Liam McArthur MSP

That the Parliament notes with tremendous sadness the sudden passing at the weekend of Dr Tony Trickett MBE, Lord Lieutenant of Orkney; acknowledges that Dr Trickett worked for almost three decades as GP for Hoy, Walls and Longhope and considers that he was utterly devoted to the community; notes what it considers his strong connection to the Longhope lifeboat, where he served as its operations manager and held the honorary roles of medical officer and secretary; believes that his contribution and commitment to the RNLI was invaluable and notes that RNLI presented him with its Silver Badge in 1994 and Gold Badge in 2004; notes Dr Trickett's longstanding trusteeship of the Hoy Trust, his work with the Gable End Theatre and the development of the Hoy Half Marathon, which, it understands, along with his many other interests, helped enhance the vibrancy of the community that it believes he was proud to call his own; recalls the selfless and tireless work he carried out as both Deputy and Lord Lieutenant of Orkney, where he acted as an ambassador for the islands and its communities; is confident that, although his passing will be very keenly felt in Orkney and beyond, he has left a lasting and hugely positive legacy, and expresses its condolences to Dr Trickett's wife, family and friends.    

That the Parliament notes with tremendous sadness the sudden passing at the weekend of Dr Tony Trickett MBE, Lord Lieutenant of Orkney; acknowledges that Dr Trickett worked for almost three decades as GP for Hoy, Walls and Longhope and considers that he was utterly devoted to the community; notes what it considers his strong connection to the Longhope lifeboat, where he served as its operations manager and held the honorary roles of medical officer and secretary; believes that his contribution and commitment to the RNLI was invaluable and notes that RNLI presented him with its Silver Badge in 1994 and Gold Badge in 2004; notes Dr Trickett's longstanding trusteeship of the Hoy Trust, his work with the Gable End Theatre and the development of the Hoy Half Marathon, which, it understands, along with his many other interests, helped enhance the vibrancy of the community that it believes he was proud to call his own; recalls the selfless and tireless work he carried out as both Deputy and Lord Lieutenant of Orkney, where he acted as an ambassador for the islands and its communities; is confident that, although his passing will be very keenly felt in Orkney and beyond, he has left a lasting and hugely positive legacy, and expresses its condolences to Dr Trickett's wife, family and friends.    

That the Parliament welcomes the 10th anniversary of the establishment in Orkney of the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), which was formally opened by the then Deputy First Minister, Jim Wallace; considers that the decision to locate EMEC in Orkney reflected the world-leading work already being done in the islands in relation to wave and tidal energy development and that this business and research capability has gone from strength to strength; pays tribute to the governments and agencies that have supported its development ever since, not least the former environment minister, Ross Finnie, who awarded a £2 million grant in 2003 to establish what was referred to at the time by Sandy Cumming of Highlands and Islands Enterprise as a “project of true international significance which could put Scotland at the forefront of research and commercialisation of wave and tidal power”; acknowledges what it considers the significant progress that this and subsequent investment has enabled in the development of a range of wave and tidal technologies; notes the expansion of EMEC in recent years, which now includes 11 utility-scale wave and tidal arrays in various stages of deployment and testing, with more to come soon, and nursery sites to allow earlier stage testing to take place; congratulates all of the EMEC team and, in particular, the current director, Neil Kermode, for their vision and hard work; looks forward to continued investment by UK and Scottish governments, the Orkney Islands Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Carbon Trust and the European Union to develop further the opportunities to advance wave and tidal energy technologies in the years to come, and hopes that this will in turn reward the support of the local island population with both job and wealth creation opportunities as Orkney leads the way in terms of Scotland’s renewables revolution.

