Meeting of the Parliament
9.15 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions
followed by Scottish Government Debate: Regulatory Framework
S4M-01526 Fergus Ewing: Regulatory Framework—That the Parliament agrees that better regulation is an important driver of sustainable economic growth and endorses the Scottish Government’s commitment to better regulation rather than deregulation; welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitment to delivering regulation that is proportionate, consistent, transparent, accountable and targeted only where needed, and supports a regulatory framework in which government, regulators and business work together to identify regulatory barriers to growth and deliver an outcomes-based approach, thereby providing a favourable environment for business to grow and flourish, creating jobs and improving lives.
The Presiding Officer has selected the following amendments
S4M-01526.2 Rhoda Grant: Regulatory Framework—As an amendment to motion S4M-01526 in the name of Fergus Ewing (Regulatory Framework), insert at end “, supports regulation that encourages equal opportunities, and calls on the Scottish Government to bring forward its proposed sustainable procurement bill.”
S4M-01526.1 Gavin Brown: Regulatory Framework—As an amendment to motion S4M-01526 in the name of Fergus Ewing (Regulatory Framework), insert at end “; further notes that the Regulatory Review Group’s Annual Report 2011 found that Business and Regulatory Impact Assessments (BRIA) have been used in respect of 80% of primary legislation and 57% of secondary legislation since April 2010, and calls on the Scottish Government to increase the use of BRIAs for legislation and regulation and to explain why it has not carried out a BRIA on either the proposed retail levy or the reform of empty property relief on business rates.”
11.40 am General Question Time
1. Paul Wheelhouse: Not Lodged
2. Nanette Milne: Not Lodged
3. Graeme Pearson: To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria it uses to determine the allocation of funds for the Sex Offender Treatment Programme in prisons. (S4O-00451)
4. Nigel Don: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to protect communities from flooding. (S4O-00452)
5. Liam McArthur: To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Orkney Islands Council since May 2011 in relation to the replacement of Orkney’s internal ferry fleet. (S4O-00453)
6. Gordon MacDonald: To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met the UK Government to discuss the Welfare Reform Bill and what issues were discussed. (S4O-00454)
7. Margaret McCulloch: To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it issues to NHS boards on the provision of x-ray services. (S4O-00455)
8. Helen Eadie: To ask the Scottish Executive what provision there is in the Scotrail franchise agreement that ensures consultation with the public on proposed timetabling changes. (S4O-00456)
9. Claire Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Housing and Transport last met with senior officials from ScotRail. (S4O-00457)
10. Christina McKelvie: Not Lodged
12.00 pm First Minister’s Question Time
1. Iain Gray: To ask the First Minister what engagements he has planned for the rest of the day. (S4F-00329)
2. Ruth Davidson: To ask the First Minister when he will next meet the Prime Minister. (S4F-00321)
3. Joe FitzPatrick: To ask the First Minister what the impact would be of Gamesa locating its manufacturing base for offshore wind turbines outside Scotland. (S4F-00325)
4. Colin Keir: To ask the First Minister how Scotland’s trade links with China will be improved as a result of his visit. (S4F-00328)
5. Richard Simpson: To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is on the Royal College of Nursing survey, that shows that 37% of nurses have been discouraged from reporting, or told not to report, their concerns about issues such as patient safety and staffing levels at their workplace. (S4F-00334)
6. Alex Fergusson: To ask the First Minister what percentage of the £60 billion that the Scottish Government has allocated for infrastructure projects over the next 15 years will be spent on roads. (S4F-00331)
2.15 pm Themed Question Time
Education and Lifelong Learning
1. Margaret McDougall: To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding it will provide to colleges that deliver higher education courses. (S4O-00459)
2. Paul Martin: To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Funding Council will provide indicative funding levels for colleges. (S4O-00460)
3. John Scott: To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to tackle the increase in dropout rate at some Scottish universities. (S4O-00461)
4. John Park: To ask the Scottish Executive which modern apprenticeship programmes have the highest drop-out rates in their first year. (S4O-00462)
5. Colin Keir: To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in introducing the 1+2 modern languages model. (S4O-00463)
6. Mark Griffin: To ask the Scottish Executive how it will assist further education colleges to avoid compulsory redundancies. (S4O-00464)
