Meeting of the Parliament

General Questions Clare Haughey S6O-05595 1. To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the banking industry about maintaining access to face-to-face banking services on high streets. Ash Regan S6O-05596 2. To ask the Scottish Government how it measures success in protecting care-experienced children, in light of reports that its flagship policy, The Promise, has failed to keep vulnerable children safe. Tim Eagle S6O-05597 3. To ask the Scottish Government what additional support it will provide to local authorities to address ageing infrastructure, including bridges. Jamie Halcro Johnston S6O-05598 4. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that Highlands and Islands Airports Limited airports are as accessible as possible to all residents and users. Liam McArthur S6O-05599 5. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles in rural and island communities. Kenneth Gibson S6O-05600 6. To ask the Scottish Government what actions Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited will take to improve the resilience of Ardrossan Harbour, once it has been acquired. Maggie Chapman S6O-05601 7. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the forthcoming International Women’s Day, what action it is taking to ensure that Scotland’s economy provides women with equitable access to economic opportunity, including how it supports them to live free from poverty and financial inequality. Brian Whittle S6O-05602 8. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the gap between secondary school leavers from the most deprived and least deprived areas going to a positive destination widened to 4.7 percentage points, which is the largest since 2020-21. followed by First Minister’s Questions Russell Findlay S6F-04718 1. Question to be taken in Chamber. Anas Sarwar S6F-04719 2. Question to be taken in Chamber. Ross Greer S6F-04720 3. Question to be taken in Chamber. Kenneth Gibson S6F-04721 4. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the UK Government’s Spring Statement. Stephen Kerr S6F-04723 5. To ask the First Minister, in light of the recently published Commission on School Reform manifesto warning that the curriculum for excellence has been poorly implemented and is harming long-term prospects, what the Scottish Government's position is on whether a lack of clear, nationally specified curriculum content and standards has contributed to declining attainment and inconsistency across Scotland’s schools. Katy Clark S6F-04731 6. To ask the First Minister, in light of the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day being equal rights and equal justice, what action the Scottish Government is taking to improve the legal rights of women and girls. followed by Members’ Business: Recognising Lived Experience and Strengthening Disabled People’s Representation in Scottish Democracy Jeremy Balfour S6M-20598 That the Parliament recognises the value of lived experience in informing effective scrutiny and legislation and ensuring that those views are embedded across legislation passed at the Scottish Parliament; commends events such as the Parliament Disability Summit, first held in 2023, which highlighted disability issues and allowed disabled people across Scotland, including in the Lothian region, to be at the forefront of political discussion; welcomes that the Summit will be held again on 21 February 2026 and notes the view that this Summit should continue on a biannual basis; notes with concern reports that disabled people remain significantly underrepresented in elected office in Scotland, with 5% of the current MSPs declaring a disability compared with 24% of the general population; understands that people from other protected groups also continue to face underrepresentation; acknowledges what it sees as the many barriers that exist in society which discourage or prevent disabled people and others with protected characteristics from standing for election; welcomes initiatives such as the Access to Elected Office Fund run by Inclusion Scotland, which, it understands, helped 14 disabled candidates in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election through assistance with transport, communication and/or personal assistance, and notes the calls on all political parties, the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body and the Scottish Government to continue to work collaboratively to remove barriers, promote inclusion and strengthen disabled people’s representation and participation in Scotland’s political institutions, while also taking steps to improve representation and participation for all groups protected under the Equality Act 2010. Further details available for S6M-20598