Chamber and committees

That the Parliament congratulates 17-year-old Marcus Crooks, from Torry, on his selection by the Denis Law Legacy Trust as the Scottish representative for Design FC’s global Youth Creative Collective; notes that the Youth Creative Collective brings together young people from 37 organisations, almost all based in qualifying nations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to express their creativity by each creating a football kit design that boldly represents their nation’s story, with the designs set to be displayed at exhibitions throughout the host cities of the 2026 World Cup and on Design FC’s social media accounts; understands that the Denis Law Legacy Trust is a charitable organisation that runs free programmes featuring sport and creative activities for young people, allowing them to express themselves and hone their skills; recognises that Marcus has volunteered for the Trust since he was 14, having previously attended the Trust’s programmes when he was younger; notes Marcus’ comments celebrating the passion Scotland has for its environment, its people and for sport, pinpointing Denis Law as an example of Scottish pride and highlighting Scottish pride as also being tied to a shared history and identity; further notes that Marcus’ design was produced in collaboration with Lea Zizlavska and Kyle Wicks, both Communication Design students at Robert Gordon University’s Gray’s School of Art, with the design set to be displayed at a gallery in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York; celebrates the work of Marcus, Lea, Kyle, the staff and volunteers at Denis Law Legacy Trust and Design FC, and wishes them all the very best for the future.

That the Parliament congratulates the winners of Chess Scotland and the North East Junior Chess Association’s (NEJCA) Primary and Secondary Individual Championships 2026; notes that the tournament was held on 31 May at Airyhall Primary School, in Aberdeen, with approximately 130 players taking part; recognises the roles of Chess Scotland and NEJCA in running tournaments and advocating the game of chess across Scotland by providing education, training, generating publicity, attracting sponsorship and assisting groups that encourage the playing of it among young people; notes that every NEJCA tournament gives players the opportunity to be graded by Chess Scotland on their performance; considers that one-to-one training also takes place in NEJCA’s tournaments; recognises that, in addition to the two individual championship events, there were adjacent Primary Girls and grade-specific rounds for other players; celebrates the Chess Scotland 2026 Primary and Secondary Individual Championship winners, as well as the NEJCA Championship Primary and Secondary shield winners; commends what it sees as the invaluable work of Chess Scotland and NEJCA, and wishes the championship winners and both organisations every success for the future.

That the Parliament congratulates Signal, the video production company based in Hazlehead, Aberdeen, on its success at the 47th annual Telly Awards 2026; understands that the Telly Awards is a showcase of media content, with this year’s edition, titled Capture the Original, attracting more than 13,000 submissions from companies spanning five continents; notes that Signal received an international Gold award in the Corporate Image category for its collection of advertising films called Thrust Forward, which were commissioned by Wärtsilä, the Finnish marine and energy decarbonisation company; understands that the Thrust Forward films documented Wärtsilä’s programme of modernising 62 marine thruster units used on Noble Corporation’s drill ships, with the production including underwater filming and filming covering work carried out aboard the ships; recognises that Signal won a second international Gold award in the Promotional Video – B2B category for its brand video for Thistle Seafoods, a gourmet food producer located in Peterhead; acknowledges that the Thistle brand video explores its full production cycle, including the devising of recipes in the research kitchen and the despatch of products to global buyers; observes that Signal’s submissions were directly competing against contributions from well-known brands, including Pepsi and Porsche; remarks upon what it sees as the talent and expertise of the Signal team in producing ambitious, bespoke media content for an international market, and wishes everyone at Signal all the best for the future. 

That the Parliament recognises the work of Montrose Community Trust, which is the charitable wing of Montrose Football Club; understands that the Trust was created in 2012 to use sport to bring about positive changes for people in the community; recognises that, since 2022, the Trust has provided highly personalised support to people living with early-stage dementia at its Montrose Connections Dementia Meeting Centre; understands that this support is delivered through regular sessions comprised of activities designed to help those attending to maintain their confidence and autonomy; acknowledges that approximately 43 people were directly supported in 2025, with around 4,300 attendances by people living with dementia at the sessions in total; observes that, every six weeks, there are meetings for family carers, to provide guidance, the opportunity to meet others who care for a family member with dementia and to receive input from groups, including Alzheimer’s Scotland; welcomes the Trust’s plans to open the world’s first purpose-built dementia meeting centre within a football stadium, which will be located in The Gable End, a new community hub being developed and owned by Montrose Community Trust at Links Park Stadium; understands that the building is being designed with the University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre, to guarantee that the layout is dementia-friendly; believes that approximately £800,000 of the £2 million required for the project has been secured and further fundraising is ongoing; commends Montrose Community Trust’s work in supporting those affected by dementia, and wishes everyone involved all the very best for the delivery of the project.