7. David Stewart: To ask the Scottish Executive what progress there has been in relocating Inverness College to the Beechwood Campus. (S4O-00465)
8. Maureen Watt: To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the use of pupil-owned technology in the delivery of education in schools. (S4O-00466)
9. Jamie McGrigor: To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote the teaching of foreign languages in schools. (S4O-00467)
10. Mike MacKenzie: To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure that the quality of further education is being maintained in rural areas. (M MacKenzie) (S4O-00468)
11. Richard Simpson: To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to address the shortage of short-term supply teachers as reported in TES Scotland on 11 November 2011. (S4O-00469)
12. Joe FitzPatrick: To ask the Scottish Executive what the average fees will be for non-domestic students attending a university in Scotland in 2012-13. (S4O-00470)
13. Neil Bibby: Not Lodged
14. David Torrance: To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made towards encouraging cooperation and partnership between further education colleges. (S4O-00472)
15. Clare Adamson: To ask the Scottish Executive to clarify how it will ensure that access to university places is widened. (S4O-00473)
16. Mary Fee: To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have used the Independent Learning Account in the last financial year. (S4O-00474)
17. Adam Ingram: To ask the Scottish Executive what progress Ayrshire colleges have made in implementing post-16 education reforms. (S4O-00475)
18. James Dornan: To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with colleges about future budget settlements. (S4O-00476)
19. Gavin Brown: To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met with Skills Development Scotland. (Gavin Brown) (S4O-00477)
20. Neil Findlay: To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning last met NUS Scotland and what was discussed. (S4O-00478)
2.55 pm Ministerial Statement: Local Government Finance Settlement 2012-13
followed by Scottish Government Debate: Violence Against Women – Focusing on Prevention as a Means to an End
S4M-01523 Michael Matheson: Violence against Women, Focusing on Prevention as a Means to an End—That the Parliament reaffirms its continuing commitment to eradicating all forms of violence against women; notes the Scottish Government’s increased emphasis on prevention and early intervention to tackle this issue; celebrates Scottish Women’s Aid’s tireless campaigning for effective responses to domestic abuse and congratulates the organisation on its 35th anniversary; welcomes the Forced Marriage etc. (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Act 2011 and the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2011 and the increased protection that these pieces of legislation provide for victims, and acknowledges the dedication, effort and creativity demonstrated by all the agencies working to address violence against women in Scotland.
The Presiding Officer has selected the following amendment
S4M-01523.1 Jackie Baillie: Violence against Women, Focusing on Prevention as a Means to an End—As an amendment to motion S4M-01523 in the name of Michael Matheson (Violence Against Women, Focusing on Prevention as a Means to an End), after “victims” insert “building on the work taken forward under the previous Labour/Liberal Democrat administration that was informed and shaped by the views and experiences of a wide range of women’s organisations including enacting the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 and the Female Genital Mutilation (Scotland) Act 2005, the establishment of a National Group to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland and a comprehensive national strategy, including substantially increased funding and a groundbreaking advertising campaign aimed at changing wider public attitudes as well as encouraging reporting of abuse”.
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members’ Business
Debate on the subject of—
S4M-01107 Rhoda Grant: MS, Better Care—That the Parliament welcomes the campaign for better health care across Scotland by the MS Society which highlights the need for effective implementation of the Clinical Standards for Neurological Health Services; considers that the standards for neurological conditions published in 2009 mark an important step forward for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) by setting out key standards for all NHS boards, including access to specialist multidisciplinary teams; recognises that these standards are vital to ensuring that MS patients have access to high quality care wherever they live; welcomes the appointment of a dedicated MS nurse in the Western Isles which it understands follows significant work by the MS Society; recognises the role of individuals and communities in the Western Isles who campaigned successfully for the appointment; notes that Scotland has one of the highest incidences of MS per head of population in the world, and believes that greater investment and government support is needed to further research and provide services.