only do that in partnership with our partners, whether they are in Sport Scotland, local authorities or schools. We need to understand what the barriers are so that we can take that forward, so that the member makes a good point. This has been a really positive year for women in sport this year, and I look forward to a huge year for women in sport in 2019, with major events taking place to inspire the nation through Scotland hosting the Euro under-19s football championships and hosting the prestigious Solheim Cup at Gleneagles. We can also look forward to roaring on our women's football team as they head over to France for the FIFA World Cup. In moving my motion in my name, I want to confirm that I will be supporting the amendments from Brian Whittle and Anasarwar, and we would have supported the amendment in the name of Alison Johnstone because she makes some important points, which I think is something that Sport Scotland has identified and is trying to address. Brian Whittle, to speak to and move amendment 144194.1 for up to eight minutes, please. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I am delighted to have the opportunity to open this Girls and Women in Sport debate on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives, and we will be supporting the Scottish Government motion because it has very laudable aims. I think that I would look at how women's sport has developed over the years. The name of Mary Ouichi Apollecia came into my mind as I was sure it was everybody else's. I would be more than impressed if a number of members knew who I was talking about here, but if I mentioned Zola Budd and Mary Dekker Slaney, more members would recognise the race that I am talking about. In that race, Mary Ouichi Apollecia won the Olympic 3,000m title as the two of them clashed. Why am I mentioning that? In 1984 Olympic Games, the 3,000m race was the longest race that women were allowed to participate on the track. That was not that long ago. They did not have the 5,000 or 10,000, they did not have the 20km walk or the 50km walk, they did not have the pole vault, they did not have the triple jump, they did not have the hammer and now we look forward to where we are now and we nearly have parity in the Olympic Games. The only one that is now missing is the 50km walk. I also just thought that I would mention that Wendy Sly won the silver in that particular race as well. It is a good friend of mine. I think that these days, predominantly, which is quite interesting for me in Scottish athletics terms and I am unashamedly I am going to talk about athletics, it is the woman who dominates. I was already mentioned by the minister, Laura Muir and Eilish Macalgen, but we also have to talk about Ailey Doyle, who has reached a record of 18 major medals this year. Now, young Zoe Clark, who I have mentioned before, is coming in behind Ailey Doyle and longing for that continuing. I was at the national training squad day a couple of weeks ago and there are a number of young athletes coming up behind them. Alison Johnstone, I know that we had a conversation about this, but one of the things that struck me at that event was the lack of numbers of women coaches. It was a national squad day with all the athletes and I counted a grand total of one female coach. That is something that we are going to have to take cognisance of. If we are going to look at how we break down the barriers of bringing more girls and women into sport, we have to think about the coaches who lead them in there. The minister and I attended a function on Tuesday. We listened to some young women telling their experiences of how they got into sport and what kept coming back to me was school, teachers, parents and coaches. Those are the people that are influencing our athletes. I think that we can start to not just look at parity in terms of women taking part in sport but the parity of women who are actually coaching sport and being involved in sport. I think that that is something that might help to break down those barriers. The other thing that came out for me was to continually talk about school. School is going to be a place where a lot of children get their first experiences of sport. I have long been an advocate that what we should be doing is taking sport and activity to our children rather than waiting for them to come to sport. I think that in schools we have that opportunity. I think that we have to consider that as a major environment where we have to enhance. When we look at school sport, we now have to start looking at how we link that to extra curricular activity and community activities. When I look at the school PE curriculum, I do not see the point of doing six weeks of an introductory course to any sport if there is then not a destination for that sport outside of school. If you are going to enthuse a child to participate in sport, you have to give them a destination. When we are looking at the physical education programme, I like to see a degree of flexibility in that. It takes cognisance of what is available around the school to further that physical development and that physical education. I want to make a point about some of the extra curricular school sports programmes that go on. Often they can become quite competitive and the first children that do not excel in the sport can feel excluded. They enjoy doing the sport, but they feel excluded because they become quite competitive. Is it important that sport is for all, not just those who naturally excel at it? I thank the member for that intervention and lead nicely on to my next point, on how we create that pathway and destination sport. When we look at sport, we often look at destination as being at the very top end of sport. When we look at international sport, when you come in at the bottom, that is where we are heading. However, of course, there are many stops on that journey in the way along. As the member says, sport is fun. Sport is for enjoyment. I think that what we should be doing is looking at what we are doing in the nursery programme. I think that that is where we should be starting. I think that active play in the nursery programme is where we are going to have 30 hours of free nursery care, which is ostensibly there to help parents to get back to work. In my view, I think that we have got 30 hours. I will always take an intervention from Marie Todd. Can I just correct you there, Mr Whittle? The purpose of the expansion in early years in childcare is absolutely to improve the attainment gap, to close it before it ever occurs, before it is apparent at school. You are right. 30 hours is an incredible opportunity to define a different kind of learning. Outdoor learning, I hope, is very passionately, which naturally is child-led and play-based and gives children lots of physical skills. I hope that we will be a very core part of the new offering that we have in Scotland. Brian Whittle? I think that we are actually agreeing that it gives you an opportunity to have that development, active play and physical literacy. When you go into primary school, that develops into games and into play. As you go into secondary school, you have the option of taking that literacy into other sports, if you want. There are many, many examples of sports out there where participation in that sport does not mean competitiveness. I have talked many times about Sam Mullin at the Dunvelli boxing club, where he has revolutionised the way that community is seen. The majority of the kids who turn up at that boxing club are not competitive. They go along there to enjoy. I will go straight to the end of my speech. The one thing that I wanted to do in supporting the Labour amendment was to quote Anna Kessel, who said that the schools with kids facing the biggest academic hurdles are often those facing the biggest cuts in their PE programme, and often those are the kids from whom extracurricular sport clubs are not an option. When it comes to physical education, school is their lifeline. Little wonder then that the privately educated athletes are overrepresented in the team GB medal tally with one third of Britain's medalists at the Rio 2016 Games have attended a fee-paying school. In conclusion, we will support the Scottish Government's motion this evening in recognising the development of women's sport over the years and continuing to celebrate those achievements. We must also recognise that there are a section of society that, in many cases, has less opportunity than their male counterparts, and that inequality of opportunity exists in many groups in our society. Our aim should be to have an equal opportunity irrespective of background of personal circumstance. I move amendment 14194.2, for up to seven minutes, please. This is an important debate, and I welcome the Scottish Government's motion, both in content and tone. It is important not because of what we are saying here, but because of the importance of involving more women in girls in sport and physical activity. The reality is that it is a long-standing issue, and not one just for this Government, but for previous Governments too. It is a tough nut to crack. There is still a huge disparity between those participation levels of women and girls with those of men and boys. Although there are very close similarities in participation rates in early years, those levels sadly move apart significantly and over a short period of time from around the age of 11 or 12. From about that age onward, the gap is intolerably large. Between the ages of 11 to 12 and then 13 to 15, the level of participation drops by a third among girls, but only by 1 per cent amongst boys of the same age. Just half the number of girls aged 13 to 15 meet the recommended physical activity guidelines compared to boys of the same age, and in the 16 to 24 age range, nine out of 10 men get the guidelines, while only six out of 10 women did so. Even in the oldest age range, one third of men met the guidelines, compared to only one out of five women. Addressing that participation gap is why this debate is so important, and that is partly why a dedicated women and girls in sports week is so important too. The benefits of participating in sport and physical activity are well documented and well recognised, from the obvious physical health benefits and the role that physical activity plays in tackling weight-related health problems, such as obesity, to the role that physical activity also plays in promoting mental wellbeing. I am told that it also helps you to sleep better and improves your mood too. I can tell lots of members in this chamber that I do not get enough exercise. However, there are many benefits to being active, and the continued focus, as it is now, should be on early years activity. If a child is inactive, it is much more likely that a child will grow into an active adult. However, exposing children to enjoyable sport or physical activities at a young age means that it is much more likely that a child will continue those activities into and through adulthood, particularly if the child is involved with a club while still at school. They are then much more likely to remain at a club level member after leaving school. That is why I welcome the Scottish Government's continuous support for the active schools programme. It was started by Labour almost 15 years ago, and it has supported pupils to enjoy a huge range of activities, and it has supported thousands of volunteers into volunteering in sport. Although in recent years there has been a small shift in participation rates, it is clear that there is still a long way to go. Our own amendment recognises the success, but I have to say to the minister gently that that is not a political point far from it, because I recognise that it impacts on all political parties and all previous Governments too. That progress has been very limited, and it does concern me that we are still not making sufficient progress quickly enough in this area. Our own amendment recognises the link between poverty levels. Of course, I am happy to do that. Brian Whittle I think that Annas Sawa, for taking intervention, in supporting your amendment, which I did not say in there, I was considering, if you look at the health budget, it is £13 billion, and if you look at the sports budget, it is £29 million. The reason why we have not made the progress is that we have not had the finance to upscale some of the good work that has been done out there. Annas Sawa I think that Brian Whittle makes a fair point. The other point that I make is that it is the national health service rather than the national ill health service. We want a national health service that helps to promote health and wellbeing, to save money in the longer term, and to allow people to live longer, healthier, happier and more active lives. As I said, our own amendment recognises the link between