Meeting of the Parliament

Time for Reflection Dr Maureen Sier, Director, Interfaith Scotland followed by Topical Questions Katy Clark S6T-00942 1. To ask the Scottish Government what its response it to reports of misuse of fireworks and pyrotechnics on Bonfire Night. Rachael Hamilton S6T-00951 2. To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to mitigate the threat of avian influenza outbreaks among domestic poultry populations, in light of its impact on wild bird populations in Scotland. followed by Ministerial Statement: Future Agriculture Support and Food Security in Scotland followed by Ministerial Statement: National Planning Framework 4 followed by Scottish Government Debate: Remembrance Commemorations and Support for the Veterans and Armed Forces Community That the Parliament recognises the enduring importance of the Remembrance period to families and communities across Scotland and pays tribute to the sacrifices of those individuals from across Scotland and the UK, the Commonwealth and Allied Nations, which ensured the peace and freedoms that people enjoy today; recognises the Armed Forces’ and others’ efforts in peace-keeping and peace-making across the world as ways of preventing war and the consequences of war; acknowledges the importance of Scotland’s veterans and Armed Forces community and greatly values the significant contribution that they continue to make to Scotland; supports the Scottish Government’s veterans strategy action plan, which has a clear vision to ensure the best possible outcomes for veterans and their families; notes the Scottish Government’s progress thus far in delivering the commitments it has made in the action plan, and agrees that the Scottish Government should continue to work in partnership across the Scottish public, private and charitable sectors, and with the UK Government and other devolved administrations, to ensure that the veterans and Armed Forces community receives the best possible support and access to services across Scotland. followed by Urgent Question Alex Cole-Hamilton To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest statistics showing that only 63.1% of patients are being seen within four hours in A&E, which is reportedly the lowest ever recorded. Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-05292 Stephen Kerr: A Potato With More Vitamin C Than a Lemon That the Parliament believes that gene-editing technology is game-changing for food production; understands that there is a big difference between gene-modification and gene-editing; further understands that gene-editing makes small, specific changes to existing DNA, or removes a section altogether, speeding up a process that could occur through natural breeding; recognises that scientists at the James Hutton Institute in Dundee have reportedly predicted that gene-editing technology could result in potatoes with more vitamin C than lemons being grown, and considers that Scotland could be left behind England in food production due to Scottish legislation prohibiting the use of gene-editing in Scotland.