Health Secretary Shona Robison says general practice nurses are essential to the future of general practice.

Ms Robison says £2m is being invested into additional training to ensure they can contribute even more than they do already.

SNP MSP Linda Fabiani asks what importance the government gives to nursing roles in general practice.  

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Health and sport ministers will now take the hot seats for portfolio questions.

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First up in the chamber this afternoon, health and sport ministers will take the hot seats for portfolio questions. 

Labour will then lead a debate on health. 

This evening's member's debate is led by SNP MSP Emma Harper who calls on parliament to celebrate International Nurses Day. 

Committee convener James Dornan ends this evidence session.

SNP MSP Clare Haughey asks if there is a way for teachers or headteachers to feed up the management chain.

Headteacher Isabel Marshall says that there are various meetings but it has been difficult to find solutions. 

Ms Haughey says she is not getting a sense that the problems are being listened to. 

Ms Marshall says that they are being listened to but there may not be solutions available. 

Labour MSP Daniel Johnson asks if the witnesses think that local authorities have enough funding for solutions.

Ms Marshall says "no" there needs to be more funding and resources. 

Ms Haughey says that the local authority has a duty of care to teachers and asks if they are fulfilling that.

Teacher Emma Newton says that the local authorities are listening to teachers but they do not have enough funding to address it.

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SNP MSP Clare Haughey says all the witnesses have raised issues around stress and work load and she asks what support there is from local authorities.

Karen Vaughan: "We have a helpline that you can ring that will offer you six counselling sessions."

Headteacher Isabel Marshall says teachers are recommended to use the hotline.

Dr Shaun Harley says the first port of call should be the headteacher. 

Ms Marshall agrees that the first port of call should be colleagues and then the headteacher, but that's where there is squeeze in the system and "you are the jam in the sandwich".

Teacher Karen Vaughan says there have been a number of times she has been desperate for supply work but not phoned. 

Ms Vaughan says that there seems to be a rule that cover will not be brought in until a teacher has been off for three weeks.

Committee convener James Dornan asks who makes the decision on that and if it is local authority or government.

Ms Vaughan says that is very unclear but it appears to be a local government decision. 

She says supply teachers are often seen as the "lowest of the low" but that they are the ones coming in to get the school through the teaching day.

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Dr Shaun Harley says his school just can't get the cover.

He says it is not that the school is not trying desperately, they just can't get the cover. 

Judith Williams says there is a lack of supply teachers and staff are coming to work unwell and getting more unwell.

They do this because they don't want to leave the school short of a teacher, says Ms Williams.

Labour MSP Johaan Lamont says the pressures on teachers are more massive now then when she taught.

Ms Lamont says there are fewer classroom assistants and support now.

Emma Newton says if she has to do her admin, whereas pupil support workers used to do this.

Ms Newton says: "There are not enough pupil support workers."

SNP MSP Gillian Martin raises early years education and asks the panel for thoughts on this. 

Teacher Emma Newton says a lot could happen before school and at nursery but at the moment the focus is about taking teachers out of nurseries.

"How can it be done if the funding is not there," she says. 

Ms Newton says teachers could be working in nursery settings but in her council nursery there are not enough teachers.  

Mr Johnson asks if National 4 or 5 can be taught within a year.

Teacher Linda Robertson says the changes were made because there was too much to teach within a year.

Ms Robertson says the changes are good but teachers have only been given three weeks to implement them. 

Teacher Linda Robertson says she does not think she could have coped with the Curriculum for Excellence at 22 years old and she copes due to her time in industry.

Labour MSP Daniel Johnson who is in charge of the CfE.

That's like asking who is in charge of the internet says Dr Shaun Harley.

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Judith Williams says she wonders if there is a case for non-political control of the CfE.

Ms Williams says politicians change things but asks if the change is for the benefit of the people. 

Labour MSP Daniel Johnson says Curriculum for Excellence is ambitious and asks if teachers are properly trained for it. 

Teacher Dr Shaun Harley says "if you ask 100 different teachers what Curriculum for Excellence is you would get 100 different answers."

Tory MSP Liz Smith says there are concerns that some teachers from other jurisdictions struggle to come and teach in Scotland.

Headteacher Isabel Marshall says she has had postive experiences with conversion and returning courses.

Ms Marshall says: "Recruiting people with skills from outside school is very important."

Tory MSP Liz Smith asks why there are issues in teacher recruitment. 

Headteacher Isabel Marshall says there is perception that it is rewarding but also that it is difficult.

Ms Marshall says the media portray the extreme of children being very difficult so the PR should be better.

She also says the salary could be better. 

Ms Marshall says it is difficult to persuade people to come into teaching if they have had bad experiences at school themselves. 

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Green MSP Ross Greer says the last evidence session highlighted the "wildly inconsistent knowledge on additional support needs" in newly trained teachers.

Headteacher Isabel Marshall says over a four years there is more opportunity to address this than in the one year entry scheme.

Angela Kelly says money needs to put in to support children with additional support needs.

Teacher Angela Kelly says ASN must be taught more concisely in universities. 

Teacher Karen Vaughan says practically every teacher in the classroom nowadays is an ASN teacher because there are a number of pupils with needs.

Ms Vaughan says every teacher should be a promoted ASN post. 

She says a lot of people are struggling with the volume of children in their class with additional needs and how to support them.