Chamber and committees

Yes, that is agreeable. As I said, I was fortunate that the City of Edinburgh Council had a mechanism that allowed me to nominate two charities to send the money to. This might not be a matter for this committee, but how does the pensions element work? How are those concerns squared off?

No, we would not.

As a dog owner, I am pleased to close the debate for the Conservatives. Alfie makes my life complete. Since we brought him home in February three years ago, I have become a bit of a convert. However, I am gutted that, as yet, he has only been second in the Holyrood dog of the year competition—my partner Alasdair nearly sent him back home.

The theft of a dog is one of the most traumatic things that can happen to an owner. However, the law currently considers it in the same way as it would the theft of an inanimate object, which, given what we have heard today, is not fair.

Maurice Golden’s bill seeks to take into account the welfare impact of a dog theft on both the owner and the dog, to act as a deterrent by introducing much harsher penalties for those who are found guilty of an offence, and to enable more accurate data recording to take place to help to identify areas for further interventions. As we have heard, the bill also seeks to bring Scotland into line with England and Northern Ireland, where the UK Pet Abduction Act 2024 provides for the emotional impact on owners to be considered as part of sentencing. In our general election manifesto, we committed to better protecting dogs against theft, and we highlighted how much we are committed to animal welfare.

Maurice Golden spoke about how interested he is in the principles of justice and about how losing a dog to theft compounds the sense of trauma. It was good to hear from the convener of the lead committee for consideration of the bill that the stage 1 report was balanced, rigorous and fair, and that there was unanimous support for its recommendations. We also heard how open Maurice Golden is to working with everyone to refine the bill further at stage 2.

It was disappointing to hear that the Scottish Government has offered only conditional support for the bill, in that it wants to remove the provisions on victim statements and the requirement for the Government to publish an annual report on the operation of the legislation. That was related to resource issues. However, the Government is committed to delivering a reporting component in whatever way that might be possible.

We also heard about the significance of providing for an aggravation in relation to the theft of an assistance dog, given the impact on the lives of people who rely on assistance dogs.

It was good to hear from the convener of the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee that dogs are more than property and how important it is to have a stand-alone offence of dog theft.

I turn to Jamie Halcro Johnston’s comments. I am delighted to hear that Buster was rehomed after his award-winning appearance at Holyrood dog of the year. He also spoke about something that is not often mentioned in Parliament, which is how often abducted dogs can go on to face really horrific cruelty.

Rhoda Grant wants the Government to provide a more comprehensive piece of legislation, and Mark Ruskell spoke about how inadequate the current legal framework is.

I was not quite sure what was coming next from Mr Leonard. I thought that we were going to be in floods of tears as he was building up to his comments about the unconditional love that has come to him in his later life, now that he knows about the benefits of dog ownership and the importance of compassion and decency. I was getting my tissues out over here.

We have had some great stories, including the one about Beetle and Ruby. The social media content and news of the campaign to find those two Border terriers made it up to Edinburgh, so I am very aware of that.

We know that the bill has overwhelming support from the public and from all the organisations concerned, and it has been great to hear cross-party support from across the chamber this afternoon. I am delighted. We need to accept that the current law fails to consider the emotional value that a dog brings, and that we need to support owners and deter thieves. My colleague Maurice Golden’s bill addresses those issues by introducing a statutory offence.

Scottish Conservatives will be delighted to support the bill as it moves forward from stage 1.

The visitor levy came into effect in Edinburgh yesterday, yet the final guidance for businesses was published only last week. The owner of Linwater caravan park has contacted me, stating that

“Accommodation Providers are reporting to me that Booking systems have been unable to adapt in time, particularly to the 5-night rule; meaning”

many

“small operators now face the choice of applying the 5% levy incorrectly to all nights or inputting it manually for every booking.

This is creating significant risks of error, bank refund fees, and an extra administrative burden that small businesses can ill afford.”

I believe that it is unreasonable to expect those businesses to request the redesign of global booking systems and processes in just a few working days, especially when they have been seeking clarity from the council since July. What support can the Scottish Government offer to those businesses during this transition period?

What carbon budgeting has been carried out in relation to assessing the impact of transporting waste from Scotland to England when the landfill ban comes into force?

I accept the premise that local decision making is a priority, but we are facing congestion at Sheriffhall that is frustrating for drivers and is holding back the economy of the Lothians and, frankly, all of south-east Scotland by making transport for businesses slower and far less reliable. Why has it taken two years for ministers to even consider the outcome of the public inquiry, which was submitted back in October 2023? When will the decision be made that we will get our Sheriffhall roundabout?

A tiny bit.

You mentioned the importance of young people and looked-after young people specifically. We heard from the Electoral Commission that there was going to be

“a round-table ... with organisations that work with care-experienced young people to explain to them the changes”—[Official Report, Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee, 4 September 2025; c.14]

and what that meant for them. What work does the Scottish Government have planned, in conjunction with the Electoral Commission or other organisations, to ensure that looked-after young people or those formally looked after and aged under 21 are aware of the declaration of local connection change with regard to their ability to exercise their right to vote?

In a data-driven world, the commission will be best placed to reflect on the success of the change.

I agree.

The convener has already touched on this, slightly.