poverty levels and the levels of physical activity. Participation rates among women in the least deprived areas are 50 per cent higher than those in the most deprived areas. There is a staggering difference, a 50 per cent difference between the least and most deprived areas. Participating in sport can come with a hefty price tag, be it for clothing, equipment or even venue higher. Not every family can afford to pay the £40 or £50 that is for a five-size football pitch, for example, on one evening during the week. That is why we have to look at how we can have affordable and free access to sport. Not only are we seeing lower levels of women and girls participating overall, we are seeing those levels depressing even further due to the impact of poverty. It is partly for that reason that I hope that the Government and as a minister set out will be supporting our amendment today. Recognising that poverty is a key determining factor in levels of physical activity is crucial in how we address the issues in future, particularly through the provision of free and affordable sport, as I said before, but also about how we look at a diverse range of sports for women and girls to get active into. The fastest-growing sport in Scotland is women's football. How we encourage more diverse sports so that we can say to any women and girl that no sport is inaccessible to them. We should also look at what we do with the consequences of the UK-wide sugar tax. I think that that money should be going into access to provision of free sport, but that is perhaps a debate for another day. The final reason why I am pleased that the Government will support our amendment is the recognition of the part that role models can play in encouraging and inspiring others. In women's football, we have the fantastic success of the Scottish women's football team in reaching the World Cup finals in France next year. Alex McLeese was here last week for a show race on the red card photo call. He was quick to highlight the success of the women's team and prayed only that we had the same success for the men's team as well. I warmly welcome the First Minister's announcement of support for the women's team in its preparations for the tournament. I also overheard the Scotland manager asking the First Minister for a similar commitment if the men's team qualified for the World Cup. I am sure that everyone wishes then well both the women's team and the men's team in those efforts. There is good work going on across Scotland in schools, in communities and in clubs to help reduce the gender gap. There is a pay gap, which is also an extremely serious issue. We are probably going to have a debate for another day, perhaps connected. We should recognise the role of the third sector and the third sector to do a huge role in our communities. I am concerned that, despite those good efforts, the gap remains stubbornly wide. Perhaps when the minister gets the opportunity today, he can say what more the Scottish Government thinks can be done and how we can measure that impact in the future. In 10 years' time, we are not still talking about a stubborn gender gap and women and girls in sports week. Instead, we are talking about having successfully closed that gap and that women and girls of all ages and all backgrounds are enjoying the many-benefit sports and physical activity that has to offer. Finally, in closing, in any endeavour that the Government makes in this regard, it will have our full support. Paul Allison-Johnston, for up to six minutes, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I would like to draw attention to my register of interests. I am really pleased to be taking part in this debate this afternoon. I think that this is a subject that needs greater focus. I really welcome women and girls in sport week and thank those organisations who have provided briefings. I would like to thank Sport Scotland. I would also like to thank the Edinburgh Mavericks Calfball Club. This is a sport in which the team is made up of four men and four women, and three female players will be competing in the European Calfball Championships in the Netherlands from the 12th to the 21st of October. That is three women players from Edinburgh. It is absolutely right that we recognise and celebrate the work that is being undertaken to properly understand what the gap in participation in sport is, why that gap exists and the action that is being taken to close the gap. Why do some young women turn away from competitive sport? Why do some young women never get involved in the first place? Of course, as Anna Sarwar has said, boys drop out too, but far more of them don't. What are the implications of this gendered non-participation? I am pleased that we are discussing this issue. I think that we have much more to learn and understand. When we consider that, according to research by women in sport in their stats report of 2017, that coverage of women's sport makes up 7 per cent of all sports media, this is coverage in the UK, just over 10 per cent of televised sports coverage is dedicated to women's sport, just 2 per cent of national newspaper sports coverage is dedicated to women's sport, 5 per cent of radio sports coverage is dedicated to women's sport and 4 per cent of online sports coverage is dedicated to women's sport. I think that it is pretty incredible that the gap is not much wider. We are hearing literally nothing to look at that balance there. Of course, some of the spaces that sport takes place in are very masculinised indeed. We know that physical inactivity is one of the leading risk factors of death globally. Professor Nanette Moutry, when she was giving evidence in the Parliament to the Health and Sport Committee, said that the evidence to be active is very solid and cannot be ignored. For example, physical inactivity is more harmful than smoking. That is Professor Nanette Moutry saying that to us. I think that this Parliament has shown that it can be really bold when it acts to improve public health. I am really proud of the action that Parliament took in preventing smoking in public places. The evidence was clear that smoking was a leading cause of disease in premature death and Parliament acted. We need to get bold when it comes to physical inactivity. I appreciate that the issue of physical inactivity is a broader one than that of the low rates of women and girls taking part in sport, but those issues are very closely related. I was pleased to learn via the Scottish household survey that people have become more active. We know that participation is greater among those who are more highly qualified. We know that participation is lowest in the most deprived areas. I was privileged to host the wonderful Paths for All Awards last week in Parliament, a truly memorable evening that the minister enjoyed too. One that demonstrated that the benefits of walking go way beyond physical health. I cannot commend walking enough. The minister said that it does not all have to be about competition, but if you want to take up the step count challenge, it begins on 29 October. We will see how we get on there. Walking does really well in terms of gender equality, with 69 per cent of men and 71 per cent of women taking part in recreational walking. That is recreational walking that is soon going to become very competitive. However, we know that if we take walking out of the equation, then just over half of adults take part in physical activity. We see that far more men participate than women in physical activity. In sporting activities, as Anna Sarwar mentioned, the impact of habit beginning early in life cannot be overstated. In her PhD thesis on everyday geographies of girls' experiences of physical activity, gender, health and bodies, Dr Morgan Windram Geddes, who has been in this Parliament speaking to the cross-party group on children and young people, pointed out that policy is concerned with children's bodies in respect to weight, fat and obesity, and to what children can and should do to decrease their bodies' weights to satisfy health policy. She comes to the conclusion that the way to improve girls' participation in sport is to get away from this obsession with weight and to begin to focus more on enjoyment. She writes that girls' experiences are multiple and diverse. An activity that one girl enjoyed was loathed by another girl. Having to wear white t-shirts and black shorts for PE kit was hated by one girl, but not given a thought, another thought by a different girl. Doing PE with the boys was reflected on positively by some girls and met with fear and anxiety by others. Girls and women face particular barriers and challenges in engaging with sport. I think that this obsession with women's bodies and fitness otherwise is a focus on the need to appear on the beach in a bikini. It has become regarded as completely normal. I do not see many magazine covers selling themselves with pictures of men in or out of their bathing shorts, pre or after an exercise programme. We have to change the focus. I think that play has an essential role to play here. The cost of access to sport centres has been mentioned. Absolutely. There should be a cost beyond which we cannot go at a national level. The access to some sport centres in this city, quite frankly, is prohibitive. We have seen some really good work in specific sports. Obviously, I have been involved in athletics all my life. I think that we are a particularly good brand with a very good strong story to sell when it comes to that. Other sports are beginning to catch up, but I would like us to come back to the chamber next year and look to ensure that the gap has closed markedly. It is still much more to do, but I am looking forward to working with colleagues to achieve that. There are many high points of being Orkney's MSP, but I have to say that, as a sporting fanatic, being asked to co-host Orkney's Sportsperson of the Year over the last couple of years has been right up there. BBC radio Orkney's Robbie Fraser does a good design on him to my poor man's Gary Linnaker. Anywhere we bag the gig again for next year, proving that we must be doing something right, or just being cheap as a clincher. At the most recent awards, I was delighted, but not at all surprised, when the shortlist for the top individual award was made up of three of Orkney's highly impressive young female athletes. Hannah Bevin, a Scottish powerlifting champion who, earlier this summer, announced herself as a British record holder in the 47kg category, said a McPhail, who has stormed her way through the various development pathways in netball to the point where she will captain Scotland's under-21 team at netball Europe competition in Belfast this weekend and, hopefully, will take a claim for being in the full Scotland squad for the World Cup next year. Then there was the eventual winner, Anna Tate, who's victory was sealed on the back of a season that saw her smash records on the track at the international island games in Scotland, compete for Scotland at 1500m and perform well in the GBA trials. All three, Hannah, Sarah and Anna, share the same commitment, tenacity and determination to make the very most of their talents. This was no flash in the pan, Anna Tate's predecessor is Orkney's sportsperson of the year, Rachel Sutherland, who was captain Scotland to success at the European pool championships and was recently selected in Scotland's A-Squad for the World Finals next month. Those, of course, are young women operating at or near the top of their respective sports. I appreciate that the focus of Women and Girls in Sport Week may be more about encouraging and supporting participation at grassroots levels, about unlocking the benefits that we've heard about that come with playing sport and being physically active. Health benefits, of course, both physical and as Anna Sarah reminded us, mental health as well. Also, the benefits of the skills of teamwork of perseverance and communication and the self-confidence that comes from that, all invaluable in a sporting context at whatever level, but skills that stand any individual in good stead whatever they choose to do in return benefiting wider society. However, as Anna Sarah's amendment underlines, I think that having the role models is absolutely key to our efforts to encourage the greater uptake of sport and physical activity, providing examples for young girls or those indeed of all ages to look up to and be inspired by. This can, of course, be the Laura Muir's, the Muir Heads and, frankly, the entire women's football team whose exploits, along with others, have undoubtedly inspired a nation, but when you see those inspirational people within your own community, it's perhaps even more tangible and powerful, easier to say, well, why not me? So that link between grassroots and elite sport is crucial. It isn't a question of investing in one and not in the other. Failures to do both will inevitably undermine our chances of achieving our ambitions or allowing each individual to fulfil their potential whatever that might be. I know from speaking to Rachel Sutherland that she takes very seriously her role in supporting other girls and young women, and has enjoyed real success with numbers competing regularly up threefold over recent years.  