C OST OF L IVING ................................................................................................................................................. 1 United Kingdom Budget (Impacts) ................................................................................................................ 1 Energy Bills ................................................................................................................................................... 3 Health Impacts .............................................................................................................................................. 5 Covid-19 Recovery ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Ferries ........................................................................................................................................................... 7 Colleges ........................................................................................................................................................ 8 Impact on Rural and Island Communities .................................................................................................... 9 Affordable Housing ..................................................................................................................................... 11 E MPLOYABILITY AND S KILLS ............................................................................................................................ 14 Scottish Government Spending Priorities ................................................................................................... 14 Transparency .............................................................................................................................................. 15 National Strategy for Economic Transformation ......................................................................................... 16 Skills Review ............................................................................................................................................... 17 Education (Reform) .................................................................................................................................... 17 C ONSTITUTION ................................................................................................................................................. 20 Impact of Brexit on Devolution .................................................................................................................... 20 B UDGET .......................................................................................................................................................... 22 Pressures on Criminal Justice Sector......................................................................................................... 22 Public Sector Pay ....................................................................................................................................... 23 Income Tax ................................................................................................................................................. 24 E QUALITIES ..................................................................................................................................................... 25 Conversion Therapy ................................................................................................................................... 25 H EALTH ........................................................................................................................................................... 27 Health and Social Care Personnel (Rural Areas) ....................................................................................... 27 Autumn Booster Vaccination Programme .................................................................................................. 28 J USTICE .......................................................................................................................................................... 30 Sexual Crime Reform ................................................................................................................................. 30 U KRAINE ......................................................................................................................................................... 31 Supersponsor Scheme and Capital Programmes ...................................................................................... 31 D ELIBERATIVE D EMOCRACY ............................................................................................................................. 33 Participatory and Deliberative Democracy ................................................................................................. 33 F UTURE P RACTICES AND P ROCEDURES ............................................................................................................ 36 Hybrid Proceedings and Proxy Voting ........................................................................................................ 36 Transparency (Parliamentary Scrutiny) ...................................................................................................... 37 CONVENERS GROUP C ONVENER Liam McArthur (The Deputy Presiding Officer) C OMMITTEE MEMBERS *Clare Adamson (Convener, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee) *Claire Baker (Convener, Economy and Fair Work Committee) *Siobhian Brown (Convener, COVID-19 Recovery Committee) *Ariane Burgess (Convener, Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee) *Jackson Carlaw (Convener, Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee) *Finlay Carson (Convener, Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee) *Joe FitzPatrick (Convener, Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee) *Kenneth Gibson (Convener, Finance and Public Administration Committee) *Richard Leonard (Convener, Public Audit Committee) *Gillian Martin (Convener, Health, Social Care and Sport Committee) Stuart McMillan (Convener, Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee) *Edward Mountain (Convener, Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee) *Audrey Nicoll (Convener, Criminal Justice Committee) *Sue Webber (Convener, Education, Children and Young People Committee) *Martin Whitfield (Convener, Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee) *Elena Whitham (Convener, Social Justice and Social Security Committee) *attended T HE FOLLOWING ALSO PARTICIPATED : The First Minister (Nicola Sturgeon) C LERK TO THE CONVENERS GROUP Irene Fleming L OCATION The Mary...