Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Questions Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, and Parliamentary Business Emma Roddick S6O-04736 1. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding improving the process for bringing forward orders under section 104 of the Scotland Act 1998. Richard Leonard S6O-04737 2. To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had regarding its support for humanitarian assistance, in light of reports of the increasing number of deaths in Gaza. Jamie Halcro Johnston 3. [Not Lodged] David Torrance S6O-04739 4. To ask the Scottish Government when the constitution secretary last met, and will next meet, with UK Government ministers. Elena Whitham S6O-04740 5. To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the impact of the MalDent Project on oral health policy in Malawi. Douglas Ross S6O-04741 6. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will propose the scheduling of time for a parliamentary debate or statement on the works at Union Bridge on the A96 in Keith, in light of reports that ongoing delays have resulted in the trunk road being reduced to one lane with traffic lights for almost a year. Sharon Dowey S6O-04742 7. To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any further plans to widen its review into Creative Scotland. Liam McArthur S6O-04743 8. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the economic importance of festivals to local communities. Justice and Home Affairs Annabelle Ewing 1. [Not Lodged] Emma Harper S6O-04745 2. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to modernise family law and ensure the efficient functioning of the civil court system. Pam Gosal S6O-04746 3. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the roll-out of the Caledonian System. Alexander Stewart S6O-04747 4. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the number of serious assaults committed by teenagers has increased in the past five years. Douglas Lumsden S6O-04748 5. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide further detail regarding the reasons why it is not planning a broader review of the statutory grounds for fatal accident inquiries, in light of the previous review of statutory grounds being undertaken nearly a decade ago and reports of growing public concern over preventable deaths outside of custody settings. Mark Ruskell S6O-04749 6. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on using the powers outlined in the International Criminal Court (Scotland) Act 2001 to prosecute nationals and residents of the UK residing in Scotland who have committed war crimes. Roz McCall S6O-04750 7. To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its commitment that no young person under the age of 18 should be imprisoned, what discussions it has had with the Scottish Sentencing Council regarding reviewing the Sentencing young people guideline , which states that all sentencing options, including imprisonment, remain open to the court. Willie Coffey S6O-04751 8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on funding for the CashBack for Communities programme. Education and Skills Murdo Fraser S6O-04752 1. To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with UHI Perth in relation to its funding position. Kevin Stewart 2. [Not Lodged] Alex Rowley S6O-04754 3. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what support it is providing to teachers to help deal with behaviour in classrooms. Katy Clark S6O-04755 4. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what it is doing to address violence in schools. Alexander Burnett S6O-04756 5. To ask the Scottish Government when the children's minister last met with Aberdeenshire Council to discuss nursery closures. Oliver Mundell S6O-04757 6. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that pupils with additional support needs receive consistent and adequate support. Craig Hoy S6O-04758 7. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the scale of online bullying in schools. Ben Macpherson S6O-04759 8. To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with universities and placement schools to support the mental health and wellbeing of student teachers. followed by Scottish Government Debate: Empowering Entrepreneurs and Innovators Kate Forbes S6M-17785 That the Parliament supports the Scottish Government’s ambition to establish Scotland as one of Europe’s fastest-growing start-up economies; welcomes the significant progress made towards this goal; congratulates Ana Stewart on her appointment as Scotland’s new Chief Entrepreneur, and welcomes the record investment of over £30 million to accelerate Scotland’s emergence as a leading hub for innovation, entrepreneurship and high-growth businesses. Murdo Fraser S6M-17785.3 As an amendment to motion S6M-17785 in the name of Kate Forbes (Empowering Entrepreneurs and Innovators), leave out from “supports” to end and insert “calls on the Scottish Government to make greater effort to support businesses and entrepreneurship in Scotland; notes concerns identified by the Fraser of Allander Institute that only 9% of Scottish businesses believe that the Scottish Government understands the business community, and that the New Deal for Business has caused this relationship to stagnate further; recognises that Scotland has a lower business birth rate and stock rate compared to the rest of the UK, which has hindered entrepreneurship; congratulates Ana Stewart on her appointment as Scotland’s new Chief Entrepreneur, but believes that a new approach is needed to deliver the high-growth economy that businesses and entrepreneurs need; welcomes the publication of Lessons from Singapore for Scotland’s Economy by the Hunter Foundation, which urges the Scottish and UK governments to stop punishing entrepreneurs, deliver a long-term growth strategy and foster a more business-friendly environment through lower taxation, and believes that entrepreneurship and innovation can be enhanced through Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party plans to drive economic growth by cutting taxes for workers and businesses.” Daniel Johnson S6M-17785.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-17785 in the name of Kate Forbes (Empowering Entrepreneurs and Innovators), insert at end "; believes that Scottish businesses across sectors have not had adequate support from the Scottish Government to break down barriers to innovation, and that support must extend beyond start-up stage to provide advice and investment for scaling up; notes that the proportion of businesses in Scotland that are innovating, that is those introducing or developing a new product, service or process, has fallen from 50% in 2012-14 to just 32% in 2020-22, and calls on the Scottish Government to reform Scotland’s economic agencies to better support entrepreneurs and innovation in sectors across Scotland, including capital intensive sectors like life sciences and advanced manufacturing." followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-16094 Bob Doris: Celebrating 50 Years of Summerston That the Parliament congratulates the community of Summerston, in the Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn constituency, on reaching the significant milestone of having been established for 50 years; understands that the first residents settled in the area from late 1974; believes that, in the years that followed, they witnessed a strong, close knit and civically-minded community develop; recognises the contribution of all those who have been involved in building Summerston’s community spirit over the decades, none more so than Billy Souter who sadly passed away this year; commends the Summerston Community and Environmental Group (SCEG) on its efforts to both improve the area's environment and celebrate the five decades of Summerston as a community; acknowledges the work of SCEG in, it believes, it being "hands on" in its efforts to enhance the local area; notes that a community action plan was developed by SCEG following a major community consultation to help further improve the area; believes that a successful, piper-led, winter lantern parade, supported by Summerston schoolchildren and the wider community took place on the 27 November 2024 to mark the 50th anniversary, which kickstarted a number of events planned over the next 12 months; considers that constructive community activism and participation is a key component in helping communities such as Summerston prosper; supports the coming year’s activities, and wishes the people of Summerston every success on the area continuing to thrive for the next 50 years and beyond.