I suspect the same applies in other sports, including rugby, yet having watched the spectacular rise in popularity and success of the Octney Dragons, I am pretty confident that this is a group of women that can meet most of those challenges in their stride. Capturing the BT Women's North League last season, so soon after first starting to compete, their success is inspiring more girls and women to get involved in a pattern that I understand is being seen in other parts of the country, too. The great thing about rugby, as former Dragons captain Joe Inkster observed, is that rugby is a place for everyone. Whether in the men's or the women's game, rugby helpfully accommodates those of all shapes, all sizes and all abilities. On the downside, however, availability of training facilities, including flidlet 4G pitches, can be a challenge, so too female-friendly changing rooms, without which I understand some younger players can be reluctant to sign up. Getting enough competitive games throughout the season is also an issue, although not just for the Dragons, as it applies to age group teams, both male and female, across the Highlands and Islands. Then, of course, there is the question of costs. Whether, like Sarah McPhail, you are travelling regularly to take part in development pathways, or you are one of many individuals or teams heading to the Scottish mainland to compete, travel costs for island athletes are high and can be prohibitive. Welcome steps have been taken to provide grants to specific athletes across a range of sports and sponsorship from local businesses and travel providers is utterly invaluable. Without it, the time put in by parents, coaches and volunteers of course, sport in our island communities would be a pale shadow of what it is. That said, despite the obvious talent there is, it can often be the case that only those going away to university or college get spotted and selected. Orkney's Beth Thompson, who is broken into Scotland under 21, rugby set up is perhaps a case in point, getting a break only after she started at Edinburgh University. Beth's former captain at Orkney's Ragons, Joe Inkster, is also firmly of the view of channeling her inner Brian Whittle that more rugby and need more sport needs to be part of the curriculum.  Joe added that keeping girls involved in sport through their teenage years is vitally important. Interestingly, Anna Tate made the observation to me that, unsurprisingly, many young girls are affected by image in sport. Many, she says, are worried about appearance when taking part, particularly where the culture of perception of sport is seen about being musly, sweaty and by extension ugly. Anna also made a specific plea to raise greater awareness of the importance of sports bras. As she says, it is a huge barrier to many girls and women when exercising and taking part in sport. I believe that girls should be educated about this at school as it may increase participation and make girls more comfortable and able to enjoy sport. A small ask, but one with the potential to make a big difference perhaps. Presiding Officer, I welcome today's debate. I thank the minister for the way in which he set the tone and Anna Sarwar and Brian Whittle for commendable and very worthwhile amendments, and we will be supporting both of those at decision times even. Thank you very much. We move to the open part of the debate, and I call Jenny Gilruth to be followed by Finlay Carson. I start by taking the opportunity to welcome the minister to his new role. His constituency of Dundee City West is synonymous for me with sports, and indeed any fifer of my vintage will recall the former Olympia swimming pool that once stood at close to the site of the new BNA, a more stark contrast in architecture you would be hard pushed to find. Olympia's flumes, including the terrifying yellow cannonball, glowed brightly as you crossed the River Tay from the kingdom. This week is a time to celebrate women's and girls' involvement in sport, so what do we know? 98 per cent of schools in Scotland provide at least two hours of our periods of PE per week, up 10 per cent from 2004-05. The daily mile has children from primary out and about for 15 minutes a day, and Scotland women's football team are off to the world cup. All very welcome news. To celebrate properly, we must reflect upon the inequalities that still characterise Scottish sport from the classroom to the football pitch. According to SQA data this year, 10,302 boys in Scotland were presented at national five level in physical education. That compares to just 5,095 girls—less than half the numbers of boys. However, of that cohort, 53.1 per cent of the girls secured A passes compared to 41.9 per cent of their male counterparts. Girls simply are not choosing PE in our schools, and we need to reflect on why that is, and why, if they go against the grain, they outperform their male counterparts, who will replace the next Scotland's women's football team in the future generations to come. In 1998, a case study by a former colleague of mine found that, if girls wanted to succeed at PE at standard grade level, they needed to act like boys. Boys were much more likely to be selected to demonstrate in class. She argued some 20 years ago now that physical education had created a generation of lost girls. We must now look at what the data is telling us. What are the reasons today in 2018, which means that less than half of the amount of girls in S4 choose PE over their male counterparts? On that note, I was delighted to note the announcement yesterday from the Government to commit £300,000 to projects to help to get more women and girls into sport. I previously raised linking the health and education portfolios to tackle the attainment gap, so perhaps there is an opportunity here to link sports with promoting academic attainment more broadly, as Brian Whittle alluded to in his contribution today. Presiding Officer, as a former member of the Parliament's Health and Sport Committee, we published the report, Sport for Everyone, in November 2017. As Abertau University told us, children who have had a poor experience in school are less likely to stick with sport and exercise as they go into adulthood. Much like closing the poverty-related attainment gap, therefore, early intervention is key to ensuring that children develop a positive affiliation with sport. Indeed, there are proven links between academic attainment and sport with a 2014 Public Health England report on linking between pupil health and wellbeing and attainment, finding a positive association that exists between academic attainment and physical activity levels in pupils. On that note, I was glad to see a specific mention in the Greens amendment today, although I know that it has not been taken, of the socioeconomic disadvantage that also exists. We must acknowledge that access to sport from the youngest age is obviously predicated on social stratification. The poorer you are, the less likely you are to have access to sport from the outset. That, for me, is why physical education in school holds the key to closing the socioeconomic gap in opportunity. If mum or dad or someone is not running about to football, hockey, swimming or dancing, what chance have you otherwise to succeed in sport? What chance have you even just to try it? School is the leveller, and I firmly believe that there should be more done to invest in our PE departments nationally. I am grateful to the Scottish Sports Association, ahead of today's debate, for the following information on women when it comes to sport. We note that it leads to a 20 to 40 per cent reduced risk of breast cancer, increased confidence with young women in the UK having some of the lowest levels of confidence in Europe, a pay gap difference potentially of up to 8 per cent higher earnings, Presiding Officer, reducing cancer rates, improving wellbeing, closing the gender-related pay gap, all policies that this Government seeks to advance. Perhaps sport could be the answer to all three. It is also welcome news therefore that the SSA will receive an extra £70,000 of Government funding for 2018-19 to increase the representation of women and minority ethnic communities in sport. I very much hope that some of that funding will be used to work directly with our secondary schools to make a difference where it counts. For example, widening access to the school estate, which was highlighted as an opportunity in the recent health committee report previously mentioned. Presiding Officer, I remember the last time that the Scotland's men's team qualified for the World Cup. The year was 1998, Dellymetry was singing Don't Come Home Too Soon and I've managed to buy myself a reduced-price umbrostrip from the Wellgate in Dundee. It was a good time to be a Scotland supporter, briefly. In 2018, that hope still exists, encompassed in the ethos of Scotland's women's team, and I am so proud that this SNP Government has committed to funding our national squad, allowing those who aren't professionals to train full-time from January. Perhaps we can also be proud of Vivian McLaren, the chair of Scotland's women's football, who explained to this week's Scotland on Sunday why the team rejects bids for sponsorship from alcohol or gambling companies. She said, "...we don't want to take money where there's girls playing football out there who can't afford to get to training. We're trying to help clubs support their players. There's kids that can't afford football boots and yet there's alcohol and gambling brands around a lot of sports." She's right. Vivian's attitude is inspirational and yet there are so many other Scottish women like her involved in sport. Liz Macaulain uses Eve Muirhead, Lindsay Sharp and all role models of their own time who deserve to be celebrated. However, Scotland needs more female sporting role models, and to get them, we need to find out why so few continue to pick PE in school. It is an aptitude, as the exam results tell us. To challenge gender segregation in sport, we need to go back to the classroom to ensure sport for all. Thank you very much. I call Finlay Carson to be followed by Sandra White. Thank you, Presiding Officer and fellow athlete. As someone who has been a lifelong sports fan, and I must declare an interest, if a father having a daughter at a regard as my sporting star, I'm delighted to be taking part in this debate. I was pleased to see the Scottish Government hold the first of our women and girls in sports week 12 months ago, and here we are again celebrating across the country. Back then, we saw the creation of a women and girls advisory board aimed at encouraging more women to sport. Absolutely a step in the right direction, but one year on, as we take part in today's debate, there remains a lot of hard work to do to ensure that there is equity and equality of provision, not just in regards to addressing the disparity between boys and girls, but in regards to the link between deprivation and low participation, but also between rural and urban areas. Many barriers remain, and they are particularly prevalent in rural Galloway and Western Fries, where our budding female athletes often find their opportunities limited and or face barriers in terms of transport costs and access to suitable facilities. Galloway athletes, athletes such as Joe Muir and international modern pentathlete, or Kirsty Yates competing in the shot put, have had amazing success despite the barriers that rurality brings, and those barriers are still there for our young athletes in our region. Joe, Kirsty and my own daughter sporting careers require them to travel, in some instances, more than three times a week from Galloway to Glasgow or Edinburgh, or Sheffield for coaching, and to travel hundreds of miles to take part in various competition. Today's motion from the Government refers to the positive work being done by active schools and what they are doing in terms of increasing the participation of girls, but this is not the case when you look at what has happened in Dumfries and Galloway. Only this year, the Labour SNP administration saw fit to restructure and cut its active school budget, reducing it by £81,000, which in turn affects the match funding from Sports Scotland. Sadly, that trend is set to continue in the coming years with potentially another £120,000 set to be cut over the next two years on current projections. I would hardly say that that was a positive