Chamber and committees

That the Parliament congratulates the winners of the 2026 Lanarkshire Business Excellence Awards, which were held at the Radstone Hotel on 30 October 2026 and organised jointly by North and South Lanarkshire Councils, in partnership with lead sponsor Albert Bartlett; celebrates the achievements of all winners, finalists and entrants including Caledonia Gladiators, winner of the Excellence in Marketing & Engagement Award sponsored by Business Gateway Lanarkshire, Strathclyde Park Family Golf Centre, winner of Lanarkshire’s Best Business (0-25 employees) sponsored by Clyde Gateway, Cairnhill Structures Ltd, winner of Lanarkshire’s Best Business (26+ employees) sponsored by UKSE, The Long Run Club, winner of Lanarkshire’s Green Business Award sponsored by Invest North Lanarkshire and Invest South Lanarkshire, CF Services Ltd, winner of Lanarkshire Community Impact Award sponsored by Commsworld, Andersen Caledonia Ltd, winner of Lanarkshire’s Most Innovative Business Award sponsored by Fusion Assets, Cakes by Rebecca Ltd, winner of Excellence in Customer Service sponsored by Mears and Benson Wood & Co, winner of Lanarkshire’s Employer of the Year Award sponsored by North Lanarkshire’s Working and South Lanarkshire Works; recognises the hard work and determination of the people behind these businesses, from small independent enterprises to larger employers, and the important role that they play in creating jobs, supporting local communities and strengthening Lanarkshire's economy, and wishes everyone involved in the 2026 awards continued success in the years ahead.

That the Parliament notes the extraordinary life and career of Sir Patrick Stewart, legend of stage and screen, following the sad news of his death at the age of 86; recognises the longevity and distinction of his acting career, which spanned seven decades, including his time with the Royal Shakespeare Company, blockbuster success in Hollywood and his iconic starring role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek franchise; further recognises his many accolades throughout an illustrious career, including Laurence Olivier Awards, his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and his knighthood for contributions to drama; commends his social conscience and activism as well as his advocacy for social justice, for women and children who experience domestic violence, for animal welfare and for human rights and equality; notes his socialism, internationalism and public allyship to LGBT people, and extends its condolences to his family and friends and all those fans that he inspired and entertained around the world.

That the Parliament notes the publication of the report, A Fairer, Healthier Scotland: A Collaboration for Health Equity, by the University College London's Institute for Health Equity, led by Professor Michael Marmot; further notes the institute's partnership with Public Health Scotland to support three Collaboration for Health Equity (CHES) places, Aberdeen City, North Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire; notes that the report was publicly launched at the Hamilton Family Hub in Burnbank, in South Lanarkshire, on 13 October 2026 where Community Planning partners are piloting new approaches for the early years and childhood aligned with the first of eight Marmot principles and where South Lanarkshire Council, NHS Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board have jointly committed £8 million to child poverty, early years and developing prevention activity, with £2 million ring-fenced for third sector and community partners; further notes that the eight Marmot Principles for Health Equity are to give every child the best start in life, to enable all children, young people and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control over their lives, to create fair employment and good work for all, to ensure healthy standard of living for all, to create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities, to strengthen the role and impact of ill health prevention, to tackle racism, discrimination and their outcomes and to pursue environmental sustainability and health equity together; understands that the report reinforces the view that health inequalities are largely driven by the social determinants of health, which are understood as the conditions of daily life that shape health, including income, housing, work and education; further understands that work with three collaborating areas tests new approaches to addressing the social determinants of health and strengthening health equity; believes that the recommendations of the report could inform future decision-making and encourage policymakers to consider why ambitions to improve health equity have not always translated into action at the scale or to the pace required, and further believes that the recommendations of the report in favour of action to address the structural drivers of health inequities and to deliver for health equity, including through a ‘total place’ approach, are relevant and timely as consideration is given to rewiring public services and the future of public service reform.

As an amendment to motion S7M-01377 in the name of Craig Hoy (Protecting Scots from Income Tax Rises), insert at end “; believes that addressing the pressures on Scotland’s public finances requires reform of the wider devolved tax system, including council tax and non-domestic rates; notes that the Parliament has previously supported the immediate convening of cross-party talks on council tax reform, and calls on the Scottish Government to respect the will of the Parliament and convene those talks without further delay."