Meeting of the Parliament

Time for Reflection Billy Kay, Writer and Broadcaster followed by Topical Questions Daniel Johnson S6T-00664 1. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the potential impact on Scottish Government standard due diligence of reports of lost documentation related to the Ferguson Marine ferry contract. Jamie Greene S6T-00659 2. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported planned boycott of solicitors taking on summary cases brought under section 1 of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, from 3 May 2022. followed by Scottish Government Debate: Reducing the Cost of the School Day for Low Income Families That the Parliament recognises the actions being taken to support children and young people in low-income families to access school education; notes that Scottish Government commitments include expansion of free school meals, provision of free school milk, removal of core curriculum charges, ensuring low-income families do not face costs for curriculum-related trips, abolition of fees for instrumental music tuition, increasing the school clothing grant, producing guidance to reduce school uniform costs, provision of a digital device and connectivity to every pupil, and services to support income maximisation, and recognises that this complements the wide range of policy initiatives set out in the Scottish Government’s Child Poverty Strategy for Scotland, to maximise household resources and improve children’s wellbeing and life chances. followed by Legislative Consent Motion: British Sign Language Bill - UK Legislation That the Parliament agrees that the relevant provisions of the British Sign Language Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 16 June 2021, relating to the encouragement of the use of British Sign Language, so far as they fall within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament, should be considered by the UK Parliament. followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-03062 David Torrance: MS Awareness Week 2022 That the Parliament welcomes MS Awareness Week, taking place from 25 April to 1 May 2022; understands that Scotland has one of the highest rates per head of population of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the world, with more than 15,000 people living with the condition; notes that MS can cause a range of often fluctuating physical and mental symptoms, which impact the way people move and feel; understands that MS affects everyone with the condition differently; welcomes the work of charities, such as the MS Society and the MS Trust, in raising awareness of MS; believes that their work to fund research is of critical importance to stop MS; understands that there are now 17 treatments available for MS in NHS Scotland, when, 20 years ago, there were none, and notes the calls on MSPs across the Parliament to help raise awareness to stop MS.