message being sent out when we want to increase participation. Only last week, a teacher contacted me and be mourning the lack of sports in school. His school, inter-schools games such as netball and basketball, have been cancelled down to transport costs. That is wholly detrimental to sporting development at a vital age in school when our youngsters are perhaps deciding whether to pursue a sporting career or not, or simply to decide to keep active. With rural communities already suffering for social isolation, I believe that today offers a perfect opportunity to raise those concerns in order to make the Government aware of the reality in many rural schools. Thank you for taking the intervention. I wonder if you can explain how he thinks cutting taxis would help the situation in support for sport in our schools and communities. I think that you know fine our position is that the important thing to do is to grow the economy, but that again is for another day. With rural communities already suffering from social isolation, I believe that today offers a perfect opportunity to raise the concerns. As I started and I mentioned my daughter Vicky, she is somebody who has succeeded, even though the barriers were put in front of her, but she still carried on to pursue her dreams of reaching the top in ice hockey. Despite six AM starts and one AM finishes, I often have to drive 360-mile trips a week to play for the saw with sharks. Don Fries was close for us, only having to travel that distance. Others had to travel as far afield as Aberdeen. She recently played in the Czech Republic, and I couldn't be more proud of her because she has got there despite the rurality being a major barrier, but our family was there to support her. Many families who have sons or daughters with equal ability have not been in that position. In some cases, it costs £60 a week to play ice hockey. As touched on earlier, there are other local success stories in Don Fries and Galloway when it comes to female sports stars. There are too many to mention, but Pentathlete Joe Muir from the Hocovar has enjoyed success at the European Championships and in the World Cup in her discipline, progressing from being a junior world champion in 2013 to only a few weeks ago overcoming the altitude to claim a top 20 finish in the world modern Pentathlon Championships in Mexico City. Joe achieved that despite an initial lack of funding and sporting opportunities in Galloway. He is a terrific role model and we are all very proud of him, but he is not just athletics. Vicky Adams, a curler for Patrick, was part of the squad that won bronze at the World Olympics and has had gold medal success at the 2013 World Championships and the European Championships in 2011 and 2014. I was reminded that we have also got a fantastic women's rugby team in the Stuartry sirens. When it comes to barriers to encouraging girls into sport in my constituency, the lack of role models certainly isn't a barrier because we have them in abundance. When it comes to rural communities, it is about having the facilities and the training opportunities in place that will allow our girls who wish to participate in sport to hone their skills. Progress continues to be slow and there remains a real concern that the money, both centrally and locally, has not been filtered through into rural communities who need it most. We saw the commitment to increase women's participation in sport in the SNP's programme for government in 2017-18, which is very welcome, but as we celebrate this week, we must see a renewed focus on how to best achieve that and ensure that all areas of Scotland benefit. Sport Scotland's corporate plan lays out equalities and inclusion as one of its three priorities for improvement and recognises the exclusion that can be experienced in some parts of Scotland. One of its three priorities is a commitment to ensure that our young people from our most deprived areas, as well as girls and young women, will have access to greater sporting opportunities. That must also have a focus on rural Scotland, where there is a great need for parity given that facilities are simply not in the doorstep, unlike many urban areas. Quite simply, we need, literally and metaphorically, the promise of a level playing field. Sport can be a fantastic tool for bringing people together, and I know that my daughter Vicky has forwarded some wonderful friendships through her ice hockey participation. The benefits cannot be understated, and that is why I am regularly contacted by constituents who want to see not only a greater development of sporting facilities, but better and clearer skills development pathways, and those have got to be delivered with our need most. We need local authorities like Dumfries and Galloway to be in a position to lead by example, and only then will we see not only further female champions emerge but happier and healthier constituents in my constituency and indeed across Scotland. Thank you very much. I call Sandra White to be followed by Claire Baker. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. It may seem difficult to imagine, but I played hockey, I played netball, I actually ran relay teams. I was very, very sporty when I was younger, basically. I think that one of the reasons for that was the fact that my school was quite close to where I stayed. I think that perhaps in that time most schools were as well. I would walk to school. The schools were open at night time. The schools were open at the weekends. The week could go along and play netball and hockey on the sports fields of the schools. It is something that is not just to encourage women and girls. It also dips into a health portfolio and an education portfolio. If we can pick up on some of the other issues that was raised, Anasar Ward raised it, Alison Johnstone and others, in regard to the huge, big gap. When I was on the Equal Opportunities Committee, we did an inquiry into why. All the things that you raised came up at that time as well. However, there were other issues, such as social pressure from your peers. That came up and a cultural issue as well. It is important that we look at that and make sure that we address that too. It is not just one portfolio, but it goes through all of the portfolios of the Parliament as well. Like others, I am pleased that Government funding has been mentioned by Jenny Gilruth, £300,000 of Government funding. That is to be welcomed, to encourage women and girls to go further ahead and join in in sports. I encourage any authorities that say that applications are open for the Scottish governing bodies of sport and local authorities as part of a programme to get money and encourage more women and girls. I encourage them to apply to that as soon as possible. I want to go on to some more recent things. I really want to congratulate, as others have already mentioned, the Scotland's women's squad on their great success. It is absolutely amazing in their great. We should not be surprised, because we all know that women excel much more than men in lots of things. It is just encouraging them to get forward in the sporting aspects of it. I thank Sandra White for taking intervention. She wishes to join with me in congratulating his ladies, who have contributed substantially to the success of Scottish women's football. Today, she is talking about recent success. Jenny Gilruth said who is going to follow on. The under-17s for Scotland today won their first match in the European Qualifying Championship by 2-1 against Lithuania, so we can congratulate them as well. I think that you have already done it for her, Ms White. There is no harm in doing it again. I absolutely do congratulate them. What I was going to say was that they are all great role models for women and young girls, and may they go on in the future as well. We are in safe hands in that respect. I want to mention someone who is in the constituency. In fact, Leanne Crichton from Glasgow has had a very successful footballing career playing at both club level, for local Glasgow City FC and for the national squad as well. Part of the women's under-19 squad qualified for the European Championships in Hungary in 2005. Midfielder won two senior camps before being recalled to the squad after four years for a double-header against USA and Nashville in February 2013. She scored her first senior goal in a three-two friendly win over Iceland in June 2013. I am pleased that Jenny Gilruth had mentioned that. The First Minister has given a huge boost to Scotland's women's national team with additional funding, which will enable the whole squad to train full-time for the FIFA World Cup. That says something to our commitment, but as I said, there are lots of other things to go forward as well. I want to raise two other or highlight two other initiatives in my constituency. Cycling might not be for everyone, but those two initiatives are about not just cycling but giving people confidence as well. The first one is bike for good. It is a Glasgow branch. It has teamed up with the Simon Community Scotland to specifically work with women and girls. Many of them have faced real challenges in their lives. The project provides women with the opportunity to learn bike maintenance, build a bike from scratch, and at the end of the course, each person gets to keep the bike, ensuring that they have a cheap and reliable mode of transport. The skills to maintain the bike improve their health as well and give them confidence. 24 women so far have built their own bikes and all have said how a really positive effect on their mental and physical wellbeing. If I could just give a quote from a couple of them, the first one says, I was so nervous before and thought it would be too unfit to get on the bike, but I have been out of it every single day and I have finished building it. I was so nervous before I thought I would be there as well, but the camaraderie of the other women on the course made it so much worse as well. I have learned new skills. I did not know what I had. I thought that I would be too old and too unfit to learn to get cycling, but there you are. I am not. The second one is Bails on Bikes. Bails on Bikes is a cycling group for women living in and around Glasgow. It offers a mix of rides to cater for all ages and abilities. The group is supported by CTC Bike Club, Cycle Scotland and Delivered in Partnership with Youth Scotland and Glasgow Bike Station. Over the years, Bails on Bikes have trained female cycle trainers to organise, lead and inspire women of all ages to get out on their bikes. Whether they want to start community biking, as I mentioned before, cycling with family and friends at the weekend, or just meet like-minded people, Bails on Bikes is the one thing that introduces it to you and is a great community. I think that one of the best things that we can do for our own health is to be physically active. I have highlighted two initiatives in my constituency and I am sure that there are others in other constituencies. I hope that by debating that today, we will encourage more women and girls to get active and be fitter as well. I welcome today's debate focusing on women and girls in sport. We have already heard about women and girls who are achieving fantastic results in elite sports. We should recognise the commitment, the hard work, the talent and the dedication that they have given to their chosen sport and celebrate their achievements. Labour's amendment congratulates the Scottish women's football team and recognises the Scottish Government's announcement of financial support. Women participating at a high level are often still having to earn a living and are not able to dedicate themselves to their sport. I welcome the funding that will enable the team to concentrate on the tournament. Recognition and sponsorship can be difficult for women to receive and we can see gender disparity across elite sports where women are still receiving less financial reward and lower profiles. Although we have global women's sport stars, they are often at the forefront of fighting for greater recognition, respect and parity in their sports. We should consider ways to see a sustainable funding base for all women's competitive sport. I would like to focus on other aspects of the debate. The Scottish health survey that was published last week confirmed some attitudes and behaviours around gender and sport. As the minister has recognised, male participation in recreational sport is higher on average than women's. Women are less likely to meet the guidelines for moderate or vigorous physical activity than men, with the greatest gap being in the young adult age group. The most dramatic statistic is probably that participation in sport among high school age girls declines by 24 per cent compared with 1 per cent for boys. Those figures are compounded by deprivation with higher