Labour MSP Monica Lennon says there has been an increase of 16% of pupils who have Additional Support Needs since 2013.

Ms Lennon says there has been a reduction of ASN staff and she calls for local authority budgets to be protected.

The minister says it is worth noting that around 95% of children are educated in mainstream settings where they are supported.

Ms Lennon says local authorities face a funding gap of £553m by 2018-19 and there must be more resources for children with Additional Support Needs.

Mr Macdonald says the ASN spend increased by £24m in 2015, which is the latest figure available.

Childcare Minister Mark McDonald says the additional support for children act sets out guidelines for additional support outcomes for children and it has been updated and amended.

Mr McDonald says those children with additional support needs are being better supported but more can be done to make sure their needs are being met. 

Image source, bbc

Scotland faces a "lost generation" of children with additional support needs (ASN) if funding cuts continue, a network of support groups has claimed.

The Scottish Children's Services Coalition (SCSC) said the number of pupils with ASN had increased by more than 16% since 2013.

This was as the number of learning support teachers was falling, it said.

The group warned a lack of action would make closing the educational attainment gap "extremely challenging".

Labour MSP Monica Lennon asks the Scottish government what its response is to the Scottish Children's Services Coalition, external warning that Scotland faces a "lost generation" of children with additional support needs

Image source, NSPCC

Ms Hamilton says she is disappointed the Scottish government is not going forward with an inquiry into abuse at sports clubs.

The Tory MSP calls for a focused investigation into abuse at sport clubs.

Mr Macdonald says the government takes seriuosly any indications of abuse in sporting bodies.

He says the number of calls to the NSPCC hotline will be monitored.

Childcare Minister Mark McDonald says ensuring the safety and well being of children when they are participating in sport is of paramount importance.

Mr McDonald says all children's sports coaches go through appropriate checks.

The minister says anyone with allegations of abuse should contact the police and that a helpline has been set up. 

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The Scottish FA is supporting a campaign to encourage anyone with knowledge of child abuse in football to speak out.

It has backed a dedicated NSPCC helpline, external set up for victims of sexual abuse in the game.

The move comes after a number of former players in England revealed they were abused by coaches as youngsters.

The charity told BBC Scotland it had received calls from across the UK since it was launched on Thursday.

Former Manchester City and England player David White is among several who claim they were abused by former Crewe Alexandra coach Barry Bennell.

The 62-year-old was jailed in 1998 for sex offences against children and was imprisoned again last year.

Image source, bbc

More than 20 former footballers have so far come forward with allegations of historical child sex abuse in football, with four police forces investigating.

The Football Association has announced an internal review, an NSPCC hotline has received more than 100 calls and individual clubs are conducting their own inquiries.

Ex-Crewe defender Andy Woodward waived his right to anonymity to reveal his ordeal and several other former professionals have done the same.

One of the players who spoke out, former Tottenham and Liverpool midfielder Paul Stewart, said the sport could face allegations on the scale of the Jimmy Savile scandal.

Conservative MSP Rachael Hamilton asks the Scottish government what action it is taking to protect children involved in football from sexual abuse. 

Topical questions begins shortly.

There are two questions today, one on child abuse in football and the other on the SCSC claim that Scotland faces a 'lost generation' of children if additional support needs funding is cut.

Father Andrzej Halemba, head of projects for the Middle East, Aid to the Church in Need delivers today's time for reflection.

There are two questions today in topical questions, one on child abuse in football and the other on the SCSC claim that Scotland faces a 'lost generation' of children if additional support needs funding is cut. 

The Scottish government will lead another debate on the impact of the Brexit vote, this time looking at culture, the creative industries and tourism. 

Image source, bbc

 Then it's happy St Andrew's Day as the government debates it for half an hour, a day early! 

 SNP MSP Rona Mackay will then lead a debate calling for equality in blood donation, in particular regarding men who have sex with men (at the moment they face a 12-month temporary deferral).

That concludes the Economy Committee. 

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The chairman of Highlands and Islands Enterprise has insisted the body will continue to exist in its present form despite changes to how it is overseen.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney told MSPs that a new Scotland-wide group was to oversee and eventually "replace" individual agency boards.

Opposition MSPs said this could be the "death knell for HIE as we know it".

But chairman Prof Lorne Crerar said HIE would not be "in any way diminished" by the coming changes.

Tory MSP Dean Lockhart raises the issue of the individual boards of enterprise agencies being replaced by the board of trade.

Mr Brown says the board of trade membership is being agreed to now.

He says the strategic board will replace the enterprise agencies' boards.

The economy secretary says Highlands and Islands Enterprise will remain, as will the other agencies.

Scottish Labour MSP Jackie Baillie says the Scottish government has its own trade and economic strategies and asks if the economic strategy is being reviewed following Brexit.

Economy Secretary Keith Brown says the changed circumstances have been reflected in the trade strategy and the economy growth scheme. 

He says the economic strategy is not being reviewed.

Image source, bbc

Nicola Sturgeon has addressed the upper house of the Irish Parliament as she seeks to strengthen links between Scotland and Ireland.

Ms Sturgeon was the first serving head of a foreign government to speak to the Senate.

She told Senators the historical links between the two countries had created a "special and unbreakable bond".

And she said relations between Scotland and Ireland were now "stronger, warmer and more harmonious" than ever.

Economy Secretary Keith Brown says someone who decides not to invest in the UK or Scotland because of the uncertainty around Brexit are not likely to say.

Mr Brown says this is anecdotal evidence.