Meeting of the Parliament

General Questions 1. Amanda Bland S7O-00279 [Not Lodged] 2. David Smith S7O-00280 To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its commitment to a 16% increase in residential rehabilitation bed capacity, for what reason a right to rehabilitation enshrined in law for everyone was not included within the Programme for Government. David Green S7O-00281 To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve access to gynaecology care for women in the Highlands. 4. Kate Campbell S7O-00282 To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported concerns raised by third sector organisations, including Edinburgh-based Project Esperanza, what support it can provide to temporary migrant workers in Scotland, sponsored under the Certificate of Sponsorship visa system, who may be vulnerable to exploitation, including fraudulent job offers, debt bondage and wage theft. 5. Alex Kerr S7O-00283 To ask the Scottish Government what action it and Police Scotland are taking to reduce violence and abuse against retail workers and shoplifting. 6. Finlay Carson S7O-00284 To ask the Scottish Government whether it will increase support for research into brain tumour diagnostics and treatment. 7. Pauline McNeill S7O-00285 To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that Glasgow city centre has an enhanced police provision. 8. Willie Rennie S7O-00286 To ask the Scottish Government whether it will support the proposal to reopen a railway station at Newburgh, Fife. 9. Katherine Sangster S7O-00287 [Not Lodged] 10. Thomas Kerr S7O-00288 To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider a ban on all face coverings in public places, including balaclavas and the burqa. followed by First Minister’s Questions (Party Leaders) followed by Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Questions 1. Colin Beattie S7O-00298 To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it considers it equitable that staff employed by MSPs receive lower employer pension contributions than staff it and the Scottish Government directly employ, and what action it is taking to address any such disparity. 2. Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill S7O-00293 To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how it developed the four job families and pay scales for MSP staff, including the criteria used to weigh different functions within and between families, and when these will next be reviewed. 3. Kate Nevens S7O-00297 To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, regarding its proposed facial authentication security access system, when is it due to be introduced and whether MSPs and parliamentary staff will be permitted to opt out of its use. 4. Kristopher Leask S7O-00290 To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will consider reviewing the MSP staff travel expenses scheme to ensure that it takes account of the differences in travel distance and costs between geographically smaller parliamentary regions and larger ones, such as the Highlands and Islands. 5. Paul Sweeney S7O-00250 To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will develop a memorandum of understanding with MSP staff trade unions concerning the matters for which it is responsible. Submitting member has a registered interest. 6. Katherine Sangster S7O-00300 To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it consulted MSP staff trade unions on the contents of the employer pledge that MSPs were asked to sign up to. 7. Lorna Slater S7O-00295 To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether, with respect to the standards applied by the Parliament's Allowances Office for MSP constituency offices, it will establish technical standards for fire detection, ventilation, heating, lighting and other safety and wellbeing factors that are recognised by surveyors and solicitors across the Scottish property sector. 8. Clare Haughey S7O-00291 To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what assessment it has undertaken of the impact on school visits to the Scottish Parliament of the changes to the timing of First Minister’s Questions. 9. Laura Moodie S7O-00294 To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it collects data on MSP staff pay including data on the gender pay gap. 10. Keith Brown S7O-00292 To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what assessment and engagement with building users informed its decision to introduce facial template authentication for passholders on the parliamentary estate, whether it is aware of similar technology being used in any other UK parliament and whether it will consult with MSPs further before implementation. 11. Claire Baker S7O-00299 To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how it is supporting MSPs to offer benefits to their employees, including those which promote healthy living and wellbeing. 12. Cara McKee S7O-00289 To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what additional measures can be taken to ensure compliance with best practice regarding clear allergen labelling for non-pre-packaged food offered for sale in the catering outlets across the parliamentary estate. followed by Scottish Government Debate: Growing Scotland’s Creative Economy 1. Màiri McAllan S7M-01304 “That the Parliament recognises the significant contribution that Scotland's culture and creative sectors make to the nation's economy, communities and international reputation; notes that these sectors support employment, innovation and skills development across all parts of Scotland; celebrates the success of Scotland's artists, creative businesses, festivals, cultural organisations and screen sector in showcasing Scottish creativity at home and abroad; welcomes the commitment to establish Screen Scotland as a distinct public body, in light of the sector’s potential for growth and the benefits of inward investment and domestic production to the Scottish economy; notes the value of the public service broadcasting ecosystem to the wider screen sector and the importance of broadcasters fulfilling their obligations to Scottish audiences and creative industries; acknowledges the importance of ensuring that