levels of non-participation in areas of high deprivation. While we write the celebrate high-level achievement, a recent BBC documentary claimed that almost 9 in 10 of elite athletes come from a more privileged background. Sports should be the great equaliser, but those figures suggest that for too many people opportunities are limited and personal, as well as national, potential is not being realised. I welcome the work that has been undertaken to consider the barriers to women and girls' participation in sport. The modest but welcome investment in the sporting equity fund has provided an impetus to work in that area. I know in Fife that Fighting Chance Scotland received funding for a school's judo programme, as well as Fife Council receiving a reward to support an active girl to take up cycling. I understand that that fund was only for a year, and the minister has not today confirmed that there will be additional funding available to support grass-roots sports. Will it be available to the groups who are already in receipt of funding, or will it only be for new applications? I also welcome the work of the women and girls in sports board. They are focused on four key areas to look to increase engagement and should lead them to also consider how deprivation depresses opportunity. The benefits of an active life-scale are evident for everyone, not just in physical benefits but also mental wellbeing. A lot of good work is going on to challenge the way we think about sport and women and girls' participation. Some members have spoken about the importance of role models and leadership opportunities. I am interested in where that intersects with celebrity culture and the images of perfection that girls are often presented with. The This Girl Can campaign has been about promoting diversity, promoting confidence, taking on myths about femininity and how that is expressed. Girl guiding has often been doing a lot of research on that, highlighting that girls can be reluctant to take part in sport because it is regarded as not feminine. Part of the campaign is about activity, about not labelling activity, as sporty or otherwise. Sporty, for some, can be a label that enforces a binary approach. You are either good at it and that you win things or you are not, so you start to avoid it. At primary school, it is perhaps easier to be more inclusive. As headteacher at St Nain's primary school in Stirling in my region, Elaine Wiley introduced The Daily Mile, a great initiative that embeds positive behaviour and attitude to activity, introducing concepts of keeping active, of socialising, of building it into your daily routine, all easy lessons that will hopefully stay with children throughout their life. The significant reduction in participation occurs at high school. There is still a gender gap at a younger age, but it becomes more pronounced at high school. The health and support committee's report, Sport for Everyone last year, found that a negative experience of sport at that age can practically put girls off for life. There are complicated factors for that. Being more self-conscious about body image can be a factor, and some of the school-changing facilities do not lend themselves to privacy. The range of sport on offer for girls does not suit everyone and the lack of choice is a factor and people are not participating. Girls and boys taking part in sports together can sometimes encourage judgments and on ability and also lead to a lack of confidence among girls. The competitive nature of school sports does not suit everyone. Some of those factors apply equally to boys, but we do not see the same drop of an activity. Having said that, school activity is really important for closing the participation gap, and while I am aware that sports clubs endeavour to keep their fees minimal for families on roll income, that can be a challenge. The Active Schools Network, working with Sport Scotland, is an important vehicle for bridging the gap between club activity and schools, and should be supported to provide more free and affordable sports in school. Finally, a related issue is the financial pressures that are facing our schools. In Fife, I am aware of reports of teacher post-reductions, and I have heard concerns over the continuing viability of some girls' sports teams representing their school and taking part in competitions because of a lack of teachers who can do the coaching. That must be avoided, and if it is budget cuts that are creating this situation, the cuts need to be reversed. Although that might look like an easy cut, which is not impacting on core teaching, it is letting down a generation of girls who have shown a commitment to their support, to their sport and deserve our support. Sport is an important part of life for the majority of Scots, and we cannot get enough of it, but on the whole we tend to be more spectators than participants. For the sake of our nation's health, we need to do better, we need to change things, and we need to be more involved. I cannot remember the last time I played five-side football. The truth is that I can remember, but I am slightly embarrassed for the young man who was fitter and faster than I was half and two as he ran past me at one point. When I played football other times with people of a certain age and a certain speed and ability in fitness, I seemed to enjoy it slightly more. I think that it is all about making sure that you enjoy sport within your group of peers. Men's attitudes change when they have a daughter. That is true, but it is equally the same when you have a granddaughter. You want them to achieve and be part of absolutely everything. It is equally important for women and girls to see sport as something that they should be involved in. Sometimes we can be too hard on ourselves as Scotland has a proud tradition in female sport and physical activity, not least the recent success of our national football team in making the world cup finals. Our women footballers are showing the men that Scotland can still qualify for a major tournament. That qualification is excited as all. Even more so in Paisley as St Murm Park has been the home venue for many of Scotland's national women's team's games. So much so that my wife Stacey has stated that she wants to go to France next year to follow the tartan army girls, but she will be going herself, because unless she changes sittings of Parliament next year, I will be at my work. Football, as our national port should be leading the way in this, because there is so much development happening in Paisley with the women's game. This summer St Murm FC launched its own women's team, and as is the norm with a club like St Murm, funding will always be an issue. However, it was agreed with a group of female footballers that Paisley would have its first major football side. St Murm's Independent Supporters Association, of which I am the convener, also owns 28 per cent of the club, sponsored their strips, and the women involved raised funding themselves for league entry in their on-going expenses. That shows that there is no such thing as an impossible task, difficult and challenging it may be, but they managed to kick off the start of the season. I thank George Ard for taking the intervention. I heard a story from a young female footballer who was not allowed to play football at school because he thought that she would be too fragile, and she has managed to continue on. That sort of attitude is something that we have to tackle. Mr Rittle is correct, because that is some of the attitudes that we have to deal with and make sure that we get access for everyone to have access to sports as we move on. That is not the only thing that is happening with the women's game with the St Murm women's football team. There has been an increase in teams from what was traditionally called our boys' club, although that is not the case now. They are all called youth football clubs. Glenifer Thistle, a team that brought us players such as St Murm legend and now sports pundit Stephen Thompson, has a girl's section and a women's team. St Murm Youth FC, not connected with the professional club, has a girl's section, as does St Peter's FC. If I move away from the centre of the known universe to far away Linwood, we can see that Linwood Rangers, former Scotland captain Paul Lambert's first team, have a girl's section too, but you might have noticed, all the names that I have mentioned of famous former professional players have all played for St Murm, but they are also all male. They are all male. We need to and we must ensure that young women and girls have their own sport and heroes to look up to and inspire to be like. There needs to be some form of parity between the women's game and the men's game. That will not be easy and it will require funding and a change of attitude in our national sport by the SFA, SPFL and at club level, and as Mr Rittle explained there at other levels within the game as well. Supporters also need to look towards women's football in a more positive manner. That might be the bigger issue for us all. Scotland's women's qualified for the world cup finals. Their male counterparts have not been there, as Jenny Gilruth said since 1998. Ironically, again in France, we need to ensure that those sportswomen are the heroes to young women today and that they continue their success. That is why I welcome the fact that the Scotland national team squad will be able to train full-time for the FIFA 2019 world cup with additional funding from the Scottish Government. They will be full-time from January 2019 ahead of the Tournament in France, and that will strengthen the women's and girls' game in Scotland. Sutmoren Football Club chairman and majority shareholder Gordon Scott has already announced that the club is going to go beyond just having its own women's football team. He wants to create Sutmoren Women's and Girls Football Academy. Our team in Paisley already knows the success that has brought our men's team having an academy, and we see the opportunity that our club has to develop that further. The Sutmoren Academy has produced Scotland international like John McGinn, Kenny McLean and Lewis Morgan. The supporters see the value of that in financial terms and on the fields, but Gordon's plan is to have that in Fergusley Park in Paisley and using the Sutmoren community trust as a way to take it forward with Gail Branigan leading the way. Gail is well known within Renfrewshire for running sports trusts and sporting community programmes, and we have an opportunity to use that idea and that project to use it as a pilot to see that we can do something like that. We can say to young women in places like Fergusley Park that it does not matter where you live, it does not matter where you come from, but you can be part of our national game and our national sport and play for the famous Paisley St Murrn. All the challenges that we will have in that project will be funding and will be the usual situations that we have. I would ask the sports minister if he would like to come to Sutmoren Park and discuss that with Gordon Scott and Gail Branigan. Sutmoren uses a tagline saying, our town, our team. Now we are looking at taking this even further and ensuring that Sutmoren is our Paisley's team to the whole community. For me, I look forward to the day when I sit with my granddaughter, my daughter and my wife and I see Sutmoren lift the Women's Scottish Cup. Only then, when that date goes down in these famous dates from Sutmoren in the past, will I say that we have definitely got the equality in Paisley. Thank you. I do not have any notice the name St Murrn in that speech, but somebody no doubt has been counting the references. I call Angus MacDonald to be followed by Alison Harris, please. It is a pleasure to be speaking in this debate, albeit a little unexpected, as Stuart McMillan had been hoping to speak in this place. However, he has been called away to his constituency. First and foremost, I would like to join colleagues in the chamber by adding my congratulations to our women's national football team on reaching the World Cup. Something that has not happened for Scotland since France 1998, and I look forward to France 2019, where everyone will be rooting for them in the tournament next June, if not attending the event. It is true to say that taking part in physical activity or sport is one of the best ways to maintain our physical and mental health. It is definitely on my to-do list and long overdue, although I will start with the chair yoga that I was experiencing at the event that I held in Parliament on Tuesday evening. That may well be exertionary enough to start with. However, not only the benefits to physical and mental health are clearly the case, but taking part in sports can also be an incredibly social activity that builds confidence in relationships and