What's On

Jeremy Balfour (S6O-03589)

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to mitigate against crop damage over the coming months.

Official Report available for S6O-03589

Liz Smith (S6O-03590)

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding action to support businesses in the rural economy to expand.

Official Report available for S6O-03590

Liam McArthur (S6O-03591)

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the potential link between agricultural support and rural depopulation.

Official Report available for S6O-03591

Kevin Stewart (S6O-03592)

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken to consider the impact that Brexit has had on Scottish food and drink exports.

Official Report available for S6O-03592

Emma Roddick (S6O-03593)

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide further details of how the Small Producers Pilot Fund has supported micro businesses in Scotland.

Official Report available for S6O-03593

Marie McNair (S6O-03594)

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the UK Government to discuss the impact of Brexit on Scotland’s food and drink exports.

Official Report available for S6O-03594

Kenneth Gibson (S6O-03595)

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Association for Marine Science regarding its research into reducing the deaths of cetaceans from fishing line entanglements.

Official Report available for S6O-03595

Graham Simpson (S6O-03596)

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to deliver on its commitment to produce a National Register of Ancient Woodland.

Official Report available for S6O-03596

Edward Mountain (S6O-03597)

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that capital expenditure work has now been stopped at Raigmore Hospital, when it will publish its plan for the Moray maternity services redesign.

Official Report available for S6O-03597

Alasdair Allan (S6O-03598)

[Withdrawn]

Monica Lennon (S6O-03599)

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will proceed with its reported plans to downgrade the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital Wishaw.

Official Report available for S6O-03599

Gordon MacDonald (S6O-03600)

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of inflation on health and social care services in Scotland.

Official Report available for S6O-03600

Bob Doris (S6O-03601)

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the levels of uptake for baby and child immunisation programmes, including any emerging trends.

Official Report available for S6O-03601

Alex Rowley (S6O-03602)

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that scheduled care transport provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service is accessible to all patients who need it.

Official Report available for S6O-03602

Liam Kerr (S6O-03603)

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to tackle long ambulance turnaround times.

Official Report available for S6O-03603

Roz McCall (S6O-03604)

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce waiting times for CAMHS in NHS Fife.

Official Report available for S6O-03604

Kate Forbes (S6M-13679)

That the Parliament recognises that Scotland’s abundant natural resources and hugely talented people mean that there is opportunity to build a strong, successful and inclusive economy that realises the new opportunities from the transition to net zero and the digital revolution; acknowledges that Scotland’s economic potential can be realised through actions to support entrepreneurs, promote science and technology and ensure that the track record of innovation is translated into new businesses and improvements in productivity in all sectors of the economy, and agrees that doing so will build Scotland’s global reputation as a great place to do business, grow exports and secure international and domestic investment.

Further details available for S6M-13679

Murdo Fraser (S6M-13679.2)

As an amendment to motion S6M-13679 in the name of Kate Forbes (Scottish Government Priorities: Growing the Economy), insert at end "; recognises that the best way to grow Scotland’s economy is to attract people to come and work in Scotland and to ensure that economic and fiscal policy is focused on removing the barriers that have hampered business expansion; acknowledges that many businesses, particularly in rural areas, have been let down by the Scottish Government’s anti-growth agenda and the supposed New Deal for Business; believes that the income tax differential between Scotland and the rest of the UK is damaging business and is an obstacle to economic growth; notes that this tax differential has become more pronounced due to the recent introduction of the new 'advanced' tax band; agrees that continually raising taxes over the long term ultimately reduces public revenue and creates disincentives in the economy; further agrees that broadening Scotland’s tax base is essential to improve fiscal sustainability, and calls on the Scottish Government to take steps to make income tax competitive with the rest of the UK, to unleash Scotland’s economic potential."

Further details available for S6M-13679.2

Daniel Johnson (S6M-13679.3)

As an amendment to motion S6M-13679 in the name of Kate Forbes (Scottish Government Priorities: Growing the Economy), insert at end "; acknowledges that the gap in GDP per capita between Scotland and the rest of the UK has widened since 2007 and that EY’s Scottish spring forecast predicts that Scotland’s growth will continue to lag the UK’s in 2025; notes that Scotland’s early-stage entrepreneurial activity rate of 8.8% is lower than the UK’s rate of 11%; believes that businesses must be successful to build a strong economy and create the jobs that the country needs, and calls on the Scottish Government to work in partnership with business, listening to industry and workers, to deliver economic growth and the revenue needed to improve lives across Scotland."

