The minister pays tribute to all those who are working hard to promote

Mr Wheelhouse says as a grandson of an angler who drowned, he can assure the parents of those who have lost a loved one to drowning, he takes the issue seriuosly.

He says he will be meeting with Gillian Barclay to discuss how best to address it. 

Safety improvements to a Fife quarry where two teenagers drowned were announced by the council in November.

John McKay, 18, from Kirkcaldy, died in June 2015, while Cameron Lancaster, 18, from Burntisland, died in August 2014, at Prestonhill Quarry, Inverkeithing.

Funding of £12,500 was approved by the South West Fife Area Committee for fencing, signage and a memorial.

Gillian Barclay, Cameron Lancaster's mother, said she did not want further deaths at the quarry.

Mr Wheelhouse says we must teach children when not to swim.

Image source, Scottish Swimming

The minister says the ability to swim is important but there are other risks like the temperature of the water and its depth.  

He says the government is giving £104.000 to RoSPA , externalannual water safety programme.  

Last month The Courier reported, external that the mother of a Fife teenager who drowned at an abandoned quarry believes a hard-hitting local campaign designed to highlight water safety should feature on the national curriculum.

Gillian Barclay, whose son Cameron Lancaster, 18, died at Prestonhill Quarry in Inverkeithing in August 2014, has been working with Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the RNLI and the Royal Life Saving Society to raise awareness of the dangers of open water in several Fife schools.

Image source, Richard Hardy

Hundreds of pupils have now seen presentations as part of a pilot project involving seven secondary schools in south west Fife, and organisers believe there is scope to roll out the initiative far and wide.

Ms Barclay said she was driven to give a parent’s perspective after Kirkcaldy teenager John McKay, 18, died at the same quarry in June last year, less than 12 months after Cameron, and believes all pupils should be educated on the risks.

Community Safety Minister Paul Wheelhouse gives his condolences to families who lost loved ones to drowning.

Mr Wheelhouse pays tribute to Gillian Barclay for her brave campaigning after the loss of her son.

The minister also praises the Fife Water Safety initiative.

The minister says there are 30,000 fresh water lochs which bring natural beauty but risks.

SNP MSP Christine Grahame congratulates the mother of Cameron Lancaster for her work in raising awareness of water safety. 

Ms Grahame says she has a friend who lost a son to drowning and she can still feel the grief and sadness of the loss.

The SNP MSP says the 17-year-old was a strong swimmer but waters can be dangerous and this can make "young men rise to the challenge".

Ms Grahame says there needs to be more education on the dangers. 

Labour MSP Drew Smith takes to his feet to give his valedictory speech and is given a warm tribute by Deputy Presiding Officer Elaine Smith.

Mr Smith says Mr Rowley is right to highlight the dangers of open water.

The Labour MSP says there must be an ambition that every child who wants to learn to swim can before leaving school.

He says swimming while dangerous in the wrong places is also a life skill and can be life saver.

Mr Smith says it has always been a privilege to serve in the parliament.

A body recovered by divers from a disused quarry in Fife was confirmed as that of a teenager from Kirkcaldy on the 23 June last year.

The emergency services were called to Prestonhill Quarry in Inverkeithing at about 21:20 on Thursday 18 June following reports of a teenager in the water.

The body of 18-year-old John McKay was recovered the following day.

In August 2014, Cameron Lancaster, from Burntisland, Fife, died at the quarry.

Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser says he would echo the condolences for the families of Cameron Lancaster and John McKay.

Mr Fraser says there is clearly an issue with water safety in Fife and he hopes raising awareness is the first step to saving lives.

The Conservative MSP says we were all young once and can see the attraction of jumping into cool water on a warm day but this practice is dangerous particularity in quarries. 

Young people need to be educated on the dangers, he says.

The death of an 18-year-old man in a flooded quarry is believed to be linked to the ice bucket challenge craze.

Cameron Lancaster, from Burntisland, Fife, died on Sunday 24 August 2014.

His family described his death as a tragic accident and "a great loss" and said Cameron would be hugely missed by family and friends.

The emergency services were called to Prestonhill Quarry near Inverkeithing at about 17:00 on Sunday 24 August 2014 and a body was recovered four hours later.

A mother whose teenage son drowned in a Fife quarry returned to his old school in November to tell pupils she does not want another family to suffer the way hers has.

Gillian Barclay's son Cameron Lancaster died at Prestonhill Quarry in August 2014.

Image source, Thomas Stenhouse / Geograph

Ms Barclay has also helped launch a pilot project highlighting water safety that it is hoped will eventually be rolled out across Scotland.

BBC Scotland's Steven Godden reports.

SNP MSP Clare Adamson says it is important that all the initiatives teach people life skills that are transferrable.

Ms Adamson praises Water Safety Scotland, external.

A mother whose son died at a disused quarry in Fife led a campaign to buy it last year in a bid to make it safe. 

Cameron Lancaster, from Burntisland, Fife, died at Inverkeithing Quarry in August 2014. 

His mother, Gillian Barclay, 52, from Burntisland, said her son died after jumping 70ft into the water during an ice bucket challenge. 

Ms Barclay hopes to use a Community Empowerment Act to take over the privately-owned £1.5m quarry. 

Her son's death was the first of two in the last 10 months. 

The Scottish Labour deputy leader Alex Rowley says there should be a national water safety strategy.

Mr Rowley praises the Fife Water Safety initiative.

He says words cannot do justice for the families that have lost love ones.

However he is inspired by the way families in grief are doing all they can to ensure what happened to them does not happen to others.

Mr Rowley says death by drowning is the third highest accidental cause of death in the UK and that, per head of population, there are twice as many accidental drownings in Scotland as in England. 

Image source, RNLI Queensferry

The Labour MSP says there are more limited rescue options for response and rescue services for inshore water accidents than at sea through the RNLI, which rescued 7,973 people and saved 348 lives in 2015. 

Mr Rowley says Cameron's mother is working with agencies across Scotland to explore the potential for creating an education programme aimed at teaching teenagers about the dangers of open waters, which may be used across Scotland.   

Mr Rowley says he hopes as a result of this debate the new parliament will look at this issue and highlight the concerns and consideration. 

Labour MSP Alex Rowley uses his motion to highlight the work of the Fife Water Safety initiative, which brings together the fire and rescue and police services, the RNLI, external and the Royal Life Saving Society UK, external to educate young people about the importance of water safety. 

Mr Rowley says, since the death of her son, Cameron Lancaster, at the abandoned Prestonhill Quarry and the second tragic death of John McKay at the same quarry less than a year later, Cameron's mother has been working with partners to raise awareness of the dangers that water may pose to young people. 

The Labour MSP says the Fife Water Safety initiative has been touring west Fife secondary schools hoping to encourage all Fife schools to adopt the education package including an age-appropriate programme for primary school children.  

Labour MSP Alexs Rowley leads his member's debate entitled Water Safety in Scotland.

Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick says that ends the motion of condolence for Brussels and calls for a short break. 

Green MSP Alison Johnstone pays tribute to those affected by the tragedy on behalf of her party and the Independent party.

Ms Johnstone says it is difficult to comprehend the grief people must feel.