friendships, so it can be fun at the same time. However, that is not to say that there are not still barriers to stopping women and girls from taking part in sport, and that is something that we must address. If we look at examples in elite sport such as our women's national football team or our incredibly successful women's cycling and swimming teams, it is clear to see the inspiration that they have on women and girls in encouraging involvement and sport and getting active. Elite sports absolutely have a role to play in that encouragement, but it is ensuring that that resource and accessibility is available at the grassroots level, where we will see the majority of the barriers broken down and more women and girls encouraged to take part. The Scottish Government and Sports Scotland have, for example, through the active schools and active girls programme, seen an increase of children doing two hours or periods of PE per week from less than 10 per cent in 2004-5 to 98 per cent in 2016, which, of course, was an SNP manifesto commitment. We have seen that not only does PE have a positive impact on physical health, but it has a positive impact on educational attainment and life chances, too, as Minister Marie Todd mentioned in her intervention to Brian Whittle. When we look at one of the simplest forms of exercise that is walking, the roll-out of the daily myelin schools across Scotland has significantly increased the health and wellbeing of pupils, but it also has a positive effect on learning in the classroom. Presiding Officer, as part of that commitment, the Scottish Government provided £11.6 million of investment between 2012 and 2016, but it has been backed up by £50 million to be invested in active schools from between 2015 and 2019 through Sports Scotland, which is clearly welcome. The vision of a Scotland, where sport is a way of life, where sport is at the heart of Scottish society and has a positive impact on people and communities, is certainly something that we all want to see achieved, and I believe that we are on the path to achieving this. However, we must ensure that all the issues, especially those facing women and girls, are taken into account no matter the background or stage in life. This is something that women and girls in sport board are passionate about, and it involves recognition that there are different challenges facing women and girls in relation to maintaining healthy levels of physical activity at different stages in their lives. Of course, the four areas identified for focus are intervention, what is needed to get more women and girls physically active and into sports, prevention, what measures will ensure that women and girls do not drop out of physical activity or sport and have opportunities to continue, reconnection, how women and girls can get back into physical activity or sport when a major change to their life happens, and continuation, helping women and girls to continue with physical activity or sport throughout their lives. Through campaigns such as the hashtag she can, she will, which was launched ahead of Scottish Women and Girls in Sport week, the discussion focuses on women and girls in sport, and through further discussion and understanding, we will continue to make progress in breaking down the barriers that are faced. However, it is clear to see that progress has been made over the years in getting more women and girls into sport. We have, for example, seen significant increases in women and girls in Scotland participating in sports and physical activity, including walking and biking, as well as traditional sports such as netball, hockey and shinty, but through funding projects such as fit for girls and ensuring that there are grassroots clubs available in communities across Scotland, there are 192 community sports hubs across Scotland, including the Trice Community Sports Hub in Larbert. We also have to look at the increase in participation through active schools in the likes of karate and dodgeball, which has quadrupled in the years between 2011-12 and 2016-17 and sports such as tennis, football, cross-country and gymnastics, which have doubled in participation. Those sports have the biggest increase in sessions participated in by girls, which shows that, although much more can still be done, we are certainly doing something right. In closing, more can and clearly will be done to increase participation of women and girls in sport and physical activity. More will be done to understand and break more of the barriers down that stop them from doing so. However, when we look to the progress made over the past few years, Scotland is on the right path, and we should continue to push those boundaries and make sure that we continue on that path. We are achieving success on the global stage at Commonwealth Olympic World and European Championship medals to be proud of, and, of course, success to come in the future, but we should continue to make those inroads and increase participation so that Scotland's women and girls have every opportunity to become involved and stay involved no matter their background or the stage they are at in life. That will lead to a healthier and better Scotland for everyone. I call Alison Harris to follow by Gillian Martin, and Ms Martin will be the last speaker in the open debate. I am delighted to speak in this debate marking women and girls in sport week. A recent study by the University of Bristol highlighted that, by the age of nine, less than one-third of girls met the suggested level of support and fitness activity compared to two-thirds of boys. The gap closes in adulthood, but there is still a strong bias in favour of men. The reasons why females are less involved in sport are varied, but many have been mentioned by previous speakers. I am pleased that this week gives an opportunity to turn the spotlight on the gender gap in sporting activity that exists, and among young people in particular. When I think back to my own days and my introduction to sport, or what in those days was referred to as PE or gym, you will not be surprised to hear that I was not really a budding athlete. At school, my cousin was a Games captain in sixth year. When I arrived in my first year at the school, I remember vividly the excitement of the PE teachers who were desperate to meet the potential new Games captain, whom they assumed would follow in the family footsteps. I can say without one shadow of doubt that I did not like hockey. I did not like jumping into a sandpit. I did not like jumping over hurdles, which I regarded as positively dangerous. In fact, I did not even like jumping over a horse that had no head or tail. As I am sure that you have worked out by now, I did not rise to the dizzy heights of Games captain, but merely the dizzy heights of being in charge of cutting the oranges for the half time during hockey. However, that disastrous introduction to sport actually had a more serious repercussion, and that was that I was not introduced in my early school years to the importance and fun of physical activity. Thankfully, since those days, there has been a huge expansion in the variety of sports and activities that are available in schools. Many secondary schools now have swimming pools, jogging has become commonplace and there is a huge growth in keep fit classes being provided, along with traditional sports of hockey, netball, track and field. I am delighted now that, as part of the higher curriculum, a higher dance course is now an offer. That is a course that I would have enjoyed. The importance of physical activity and, indeed, the introduction to physical activity does, without a shadow of a doubt, improve mental health and wellbeing. Being physically fit leads to improved self-esteem, as we have heard earlier today. I think that it is important for this to be introduced at primary school level, and it is a common fact that children do not get to run around now as much as they would have years ago. Bringing sport into primary schools at an early age is ultimately an introduction to keeping fit and sets up a chain of positive reactions that those children will take through life. By encouraging more women into sport and physical activity, raising awareness of those who regularly take part and addressing the barriers that cause the differing uptakes between males and females, I hope that this week builds on the success of last year's inaugural event. Many young people see gym membership as a must-have, and more and more women and girls are now involved in sports such as football, rugby and martial arts. Things have improved yet it is clear that work still has to be done to close the gap in physical activity. We all know the importance of role models, and thanks to the success of the Commonwealth in Olympic Games, we have enjoyed seeing many sportswomen such as the young boxer Nicola Adams become a household name. We have heard the saying that success brings success, and I am sure that that is very much the case with sport. Hopefully, the successes of our sportswomen have had will boost the amount of coverage that female sports in television and in the media from the current derisory 7 per cent, as I think Alison Johnstone previously mentioned. Why should media interests be so low? A survey carried out to ensure for sport to have some interesting findings. When asked which sports they watched and despite its growing profile, 44 per cent said that they would watch men's football but only 17 per cent women's. Rugby still showed a heavy male bias while tennis, athletics and swimming showed much less disparity of people's preference for watching. Of the 22 sports included in the survey, there were only two in which the female version was more likely to be watched, volleyball and hockey. Clearly, and despite much progress, there still remains a perception that there are sports for men and sports for women. That is a factor in discouraging some women from participating in certain sports. Some studies suggest that competitive sports are not so attractive to women as they are to men, but few will disagree that in politics and business women have shown that they are every bit as competitive as men. Although it has to be said that sport doesn't always have to be a competition, it can be just an activity that you actually enjoy doing. In conclusion, participation in sport and physical activities is a vital part in maintaining good health and mental wellbeing. I am sure that I will join all colleagues in hoping that the spotlight on improving female participation lasts far longer than just this week. It is my pleasure to support the motions tonight. Thank you very much. I call Gillian Martin, who is the last speaker in the open debate. First, I want to welcome the Minister for Public Health, Sport and Well-being's announcement yesterday about supporting projects that help women and girls to take up sport or physical activity with £300,000 funding. We all know that the benefit of those funds that encourage more Scots to take up physical activity will mean that getting active has profound health benefits physically and mentally. Providing money to take away the barriers that prevent women and girls in Scotland from taking up sport or physical activity can only be a positive step to tackling some of our challenges that our society faces, such as obesity, social isolation, loneliness and low self-esteem. Sport and exercise, as we know, is hugely beneficial for people with depression. As someone who enjoys getting on their bike—I mentioned this in the chamber before—I was very keen to use my bike to reduce my car usage when I was working in Aberdeen, but I will be blunt. Cycle routes and pathways are just not good enough. They are just not safe enough. As someone who took that step to try to decrease her carbon output by taking up cycling as my commute, I quickly gave it up because it was too dangerous. Last night, I was hosting—in my position as convener for the Committee on Climate Change—some of the impacts around climate change. We had an outreach event when people came into the Parliament from Elgin, Glasgow and Fife. We were talking about some of the barriers to physical activity that people would want to do, which would reduce their carbon footprint. That has not been mentioned in the debate. If you are taking up physical exercise for its own sake, that is fine, but you could also be exercising as a means to commuting and travelling. However, there are so many barriers to people doing that. Infrastructure came out number one. Safety of roads. Lack of cycle routes. Cycle routes are just not joined up enough. I know that from cycling in Edinburgh, but there will be a point of which you are on a safe cycle route site, and all of a sudden it stops and you are busy around about your hearts and your mouth. We have also mentioned workplaces and schools not