🗣️ Speeches and Debates
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Ayr diving club has been in existence since 1964 and uses one of only four diving facilities in the whole of Scotland. It is the only one on the west coast, with the other three being on the east coast. There is a risk of closure of the diving facility, as it needs a substantial amount of money to repair mechanical and structural issues in order to address safety concerns and ensure...
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This extremely important subject is more pressing than many of the things that we debate in Parliament, and I thank Pam Gosal for bringing it to the chamber. We know that schools, and the teachers and pupils in them, face a range of challenges, which we also know are not exclusive to Scotland. Across the UK and beyond, authorities are really struggling to deal with the growing...
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To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on business confidence and investment of non-domestic rates thresholds having limited movement since 2020-21. (S6O-05648)
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The number of businesses in critical distress in Scotland is rising faster than anywhere else in the United Kingdom—it has gone up more than 80 per cent in a year. The Fraser of Allander Institute reports that each of its headline business confidence indicators has been negative for five consecutive quarters, and 15,000 fewer people are on Scottish business payrolls than was the case a year...
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Recent reports suggest that retail crime in Scotland has risen sharply, with more than 50,000 shoplifting incidents recorded last year and nearly one in five shoppers witnessing the abuse of retail staff. The £3 million for the retail crime task force has made some impact, but, beyond that, what action will the Scottish Government take to ensure that the funding gap for Police Scotland does...
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When I attended the launch of the future roofing programme at Prestwick academy on 27 February, I spoke to the school, industry and young people about the roofing pathway that has been developed over the years, which includes a national 5 creative industries qualification in roof slating. How will the budget support young people from Prestwick academy who have made an informed decision to...
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Although we must wait for the outcome of official investigations to confirm the exact cause of the fire, it has been widely reported that the fire originated in a vape shop. Such premises often contain large quantities of products powered by lithium-ion batteries that are stored on shop floors and in back rooms. Following the proactive decision to ban disposable vapes from June 2025, it is...
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: : Scotland’s prison estate does not need to seek its troubles. Inmate numbers are at record levels, staff are reporting unprecedented challenges and prisoners are leaving without rehabilitation, going out into a world for which they are completely unprepared. What is worse, the estate itself is in deep trouble: promised new jails for Glasgow and the Highlands are...
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