Chamber and committees

That the Finance and Public Administration Committee recommends that the Budget (Scotland) Act 2025 Amendment Regulations 2026 [draft] be approved.

That the Parliament recognises the eleven church elders awarded certificates of long service at Craigrownie Church, Cove, namely Jeanette Caldwell, Helen Bain, Ken Bradshaw, Alistair Cameron, Grace Cathcart, Eleanor Williamson, Joyce DeVenny, Terry Wade, John McMurtrie, Ishbel Scaife and Jane Wright, whose combined service totals over 500 years to local kirk sessions; celebrates their dedication across three communities, Cove, Garelochhead, and Rosneath, as part of the newly formed Lochside Union, acknowledging their commitment, which, it believes, supports spiritual life and community cohesion; commends the leadership of Rev Christine Murdoch, who presented the certificates signed by the Moderator of the General Assembly; believes that this emphasises the value placed on faithful service within the Church of Scotland, and wishes them the best for all future endeavours.

That the Parliament calls on Dana Petroleum, which is headquartered in Aberdeen and has been granted licences by Israel to explore the sea bed off the coast of Gaza, to follow Italian energy company ENI’s example, in light of reports that ENI has stated that it does not plan to be involved in any future activities in the area; believes that no Scottish companies should be involved in resource extraction from what it considers are internationally recognised Palestinian waters; further believes that profiting from Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine, and what it considers is ongoing genocide in Gaza, is incompatible with human rights and international humanitarian law, and urges the Scottish Government to issue a call encouraging all companies based in Scotland to cease business with Israel, as, it believes, it rightly did with Russia following the illegal invasion of Ukraine, in light of the Scottish Government’s acknowledgement that it believes that a genocide is taking place in Palestine, and the Scottish Parliament’s agreement to a motion on 3 September 2025, calling for a package of boycotts, divestment and sanctions targeted at the State of Israel.

That the Parliament congratulates the former Grangemouth High School student and singer/songwriter, Jasmin Jet, on her inclusion on the Ones to Watch list for 2026 by the charity, Youth Music; notes that Ones to Watch highlights musicians supported through Youth Music's NextGen Fund, which helps young people facing barriers build sustainable careers through funding, training and paid opportunities; further notes that, since its launch in 2021, the NextGen Fund has supported 430 early-career musicians and music industry creatives; recognises that, having graduated from university with a degree in music, Jasmin plans to release a debut EP in 2026; further recognises that Jasmin's previous achievements include winning Greene King's Untapped competition in 2025 and being named Scottish Young Musician's Best Vocalist in 2022; congratulates Jasmin on her success, and wishes her all the very best with her music career. 

That the Parliament congratulates Heather Hall on being awarded a British Empire Medal for her services to the community; understands that Heather grew up in Stirling, attending school in Killearn and Balfron; notes that she has been recognised for her work in founding The Usual Place in Dumfries, a training centre providing transformative opportunities for young people with additional support needs; understands that, over 10 years, The Usual Place has supported more than 2,000 young people through work experience and training, offering these opportunities through running a cafe; understands that this cafe is supported by a thriving community; notes that The Usual Place also offers training and mentorship to other employers to help them support employees with additional support needs; congratulates Heather for her many years of work, and recognises the enormous positive impact that she has had.

That the Parliament congratulates the staff, volunteers, members and supporters of Erskine Veterans Activity Centre North (EVACN) in Forres on raising £12,400 to support the renovation of its kitchen; understands that a coffee morning was held, which raised £3,100, and that this was triple match funded by The Macallan Distillery owners, Edrington; further understands that the coffee morning was supported by Macallan employee, Jim Murdoch, the son of EVACN member, Simon Murdoch, and that this helped secure the extra funding through Edrington's employee fundraising scheme; recognises what it sees as the importance of charities like Erskine for the varied work that it does with Scotland's veterans community, and wishes the Erskine Veterans Activity Centre North well with its renovation plans and for its long-term commitment to supporting veterans across Moray.

That the Parliament congratulates Moray Firth Credit Union manager, Maggie Bell, and supervisor, Linda Strathdee, upon their retirement after years of dedicated service; understands that Maggie was involved in the credit union from its formation in the early 1990s in addition to her job at Forres Academy, while Linda was employed at the co-operative part time for 17 years as well as having a previous career with the Ministry of Defence at RAF Kinloss; recognises that both Maggie and Linda were credited as being pivotal in expanding the reach of the credit union from its roots in Forres to being accessible to people from across Moray and Nairn, and wishes both Maggie and Linda a well-earned retirement.

That the Parliament congratulates the winners announced at the inaugural awards at The British Horror Studio in Kirkcaldy; notes that the studio was founded by local filmmaker Lawrie Brewster, writer and producer Sarah Daly and producer Paul William Kelly and specialises in gothic and folk horror; acknowledges that more than 5,000 votes were cast by horror fans worldwide and film industry peers, with winners selected by an independent jury; notes that there was a newly introduced category of Best Indie Horror Artist of the Year to recognise individuals making exceptional contributions to the independent sector; acknowledges that there have been more than 1,200 new members recently and a patron community of over 3,500; notes that the studio has produced a number of feature films in Scotland, and is set to produce another three, and commends this growing concentration of talent and activity in Scotland.

That the Education, Children and Young People Committee recommends that the Care Leaver Payment (Scotland) Regulations 2026 [draft] be approved.

That the Parliament welcomes the recent publication of polling that shows public support for a just energy transition in Scotland and a clear majority of people in Scotland opposing new North Sea fossil fuel extraction in favour of a transition to clean energy; understands that the polling was conducted on behalf of Uplift and polled 2,352 adults from November to December 2025; notes that two thirds of respondents to the survey believe that climate action to address the climate crisis must be a high priority for the Scottish Government; further notes that three quarters of young respondents oppose new fossil fuel drilling in favour of clean, renewable energy; agrees with the findings that the investment and development of renewable energy will provide the best opportunity for workers in the Scottish energy sector, including in the North East, and that a renewable-based energy system is most likely to result in a secure and affordable energy supply, and calls on the Scottish Government to recognise the importance to young people of ambitious, transformative energy and industrial policies that decarbonise Scotland’s economy and society and power a just energy transition to renewable energy and a just energy system fit for the future.