There are a mere 10 questions to be put as a result of today’s business. The first question is, that motion S6M-14899, in the name of John Swinney, on a motion of condolence, be agreed to.

Motion agreed to,

That the Parliament expresses its shock and sadness at the untimely death of Alex Salmond; offers its deep sympathy and condolences to his family and friends; appreciates the many years of public service that he gave as an MP, MSP, and First Minister of Scotland, and recognises the substantial and significant contribution that he made over many decades to public life, Scottish and UK politics and the cause of Scottish independence.

The next question is, that amendment S6M-15060.3, in the name of Jenny Gilruth, which seeks to amend motion S6M-15060, in the name of Miles Briggs, on funding for teachers and schools in Scotland, be agreed to. Are we agreed?

Members::

No.

There will be a division.

There will be a short suspension to allow members to access the digital voting system.

Meeting suspended.

On resuming—

We come to the vote on amendment S6M-15060.3, in the name of Jenny Gilruth, which seeks to amend motion S6M-15060, in the name of Miles Briggs. Members should cast their votes now.

The result of the division on amendment S6M-15060.3, in the name of Jenny Gilruth, is: For 62, Against 62, Abstentions 0.

The vote is therefore tied. As is usual when the Parliament has not been able to reach a decision, I am obliged to exercise a casting vote. The established convention is to vote in favour of the status quo, because the chair is required to act impartially. Therefore, I cast my vote against the amendment.

Amendment disagreed to.

The next question is, that amendment S6M-15060.1, in the name of Pam Duncan-Glancy, which seeks to amend motion S6M-15060, in the name of Miles Briggs, be agreed to.

Amendment agreed to.

The next question is, that motion S6M-15060, in the name of Miles Briggs, on funding for teachers and schools in Scotland, as amended, be agreed to. Are we agreed?

Members::

No.

There will be a division.

The result of the division on motion S6M-16050, in the name of Miles Briggs, on funding for teachers and schools in Scotland, as amended, is: For 61, Against 63, Abstentions 0.

Motion, as amended, disagreed to.

For the next vote, I remind members that, if the amendment in the name of Ivan McKee is agreed to, the amendment in the name of Mark Griffin will fall.

The next question is, that amendment S6M-15061.2, in the name of Ivan McKee, which seeks to amend motion S6M-15061, in the name of Craig Hoy, on using the upcoming Scottish budget to support economic growth, be agreed to. Are we agreed?

Members::

No.

There will be a division.

The result of the division on amendment S6M-15061.2, in the name of Ivan McKee, is: For 69, Against 52, Abstentions 3.

Amendment agreed to.

The next question is, that motion S6M-15061, in the name of Craig Hoy, on using the upcoming Scottish budget to support economic growth, as amended, be agreed to. Are we agreed?

Members::

No.

There will be a division.

The vote is closed.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I tried to amend my vote in the previous division, but my app did not attach in time. The issue has happened again and I have not been able to connect on my phone.

How do you want to vote on this one?

I do not know; I have never been in the situation where I have had to amend a vote halfway through. The system said, “You have voted no,” and I tried to go back. I would prefer it if my vote for this one was yes and the previous one was no.

I realise that we are in uncharted territory here, but your vote has not been cast, so how do you want to vote on this question?

I would like to vote yes.

We will record a yes vote.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I could not connect; I would have voted yes.

Thank you, Mr Dornan. I will ensure that that is recorded.

I can advise Carol Mochan that her vote was registered.

The result of the division on motion S6M-15061, in the name of Craig Hoy, on using the upcoming Scottish budget to support economic growth, as amended, is: For 69, Against 52, Abstentions 3.

Motion agreed to,

That the Parliament condemns the impact of the former UK Conservative administration’s austerity and Brexit on the public finances and the wider economy; recognises that progressive taxation in Scotland has ensured that funding has been available to deliver actions to tackle poverty, like the Scottish Child Payment; notes that the latest available evidence shows that Scotland had positive net inward migration of taxpayers from the rest of the UK and was positive for every tax band; further notes that the process to develop the Scottish Budget for 2025-26 is underway; challenges those who would propose reducing tax rates to identify the public services that they would then cut to deliver the required balanced budget; deplores the call from the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party to introduce an illness tax in the form of prescription charges, and believes that the Baby Box, free prescriptions, free personal care, free eye examinations and free university tuition should be protected and sustained for the future.

The question is, that motion S6M-15078, in the name of Alexander Burnett, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, on consideration of a Scottish statutory instrument, be agreed to. Are we agreed?

Members::

No.

There will be a division.

The vote is closed.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I would have voted no.

Thank you, Ms Callaghan. I will ensure that that vote is recorded.

The result of the division on motion S6M-15078, in the name of Alexander Burnett, on consideration of a Scottish statutory instrument, is: For 62, Against 62, Abstentions 0.

The vote is therefore tied. As is the established convention, I, as the Presiding Officer, must exercise a casting vote, which must be in favour of the status quo, because the chair is required to act impartially. Therefore, I cast my vote against the motion.

Motion disagreed to.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Can you clarify for Parliament that the proposition that the Government is seeking to take forward will now advance?

The motion to annul was not agreed to.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. This is a motion to annul an SSI that would have changed the status quo. Does your ruling still stand?

Mr Cole-Hamilton, because it is a negative SSI, that is therefore the status quo.

The next question is, that motion S6M-15079, in the name of Jamie Hepburn, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, on approval of an SSI, be agreed to.

Motion agreed to,

That the Parliament agrees that the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Act 2022 (Extension of Temporary Justice Measures) Regulations 2024 [draft] be approved.

If no member objects, I propose to ask a single question on three Parliamentary Bureau motions. The question is, that motions S6M-15080, on approval of a UK SI, S6M-15081, on approval of an SSI, and S6M-15094, on committee membership, in the name of Jamie Hepburn, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, be agreed to.

Motions agreed to,

That the Parliament agrees that the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes (Amendment) Order 2024 [draft] be approved.

That the Parliament agrees that the Public Procurement (International Trade Agreements) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 [draft] be approved.

That the Parliament agrees that Elena Whitham be appointed to replace Ruth Maguire as a member of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee.

That concludes decision time.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. On motion S6M-15079, the call was no.

I have to say that I did not hear a no, Mr Whitfield.

I apologise for the frailty of my voice, but it was announced. Could the question be put again?

In fairness, Mr Whitfield, I do not doubt that you might have said no, but I did not hear it. I am afraid that, once I have said that Parliament is agreed and I have moved on to the next item, I cannot go backwards. I am sorry.

That concludes decision time, and I close this meeting of Parliament.

Meeting closed at 18:51.