Join us for First Minister’s Questions live from the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, starting with General Questions to Ministers.
Scottish Parliament – First Minister’s Questions.
11:40am General Questions
Finlay Carson S6O-02918
1. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the small business minister has had with ministerial colleagues regarding an assessment of the total number of self-catering properties in Scotland since the introduction of its short-term let licensing scheme.
Stuart McMillan
2. [Not Lodged]
Colin Beattie S6O-02920
3. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the steps that it is taking to tackle loss and damage in marginalised communities.
Liz Smith S6O-02921
4. To ask the Scottish Government what recent engagement it has had with Scottish Mountain Rescue teams regarding mountain safety this winter.
Mercedes Villalba
5. [Withdrawn]
Paul Sweeney
6. [Not Lodged]
Collette Stevenson S6O-02924
7. To ask the Scottish Government how its Budget will affect East Kilbride.
Evelyn Tweed S6O-02925
8. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Scotgold Resources Ltd regarding any support that can be provided to employees who may lose their jobs at its Cononish Gold Mine near Tyndrum, in light of the reported announcement that the company has gone into administration.
12:00pm First Minister’s Questions
Douglas Ross S6F-02663
1. Question to be taken in Chamber.
Anas Sarwar S6F-02664
2. Question to be taken in Chamber.
Mark Ruskell S6F-02672
3. To ask the First Minister how the Budget will support climate action.
Evelyn Tweed S6F-02675
4. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that Creative Scotland’s National Lottery Extended Programme Fund has received applications equating to double the available budget, leaving some organisations and charities without funding.
Jamie Greene S6F-02673
5. To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government can promote and assist organisations that tackle loneliness, isolation and self-harm over the festive period.
Pauline McNeill S6F-02679
6. To ask the First Minister whether, and how, the Scottish Government plans to increase awareness of spiking ahead of Christmas and New Year.
12:45pm Portfolio Questions – Social Justice
Colin Smyth S6O-02910
1. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to data from National Records of Scotland showing a rise in homelessness-related deaths since 2017.
Willie Coffey S6O-02911
2. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact that the UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership may have on its New Scots integration strategy.
Carol Mochan S6O-02912
3. To ask the Scottish Government what work to tackle poverty it is currently undertaking to support people who are in debt to public bodies.
Alasdair Allan S6O-02913
4. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the roll-out of its new Carer Support Payment in the Western Isles and other pilot areas.
Kevin Stewart S6O-02914
5. To ask the Scottish Government how many children in Aberdeen have received the Scottish Child Payment since its inception.
Jackie Baillie S6O-02915
6. To ask the Scottish Government whether its plans for the delivery of Employment Injury Assistance include support for firefighters diagnosed with cancer, in light of reported calls for this welfare benefit to be made available to this workforce.
Fulton MacGregor S6O-02916
7. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the MS Society’s reported call for PIP applications to end the so-called 20-metre rule and replace it with a 50-metre threshold until an alternative is found.
Alexander Stewart S6O-02917
8. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the housing minister has had with ministerial colleagues regarding any impact on the availability of housing through the private rented sector of its energy efficiency reforms.
Appointments of the Chair and Commissioners of the Scottish Land Commission
Mairi Gougeon S6M-11733 – Appointments of the Chair and Commissioners of the Scottish Land Commission
That the Parliament notes the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee’s 21st Report, 2023 (Session 6), Report on appointments to the Scottish Land Commission (SP Paper 499); welcomes the Committee’s recommendation that the Parliament approves the appointment of Professor Michael Russell, Professor Deborah Roberts and Craig Mackenzie as Land Commissioners to the Scottish Land Commission; further welcomes the Committee’s endorsement of the selection of Professor Michael Russell as Chair of the Commission, and approves the appointments as required by section 10 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016.
1:30pm Decision Time
First Minister’s Questions is available live and on catch-up afterwards.
We are now on Mastodon and on BlueSky.
Thank you to everyone who has supported our emergency fundraiser. We have been overwhelmed by your generosity and support and we are happy to confirm that we have reduced our debt sufficiently to give us time to grow our subscriber base and resolve our funding concerns. We have now set ourselves the target of adding 500 new subscribers in the first instance and then to grow the number of Broadcasting Scotland Supporters to a sustainable level that will enable us to employ staff to make more programmes.
Broadcasting Scotland is Scotland’s independent broadcaster, producing programmes from a Scottish perspective, targeting audiences, inside Scotland and beyond. We can only be the independent TV channel you want with your support, so please consider becoming a Broadcasting Scotland Supporter.