Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Questions Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Kevin Stewart S6O-03216 1. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it has taken to support the provision of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. Sarah Boyack S6O-03217 2. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support the development of cultural cinema. Annabelle Ewing S6O-03218 3. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the culture secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding what cultural events and activities it has planned to mark the 40th anniversary of the miners’ strike. Carol Mochan S6O-03219 4. To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to address any barriers to women’s participation in the creative workforce. Finlay Carson S6O-03220 5. To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it is providing to the arts sector in Dumfries and Galloway. Daniel Johnson S6O-03221 6. To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to grow Scotland's creative industries. David Torrance S6O-03222 7. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how the projects and activities that it funds through its international development programmes contribute to promoting human rights. Richard Leonard S6O-03223 8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to support public interest journalism. Justice and Home Affairs Collette Stevenson S6O-03224 1. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to support victims and witnesses, particularly in domestic abuse cases. Maggie Chapman S6O-03225 2. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent report by the Scottish Human Rights Commission to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, which referred to the need to improve conditions across the prison estate and improve access to appropriate healthcare for those in detention. Jamie Greene S6O-03226 3. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many individuals have been charged and successfully prosecuted under any of the provisions in the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022. Neil Bibby S6O-03227 4. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the BBC Scotland Disclosure programme, Surviving Domestic Abuse , which was broadcast on 11 March. Bill Kidd S6O-03228 5. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any implications for its role in supporting the delivery of Prevent in Scotland of the UK Government’s new definition of extremism. Rona Mackay S6O-03229 6. To ask the Scottish Government what representations it can make to the UK Government regarding the potential amendment of its Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill to cover Scotland, to ensure that there is parity and equality for all sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses who have been affected. Sue Webber S6O-03230 7. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that hundreds of sex offenders have been able to change their name in the past two years, what it can do to ensure the safety of the public, particularly in areas like EH14 and EH54, which reportedly have the joint highest number of sex offenders registered across Edinburgh and West Lothian. Ruth Maguire S6O-03231 8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to challenge and deter men's demand for prostitution. followed by Stage 1 Debate: Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill Lorna Slater S6M-12552 That the Parliament agrees to the general principles of the Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill. followed by Scottish Government Debate: Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill - UK Legislation Tom Arthur S6M-12551 That the Parliament notes the legislative consent memorandum lodged by the Scottish Government on 19 July 2023; agrees not to give consent to the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill; believes that the Bill would represent a wholly unnecessary and unwelcome limitation of the Scottish Ministers’ executive competence, and would act to stifle democracy, and calls on the UK Government to amend the Bill to remove the Scottish Ministers from its scope. followed by Urgent Question Maurice Golden To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Climate Change Committee stating that the scale of reductions in emissions needed for Scotland to meet its 2030 climate change targets is “beyond what is credible”. Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-11864 Kate Forbes: The Economic Contribution of the Third Sector in Scotland That the Parliament celebrates the third sector in Scotland, which includes charities, community and voluntary groups and other non-profit distributing organisations, including those in the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituency; understands that the third sector primarily provides services that are important in reducing inequality and disadvantage, and in improving health, wellbeing and community cohesion; believes that there is an important relationship between the third sector, the private sector and the public sector; welcomes the publication of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) advice paper on 13 December 2023, titled The economic contribution of the third sector in Scotland, which identifies that the sector is "often overlooked as a source of wealth generation and seldom included in national or local growth strategies", leading to missed opportunities to enhance regional and national economies; considers that the RSE’s report highlights the substantive economic contribution of the sector, whilst identifying the barriers to a wider recognition of the third sector’s economic contribution; notes the belief that overcoming such barriers to the third sector's recognition in the Scottish Government's economic strategy is of increasing importance in the context of the financial and funding challenges currently facing the sector, and notes the RSE's call to stimulate debate on how these blocks might be overcome.