Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Questions Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands John Mason S6O-03484 1. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact on the food and drink sector of reports that many food and drink businesses are owned and controlled from outwith Scotland. Foysol Choudhury S6O-03485 2. To ask the Scottish Government what forms of community engagement the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill mandates in relation to the creation of a land management plan for large land holdings. Liam Kerr S6O-03486 3. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how much money it has distributed to farmers to address any damage caused by recent flooding. Ariane Burgess S6O-03487 4. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the issuing of licences for scallop dredging activities that may cause harm to priority marine habitats, in light of reports of harm being caused to such habitats, including the herring spawning grounds off North Erradale and Gairloch. Michelle Thomson S6O-03488 5. To ask the Scottish Government what place human ecology, specifically a focus on the relationship between the natural environment and the social environment, has in its rural affairs policy development. James Dornan S6O-03489 6. To ask the Scottish Government what analysis has been undertaken of the impact of Brexit on agriculture, in light of the National Audit Office's report on developing post-Brexit border arrangements. Maggie Chapman S6O-03490 7. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to tackle wildlife crime. Annie Wells S6O-03491 8. To ask the Scottish Government what impact the ending of the Bute House Agreement will have on its rural policy. NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care Alexander Burnett S6O-03492 1. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the health secretary has had with local health and social care partnerships regarding minor injuries units. Ruth Maguire S6O-03493 2. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with NHS Ayrshire and Arran. Jeremy Balfour S6O-03494 3. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to restart the GP Sustainability Loan Scheme, including by what date it expects to restart the scheme. Jackie Baillie S6O-03495 4. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to reduce NHS waiting times. Carol Mochan S6O-03496 5. To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to reduce any health inequalities, specifically in relation to the uptake of cervical cancer screening appointments. Bob Doris S6O-03497 6. To ask the Scottish Government what role NHS boards have in the monitoring and minimising of dispensing errors by community pharmacies. Collette Stevenson S6O-03498 7. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with NHS Lanarkshire, and what was discussed. Monica Lennon S6O-03499 8. To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the total annual cost of alcohol harm in Scotland, including to the NHS and healthcare, in light of the Institute of Alcohol Studies reporting that the annual cost of alcohol harm in England is £27.4 billion, which includes a £4.9 billion cost to the NHS in England. followed by Committee Debate: Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee Debate: Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee's 1st Report, 2024 (Session 6) Martin Whitfield S6M-13368 That the Parliament notes the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee's 1st Report, 2024 (Session 6), Complaint against Michael Matheson MSP (SP Paper 597), and agrees to impose the sanctions recommended in the report that the Parliament excludes Michael Matheson MSP from proceedings of the Parliament for a period of 27 sitting days and withdraws his salary for a period of 54 calendar days to take effect from the day after this motion is agreed. Kate Forbes S6M-13368.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-13368 in the name of Martin Whitfield (Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee's 1st Report, 2024 (Session 6)), insert at end "; recognises that Stephen Kerr MSP resigned from the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee in March 2024 as he had made public pronouncements on this case ahead of the complaint being heard by the committee; agrees with Stephen Kerr MSP that to have remained as a committee member 'would have been wrong' as he 'couldn’t meet the test to be unbiased'; notes that Annie Wells MSP also made public pronouncements on this case in advance of the complaint being heard by the committee and has remained a committee member throughout; agrees that this runs the risk of the committee report being open to bias and prejudice and the complaint being prejudged, thereby bringing the Parliament into disrepute; further agrees with the disappointment expressed by the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee that material relating to the committee's deliberations appeared in the media prior to its decisions being reached and announced, and calls on the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body to initiate an independent review of the Parliament’s complaints process to restore integrity and confidence in the Parliament and its procedures." followed by Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Debate: Michael Matheson Resignation Douglas Ross S6M-13365 That the Parliament believes that Michael Matheson should resign as an MSP for misusing taxpayers’ money and making misleading statements. Jackie Baillie S6M-13365.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-13365 in the name of Douglas Ross (Michael Matheson Resignation), insert at end “, and further believes that the people of Scotland should have the same right to recall MSPs as they do to recall MPs from the UK Parliament, if they are found to have behaved inappropriately by the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee.” Patrick Harvie S6M-13365.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-13365 in the name of Douglas Ross (Michael Matheson Resignation), leave out from “should” to end and insert "has been investigated by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB), and that decisions on sanctions are a matter for Parliament on the recommendations of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee; rejects the calls for sanctions that go far beyond those recommended by the committee; believes that the Parliament requires a sanctions process that can retain confidence across all political parties; recognises that concerns have arisen in relation to the lack of a consistent tariff of sanctions, the *potential* pre-judging of a case by an MSP who did not recuse themselves from the process, and the leaking of draft recommendations by the committee, and agrees, therefore, that reform of the current arrangements for considering sanctions against MSPs is urgently needed." followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-12917 Jamie Halcro Johnston: Importance of Wood-burning Stoves and Other Direct Emission Heating to Homes in Rural and Island Communities That the Parliament recognises what it sees as the importance of wood-burning stoves and other forms of direct emission heating in homes in rural, island and remote communities across Scotland; notes that wood-burning stoves are often the only source of heat and hot water, and method of cooking, when power is lost or when bad weather leaves households or communities isolated; further notes that the Non-domestic Technical Handbook: April 2024 Edition states that “in smaller buildings there will be little justification to install emergency heating”; considers that any emergency heating can only be used in emergencies and must be connected to both the normal heating system and an emergency power source, and that the cost and technical implications of this have led to the Scottish Government’s Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2023 being described as “an effective ban” on wood-burning stoves in new-build properties; believes that this will put vulnerable households in more remote areas of Scotland at greater risk when cut off or when power is lost, as well as exacerbate already high levels of fuel poverty, and recognises reports of the concern and anger that this has caused in rural and island communities across Scotland, especially in the Highlands and Islands.