having—particularly workplaces—facilities for bike storage and safe routes to those destinations and changing facilities. Many people mentioned that. Our youngest participant, nine-year-old Quinn Boyd from Leven—by the way Jenny Gilruth has competition there, I will tell you that right now. She came up with a fantastic idea, and it really struck me. She said that every child should have the right to a bike. She did not say, let's give everyone free bikes, said the right to a bike, and I thought that was really powerful and a pretty good idea. However, I would also add to what Quinn said and say that I think that she should also have the right to a safe route to school on their bike as well. I made the point in my intervention to Brian Whittle earlier on in the debate that you do not have to be particularly good at sport to benefit it. I am out with you, Alison Harris, because I was that soldier. My family found it really amusing that I am taking part in a debate about women in sport. If they are watching and sometimes they do, my mum will probably be laughing right now. However, I am one of those clients who used to worry about getting picked last in PE. I hope that they do not do that in schools anymore, because I tell you right now that it does not build your self-esteem being the last lassie in the queue to be picked for the team. If you have kids that have low self-esteem or are just shy or have body consciousness, that lack of confidence can manifest itself and not being particularly confident at sport. Sport could actually build that self-confidence, so it is a vicious circle. Those formative years, when you fail to excel in sport, can put a person off. Even if he really enjoyed sport for its own sake, which I did, I loved basketball and volleyball in particular, but it was not until I was taken under the wing of a PE teacher who saw that enjoyment in me—not particularly ability, but a massive enjoyment—when I was a pupil at the British School in Rhaedon, in January, when I was 12 or 13. I felt that I could flourish in an often exclusionary environment. Remember, we are a teenager. You are very self-conscious, so if you are made to feel that you are not good at something, you will probably, at that point, not do it again. Under the care of the PE teacher, I became quite good at both those sports, so it turns out that enthusiasm can make up for lack of innate natural ability. I wanted to address Finlay Carson's political points and the priorities of local councils. He is not in the chamber just now, because he did not take my intervention, but what I wanted to say was to take care about making those political points, because right across the country you will have local authorities who are making decisions that are stopping people from accessing sport. My own situation in Aberdeenshire Council is a Conservative-led council. It has cut visiting specialists. For rural schools, we have sport specialists. We will go to small rural schools that people are missing out and have access to sport that they would not otherwise have. In saying that sport is for all and does not matter if you are good at it, I want to make quick mention of a couple of sports champions for women in my constituency, Hannah Miley. Everyone knows Hannah Miley. I could use up the rest of my time talking about the achievements that Christine Cymru is going on.  She still trains at Inverury Pool, which I think gives young people from Inverury great confidence. Natalie Ross, who plays midfield for Celtic, has 11 senior Scotland international caps. She is from Ellen, and she trained and played for Ellen Meadows.  I want to squeeze in the way that you mentioned John Duffas, who coaches Aberdeen, FC Ladies and Girls, who recently got an award for his contribution to women in football. I want to make a quick mention. You cannot make any quick mentions. I can also say that it is very nice to be friendly, but I am the Presiding Officer when you are addressing me where I am in the chair. You maybe did not notice what others did. I did not notice, but thank you, Presiding Officer. No, thank you very much. Sit down now. Now, can I also say... Yes. Can I call on now Mary Fee, please, to close for Labour? Miss Fee, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am pleased to be closing this afternoon's debate for Scottish Labour, marking Scotland's second annual Women in Sport week. I am grateful for the support for our amendment around the chamber. That has been a good humour debate, and we have had a range of informative and interesting contributions from across the chamber, reflecting on how we can work together to make sport in Scotland more accessible for women. We have heard of the numerous health and wellbeing benefits of sport. Anna Sarwar and his opening remarks rightly highlighted the link between poverty and participation. The cost of sports kits and entry to sporting facilities can be a significant barrier to participation. Anna Sarwar also spoke of the importance of tackling obesity and the role that sport plays in mental health, wellbeing and in mood. Brian Whittle in his opening contribution made an interesting point about the lack of women coaches. It is not something that I had given much thought to in preparation for this debate, but what better role model than a women coach? That was also a point that was made by Anna Sarwar. Alison Johnstone spoke of the massive difference in media coverage of women in using sport. How can we showcase something if there is little or no coverage of that for people to see? Many contributions spoke of the long-term health benefits of sport, the disparity in participation and the role that we, as parliamentarians, can play in promoting and encouraging physical activity. Liam McArthur in his opening comments named several of our very successful athletes, and that is something that I will do later on in my contribution. I may be wrong, but I think that George Adam may have mentioned Paisley or St Myrnynny's contribution, so I am not quite sure. I am serious, Presiding Officer. Recent research on equality in sport, which was published by Sport Scotland, has illuminated the gender disparity in participation. It revealed that more men regularly participate in sport, and that the lower participation by women in sport begins between the ages of 13 and 15. That is why active schools are a very important initiative, and it helps to encourage young people to become more active in schools. Active schools work with all of our 32 local authorities, and they play a pivotal role in encouraging young women and young girls to become more involved in sport and physical activity. I imagine that most of us in the chamber will have taken part in sport in schools with varying degrees of enthusiasm and various degrees of success. Sandra White spoke of her sporting prowess and her contribution, and I will speak of my sporting prowess and my contribution. I was at school as a member of the hockey team, the volleyball team and a regular in the relay team. I was also pretty good at the hurdles, but I have to say that my only claim to physical activity now is that I walk a lot. I walk very quickly, but that is the limit to my physical activity now. I am pretty sure that that will probably be reflective across this chamber. Our participation in sport either diminishes or stops when we leave school. It is clear that more must be done to encourage and engage young women in sporting activity. Research shows that only 33 per cent of members of playing hubs are women. That underrepresentation of women in sport is reflective of the underrepresentation of women in the public sphere throughout society. This year may mark the centenary of the suffragettes who fought for women's equality at the ballot box, but the fight for equality endures, and women are still fighting for their rights in Parliament, their rights in the workplace and in all aspects of society. However, I would like to close this afternoon's debate on a positive note by illuminating the numerous successes of inspirational Scottish women in sport so far this year. I know that the speakers in today's debate have highlighted many of their successes, and the minister, in his opening remarks, spoke with pride of some of their achievements. In April of this year at the Commonwealth Games, we had the privilege of witnessing a new generation of Scottish women competing and winning in their respective sports against some of the most experienced and the most respected athletes in the world. In Gold Coast, the women of team Scotland returned two gold medals, five silver medals and six bronze medals. Our gold medal winners included Kate Archibald in the individual pursuit and Grace Reed in the diving one-metre springboard. Our silver medal winners included Hannah Miley, who has already been mentioned, Neve Evans, Ailey Doyle, Carline Brown, Cameran, Stacey McDougall and Kate Archibald added to our gold medal with a silver in the points race. Our bronze medal winners included Linda Pearson, Shona Macintosh, Claire Johnson, Leslie Doig, Kirsty Gilmar and Neve Evans. In the summer, there was further success as Inverness born, Lauren Muir, became the first British women to win the European 1500-metre title at the European Championships in Berlin. In September, the Scottish women's national team secured qualification for the FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time. To achieve gender parity in sports participation, we must redouble our efforts to ensure that organised sport is more accessible and more inclusive for young women and girls. The increasing visibility of Scottish women in sport is extremely positive, and I am extremely hopeful that the myriad of success achieved by Scottish sports women throughout 2018 can act as a catalyst that will inspire our country's stars of the future, our next Gemma Fee, our next Katey Archibald and our next Lauren Muir. I just got to finishing post in time. I call on Rachel Hamilton to close with the Conservatives. Seven minutes, please, Ms Hamilton. I am delighted to close today in what has been a really, really good debate. On behalf of my Scottish Conservative colleagues, we want to mark and be involved in the Women and Girls in Sport week. From my experience of sport, it is vitally important for physical and mental health, and it encourages creation of friendships, teamwork, national pride and community spirit. I could hear the pride in everyone's voices today, and I would like to take this opportunity on everyone's behalf to thank our Scottish sportswomen who do so much for our country. My constituency is in the Scottish Borders, as many of you know, and it is a loft with fantastic sportswomen. GB team in Scotland, Hockey midfielder, Sarah Robertson from Selkirk, Sammy King, Horne from Gordon, the fastest ever female British wheelchair racer regardless of classification, and freestyle swimmer Lucy Hope from Deborah, winning a gold medal at the 2018 European Aquatics Championships. Like many MSPs, I do try to get involved in supporting as many sporting groups as possible, whether it be playing women with the club at Kelso, or like Liam Carfer supporting Orkney Neppel star, Sarah McPhail's selection to the Scotland Under 21s, or George Adam supporting Paisley's women's football team. Clare Baker and Anasawa spoke of the Scottish Health Survey, and the fact remains that extensive research still shows low rates of women and girls participating in sport. Participation in sport by girls at a young age is crucial, keeping that going is another. Angus MacDonald talked about the drop-outs in sport and the retention problems that we do have. Barriers still exist for girls, a lack of self-esteem. Gillian Martin spoke about that, a lack of opportunities or negative experience of school PE lessons. I fondly listened to Alison Harris as she talked about cutting the oranges. She was contributing, and I hope that she felt involved as well, even if she did not really like sport, but everybody has a role, including volunteers. Research shows that girls are less positive about their school experiences of physical education than boys. We have also heard that today. According to a women in sports study that was published only last November, 64 per cent of girls said that their school encouraged them to take part in sport, compared with 72 per cent of boys. Evidence shows that, as girls move into their teenage years, sport participation reduces and stays lower than boys. We have got to break down those barriers. Nothing should hold girls back from taking part in sport, regardless of where they live. Finlay Carson spoke about the challenges of access in transport in his constituency, which is a very rural area. Last year, Sport Scotland published eight recommendations, ranging from providing some single-sex opportunities to involving more women in the planning of