Meeting of the Parliament (Accessible)

Portfolio Questions Education and Skills Lorna Slater S6O-04858 1. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported significant demand for apprenticeships from both employers and applicants, what it is doing to increase the number of apprenticeship places available. Alexander Stewart S6O-04859 2. To ask the Scottish Government how the new guidance on behaviour in schools addresses pupil-on-staff violence. Katy Clark S6O-04860 3. To ask the Scottish Government what it plans to do to ensure that children in care are not excluded from school, as set out in The Promise. Monica Lennon 4. [Not Lodged] Evelyn Tweed S6O-04862 5. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any regional variability in the availability of apprenticeships. Ben Macpherson S6O-04863 6. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of holiday hub provision for children with disabilities and ASN in the City of Edinburgh and elsewhere in Scotland. Michelle Thomson S6O-04864 7. To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to supporting schools to raise awareness of, and provide the required assistance to, people with hearing and sight difficulties. Kevin Stewart S6O-04865 8. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tailor funding to colleges to ensure that they are providing courses to meet the needs of businesses in an ever changing world. followed by Ministerial Statement: Ensuring the Right Support for Young People's Neurodivergence, Mental Health and Wellbeing followed by Legislative Consent Motion: Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill - UK Legislation Kaukab Stewart S6M-18076 That the Parliament agrees that the relevant provisions in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 30 January 2025, relating to the provision and sharing of trailer registration information (amended clauses 30 to 33), the provision of biometric information at ports in Scotland (clause 36), the repeal of certain provisions of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 (clause 38), the detention and exercise of functions pending deportation (clause 41), powers to take biometric information at detention centres (clause 44), offences relating to articles for use in serious crime (clauses 49 and 50), applicants for making of orders and interim orders (clause 54), and the validation of fees charged in relation to qualifications (clause 57), so far as these matters *fall within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and* alter the executive competence of the Scottish Ministers, should be considered by the UK Parliament. followed by Legislative Consent Motion: Product Regulation and Metrology Bill - UK Legislation Richard Lochhead S6M-18080 That the Parliament agrees that all relevant provisions of the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill, introduced in the House of Lords on 4 September 2024, so far as these matters fall within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament, should be considered by the UK Parliament. followed by Legislative Consent Motion: Employment Rights Bill - UK Legislation Richard Lochhead S6M-18075 That the Parliament agrees that the relevant provisions in the Employment Rights Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 10 October 2024, and subsequently amended, relating to the protection of workers in relation to relevant outsourcing contracts (amended clause 30), and the establishment of the Social Care Negotiating Body for Scotland (amended clauses 36 to 46 and 48 to 52, alongside related amended clauses 153 and 155), so far as these matters alter the executive competence of the Scottish Ministers, should be considered by the UK Parliament. followed by Legislative Consent Motion: Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill - UK Legislation Natalie Don-Innes S6M-18081 That the Parliament agrees that the relevant provisions of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 17 December 2024, and subsequently amended, affecting child employment and community-based and secure accommodation, so far as these matters fall within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and alter the executive competence of the Scottish Ministers, should be considered by the UK Parliament. followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-17910 Patrick Harvie: The Future of Glasgow’s Bus Services That the Parliament notes Strathclyde Partnership for Transport’s (SPT) proposals to develop bus franchising arrangements for the region and its recent consultation on how to create more affordable, reliable and environmentally sustainable bus services in Strathclyde; further notes the calls for SPT to proceed with the most ambitious approach to franchising, and for the Scottish Government to work constructively with SPT to make this possible; welcomes the report from Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC), The Next Stop: The Case for Publicly Owned Buses in Scotland; notes that it argues that moving local buses into public ownership would have a positive impact for local communities, allow local authorities to plan routes and cap fares, and return revenues to the public sector; understands that Scotland’s only publicly owned bus company, Lothian Buses, has returned a dividend of £36 million to its local authority shareholders over the last decade; congratulates Get Glasgow Moving on its continued campaigning work on this issue, and notes the calls for the Scottish Government to further commit to support the expansion of publicly owned bus services and deliver high quality, affordable and reliable bus services, integrated ticketing and higher standards of service across the SPT region and beyond.