Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Questions Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy Pam Gosal S6O-03054 1. To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will take in the next financial year to boost the confidence of those operating in the business sector and to promote entrepreneurship. Foysol Choudhury S6O-03055 2. To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding actions that can be taken to preserve energy networks following periods of bad weather. Bob Doris S6O-03056 3. To ask the Scottish Government how its cities strategy supports town centres within cities to be vibrant destinations, which offer a range of services and amenities to support the community. Emma Harper S6O-03057 4. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has held with South of Scotland Enterprise regarding any preliminary analysis of the outcome of its recently implemented four-day working week pilot. Audrey Nicoll S6O-03058 5. To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the growth of international exports. Roz McCall S6O-03059 6. To ask the Scottish Government whether, as part of the implementation of the recommendations of the City Centre Recovery Taskforce report, the role of larger retail stores in city centres is being considered. Beatrice Wishart S6O-03060 7. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the reduction in funding for Highlands and Islands Enterprise on women in business. Jackie Baillie S6O-03061 8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress against the five fair work benchmarks in the National Strategy for Economic Transformation. Finance and Parliamentary Business Neil Bibby S6O-03062 1. To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated to local authorities from its 2024-25 Budget. Stuart McMillan S6O-03063 2. To ask the Scottish Government what dialogue it has had with Inverclyde Council regarding the Scottish Budget for 2024-25. Sandesh Gulhane S6O-03064 3. To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of the potential impact on its Medium-Term Financial Strategy and future Scottish Budgets of reports that the cost of a National Care Service could rise to £2 billion. Clare Haughey S6O-03065 4. To ask the Scottish Government what its latest engagement has been with the UK Government regarding cost of living support. Murdo Fraser S6O-03066 5. To ask the Scottish Government how its Budget for 2024-25 will support the delivery of local services in the Mid Scotland and Fife region. Ivan McKee S6O-03067 6. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how much money it expects to be able to reallocate from back office costs to front line services in the Scottish Budget, as a result of its work on public service reform. Evelyn Tweed S6O-03068 7. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is, regarding any potential impact on Scotland’s public finances, to reports that the Chancellor of the Exchequer is considering reducing taxes in the UK Budget in March. Katy Clark S6O-03069 8. To ask the Scottish Government what consideration is being given to increasing the funding settlement for local authorities. followed by Scottish Government Debate: Delivering Record Social Security Investment in Scotland to Tackle the Cost of Living Crisis and Inequality Jeremy Balfour S6M-12079.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-12079 in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville (Delivering Record Social Security Investment in Scotland to Tackle the Cost of Living Crisis and Inequality), leave out from "; welcomes" to end and insert ", but notes with extreme concern that the Scottish Fiscal Commission reports that, by 2027-28, the Scottish Government will need to find an additional £1.3 billion in spending from within the Scottish Budget for these demand-led payments; understands that the Social Security Scotland agency is set to cost taxpayers in Scotland £322 million in operational costs in 2024-25, which is 130% higher than spending in 2020-21; acknowledges that these benefits were first promised to be fully devolved to Scottish control by 2020, but that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has recently had to agree to extend the agency agreements to continue to assist and support the Scottish Government until 2026 as Social Security Scotland is, to date, unable to handle the full caseload; notes that these devolved benefits have not been significantly changed from the DWP criteria and that the promised review of adult disability payments may not be published until August 2025; acknowledges the disappointment from the third sector that the dedicated Minister for Equalities and Older People post was removed in March 2023, and backs the calls from Age Scotland and 15 partner agencies for this to be reinstated to ensure a targeted focus on tackling inequality, and welcomes the announcement by the UK Government that the third instalment of its Cost of Living Payment will be paid later in February 2024, benefitting more than 680,000 people across Scotland and totalling up to £900 paid to eligible households on means-tested benefits, and directly helping tackle the cost of living crisis and inequality equally across the UK." Paul O'Kane S6M-12079.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-12079 in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville (Delivering Record Social Security Investment in Scotland to Tackle the Cost of Living Crisis and Inequality), leave out from "Government's" to end and insert "Child Payment; notes the stubbornly high waiting times for Child Disability Payment, where the median processing time was 106 days, and for Adult Disability Payment, where the median processing time was 83 days, according to the latest statistical releases; is concerned by the Scottish Government’s failure to sufficiently and swiftly address these long processing times, which are driving some people to rely on foodbanks, according to reports from third sector organisations; is further concerned by the rise of in-work poverty in Scotland, with over one in 10 workers locked in persistent low pay according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and agrees that a UK Labour administration will implement a New Deal for Working People that will end in-work poverty and implement a fundamental reform of the Universal Credit system to provide a real safety net for those who need it." Shirley-Anne Somerville S6M-12079 That the Parliament believes that social security plays a vital role in tackling poverty and reducing economic and social inequalities, and that the Scottish social security system must have dignity, fairness and respect at its heart; welcomes the Scottish Government’s record investment of £6.3 billion in social security expenditure in 2024-25 and that the Scottish Fiscal Commission has forecast that this is an investment of £1.1 billion more than the funding received from the UK Government through the social security block grant; notes that this investment includes the Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods, as well as the landmark, and extended, Scottish Child Payment, which is estimated to lift 50,000 children out of relative poverty in 2024; recognises that £614 million of Scotland-only benefits are being delivered in 2024-25, which is support that is unparalleled across the UK; further recognises the substantial difference that Social Security Scotland is making through improved disability and carers benefits; notes that Scottish Government support is being delivered despite continued UK Government block grant cuts and continued UK Government austerity, and calls on the UK Government to drop planned Work Capability Assessment changes, introduce an essentials guarantee and immediately scrap the two-child cap and the associated so-called rape clause. followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-11700 Rona Mackay: Definition of Deafblindness That the Parliament notes the process towards formal recognition in Scotland of deafblindness as a distinct disability; commends the work of the Cross-Party Group (CPG) on Deafness, whose members have been working tirelessly towards the definition of deafblindness becoming adopted in Scotland, which, it understands, is already the case elsewhere in the UK and within the European Parliament; notes the view that this is a crucial step towards identifying, diagnosing and supporting people with dual sensory loss who live in Scotland, including in the Strathkelvin and Bearsden constituency, and enabling the unique challenges that they face to be addressed; further notes what it sees as the valuable recommendations of Deafblind Scotland, having worked with partners in the CPG to develop a Declaration on Deafblindness; notes the calls from the group for the Scottish Parliament to recognise this low-incidence but high-impact disability in Scotland, and the formal adoption of the Nordic definition of deafblindness; understands that the World Health Organization (WHO) is one of several organisations that has already adopted the definition of deafblindness, and applauds Deafblind Scotland, in Lenzie, and its members, staff and volunteers, for working to ensure that lived experience plays an integral part in informing policy, including the formal recognition of the term deafblindness and its definition.