Meeting of the Parliament

Time for Reflection Rev'd John Murdoch, Minister, St John's Kirk of Perth and St Leonard's in the Fields, Perth followed by Topical Questions Maggie Chapman S6T-00575 1. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of reports of potential international food shortages and rising food prices. Graham Simpson S6T-00577 2. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that Ferguson Marine is competitive, in light of the reported decision to award the contract to build two new CalMac ferries to the Turkish ship builder, Cemre Marin Endustri. followed by First Minister’s Statement: COVID-19 Update followed by Ministerial Statement: Developing a Catching Policy to Deliver Sustainable Fisheries Management in Scotland followed by Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee Debate: Ending Conversion Practices That the Parliament notes the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee’s 1st Report, 2022, (Session 6), Report on Petition PE1817: End Conversion Therapy (SP Paper 88). followed by Scottish Government Debate: COVID-19 – Scotland’s Strategic Framework Update That the Parliament welcomes the publication of the Strategic Framework Update on 22 February 2022; offers its condolences to everyone in Scotland who has suffered loss and its gratitude to all those who have worked so hard and sacrificed so much during the pandemic; notes that Scotland is now able to look forward to the rest of 2022 with increased optimism, made possible by the remarkable progress on vaccination and in new treatments; supports the new strategic intent to manage COVID-19 effectively, primarily through adaptations and health measures that strengthen resilience and recovery, as the country rebuilds for a better future; acknowledges that the threat from COVID-19 has not gone away and that the approach is to manage COVID-19 going forwards on the basis of four broad response categories that reflect the assessed threat; notes that the Scottish Government will aim to convert remaining COVID-19 regulations into guidance to promote good public health behaviours, while retaining the ability to regulate in future should the public health situation require it; agrees that there is a need for collaborative management of COVID-19 to be shared by central and local government, wider public services, businesses, the third sector, communities and individuals, and notes that the pandemic has also exacerbated inequalities, poverty and disadvantage and that the Strategic Framework outlines a wide range of concrete actions that are designed to improve outcomes across society, consistent with the COVID-19 Recovery Strategy. followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-02957 Gillian Martin: Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal 2022 That the Parliament welcomes Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal 2022, which runs throughout March; praises Marie Curie nursing and hospice staff who have been on the frontline throughout the COVID-19 pandemic for providing palliative and end of life care support to hundreds of dying people, their families, and carers, including in the Aberdeenshire East constituency; understands that Marie Curie cared for over 9,000 people in Scotland during 2020-21, which is reportedly the highest number of patients cared for in a single year since the charity was established 70 years ago; commends what it sees as the dedication, hard work and contribution of Marie Curie volunteers across Scotland; considers that the pandemic has highlighted how crucial access to palliative and end of life care is for terminally ill people to ensure a positive end of life experience that reflects what is important to the individual; understands that Marie Curie needs to raise £250,000 per week to support its frontline services; commends the vital care and support that Marie Curie provides across local authorities and hospices; praises the Marie Curie Information and Support services, which are available for everyone affected by terminal illness, including for bereavement support, and the volunteer Helper services, which have adapted during the pandemic to continue providing what it sees as vital emotional support, companionship, and information to terminally ill people, their carers, and families; believes that wearing the daffodil pin unites millions of people who consider that dying people should get the care and support that they need, and notes the calls encouraging as many people as possible to support the Marie Curie Great Daffodil Appeal in March 2022.