Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Questions Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Murdo Fraser S6O-04704 1. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported concerns of stakeholder organisations within the muirburn code working group regarding the commencement and practicalities of muirburn licensing. Roz McCall S6O-04705 2. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will take action to deter wildlife crime on beaches, particularly over the summer months. Stephen Kerr S6O-04706 3. To ask the Scottish Government what new action it will take to support fisheries, in light of the EU-UK agreement. Ash Regan S6O-04707 4. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Crown Estate in England, Wales and Northern Ireland being granted borrowing powers so that it can, for example, invest in energy infrastructure, what its position is on similar powers being granted to Crown Estate Scotland. Pam Duncan-Glancy S6O-04708 5. To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with Glasgow City Council regarding support for the reported development of community food production and short supply chains, as outlined in the Glasgow City Food Plan. Karen Adam S6O-04709 6. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider establishing a Scottish Seafood Council, to support strategic coordination and promote the global reputation of Scotland’s seafood sector. David Torrance S6O-04710 7. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any potential impacts of the EU-UK agreement on Scotland’s rural economy. Douglas Ross S6O-04711 8. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether NatureScot considers and respects the views of local people and businesses when considering applications to control seagulls. Health and Social Care Pam Gosal S6O-04712 1. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to improve waiting times for audiology appointments. Ben Macpherson S6O-04713 2. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board, NHS Lothian, the City of Edinburgh Council and any other relevant organisations regarding any impact on patients, communities and statutory services of reported reductions to preventative initiatives and services. Annabelle Ewing 3. [Withdrawn] Liz Smith S6O-04715 4. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support regional NHS boards to tackle any backlogs of complaints. Sue Webber S6O-04716 5. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with cardiology patients, clinicians and other relevant stakeholders as part of the development of the recently published Long Term Conditions Framework consultation. Liam Kerr S6O-04717 6. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that NHS Grampian is ranked the worst of all mainland NHS boards for ambulance delays. Martin Whitfield S6O-04718 7. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the new report from the Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland, Whole person medical care: The value of the General Practitioner. Clare Adamson S6O-04719 8. To ask the Scottish Government how its policies support people with premenstrual dysphoric disorder. followed by Scottish Liberal Democrats Debate: A New Plan for Scotland’s Teaching Workforce Willie Rennie S6M-17669 That the Parliament acknowledges the work carried out by Scotland’s teachers in schools across the country and commends them for all they do; recognises that the subjects that they teach provide important foundations for knowledge and skills in sectors that can be vital for Scotland’s economy; notes with concern, however, that there has been a sharp decline in the number of teachers in key subjects, such as maths, physics and modern languages, and that targets to train teachers in STEM subjects have been continuously missed; believes that, should these targets continue to be missed, and the decline in the number of teachers continues, it will add to the strain on the teaching workforce, Scottish education will suffer and Scotland's ability to compete globally in important sectors will be impacted; further believes that a lack of permanent contracts for teachers will further compound issues with recruitment and training; notes that there are also high levels of unemployment and underemployment of primary teachers and teachers for some secondary school subjects; further notes the failure of the Scottish Government to make sufficient progress on its 2021 commitment to recruit 3,500 more teachers, which is set to be missed by the end of the current parliamentary session in 2026, and calls, therefore, on the Scottish Government to develop a new, urgent plan for the teaching workforce, working with stakeholders. Jenny Gilruth S6M-17669.3 As an amendment to motion S6M-17669 in the name of Willie Rennie (A New Plan for Scotland’s Teaching Workforce), leave out from "further notes" to end and insert "recognises that local workforce planning is led by local government and must be undertaken in partnership with it; supports local authorities, as the employers of teachers, to use the significant additional funding made available, including £186.5 million in the 2025-26 Budget, to increase teacher numbers and create more permanent posts, and calls for the Scottish Government to commit to working in partnership with COSLA, through the joint education and assurance board, to develop a joint evidence-led education workforce strategy with stakeholders." Miles Briggs S6M-17669.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-17669 in the name of Willie Rennie (A New Plan for Scotland’s Teaching Workforce), insert at end “; continues to be concerned at the levels of violence being reported in schools, including unacceptable physical and verbal attacks and threats being experienced by teachers and the wider school community; notes the significant concerns over high levels of work-related stress being reported by teachers and the health and wellbeing of the profession; calls on the Scottish Government to bring forward a national coordinated education workforce plan, including data on additional support needs (ASN) and projections on workforce capacity for additional support workers and classroom assistants across local authorities as part of the ASN review; recognises concerns that absence cover is not being consistently applied across schools and local authorities, and supports the better provision of access to resources and training, including the delivery of a new model of support alongside the NHS Education for Scotland trauma informed practice training on neurodivergence and autism.” Pam Duncan-Glancy S6M-17669.