Chamber and committees

That the Parliament congratulates Special Constable Ellen Grieve, who is from Rousay in Orkney, on being recognised at Police Scotland's Long Service and Good Conduct Awards; understands that Ellen has volunteered her time over the past 39 years to support policing within her community in Rousay; acknowledges that, in rural and island communities across Scotland, special constables play an important role in keeping the police responsive to and connected with the public; understands that, during her nearly four decades of incredible service, Ellen has helped countless individuals and made a remarkable impact in her community, and considers this award from Police Scotland to be a reflection of that; congratulates Ellen and everyone else who was honoured at Police Scotland's Long Service and Good Conduct Awards in 2026 on their fantastic achievements, and extends its thanks to all those who dedicate their time to keeping communities safe.

That the Parliament congratulates the Harray Young Farmers Club on winning the 2026 Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC) Bale Art competition; understands that this biennial contest sees young farmers clubs from across Scotland create original, themed artwork out of bales; notes that the theme for this year's competition was Film and TV, and that the Harray Young Farmers Club took home the top prize with its tribute to the popular TV show Clarkson's Farm; commends all of the young farmers clubs that participated in this year's competition on their fantastic creativity, including Udny Junior Agricultural Club and Turiff Junior Agricultural Club, whose Monsters, Inc. and Cars inspired artwork earned them second and third place respectively; extends its thanks to the judges for helping to facilitate this experience for the clubs, and wishes all of Scotland's young farmers the very best for the future.

That the Parliament notes with deep sadness the sudden passing of Maureen Herdman, who was from Orkney, on 9 October 2026; recognises the profound impact that Maureen had on the lives of so many young people over the course of her three decades of service as a youth and family learning worker with the Community Learning and Development team at Orkney Islands Council; pays tribute to the enthusiasm, generosity and compassion that Maureen brought to every initiative and project that she worked on; considers that countless individuals have built the skills and confidence needed to become their best selves because of the invaluable support that she provided; understands that Maureen's service in Orkney earned her a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 Youthlink National Youth Work Awards; believes that Maureen leaves behind a remarkable legacy that will be carried forward by her community and loved ones for generations to come, and extends its sincere condolences to Maureen's family and friends, and all those in Orkney and beyond who were fortunate enough to know her.

That the Parliament recognises the important role that citizen scientists play in monitoring biodiversity and measuring progress towards Scotland’s biodiversity goals and environmental commitments; considers that this is evident in ongoing volunteer efforts to monitor rare species populations, which have enabled individuals to build skills in identification and surveying to support local species monitoring projects; notes that an example of one such project can be found in Orkney and Shetland, where BeeWalk volunteers have carried out regular surveys of local bumblebee species, including the nationally rare Great Yellow and Moss carder bumblebees, to improve understanding of their population health and, in turn, strengthen Scotland's biodiversity evidence base; acknowledges what it believes to be the essential role that NGOs such as the Bumblebee Conservation Trust play in delivering projects like BeeWalk, and in creating and maintaining the networks, expertise, training and coordination that underpin Scotland's wider biodiversity monitoring infrastructure; considers that this infrastructure is crucial to measuring species recovery, tracking progress towards Scotland's environmental targets and providing the evidence needed to assess whether nature restoration efforts are succeeding; recognises the importance of sustaining this capacity for the future, including through continued support for the organisations, volunteers and programmes that underpin it; acknowledges that international biodiversity forums are also essential to advancing this work as they facilitate knowledge sharing and enable states to agree biodiversity frameworks and targets; notes that the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), the UN's biodiversity summit, will take place in Yerevan, Armenia from 19 to 30 October 2026; thanks all citizen scientists and NGOs in Scotland and around the world that are taking forward this crucial work, and recognises their continued efforts to protect ecosystems and the species that call them home.

That the Parliament congratulates Pentland Ferries on being awarded Ferry Operator of the Year at the National Transport Awards, which were held in London on 1 October 2026; recognises that Pentland Ferries is a family-run company, which connects Orkney with the Scottish mainland across the Pentland Firth; notes that Andrew Banks first launched the service between St Margaret's Hope in Orkney and Gills Bay in Caithness 25 years ago; understands that the award recognises excellence in service delivery, reliability, customer experience and innovation; commends the commitment of the company to supporting the needs of communities across Orkney in providing affordable and reliable services and delivering strong operational performance even in the context of a more challenging economic outlook for the transport sector; pays tribute to the hard work of the whole team at Pentland Ferries, and wishes them continued success in the years to come.

