Meeting of the Parliament (Accessible)

General Questions Miles Briggs S6O-03573 1. To ask the Scottish Government when it will end the reported practice of children and young people being admitted to adult services for treatment, rather than an NHS specialist child and adolescent mental health ward. Ariane Burgess S6O-03574 2. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider increasing funding for empty homes officers, in light of the First Minister’s reported statement that empty homes are key to tackling the housing emergency. Craig Hoy S6O-03575 3. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Lothian and NHS Borders regarding financial stability in the 2024-25 financial year. Stuart McMillan S6O-03576 4. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Communication Workers Union's call for housing standards to be updated to ensure that letterboxes are positioned at a suitably accessible height. Kenneth Gibson S6O-03577 5. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps it is taking to increase the number of GPs. Collette Stevenson S6O-03578 6. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to tackle poverty, in light of recent analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation showing that 86% of low-income households receiving Universal Credit were going without the essentials and that nearly one million people in the UK are "only £10 a week away from poverty". Audrey Nicoll S6O-03579 7. To ask the Scottish Government when it last engaged with Aberdeen City Council in relation to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete. Karen Adam S6O-03580 8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implications of the reported decision by Aberdeenshire Integration Joint Board to close minor injuries units overnight in Peterhead and Fraserburgh without prior consultation, which has raised significant concerns among constituents. followed by First Minister's Questions Douglas Ross S6F-03221 1. Question to be taken in Chamber. Anas Sarwar S6F-03222 2. Question to be taken in Chamber. Lorna Slater S6F-03223 3. Question to be taken in Chamber. Jackie Dunbar S6F-03239 4. To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of any implications for its policy for economic development in Scotland of the findings of the Resolution Foundation’s recent report on the UK’s economic and trade performance. Sue Webber S6F-03229 5. To ask the First Minister what progress the Scottish Government has made in reducing drug-related harm, in light of the latest quarterly statistics showing a 17% increase in suspected drug deaths. Pauline McNeill S6F-03233 6. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that hundreds of rapes and sexual assaults that had been reported by sex workers were not acted upon. followed by Members' Business — S6M-12369 Fulton MacGregor: Fostering a Discussion on a Kindergarten Stage in Scotland That the Parliament acknowledges the body of international evidence on the reported benefits of play-based early years education; believes that active, social play is a natural learning drive that helps develop physical fitness, social skills, cognitive capacities and personal qualities; understands that Scotland and the rest of the UK are outliers in Europe in starting formal education at four or five years of age; considers that, since the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) comparisons began, countries with later school starting ages have performed better than those with earlier starts; understands that the UN defines early childhood as being from birth to eight years of age, and that Scottish research has established that there are significant differences in children’s levels of development at age five; commends the work of organisations such as Upstart Scotland in promoting the needs of children in early years education based on relationship-centred, child-led, play-based environments, with a greater focus on outdoor learning; notes the belief that a universal play-based kindergarten stage, with a raised formal school starting age, could contribute to closing the attainment gap and be a significant anti-poverty measure, and that it would help provide a true level playing field for all of Scotland’s children, including those in the Coatbridge and Chryston constituency, giving every child time to develop the skills and capacities that underpin educational success, improving long-term outcomes and giving every child the best start in life, and further notes the belief that there is a need for a national conversation on early years education to consider a later school starting age preceded by a relationship-centred, play-based kindergarten stage to support optimal development during early childhood and ensure secure foundations, and that such a conversation should be open to all who wish to contribute, including early years practitioners, parents, teachers, academics and children, as well as policy makers.