Meeting of the Parliament

Time for Reflection Mollie Hughes, Mountaineer, Adventurer and Motivational Speaker followed by Topical Questions Neil Bibby S6T-01244 1. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Loganair and Highlands and Islands Airports regarding the suspension of many island flights from 17 March. Edward Mountain S6T-01236 2. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent comments by the Chief Executive of CalMac, what action it is taking to prevent island residents being impacted by any reliability issues affecting their ferry services over the next two years. Fergus Ewing S6T-01225 3. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that small shops in Scotland fear they cannot survive because of the costs and impacts of the Deposit Return Scheme, what its position is on Circularity Scotland’s confirmation on 1 March that retailers who use Reverse Vending Machines would have to wait one month for payment for returned bottles, rather than the previously expected seven days. followed by Scottish Government Debate: Women and Girls’ Safety on Public Transport Jenny Gilruth S6M-08122 That Parliament notes the publication of new Scottish Government research on Women and Girls’ Safety on Public Transport; encourages operators, police authorities and other stakeholders to adopt the recommendations put forward by the report; regrets that women and girls are adapting their behaviour to try to feel safe when travelling or working on public transport; notes that wider systemic changes, supported by more practical interventions, are required, and supports a commitment to engage stakeholders in the Scottish transport sector in a summit, which will progress the recommendations from this report, to ensure that Scotland’s public transport is made safer for women and girls. Graham Simpson S6M-08122.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-08122 in the name of Jenny Gilruth (Women and Girls’ Safety on Public Transport), insert at end "; notes the 10th anniversary of British Transport Police’s (BTP) Text 61016 service in March 2023, and encourages people to use BTP’s free Railway Guardian app, which helps the travelling public and rail staff to report crime to BTP and offers information on what to do if people see sexual harassment on trains or at stations." Neil Bibby S6M-08122.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-08122 in the name of Jenny Gilruth (Women and Girls’ Safety on Public Transport), insert at end "; believes that in order for women and girls to feel safe and be safe, the public transport network needs to be accessible and properly staffed; rejects proposals for any cuts to ScotRail ticket office opening hours, which would be a retrograde step in this regard, and calls for assurances that trade unions and women’s organisations will be actively included in the work for safety on public transport." That Parliament notes the publication of new Scottish Government research on Women and Girls’ Safety on Public Transport; encourages operators, police authorities and other stakeholders to adopt the recommendations put forward by the report; regrets that women and girls are adapting their behaviour to try to feel safe when travelling or working on public transport; notes that wider systemic changes, supported by more practical interventions, are required, and supports a commitment to engage stakeholders in the Scottish transport sector in a summit, which will progress the recommendations from this report, to ensure that Scotland’s public transport is made safer for women and girls. followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-07522 Rona Mackay: The Cost to Families of Imprisonment and Release That the Parliament acknowledges what it sees as the deepening financial and emotional hardship of families with a loved one in prison after a decade of austerity, the COVID-19 pandemic and the present cost of living crisis; notes the impact of what it considers this harsh reality in a new report by Families Outside, the only national charity that works solely on behalf of families in Scotland, including in the Strathkelvin and Bearsden constituency, who are affected by imprisonment; understands that one in three children in disadvantaged areas of the country are now living in poverty; believes that the cost of imprisonment is overwhelmingly borne by single women on low incomes, with single parents hit especially hard financially, along with the added adverse impact on mental health as a consequence of supporting someone in prison; notes the view that more support is needed for people on release from prison, which it considers would in turn help their families; highlights what it considers the role of prison in creating, sustaining and deepening poverty among children and families, and notes the view that more must be done to relieve what it sees as the financial and mental burden carried silently by families for too long, and to ensure that their voices are heard.