Bill Kidd: Although some of the rhetoric in the chamber will draw attention away from this fact, it is important to acknowledge, as the cabinet secretary mentioned, that 2.3 million households returned the census. That is an enormous proportion of the population. The data that has been collected from that immense exercise will deliver real and tangible advances in the delivery of local public services....
Bill Kidd: 5. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is, regarding the potential impact on Scotland, on the upcoming first meeting of states parties to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Vienna. (S6O-01235)
Bill Kidd: It is long established that an independent Scotland will be free of nuclear weapons on the basis that such indiscriminate weapons of mass destruction and mass murder are morally abhorrent and should in no circumstances be used. Despite the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons having made the use and stockpiling of such weapons illegal, the UK Government, as the cabinet...
Bill Kidd: Last month’s local council elections were a chance to refresh and renew democratic connections between the Scottish Government and local authorities. Is the minister hopeful that the Scottish Government and COSLA can work positively, side by side, to address the major challenges that our communities are facing, such as the cost of living crisis and the impact of the war in Ukraine?
Bill Kidd: As we all know, ScotRail’s temporary revised timetable is only one facet of industrial disputes that are taking place throughout the UK. Although the Scottish Government wants all parties to get round the table and negotiate a fair and affordable pay deal, it would seem that the Tories would rather use the dispute between the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers and UK...
Bill Kidd: We all agree that the UK Government’s decision to close 42 DWP offices, putting 1,100 jobs on the line, is a staggering situation during a cost of living crisis. Does the minister agree that the UK Government should rethink its plans and put hard-working staff and DWP service users first, categorically ruling out any further closures and redundancies?
Bill Kidd: 5. To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to support community integration for Ukrainian refugees resettling in Scotland. (S6O-01082)
Bill Kidd: Government guidance states that children who are unaccompanied, or who are accompanied by adults who are not their legal guardians, are the most vulnerable group of refugees arriving in Scotland. Will the Government develop plans to ensure that proactive efforts are made to reunite unaccompanied children with their parents, should such situations arise in Scotland? Will it also ensure that...
Bill Kidd: I thank the committee for its work and welcome the publication of the Scottish Government’s eagerly anticipated global affairs framework, which sets out the key principles that will guide and focus Scotland’s international engagement as we move out of a post-Brexit and post-Covid context. Since the UK left the EU, the world has endured significant shocks and international crises as a...
Bill Kidd: 5. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the warm Scots welcome scheme for Ukrainian refugees. (S6O-00946)
Bill Kidd: Does the minister agree that the safeguarding of refugees in the UK is a top priority, and that policies to eradicate the human trafficking, procuring and sexual exploitation of women and girls are an important aspect of protecting those who are more vulnerable to such exploitation, such as lone women and children who are fleeing conflicts and humanitarian crises?
Bill Kidd: How much will Glasgow stand to benefit from the regional economic partnership fund? How does the Scottish Government envision that funding supporting Glasgow’s economic recovery?
Bill Kidd: 2. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe report, “Policy responses to technology-facilitated trafficking in human beings, and accompanying recommendations on action areas for parliaments”. (S6O-00863)
Bill Kidd: Recognising the horrific scale of the problem of online technology being used to lure, groom and exploit children and adults through exploitative images and threats, and that 2021 was the worst year on record for online child abuse, does the minister see any devolved capacity for the Scottish Government to take forward recommendations in policy or legislative change in, for example,...
Bill Kidd: We know that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could result in a significant increase in energy bills, which will be a huge concern to many households across Scotland that are already facing a cost of living crisis. Given that energy is a reserved matter, will the Scottish Government continue to push the UK Government to cut VAT on energy bills? That would be one of the simplest means of helping...
Bill Kidd: 1. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support expanded recruitment of teaching assistants. (S6O-00772)
Bill Kidd: Over the course of the pandemic, many pupils from lower income backgrounds, especially in areas of high multiple deprivation, were disproportionately impacted by the requirement to learn at home. Reasons for that greater impact range from cramped environments for studying to having fewer studying resources available at home. What resources is the Scottish Government providing to local...
Bill Kidd: I have taken a few notes and, to be quite honest, there has been a lot of jouking about, if I can put it that way, in that a lot of what has been said has been fairly repetitive, although everyone has their own opinions. I will try not to miss anyone out, but if I get it wrong, members can sue me. I am delighted to close the debate on the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee’s inquiry...
Bill Kidd: I thank our colleague Ruth Maguire for lodging the motion for debate. I state my support for the A Model for Scotland campaign, and I urge my fellow MSPs to support the campaign publicly. I agree that legislation is required to account for technological change, which has significantly increased the levels of sex trafficking and exploitation taking place in Scotland. As members will be aware,...
Bill Kidd: 1. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent survey, which found that 65 per cent of those asked preferred to see the national flag of Scotland on their food. (S6O-00708)