creative career pathways are accessible and sustainable for people from all backgrounds; recognises the role that culture and creativity play in strengthening community cohesion and improving wellbeing; welcomes the Scottish Government’s ongoing efforts and increased investment to support growth within the creative economy and to develop opportunities for creative workers and businesses; recognises also the unique and welcome contribution that Gaelic and Scots language and culture make to enriching Scotland’s society and economy, and supports continued collaboration across all of society to realise the full economic, cultural and social potential of Scotland's creative industries.” Further details available for S7M-01304 2. Katherine Sangster S7M-01304.3 As an amendment to S7M-01304 in the name of Màiri McAllan (Growing Scotland’s Creative Economy), insert at end “recognises that, despite Scotland’s wealth of talent, the creative industries in Scotland have grown at a slower rate than the UK average; believes that a strong creative sector needs a strong skills pipeline and effective business support, and calls on the Scottish Government to take action to ensure that Scotland’s skills system meets the needs of modern creative businesses and that Scotland’s enterprise agencies have the expertise and resources to support the growth of the creative industries.” Further details available for S7M-01304.3 3. David Kirkwood S7M-01304.1 As an amendment to motion S7M-01304 in the name of Màiri McAllan (Growing Scotland’s Creative Economy), leave out from first "welcomes" to end, and insert "notes that creativity is not limited to the performing or visual arts, but is inherent in every activity and every person; recognises that creativity is a synonym for innovation, and believes that Scotland has been the most innovative country on Earth since at least the mid-seventeenth century; recognises that innovation is most often the product of a society that values freedom of thought and is rich in trust and knowledge; insists that innovation cannot be directed by government, but flourishes when innovators are free of societal constraints, and celebrates that Scotland is, in its view, probably the most marketable country on the planet, with an enormous depth of international goodwill, as was demonstrated by the magnificent Tartan Army earlier this year, and by the very many instantly recognisable Scottish icons." Further details available for S7M-01304.1 4. Q Manivannan S7M-01304.2 As an amendment to motion S7M-01304 in the name of Màiri McAllan (Growing Scotland’s Creative Economy), insert at end “; recognises that fair work, including fair pay, secure contracts and safe working conditions, remains a significant challenge across parts of the creative sector, particularly for freelance and self-employed workers, who make up the majority of the workforce; calls on the Scottish Government to publish an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Culture Fair Work Task Force, which was published in December 2025; welcomes the Scottish Government’s engagement with consultations for a proposed Culture and Arts Bill and believes that this Bill, developed through meaningful consultation with artists and the culture sector, would provide a lasting legislative foundation for supporting Scotland’s creative industries, and calls for the Bill to be ambitious and inclusive of grassroots organisations and individuals." Further details available for S7M-01304.2 5. Murdo Fraser S7M-01304.4 As an amendment to motion S7M-01304 in the name of Màiri McAllan (Growing Scotland’s Creative Economy), leave out from second “welcomes" to end and insert "believes that public support for culture and the arts should uphold freedom of expression and speech, and that decisions on public funding should be made at arm’s length from government and be free from political interference"; recognises the contribution that Gaelic and Scots language and culture make to enriching Scotland’s society and economy, and supports collaboration across all of society to realise the full economic, cultural and social potential of Scotland's creative industries.” Further details available for S7M-01304.4 6. David Green S7M-01304.5 As an amendment to motion S7M-01304 in the name of Màiri McAllan (Growing Scotland’s Creative Economy), insert at end "; notes that the games sector contributes around £200m annually to the Scottish economy, employs over 2,000 people and has produced internationally recognised success stories; considers, however, that there are opportunities to grow the sector further and better compete with other countries around Europe, and calls on the Scottish Government to unlock investment and growth in the games sector by establishing a national games innovation centre alongside regional hubs as a means of developing expertise, research, fair work, business skills and low-cost office space for start-up studios." Further details available for S7M-01304.5 followed by Decision Time followed by Members’ Business: Results of the Independent Inquiry into White Working Class Educational Outcomes 1. Thomas Kerr S7M-00947 That the Parliament recognises what it considers to be the crucial issues raised by the independent Inquiry into White Working Class Educational Outcomes; notes the belief that the statistics it highlighted are valid within Scotland, including in the Glasgow parliamentary region, as *analysis of UCAS annual reports, Scottish Government school leaver destination data and Scottish Funding Council Widening Access reports,* reportedly indicates that for more than a decade, in both the UK and Scotland, white working class boys are the group least likely to go to university; recognises what it sees as the importance of ensuring that all children and young people have the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background, and notes the calls for the Scottish Government to urgently undertake an assessment of the extent to which white working-class boys and young men experience educational or socio-economic disadvantage and to explore targeted measures to address this where such disadvantage is identified. Further details available for S7M-00947