Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Questions Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy Kaukab Stewart 1. [Not Lodged] Richard Leonard S6O-03151 2. To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to next meet with the sole director of the GFG Alliance. Clare Haughey 3. [Withdrawn] Claire Baker S6O-03153 4. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its review of how to increase the number of co-operatives, social enterprises and employee-owned businesses, as part of the move to a wellbeing economy. Christine Grahame 5. [Not Lodged] Carol Mochan S6O-03155 6. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding an increased windfall tax on the excess profits of large oil and gas companies, in light of reports that the income from any such tax could be used to support households struggling with the cost of living crisis, including in Scotland. Murdo Fraser S6O-03156 7. To ask the Scottish Government how outcomes from the New Deal for Business will be measured. Graham Simpson S6O-03157 8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it is on course to achieve its 2030 target for reducing emissions. Finance and Parliamentary Business Alexander Burnett S6O-03158 1. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the finance secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the impact of its current income tax policy, in light of reports that higher taxes could deter experienced professionals from moving to Scotland. Fulton MacGregor S6O-03159 2. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to invest in and revitalise town centres in urban areas. Kenneth Gibson S6O-03160 3. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on its financial planning process of the UK Government having Autumn and Spring statements, in light of reported calls for a multi-year budget approach. Meghan Gallacher S6O-03161 4. To ask the Scottish Government what spending it has allocated from its Budget to date for its plans for a National Care Service. Collette Stevenson S6O-03162 5. To ask the Scottish Government when the finance secretary last met the UK Government and what was discussed. David Torrance S6O-03163 6. To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received a final report from the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee. Miles Briggs S6O-03164 7. To ask the Scottish Government how much it will allocate through its Budget to fund any potential cost increases related to improvements to the A720 City Bypass grade separation of Sheriffhall roundabout. Jim Fairlie 8. [Not Lodged] followed by Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Debate: Ending Violence in Scottish Schools Liam Kerr S6M-12389 That the Parliament believes that no pupil, teacher or member of school staff should suffer physical or verbal abuse and that every child and young person has the right to an uninterrupted school day, free from violence and disruption; notes the impact that the current escalation of violence in schools has had on the teaching profession, especially in relation to retention and mental health; further notes, with concern, the alarming reports of instances of violence and disruption, and calls on the Scottish Government to support parents, teachers and staff, assisting them in promoting acceptable behaviour and tackling instances of violence and disruption; calls on the Scottish Government to support children and young people impacted by violence and disruption in schools and to facilitate an environment in which all young people are safe to learn, develop and grow, and further calls on all Members of the Scottish Parliament to work together in tackling the seriousness of this issue, diligently and without delay. Jenny Gilruth S6M-12389.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-12389 in the name of Liam Kerr (Ending Violence in Scottish Schools), insert at end ", alongside local authorities, schools, teachers and young people themselves; recognises the work that is already underway to respond to these challenges, including the joint national action plan with COSLA, which will publish in the spring; welcomes the publication of the gender-based violence in schools framework, which it agrees is a necessary step in responding to the increase in misogynistic behaviours identified by the behaviour in Scottish schools research and reports by teaching unions, and reaffirms, in the week of International Women’s Day, the need to end misogyny in Scotland’s schools and wider society." Pam Duncan-Glancy S6M-12389.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-12389 in the name of Liam Kerr (Ending Violence in Scottish Schools), insert at end "; notes that teachers and school staff must be safe from violence and harassment at work; recognises that cuts to education, increased teacher workload, the absence of more non-contact time and a lack of support for pupils with additional support needs continue to contribute to the rise of violence and poor behaviour in schools; further recognises the important role that youth work and external programmes, like the MCR Pathways service in Glasgow, play in providing additional support for young people, and calls on the Scottish Government to publish the national action plan on behaviour in schools imminently, and to include in it the collection of national, anonymous data, clear processes for the reporting of incidents with support from senior management in schools, the addition of teacher wellbeing as a measure of inspection, and clear guidance on consequences and escalation." followed by Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Debate: Backing Scotland’s Oil and Gas Sector Douglas Lumsden S6M-12388 That the Parliament recognises the vital role that oil and gas plays in Scotland’s energy mix and in supporting tens of thousands of Scottish jobs, particularly in the north east, and in providing vital energy security; condemns the Scottish Government’s "presumption against new exploration for oil and