Meeting of the Parliament

Time for Reflection Rt Rev Dr Shaw James Paterson, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland followed by Topical Questions Katy Clark S6T-02446 1. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider an independent external evaluation of the pilot scheme that provides victims in rape and serious assault cases with access to transcripts, in light of reports of some waiting a year for transcripts of their court cases. Willie Rennie S6T-02448 2. To ask the Scottish Government what practical steps it is taking to review the funding model for Scottish universities, in light of recent reports that the number of international students enrolled at Scottish universities fell by more than 10% between 2023 and 2024. Tim Eagle S6T-02447 3. To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the reported £203 million it spent on external advisers to help administer agricultural support payments to be good value for money. followed by Ministerial Statement: Scottish Government Response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report followed by Scottish Government Debate: Scotland – A Fair Trade Nation Angus Robertson S6M-16923 That the Parliament welcomes Scotland’s renewed status as a Fair Trade Nation; recognises the dedication and hard work of Fair Trade campaigners, businesses and communities across Scotland in sustaining this achievement; congratulates Scottish Fair Trade for its leadership in promoting and strengthening Scotland’s Fair Trade commitment; acknowledges the vital role of Fair Trade producers, workers and enterprises in the Global South in building a fairer, more sustainable trading system; recognises that Fair Trade is a partnership that supports the rights, dignity and livelihoods of those throughout the supply chain, and commits to uphold and advance Scotland’s role as a Fair Trade Nation as part of its broader commitment to global citizenship and international solidarity. Murdo Fraser S6M-16923.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-16923 in the name of Angus Robertson (Scotland – A Fair Trade Nation), insert at end “; recognises that free and fair trade is the most powerful engine for poverty reduction and global prosperity; affirms that open markets, trade liberalisation and the entrepreneurial spirit are central to Fair Trade; believes that protectionism and arbitrary trade barriers harm the very producers and communities that Fair Trade seeks to support; calls on all MSPs to actively champion global agreements that allow Scotland’s businesses to compete, innovate and lead on the world stage, and further calls on the Scottish Government to support the full potential of, and critical work already performed by, local producers by properly accounting for them in its public sector procurement rules and guidelines.” Colin Smyth S6M-16923.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-16923 in the name of Angus Robertson (Scotland - A Fair Trade Nation), insert at end “; notes Scottish Fair Trade’s strategy, which includes the aim of increasing the consumption and production of Fair Trade products, and calls on the Scottish Government to continue to support Fair Trade by establishing a standard definition and measurement framework for Fair Trade in public sector procurement, embedding Fair Trade in education and lifelong learning and supporting Fair Trade and ethical supply chains in Scottish business practices." followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-16854 Stuart McMillan: Peel Ports’ Conservancy Fee Plans for Clydeport Area That the Parliament acknowledges reports that Peel Ports Clydeport is planning to introduce a conservancy fee for leisure craft sailing in the Clydeport area; understands that the boating sector has expressed concerns that such a charge could impact the marine tourism economy, including in the Greenock and Inverclyde constituency, as it could discourage boaters from sailing in Clydeport's waters; believes that boaters have also expressed their anger at what it understands is Peel Ports’ lack of meaningful dialogue with the sector about these plans; further believes that this has led to questions arising over how the fee will be spent; understands that members of the Cross-Party Group on Recreational Boating and Marine Tourism have agreed that their collective position is that these plans should be abandoned, and that a public petition has been launched to attract support for this view, which, it understands, has attracted over 4,600 signatures so far, and notes the view that Peel Ports should scrap its proposal and work with the sector to address any issues.