Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Questions Justice and Veterans Emma Harper S6O-00337 1. To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting Police Scotland to implement and enforce legislation on the control of dogs. Colin Beattie S6O-00338 2. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported Crown Office findings that there has been a 9% increase in reported charges with a "domestic abuse identifier" during the COVID-19 pandemic, what action it is taking to support victims of domestic violence. Michelle Thomson S6O-00339 3. To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the views of consumers are adequately heard in its consultation on legal services regulation reform. Evelyn Tweed S6O-00340 4. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure the dignity, security and wellbeing of Scotland’s veterans. Neil Gray S6O-00341 5. To ask the Scottish Government what impact its revised rules on the use of fireworks have had on antisocial behaviour complaints related to bonfire night. Craig Hoy S6O-00342 6. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on community sentencing. Willie Rennie S6O-00343 7. To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to incorporate the recent HMICS findings in relation to Police Scotland into the ongoing response to the independent review into police complaints handling investigations and misconduct issues, conducted by Dame Elish Angiolini. Jackie Dunbar S6O-00344 8. To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to assist veterans in readjusting to civilian life. Finance and the Economy Foysol Choudhury S6O-00345 1. To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to allocate additional funding in its forthcoming Budget to provide pay increases for frontline public sector workers. Richard Leonard S6O-00346 2. To ask the Scottish Government when it will produce consolidated accounts for the whole public sector in Scotland. Gillian Martin S6O-00347 3. To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the economy of the north east in terms of a Just Transition for workers away from oil and gas. Paul Sweeney 4. [Not Lodged] Martin Whitfield S6O-00349 5. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the employment gap for disabled people, in light of the reported findings from the Annual Population Survey 2020-21 that the employment rate for disabled people was 47.4%, which was lower than that for non-disabled people. Maggie Chapman S6O-00350 6. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with the support available for cooperatives for the transition to a new economy. Willie Coffey S6O-00351 7. To ask the Scottish Government how the enterprise agencies support economic growth in Ayrshire. Jamie Halcro Johnston S6O-00352 8. To ask the Scottish Government what recent changes it has made to its public procurement policies, including as a result of the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee report on its inquiry into construction and procurement of ferry vessels in Scotland. followed by Ministerial Statement: National Planning Framework followed by Scottish Government Debate: Scotland’s Approach to 2021 Coastal States Negotiations followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-01536 Alexander Stewart: 100 Years of the Poppy in the UK That the Parliament acknowledges that the first annual Poppy appeal was launched in the UK in November 1921; understands that in excess of nine million poppies were manufactured for this event and that they sold out almost immediately; believes that this raised more than £106,000, the equivalent of over £5.3 million today; notes that the money was put to assisting veterans in finding jobs and homes; believes this was the birth of an enduring symbol of the nation's gratitude for its veterans and helps provide them with a lifeline; acknowledges that, in Scotland, Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory opened in 1926 at a former wood-cutting factory in the grounds of Whitefoord House on Edinburgh's Royal Mile; notes that it moved to the Warriston area of the capital in 1965; recognises that its team of 34 disabled veterans hand-produce more than five million poppies and 15,000 wreaths annually; notes that the team relocated to Redford Barracks in 2019 to allow substantial refurbishment work to be carried out at the Factory, returning this summer; believes that, with the help of sales by organisations such as Poppyscotland, the Royal British Legion, the Ancre Somme Association Scotland and myriad Armed Forces' charities, this adoption as a symbol of charity right across the UK, including in the Mid-Scotland & Fife region, has seen the poppy transcend its purely metaphorical and commemorative status, additionally becoming a physical and palpable object with the single purpose of providing financial stability for men and women affected by war and conflict, and notes that people can also offer support by visiting the Poppyscotland website and purchasing from its pages at poppyscotlandstore.com.