S6M-15136: Colin Smyth: Justice for the Fornethy Survivors— That the Parliament commends what it sees as the bravery and determination of the group, Fornethy Survivors, which continues in what it considers its fight for justice for the reported hundreds of women who experienced appalling physical, phycological and, in some cases, sexual abuse as young girls while they resided at Fornethy Residential School, in Angus, between 1960 and the 1990s; understands that Fornethy was reportedly one of a small number of schools run by Glasgow Corporation, and later by Strathclyde Regional Council, under its "scheme of residential education", and that the scheme began in 1945 with the approval of the then Secretary of State; notes the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee's recommendation that the Scottish Government should consult on expanding Scotland's Redress Scheme to include residential institutions, such as Fornethy, that were owned and operated by public bodies, regardless of how long children stayed in those institutions; acknowledges the reported difficulties that the survivors have had in obtaining personal records that were held by the owners of Fornethy House at the time, which were Glasgow Corporation and Strathclyde Regional Council; understands that, in March 2024, the former Deputy First Minister, Shona Robison, told the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee that she did not intend to change the eligibility criteria for Scotland's Redress Scheme, and that part of the rationale for this was that “the absence of records means that, even if the eligibility criteria were to be changed, Fornethy survivors are unlikely to meet the evidential requirements of the scheme”; considers, however, that this did not align with the committee's understanding of Redress Scotland’s evidence to it that panel members tasked with determining applications for redress work from a presumption of truth, and that there is provision in the statutory guidance for discretion to be used where records are missing or limited, with applications considered on their individual merit; recognises that it has been reported that over 200 women from different parts of the country, particularly in the Glasgow area but also including the South Scotland region, have come forward to tell of the abuse that they suffered, and understands that the Fornethy survivors are seeking compensation in recognition of this abuse, and also answers to why the abuse at Fornethy reportedly continued over so many years, as well as a meaningful public apology. 8 PB/S6/25/009 S6M-14871: David Torrance: 10% Increase in Prevalence of MS in Scotland Found by MS Society— That the Parliament thanks the MS Society for its work in conducting a new study, which has reportedly discovered that the number of people living in Scotland, including in Kirkcaldy, with multiple sclerosis (MS) has increased by 10%, and that the latest MS prevalence figure for Scotland is now estimated to be more than 17,000, which is higher than the 2019 figure of 15,000; understands that the sharp rise is thought to be due to a combination of factors, including better diagnosis and people with MS living longer, rather than simply an increase in the risk of developing MS, and that the new data shows that there are now estimated to be more than 150,000 people living with MS across the whole of the UK, up from an estimated 130,000; further understands that 73% of people with MS in Scotland are female, meaning that almost three times as many females live with the condition compared...