Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Questions Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Bob Doris S6O-05579 To ask the Scottish Government how it and its partner agencies promote and raise awareness of the need for responsible outdoor access and dog walking to reduce any instances of livestock worrying and damage. Meghan Gallacher S6O-05580 [Not Lodged] Foysol Choudhury S6O-05581 To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report, Who Owns Scotland 2025. John Mason S6O-05582 To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of the joint review with the UK Government regarding the potential removal of ptarmigan from schedule 2 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Gordon MacDonald S6O-05583 To ask the Scottish Government how proposed changes to deer management policy will affect land use and biodiversity across Scotland. Annie Wells S6O-05584 To ask the Scottish Government what renewed action it will take to improve tree equity in Scotland’s urban areas. Willie Rennie S6O-05585 To ask the Scottish Government when the new Future Farming Investment Scheme will be open for applications. Christine Grahame S6O-05586 To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that a large number of applications have been rejected in the Future Farming Investment Scheme, what analysis and guidance it has issued explaining the grounds for rejection. Health and Social Care Neil Bibby S6O-05587 To ask the Scottish Government when it last met Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership and what was discussed. Alex Rowley S6O-05588 To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making on tackling the reported critical shortage of social care workers. Audrey Nicoll S6O-05589 To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support women with MRKH syndrome to access fertility treatment. George Adam S6O-05590 To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of the Changing Places Toilets Scotland Fund. Stuart McMillan S6O-05591 To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any discussions it has had with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde regarding the implementation of the Royal Mail NHS-specific barcode system to ensure that appointment letters, test results and urgent patient correspondence are delivered on time, particularly during service disruptions. Richard Leonard S6O-05592 To ask the Scottish Government whether it is confident that the changes to the working week for NHS Agenda for Change staff will be fully implemented by 1 April 2026. Clare Adamson S6O-05593 To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in response to reports that local authorities are reducing or withdrawing social care packages at short notice, including how it will ensure there is clear communication, adequate notice and safeguarding in place for any vulnerable people affected. Emma Roddick S6O-05594 To ask the Scottish Government how the National Treatment Centre in Inverness is reducing waiting times for elective surgeries in the NHS Highland area. followed by Scottish Liberal Democrats Debate: Judging the Scottish Government on its Education Record Willie Rennie S6M-20956 That the Parliament notes that since 2016, the Scottish Government's key commitments and targets on education have either been missed or abandoned; further notes that these include free laptops for all pupils, free school meals for all pupils up to P7, 3,500 more teachers, reduced class contact time for teachers and the closing of the poverty-related educational attainment gap by 2026; believes that abandoning or missing these important targets and commitments has had a real impact on pupils, teachers and parents; further believes that the Scottish Government has let Scottish education down with rising levels of classroom violence, a lack of additional support for pupils and record numbers of recently qualified teachers leaving the profession; notes that teachers are once again considering industrial action, and asserts that Scotland and Scottish education deserve better. Further details available for S6M-20956 Jenny Gilruth S6M-20956.3 As an amendment to S6M-20956 in the name of Willie Rennie (Judging the Scottish Government on its Education Record), leave out from first "notes" to end and insert "welcomes the passing of the 2026-27 Budget, following a deal reached with the Scottish Liberal Democrats, which will deliver over £4.8 billion investment for Scottish education, including up to £200 million to close the poverty-related attainment gap, building on December 2025’s Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels (ACEL) data, which demonstrated record levels of literacy and numeracy in Scotland’s primary schools and data from February 2026, which recorded the joint second highest level of school leavers going on to positive destinations on record; recognises that the Budget will further expand the provision of free breakfast clubs and free school meals to reduce the poverty-related attainment gap, building on the 2025-26 Budget deal reached with the Scottish Green Party to expand free school meals in secondary schools; welcomes the continuation of extra funding for pupils with additional support needs (ASN) within the 2026-27 Budget, and looks forward to the publication of the cross-party commissioned-ASN review early in March 2026, and believes fundamentally that Scotland’s teachers, pupil support staff, parents, carers and pupils deserve the gratitude of the Parliament for their hard work and dedication every day." Further details available for S6M-20956.3 Miles Briggs S6M-20956.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-20956 in the name of Willie Rennie (Judging the Scottish Government on its Education Record), leave out from “further believes” to end and insert “recognises that Scotland has the highest rate of violent injuries to school staff in the UK and that the Scottish Government has failed to take meaningful action to protect pupils and teachers; notes with concern the high levels of work-related stress reported across the profession; further notes the record number of newly qualified teachers leaving the profession, and believes that, by any reasonable measure, the Scottish Government has failed Scotland’s children and that this failure should be a source of shame.” Further details available for S6M-20956.2 Paul O'Kane S6M-20956.