Chamber and committees

Good morning, and welcome to the 17th meeting in 2024 of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. I have received apologies from Ruth Maguire, and James Dornan is joining us remotely as her substitute.

Our only agenda item is consideration of the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill at stage 2. As Gillian Mackay is the member in charge of the bill, she will not participate as a committee member in the committee’s stage 2 proceedings, by virtue of rule 9.13A.2(b) of the standing orders. Ross Greer is attending in her place as a committee substitute by virtue of rule 12.2A.2. By virtue of rule 12.2.3(a), Gillian Mackay is participating in the meeting as the member in charge of the bill. I also welcome the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health.

For anyone who is watching, I will briefly explain the procedure that we will follow during today’s proceedings. Members should have with them a copy of the bill as introduced; the marshalled list of amendments, which sets out the amendments in the order in which they will be disposed of; and the groupings of amendments document, which sets out the amendments in the order in which they will be debated. For anyone who is observing, I note that those documents are available on the bill’s page on the Scottish Parliament’s website.

There will be one debate on each group of amendments. In each debate, I will call the member who lodged the first amendment in the group to speak to and move that amendment and to speak to all the other amendments in the group. I will then call other members with amendments in the group to speak to but not move their amendments and, if they wish, to speak to other amendments in the group. I will then call any other members who wish to speak in the debate. Members who wish to speak should indicate by catching my or the clerk’s attention. I will then call the member in charge of the bill, then the minister, if they have not already spoken in the debate.

Finally, I will call the member who moved the first amendment in the group to wind up and to indicate whether he or she wishes to press the amendment or to seek to withdraw it. If the amendment is pressed, I will put the question on it. Later amendments in a group will not be debated again when they are reached. If they are moved, I will put the question on them straight away. If a member wishes to withdraw an amendment after it has been moved and debated, I will ask whether any other member objects. If there is an objection, I will immediately put the question on the amendment.

If any member does not wish to move their amendment when it is called, they should say, “Not moved.” In that situation, any other member present may move the amendment. If no one moves it, I will immediately call the next amendment on the marshalled list.

If there is a division, only committee members are entitled to vote. Voting is by a show of hands. It is important that members keep their hands raised clearly until the clerks have recorded their names.

The committee is required to consider and decide on each section of and schedule to the bill and the long title. I will put the question on each of those provisions at the appropriate point.

Before section 1

Amendment 42, in the name of Rachael Hamilton, is in a group on its own.

The result of the division is: For 1, Against 5, Abstentions 2.

Amendment 42 disagreed to.

Section 1—Meaning of “protected premises”

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app has not refreshed, so I am not sure whether my vote was cast. I would have voted no.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I could not connect to the voting app. I would have voted no.

Will the cabinet secretary set out some of the impacts to Scotland’s trunk roads, including in the north-east, of the budget cuts that Mr Lumsden’s party has imposed on Scotland?

In Scotland, overall recycling rates are at their highest ever. Can the minister detail how the Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill, which she referenced in her previous answer, will help to meet our ambitions?

Westminster is set to cut Scotland’s capital budget by almost 9 per cent in real terms over the next five years, which will have a significant impact on my constituency. For example, there will be less funding available to build affordable homes, and South Lanarkshire Council will continue to refuse to build a much-needed high school to serve communities such as Newton Farm, Drumsagard village and Halfway. Does the cabinet secretary agree that it is deeply concerning that a potential Labour United Kingdom Government is signing up to public spending cuts, doubling down on Tory austerity and further restricting Scotland’s capital spending power?

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the reduction in Scotland’s capital budget as a result of changes to Scotland’s block grant. (S6O-03464)

I have had no indication that anyone else wishes to ask a question on the instruments, so we move to item 4, which is the formal debate on the instruments on which we have just taken evidence. I remind the committee that officials may not speak during the debate. I ask the cabinet secretary to speak to and move motions S6M-13020 and S6M-13021.