Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Questions Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Audrey Nicoll S6O-04898 1. To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with Seafood Scotland regarding the development of the Scottish Ocean Cluster. Liam Kerr S6O-04899 2. To ask the Scottish Government what the justification was at the time for the purchase of Glen Prosen by Forestry and Land Scotland in November 2022, with a reported cost to the public of £17.6 million. Ruth Maguire S6O-04900 3. To ask the Scottish Government what work it is doing to support sustainable farming and food production that is based on improving biodiversity. Martin Whitfield S6O-04901 4. To ask the Scottish Government, as part of the cross-government co-ordination on islands, what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding action to ensure that island communities are protected through an effective flood resilience strategy, in light of Audit Scotland’s reported findings on weaknesses in preparedness. Elena Whitham S6O-04902 5. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support small-scale food producers in rural communities, in light of its commitments under the National Good Food Nation Plan. Murdo Fraser S6O-04903 6. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the potential impact on farmers and food producers of the introduction of meat-free days in public institutions, such as schools and hospitals. Miles Briggs S6O-04904 7. To ask the Scottish Government at what stage the current funding application is for the Edinburgh Biomes project at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Annie Wells S6O-04905 8. To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its policies on land reform and land use, what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding any action that can be taken to address concerns about derelict land and vacant buildings in urban areas, including Glasgow. Health and Social Care Katy Clark S6O-04906 1. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recently published report by National Records of Scotland, Healthy Life Expectancy 2021-2023. Mark Ruskell S6O-04907 2. [Not Lodged] Daniel Johnson S6O-04908 3. To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the number of children currently waiting for an ADHD assessment and the median length of wait. Member has a registered interest. Craig Hoy S6O-04909 4. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide further details regarding the announcement that NHS Dumfries and Galloway has moved to stage 3 of the NHS Scotland Support and Intervention Framework. Paul Sweeney S6O-04910 5. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that paid-for visits at private health clinics in the first quarter of the year were at the highest level recorded in a single quarter. Jamie Greene S6O-04911 6. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the availability of residential social care beds in the west of Scotland, in light of reported closures and service reductions in the region. Finlay Carson S6O-04912 7. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government’s recently announced funding to test new ways to tackle obesity and the reported limited access to weight management treatments across Scotland, what steps it is taking to ensure that people in rural areas, such as Dumfries and Galloway, can access new weight loss treatments, including through innovative models such as pharmacist-led pilot schemes in GP practices. Marie McNair S6O-04913 8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is supporting adults with ADHD to access medication. followed by Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Debate: Improving Scotland’s Finances Murdo Fraser S6M-18779 That the Parliament notes with deep concern the Scottish Fiscal Commission’s forecast of a £4.7 billion funding gap in 2029-30; recognises that without the Union dividend of £2,578 per person there would be a substantial deficit, with Scotland’s 2024-25 net fiscal balancing standing at -£26.5 billion (-11.7% of GDP); regrets that the Scottish Government continues to dismiss these realities and prioritise constitutional campaigning over sound financial management; calls for urgent measures to restore credibility to Scotland’s finances, including a full multi-year spending review to identify priorities, savings, and reform needs, a strategy to cap welfare spending growth, which is currently consuming a significant amount of resource growth, and create jobs by moving more people into work through reskilling and apprenticeships, a focus on productivity and economic growth to broaden Scotland’s tax base by allowing businesses to thrive, and a robust public service reform and stronger Audit Scotland oversight to deliver better value; believes that the Parliament must focus on NHS waiting times, education standards, and community safety rather than fiscal denialism, and resolves that Scotland’s future depends on fiscal discipline, growth, and accountable government within the United Kingdom. Further details available for S6M-18779 Ivan McKee S6M-18779.3 As an amendment to motion S6M-18779 in the name of Murdo Fraser (Improving Scotland’s Finances), leave out from “notes” to end and insert “that Scotland’s public services have been hampered by the UK Conservative administration’s austerity budgets; recognises the deep harm that the UK Conservative administration has done to the economies of the UK and Scotland with Brexit, and that this has reduced Scotland’s public spending by £2.3 billion annually; further recognises that this loss of public finances impacts on Scotland’s vital public services, including Scotland’s NHS, support for a just transition, and skills training; notes that a public sector reform programme is underway with the aim of saving public money while protecting the delivery of frontline services; believes that the UK Labour administration should either explore the application of wealth taxation or devolve the necessary powers to Scotland so that the Scottish Parliament can do so; welcomes that the Scottish Government has already announced plans for a three-year spending review to be published alongside the upcoming Budget, and believes that it is only with the powers of independence and full control of the fiscal levers that a truly sustainable and fair system can be developed to support efficiency and public service delivery. Further details available for S6M-18779.3 Michael Marra S6M-18779.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-18779 in the name of Murdo Fraser (Improving Scotland’s Finances), leave out from “notes” to end and insert "recognises that, as a result of the Barnett formula, spending per head of population is higher in Scotland and that full fiscal autonomy would end this arrangement." Further details available for S6M-18779.2 followed by Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Debate: Impact of Accommodating Asylum Seekers on Scottish Local Government Shirley-Anne Somerville S6M-18780.3 As an amendment to motion S6M-18780 in the name of Craig Hoy (Impact of Accommodating Asylum Seekers on Scottish Local Government), leave out from “acknowledges” to end and insert “ reaffirms individuals’ rights to asylum under international law, including the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol; upholds the European Convention on Human Rights, and highlights Scotland’s place in the world as a welcoming nation to those fleeing persecution, conflict or danger.” Further details available for S6M-18780.3 Mark Griffin S6M-18780.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-18780 in the name of Craig Hoy (Impact of Accommodating Asylum Seekers on Scottish Local Government), leave out from “acknowledges” to end and insert “regrets that the previous UK Conservative administration left the asylum system in a state of collapse; recognises the progress made by the UK Labour administration to clear the backlog of asylum claims, and believes that the failure to tackle the challenges facing Scotland’s local authorities, public services and housing system, for which the Scottish Government has devolved responsibility and has received record levels of funding from the UK Labour administration, is the root cause of the housing emergency.” Further details available for S6M-18780.2 Craig Hoy S6M-18780 That the Parliament acknowledges that the current number of asylum seekers accommodated in Scotland's local authority areas is becoming financially "unsustainable" for them, as confirmed by the Scottish National Party leader of Glasgow City Council; believes that asylum seekers should never have originally been accommodated in taxpayer-funded hotels; calls for the closure of all asylum hotels across Scotland as soon as possible, and rejects the Scottish Government’s position outlined in its response to the UK Government’s immigration white paper, which would see a further increase in the number of asylum seekers coming to Scotland. Further details available for S6M-18780 followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-18138 Stuart McMillan: Improving Bladder Cancer Diagnosis in Scotland That the Parliament notes the view that it is important to improve bladder cancer diagnosis, care and treatment in Scotland, in light of reports that outcomes for patients lag behind outcomes for bladder cancer patients elsewhere in the UK and in Europe; further notes the view that there is a need to improve the availability of staff and resources to improve the standard of care, and to support all those involved in diagnosing and treating bladder cancer in Scotland, including in the Greenock and Inverclyde constituency, such as nurses, GPs, urological surgeons, oncologists and other specialised healthcare professionals; acknowledges what it sees as the current dedication, tirelessness and passion shown by those individuals and organisations, such as Fight Bladder Cancer, that work to ensure that the best care is provided for this potentially life-changing disease, and notes the calls for all organisations to play their part in ensuring that the general public has awareness of this cancer and its symptoms so that bladder cancer can be caught and treated as early as possible. Further details available for S6M-18138