Colin Beattie: I apologise for having a rather croaky voice, Presiding Officer. The bill is important. I believe that the education sector is taking a serious view of the proposals and is engaging positively with the Scottish Government in seeking an effective outcome. There are still matters to be clarified, as Stewart Maxwell highlighted in his speech, but that is to be expected with such a comprehensive...
Colin Beattie: That is a good point by Margo MacDonald. Indeed, I think that she, I and others have benefited in the past in that regard. The NUS Scotland president, Robin Parker, told the Education and Culture Committee: “A year ago, it would have taken 40 years if things had carried on at the current rate.”—[Official Report, Education and Culture Committee, 19 February 2013; c 1988.] He also stated...
Colin Beattie: 1. To ask the Scottish Government what impact it expects the increase in air passenger duty to have on the coming tourist season. (S4O-02065)
Colin Beattie: Does the minister agree that it is perfectly clear that only with full control over our economy can we hope to manage important potential tax barriers to tourism, such as air passenger duty?
Colin Beattie: 11. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the treatment of type 2 diabetes. (S4O-02085)
Colin Beattie: What steps are being taken to ensure that there is a consistent approach to the treatment of type 2 diabetes across Scotland’s 14 health boards?
Colin Beattie: 3. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to encourage over-25s who are unemployed to pursue further education. (S4O-02137)
Colin Beattie: Will the cabinet secretary join me in welcoming the latest employment statistics, which show headline employment rising by 54,000 in the three-month period January to March 2013? Does he believe that the biggest risk to rising employment is Westminster?
Colin Beattie: Will the minister join me in welcoming the fact that youth unemployment has fallen by 27,000 over the past year and has remained lower in Scotland than in the UK? Does she agree that there is evidence that the Scottish Government’s action on youth unemployment is having an impact?
Colin Beattie: What opportunities are there to focus on and develop the transferable skills of workers who are affected by the collapse of Scottish Coal?
Colin Beattie: I am concerned that Mr Findlay’s amendments 25, 26, 28, 30, 60 and 61 remove the stated intention regarding staff representation on the board of assigned colleges. Mr Findlay proposes to increase the number of members of the board who are elected by trade unions to two while alternative representation from teaching staff and non-teaching staff seems to be eliminated. In some colleges, now...
Colin Beattie: Changes in the baseline data mean that Scotland is now trying to cut emissions by more than was the case from the original baseline when we passed the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. What can the Scottish Government do to highlight to our neighbours in the EU that Scotland has actually increased its ambitions for tackling climate change?
Colin Beattie: Coal is certainly no stranger to my constituency of Midlothian North and Musselburgh, where a proud tradition of coal mining goes back centuries. Coal was the economic lifeblood of the area until the 1980s, when Margaret Thatcher destroyed our coal industry and devastated our coal communities. Over the years, I have spoken to many ex-miners and listened to their always interesting and...
Colin Beattie: I am not saying that cheaper energy is a bad thing for the economy in general, but we are discussing the coal industry and its future. Clearly, the price of energy is a key factor in that discussion. There are uses for coal and its by-products other than as a bulk product for Longannet power station, but nothing that would support the cost of opencast pits. To survive, the coal industry needs...
Colin Beattie: I will be, Presiding Officer. That proposition might well create an unwelcome precedent. Let us hope that the appeal that was heard last week reverses the decision, because otherwise the impact will be—
Colin Beattie: Very well, Presiding Officer. The action that the Scottish Government has taken to create the restoration bonds working group is genuinely welcome. In the long term, such restoration works will undoubtedly create employment and do a creditable job. However, the documented shortfalls in the bonds that have previously been provided by opencast operators leave cause for concern that local...
Colin Beattie: 9. To ask the Scottish Government when it will implement its plans to abolish corroboration in criminal cases. (S4O-02510)
Colin Beattie: Why does the Scottish Government consider it important to abolish the requirement now?
Colin Beattie: 3. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with the new US ambassador to the United Kingdom on his recent visit to the Parliament. (S4O-02574)
Colin Beattie: Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that maintaining strong external relations is fundamental to the success of an independent Scotland?