Chamber and committees

That the Parliament urges the UK Government to rescind the Scottish Adjacent Waters Boundaries Order 1999, which determines the co-ordinates of the boundaries on the east coast between Scotland and England; understands that this statutory instrument was introduced only days before the Scottish Parliament reconvened in 1999; considers that the median line approach, which was imposed on Scotland by the then UK Labour administration, reduced Scottish waters by 15,000 square kilometres, compared with the Continental Shelf (Jurisdiction) Order 1968; believes, with regret, that this decision removed any future Scottish control over fisheries and any oil, gas and other minerals in that sector; recognises that there are numerous examples of departures from the median line principle in several settlements around the world, including in judgements made by the International Court, and demands that a straight baseline be drawn from Eyemouth to Peterhead to take into account Scotland’s highly indented eastern coastline, in order to straighten the England-Scotland border back towards the original east-west alignment.

That the Parliament notes the findings and recommendations in the Finance and Public Administration Committee’s 14th Report, 2025 (Session 6), Report on the Cost-effectiveness of Scottish Public Inquiries (SP Paper 943).

That the Parliament recognises that 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the first publication of economist Adam Smith’s An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations; understands that his work sought to explore what made or caused nations to be wealthy, and subsequently became a foundational text in classical economics, introducing key concepts, such as the division of labour, productivity and the invisible hand of free markets; recognises the work as one of the most outstanding products of the Scottish Enlightenment, the 18th century intellectual movement that saw Scotland produce an exceptional array of influential thinkers and works through the promotion of reason and empirical inquiry; regrets that the concepts that Smith railed against, such as protectionism and mercantilism have re-emerged across Western polities, and believes that the anniversary provides an important opportunity to reflect on Smith’s legacy, as well as Scotland’s enduring contribution to economics.

That the Parliament notes the 100th anniversary of the first demonstration of a mechanical television system by the Scottish inventor, John Logie Baird, on 26 January 1926; acknowledges that Baird, who was born in Helensburgh on 13 August 1888 and studied at the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College, went on to develop the first publicly demonstrated colour television system and the first viable purely electronic colour television picture tube; understands that the demonstration in his London laboratory marked a significant milestone in the development of modern television technology and that images of "Stooky Bill", the head of a ventriloquist’s dummy created by Baird, were the first to be successfully transmitted by television; recognises that Baird’s work contributed to worldwide advances in audiovisual communication and remains a source of scientific and cultural importance to Scotland, and considers that the anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on Scotland’s longstanding and global contribution to innovation and engineering.

That the Parliament notes the pre-budget scrutiny undertaken by the Finance and Public Administration Committee, and other parliamentary committees.

That the Parliament recognises that 24 February 2026 marks the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine following the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and proxy war in Donetsk and Luhansk; believes that Russian forces continue to indiscriminately bombard Ukrainian cities and control around one fifth of Ukraine’s territory, including Luhansk, Crimea and most of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia; considers that fighting and air strikes have resulted in over 53,000 civilian casualties and that President Putin’s veiled threats throughout the war to use nuclear weapons have raised fears of escalation; notes that around 3.7 million people are internally displaced in Ukraine and roughly 6.9 million refugees are recorded globally, including over 29,000 Ukrainians who arrived in Scotland, including in Cunninghame North, with a sponsor in Scotland through the Homes for Ukraine scheme; acknowledges the immense military casualties suffered by both sides, particularly Russia, given what it sees as its profligate use of manpower; notes the view that any ceasefire or settlement that cedes territory or lacks binding security guarantees could allow Russia to regroup and renew attacks, and that this would create the risk of a Carthaginian peace intended to permanently weaken and then annexe Ukraine; further notes the view that robust international support, including military, economic and humanitarian assistance, is essential to enable the survival of Ukraine, deter further aggression and secure a just and lasting peace, and expresses solidarity with the people and armed forces of Ukraine.

That the Parliament welcomes the decision by the Ministry of Defence to award the Arctic Star medal to the crew of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Dasher for their service during Arctic Convoy JW53 in the Second World War; acknowledges that this recognition comes almost 83 years after the sinking of HMS Dasher on 27 March 1943 off the coast of Ardrossan and the Isle of Arran, which resulted in the tragic deaths of 379 men and was the second biggest loss of life in UK inshore waters during the war; understands that there were only 149 survivors of a disaster, which was caused by catastrophic internal explosions and was hushed up by the wartime government and not reported in newspapers for fear of the impact on British morale; believes that the crew’s heroism, despite the hazardous conditions and the ship’s role in protecting the North Atlantic corridor, deserves lasting recognition; welcomes the memorials erected in Ardrossan in 1993 and the plaque laid on the flight deck by divers in 2000, and encourages families of those who served to apply for the Arctic Star medal and contribute to ongoing research into this important incident in Scotland’s wartime history.

That the Parliament recognises that 27 January is Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD); acknowledges that the Holocaust was the brutal and barbaric murder of six million Jewish men, women and children by Germany’s Nazi regime, and its collaborators, during the Second World War; understands that the date of HMD is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp, where 1.1 million people were murdered, 90% of them Jewish; notes that the official theme for HMD 2026 is "Bridging Generations", as a reminder that the collective responsibility of all to remember does not end with the survivors, it lives on through their children, grandchildren and all people; recognises that this encourages all to engage actively with the past, and to listen, learn and carry those lessons forward to build a bridge between memory and action, and between history and hope for the future; is aware that the Holocaust is a shockingly dark chapter in human history, and considers that HMD is a crucially important event in the calendar, which aims to highlight the reason why its lessons can never be forgotten and why a zero tolerance approach must always be taken against antisemitism and all forms of prejudice.

That the Parliament congratulates the Our Garnock Valley partnership on receiving the Judges’ Special Award at the Scotland Loves Local Awards 2025, which were held in the Scottish Parliament on 5 November; notes that the award recognises the collaborative efforts of communities across Barrmill, Beith, Dalry, Kilbirnie and the wider Garnock Valley in preparing and delivering the Our Garnock Valley Plan; further notes that the plan was officially registered by North Ayrshire Council on 29 October 2025, following two years of work by local volunteers supported by the Council and partner organisations; commends representatives Helen McNaughton of Beith and District Community Council and Sheena Woodside of Dalry Community Development Hub for accepting the award on behalf of the partnership; acknowledges the involvement of other local organisations, including Beith Community Development Trust, Dalry Community Council, Dalry Community Sports Club, Garnock Valley Youth Forum and Kilbirnie and Glengarnock Community Council; welcomes the recognition given by the judges and by Scotland’s Towns Partnership of the community’s approach to regeneration and local planning, and hopes that this national recognition will help support the continued delivery of the Our Garnock Valley Plan in the years ahead.

That the Parliament congratulates Sylvia’s Soapy Suds in Ardrossan on being named Best Cleaning Business at Scotland’s Business Awards; notes that this national recognition follows regional success in the Ayrshire edition of the awards; acknowledges that the business has previously won county titles in 2022 and 2023 in the Best Laundry Business category; understands that this latest achievement marks a significant milestone for the Glasgow Street team, coming three years after their last national win; recognises the resilience shown by the business in overcoming the challenges of 2024, including fire damage and insurance difficulties, which led to a temporary withdrawal from award competitions; commends Dora Kane and her team for their determination and continued excellence in service, and wishes Sylvia’s Soapy Suds continued success in the future.