John Swinney to face FMQs after new school toilet guidance

John Swinney will face questions from MSPs after his Government said school pupils should use toilets which correspond to their biological sex.

The guidance stated that schools in Scotland must have separate male and female toilets, but extra provision, which could include gender neutral facilities, should be made for trans students.

However, education secretary Jenny Gilruth later said the guidance was “not mandatory”.

On Monday, she said: “The Scottish Government respects the rights of everybody. I want every pupil to be able to reach their potential and every pupil deserves our support to do that. Our guidance means that all of their individual needs will be respected.

“In addition, the guidance makes clear that councils should give careful consideration to the individual needs of transgender pupils in light of the school context and school community.”

Swinney will face First Minister’s Questions after figures released on Tuesday showed cancer cases reached a record high in Scotland, while people with the disease face delays in starting treatment.

There were 37,202 new diagnoses in 2023, statistics from Public Health Scotland (PHS) revealed.

Three out of ten people with the disease waited longer than two months after first being referred to start treatment.

Figures showed just 69.9% of patients began treatment within 62 days between April and June this year. The NHS target is 95%.

Health campaigners have warned that missing the target can have serious consequences, and opposition parties accused the SNP of “failing at every juncture to meet the scale of the challenge”.

FMQs will start at midday on Thursday in the Scottish Parliament.