Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Questions Deputy First Minister Responsibilities, Economy and Gaelic Richard Leonard 1. [Not Lodged] Tim Eagle S6O-04283 2. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to monitor the impact of the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024 on small- and medium-sized businesses in the local authority areas that apply it. Graham Simpson S6O-04284 3. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the board of Ferguson Marine and what was discussed. Edward Mountain S6O-04285 4. To ask the Scottish Government what the total monthly running cost of Ferguson Marine is. Foysol Choudhury S6O-04286 5. To ask the Scottish Government how it is working to increase investment in Scotland’s artificial intelligence sector. Emma Harper S6O-04287 6. To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out an assessment of the economic impact on Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders of the South Scotland Enterprise Agency, since its inception in 2019. Ben Macpherson S6O-04288 7. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the economy secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding establishing a standalone postgraduate business school to help create more companies, attract talent and boost innovation. Sandesh Gulhane S6O-04289 8. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support and grow the night-time economy in Glasgow. Finance and Local Government Fulton MacGregor S6O-04290 1. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the finance secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding infrastructure investment plans for the building of new schools, in light of the recent Audit Scotland report, which noted that further borrowing will be needed to invest in these. Carol Mochan S6O-04291 2. To ask the Scottish Government what it will do to address any difficulties with recruitment and retention in local government due to the reported declining value of pay. Bob Doris S6O-04292 3. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider reviewing the planning guidance provided to local authorities relating to issuing a call for ideas/sites when undertaking their statutory requirement to prepare a 10-year local development plan. Annabelle Ewing S6O-04293 4. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the finance secretary has had with NHS Fife regarding the revised infrastructure investment pipeline. Craig Hoy S6O-04294 5. To ask the Scottish Government what factors it considered when determining not to introduce any new bands or increase the rates of Scottish income tax for the remainder of this parliamentary session. Jackie Baillie 6. [Not Lodged] James Dornan S6O-04296 7. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its latest engagement with the UK Government regarding the impact of employer national insurance contributions on Scotland’s public services. Alex Rowley S6O-04297 8. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Accounts Commission report, Local government in Scotland: Financial bulletin 2023/24 , which was published on 28 January 2025. followed by Ministerial Statement: Implementing the Medication Assisted Treatment Standards followed by Scottish Government Debate: Addressing Child Poverty Through Education Jenny Gilruth S6M-16330 That the Parliament notes the critical contribution made by education in eradicating child poverty, which is a national mission and the single greatest priority for the Scottish Government; notes recent analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which highlights that Scotland will see a reduction in child poverty levels in the years ahead due to Scotland-specific policies, such as the Scottish Child Payment; further notes that the Scottish Government has committed to making further progress, and agrees that there is a collective responsibility for every local authority, and educational organisation and body in Scotland, to work together with the Scottish Government to address child poverty; commends Scotland’s teachers and schools for their work to close the poverty-related attainment gap, and recognises that progress has been made, and that this programme will require more funding certainty over the longer term; welcomes the further investment in tackling child poverty through education in the draft Scottish Budget for 2025-26, including within schools through the expansion of free school meals, the uprating of the school clothing grant, continued funding for the Scottish Attainment Challenge and investment in Bright Start Breakfasts, as well as the around £1 billion investment in funded early learning and childcare and the £3.5 million investment in new skills pathways for colleges, and agrees that all MSPs across the Parliament have a responsibility to promote the interests of children and young people and to work together to share ideas and innovation to address child poverty through education. Miles Briggs S6M-16330.4 As an amendment to motion S6M-16330 in the name of Jenny Gilruth (Addressing Child Poverty Through Education), leave out from "welcomes" to end and insert "acknowledges that more than a quarter of children in Scotland live in poverty; recognises that, while investment in tackling child poverty through education is important, it must be accompanied by a focus on improving educational standards; notes that, while the Scottish Government has spent £1 billion on early years and childcare, there remains a significant disparity in the availability of early years provision across Scotland, which risks deepening inequalities and limiting parental employment opportunities, and has long-term consequences for children’s development and educational outcomes; further notes with concern that education in Scotland has gone backwards in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) international rankings; acknowledges that the attainment gap in primary pupils’ reading, writing, literacy and numeracy remains similar to pre-COVID-19-pandemic levels and has failed to close; regrets that the pledge to provide universal free school meals for primary pupils has not been fulfilled; expresses concern over the rising level of violence in schools, which negatively impacts both attainment and wellbeing; calls on the Scottish Government to provide greater support for teachers and local authorities to tackle this issue; further calls for a review of policies to improve the identification of and support for care experienced and young carer pupils in schools, ensuring that they receive the necessary assistance to succeed in education, and believes that the Scottish Government’s main priority should be ensuring that every child, no matter their background, has the best start in life." Pam Duncan-Glancy S6M-16330.3 As an amendment to motion S6M-16330 in the name of Jenny Gilruth (Addressing Child Poverty Through Education), leave out from ", which is" to end and insert "; commends Scotland’s teachers and schools for their work; notes that the poverty-related attainment gap has not improved in P1 and is the widest it has ever been at Higher level; further notes that the Scottish Government’s failure to plan for the school workforce has meant that teachers are often overworked and children are unsupported; expresses its disappointment at what it sees as the Scottish National Party’s broken promise of rolling out free school meals to all P6 and P7 pupils; believes that education should set young people on the path to opportunities for their future and can help lift people out of poverty; understands that 'Scotland’s colleges play a particularly important role in supporting learners from more deprived communities to access learning', as described by Audit Scotland, but that the 'financial health of the sector has deteriorated since 2021-22'; welcomes that 100,000 people in Scotland have already received a pay rise thanks to the UK Labour administration’s New Deal for Working People; acknowledges recent analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on the extent of child poverty in Scotland, which observed deficiencies in the key data used to calculate poverty rates and found that 'we will need to go further to reach the 2030-31 targets', and calls on the Scottish Government to work with the UK Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that accurate data is available for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and other organisations to accurately assess the extent of child poverty in Scotland and the impact of policy interventions on it." followed by Urgent Questions Meghan Gallacher To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any data showing the number of children or parents who were aware that results from the Health and Wellbeing Census could be accessed by third-party researchers. Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-16155 Mark Ruskell: Save Local Libraries That the Parliament notes what it sees as the vital role that local libraries play in their communities, acting as central hubs for borrowing, learning, community engagement and sourcing advice and support; believes that the closure of libraries leaves communities without these vital services, and that this is particularly damaging for rural areas where libraries can be heavily relied on; considers that library closures have a disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations, including children, older residents and people with limited access to digital resources; notes the reported concerns raised by communities around the proposed closure of libraries across Scotland, including the threatened closure of those in the Perth and Kinross Council area; understands that local authorities have a legal obligation to provide public library services; believes that mobile libraries are often not suitable alternatives; considers that library services require adequate public funding to remain viable and have a critical role to play in achieving the Scottish Government’s priorities, including eradicating child poverty; believes that a closed library is unlikely to reopen, permanently limiting opportunities for the communities they once served, and notes the calls on the Scottish Government to help protect the future of Scotland’s libraries.