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-20956 in the name of Willie Rennie (Judging the Scottish Government on its Education Record), insert at end "and that effort should be made to reverse the decline in Scottish scores in international league tables, which has been seen since 2012." Further details available for S6M-20956.1 followed by Scottish Liberal Democrats Debate: Fixing Scotland's Ferry Fiasco Jamie Greene S6M-20957 That the Parliament believes that many of Scotland’s island and coastal communities have been let down by the Scottish Government and have paid the price for the failure of the Scottish Ministers to provide them with the lifeline ferries they need; recognises that this has had an impact on businesses, livelihoods and local economies; notes that whilst the Scottish Government extended the Islands Business Resilience Fund, there are many impacted coastal communities, such as Dunoon and Ardrossan, where local businesses are not receiving compensation and calls on the Scottish Government to rectify this; notes with frustration that the delivery of the MV Glen Rosa has been delayed by another six months until late 2026 and that the MV Glen Sannox required months of repairs; believes that taxpayers, islanders and workers at Ferguson Marine have all been let down over this ongoing fiasco and expresses deep disappointment that no minister has ever taken responsibility by resigning, and further believes that Scotland’s island and coastal communities deserve better and that new requirements to replace ageing vessels are needed alongside a rolling 30-year strategy for ferries and port infrastructure so that no community is ever left without a viable lifeline service. Further details available for S6M-20957 Fiona Hyslop S6M-20957.3 As an amendment to motion S6M-20957 in the name of Jamie Greene (Fixing Scotland's Ferry Fiasco), leave out from first “believes” to end and insert “recognises the challenges that island communities have faced with disruptions and the need to give them reliable and resilient services; supports the announcements made by the Scottish Government on 3 March 2026 of the conclusion of the purchase of Ardrossan Harbour, the proposal to directly award two vessels for the Small Vessel Replacement Programme to Ferguson Marine, the competitive tender for the replacement for the MV Lord of the Isles, funding for the Port Ellen redevelopment on Islay, and that peak fares for islanders on NorthLink ferry services will be removed on 24 March 2026; notes that, with 11 vessels currently being built and with the recent arrival of MV Isle of Islay, one third of the entire CalMac fleet is being replaced, and further notes that the Island Connectivity Plan Vessels and Ports Plan sets out a long-term investment programme to 2045, and that community needs assessments, with community engagement at their heart, will shape these investments in ferries and ports for decades to come.” Further details available for S6M-20957.3 Sue Webber S6M-20957.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-20957 in the name of Jamie Greene (Fixing Scotland’s Ferry Fiasco), insert at end “; notes that the combined costs of the MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa has reached almost £500 million; acknowledges the Scottish Government’s announcements of four direct awards to Ferguson Marine, a programme to upgrade the yard, and the intention to return the yard to the private sector; urges ministers to outline how these new vessels will be delivered on time and on budget; notes the Scottish Government’s plan to purchase Ardrossan Harbour, and urges ministers to regularly update communities on when the purchase and upgrade of the harbour will be completed; further notes that the cost to charter the MV Alfred has reached £35 million, more than double the cost for Pentland Ferries to build the vessel, and that this cost will increase now that the charter has been extended; recognises that the public services and local economies of island and coastal communities have been hindered by the Scottish Government’s mismanagement of the ferry network through repeated timetable changes, cancelled sailings and the lack of a resilience vessel, and calls on the Scottish Government to outline how it will hold ferry service providers to account to ensure that they deliver for island and coastal communities.” Further details available for S6M-20957.2 Rhoda Grant S6M-20957.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-20957 in the name of Jamie Greene (Fixing Scotland's Ferry Fiasco), insert at end “; notes that disruption to ferry timetables is ongoing and continues to impact island communities; agrees that communities must receive support to deal with the economic and social impacts of disruption; calls for local representation ferry agency boards so that the needs of island communities and workers are at the heart of decision making; understands that the root cause of the ferry fiasco is the failure to invest in the ferry fleet and replace ageing vessels, and calls on the Scottish Government to have a rolling programme to replace the fleet going forward.” Further details available for S6M-20957.1 followed by Decision Time followed by Members’ Business: Banking Charges for Charities and Not-for-profit Organisations Jackie Dunbar S6M-19214 That the Parliament expresses its concern that a reported increasing number of banks have introduced banking charges for small charities, community groups, community councils and other not-for-profit organisations; recognises what it sees as the immense work done in communities across Scotland, including across Aberdeen Donside, by these groups, many of which operate on tight budgets and are being affected by such banking charges; believes that most people are still feeling the consequences of having to bail out banks following the 2008 financial crisis and that banks that benefitted from a bail out now levying banking charges on community groups is distasteful and hinders the work of these groups, and notes the view that banks should allow community groups to use their funds for the purposes which they were gathered for, instead of bolstering the profits of banks. Further details available for S6M-19214