Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Questions Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy Jeremy Balfour S6O-02862 1. To ask the Scottish Government how the work of the City Centre Recovery Task Force is helping to increase footfall in shops. Carol Mochan S6O-02863 2. To ask the Scottish Government what value it places on the role of trade unions in delivering and sustaining a wellbeing economy. Sue Webber S6O-02864 3. To ask the Scottish Government whether it is planning any new infrastructure investments in the next financial year in connection with City and Regional Growth Deals. Rhoda Grant S6O-02865 4. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with its enterprise agencies regarding how to support innovation by small businesses, including in relation to the use of alternative fuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil. Jamie Halcro Johnston S6O-02866 5. To ask the Scottish Government how it will support small businesses over the coming months. Neil Bibby S6O-02867 6. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with GMB to discuss the future of the Ferguson Marine yard. Oliver Mundell S6O-02868 7. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider carrying out an analysis of the potential impact of renewable energy and the associated infrastructure on farmland and food production in Dumfriesshire. Alasdair Allan S6O-02869 8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action is has taken to support the recommendations of the Short Life Working Group on Economic and Social Opportunities for Gaelic. Finance and Parliamentary Business Edward Mountain S6O-02870 1. To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to propose the scheduling of time for a ministerial statement on the dualling of the A9. Maggie Chapman S6O-02871 2. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any impact on communities, including in the north east, of conditionality in public sector procurement. Katy Clark S6O-02872 3. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recommendations outlined in the STUC's report, Raising taxes to deliver for Scotland. Mercedes Villalba S6O-02873 4. To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to develop a wealth tax. Bill Kidd S6O-02874 5. To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to setting its Budget and fiscal policy for 2024-25, whether it has undertaken any quantifiable financial analysis of the relative performance of European countries comparable in size to Scotland. Audrey Nicoll S6O-02875 6. To ask the Scottish Government what its latest engagement has been with the UK Government regarding the funding available to support households with the cost of living during the Christmas season. Ash Regan S6O-02876 7. To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to allocate funding to local authorities in its 2024-25 Budget to facilitate the cancellation of any school meal debt and expand universal free school meal provision to those age groups that are not currently entitled. Daniel Johnson S6O-02877 8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its progress in implementing the recommendations made by the New Deal for Business Group on reforming non-domestic rates. followed by Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Debate: Improving the Performance of the Scottish Education System Liam Kerr S6M-11635 That the Parliament recognises the significance of the challenges facing the Scottish education system, as highlighted by the recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) report; notes that, despite the efforts of teachers and school staff, Scotland’s positions in mathematics and science have dropped below the OECD average to an all-time low, while standards in reading are at a their joint lowest level since PISA reporting began; acknowledges that the OECD report also found that bullying in Scottish schools is more frequent than the OECD average, and that one in three of Scotland’s pupils don’t feel like they belong at their school, with pupils in Scotland twice as likely to observe violence in school as the OECD average; notes that Scotland was removed from a number of international statistical studies; recognises that education was devolved in the Scotland Act 1998; demands that the Scottish Government use its powers to address the many wide-ranging problems facing Scotland’s pupils, teachers, school staff and parents, beginning in and including early years; recognises that the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence has failed; calls for a fundamental rethink about schooling to raise standards, and considers that solutions should be explored, such as re-entering all statistical comparisons and benchmarks, addressing issues surrounding class sizes, teacher and support staff numbers, as well as the use of probationers and temporary contracts and urgently tackling the violence and discipline problems in Scotland’s schools. Jenny Gilruth S6M-11635.3 As an amendment to S6M-11635 in the name of Liam Kerr (Improving the Performance of the Scottish Education System), leave out from first "notes" to end and insert "welcomes the publication of Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels 2022-23 (ACEL), which shows that the proportion of primary school pupils achieving expected levels of literacy and numeracy has reached record highs, that the poverty-related attainment gap in literacy in primary school has reached the lowest level on record, and that attainment at secondary level has increased and the poverty-related attainment gap decreased; understands that ACEL represents the most up-to-date and comprehensive statistics on attainment in Scotland, and that the findings are testament to the hard work of teachers, support staff and pupils; notes that PISA found that pupils in Scotland were less likely to witness issues with a number of aspects of behaviour in school than in other parts of the UK; welcomes the Scottish Government’s decision to rejoin Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS); notes that Curriculum for Excellence was endorsed by the OECD in its 2021 report as the right approach for Scottish education, and agrees that the process of education reform, working in partnership with local authorities, and including the reorganisation of national bodies and reform of qualifications and assessments, offers the opportunity to raise standards, ensure that all children and young people can meet their full potential, and deliver excellence and equity across Scotland’s schools." Pam Duncan-Glancy S6M-11635.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-11635 in the name of Liam Kerr (Improving the Performance of the Scottish Education System), insert at end "; considers that there is an urgent need for action to reverse the widening inequalities as highlighted by Scotland's performance in the 2022 PISA results, and recognises the excellence of Scotland's teachers against a backdrop of Scottish Government failures." followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-11225 Keith Brown: Fighting With Pride and Advocacy for LGBT+ Veterans That the Parliament supports the work of Fighting With Pride (FWP), the LGBT+ military charity; commends what it sees as the opportunities provided by FWP’s Pride in Veterans Standard (PiVS) programme, which provides training for veterans organisations, including those operating in the Clackmannanshire and Dunblane constituency, on how best to support LGBT+ veterans; understands that the charity was set up to mark the 20th anniversary of the end of the ban on LGBT+ personnel in the Armed Forces; notes with concern the comprehensive findings of the final report of the UK LGBT Veterans Independent Review, published in May 2023, which it considers highlights in meticulous detail the experience of LGBT+ veterans; welcomes the UK Government’s apology to all LGBT+ veterans affected by the so-called "gay ban", and notes the calls for the UK Government to do more to respond to the concerns raised by the LGBT Veterans Independent Review, including specifically by not introducing a £50 million cap on funds allocated to compensate for lost earnings and pension entitlements, as well as for the profound distress caused by the so-called "gay ban" and the actions of the Armed Forces in implementing it.