Chamber and committees

That the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee recommends that the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024 Amendment Regulations 2026 [draft] be approved.

That the Parliament recognises Iwona Wrobel, who is originally from Poland, being named as the latest recipient of the Adam Smith 300 Enterprise Scholarship; understands that the initiative has been created by Adam Smith Scholarships, Fife College, in partnership with Fife Council Economic Development, OnFife and Business Gateway Fife, supporting aspiring student entrepreneurs through funding, mentoring and access to specialist facilities; notes that the scholarship was first awarded in 2023 to mark the 300th anniversary of Adam Smith and provides recipients with £1,000, tailored business mentoring from Business Gateway Fife and access to the Design Suite at the Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy, provided by OnFife; understands that Iwona moved to Scotland 12 years ago and began her studies at Fife College with English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Level 5 and went on to graduate with an HND in Visual Communication in 2025 and is now studying Graphic Design at the University of Dundee; acknowledges that Iwona’s passion for design and community engagement through her work and volunteer efforts impressed scholarship judges; recognises Iwona’s contribution to the Polish Association in Kirkcaldy, and extends its best wishes for success of Iwona’s recent creative venture, IW Design Studio, offering branding and design services to individuals and organisations.

That the Parliament recognises the report recently published by the Fraser of Allander Institute, and commissioned by the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and the Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL), which explored the impact of football on Scotland's economy, understands that the professional men's and women's game, alongside the national teams and including fan spending, generated £820 million during the 2023-24 season; further understands that attendance at professional matches that season topped 6.8 million; notes the finding that the economic activity of the professional football sector supports 9,245 full-time equivalent jobs and made a contribution of £545 million in gross value added to the economy, and considers that it is clear that football is not just intrinsic to Scotland's culture and society, but is crucial to the economy as well.

That the Parliament notes the announcement that Craig Stirrat, chief executive of Grampian Housing Association, will be retiring in Autumn 2026; recognises that Craig has been chief executive since April 2022, having first joined the organisation in 2014, during which time Grampian Housing Association has been accredited with Best Companies as an outstanding place to work and secured the Customer Service Excellence Standard thanks to the flagship Grampian Deal initiative; understands that Craig has spent over 40 years in the social housing sector, during which time he has served on the Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland board, the UK HouseMark Board, the Scottish Advisory Board, and currently serves on the Board of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations; further understands that Craig’s lasting impact in the social housing sector led to him being awarded the Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland’s Lifetime Achievement award in 2023; believes that Craig can be rightly proud of the contribution he has made to social housing, nationally as well as locally, and hopes he enjoys his very well-earned rest when he steps down.

That the Parliament congratulates the organisers, volunteers and participants on the success of the Dumfries Carnival, which took place in Dumfries on 17 January, as part of the Big Burns Supper winter festival, which takes place from 15 to 25 January 2026; notes that the Big Burns Supper features an expanded Northern Lights programme, illuminating heritage sites in the town with light and sound, bringing together audiences of all ages; recognises the wide range of installations showcased across the festival, including Poets Place, which highlighted the roots of Robert Burns’ work and the ongoing traditions of the festival by bringing the Burns Statue, in the town centre, to life using light and sound, celebrating both his literary legacy and the many people who have contributed to sustaining it; acknowledges the installations such as Birds on the Wire, Firefly, Divided, Light Reading, Washing Line, Lights of Hope and Phanto Spectra, alongside other creative experiences, including workshops and short films; notes that the festival also features the Immortal Memory, celebrating Burns’s enduring spirit through a public candle lighting event; recognises that the Rabbie’s Winter Village proved highly popular, attracting large crowds to enjoy food, drink and live music in a welcoming community atmosphere; understands that the celebrations conclude with Le Haggis Burns Night Special and the Family Burns Supper where Hamish the Haggis will interact with children in dance, singing of Scottish songs; thanks all who have made the Big Burns Supper possible over the years, and wishes the Big Burns Supper many successful years ahead celebrating the life of the world-famous Bard.  

