This search includes all content on the Scottish Parliament website, except for Votes and Motions. All Official Reports (what has been said in Parliament) and Questions and Answers are available from 1999. You can refine your search by adding and removing filters.
Two sets of clinical guidance are currently available in relation to the prescription of benzodiazepines, but I accept that we need to do much more work to increase the confidence of medical practitioners in the use of that guidance. Before I call the next MSP who wishes to ask a question, I make two points.
I will follow on from my colleague, Craig Hoy, and be absolutely parochial about this, because I am the constituency MSP for the area in which Sheriffhall falls, so I get a huge amount of correspondence on it.
It is, therefore, of the utmost important importance that we in the chamber work together to provide support where it is needed and to ensure that as many companies as possible are able to remain independently competitive. In my 15 years as an MSP, I have worked closely on a range of issues with companies such as Stagecoach in my Perth region.
Rugby really does bring us together, and I am proud to say that I played my part in the Parliament rugby team along with other MSPs and staff, and I think that the minister, Maree Todd, and I might still be joint honorary presidents of the club.
We very much appreciate that effort; the timings have all worked out very nicely. We also welcome back our MSP colleague Brian Whittle, who has a particular interest in the latter petition.
The rest of the time should, of course, be given to MSPs to provide adequate scrutiny. Therefore, I encourage all members of the Scottish Parliament to support my amendment, so that we can restore some faith in the effectiveness of the Parliament.
You might wish to write to me on that point—either as a constituency MSP or as convener, as appropriate—so that we can consider engagement with the DWP on the matter, because we are certainly not aware of people having reviews that were not anticipated.
However, they are being told what to do by others in the UK Government who are determined to continue creating fights where there need be none and a bill that contains challenges and problems that even Conservative MSPs recognise. I ask Parliament to back the motion and refuse legislative consent to the bill as it stands.
They are given a mileage allowance of 25p per mile for travel between clients, but they are not paid for their own time. They get 25p per mile when MSPs get 48p per mile, as is the case for the majority of public sector workers.