Supported by: James Dornan*, Alexander Burnett*, Colin Beattie*, Joan McAlpine*, Jackson Carlaw*, Fulton MacGregor*, Clare Haughey* *S5M-01287 Alexander Stewart: Merchant Navy Day That the Parliament welcomes Merchant — Navy Day, which took place on 3 September 2016; pays tribute to the personnel who supplied the UK and gave their lives in the First and Second World Wars; considers that this is an opportunity to raise public awareness of the contribution made by modern day merchant seafarers, who are responsible for 95% of UK imports; is pleased that councils across Scotland flew the Red Ensign on the day; recognises the success of Merchant Navy Day, which was introduced in 2000, and hopes that it will continue to celebrate an industry so crucial to Scotland s economy. ’ Supported by: Maurice Corry*, Liz Smith*, Peter Chapman*, Dean Lockhart*, Oliver Mundell*, Liam McArthur*, Alexander Burnett*, Bill Kidd*, Miles Briggs*, Douglas Ross*, Jeremy Balfour*, Alison Harris*, Colin Beattie*, Kenneth Gibson*, Murdo Fraser*, Liam Kerr*, John Lamont*, Jamie Greene*, Jackson Carlaw* *S5M-01286 Jenny Marra: Commending the Work of the National Deaf Children s ’ Society That the Parliament considers that the early years are a critical stage for every child; — recognises the additional barriers that deaf children face at this time, which can delay their cognitive and language development; welcomes the National Deaf Children Society (NDCS) report, Right from the Start, which highlights that, while progress continues, gaps still exist for deaf children in the early years and recognises the need to drive improvements in the support and interventions available so that every deaf child has the best start in life; recognises the work of NDCS in supporting deaf children and their families in the early years; congratulates NDCS on securing Big Lottery funding, which will allow unique early years support to be delivered to families with deaf children for a further three years; welcomes NDCS to the Parliament from 5 to 9 September 2016 to showcase this work, and encourages members to participate by visiting...