That the Parliament notes that Scottish Hazards will hold its 25th annual conference on 26 February 2026 at the City of Glasgow College, Riverside Campus, Glasgow; recognises Scottish Hazards’ 25 years of campaigning, education and advocacy on behalf of workers’ health, safety and wellbeing; understands that the conference theme, Health and Safety in 2026: The Ways Forward, comes at a time of growing concern about weakened enforcement, rising workplace stress and increasing levels of violence and aggression faced by workers across many sectors; expresses concern about the long-term impact of reduced health and safety inspection capacity and regulatory pressures on worker protection; welcomes the conference’s focus on critical issues, including work-related suicide, occupational health provision, health and safety in poorly organised sectors and the need for effective education and the organising of health and safety representatives; acknowledges the essential role of trade unions and worker-led organisations in holding employers and authorities to account; believes that robust health and safety enforcement is a fundamental matter of social justice and public health, not merely regulatory compliance; notes and warmly congratulates Ian Tasker on his 25th anniversary with Scottish Hazards, latterly as Chief Executive Officer, and expresses appreciation for his extensive knowledge, guidance and dedicated assistance to workers, trade unions and the Parliament throughout his tenure, and wishes Ian, Scottish Hazards, the organisers, speakers and participants a successful conference and ongoing success in their efforts to improve workplace health and safety across Scotland.

That the Parliament notes the annual sportscotland Scottish Sport Awards 2025; understands that these awards are a celebration of sport at all levels, from grassroots to high performance nationally and internationally; congratulates all winners for their achievements; further congratulates Team Mouat on being named Team of the Year; notes that Team Mouat is a curling team based at The Peak in Stirling; believes that the team has been recognised for the dominance that it has achieved over a sustained year at a global level, with its success hailed as historic; understands that in the course of a single season, it became the first team ever to win four tournaments in the Grand Slam of Curling; congratulates team members Bruce Mouat, Hammy McMillan, Bobby Lammie and Grant Hardie for their incredible success; understands that they were recognised for their work in raising curling’s profile; congratulates the team’s coach, Michael Goodfellow, for winning the High Performance Coach of the Year award; understands that Michael was praised for the culture of trust, resilience and relentless pursuit of excellence that he has built, and the huge amount of empathy and experience he brings to the role; further understands that he has been recognised as an exceptional ambassador for Scottish coaching and an inspiration to many; offers huge congratulations for these incredible successes, and wishes the team the very best for their next season.

That the Parliament welcomes the return of Central Safe Drive Stay Alive, which is set to take place from 26 to 30 January 2026, with S4 pupils from across the Mid-Scotland and Fife region travelling to Stirling’s Macrobert Arts Centre; understands that 2025’s performances saw 830 youngsters make it through from Clackmannanshire alone; notes that, during the annual event, students are shown a film depicting a typical road collision that involves young people and showing the potential impact of peer pressure, distraction and bad driving practices; further notes that members of the emergency services come on stage between segments and describe their role in the aftermath of the collision and that, after the film, family members of people who have been killed or experienced life-altering injuries give emotional testimonies on how their lives were suddenly and dramatically changed by a crash; acknowledges that there are significant financial challenges involved with running the programme; notes that organisers say that it has been effective, as road deaths and injuries have fallen over the 18 years that the shows have been running; believes that, with no government funding and small levels of local authority funding available, the team behind it must raise almost the full cost of the initiative every year to continue to offer the roadshow free of charge to every high school in the area; commends everyone involved in the production, including Alan Faulds, Melanie Mitchell and the production’s sponsors, Air Products, who are in the final stages of building a state-of-the-art production plant in Alloa; notes that, in 2024-25, the costs of the building hire, bus hire and all the other associated factors were more than £30,000; considers, however, that, with an estimated cost of £1.8 million for every road death in Scotland, and an even higher cost for a lifetime of round-the-clock care, the education of young people makes financial sense, as well as working hard to avoid the devastation to families that occurs in the aftermath of a road traffic collision, and wishes everyone involved all the very best and every success with this year’s production.

That the Parliament recognises and values what it sees as the important role of the University and College Union (UCU) in defending the jobs and conditions of its members in higher education, including those whose jobs are at risk; notes that the UCU at the University of Dundee, alongside other campus unions, has long acted to defend the values of the university; appreciates the organising and effort of the union in this context; commends its ongoing commitment to protecting jobs and ensuring fair treatment for staff, including its planned strike action on 28 January 2026, and extends its solidarity and best wishes for what it believes are its continued efforts in advocating for fair work and an effective workers’ voice.

That the Parliament recognises and values the importance of those working in the further education (FE) sector, including those at Dundee and Angus College; notes what it sees as the success of the Fighting for the Future of Further Education Campaign; appreciates the organising and effort that the campus trade unions have made in highlighting and seeking to protect the contribution made by FE to its students and the communities and economy of the North East and beyond; commends the ongoing commitment of the campus trade unions in protecting jobs and ensuring fair treatment for staff, and extends its best wishes for their continued efforts in advocating for workers' rights and ensuring that Dundee and Angus College continues to be integral to the communities that it serves.