Meeting of the Parliament

Time for Reflection Lorraine Currie, Chief Executive, Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund followed by Topical Questions Liam Kerr (S6T-02626) To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the overall increase in recorded crimes in the past year, including rape, violent crime, antisocial behaviour and shoplifting. Jackie Baillie (S6T-02642) To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce NHS waiting lists, in light of new analysis reportedly showing that waits of over two years are now more than 800 times higher in Scotland than in England. Kenneth Gibson (S6T-02625) To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Cabinet Secretary for Transport's announcement on 19 February 2025, whether it will provide an update on its discussions with Peel Ports regarding bringing Ardrossan harbour into public ownership. followed by Ministerial Statement: Tackling the Housing Emergency followed by Scottish Government Debate: Priorities for Scotland John Swinney (S6M-18671) That the Parliament welcomes the Scottish Government’s continued focus on its four key priorities of eradicating child poverty, tackling the climate emergency, growing the economy, and ensuring high-quality and sustainable public services; recognises that the delivery of these priorities is within the significant constraints of a constitutional settlement that hampers achieving those priorities due to the policy decisions of UK Conservative and Labour administrations, and recognises that it is only by choosing independence that Scotland can get the fresh start that its people need and deserve. Further details available for S6M-18671 Russell Findlay (S6M-18671.4) As an amendment to motion S6M-18671 in the name of John Swinney (Priorities for Scotland), leave out from "welcomes" to end and insert "recognises that the Scottish Government has failed to take action on the priorities of taxpayers, like cutting NHS waiting lists, fixing crumbling roads and stimulating economic growth; acknowledges that, despite repeatedly raising taxes, public services have not improved in Scotland; laments that, increasingly, the Scottish Government has focused on its obsession with independence, as well as fringe issues like gender reform and subjects wholly outside its remit like foreign affairs; notes with concern that Scotland continues to have a bloated public sector, with a huge number of quangos that often have overlapping functions and remits; argues that public money would be better spent being diverted to frontline services rather than on the bureaucratic state, and calls for the Scottish Ministers to prioritise economic growth and improving public services rather than yet another push for an independence referendum." Further details available for S6M-18671.4 Anas Sarwar (S6M-18671.2) As an amendment to motion S6M-18671 in the name of John Swinney (Priorities for Scotland), leave out from "welcomes" to end and insert "notes that the Scottish National Party (SNP) administration has overseen the development of a housing emergency, allowed NHS waiting lists to soar, leading to a two-tier system with those who can afford to pay going private, been forced to scrap its legal climate change targets due to its own inaction, wasted billions of pounds of public money through incompetence and bureaucracy, and stood by while school standards declined; recognises that SNP incompetence means that people in Scotland are not feeling the benefits of the £5.2 billion in additional funding delivered by the UK Labour administration, which is working to restore public services and kickstart economic growth, and believes that Scotland is a country that is full of potential but that it is being failed by the SNP administration, and that, at the election in 2026, people in Scotland can choose a new administration that shares their ambitions and works to deliver the services that they deserve." Further details available for S6M-18671.2 Ross Greer (S6M-18671.3) As an amendment to motion S6M-18671 in the name of John Swinney (Priorities for Scotland), insert at end "; is concerned that Scottish Government action to tackle the climate emergency has been scaled back, that targets for reducing child poverty have been missed and that the wealthiest 2% of households in Scotland hold more wealth than the bottom 50%; recognises that tackling the climate emergency, eradicating child poverty and ensuring high-quality and sustainable public services will require further redistribution of wealth, and calls, therefore, on the Scottish Government to make bold use of its existing tax-raising powers, including the creation of new revenue-raising mechanisms for local government." Further details available for S6M-18671.3 Alex Cole-Hamilton (S6M-18671.1) As an amendment to motion S6M-18671 in the name of John Swinney (Priorities for Scotland), leave out from “welcomes” to end and insert “recognises that people feel let down and frustrated, and considers that Scotland deserves better than the current Scottish National Party administration; calls for first-rate healthcare, help with the cost of living, more support for pupils to help get Scottish education back to its best, and an end to the ferries fiasco, and believes that Scotland needs change with fairness at its heart." Further details available for S6M-18671.1 followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-17893 Alex Rowley: Provision of NHS Dentistry That the Parliament is concerned by the availability of NHS dentistry provision, with specific concerns relating to some dental practices reportedly making the decision to no longer provide dentistry on the NHS for adult patients; understands that the operators of Breeze Dental Care in Fife have indicated their intention to restrict the NHS dental care that they provide to only those under the age of 26, affecting patients of both their Cowdenbeath and Cardenden practices; further understands that this decision has caused considerable stress for existing patients, who have reportedly been told that the only option to remain with the practice is to sign up to a private payment plan, which many cannot afford; regrets the reported anxiety that this has caused for some patients who have used the same dental practice for many decades of their life and are now unable to find any other dentists in their local area accepting new NHS dental patients; is troubled by situations such as this when a dentist decides to no longer offer NHS dental treatment, but existing patients have no recourse to move to another dentist due to a lack of availability in the provision; believes that this situation is unfair and risks disrupting continuity of care, which can be vital for people who have attended a local dentist for much of their life; understands that, in responding to this latest practice removing NHS provision, NHS Fife has said that "There is a national shortage of qualified dentists currently and this remains a significant issue impacting NHS dentistry across Scotland, including here in Fife", and that "Health Boards like NHS Fife have no means of compelling practices to provide NHS dental services, and with the shift over recent years from smaller NHS-run practices to larger corporate entities, we have very limited influence over practice decisions", and notes the belief that, as a result of many people across the Mid Scotland and Fife region, as well as across Scotland, finding it difficult to access NHS dentistry, the Scottish Government should review the availability of provision as well as what action can be taken to ensure that people remain able to access NHS dentistry. Further details available for S6M-17893