gas" as stated in its draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, as well as the Scottish National Party administration’s failure to welcome new oil and gas developments such as Rosebank, which will boost UK energy security and the economy with a direct investment of over £8 billion as well as providing nearly 1,600 jobs; further condemns the Labour Party’s intention to block any new oil and gas licences and its proposed extended windfall tax, which the OEUK has warned will lead to "42,000 job losses" and £26 billion of economic value being wiped out; acknowledges that there is a climate emergency and, therefore, welcomes that the UK has become the first major economy to halve emissions from their peak; notes that a just transition is needed to meet net zero targets, but believes that this must not leave any industry or community behind and cannot be achieved without the investment, innovation and skills from the oil and gas sector, and calls on the Scottish Government and the Labour Party to end their reckless assault on North Sea oil and gas workers and Scotland’s economy. Màiri McAllan S6M-12388.3 As an amendment to motion S6M-12388 in the name of Douglas Lumsden (Backing Scotland’s Oil and Gas Sector), leave out from first "vital" to end and insert "important role that is played by oil and gas in the energy profile of Scotland, the tens of thousands of jobs in that sector, and the essential contribution that the sector’s skilled workforce must make to Scotland’s present and future energy security; understands the severity and urgency of the global climate emergency and the clear body of scientific evidence showing the need for a rapid shift away from current reliance on fossil fuels as part of the response to this; further understands that a just transition for Scotland’s oil and gas sector is essential, given both the declining nature of the North Sea basin and Scotland’s climate change commitments; supports a just transition approach for all sectors of Scotland’s economy, in which emissions are reduced in line with climate goals, energy security is maintained, and workers and communities are supported as part of a genuine managed transition; acknowledges that the Scottish Government is in the process of finalising its Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, following the publication of analysis of consultation responses on the draft Strategy and Plan; recognises that licensing and regulation for offshore oil and gas, and the associated fiscal regime, are all matters that currently remain reserved to the UK Government; expresses frustration that the Scottish Government does not have all of the powers necessary to ensure that Scotland fully capitalises on its competitive advantages in the energy transition, including its world-leading and highly skilled offshore workforces; calls on the UK Government to deliver simple, holistic and predictable windfall taxes on excessive profits to address the cost of living crisis and to increase investment in the transition to net zero, and believes that revenues should not be used to fund new nuclear power." Daniel Johnson S6M-12388.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-12388 in the name of Douglas Lumsden (Backing Scotland’s Oil and Gas Sector), leave out from "recognises" to end and insert "believes that if Scotland is to maintain its reputation for expertise in energy generation, there is a need to deliver a just transition to the clean energy industries of the future; recognises the huge contribution that oil and gas make to Scotland’s energy mix and economy, supporting tens of thousands of well-paid jobs, and agrees that, as part of the energy transition, oil and gas production will continue in the North Sea for decades to come; condemns the economic incompetence of the UK Conservative administration and the Scottish National Party administration, which has exacerbated the cost of living crisis for households in Scotland; believes that the policies and instability of the UK Conservative administration are further undermining progress in delivering the energy jobs of the future and failing to improve energy security; notes that the Scottish National Party administration has chosen to side with energy giants over working people with its recent u-turn on a windfall tax on exorbitant profits of oil and gas companies, all while raising taxes on working people, and notes that the Labour Party’s proposed windfall tax is time-limited, will sunset at the end of the next parliamentary session and will provide the revenue to deliver the Labour Party’s Green Prosperity Plan, which will support 50,000 clean energy jobs in Scotland, create GB Energy as a publicly-owned energy company, bring down energy bills and deliver the just transition that Scotland’s climate needs, and that workers in the north east deserve, so that no community is left behind." followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-12000 Keith Brown: Congratulating the University of Stirling on the Launch of its Winning Students 100 Programme That the Parliament congratulates the University of Stirling, in the Clackmannanshire and Dunblane constituency, on the successful launch of its new Winning Students 100 programme; understands that this launch marks an important update to the existing Winning Students programme, initially established in 2008, which has awarded 1,700 scholarships since then, supporting gold medal Olympians and Paralympians, as well as European and world champions, in balancing their studies with high-performance and professional sports; commends the achievements of this scheme; understands that the scheme is made possible through cross-departmental support from the Scottish Funding Council, sportscotland, and the tertiary education sector, and looks forward to witnessing what it sees the positive impact of this updated programme on the lives and careers of the participating student-athletes from across the network of universities and colleges that are involved.