Thursday, 9 March 2006
Scottish Parliament Thursday 9 March 2006 [THE PRESIDING OFFICER opened the meeting at 09:15]
On a point of order, Presiding Officer, you will recall that I raised at close of play last night the question of the votes, which seemed—to some extent—to be inaccurate. Having...
The first item of business this morning is a debate on motion S2M-4074, in the name of Alex Johnstone, on future energy policy.
We ended the previous debate 12 minutes behind schedule, which has inevitable consequences for whom I can call in this debate. I also have a note of four points of order, which could impact on...
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Scottish Ambulance Service regarding the working hours of paramedics. (S2O-9181)
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the length of time it will take to remove development obstacles in Perthshire created by problems with water and drainage...
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact on tourism in Scotland is anticipated from the London Olympics in 2012 and the 2014 Commonwealth games being held in Glasgow. (S2O-9228)
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to address the shortfall in the number of dentists in Scotland. (S2O-9244)
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that Scottish athletes succeed at international level. (S2O-9187)
To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time equivalent specialist teachers were employed in primary schools in 2000 and 2005. (S2O-9258)
To ask the Scottish Executive what its role is in the planning process in respect of nuclear submarine facilities in Scotland. (S2O-9182)
It is now 12 noon. We move to questions to the First Minister—
To ask the First Minister when he will next meet the Prime Minister and what issues they will discuss. (S2F-2155)
To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Scottish Executive's Cabinet. (S2F-2156)
To ask the First Minister when he will next meet the Secretary of State for Scotland and what issues he intends to discuss. (S2F-2164)
To ask the First Minister whether, following the tragic death of Derek Doran, the Scottish Executive has any plans to review arrangements for the dispensing of methadone. (S2F-2169)
To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Executive supports the recommendations made in the Steel commission report. (S2F-2172)
To ask the First Minister what the outcome has been of recent discussions with Scottish Enterprise regarding its current funding position. (S2F-2162)
Good afternoon. The first item is—
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it believes that mobile closed-circuit television has a contribution to make in reducing crime and antisocial behaviour. (S2O-9219)
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is evaluating the effectiveness of the community warden scheme and Executive funding in diverting young people from antisocial behaviour. (S2O-9238)
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is engaging with United Kingdom ministers to influence the European justice agenda. (S2O-9239)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it believes that the use of fiscal fines is in the public interest. (S2O-9242)
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill will have on the privacy of innocent people. (S2O-9254)
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made to reduce the number of women who reoffend. (S2O-9221)
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been prosecuted since 1999 for planning or encouraging, while held in prison, a crime committed outside prison. (S2O-9203)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is concerned that the institution of marriage is open to abuse by people accused of crimes, including crimes of violence, and whether it will amend the...
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage new ferry routes to the Highlands and Islands. (S2O-9186)
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to expand park-and-ride railway stations. (S2O-9222)
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that people who live in remote areas can obtain access to broadband. (S2O-9252)
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in developing rail infrastructure, including Aberdeen crossrail services, in the north-east. (S2O-9200)
To ask the Scottish Executive what role it plays in ensuring that research in Scottish universities is world class and what steps it has taken to achieve this. (S2O-9246)
To ask the Scottish Executive what reasons are emerging for the lack of bids to provide a ferry service between Campbeltown and Ballycastle from its investigation into the matter and what steps...
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in respect of the Glasgow crossrail project. (S2O-9212)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any concerns about the impact of trust deeds on credit unions. (S2O-9208)
The next item of business is a debate on motion S2M-4081, in the name of Ross Finnie, on the agriculture strategy.
There are possibly 11 questions to be put as a result of today's business. In relation to this morning's debate on future energy policy, if the amendment in the name of Allan Wilson is agreed to,...
The final item of business today is a members' business debate on motion S2M-4017, in the name of Robin Harper, on ship-to-ship oil transfer. The debate will be concluded without any question...
The Scottish Parliament is the national legislature of Scotland, located in Edinburgh. The Parliament consists of 129 members known as MSPs, elected for four-year terms; 73 represent individual geographical constituencies, and 56 are regional representatives.