BUSINESS BULLETIN No. 93/2014 Today's Business Thursday 5 June 2014

ANNOUNCEMENT

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Questions - 19 June 2014

SPCB Questions will take place at 2.15 pm on Thursday 19 June.

Oral questions to the SPCB can be lodged from today until 4.30 pm on Wednesday 11 June. Up to 12 questions will be randomly selected and published in the Business Bulletin on Friday 13 June.

Members are reminded that questions to the SPCB can be only on matters concerning the SPCB or the staff of the Parliament.

2 Summary of Today’s Business

Meetings of Committees

9.00 am Equal Opportunities Committee the James Clerk Maxwell Room (CR4) 9.30 am Standards, Procedures and Public the David Livingstone Appointments Committee Room (CR6) ______

Meeting of the Parliament

11.40 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions 11.40 am General Questions 12.00 pm First Minister’s Questions 12.30 pm Members’ Business – S4M-10003 Alex Johnstone: Aberdeen’s Engagement Strategy 2.30 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions 2.30 pm Debate: Improving Entrepreneurship among Women and Young People in followed by Business Motions followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions 5.00 pm Decision Time

For full details of today’s business, see Section A. ______

3

Business Bulletin: Thursday 5 June 2014 Section A – Today’s Business

Meetings of Committees

All meetings take place in the , unless otherwise specified. Contact details for Committee Clerks are provided at the end of the Bulletin.

Equal Opportunities Committee 11th Meeting, 2014

The Committee will meet at 9.00 am in the James Clerk Maxwell Room (CR4) 1. Equality and Human Rights Commission: The Committee will consider a response from the Equality and Human Rights Commission. 2. Female Genital Mutilation: The Committee will take evidence from— Anna Boni, Lead Officer Safeguarding, Education Scotland; Dr Kate Darlow, Specialist Registrar in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, NHS Lothian; Jim Doyle, Quality Improvement Officer, City Council Education Services; Gillian Smith, Director, Royal College of Midwives. 3. Draft Budget Scrutiny 2015-16 (in private): The Committee will consider its approach to the scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s Draft Budget 2015-16.

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee 9th Meeting, 2014

The Committee will meet at 9.30 am in the David Livingstone Room (CR6) 1. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether its consideration of a review of evidence, issues for, and a draft report on, its inquiry into the procedures for considering legislation should be taken in private at future meetings. 2. Inquiry into procedures for considering legislation: The Committee will take evidence from— Michael Clancy, Director of Law Reform, Law Society of Scotland; Lynn Williams, Policy Officer, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations; Professor Paul Cairney, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, . 3. Cross-Party Groups: The Committee will consider an update on Cross-Party Groups. 4. Annual report: The Committee will consider a draft annual report for the parliamentary year from 11 May 2013 to 10 May 2014. 5. Inquiry into procedures for considering legislation (in private): The Committee will consider the evidence heard earlier in the meeting.

4 6. Inquiry into lobbying (in private): The Committee will consider an evidence summary on its inquiry. 7. Interests in shares (in private): The Committee will consider a note by the Clerk.

5 Meeting of the Parliament

11.40 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions

11.40 am General Questions

1. Claudia Beamish: [Not Lodged]

2. Kenneth Gibson: To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the commitment of Royal Mail to maintaining the universal service obligation given its economic impact. (S4O-03317)

3. Annabel Goldie: To ask the Scottish Government what the principal challenges for the economy would be in an independent Scotland. (S4O-03318)

4. Dave Thompson: To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of the models for GP practices in rural areas. (S4O-03319)

5. Paul Martin: To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing last met NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and what matters were discussed. (S4O-03320)

6. John Lamont: To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Commonwealth Games organising committee about the use of the special reserve fund. (S4O-03321)

7. Alex Fergusson: To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish a report on the future of Shambellie House. (S4O-03322)

8. Gordon MacDonald: To ask the Scottish Government how many households there are in Scotland compared with the number of dwellings. (S4O-03323)

9. Mike MacKenzie: To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made on developing the tidal energy sector and creating electricity connections to the islands. (S4O-03324)

10. John Mason: To ask the Scottish Government whether it provides support to Sudan from its international development budget and, if so, what discussions it has had with the Sudanese authorities concerning Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, who has been sentenced to death and 100 lashes for apostasy. (S4O-03325)