That the Parliament congratulates all of the organisers, coaches, players and supporters involved in the inter-Orkney mini rugby tournament that took place in Westray in September 2026; understands that the tournament saw almost 80 primary school students, representing Kirkwall, Westray, East Mainland and West Mainland, compete in what could be considered the most remote junior rugby competition in Scotland; notes that the primary four/five section was won by team Kirkwall, while the primary six/seven section was won by the hosts Westray; pays tribute to Adam and Karriz Baird and Peter and Eve White for their efforts to build up the Westray mini rugby group, which was previously facilitated by the parent council as an after-school activity but is now part of the wider Orkney Rugby Football Club; thanks the Westray Development Trust, Cooke Aquaculture and Hutchinson Shellfish for helping to fund the travel and equipment for last month's memorable tournament; recognises that participation in sport is a great way for young people to build their confidence, improve their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and create lasting friendships; commends everyone in Westray who has helped grow the community's mini rugby initiative from an initial group of 5 players to a group of more than 20; congratulates all of the young players who participated in the tournament last month on their fantastic efforts, and wishes everyone involved in Orkney's wider youth rugby programme all the best for the future.

That the Parliament congratulates The Orcadian Design & Print on being named the Team of the Year (Small) at The Print Industry Awards 2026; understands that The Print Industry Awards celebrate innovation and talent within the print, visual and digital communications sector; notes that the Team of the Year (Small) is awarded to an organisation with fewer than 50 employees within the print industry that has demonstrated strong collaboration, team effectiveness and consistency in delivering high-quality work; considers this award to be a well-deserved recognition of the outstanding services that The Orcadian Design & Print team offer locally, which support artists, small businesses, community organisations and individuals in bringing their creative visions to life; congratulates all those nominated at The Print and Industry Awards this year on their fantastic achievement, and wishes The Orcadian Design & Print team continued success in all the years to come.

That the Parliament celebrates the news that Kirkwall has been named as one of five finalists for the title of Scotland's Town of the Year at the 2026 Scotland Loves Local Awards; understands that Kirkwall has been shortlisted alongside Fort William, Inverurie, East Kilbride and Falkirk for the top accolade; recognises that the town was shortlisted after an application was submitted by Kirkwall Business Improvement District (BID), a local business-led initiative that supports developments aimed at strengthening the local economy and keeping Kirkwall vibrant and attractive to visitors and residents alike; considers the town of Kirkwall to be an excellent candidate for the title of Scotland's Town of the Year given its strong sense of community and local identity, rich history, thriving local businesses and beautiful public spaces, among other things; congratulates all of the towns, people and projects shortlisted at the 2026 Scotland Loves Local Awards, and wishes them the best of luck for the awards announcement taking place later this month.

That the Parliament pays tribute to the life, courage and compassion of Dame Esther Rantzen, who, sadly, died on 30 September 2026 aged 86; recognises Dame Esther's lifelong commitment to improving the rights of children and young people, older people and, latterly, to introducing more choice for terminally ill people facing a bad death; considers that her work to establish Childline has made an enormous difference to the lives of vulnerable children and young people across the UK over many generations; notes also her work to set up The Silver Line, which provides invaluable support to older people facing loneliness and social isolation; acknowledges her contribution to the assisted dying debate in Scotland and her support for a change in the law, which was motivated by her personal experience and also her sense that terminally ill people are subject a deep injustice; believes that Dame Esther leaves behind a profound legacy as a tireless and compassionate advocate for vulnerable people, and extends its sincere condolences to her loved ones.

As an amendment to motion S7M-01395 in the name of Jenny Gilruth (Scotland’s Priorities for the UK Budget), leave out from “welcomes” to end and insert “believes that the focus of the UK Budget should be economic growth; further believes that the most impactful measure that the UK Government can take to improve economic growth is to reverse the economic damage of Brexit by negotiating a new growth and defence partnership with the EU, including joining the single market and a new customs union, and calls on the UK Government to take measures to support people with the cost of living, including cutting fuel duty by 10p."