Chamber and committees

As an amendment to motion S6M-19977 in the name of Jackie Baillie (Crisis in Social Care), leave out from “Scottish Government’s” to end and insert “UK Government must reverse its hostile and damaging migration policies, which have led to a 77% drop in the number of Health and Social Care visas granted, which in turn is having a devastating impact on the social care sector across Scotland; welcomes the valuable contribution that international workers make to Scotland’s care sector, communities and economy, and notes that the Scottish social care sector has called for the reversal of these harmful policies; reiterates that Scotland is a welcoming nation and that the Scottish Government must continue to ensure that those who have chosen to make Scotland their home can continue to do so; calls for a reversal of the increase in employer national insurance contributions, which has placed an additional £84 million pressure on the sector; recognises that the 2025-26 Budget includes over £15 billion for the local government settlement, including almost £2.2 billion for social care integration, but agrees that the Scottish Government must continue to work closely with partners across the sector, including funding local government and the third sector, to continue making improvements for the social care workforce, and all of those who they support.”

As an amendment to motion S6M-19980 in the name of Pauline McNeill (Transparency in Tackling Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse), leave out from “clarify” to end and insert "establish an inquiry into grooming gangs in Scotland."

As an amendment to motion S6M-19980 in the name of Pauline McNeill (Transparency in Tackling Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse), insert at end “, and, in doing so, to give consideration to the continuing work of the statutory Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, which is considering the abuse of children in care in Scotland, the effects of that abuse and if changes to the law, policies or procedures are needed; recognises the independence of Police Scotland and that the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 stipulates that the Chief Constable is responsible for the policing of Scotland, and is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority, and acknowledges that the information and data being gathered by members of the National Child Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group is necessary to ensure that informed evidence-based decisions are taken on the need for further independent inquiries or reviews.”

As an amendment to motion S6M-19977 in the name of Jackie Baillie (Crisis in Social Care), leave out from ", and calls" to end and insert "; recognises the significant impact that delays to social care packages and inadequate community-based social care provision have on the NHS, including longer avoidable stays in hospital; condemns the waste of £30 million for developing the now abandoned plans for a National Care Service; urges the Scottish Government to address record levels of delayed discharge and rising waiting times for social care assessments, and calls on the Scottish Ministers to close the funding gaps faced by health and social care partnerships by ensuring councils are appropriately funded, establish a proper workforce plan for social care to improve recruitment and retention of staff, and make sure that the value of Scotland’s care workforce is properly recognised."

That the Parliament recognises the national significance of the new film, The Power of Peer Support in Suicide Prevention, which was produced in collaboration with the Scottish Recovery Network and Suicide Prevention Scotland as part of the Creating Hope with Peer Support project and the wider Creating Hope Together Suicide Prevention Strategy; congratulates both Men United, based in Peterhead, and LATNEM, for their central roles in the film and for their life-saving work supporting mental health and suicide prevention in the north east; acknowledges Men United’s peer-to-peer approach, built on the message “Don’t Man Up, Speak Up”, which creates safe spaces for men to talk openly, seek support and find hope during some of the most challenging moments in their lives; recognises the vital contribution of LATNEM, whose peer support services provide a lifeline for mothers experiencing mental ill health in pregnancy and early parenthood, offering weekly face-to-face groups, online sessions and a supportive community grounded in lived experience, and expresses gratitude to all volunteers and peer supporters involved for their compassion, courage and dedication in preventing suicide, reducing stigma and strengthening wellbeing in communities across Scotland.

That the Parliament congratulates the Federation of Local Housing Associations in Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire (FLAIR) on the first-of-its-kind housing pledge for people with Motor Neurone Disease (MND); notes the formal commitments made to enhancing its service provision for tenants and owners diagnosed with MND in their communities; recognises its dedication to fast-tracking adaptations and accessible housing allocation processes for those with MND and similar rapidly progressing terminal illnesses to ensure that people with urgent needs are not left waiting, and thanks FLAIR for making the safety, rights of and support for people with terminal illnesses, such as MND, a priority in the work that it does.

That the Parliament welcomes the news that the light festival, Spectra, will be returning to Aberdeen in February 2026; notes that the free-to-attend festival, which is entering its 12th year, will have a theme of “Be Curious”, which will seek to challenge perceptions and ask visitors to the festival to never stop exploring and looking for new experiences and knowledge; understands that the programme, which will be announced soon, will feature light installations across some of Aberdeen’s most iconic sites, such as St Nicholas Kirkyard, Union Terrace Gardens and Aberdeen Art Gallery; believes that Spectra has become an important part of Aberdeen’s cultural calendar, with the 2025 festival attracting over 100,000 visits across four days, and over £4.3 million spend in the local economy in that time; looks forward to finding out the line-up for the 2026 event, and wishes the organisers and all those involved in bringing the festival to Aberdeen the greatest of success when the time comes.

That the Parliament welcomes the news that the first of 15 modular nest houses have arrived at the new Harriet Gardens development in Rutherglen; understands that the supported accommodation village has been built to support those affected by homelessness by the charity, Social Bite, in collaboration with South Lanarkshire Council; notes that the transformation of the former brownfield site will include shared cooking facilities, as well as spaces for group activities, therapeutic support and social connection; understands that the day-to-day running of the village will be managed by the Salvation Army, which will deliver specialist, round-the-clock support and provide the tools and opportunities residents need to stabilise their lives, develop skills, access employment and transition successfully to independent housing; notes that this new development builds on the successful model of Social Bite’s Edinburgh Village, which has helped more than 100 people who have experienced homelessness transition successfully into their own homes, reconnect with family and build strong connections with their local communities; understands that the village is due to welcome its first residents early in 2026, and wishes all those involved in this new project all the very best for its success.

That the Parliament welcomes the ruling of the Employment Appeal Tribunal, which, it understands, will result in more than 100 former employees of iconic Glasgow bakers, Mortons Rolls, receiving a compensation package exceeding £1 million after what it considers was a protracted legal battle against the UK Government; understands that the case came about after the UK Government reportedly refused to take responsibility for redundancy payments, leading to a nearly three-year tribunal process for former workers to achieve justice; praises the former workers for their unwavering dedication and resolve in the face of what they considered to be an injustice, and calls on the UK Government to ensure that all former workers are now compensated without delay, in light of the ruling.

That the Parliament notes with concern reports that Harbour Energy, based in Aberdeen, is to cut another 100 offshore jobs following a review of its UK operations; notes that these announced job losses follow the 250 previously announced by Harbour Energy in May 2025; recognises what it sees as the worrying reported comments by the managing director of Harbour’s UK business unit that the review was a necessary step "accelerated by the retention of the EPL (Energy Profits Levy)" and that it would "struggle to compete for capital within our global portfolio while the EPL remains"; believes that this is further evidence that the Energy Profits Levy is actively harming Scotland’s world class offshore energy industry, and calls on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to start listening to warnings from industry experts and abolish the levy, before any more harm is caused.