Fiona McLeod: I thank all the members who signed my motion to allow it to come before Parliament in what will be my final members’ business debate. It is fitting that the debate is about fair trade. I have worked on Fairtrade fortnight, which is from 23 February to 13 March, in Parliament and in my constituency during my years in Parliament. The tagline of this year’s Fairtrade fortnight is “Sit down...
Fiona McLeod: Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. In three weeks’ time, at midnight, I cease to be the member of the Scottish Parliament for Strathkelvin and Bearsden so, if members will indulge me, perhaps I can take this opportunity to thank my constituents for supporting me during the past five years. There is something very special about representing the constituency that I have lived in all my...
Fiona McLeod: 6. To ask the Scottish Government how the justice directorate is tackling violence against women. (S4O-05579)
Fiona McLeod: I thank the cabinet secretary for the comprehensive amount of work that is being done. How is the Scottish Government supporting children and young people who witness domestic violence?
Fiona McLeod: 4. To ask the Scottish Government for what reason personal independence payments are included for income assessment as part of the common financial tool in a bankruptcy process. (S4O-05527)
Fiona McLeod: I thank the Deputy First Minister for that answer, which I know will be of interest to a constituent of mine. How many bankruptcies have involved people in receipt of personal independence payments or similar benefits in the past year?
Fiona McLeod: 4. To ask the Scottish Government whether Scottish Canals has any role in flood prevention. (S4O-05267)
Fiona McLeod: Given the recent adverse weather conditions, will we have to update Scottish Canals’ dredging programme?
Fiona McLeod: Thank you, Presiding Officer. In closing the debate as the deputy convener of the bill committee, I echo the convener’s thanks to our clerks, committee members and members of the whole Parliament for their generous involvement in the bill process. Parliament will remember that on 3 December 2015 we held the preliminary stage debate—I cannot forget that as it was my 58th birthday. However,...
Fiona McLeod: When I come to look at the Lobbying (Scotland) Bill, my starting point is not just this Parliament’s founding principles but the reputation that we have garnered over the 17 years of its existence since 1999. The founding principles were about us being open and transparent. We wanted this to be Scotland’s Parliament, not the MSPs’ Parliament, and we wanted to work in partnership with...
Fiona McLeod: I well remember that day of evidence taking in the committee and I remember the member being rebuked by the convener at the time for his manner. Since the SCVO submitted that evidence, in the past couple of weeks a lot of other organisations, including the SCVO, have been back in touch and all maintained their position. I go back to what I said when I started; it is not that we should not...
Fiona McLeod: Certainly. On the complementary strand of the principles, I draw members’ attention to the fact that we have a code of conduct and the Interests of Members of the Scottish Parliament Act 2006, and the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee works hard to produce rules and guidance on, for example, cross-party groups, to ensure that we maintain that openness and transparency....
Fiona McLeod: Will the Deputy First Minister elaborate on how the budget will ensure that we continue to make progress on closing the gap in educational attainment between children from the most deprived areas and those from the least deprived areas?
Fiona McLeod: 9. To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is available to planning authorities to ensure that equalities are central to the decision-making process. (S4O-04932)
Fiona McLeod: I highlight to the cabinet secretary the petition that was submitted to the Parliament on 3 December by the East Dunbartonshire Visually Impaired People’s Forum. It relates to shared-space schemes, which include the Catherine Street junction in my constituency, and the petitioners refer to the lack of consideration by East Dunbartonshire Council of the proposal’s impact on the visually...
Fiona McLeod: I thank all the members who have taken part in the debate and highlighted the exciting opportunities that the bill presents for the Scottish national gallery. I also thank the cabinet secretary and others for highlighting the importance of the Scottish collection and explaining how the bill gives us the ability to present it to the public in a much more dramatic and pleasing fashion. In...
Fiona McLeod: I found preparing for the debate interesting. As most members know, I like to look at the evidence and to bring before the chamber a lot of facts and figures. In the end, all that I could do today was come up with many thoughts that I have on the subject. It is more than 40 years since I became involved in party politics. As a 16-year-old, 41 years ago, I identified as a nationalist, a...
Fiona McLeod: Is Ms Baillie not aware that the top-up of reserved benefits can happen only in cases of severe hardship and that if someone has had their benefit taken off them, the benefit can no longer be topped up? [Interruption.]
Fiona McLeod: The debate has been characterised by a lot of heat and noise, especially from one part of the chamber. Perhaps we have to look at facts; we need to look at facts in a variety of ways. First, let us test the Tories’ actions against the Scottish Government’s response. The Tories cut, and the Scottish Government mitigates. We do not have the money, but we find it and we do that. That is the...
Fiona McLeod: It is interesting that Mr Findlay talks about devolution of air passenger duty. If I remember rightly, it is something that the Labour Party did not want.
