Meeting of the Parliament

Time for Reflection Rev Amanda Reid, Spiritual Care and Bereavement Lead at CHAS followed by General Questions Holly Bruce S7O-00060 1. To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to assist Glasgow City Council in securing the necessary funding, resources and practical support required to keep the historic Queen’s Park Glasshouses open, preserved and thriving as a valued community asset. Heather Anderson S7O-00061 2. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to calls from The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh for a national pilot programme to monitor air pollution around city primary schools. Jenny Young S7O-00062 3. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when construction work on Winchburgh train station will begin. Martyn Day S7O-00063 4. To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made regarding funding for the Grangemouth Flood Protection Scheme. Liam Kerr S7O-00064 5. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will honour, in full, commitments made by previous Ministers for Transport to upgrade road infrastructure in the North East of Scotland. Katherine Sangster S7O-00065 6. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress it has made towards reducing the number of teachers on short-term or temporary contracts. Andrew Baxter S7O-00066 7. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how any reduction in hours or withdrawal of pupil support assistant posts will impact rural primary schools, particularly in the Highlands and Islands region. Katie Hagmann S7O-00067 8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work carried out by the Scottish Transport Emissions Partnership in relation to local air quality management. followed by First Minister’s Questions (Backbench Members) followed by Ministerial Statement: Scottish Government Investment in ‘Our Union Street’ and the People’s Palace followed by Scottish Government Debate: Strengthening Scotland’s Partnership with the Third Sector Shirley-Anne Somerville S7M-00356 Strengthening Scotland’s Partnership with the Third Sector—That the Parliament commends the essential role that the third sector plays in supporting people and communities; recognises the contribution that the third sector provides to the delivery of many Scottish Government key priorities, including eradicating child poverty; acknowledges that the Scottish Government understands it has a shared responsibility alongside other funders and those who contract out to the third sector to take action to ensure that the sector is sustainable; agrees that a Third Sector Partnership Agreement provides the opportunity to formalise the relationship between the Scottish Government and the third sector, building upon the Scottish Government’s progress in delivering on its Fairer Funding commitments to date and responding to the views of the sector, and agrees that the Third Sector Partnership will be co-designed with third sector stakeholders to embed their knowledge and experience, demonstrating the value that the Scottish Government places on the sector. Julie MacDougall S7M-00356.2 Strengthening Scotland’s Partnership with the Third Sector—As an amendment to S7M-00356 in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville (Strengthening Scotland’s Partnership with the Third Sector), insert at end "; further agrees that a key part of sustainability can include long-term support for organisations, beyond initial funding periods, where there is clear evidence that continued support delivers continued value; recognises the potential efficiencies that organisations can make with long-term budget certainty, and believes that organisations that are in receipt of Scottish Government support and public funds have to commit to deliver the same value for money and reform agenda that was agreed by Parliament." Carol Mochan S7M-00356.1 Strengthening Scotland’s Partnership with the Third Sector—As an amendment to motion S7M-00356 in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville (Strengthening Scotland’s Partnership with the Third Sector), insert at end ", and believes that multi-year funding and stronger due diligence on fair work principles should be foundational to a new Third Sector Partnership Agreement.” Holly Bruce S7M-00356.5 Strengthening Scotland’s Partnership with the Third Sector—As an amendment to motion S7M-00356 in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville (Strengthening Scotland’s Partnership with the Third Sector), insert at end “; believes that the third sector would benefit from a transition to multi-year, simplified, flexible funding models that considers inflationary increases and covers full operating costs as the default; calls on the UK Government to reimburse Scottish third sector organisations for the cost of increased employer NICs, which are currently estimated at £75 million per year; recognises that those working in the third sector, such as organisations addressing violence against women and girls or supporting migrants, carers and disabled people, are also experiencing multiple and overlapping inequalities, secondary trauma and harm, and that they would benefit from an approach to third sector funding that includes the Real Living Wage and fair work principles, and further recognises that some third sector organisations, particularly those working with marginalised communities such as trans people and migrants, are experiencing threats to the safety of their staff, volunteers and service users." Murdo Fraser S7M-00356.4 Strengthening Scotland’s Partnership with the Third Sector—As an amendment to motion S7M-00356 in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville (Strengthening Scotland’s Partnership with the Third Sector) leave out from "a Third Sector Partnership” to end and insert "Scotland’s third sector requires sustainable, long-term funding settlements, including greater use of multi-year funding arrangements, to provide the certainty needed to plan services, retain staff and support communities, and calls on the Scottish Government to undertake a review of organisations registered as charities that are substantially dependent on public funding and whose primary activities include lobbying or campaigning, to ensure transparency, accountability and public confidence in the use of taxpayers’ money." Morven-May MacCallum S7M-00356.3 Strengthening Scotland’s Partnership with the Third Sector—As an amendment to motion S7M-00356 in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville (Strengthening Scotland’s Partnership with the Third Sector), insert at end "; understands that the third sector employs over 130,000 paid staff in Scotland, providing employment opportunities for those who find it harder to gain work, including disabled people, and often offering flexible working conditions, which has resulted in women making up 64% of the workforce; notes that Scotland's charitable and voluntary sector contributes significantly to the delivery of government policy objectives, yet relies heavily on public donations and fundraising; believes that the sustainability of many charities depends on multi-year funding and appropriate government support; considers that any diversification of funding should assist smaller charities that can find it difficult to participate in public funding rounds, and believes that any charity in receipt of public funding must retain the absolute licence to criticise, as well as to shape, public policy and the actions of government." followed by Members’ Business: The 10th Anniversary of the Death of Jo Cox Jenny Young S7M-00180 The 10th Anniversary of the Death of Jo Cox—That the Parliament acknowledges the 10th anniversary of the death of Jo Cox, who was murdered on 16 June 2016; notes that, until her death, Jo served as the Member of Parliament for Batley and Spen from May 2015; further notes that she was known as a passionate campaigner, activist and humanitarian; understands that her murder prompted a national conversation about the safety and security of elected representatives and the need for greater civility in politics; acknowledges that Jo has left a lasting legacy, including the Jo Cox Foundation, a charity that calls for more respect in politics, and The Great Get Together, an annual nationwide celebration centred on Jo’s message that “we have more in common than that which divides us”; celebrates the work of the Jo Cox Foundation, including the Jo Cox Women in Leadership Programme, which aims to support women in developing their skills and participating fully in public life; acknowledges that, in the decade since Jo’s murder, further acts of violence against elected representatives have occurred, including the murder of Sir David Amess in 2021, and notes the view that, as a new session of the Scottish Parliament begins, all MSPs should commit to fostering a more respectful political culture and remember that they have more in common than that which divides them.