Chamber and committees

That the Parliament congratulates the East Sutherland Rotary Club on the success of its 20th annual Duck Race in Brora, raising £2,500 for youth and children’s projects in East Sutherland; recognises the work that the Rotary Club does to improve local communities; commends the work done to engage young people in their community through engagement with environmental projects, humanitarian projects such as the shoebox appeal, and helping preparations for the duck race; commends the club for the opportunities for growth it provides to young people through interview preparations and national creative competitions; further commends the club for the help it provides to elderly people in local community; celebrates a thriving community heartbeat in Sutherland, and celebrates all the voluntary and community work done by people across Caithness, Sutherland and Ross. 

As an amendment to motion S7M-01448 in the name of Stephen Gethins (Scotland’s Prosperity and Future in Europe), insert at end ", and therefore believes that the first essential steps must be for the UK to join the single market as a member of the European Free Trade Area and European Economic Area, form a new UK-EU customs union and reach a new defence pact, in order to fully remove trade barriers to Europe, reverse years of economic damage that has been caused by the Brexit deal negotiated by the Conservative UK administration, and make the UK richer, safer and stronger."

As an amendment to motion S7M-01304 in the name of Màiri McAllan (Growing Scotland’s Creative Economy), insert at end "; notes that the games sector contributes around £200m annually to the Scottish economy, employs over 2,000 people and has produced internationally recognised success stories; considers, however, that there are opportunities to grow the sector further and better compete with other countries around Europe, and calls on the Scottish Government to unlock investment and growth in the games sector by establishing a national games innovation centre alongside regional hubs as a means of developing expertise, research, fair work, business skills and low-cost office space for start-up studios."

That the Parliament congratulates nine-year-old Skye Mackay on raising £1,245 for Munlochy Animal Aid by cutting 15 inches of her hair, which was donated to Little Princess Trust; celebrates the bravery shown in doing so at such a young age; commends the essential work done by the Little Princess Trust in helping children with cancer and funding childhood cancer research; further commends the noble work of Munlochy Animal Aid in rehabilitating and rehoming animals in need, and celebrates the charitable work done by children and young people across Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, which brings great social benefit to the area.

That the Parliament congratulates Caithness Ladies on winning their first piece of silverware, the ScottishPower Highlands and Island League; recognises the achievement of winning the title with a 100% record; further recognises the personal sacrifices made by players and coaches to help the club; commends the additional work done by players to help coach girls’ football at Thurso United, and celebrates the positive impact of the club on ladies football and the increasing number of women and girls participating in football in Caithness.

As an amendment to motion S7M-01264 in the name of John Swinney (Scotland’s Right to Decide), insert at end "and recalls that in the 2014 independence referendum people voted firmly to remain part of the UK, representing the will of the Scottish people; notes that the Scottish National Party’s stated objective prior to 7 May 2026 was to secure an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament elections in order to pursue independence, but that the party achieved fewer votes and seats than in the previous elections, and believes that the Scottish Government must now focus on fixing the NHS and care, helping people with the cost of living crisis, ensuring that communities have the power and resources to shape where they live through more decentralised decision-making, fixing the roads and the ferries and getting Scottish education back to its best, in order to deliver the change that Scotland deserves."

As an amendment to motion S7M-01178 in the name of Gillian Mackay (Middle East: Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions), insert at end “; further believes that public bodies should ensure that all due diligence processes are up to date so that no companies with links to human rights abuses are provided with public funding; recalls that Parliament passed motion S6M-16571 on 26 February 2025, calling on Scottish Enterprise to review its human rights due diligence checks; notes that, since confirming in a GIQ on 25 June 2025 that the review had taken place and that, steps would be taken to implement its findings during 2025-26, no further information has been published, and calls, therefore, on Scottish Enterprise, to update Parliament on progress and whether any new human rights due diligence process has been created as a result of this review."

As an amendment to motion S7M-01177 in the name of Patrick Harvie (Hyperscale Data Centres), leave out from “agrees” to end and insert “recognises the concern that proposed data centre developments have created in communities across Scotland; believes that meaningful engagement with local communities is essential and will lead to better decisions; recognises the importance of data to the delivery of public services; calls for the Scottish Government to produce a comprehensive, transparent and effective data centre strategy and planning framework by the end of 2026 to give local authorities, communities and businesses the certainty that they need; believes that data centre development should be aligned with available grid capacity, comply with robust environmental standards and safeguard communities and businesses by considering factors such as proximity to population centres, and supports mandatory community benefit from data centre developments.”

That the Parliament congratulates the award winners at the North Highland Chamber of Commerce annual dinner on their success; recognises the contribution of Young Entrepreneur of the Year winner, Jade Sinclair, to children’s development and combatting loneliness in the Far North through Zumbini with Jade, which helps children develop through music, movement and play while creating a welcoming space for families to connect with one another; commends Young Business of the Year winner, Creel and Crumb, owned by Joanna Sutherland, for showcasing Caithness’s fishing heritage through the promotion of outstanding local produce and supporting the economy of Caithness; congratulates Creel and Crumb on also receiving the Highly Recommended award for Best Seaside Fish and Chips; commends the great work of the staff and members of North Highland Chamber of Commerce in assisting and advocating for businesses across Caithness and Sutherland, and celebrates the endeavours and entrepreneurship of all businesses in the Far North.

That the Parliament welcomes the award of £1,000 to Sutherland Women Football Club through ScottishPower’s annual grassroots funding competition for women’s and girls’ football clubs across the Highlands and Islands; understands that the funding will support the installation of new dugout facilities at Golspie; notes that ScottishPower has awarded a total of £5,000 to five women’s and girls’ football clubs across the Highlands and Islands in the latest round of the competition, supporting investment in facilities, equipment and travel; further notes that the initiative is now in its third year and forms part of ScottishPower’s support for the Highlands and Islands League through its partnership with Scottish Women’s Football; recognises what it sees as the importance of investment in grassroots women’s and girls’ sport, particularly in rural and island communities where clubs can face additional challenges relating to facilities and travel; congratulates Sutherland Women FC on securing this funding, and wishes everyone associated with Sutherland Women FC every success in its continued development.