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-17669 in the name of Willie Rennie (A New Plan for Scotland’s Teaching Workforce), insert at end ", and further calls on the Scottish Government to develop a consistent national system of supply to support supply teachers across local authorities, make Pupil Equity Funding permanent to empower schools to properly plan, address concerns with the teacher census to ensure that it is known where staff are and where they are needed, ensure places on teacher training are aligned to workforce planning needs, including in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, and collect and publish data around the number of senior phase lessons being taught by non-subject specialist teachers." followed by Scottish Liberal Democrats Debate: Addressing the Inadequate Provision for Neurodevelopmental Conditions Alex Cole-Hamilton S6M-17670 That the Parliament recognises the scale of the mental health emergency in Scotland; notes with concern the lack of adequate provision for neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly in the context of a sharp rise in demand for neurodiversity assessments and treatment for adults and children following the COVID-19 pandemic; further notes the additional pressure on services caused by the global shortage of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication, which has led to the closure of titration clinics in some areas and significantly impacted waiting times and access to care; recognises the profound distress and disruption this causes for individuals and families who are left without timely diagnosis or support; acknowledges the knock-on effects on child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), as well as the wider economic consequences of rising levels of economic inactivity linked to unmet mental health needs; notes the pressure that this puts on GPs and primary care; further notes with concern the widespread removal of shared care arrangements where patients who obtained a private diagnosis could receive ongoing care and medication through the Scottish NHS; expresses disappointment at the Scottish Government’s failure to meet its commitment to allocate 10% of NHS spending to mental health and 1% to CAMHS; calls on the Scottish Government to work urgently with NHS boards and local authorities to devise a robust protocol on the use of shared care arrangements to allow for their use where appropriate, and further calls on the Scottish Government to create neurodevelopmental pathways and stepped care models, as recommended by the National Autism Implementation Team and Royal College of Psychiatrists in the 2021 National Clinical ADHD Pathway Feasibility Study. Maree Todd S6M-17670.3 As an amendment to motion S6M-17670 in the name of Alex Cole-Hamilton (Addressing the Inadequate Provision for Neurodevelopmental Conditions), leave out from “of the mental” to end and insert “and urgency of unmet need in both mental health and neurodevelopmental support, particularly in the context of a sharp rise in demand for neurodiversity assessments and treatment for adults and children following the COVID-19 pandemic; notes the additional pressure on services caused by the global shortage of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication, which has led to the closure of titration clinics in some areas and significantly impacted waiting times and access to care; recognises the profound distress and disruption this causes for individuals and families who are left without timely diagnosis or support; acknowledges the knock-on effects on the health service, as well as the wider economic consequences of rising levels of economic inactivity linked to unmet neurodevelopmental and mental health needs; notes with concern the widespread removal of shared care arrangements where patients who obtained a private diagnosis could receive ongoing care and medication through the Scottish NHS; calls on the Scottish Government to work urgently with NHS boards and local authorities on their shared care arrangement protocols, but understands that decisions around the best course of treatment for patients are for individual clinicians; further calls on the Scottish Government to expand and create adult neurodevelopmental pathways and stepped care models, as recommended by the National Autism Implementation Team and Royal College of Psychiatrists in the 2021 National Clinical ADHD Pathway Feasibility Study; notes the four pilots that the Scottish Government funded following these recommendations, the establishment of a neuro-affirming community of practice and ongoing scoping work on demand and capacity for adult neurodevelopmental services, including work with NHS boards and local authorities on local neurodevelopmental data; calls on the Scottish Government to convene a cross-party summit on addressing waits for neurodevelopmental support and mental health capacity to avert a crisis for individuals and families waiting too long; recognises the progress made towards the Scottish Government’s commitment to allocate 10% of NHS spending to mental health and 1% to CAMHS by the end of the current parliamentary session, and thanks the dedicated NHS and wider workforce for its hard work in providing neurodevelopmental and mental health services in this time of increased demand.” Sandesh Gulhane S6M-17670.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-17670 in the name of Alex Cole-Hamilton (Addressing the Inadequate Provision for Neurodevelopmental Conditions), insert at end "; believes that years of Scottish National Party (SNP) administration mismanagement have led to over 3,000 children and young people waiting to start mental health treatment; acknowledges that the Scottish Government pledged £55.5 million in 2023-24 to improve neurodevelopmental and mental health services, but that inconsistent referral processes and widespread delays remain; recognises that some NHS boards, such as NHS Tayside, have stopped all new referrals for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) due to increased demand for assessments; notes that children and adults alike have faced waits of up to 201 weeks for autism and ADHD assessments, with regions like Grampian and Tayside reporting delays of four years or more; understands that thousands of children last year waited for neurodevelopmental assessments, with 7,650 children in Greater Glasgow and Clyde alone waiting to be screened; agrees with the Royal College of Psychiatrists, which said that the growing demand for neurodevelopmental conditions services in Scotland poses a systemic risk to the sustainability of mental health services, and acknowledges that waiting times for neurodevelopmental assessments in Scotland are at risk of exceeding 10 years within the next few years if urgent reforms are not made by the Scottish Government.” Paul Sweeney S6M-17670.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-17670 in the name of Alex Cole-Hamilton (Addressing the Inadequate Provision for Neurodevelopmental Conditions), insert at end ", and calls on the Scottish Government to publish data on the number of patients with neurodevelopmental conditions who are being removed from CAMHS waiting lists." followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-16452 Sharon Dowey: Improving Access to Hearing Care for Scotland’s Ageing Population That the Parliament understands that over 900,000 adults in Scotland live with age-related hearing loss; believes that uncorrected hearing loss can have a significant impact on people, notably social isolation, mental ill health and a heightened risk of developing dementia; understands that demand for hearing care services is increasing across the country, including in Ayrshire, as a result of changing demographics; notes that the number of over 60s in Scotland is projected to increase by 50% by 2033, and that South Ayrshire is the fastest ageing local authority area; notes the view that additional capacity in NHS services is needed to ensure that people presenting with hearing loss can access quality and timely care; considers that independent providers of audiology services have the skills, IT connectivity and capacity to meet the increased demand; notes the Scottish Government’s commitment to bolster community audiology provision and put community audiology services on a par with the country's free community eye care services, and further notes the view that there is an opportunity to improve dramatically access to hearing care services by replicating this model.