Community Safety Minister Ash Denham says this bill is not an appropriate place to make substantial policy changes.

The bill's aim is not to change to position on council tax but to maintain the status quo, she insists.

Green MSP Andy Wightman says the scheme for recovering council tax is "pernicious" and argues there is a "powerful case" for reforming its administration.

Ms Denham again says this bill is not the place to address such issues.

The minister says just because local authorities have 20 years does not mean they can wait 19 years to collect.

If a council has delayed then this may be used as grounds to reject their case, she explains.

Any change to prescription will change to ways councils recover debt, potentially making it more expensive the minister adds.

Image source, bbc

Tory MSP Graham Simpson says this set of amendments deal with exceptions for council tax.

The question is do we allow councils 20 years to collect council tax or make it five years, Mr Simpson adds.

He cites COSLA's opposition to the move.

Mr Simpson says more than £1.2bn of council tax is owed and has been for more than five years.

The Tories do not support these amendments for those reasons, Mr Simpson adds.

Councils were owed £94m in unpaid council tax for 2017-18, according to Scottish government statistics, external.

96% of council tax for the year had been collected by 31 March 2018.

In-year collection rates have improved over the last decade, with collection standing at 94.2% in 2007-08.

In-year collection rates by councils ranged from 93.9% to 97.9%.

Labour MSP Neil Findlay speaks to his amendments, insisting it cannot be right that 20-year-old debts that people may not even be aware of can be collected on.

The proposed exemptions do not mean a pursuer has 20 years for recovery of debt, but it is 20 years since the last payment or acknowledgement he says.

He says his amendments would bring Scotland more into line with England and Wales.

They will "ensure we have a fair, humane and timeous debt recovery system."

Image source, Scottish Court Service

The Prescription (Scotland) Bill seeks to amend the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973.

According to a SPICe briefing on the Bill, external: "We have prescription in Scots law to encourage people to enforce their rights promptly, before it becomes too difficult for the person or organisation defending the claim to gather the appropriate evidence.

"We also have prescription to offer people and organisations some certainty, so they can plan for their lives and resources after a certain point knowing they will not get sued."

However, the briefing also explains the the current law can cause harsh results on individual cases.

In the Bill, "the range of legal obligations covered by five year prescription would be extended," explains SPICe.

"The Bill would also help those defending court actions. Specifically, the ticking of the clock on the twenty year period would no longer be able to be interrupted, for example, by starting a court action".

MSPs will take part in the final debate on the Prescription (Scotland) Bill, external.

Amendment groupings, external and the marshalled list, external are available.

Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton congratulates the TIE campaign and says there is pressure on some teachers in faith schools to avoid inclusive education.

Will the minister ensure the delivery of inclusive education is now a standard against which schools are scored in the inspection regime, he asks.

"First of all schools are not scored," Mr Swinney says.

The purpose of inspection is to help schools improve.

"I have been deeply appreciative of the breadth of opinion that has come together in the working group."

This includes the Scottish Catholic Education Service, and this led to the success of the group he says.

Green MSP Ross Greer says this move will not only transform lives, but save them as well.

He asks whether the framework for school inspections will change alongside training for inspectors.

Mr Swinney says the framework for inspection will reflect priorities for Scottish education.

Labour MSP Iain Gray also praises the TIE campaign, led by Jordan Daly and Liam Stevenson, which he says was "very, very effective indeed".

Mr Gray says: "The government's expert group and the acceptance of the group's recommendations, should certainly mean a significant stride forward in LGBTI young people's right to a fair, inclusive and equal educational experience, safe from bullying and discrimination.

"We can all be proud of that but none more so than Liam and Jordan."

Image source, bbc

Mr Gray ask about the costs for materials and enagagement with schools.

The costs will be dictated by the manner of implementation and he says he will come back to parliament in due course with the detail.

In terms of guidance, he says he tried to take as broadly an inclusive approach as possible.

Mr Swinney insists he will be as inclusive with local authorities, professionals and stakeholders as possible.

Tory MSP Annie Wells welcomes the statement but asks when a timetable for implementation will be published.

She also wonders how consistency will be ensured across all local authorities and whether teacher training will be mandatory.

At what stage will the Scottish government step in if not enough progress has been made.

Mr Swinney says a timetable will be brought forward as soon as it has been agreed with partners.

While we expect local authorities will take forward the guidance, there will be checks and balances including in the form of school inspections he adds.

The education secretary says training will be accessible to all teachers.

Image source, bbc

Mr Swinney concludes saying the actions he has outlined today will allow all pupils to excel.

He says: "I'm confident this is the right approach to getting it right for every child."

The minister explains that through a process of patient dialogue a "world leading set of recommendations" have been established that will help not just LGBTI children, but all children.

He say: "Today we take another step forward by ensuring all of our children and young people will have the opportunity to better appreciate LGBTI issues, within our education system and our country will be the better for it."

The deputy first minister says a toolkit will increase staff confidence in dealing with LGBTI prejudice in schools.

School inspectors will also receive training on LGBTI equality and inclusion, he adds.

Mr Swinney also confirms that the inclusive education working group will be asked to consider further action if sufficient progress is not made by the end of the parliamentary term.

The working group will reconvene as an implementation group to drive the agenda forward, he says.

"Human rights and the values of respect and tolerance are universal."

Image source, bbc

Mr Swinney says the government will work on guidance on conduct on relationships and sexual health to ensure it includes LGBTI issues.

The Scottish government will evaluate the impact of the updated guidance within five years of publication, he says.

The education secretary says teachers will be able to deliver LGBTI inclusion in any educational setting going forward.

To ensure all schools have the proper LGBTI resources a review will be carried out.