sporting events. We all welcome the Scottish Government announcement of the £2 million to reduce inequalities in sport, including encouraging more women and girls into sport. Brian Whittle and the Scottish Conservatives argue that the goal must be equal access for all, irrespective of a background or personal circumstance. That includes, as I said earlier, getting it right between the rural and urban divide. Many MSPs acknowledge that there are not enough female coaches and role models. In fact, 31 per cent of coaches across the UK are female. Sport Scotland is encouraging more coaches to get involved by offering subsidies, but there is still a long way to go. As we approach the midway point of a 10-year national strategy entitled A More Active Scotland, the Scottish Government must set targets to close the physical activity and the gender gap that is exposed within that. We have heard that today. Alison Johnson talked about media coverage, and she is right. Women's sport makes up only 7 per cent of media coverage. I also learned of the excellent Girls Do Sport, which is a development run by Scottish Women in Sport in collaboration with the University of the West of Scotland. It is an ambitious new partnership that will see 10 programmes created by students, graduates and staff at the University, focusing on women in sport and highlighting one sport per show. Many members today spoke about role models and the link between grassroots and elite sports. More screening and coverage of women's sports will allow more girls to see female role models and be inspired to pick up a racket or put on some football boots. It was interesting to learn that the BBC has also committed to delivering a further 500 hours of live women's sports coverage. I hope to catch the Netball World Cup final next year, which they have promised to televised. To conclude, we agree on the Conservative benches that sport for women and girls is a must, and it must be more accessible. We still have a long way to go. Poverty is a key determining factor, and there is a link between deprivation and low participation. Barriers also include a lack of transport, the cost of transport or issues with venue access or venue hire, lack of equipment, extracurricular activities, rely on volunteers. Volunteers are key to delivering sport, whether those two hours that are currently delivered to schools must be done to encourage volunteer participation. More must be done to establish a stronger bond between grassroots and elite sports. Role models are also key. Finally, the Scottish Government acknowledges that sport and physical health improve health and wellbeing and improve self-esteem. It is now time for the minister to galvanise the support that he has seen today, and he has heard from all parties. It is time for lasting change, not just for women and girls, but for everybody. I very much welcome the contributions made across the chamber. Before I reflect on the points during the debate, I would like to say just how pleased I am that, during our year of young people, we continue to find ways to celebrate having young people's voices heard and to be participants in shaping and driving change. Throughout this Women and Girls in Sport week, I have been struck by the many great examples of girls who have built confidence, who have made friendships, built resilience and gained skills through physical activity or sport. I look forward very much tomorrow to visiting Broughton High School for the active girls' day and to hear directly from the girls the difference that is made to them. A joined up approach working collaboratively across Government departments, across sectors and barriers will ensure that we continue to improve opportunities for girls and women right across Scotland. Today is another great opportunity to explore how, together, we can make Scotland an ace away our nation. We are committed to embedding an understanding of ACE's adverse childhood experiences across all of Government and working collaboratively to drive progress across Scotland. Mitigating ACEs and supporting resilience is absolutely crucial to reduce the risk of people with ACEs experiencing negative long-term impacts and to break the cycle of future ACEs in the next generation. There is really good evidence that participation in sport builds resilience and mitigates adverse childhood experiences. There is growing interest in emerging practice in the Scottish Sports Centre to provide sport and physical activity opportunities that take account of ACEs and to allow young people to build their resilience. For example, active schools teams in some local authorities have programmes specifically designed for girls who are vulnerable or who have disengaged from school, combining youth work approaches with carefully structured sport and physical activity opportunities. The Women and Girls in Sport advisory board is very keen to have some conversations with different age groups to fully understand the issues. Consultations are really important to provide a platform for girls and women to have their voices heard. It will help shape and influence opportunities and recommendations on what more this Government can do and empower girls and women to overcome the barriers. Like others in the chamber, I will take the opportunity to talk about my own sporting prowess, but like Gillian Martin, my own sporting prowess is much more of the fine example of enthusiastic joining in over skill. My passion for rugby started when I was young, although I did not play it until my twenties when the hospital I worked in had a team. I gave it a try and I found that I absolutely loved the physicality, I loved the teamwork and I loved the body confidence that came from playing. As Liam McArthur said, rugby is a sport for all shapes and sizes. I also agree with Liam McArthur that the Orkney dragons are an inspirational team, and Joe Inkster, the captain that he referenced as a case in point, was a rugby mum who took up the sport in her late thirties and led her team to a meteoric rise lifting silverware within a very short time from starting. There are other inspirational women and my sport, Jade Kinkell, was the first ever professional female rugby player in Scotland. Dee Bradbury, who we have heard of before, is the most amazing woman who first excelled in athletics, Brian Whittle sport, and then switched code in her late thirties to rugby. Those are strong, fearless women who are participating in and excelling in a physical, in fact a contact sport, pioneers, trailblazers and role models for all of us. I have to say that Mary Fee and Alison Harris would be very welcome in the Scottish Parliament rugby team, which I now play in. Even if it is just to cut oranges, you can come along and share in the camaraderie. One of the other joys of sport, which we have not mentioned so far today, is how it can bring together people of very different backgrounds and beliefs. The fact that I play in a team alongside the Tory front branch is a very fine testament to that. Before I leave the subject of Scottish Rugby, I have to commend the partnership between Scottish Rugby and Girlguiding. It is a fabulous collaboration that brings together two of my favourite things, and I hope that we see more links like this in future. Brian Whittle's speech gave us an insight into his long passion and involvement in sport, but it also gave us a wonderful insight into how far we have come. Anna Sarwar, I have to say that I can personally commend the daily mile to you and others in the chamber. It is a very easy way for us all to get our exercise in. As Claire Baker rightly mentioned, it started near where you are, where you are based, and it has become a worldwide phenomenon. Alison Johnstone and Alison Harris are absolutely right about the coverage in the media of women's sport. It is a huge bugbear for me and other women in the chamber, and I agree that it is absolutely vital for that to improve if participation is to improve. Jenny Gilruth and Brian Whittle rightly made the link between sport and closing the attainment gap, and I am very pleased to hear that it is being widely recognised. It was an excellent speech from Jenny Gilruth, and I loved that she highlighted the Scottish women's football leading the way in ethical sport sponsorship. Fin Carson rightly highlighted the particular challenges that rural athletes face as a Highlands and Islands MSP and, indeed, as a Highlands and Islands mum. I know very well the situation. I would say that the growth and flourishing of women's shinti might well be an example of how things can be improved in other parts of the country. Sandra White mentioned a lovely project, the bike store project, which highlighted that it is never too late to take up a new sport and learn a new skill. That camaraderie is one of the greatest benefits that we get from sport. Gillian Martin made some very fine points about active travel. The £80 million investment this year and this year's budget was a doubling of investment, and it will make a huge difference, but there is absolutely always more that we can do. Several people mentioned the situation with female coaches, and they are absolutely correct. Only 31 per cent of coaches right across the UK are women. We recognise the need for more female coaches and sporting leaders to attract the next generation into sport. Sport Scotland recognised that, and from 2016 to 2018, it provided financial subsidies to support coaches to gain coaching qualifications, with only more than 50 per cent of them being women. It is also key that we enable our young female sporting leaders to shine, and the Sport Scotland young people sports panel boasts a really impressive 14 female members out of the 19 panel members. We welcome very much the positive trend in the overall measure of physical activity amongst adults since 2012 in the recent health survey, and a wide range of organisations in Scotland are working very hard to encourage and support people in Scotland to be more active, more often, enabling more people to experience the many physical and mental health benefits of being active. The Scottish Government's emphasis on the importance of empowering communities is important here. When communities feel empowered, evidence shows that that leads to increased confidence and skills. More people are volunteering, greater satisfaction with quality of life in the neighbourhood and greater engagement in local democracy. Access to opportunities to highlight the many benefits of physical activity in sport is a right that we want everyone to have. Achieving our vision of a Scotland where people are more active, more often, is therefore an outcome of following those principles and a means of advancing those principles in their own right. If we work together in driving forward those improvements, we will drive forward change for women and girls right across Scotland, providing them with every opportunity to participate. I thank you all for your contributions to this debate today and the contribution that it has made to raising awareness and discussing the opportunities in sport and physical activity among women and girls. I would like to finish by reminding you all, though, that we are all leaders in this chamber. Let us see what we can do, not just to talk about it but to actually do it and to paraphrase George Adam. I think that we should not just spectate, let us participate. Thank you very much, and that concludes our debate on women and girls in sport week. The next item of business is consideration of motion 14208 in the name of Derek Mackay on appointment to the Scottish Fiscal Commission and a call on Derek Mackay to move the motion. Thank you very much. The next item of business is consideration of parliamentary bureau motion 14211 on designation of a lead committee, and I ask Graham Day on behalf of the parliamentary bureau to move the motion. We turn now to decision time. The first question is that amendment 14194.1 in the name of Brian Whittle, which seeks to amend motion 14194 in the name of Jo Fitzpatrick on women and girls in sport week, be agreed? The next question is that amendment 14194.2 in the name of Anas Sarwar, which seeks to amend motion 14194 in the name of Jo Fitzpatrick, be agreed? Are we all agreed? We are agreed. The next question is that motion 14194 in the name of Jo Fitzpatrick, as amended on women and girls in sport week, be agreed? Are we all agreed? We are agreed. The next question is that motion 14208 in the name of Derek Mackay on appointments to the fiscal commission be agreed. Are we all agreed? We are agreed. And our final question is that motion 14211 in the name of Graham Day on designation of a lead committee be agreed. Are we all agreed? We are agreed. That concludes decision time. I look forward to welcoming members back after recess and I close this meeting.