Thursday, 17 December 2020
We begin today’s business with consideration of legislative consent motion S5M-23736, in the name of Ivan McKee, on the Trade (Disclosure of Information) Bill. Motion moved, That the...
Before we start First Minister’s question time, I ask the First Minister to update us on the Covid situation.
1. There were 1,264 drug deaths in a single year: a record number of deaths; the sixth year in a row of record numbers of deaths; double the loss of life from drug deaths in 2007; and three and a...
2. I will begin with a quote: “Since Scotland’s drug death day of shame just two days ago, another six people will have died in Scotland. Three will die today. We will not have a...
3. Even during a pandemic, we need to recognise the far longer-term emergency that we face: the climate emergency. Yesterday, in the same week as the update to the Scottish Government’s...
4. It should not have taken this year’s record deaths for the First Minister to step up and take the lead on drug use. We have had record numbers of deaths for years, and I am particularly...
5. To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government’s statement of intent on biodiversity will support Scotland’s transition to net zero. (S5F-04674)
6. To ask the First Minister whether she will provide an update on the conditions regarding blood donations. (S5F-04667)
7. To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government plans to help students who will lose out financially on their accommodation costs as a result of the staggered return to universities....
The Conservative Government has failed to broker access to the Erasmus+ programme for Scotland. That programme was instigated by Winnie Ewing, and it has, of course, been life enhancing for...
Yesterday, NHS Lothian informed local elected representatives that Scottish National Party ministers had informed it that they were withdrawing funding for the new eye hospital for Lothian. Plans...
I have been made aware by a constituent that a major retail company is refusing to give eligible front-line staff time off for their Covid vaccine appointments. I will not publicly name the...
Will the First Minister provide an update on changes to legislation that would entitle all four-year-old children to access funded childcare when their parents choose to defer their place for a...
I have been contacted by and on behalf of secondary 6 pupils in West Lothian. Their understanding is that they will be asked to sit a Scottish Qualifications Authority paper as part of their...
From this weekend and over Christmas, drive-in movies and drive-in pantos were planned for Loch Lomond Shores in West Dumbartonshire and across many areas in Scotland. However, those have had to...
I am sure that the First Minister will agree that the climate change plan update that was published yesterday and discussed earlier is an extremely ambitious action plan. It is clear that...
Councillors in Labour-run North Lanarkshire have recently voted to give senior officers an average pay rise of £10,000. That leaves a yawning gap between them and the next best paid of...
Is the First Minister concerned about the appalling racist attack in Edinburgh last Friday and will she say what work is being done to ensure that the police are resourced to address racist...
At a meeting of the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee earlier this week, I asked Michael Gove whether the Northern Ireland protocol would disadvantage the Scottish economy,...
Since my former colleague Tavish Scott first introduced the air discount scheme in 2006, it has benefited thousands of people who live and work in communities across the Highlands and Islands....
Will the First Minister join me in welcoming today’s signing of the Tay cities deal? Does she agree that the deal, which includes £20 million-worth of investment by the Scottish...
Earlier, the First Minister and Ruth Davidson spoke about two epidemics—the first of Covid-19 and the second of the drug deaths that have happened on the First Minister’s watch. I...
This week, well-respected researchers at the University of the West of Scotland identified that there has been a 55 per cent cut in drug and alcohol service budgets since 2007. Will the First...
1. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to accelerate projects that will support the economy in Dumfriesshire. (S5O-04865)
2. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on BiFab. (S5O-04866)
3. To ask the Scottish Government what financial support is available for newly self-employed people who have not been able to access other forms of support during the Covid-19 pandemic. (S5O-04867)
4. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to engage with business stakeholders to inform its response to the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. (S5O-04868)
5. I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests; I am a member of the GMB union. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the GMB Scotland campaign, give...
6. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support businesses that are struggling to operate during the Covid-19 pandemic. (S5O-04870)
8. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the supermarket sector regarding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. (S5O-04872)
The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-23707, in the name of John Swinney, on the Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Bill.
The next item of business is decision time. There is one question to be put as a result of today’s business. The question is, that motion S5M-23707, in the name of John Swinney, on the...
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.