Meeting of the Parliament (Accessible)

Parliamentary Bureau Motions followed by Portfolio Questions Deputy First Minister Responsibilities, Finance and Local Government, Parliamentary Business and Veterans Laura Mitchell S7O-00347 1. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on discussions it has had with the UK Government in advance of the UK Budget. Gary Bouse S7O-00348 2. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its proposed local governance reforms, what discussions it has had with COSLA and other relevant bodies regarding the future of local government. Submitting member has a registered interest. Duncan Massey S7O-00349 3. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the council elections scheduled for May 2027 could be postponed to align with its local governance reform proposals. Submitting member has a registered interest. Julie MacDougall S7O-00350 4. To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted any reviews since 2007 regarding the functionality of local authority area and ward boundaries. David Torrance S7O-00351 5. To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in implementing the commitments set out in its Veterans Strategy across the Kirkcaldy constituency. Senga Beresford S7O-00352 6. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of differences in the support available to military veterans and people granted asylum in Scotland. Pauline Stafford S7O-00353 7. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on local government finances of decisions by certain local authorities to restrict cross-boundary funded early learning and childcare placements. Submitting member has a registered interest. Amanda Bland S7O-00354 8. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of local government action to improve road verge management, including by increasing native plant and pollinator habitat, improving ecological connectivity, increasing soil infiltration, reducing surface-water runoff and pressure on drainage infrastructure, and what were its findings. Fulton MacGregor S7O-00355 9. To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to communities seeking to take ownership of vacant or underused assets, including how it is working with local authorities to facilitate such projects. David Kirkwood S7O-00356 10. To ask the Scottish Government what timescale it anticipates for the implementation of its recently announced local governance reform proposals. Public Service Reform, Europe, External Affairs and Energy Duncan Dunlop S7O-00357 1. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that communities hosting multiple onshore wind developments, including Tweedsmuir, receive a fair and lasting share of the benefits arising from those developments. Graham Simpson S7O-00358 2. To ask the Scottish Government when it expects its proposed new regional and local authorities to be established. Zen Ghani S7O-00359 3. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to strengthen Scotland's relationships with international partners and multilateral organisations, including to support its target of increasing exports to 25% of GDP by 2029 as set out in its plan for growing Scotland’s exports. Daniel Johnson S7O-00360 4. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the financial implications of its proposed public service reform and local government reorganisation agenda. Alan Brown S7O-00361 5. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding financial support for Acorn Carbon Capture and Storage. Joe Fagan S7O-00362 6. To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to engage with the public sector workforce and trade unions regarding its public service reform proposals. Paul Sweeney S7O-00363 7. To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to embed the principle of subsidiarity into its proposed public sector reform. Steven Bonnar S7O-00364 8. To ask the Scottish Government what role it expects volunteering to play in the delivery of its proposed public service reform agenda, particularly in relation to prevention, health and wellbeing. Jenny Young S7O-00365 9. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of its public service reform agenda on funding for third sector organisations. Colin Beattie S7O-00366 10. To ask the Scottish Government how it will assess whether its public sector reforms achieve their intended outcome. followed by Ministerial Statement: Improving Outcomes for Neurodivergent People, Autistic People and People with Learning Disabilities followed by Scottish Government Debate: Supporting Scotland's Fishing Industry Jim Fairlie S7M-01460 That the Parliament recognises the vital importance of Scotland’s fishing industry in sustaining jobs and livelihoods in island and coastal communities and across the wider economy; acknowledges the international reputation of Scottish seafood and the value that Scottish provenance brings to the sector in markets both at home and abroad; welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitment to supporting a profitable, innovative and sustainable fishing industry; believes that this requires ongoing engagement across the sector, including with its associated supply chain, environmental organisations and fishing communities; notes the continued support provided to the sector through the Marine Fund Scotland, and that effective quota management and licensing arrangements can provide stability and support investment; recognises the range of challenges facing the sector, including the UK Government’s damaging decision to unfairly allocate only £28 million, or 7.78% of the £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund to Scotland, despite Scotland’s fishing sector accounting for more than 60% of the UK’s fishing capacity; agrees with industry stakeholders that the UK Government must reverse this decision, and supports the Scottish Government’s approach to the forthcoming international negotiations on fishing opportunities for 2027, where it will seek to balance the sustainable management of fish stocks with the long-term prosperity of Scotland’s fishing communities. Further details available for S7M-01460 Donald MacKinnon S7M-01460.2 As an amendment to motion S7M-01460 in the name of Jim Fairlie (Supporting Scotland's Fishing Industry), leave out from “welcomes” and insert “considers that the voices of fishers, processors and coastal communities must be central to decisions affecting the sector; believes that the future of fishing depends on thriving places, with the infrastructure, skills, housing and opportunities needed to retain young people and support industry growth; recognises the growing concern among fishing, aquaculture, ports, renewable energy and conservation interests regarding the cumulative pressures on Scotland’s marine space; calls on the Scottish Government to provide certainty for all users of the sea on how competing demands for marine space will be managed and how any spatial squeeze will be addressed, and further calls on the