That the Parliament welcomes the 10th anniversary of the establishment in Orkney of the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), which was formally opened by the then Deputy First Minister, Jim Wallace; considers that the decision to locate EMEC in Orkney reflected the world-leading work already being done in the islands in relation to wave and tidal energy development and that this business and research capability has gone from strength to strength; pays tribute to the governments and agencies that have supported its development ever since, not least the former environment minister, Ross Finnie, who awarded a £2 million grant in 2003 to establish what was referred to at the time by Sandy Cumming of Highlands and Islands Enterprise as a “project of true international significance which could put Scotland at the forefront of research and commercialisation of wave and tidal power”; acknowledges what it considers the significant progress that this and subsequent investment has enabled in the development of a range of wave and tidal technologies; notes the expansion of EMEC in recent years, which now includes 11 utility-scale wave and tidal arrays in various stages of deployment and testing, with more to come soon, and nursery sites to allow earlier stage testing to take place; congratulates all of the EMEC team and, in particular, the current director, Neil Kermode, for their vision and hard work; looks forward to continued investment by UK and Scottish governments, the Orkney Islands Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Carbon Trust and the European Union to develop further the opportunities to advance wave and tidal energy technologies in the years to come, and hopes that this will in turn reward the support of the local island population with both job and wealth creation opportunities as Orkney leads the way in terms of Scotland’s renewables revolution.

That the Parliament congratulates Orkney Hockey Ladies on what it understands was the team's hard-earned victory in the 2013 Scottish District Cup Final against a talented MCC Western side at the National Hockey Academy, Peffermill, on 4 May; notes that this is the second time that the Orkney team has won what it considers this prestigious competition, following the triumph against Kinross in 2010; believes that this latest success is testimony to the strength and consistency of Orkney’s playing squad and to the coaching prowess of Graham and Ali Johnston, and looks forward to continued Orkney success in the future, with the possibility of a final against Shetland, whose team, it believes, was unfortunate to be knocked out in the semi-finals this year.

That the Parliament congratulates Orkney Hockey Ladies on what it understands was the team's hard-earned victory in the 2013 Scottish District Cup Final against a talented MCC Western side at the National Hockey Academy, Peffermill, on 4 May; notes that this is the second time that the Orkney team has won what it considers this prestigious competition, following the triumph against Kinross in 2010; believes that this latest success is testimony to the strength and consistency of Orkney’s playing squad and to the coaching prowess of Graham and Ali Johnston, and looks forward to continued Orkney success in the future, with the possibility of a final against Shetland, whose team, it believes, was unfortunate to be knocked out in the semi-finals this year.

As an amendment to motion S4M-06407 in the name of Murdo Fraser (Scotland Needs a Balanced Energy Policy), leave out from "recognises" to end and insert "welcomes the recent decision by the Department of Energy and Climate Change to shortlist the Peterhead Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Project to progress to the next stage of the UK Government’s CCS commercialisation competition funding, with a final investment decision to be taken in 2015; appreciates concern from consumers and businesses regarding the rising cost of energy impacting on household budgets and economic growth but recognises that failure to decarbonise energy production, with increased reliance on imported gas and global competition for resources, would result in the highest increase in consumer bills in the long term; welcomes recent figures showing that Scotland is generating around 39% of its electricity from renewable sources and recognises that there are over 11,000 jobs directly related to the development of the renewables sector; recognises that onshore wind is vital to meeting Scotland’s renewable energy and climate change targets as it is the most mature and competitive renewable technology that can be deployed at scale but believes that, if these ambitious targets are to be met, a long-term energy strategy is needed that maximises Scotland’s potential across other renewables technologies including offshore wind, wave, tidal and hydro, and calls on the Scottish Government to develop a comprehensive strategy for achieving a mixed energy portfolio, engage effectively with the UK Green Investment Bank in Edinburgh, support the development of other technologies that reduce reliance on fossil fuels and encourage heat and electricity production by micro-renewables."

