Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Questions Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Emma Roddick S6O-04314 1. To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its policies on land reform and land use, what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding any action that can be taken to tackle land banking investment scams in the Highlands and Islands, in light of the reported impact that such scams can have on the right of a community to have more of a say in how the land that they live on is used. Monica Lennon 2. [Not Lodged] Colin Smyth S6O-04316 3. To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on annual reporting of its incentivisation of selective fishing gear and low-impact techniques that the rural affairs secretary committed to commissioning in January 2023. David Torrance S6O-04317 4. To ask the Scottish Government what the survival rate of farmed salmon across all marine farms was in 2024. Kenneth Gibson S6O-04318 5. To ask the Scottish Government, as part of the cross-government co-ordination on islands, including connectivity, what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding support in the draft Budget 2025-26 to improve ferry services to Arran. Craig Hoy S6O-04319 6. To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support the Scottish dairy sector. Roz McCall S6O-04320 7. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it can take to challenge the UK Government’s inheritance tax changes for farmers. James Dornan S6O-04321 8. To ask the Scottish Government how it is working to support Scotland’s food and drink sector, both domestically and internationally. Health and Social Care Meghan Gallacher S6O-04322 1. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent programme, Disclosure: Kids on the Psychiatric Ward , which features Skye House in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Pauline McNeill S6O-04323 2. To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to encourage the prescription of medicinal cannabis on the NHS for the relief of chronic pain. Bob Doris S6O-04324 3. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on using the blood spot test given to newborn babies to screen for spinal muscular atrophy to support early diagnosis and effective treatment of babies born with the condition. Mark Griffin S6O-04325 4. To ask the Scottish Government what the current average waiting times are for a neurodevelopmental assessment and a speech and language therapy assessment for children and young people in NHS Lanarkshire and in Scotland as a whole. Annabelle Ewing S6O-04326 5. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the director of the Fife Health and Social Care Partnership, and what was discussed. Clare Adamson S6O-04327 6. To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting frontline staff at University Hospital Wishaw. Sarah Boyack 7. [Not Lodged] Fulton MacGregor S6O-04329 8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the action that it is taking to support people with long COVID. followed by Ministerial Statement: The Promise Oversight Board Report 3: Progress and Next Steps Towards Keeping The Promise followed by Scottish Government Debate: Protecting the Powers of the Scottish Parliament Kate Forbes S6M-16511 That the Parliament notes the publication of the UK Government’s consultation and review of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020, which sets out that it will “not consider whether to repeal the UK Internal Market Act or any part of it”; recalls that both the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd refused to give the Act legislative consent; notes the position of the Welsh Government, which opposes the Act, believing it to be “an unwarranted attack on devolution”; reaffirms its decision regarding the Act on 3 October 2023, and calls for it to be repealed. Rachael Hamilton S6M-16511.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-16511 in the name of Kate Forbes (Protecting the Powers of the Scottish Parliament), leave out from “, which sets” to end and insert “; recognises the fundamental importance of the UK internal market to Scotland’s businesses, investment and jobs, given that trade with the rest of the UK accounts for over 60% of Scotland’s total exports, worth over £52 billion annually; believes that the integrity of the UK internal market is essential to economic stability, consumer confidence and business certainty across Scotland; notes that the Scottish Government has consistently failed to make effective use of the extensive powers already devolved to the Scottish Parliament by presiding over declining public service performance and failing to roll out devolved benefits on time; further notes that, rather than constructively engaging with the opportunities afforded by devolution, the Scottish National Party administration has prioritised constitutional grievance over delivering for the people of Scotland, and condemns the Scottish Government for its attacks on the powers of the Scottish Parliament through its leaking of crucial policies to the press before being announced to the Parliament, passing legislation that bypasses proper parliamentary scrutiny and failing to answer questions from parliamentarians about important topics that are in the public interest.” Neil Bibby S6M-16511.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-16511 in the name of Kate Forbes (Protecting the Powers of the Scottish Parliament), leave out from first "notes” to end and insert “welcomes the publication of the UK Government’s consultation and review of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020, which is broader in scope and being carried out earlier than required by law; notes the change of UK administration in July 2024 and welcomes its commitment to resetting the relationship between the UK Government and devolved governments and its intention to uphold its responsibilities under the Windsor Framework; welcomes the immediate commitment from the UK Government to delivering the joint common framework programme ahead of the review; believes that changes to the Act, co-operation between governments, respect for devolution and ensuring that there are no barriers to trade between Scotland and the rest of the UK are all essential; further believes that the interests of supporting Scotland’s businesses and economic growth should be paramount; welcomes that the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee is due to take evidence on the review, and awaits its findings, and encourages Scotland’s businesses, and other stakeholders, to take part in the review by 3 April 2025.” followed by Legislative Consent Motion: Renters’ Rights Bill - UK Legislation Paul McLennan S6M-16499 That the Parliament agrees that the relevant provisions of the Renters’ Rights Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 11 September 2024, which restrict the behaviour of private landlords, in relation to those with children and those who are benefit claimants, namely clauses 49, 52, 54, 137, 139, 142 and 145 of the Renters’ Rights Bill, so far as these matters fall within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and alter the executive competence of Scottish Ministers, should be considered by the UK Parliament. followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-16304 Rachael Hamilton: Tackling the Rise in Rural Crime and Equipment Theft in Scotland That the Parliament acknowledges the reported concerns regarding rising rural crime and its impact on communities across Scotland, including in the Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire constituency; notes that, according to NFU Mutual, the cost of rural crime in Scotland increased by 34.9% between 2022 and 2023, rising from £1.4 million to £1.8 million, contributing to a UK-wide cost of £58.8 million; recognises that 91% of those surveyed by NFU Mutual believe that rural crime is becoming more organised; notes that equipment and machinery theft, including agricultural machinery, construction equipment and power tools, has a significant financial and operational impact on farmers and businesses across urban and rural Scotland; acknowledges what it considers the effectiveness of technical preventative measures such as the CESAR scheme, tracking devices, immobilisers, PIN-protected GPS systems, and mechanical immobilisers, which it understands are more widely used in other parts of the UK; understands that the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 was passed with cross-party support in the UK Parliament to address these issues; notes the belief that there is an opportunity to strengthen equipment and machinery crime prevention in Scotland, and further notes the calls on the Scottish Government to engage with industry experts, Police Scotland and victims to explore further action to tackle this type of crime.