That the Parliament congratulates the award-winning Arbroath-based butcher D H Robertson on its recent success at the Scottish Craft Butcher Awards; notes that the competition was judged at Forth Valley College in Stirling in early May 2026; acknowledges that it recognises excellence across Scotland’s craft butchery sector; understands that it attracts entries from butchers across the country and showcases innovation, quality and craftsmanship; recognises that D H Robertson achieved outstanding Gold awards in the Speciality Burger categories for its Steak and Black Pudding Burger, Pepperoni and Jalapeno Cheese Burger and Jalapeno Cheese Popper Bagel Burger; believes that these achievements highlight the skill, creativity and dedication of the team and showcase the very best of Angus produce; celebrates this success as a significant accomplishment for the community, and wishes D H Robertson every success for the future.

That the Parliament considers that nuclear power in Scotland produces cheap, dependable and green electricity; notes the findings of the Nuclear Industry Association that Torness Nuclear Power Station, which is set to cease production in 2030, has generated 307 TWh of clean electricity since 1988, which it believes is sufficient to power every home in the country for 36 years, and has averted a minimum of 101 million tonnes of CO2 emissions; understands that nuclear power brings significant financial benefits and supports hundreds of jobs and contractors; believes that Scotland’s civil nuclear industry could have supported over 10,000 jobs if the sector had experienced the same growth rate as that in England; considers that the "no new nuclear" position of the Scottish Government has led to an exodus of workers from Scotland; recognises calls from the Nuclear Industry Association for the Scottish Government to end its political opposition to nuclear power in order that this can form part of a balanced energy mix that it considers the country needs, alongside its North Sea oil and gas industry; notes the view that this must be supported, encouraged and no longer subject to a presumption against oil and gas, and further notes the view that the Scottish Government must act decisively to protect jobs, deliver energy security and provide cheaper energy by unlocking nuclear energy production in Scotland.

As an amendment to motion S7M-00159 in the name of Stephen Gethins (It’s Scotland’s Energy), leave out from “believes” to end and insert "condemns the UK Labour Administration's ban on new oil and gas licences; believes that Aberdeen, the North East and Scotland is suffering due to this and other non-strategic, unevidenced, ideological policies from both the UK and Scottish governments, and calls in particular on the Scottish Government to reverse its long-held, dogmatic and illogical presumption against new oil and gas licences and make clear that oil and gas must be part of a balanced energy mix going forward."    

That the Parliament congratulates Bread Guy Bakery on winning three awards at the Scottish Baker of the Year Awards 2026; notes that since being founded by Gary McAllister and his sister, Donna McAllister in 2019, with the goal of making traditional artisan bread available to the local community, Bread Guy Bakery has expanded to five stores across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire; understands that the Scottish Baker of the Year awards, held in Glasgow on 16 May 2026, is an esteemed showcase of Scottish baking; notes that the judges reviewed over 500 items from Scottish bakeries, assessing their taste, appearance and quality; recognises that the awards include national titles and Bronze, Silver and Gold accolades for each region; congratulates Bread Guy Bakery on receiving a Best in Scotland award in the category Better for You and Free From for its saturated fat reduction softie, a Gold regional award in the morning roll category and a Silver regional award in the scone category for its hot heather honey scone, and celebrates the work of Gary, Donna and the entire team at Bread Guy Bakery, and wishes them every success for the future.

That the Parliament recognises the vital work of trading standards officers in Scotland, particularly in tackling the supply of illegal tobacco from retail shops as part of Operation CeCe, a partnership with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC); congratulates the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS) on its coordination of this work and collaboration with HMRC in tackling the serious organised crime groups that it understands are involved in this illegal trade, which it considers blights Scotland's communities and increases the access to tobacco and the risks to health, safety and wellbeing for young people across the country; notes that, since 2020-21, this enforcement work has increased year on year and a total of five million illegal cigarettes and 1.2 tonnes of hand-rolling tobacco have been seized locally by council officers to date; commends the high public profile that has been achieved through local press reporting and filming with the BBC's Reporting Scotland, and looks forward to continued cross-party collaboration with SCOTSS in meeting future consumer protection challenges in Scotland.

As an amendment to motion S6M-20730 in the name of Pauline McNeill (Community Policing), leave out from "for the creation" to end and insert "on the Scottish Government to reduce non-crime demand on Police Scotland and accelerate delivery of a ‘Right Care, Right Person’ style model."