Former Scottish National Party MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley
To ask the Scottish Government how its draft budget 2026-27 will support community justice services. (S6O-05427)
I am pleased to note the additional funding that will support those services. Can the cabinet secretary outline how the investment is reducing reoffending, particularly in my constituency?
It is vital that we press forward with work to support our town centres so that they can become more sustainable and thriving places for people to live, work and enjoy. Will the cabinet secretary say more about how the budget will support the regeneration of our town centres via affordable housing and other measures that can help to turn around the fortunes of our high streets?
Will the cabinet secretary say a little more about the importance of proportionality in the planning system for SME house builders and, in particular, how the Scottish Government is communicating that to stakeholders?
First, I thank Richard Leonard for mentioning the Fenwick Weavers Society, which, in 1761, established the world’s first co-op. The rest of his speech made me wonder whether I had wandered into the wrong debate, but I enjoyed it, nevertheless. The Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill must be one of the shortest bills that I have seen during my time in Parliament—all in,...
I thank my colleague Clare Adamson for again raising awareness of pancreatic cancer. I have tried to participate in the debate on the subject each year in which I have been a member of the Parliament and in memory of my mother, who died from the disease in 1985—some 40 years ago—at the age of only 52. Although it remains one of the most stubborn cancers, progress is being made, with the...
To ask the Scottish Government how AI might shape the future curriculum in Scotland. (S6O-05148)
The minister might be aware of the discussion on AI that has been taking place at the Economy and Fair Work Committee. The opportunities for the use of AI in education in the areas of lesson planning, marking, research and materials preparation are very attractive, but there are clear risks, too. Will the Government’s revised strategy, which is due in spring next year, embed a clear sense...