12.00 pm First Minister’s Questions

1. Johann Lamont: To ask the First Minister what engagements he has planned for the rest of the day. (S4F-02144)

2. Ruth Davidson: To ask the First Minister when he will next meet the Prime Minister. (S4F-02140)

6 3. Alison McInnes: To ask the First Minister what recent discussions the Scottish Government has had with Police Scotland regarding the use of stop and search. (S4F-02149)

4. : To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will respond to the report of the Expert Working Group on Welfare. (S4F-02143)

5. Jackie Baillie: To ask the First Minister when the Vale of Leven Hospital inquiry will be published. (S4F-02161)

6. Marco Biagi: To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government plans to order a public inquiry into the handling of the Edinburgh Trams project. (S4F-02142)

12.30 pm Members’ Business

Debate on the subject of—

S4M-10003 Alex Johnstone: Aberdeen’s Engagement Strategy with Japan—That the Parliament welcomes the decision by Aberdeen City Council to have a formal wide-ranging engagement strategy between Aberdeen and Japan, which will include trade, culture, education and sport; notes that historical links between the city and Japan stretch back to the 19th century; understands that there has been substantial investment by Japan into the development of renewable energy technology, which holds parallels with Aberdeen as the energy capital of Europe, and wishes Aberdeen every success in establishing the strategy which, it believes, will promote greater friendship and understanding between the people of Scotland and Japan.

2.30 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions followed by Scottish Government Debate: Improving Entrepreneurship among Women and Young People in Scotland

S4M-10214 : Improving Entrepreneurship among Women and Young People in Scotland—That the Parliament recognises the positive impact of entrepreneurial activity by women and young people on the Scottish economy; affirms its commitment to working with public, private and third sector partners to make Scotland a world-leading entrepreneurial nation by ensuring that all of Scotland’s people are better able to participate in entrepreneurial activity, and welcomes the work undertaken as part of Scotland CAN DO and Women in Enterprise, a framework and action plan to deliver public, private and third sector partnerships to bolster entrepreneurial activity among women and young people.

7 The Presiding Officer has selected the following amendments

S4M-10214.1 Jenny Marra: Improving Entrepreneurship among Women and Young People in Scotland—As an amendment to motion S4M-10214 in the name of Angela Constance (Improving Entrepreneurship among Women and Young People in Scotland), insert at end ―; believes that, in order to improve entrepreneurship among women and young people in Scotland, it is essential to have a world-class further education sector to provide the training and skills that are essential to meet the long-term needs of the economy, and considers that the loss of 140,000 college places since 2007-08 is undermining the achievement of this objective‖.

S4M-10214.3 Murdo Fraser: Improving Entrepreneurship among Women and Young People in Scotland—As an amendment to motion S4M-10214 in the name of Angela Constance (Improving Entrepreneurship among Women and Young People in Scotland), insert at end ―; notes the recommendations of the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce, chaired by Sir Ian Wood, which are designed to move toward better qualified, work-ready and motivated young people with skills relevant to modern employment opportunities, both as employees and entrepreneurs; welcomes the proposals to improve vocational education, and calls on the Scottish Government to bring forward plans to implement these recommendations as soon as possible‖. followed by Business Motions followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions

S4M-10230 Joe FitzPatrick on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau: Substitution on Committees—That the Parliament agrees that—

Bob Doris be appointed to replace David Torrance as the substitute on the Equal Opportunities Committee;

Stewart Maxwell be appointed to replace as the Scottish National Party substitute on the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee; and

8 David Torrance be appointed to replace Aileen McLeod as the Scottish National Party substitute on the European and External Relations Committee.

5.00 pm Decision Time

9

Members who would like a printed copy of the Business Bulletin to be forwarded to them should contact Document Supply by email ([email protected]) or by telephone (x85360)

Produced and published in Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP by APS Group Scotland, 21 Tennant Street, Edinburgh EH6 5NA

All documents are available on For information on the Scottish Parliament contact the Scottish Parliament website at: Public Information on: www.scottish.parliament.uk Telephone: 0131 348 5000 Textphone: 0800 092 7100 For details of documents available to Email: [email protected] order in hard copy format, please contact: APS Scottish Parliament Publications on 0131 629 9941.