Chamber and committees

That the Parliament expresses its deep concern over the proposed Moray FLOW-Park project; understands that the FLOW-Park would be an anchorage development for floating offshore wind assets, which would be based across two sites on the Moray Firth, with the south site opposite Nairn and the north site opposite Findhorn and Burghead; acknowledges the recent public meeting in Findhorn in which an estimated 400 members of the public attended, as well as an estimated 200 attendees at a satellite venue in Nairn, to ask questions and express concerns over the proposals; believes that worries have been expressed by fishermen about the potential loss of fishing grounds as a result of the project, and by environmental campaigners about the possible impact on flora and fauna, particularly marine mammals; recognises what it sees as the growing number of major planning applications across the Highlands and Islands region, as well as other rural communities across Scotland, and the belief that the voices of local communities are not being listened to when such developments are being considered, and notes calls urging the Scottish Government to ensure that communities are properly engaged by developers, and that projects, such as the Moray FLOW-Park proposal, are subject to thorough and robust scrutiny.

That the Parliament recognises the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence campaign, which runs from 25 November 2025, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, until 10 December, which is Human Rights Day; further recognises that this year’s theme is titled, UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls, as digital violence is one of the fastest-growing forms of abuse against women and girls; expresses concern over the fact that one-in-three women worldwide are affected by gender-based violence, with approximately 51,100 women and girls killed by their intimate partners or other family members during 2023, the equivalent of one women or girl killed every 10 minutes; notes that there were 15 female homicide victims in Scotland in 2024-25; expresses concern over the rising number of cases of domestic abuse in Scotland, including in the West Scotland region, with 63,867 incidents of domestic abuse recorded in 2023-24, and notes calls on the Scottish Government to take immediate action to eradicate gender-based violence, including digital hate.

That the Parliament notes the belief that the Scottish Government should have an industrial strategy that prioritises building critical infrastructure, such as ferries, within Scotland and by Scottish manufacturers; acknowledges what it considers to be the highly skilled workforce at Ferguson Marine and the shipyard’s previous role in delivering vessels for the CalMac fleet; understands that CMAL, as a procuring body, must seek to maximise domestic manufacturing and content and can do so whilst remaining within the law; expresses its disappointment that CMAL chose not to award the contract for seven small CalMac vessels to Ferguson Marine, and that the Scottish Government also ruled out a direct award of this contract to the yard earlier in 2025; notes the ongoing public calls led by the GMB trade union and supported by workers, local businesses, members of the public and Ferguson Marine's management for the Scottish Government to make a direct award to the yard for the replacement of MV Lord of the Isles; further notes the view that CMAL and the Scottish Government should seek to use the second round of the Small Vessel Replacement Programme (SVRP) to support Ferguson Marine; highlights what it sees as the economic and social significance of the yard to the West Scotland region; believes that procurement law in the rest of the UK requires a minimum 10% social value weighting element in the assessment of bids for shipbuilding contracts, but that this is not currently replicated in Scotland; understands that the Scottish Government has only delivered £570,000 of the £14.2 million investment promised in June 2024 to help make the Ferguson Marine yard more productive, efficient and competitive to win more work, and notes the calls for the Scottish Government to make a direct award to the yard for the replacement of MV Lord of the Isles, to deliver the remaining promised investment and to take appropriate steps to improve procurement law to ensure proper social value weighting in the assessment of future shipbuilding contract bids.

That the Parliament notes with deep concern the figures on what it sees as the unacceptable waiting times at NHS Scotland gender identity clinics (GIC), which were published by Public Health Scotland on 28 October 2025; further notes in particular that Scotland’s largest GIC, the Sandyford in Glasgow, which serves eight NHS boards covering nearly half of Scotland’s population, is reportedly overwhelmed, with around 4,000 people on its waiting list and fewer than 50 first appointments per year as of March 2025; shares the concern of Scottish Trans that “the most hopeful estimate is that you would wait 80 years for a first appointment” and that “without drastic action, most people on the waiting list will never be seen”; believes that the strategic action framework for 2022-24 for the improvement of NHS gender identity services, which was published in 2021, has failed to deliver its aims, which included piloting new gender identity services to reduce waiting times and improve trans people’s experiences, and notes the calls on the Scottish Government to urgently set out a plan of action to ensure that trans people in Glasgow and throughout Scotland are able to access the services they need.

