Meeting of the Parliament

General Questions Liam McArthur S6O-03508 1. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on work to extend the application of Road Equivalent Tariff to Northern Isles ferry routes. Sarah Boyack S6O-03509 2. To ask the Scottish Government when it will introduce legislation on climate targets, as announced by the net zero secretary in her ministerial statement on 18 April. Karen Adam S6O-03510 3. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support BSL users across Scotland to access culture, in light of the publication of Scotland’s Census 2022 report on language, which found that 117,300 people can use BSL. Fulton MacGregor S6O-03511 4. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that local authorities are able to provide full-time schooling for children with complex additional support needs. Annabelle Ewing S6O-03512 5. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support cultural activities in the Cowdenbeath constituency. Graham Simpson S6O-03513 6. To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to take forward the recommendations in the Transport Scotland report, "There’s an app for that!" - Women’s Safety on Public Transport in Scotland. Colin Beattie S6O-03514 7. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of the Sherrifhall roundabout project. Tim Eagle S6O-03515 8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it has held any recent discussions with SSEN Transmission, in light of reported concerns by communities in the Highlands and Islands region regarding electricity transmission proposals. followed by First Minister's Questions Douglas Ross S6F-03168 1. Question to be taken in Chamber. Anas Sarwar S6F-03169 2. Question to be taken in Chamber. Patrick Harvie S6F-03170 3. Question to be taken in Chamber. Clare Haughey S6F-03174 4. To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the potential impact on the health service in Scotland of Home Office data showing that health and care worker visa applications are 76% lower in January to April this year, compared with last year. Russell Findlay S6F-03185 5. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports of a National Crime Agency warning about synthetic opioids being linked to rising numbers of deaths. Pam Duncan-Glancy S6F-03176 6. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is on whether teacher numbers should be maintained, in light of the reported concerns of many parents, pupils and school staff in Glasgow. followed by Members' Business — S6M-12559 Alex Rowley: Physiotherapy Workforce Shortage in Scotland That the Parliament is concerned about the reported shortage of physiotherapists in the NHS workforce in Scotland and notes the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy's campaign "Scotland needs more physios"; notes the belief that Scotland does not currently educate or train enough physiotherapists to supply the workforce needs, with, it understands, only 7% of the hundreds of university applicants accepted onto undergraduate physiotherapy training places, and that this leaves considerable scope to expand the supply of qualified physiotherapists; understands that undergraduate training places have doubled in England to meet demand, but that there has been no increase in Scotland in the last decade, meaning that, while Scottish course programmes are oversubscribed with applicants, not enough places are funded to meet the needs of Scotland’s NHS; acknowledges the reported views of physiotherapists, stating that they are finding it extremely difficult to recruit staff for their practices across Scotland, with record high vacancy rates, averaging over 10%, and that this is having an impact on existing staff morale, with increased levels of stress and work pressures; believes that the shortage of physiotherapists impacts on local communities, their services and staff, including in Mid Scotland and Fife, and further believes that physiotherapy is essential to reduce hospital admissions, speed up discharge from hospital and reduce reliance on social care, all of which are critical.