As an amendment to motion S4M-06407 in the name of Murdo Fraser (Scotland Needs a Balanced Energy Policy), leave out from "recognises" to end and insert "welcomes the recent decision by the Department of Energy and Climate Change to shortlist the Peterhead Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Project to progress to the next stage of the UK Government’s CCS commercialisation competition funding, with a final investment decision to be taken in 2015; appreciates concern from consumers and businesses regarding the rising cost of energy impacting on household budgets and economic growth but recognises that failure to decarbonise energy production, with increased reliance on imported gas and global competition for resources, would result in the highest increase in consumer bills in the long term; welcomes recent figures showing that Scotland is generating around 39% of its electricity from renewable sources and recognises that there are over 11,000 jobs directly related to the development of the renewables sector; recognises that onshore wind is vital to meeting Scotland’s renewable energy and climate change targets as it is the most mature and competitive renewable technology that can be deployed at scale but believes that, if these ambitious targets are to be met, a long-term energy strategy is needed that maximises Scotland’s potential across other renewables technologies including offshore wind, wave, tidal and hydro, and calls on the Scottish Government to develop a comprehensive strategy for achieving a mixed energy portfolio, engage effectively with the UK Green Investment Bank in Edinburgh, support the development of other technologies that reduce reliance on fossil fuels and encourage heat and electricity production by micro-renewables."

That the Parliament welcomes the establishment of a new autism care service in Orkney; understands that this follows Orkney Islands Council and NHS Orkney commissioning in partnership an autism-specific support service, with support from Scottish Autism, the national charity for people with the condition; is pleased to note that two young men with autism will now be able to return home to live in Orkney and receive the support that they need to develop skills for independent living in their community; believes that it is best for people with autism to be given the opportunity to receive support as close as possible to family, friends and familiar surroundings; therefore congratulates all involved in setting up this particular partnership, and hopes that it will continue to work well in Orkney.

That the Parliament welcomes the establishment of a new autism care service in Orkney; understands that this follows Orkney Islands Council and NHS Orkney commissioning in partnership an autism-specific support service, with support from Scottish Autism, the national charity for people with the condition; is pleased to note that two young men with autism will now be able to return home to live in Orkney and receive the support that they need to develop skills for independent living in their community; believes that it is best for people with autism to be given the opportunity to receive support as close as possible to family, friends and familiar surroundings; therefore congratulates all involved in setting up this particular partnership, and hopes that it will continue to work well in Orkney.

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of the implications for the post-16 reform programme following implementation of the decision of the Office for National Statistics to reclassify colleges as part of central government in Scotland.

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of the implications for the post-16 reform programme following implementation of the decision of the Office for National Statistics to reclassify colleges as part of central government in Scotland.

To ask the Scottish Government what communications and discussions it has had with the college sector on the decision of the Office for National Statistics to reclassify colleges as part of central government since October 2010.

To ask the Scottish Government what communications and discussions it has had with the college sector on the decision of the Office for National Statistics to reclassify colleges as part of central government since October 2010.

To ask the Scottish Government what the implications are for (a) borrowing by the college sector, (b) learners, (c) planned capital programmes in the college sector, (d) procurement in the college sector, (e) charitable status in the college sector, (f) college governance, (g) access to the European Social Fund, (h) capital funding and investment, (i) commercial income, (j) UK-wide activity, (k) international activity, (l) cash reserves and (m) colleges that are not incorporated as a result of the decision of the Office for National Statistics to reclassify colleges as part of central government in Scotland.

To ask the Scottish Government what the implications are for (a) borrowing by the college sector, (b) learners, (c) planned capital programmes in the college sector, (d) procurement in the college sector, (e) charitable status in the college sector, (f) college governance, (g) access to the European Social Fund, (h) capital funding and investment, (i) commercial income, (j) UK-wide activity, (k) international activity, (l) cash reserves and (m) colleges that are not incorporated as a result of the decision of the Office for National Statistics to reclassify colleges as part of central government in Scotland.

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the use of hyperbaric chambers for emergencies in each year since 2003, broken down by NHS board area.

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the use of hyperbaric chambers for emergencies in each year since 2003, broken down by NHS board area.

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the response by Serco Northlink to the MV Hamnavoe engine failure and subsequent loss of a lifeline service between Stromness and Scrabster.

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the response by Serco Northlink to the MV Hamnavoe engine failure and subsequent loss of a lifeline service between Stromness and Scrabster.