Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Questions Rural Affairs and Islands Fiona Hyslop S6O-01508 1. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact on Scotland’s agricultural sector of the UK Government's upcoming new regulations regarding meat exports. Russell Findlay S6O-01509 2. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to withhold farming payments from convicted criminals. John Mason S6O-01510 3. To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on whether there are households that took on a pet during the COVID-19 pandemic and are now struggling to look after them, in light of the cost of living crisis. Kaukab Stewart S6O-01511 4. To ask the Scottish Government what its latest assessment is of the impact of Brexit on Scotland's food and drink sector. Colin Smyth S6O-01512 5. To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the outcome of both the statutory review of snaring and its additional review, which was considering a potential ban on snaring in Scotland. Liz Smith 6. [Not Lodged] Jackie Baillie S6O-01514 7. To ask the Scottish Government what further financial support it will provide to Argyll and Bute to help tackle depopulation of rural areas and islands. Edward Mountain S6O-01515 8. To ask the Scottish Government whether its proposed new Agriculture Bill will be introduced before 2024. Health and Social Care Gillian Martin S6O-01516 1. To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the training of advanced clinical practitioners. Jamie Greene S6O-01517 2. To ask the Scottish Government what additional strain excessive alcohol consumption is having on the NHS. Fulton MacGregor S6O-01518 3. To ask the Scottish Government what support is in place for people with Long COVID. Alex Rowley S6O-01519 4. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported present staffing crisis, how it will ensure adequate staffing for the proposed national treatment centres. Elena Whitham 5. [Withdrawn] David Torrance 6. [Not Lodged] Mark Griffin 7. [Not Lodged] Sharon Dowey S6O-01523 8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update on the steps it is taking to encourage more GPs to work in rural practices. followed by Scottish Government Debate: Forestry's Contribution to Net Zero Scotland That the Parliament acknowledges the essential contribution to net zero that trees, woods and forests make, tackling the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, especially ahead of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP27; notes the importance of growing and maintaining a resilient forest resource to sustain its economic, social and environmental contribution; welcomes the achievements made in implementing Scotland’s Forestry Strategy 2019-2029; further welcomes the creation of 4,362 hectares of native woodland in 2021, delivering the target agreed in the Bute House Agreement, which will be reviewed in the forthcoming biodiversity strategy, and reiterates the commitment to increase the use of domestic timber, and the Scottish Government’s annual woodland creation target, which increases to 18,000 hectares by 2025. followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-05607 Stuart McMillan: Greenock and Inverclyde Faced with Higher Forecourt Prices that Rest of Scotland That the Parliament rejects what it sees as the unfair fuel-pricing policy reportedly facing the people of Greenock and Inverclyde; understands that reports from BBC Scotland and the Greenock Telegraph suggest that forecourt prices in the area are significantly higher than in other parts of Scotland, including in more rural constituencies; believes that fuel retailers operating in Inverclyde have failed to acknowledge the impact of what it sees as a localised approach to pricing on people and businesses in the area, which, based on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), ranks highest in Scotland for levels of deprivation; welcomes the announcement that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will conduct a market study into the supply of road fuel in the UK; notes the view that changes are needed to prevent fuel retailers from charging significantly higher prices in one area compared to nearby locations; believes that reducing reliance on petrol and diesel vehicles is crucial, in light of the climate emergency; considers, however, that some people rely on their car for work or health reasons, and that purchasing a hybrid or electric vehicle, or using public transport, is not always an option; highlights what it sees as the vast profits being made by big businesses, including oil and gas companies; believes that this is in sharp contradiction to the cost of living crisis facing society that is plunging more households into poverty; notes the view that the UK Government must extend measures to help households, including through a cut in VAT and reduction in fuel duty; further notes the calls on the UK Government to act immediately, before autumn and winter 2022; notes the view that, if immediate action is not taken, the oil and gas sector in Scotland will carry a disproportionate burden of funding a UK-wide response to the cost of living crisis; notes calls on fuel retailers to reduce forecourt prices in Greenock and Inverclyde so that they are in line with the rest of Scotland, and looks forward to the CMA’s report into the supply of road fuel across the UK being published later in 2022.