Meeting of the Parliament
9.15 am Parliamentary Bureau Motion
S4M-03013 Bruce Crawford on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau: Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill—That the Parliament agrees that, during Stage 3 of the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill, debate on groups of amendments shall, subject to Rule 9.8.4A, be brought to a conclusion by the time limit indicated, that time limit being calculated from when the stage begins and excluding any periods when other business is under consideration or when a meeting of the Parliament is suspended (other than a suspension following the first division in the stage being called) or otherwise not in progress:
Groups 1 to 3: 1 hour 20 minutes.
followed by Scottish Government Debate: Why Languages Matter, Improving Young People’s Opportunities
S4M-03004 Alasdair Allan: Why Languages Matter, Improving Young People’s Opportunities—That the Parliament agrees that, in today’s globalised world, learning other languages is more important than ever and that it is in Scotland’s economic and cultural interests that young Scots are able to speak other languages; notes the report of the Languages Working Group and its recommendation that children should learn another language from primary 1; supports the Scottish Government’s far-sighted and ambitious aim to enable all young people to learn two languages in addition to their mother tongue during their time at school, and welcomes the Scottish Government’s plans for a pilot project programme for 2012-13 to demonstrate how the aims of the 1+2 Barcelona model of language learning can be turned into a reality in Scotland over the course of two parliamentary sessions.
The Presiding Officer has selected the following amendments
S4M-03004.1 Neil Findlay: Why Languages Matter, Improving Young People’s Opportunities—As an amendment to motion S4M-03004 in the name of Alasdair Allan (Why Languages Matter, Improving Young People’s Opportunities), leave out from “supports” to end and insert “acknowledges the decline in language course take-up in secondary schools; recognises that developing language skills from an early age is best supported by well-trained teachers and language assistants; notes that the numbers of both have reduced significantly since 2007, and calls on the Scottish Government to identify how any future roll-out of the proposed pilot projects would be funded to allow all young people to start learning a second language from primary 1.”
S4M-03004.2 Liz Smith: Why Languages Matter, Improving Young People’s Opportunities—As an amendment to motion S4M-03004 in the name of Alasdair Allan (Why Languages Matter, Improving Young People’s Opportunities), insert at end “, but recognises that this ambitious programme cannot be achieved without renewed focus on the training of qualified foreign language teachers and without substantially increasing the number of foreign language assistants in Scotland’s schools.”
11.40 am General Question Time
1. Liz Smith: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake an audit of rural policing resources and police stations prior to the establishment of a single police force. (S4O-01029)
2. Annabel Goldie: To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made to ensure the continued independent monitoring of prisons. (S4O-01030)
3. Nigel Don: To ask the Scottish Executive whether a scheme promoted under the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961, which does not yet have confirmed statutory consents, will be eligible for grant support, including beyond the current spending review period, and to a level of 80% of eligible costs. (S4O-01031)
4. Colin Beattie: To ask Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce legislation regulating the use of air rifles. (S4O-01032)
5. David Torrance: To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on RGR Foundry Limited’s plans to build a new foundry at Fife Energy Park in order to supply the offshore wind market. (S4O-01033)
6. Kenneth Gibson: To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers the most significant improvements have been to patient care in the Ayrshire and Arran NHS board area since 2007. (S4O-01034)
7. Maureen Watt: To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions the Minister for Local Government and Planning has had with Aberdeen City Council regarding its plans to improve public buildings. (S4O-01035)
8. Gavin Brown: To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met Scottish Enterprise. (S4O-01036)
9. Jean Urquhart: To ask the Scottish Executive whether part of its preventative spend budget will be spent on health matters. (S4O-01037)
10. Fiona McLeod: To ask the Scottish Executive whether licensing laws include provisions to ensure that the licensee is a fit and proper person. (S4O-01038)
12.00 pm First Minister’s Question Time
1. Johann Lamont: To ask the First Minister what engagements he has planned for the rest of the day. (S4F-00701)
2. Ruth Davidson: To ask the First Minister when he will next meet the Secretary of State for Scotland. (S4F-00692)
3. Willie Rennie: To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet. (S4F-00697)
4. Kenneth Gibson: To ask the First Minister what impact the continuing uncertainty in the eurozone is having on the Scottish economy.(S4F-00690)
5. Graeme Pearson: To ask the First Minister what progress is being made with the criminal investigation of the Lockerbie bombing. (S4F-00693)
6. Nigel Don: To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is regarding reports that the Ministry of Defence might have sold land in Scotland that was contaminated with radioactive material. (S4F-00712)
2.00 pm Themed Question Time
Infrastructure and Capital Investment
