Chamber and committees

That the Parliament notes the publication of the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, Ambitious for Scotland, and its actions aimed at eradicating child poverty and supporting families with the cost of living; recognises the ambition to go further by transforming the childcare offer for families, delivering a £2 bus fare cap across all of Scotland, and investing record public sector funding in affordable housing; welcomes the focus on ensuring support for families is integrated, person-centred and accessible, including through delivery of the £20 million Whole Family Support Third Sector Fund; supports the commitment to build on action set out in the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan for 2026-31, which is estimated to keep 100,000 children out of relative poverty this year, and to going further and faster so that every child has the chance to succeed regardless of their circumstances, and commits to working together to drive continued progress toward the eradication of child poverty in Scotland.

That the Parliament commends the essential role that the third sector plays in supporting people and communities; recognises the contribution that the third sector provides to the delivery of many Scottish Government key priorities, including eradicating child poverty; acknowledges that the Scottish Government understands it has a shared responsibility alongside other funders and those who contract out to the third sector to take action to ensure that the sector is sustainable; agrees that a Third Sector Partnership Agreement provides the opportunity to formalise the relationship between the Scottish Government and the third sector, building upon the Scottish Government’s progress in delivering on its Fairer Funding commitments to date and responding to the views of the sector, and agrees that the Third Sector Partnership will be co-designed with third sector stakeholders to embed their knowledge and experience, demonstrating the value that the Scottish Government places on the sector.  

That the Social Justice and Social Security Committee recommends that the Social Security (Up-rating) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2026 [draft] be approved.

That the Social Justice and Social Security Committee recommends that the Social Security Up-rating (Scotland) Order 2026 [draft] be approved.

That the Social Justice and Social Security Committee recommends that the Social Security (Residence and Presence Requirements) (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2026 [draft] be approved.

As an amendment to motion S6M-20056 in the name of Alexander Stewart (Controlling the Rising Benefits Bill in Scotland), leave out from first “believes” to end and insert “reaffirms its commitment to the social security principles contained in the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 and unanimously adopted by the Parliament, including that social security is an investment in the people of Scotland and is itself a human right; welcomes the abolition of the two-child limit across the UK; calls on the UK Labour administration to go further and scrap other damaging welfare reforms implemented by the previous UK administration, including the benefit cap, and supports the Scottish Government’s commitment to reinvest funding to end the two-child limit in further measures to tackle child poverty in Scotland.”

That the Parliament unites in its commitment to 2025’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign; warns that digital violence is the fastest growing form of abuse against women and girls worldwide; highlights the UN Women campaign, “UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls”, which reminds everyone that digital safety is central to gender equality; recognises that protecting women and girls online will take concerted societal action from all spheres of government, tech companies, organisations, institutions and individuals, and commits to strengthening efforts to prevent violence against women and girls across all sectors and in all its forms.

That the Parliament agrees that the relevant provisions of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 22 January 2025, and subsequently amended, relating to clauses 78, 90, 98 and 99, and schedule 4, so far as these matters fall within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament, should be considered by the UK Parliament.

As an amendment to motion S6M-18780 in the name of Craig Hoy (Impact of Accommodating Asylum Seekers on Scottish Local Government), leave out from “acknowledges” to end and insert “ reaffirms individuals’ rights to asylum under international law, including the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol; upholds the European Convention on Human Rights, and highlights Scotland’s place in the world as a welcoming nation to those fleeing persecution, conflict or danger.”

That the Parliament recommends that the Social Security (Residence and Presence Requirements) (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 [draft] be approved.