Further details available for S6M-13679.3

Maggie Chapman (S6M-13679.1)

As an amendment to motion S6M-13679 in the name of Kate Forbes (Scottish Government Priorities: Growing the Economy), insert at end "; acknowledges the important contribution that community and social enterprises, cooperatives and other not-for-profit structures make to local economies, including local resilience and community wealth building; recognises the need to promote science and technology, but also creative and caring work that sustains Scotland’s society and culture, and agrees that proper investment in the green economy is required to deliver the urgent transformations that are needed to develop an economy that has equality and fairness at its heart."

Further details available for S6M-13679.1

Jamie Hepburn on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau (S6M-13696)

That the Parliament agrees—

(a) the following programme of business—

Tuesday 25 June 2024

2.00 pm Time for Reflection

followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions

followed by Topical Questions (if selected)

followed by Stage 3 Proceedings: Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill

followed by Committee Announcements

followed by Business Motions

followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions

9.00 pm Decision Time

Wednesday 26 June 2024

2.00 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions

2.00 pm Portfolio Questions: Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, and Parliamentary Business; Justice and Home Affairs; Education and Skills

followed by Scottish Government Debate: Scottish Government Priorities: Tackling the Climate Emergency

followed by Stage 3 Debate: Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill

followed by Business Motions

followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions

followed by Approval of SSIs (if required)

6.00 pm Decision Time

followed by Members’ Business

Thursday 27 June 2024

11.40 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions

11.40 am General Questions

12.00 pm First Minister's Questions

followed by Stage 1 Debate: Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill

followed by Financial Resolution: Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill

followed by Business Motions

followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions

2.15 pm Decision Time

followed by Members’ Business

followed by Members’ Business

(b) that, for the purposes of Portfolio Questions in the week beginning 24 June 2024, in rule 13.7.3, after the word “except” the words “to the extent to which the Presiding Officer considers that the questions are on the same or similar subject matter or” are inserted.

Further details available for S6M-13696

Clare Haughey (S6M-12612)

That the Parliament notes the findings from the UK Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) final report into the women’s State Pension age and associated issues, published on 21 March 2024; understands that the PHSO has made a finding of failings by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in this case, and has ruled that the women affected are owed compensation; believes that women born in the 1950s have been treated unfairly by accelerated changes to the State Pension age, under the Pensions Act 1995 and subsequent legislation, and that the changes were not adequately communicated to them; understands that the report finds that many 1950s-born women have experienced financial loss and a negative impact on their health, emotional wellbeing and home life as a result; further understands that around 3.6 million women are impacted, including an estimated 5,000 in the Rutherglen constituency; recognises that, in its stage one report published in 2021, the PHSO found "maladministration" on two counts, the first being in 2005 when the DWP failed to make a reasonable decision about targeting information to the women affected by these changes, and the second being when the DWP proposed, in 2006, writing to women individually to tell them about changes to the State Pension age, but reportedly failed to act promptly; regrets that, as per the findings in the final ombudsman report, the DWP has not acknowledged its failings nor put things right for those women affected, and that it has failed to offer any apology or explanation for its failings and has indicated that it will not compensate women affected by its failure; notes the reported comments by the PHSO chief executive, Rebecca Hilsenrath, that given the "significant concerns" that it has that the DWP will "fail to act on" its findings, and "given the need to make things right for the affected women as soon as possible" the PHSO has "proactively asked Parliament to intervene and hold the Department to account"; understands that the level of compensation recommended by the PHSO is between £1,000 and £2,950; notes, however, that in its submission to the PHSO, the UK Parliament's All-Party Parliamentary Group on State Pension Inequality for Women argued for compensation at Level 6 on the PHSO scale, of £10,000 or more; pays tribute to what it considers to be the tenacity, commitment and resolve of Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaigners who, it considers, despite experiencing what it sees as setback after setback from the UK Government, the PHSO, and in court, have never given up fighting for justice; highlights estimates from the WASPI campaign that, in the past nine years, an estimated 270,000 women impacted have sadly passed away without seeing proper compensation; believes that the WASPI activists have been vindicated in their lengthy campaigning for pensions justice by the PHSO’s findings, and notes the calls for the UK Government and UK Parliament to act swiftly and set up a fair compensation scheme without delay in order to resolve this long-standing issue.

Further details available for S6M-12612