1. Ken Macintosh: To ask the Scottish Executive how it procures public contracts for supported employment. (S4O-01039)
2. Chic Brodie: To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment last met the British Geological Survey. (S4O-01040)
3. Alison McInnes: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering accelerating the work on upgrading the A90 between Balmedie and Tipperty. (S4O-01041)
4. Joe FitzPatrick: To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that there is adequate transport infrastructure in place for visitors to the V&A at Dundee. (S4O-01042)
5. Jamie Hepburn: To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in implementing Scotland’s Digital Future - Infrastructure Action Plan. (S4O-01043)
6. Paul Wheelhouse: To ask the Scottish Executive what support is provided to community-led regeneration in South Scotland. (S4O-01044)
7. John Lamont: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects the estimated costs of constructing the Borders Railway to change. (S4O-01045)
8. Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with veterans associations and what issues were discussed. (S4O-01046)
9. Jamie McGrigor: To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to build affordable housing in the Highlands and Islands. (S4O-01047)
10. Margaret Burgess: To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with local authorities regarding the right to buy council houses. (S4O-01048)
Culture and External Affairs
1. Drew Smith: To ask the Scottish Executive how it promotes arts and culture in partnership with local authorities. (S4O-01049)
2. Kevin Stewart: To ask the Scottish Executive how it supports cultural initiatives in Aberdeen. (S4O-01050)
3. John Finnie: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it keeps an inventory of historical artefacts from the Highlands and Islands that are held by museums outside of Scotland. (S4O-01051)
4. Hugh Henry [Not Lodged]
5. Anne McTaggart: To ask the Scottish Executive what funding and leadership it provides to protect and maintain Charles Rennie Mackintosh buildings. (S4O-01053)
6. Margaret McCulloch: To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the report on the future of public library services by the Carnegie UK Trust. (S4O-01054)
7. Jim Hume: To ask the Scottish Executive what major events it plans to support in 2017. (S4O-01055)
8. Sarah Boyack: To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to secure a visit to Scotland by Aung San Suu Kyi during her planned visit to the UK in June 2012. (S4O-01056)
9. Clare Adamson: To ask the Scottish Executive what projects will be supported by its 2012 Edinburgh Festival’s Expo Fund. (S4O-01057)
10. Gil Paterson: To ask the Scottish Executive what preparations are being made to mark St Andrew’s Day 2012. (S4O-01058)
2.40 pm Stage 3 Proceedings: Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill
S4M-02967 Nicola Sturgeon: Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill—That the Parliament agrees that the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill be passed.
The Presiding Officer has selected the following amendment
S4M-02967.1 Jackie Baillie: Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill—As an amendment to motion S4M-02967 in the name of Nicola Sturgeon (Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill), insert at end “but, in so doing, strongly believes that the Scottish Government should bring forward proposals to eliminate the windfall to large retailers arising from the minimum unit price by means of the proposed public health levy or other targeted levy.”
followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions
5.00 pm Decision Time
followed by Members’ Business
Debate on the subject of—
S4M-02485 Kenneth Gibson: Glasgow Epilepsy Genetics Service—That the Parliament congratulates what it considers the outstanding work undertaken by the Glasgow Epilepsy Genetics Service, which was established in the Duncan Guthrie Institute of Medical Genetics at RHSC Yorkhill in 2005 with support from the Muir Maxwell Trust; commends Yorkhill for being the principal testing centre for the UK and several other countries; understands that 2,500 individuals have already benefited from a growing number of investigations, currently across six genes, leading to a genetic diagnosis of epilepsy; notes that his work aims to help individuals and families understand the cause of their own or their child’s epilepsy, save unnecessary tests and that it may change clinical management and improve outcomes; applauds this NHS National Services Division-funded service while welcoming further plans to offer a comprehensive genetic panel of epilepsy genes from mid 2012, earlier testing for children and adults, and a Scottish Paediatric Epilepsy Origins and Outcome Study; notes that the service also offers genetic counselling to assist families and individuals in moving forward from their diagnosis, and believes that a greater availability of epilepsy specialist nurses, such as in Ayrshire and Arran, would allow both new and existing cases of epilepsy to benefit from tailored information on taking medications and the opportunity of making informed lifestyle choices to maximise their physical, emotional and mental wellbeing.
Meetings of Committees
All meetings take place in the Scottish Parliament, unless otherwise specified. Contact details for Committee Clerks are provided at the end of the Bulletin.
Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee
8th Meeting, 2012
The Committee will meet at 12.45 pm in Committee Room 5
1. Reform of parliamentary business: remodelling the parliamentary week (in private): The Committee will consider a draft report.
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