Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Questions Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Collette Stevenson S6O-03420 1. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what discussions it has had with stakeholders in Scotland affected by Brexit in preparation for any input that it will provide to the review of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Clare Haughey S6O-03421 2. To ask the Scottish Government how it is taking forward work to engage with the Scottish diaspora. Michelle Thomson S6O-03422 3. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of Brexit on young musicians. Sarah Boyack S6O-03423 4. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the culture secretary has had with the finance secretary regarding future funding for culture, in light of its commitment to invest an additional £100 million in the sector. Alexander Stewart S6O-03424 5. To ask the Scottish Government how it can ensure that the public has confidence in the arts and culture sector. Jamie Greene S6O-03425 6. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that over half of applications to Creative Scotland could be turned down as a result of "standstill funding" from the Scottish Government. Liz Smith S6O-03426 7. To ask the Scottish Government what events it has planned to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings on 6 June. Liam Kerr S6O-03427 8. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the constitution secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the delivery of its commitment to invest at least £100 million more in culture and the arts by the financial year 2028-29. Justice and Home Affairs Keith Brown S6O-03428 1. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a further update on the Scottish Prison Service’s work to address reported noise disturbance at HMP Stirling. Willie Coffey S6O-03429 2. To ask the Scottish Government how it is tackling antisocial behaviour. James Dornan S6O-03430 3. To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made towards implementing its Vision for Justice in Scotland Delivery Plan. Foysol Choudhury 4. [Not Lodged] Colin Smyth S6O-03432 5. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that police officer numbers have fallen to their lowest level since the establishment of Police Scotland. Gillian Mackay S6O-03433 6. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update ahead of the introduction of the proposed Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Bill, including in relation to the potential overturning of any wrongful convictions of postmasters in Scotland that were based on evidence from the Post Office’s Horizon computer system. Alexander Burnett S6O-03434 7. To ask the Scottish Government when the justice secretary last met with the Lord Advocate. Liam McArthur S6O-03435 8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its engagement with stakeholders in the legal sector regarding the provision of legal aid. followed by Scottish Labour Party Debate: Stand Up for Teaching Pam Duncan-Glancy S6M-13196 That the Parliament is concerned by reported plans to cut teacher posts in a number of local authorities, including Glasgow City Council, where 172 jobs are at risk in 2024, rising to 450 jobs that are to be cut over the next three years; recognises that teacher numbers have fallen, compared with 2007, and that these cuts will have the greatest impact on pupils in the most deprived communities; notes that the target numbers of student teachers in some subjects have not been met; considers that the increasing precarity of teaching as a profession makes it harder to attract and retain high-quality candidates; understands that local authorities require stability of funding to provide permanent teaching roles and drive up standards in education in Scotland, and calls on the Scottish Government to intervene to prevent job losses and publish a comprehensive plan to address gaps in the teaching and school staff workforce to inform future recruitment and retention. Jenny Gilruth S6M-13196.3 As an amendment to motion S6M-13196 in the name of Pam Duncan-Glancy (Stand Up for Teaching), leave out from “, including” to end and insert “; recognises that the Scottish Government is investing in maintaining teaching numbers with an additional £145.5 million designed to support local authorities to do so; thanks those local authorities in 2022-23 that maintained or increased their teacher numbers; acknowledges that the policy of free tuition means that students in Scotland avoid incurring additional debt of up to £27,750; recognises that the Scottish Government further invests in supporting full postgraduate support, and in funding the salaries associated with the first full year of probation; recognises the challenges of rurality and subject area in certain parts of the country; confirms that action needs to be taken to reduce workload that does not support learning and teaching; recognises that the Scottish Government and the Parliament have a responsibility to promote teaching as a highly rewarding career, and agrees that the Scottish Government should engage with parties across the Parliament to hear views on how best to meet these challenges, further to work with COSLA, as underpinned by the principles of the Verity House Agreement, in a joint collaborative effort to improve the employment opportunities for all of Scotland’s teachers, for the benefit of Scotland’s young people.” Liam Kerr S6M-13196.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-13196 in the name of Pam Duncan-Glancy (Stand Up for Teaching), insert at end “; takes on board the recommendations of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party’s New Deal for Teachers to support teachers, reduce contact time and properly fund local authorities; believes that enacting these recommendations would help to facilitate the recruitment and retention of teachers, provide the highest standard of education and work to better improve the link between the education system and employers, and calls, in that regard, for the alignment of skills to meet the needs of businesses and employers both for today and into the future, as set out in the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party’s Grasping the Thistle economic strategy plan.” followed by Scottish Labour Party Debate: Scotland’s Housing Emergency Mark Griffin S6M-13197 That the Parliament believes that Scotland is in a housing emergency. Paul McLennan S6M-13197.3 As an amendment to motion S6M-13197 in the name of Mark Griffin (Scotland’s Housing Emergency), insert at end "and that the housing emergency is more acutely felt in some parts of the country than others; acknowledges that the current situation is due to a combination of factors including those outwith the Scottish Government’s powers, including a decade of UK Government austerity, soaring inflation and an increasing cost of living, labour shortages linked to Brexit, and a freeze to local housing allowance (LHA) rates; calls on the UK Government to reverse the near 9% cut in Scotland’s capital funding settlement, commit to ensuring that LHA rates will permanently meet at least the 30th percentile of local rents, and provide adequate support to local authorities impacted by the increase in asylum support cessations; recognises the Scottish Government’s record on delivering affordable homes and action taken on rent rises; notes that in 2024-25, despite the UK Government imposing a cut to its capital budget, the Scottish Government will invest nearly £600 million in affordable housing and over £90 million for discretionary housing payments; welcomes the actions in the Housing (Scotland) Bill to tackle rising rent levels and the continued focus on the target of delivering 110,000 high-quality, energy efficient affordable homes, and agrees that the Scottish Government, UK Government and local authorities must work together to deliver a housing system that meets the needs of the people of Scotland." Miles Briggs S6M-13197.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-13197 in the name of Mark Griffin (Scotland’s Housing Emergency), insert at end "; notes that there are a record number of people in Scotland experiencing homelessness with almost 10,000 children stuck in temporary accommodation and 45 children becoming homeless in Scotland every day; calls on the Scottish Ministers to bring forward an urgent housing emergency action plan to tackle the issues raised by the Scottish Government’s own expert Homelessness Prevention Task and Finish Group, including actions that will reduce the number of children stuck in temporary accommodation by the end of this parliamentary session; recognises the need to improve capacity in local government to prevent more local homelessness services falling into systemic failure, and the need to improve delivery for those with specific supported living needs, and calls on the Scottish Ministers to review how national government, local authorities and third sector partners are working together on the shared ambition to end homelessness." followed by Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Bill: Emergency Bill Motion Jamie Hepburn S6M-13230 That the Parliament agrees that the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Bill be treated as an Emergency Bill. followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-12524 Clare Adamson: No Falls Week 2024 That the Parliament recognises that 13 to 17 May 2024 marks No Falls Week; considers that this week is an opportunity to recognise the powerful campaign dedicated to promoting safe working at height, providing an opportunity for organisations in all sectors to focus on working at height safety; notes that the latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive show that 40 people lost their lives due to a fall from height in Great Britain in 2022-23, that falls from height were responsible for 30% of all workplace deaths, and that, it understands, every year thousands of non-fatal falls take place, estimated at as many as 100 every day; understands that the No Falls Foundation has produced a toolkit with resources and guidelines to assist organisations in planning and implementing activities during No Falls Week, and notes the calls encouraging employers not only to contribute to the broader safety narrative, but also to demonstrate their dedication to the wellbeing of their employees.