That the Parliament believes that the UK’s unelected House of Lords is an affront to democracy; considers that, for as long as Scotland remains part of the UK, any revising chamber at the UK Parliament should be fully elected; deplores what it sees as a situation in which UK political parties, including both the Conservative and Unionist Party and the Labour Party, often make political appointments to the House of Lords as a reward to friends and allies; believes that the Labour Party has pledged to abolish the House of Lords for the last 115 years and has singularly failed to do so, even following landslide UK election victories; recognises reports that the UK Government appears to be delaying the implementation of a range of modest reforms to the House of Lords, and calls for the unelected UK House of Lords to be fully abolished.

That the Parliament commends the homebuilding business, Springfield Properties, which is based in Elgin, for taking on 14 school leavers who have now started careers in various trades, including painting and decorating, and taping and joinery; understands that it took on its first apprentice in 2002, and now around 20% of its site workers are also apprentices; believes that apprenticeships play an important role in growing the workforce of the trade sector, and recognises that apprenticeships are an essential positive destination for many school leavers.

That the Parliament congratulates Zain Younis, a pharmacist based in Campbeltown, for winning the Pharmacist of the Year Award at the 2025 Scottish Health Awards; understands that the award recognises the achievements of individuals and teams who go above and beyond to deliver high quality health and social care in their community; notes that Zain, along with his colleagues Idreece Khan and Ali Kazam, opened his pharmacy in Campbeltown earlier this year and is hoping to open a unit in Oban pending the outcome of a pharmacy consultation process; acknowledges the crucial role that pharmacists and other medical professionals play in supporting local residents, particularly in rural communities, and wishes the full team at Zakpharma more success into the future.

That the Parliament congratulates Motherwell & Wishaw Inner Wheel on celebrating its 78th birthday with a club meeting and dinner at Herdshill Guest House in Wishaw; notes that the club dedicated the dinner to the United Nations campaign to end violence against women and girls, which this year is themed "Orange the World"; recognises that the members collected 110 orange-themed food items, which were donated to the Food Bank at South Wishaw Parish Church to support those in need; further notes that Inner Wheel, one of the largest women’s service organisations in the world, brings together women from diverse backgrounds to promote friendship, service and international understanding, and commends the club for its ongoing commitment to community service, raising awareness of gender-based violence and supporting vulnerable people in Lanarkshire, across Scotland and the wider world.

That the Parliament congratulates the Motherwell opera singer, Monica McGhee, on the forthcoming world premiere of her debut song cycle, The Pebbles We Keep, at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland; notes that the work celebrates and brings to life four centuries of words and experiences from Scotland’s female writers by setting eight poems by women from across the country’s history to music; understands that the oldest poem featured in the eight-movement cycle is Elizabeth Melville’s Ane Godlie Dreame, from 1603, which it understands is the first published poem by a Scottish woman, and that the most recent is contemporary poet Lisa Kennedy’s The Pebbles We Keep, from which the piece takes its title; recognises the creative achievement of composing a work that honours Scotland’s literary and cultural heritage through music, and wishes Monica McGhee every success with the premiere performance and in her ongoing artistic career.

That the Parliament congratulates Fool On, which is a pioneering mental health support group based in Lanarkshire, on celebrating its 10th anniversary at Pather Arts Centre; recognises that Fool On was founded by individuals with lived experience of mental health challenges who discovered that involvement in the performing arts played a vital role in their recovery; notes that over the past decade, the group has grown into a highly regarded community organisation across Lanarkshire, offering free weekly workshops in music, singing, comedy and songwriting; commends all those involved, past and present, for their dedication to supporting positive mental health through creativity and connection, and wishes Fool On continued success in empowering people through the arts for many years to come.