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I urge the Scottish Executive to afford Scottish Gypsy Travellers the same protection and dignity of being treated as an ethnic group in their country.Last Friday, I attended the "Equal Futures" conference in Glasgow, during which secondary school children asked questions of MSPs—Linda Fabiani, Robin Harper and Jamie McGrigor also attended.
We will hold another meeting next Tuesday.Our two main witnesses are the accountable officers from the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, who were responsible for the project at different times.I welcome also the Auditor General, the permanent secretary of the Scottish Executive and the other MSPs who join our meeting today. Linda Fabiani asked me to say that she is here as an observer and member of the Holyrood progress group.
I am not saying that the balance must be right before stage 2—Parliament must judge whether the balance is right when the bill completes stage 2 consideration. Because of overruns, I can allow Linda Fabiani time for only a brief contribution.
I want a Parliament that articulates cases of justice and injustice internationally and, for example, gives Linda Fabiani a chance to speak about her findings as a monitor in East Timor over the past two weeks.
If he had been travelling two weeks ago, he would have flown from Stornoway to Inverness, taken a taxi to Inverness railway station, taken a train down to Aberdeen and then taken another taxi to Aberdeen airport to connect with his helicopter en route to the oil platform. That is obviously an expensive way to do business.
They drag resources away from the NHS, undermining its very fabric.Further to that, we have seen moves by the Secretary of State for Health, Patricia Hewitt, to privatise en masse clinical staff employed by primary care trusts in the English health service.
Many of the aforementioned experts and number-crunchers moved quickly from the private to the public sector, after which industrial Scotland virtually ground to a halt. They descended en masse on our health service and our other public services.
The criminals enjoy three square meals per day, free central heating, double glazing, en suite toilet facilities, games rooms, libraries, free televisions and so on at a cost of £30,000 per annum each.
I referred to the troika; as Messrs Harper, Canavan and Sheridan have all asked to speak, on this occasion, the Presiding Officer has awarded them six minutes en bloc. How they choose to police that is up to them.