Scottish Government to bring forward, as a matter of urgency, its long-delayed Marine Plan 2 to provide a clear, integrated and strategic framework for the sustainable management of Scotland’s seas.” Further details available for S7M-01460.2 Jamie Langan S7M-01460.1 As an amendment to motion S7M-01460 in the name of Jim Fairlie (Supporting Scotland's Fishing Industry), insert at end “and calls on the Scottish Government to provide clarity around its plans for Marine Protected Areas and broader management of marine areas, and encourages the Scottish Government to look at the Norwegian Marine Resources Act as a model for recognising in law the socio-economic value of the fishing industry.” Further details available for S7M-01460.1 Ariane Burgess S7M-01460.5 As an amendment to motion S7M-01460 in the name of Jim Fairlie (Supporting Scotland's Fishing Industry), insert at end "welcomes the findings of Environment Standards Scotland’s Protecting Scotland’s Seafloor report, which calls on Scottish Ministers to take actions to meet their legal obligations to the marine environment, and believes that fully implementing the National Marine Plan is crucial to sustaining Scotland’s fishers and coastal communities for the long-term." Further details available for S7M-01460.5 James Adams S7M-01460.3 As an amendment to motion S7M-01460 in the name of Jim Fairlie (Supporting Scotland's Fishing Industry), insert at end “and backs the principle that fishermen should be protected from, or compensated for, any financial loss caused by the expansion of offshore wind farms into their long-established fishing grounds.” Further details available for S7M-01460.3 Andrew Baxter S7M-01460.4 As an amendment to motion S7M-01460 in the name of Jim Fairlie (Supporting Scotland's Fishing Industry), insert at end "; believes that there is a spatial squeeze, due to an increasing demand in marine space and that steps must be taken to address the impacts the fishing sector is facing due to this demand, including striking a new settlement on space-based planning for Scotland's seas, which respects local knowledge and ensures the right activity happens in the right place as well as a comprehensive scheme of compensation for fisherman who are displaced; notes long held concerns about the level of Scottish Government investment into its Marine Directorate and whether it is fit for purpose; calls therefore on the Scottish Government to conduct a review of the Directorate and to examine whether it should be replaced with a decentralised system, which manages waters as locally as possible, and further calls on the Scottish Government to bring forward a scheme on creel limits." Further details available for S7M-01460.4 followed by Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Debate: Scottish Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund Stephen Kerr S7M-01492 That the Parliament notes that Gordon MacDonald, a Fund Trustee of the Scottish Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund appointed as a participating member, has ceased to be a participating member and has become a scheme pensioner within the meaning of Rule 12(1)(a) of Schedule 1 to the Scottish Parliamentary Pensions Act 2009; further notes that notification of this change of circumstances has been provided in accordance with Rule 12(2)(a), and, in accordance with Rule 12(2)(b), resolves that Gordon MacDonald shall continue to hold office as a Fund Trustee notwithstanding the change of status from participating member to scheme pensioner. Further details available for S7M-01492 followed by Motion on Legislative Consent: Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill - UK Legislation Stephen Flynn S7M-01497 That the Parliament, noting that the Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill, introduced in the House of Lords on 14 May 2026, makes provision that falls within the legislative competence of the Parliament, agrees to give consent to such provision as is made by clause 7. Further details available for S7M-01497 followed by Motion on Legislative Consent: Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill - UK Legislation Neil Gray S7M-01498 That the Parliament, noting that the Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 12 November 2025, so far as these matters fall within the competence of the Scottish Parliament, or alter the executive competence of the Scottish Ministers, agrees to give consent to such provision as is made by clauses 12, 15, 17-23, 25-35, 38, 40, 41, 45-52, 56, Schedule 1 and Schedule 2. Further details available for S7M-01498 followed by Motion on Legislative Consent: Armed Forces Bill - UK Legislation Jamie Hepburn S7M-01499 That the Parliament, noting that the Armed Forces Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 15 January 2026 (reintroduced on 14 May 2026), makes provision that falls within the legislative competence of the Parliament, agrees to give consent to such provision as is made by clause 8 (4) and clause 8 (5). Further details available for S7M-01499 followed by Business Motions followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions followed by Decision Time followed by Members’ Business: Baby Loss Awareness Week 2026 Patricia Gibson S7M-00815 That the Parliament supports Baby Loss Awareness Week, which takes place from 9 to 15 October 2026 and has the theme, Together, we care, focusing on nurturing mental and physical wellbeing and supporting one another; recognises that the week provides a safe and supportive opportunity for those affected by pregnancy and baby loss to share their experiences and to feel that they are not alone; recognises the devastating impact that baby loss can have on parents and the wider family; notes official statistics showing that there were 318 baby deaths including 159 stillbirths in Scotland and 4,477 baby deaths including 2,552 stillbirths across the UK in 2024; further notes research by the charity Tommy’s indicating that half of adults in the UK have been affected directly, or through someone they know, by pregnancy or baby loss; acknowledges the significance of the global #WaveOfLight on 15 October, during which families around the world light a candle at 7PM local time in remembrance of babies who have died; pays tribute to the charities and organisations that support bereaved parents and families; commends the work of pregnancy and baby loss charities across Scotland and the UK, including Ayrshire Baby Loss Support, a non-profit organisation that supports anyone affected by baby loss and is a member of the Baby Loss Awareness Alliance, a group of more than 80 charities and organisations from across the UK that collaborate during Baby Loss Awareness Week to raise awareness of pregnancy and baby loss and to improve support for those affected, and recognises the valuable contribution that such organisations make in raising awareness and helping families through the painful experience of pregnancy and baby loss. Further details available for S7M-00815