BUSINESS BULLETIN No. 40/2015 Today’s Business Thursday 5 March 2015 1 Summary of Today’s Business Meetings of Committees 9.00 am Devolution (Further Powers) Committee the Mary Fairfax Somerville Room (CR2) 9.00 am Equal Opportunities Committee the James Clerk Maxwell Room (CR4) 9.15 am European and External Relations the Robert Burns Committee Room (CR1) 1.15 pm Justice Sub-Committee on Policing the David Livingstone Room (CR6) ___________________________________________________________________ Meeting of the Parliament 11.40 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions 11.40 am General Questions 12.00 pm First Minister‘s Questions followed by Members‘ Business – S4M-12297 George Adam: Fairtrade Fortnight 2015 2.30 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions followed by Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Questions followed by Scottish Government Debate: Protecting Public Services and Boosting Scotland‘s Economy followed by Business Motions followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions 5.00 pm Decision Time For full details of today’s business, see Section A. ___________________________________________________________________ 2 Business Bulletin: Thursday 5 March 2015 Section A – Today’s Business Meetings of Committees All meetings take place in the Scottish Parliament, unless otherwise specified. Contact details for Committee Clerks are provided at the end of the Bulletin. Devolution (Further Powers) Committee 7th Meeting, 2015 The Committee will meet at 9.00 am in the Mary Fairfax Somerville Room (CR2) 1. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take item 4 in private. 2. Evidence on the Crown Estate provisions The Committee will take evidence from— Andy Wightman, Independent Writer and Researcher on Land Rights; Dan Finch, Chief Executive, Moray Offshore Renewables; Walter Speirs, Director, Muckairn Mussels Ltd and former Director at Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre; Angus Campbell, Leader, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar; Steve Barron, Chief Executive, Highland Council; and then from— Gareth Baird, Scottish Commissioner, Vivienne King, Director of Business Operations and General Counsel, Ronnie Quinn, Head of Ocean Energy and Energy & Infrastructure Lead (Scotland), and Alan Laidlaw, Rural and Coastal Portfolio Manager (Scotland), The Crown Estate. 3. Review of evidence heard (in private): The Committee will review the evidence heard on the Crown Estate during today‘s meeting. 4. Working with other committees on the proposals for further devolution: The Committee will discuss a note from the clerk. Equal Opportunities Committee 4th Meeting, 2015 The Committee will meet at 9.00 am in the James Clerk Maxwell Room (CR4) 1. Age and Social Isolation: The Committee will take evidence from— Anela Anwar, Head of Projects, Roshni; Susan Hunter, Senior Policy and Research Officer, YouthLink Scotland; Brandi Lee Lough Dennell, Assistant Policy Director, LGBT Youth Scotland; Kayleigh Thorpe, Campaigns and Policy Manager, ENABLE Scotland; and then from— 3 Pauline McIntyre, Parliamentary & Policy Officer, Scotland‘s Commissioner for Children and Young People; David Milliken, Director of Scotland, Home-Start; Heather Noller, Policy & Parliamentary Officer, Carers Trust Scotland. European and External Relations Committee 5th Meeting, 2015 The Committee will meet at 9.15 am in the Robert Burns Room (CR1) 1. Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) – implications for Scotland (in private): The Committee will consider a draft report. 2. EU Engagement and scrutiny of the Committees of the Scottish Parliament on European Union policies (in private): The Committee will consider a draft report. Justice Sub-Committee on Policing 4th Meeting, 2015 The Sub-Committee will meet at 1.15 pm in the David Livingstone Room (CR6) 1. Decision on taking business in private: The Sub-Committee will decide whether to take item 3 in private. 2. Armed police: The Sub-Committee will take evidence from— Iain Whyte, Board Member, Scottish Police Authority; Deputy Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, Crime and Operational Support, and Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins, Operational Support, Police Scotland; Derek Penman, HM Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland. 3. Work programme: The Sub-Committee will consider its work programme. 4 Meeting of the Parliament 11.40 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions 11.40 am General Questions 1. Alison McInnes: To ask the Scottish Government under what circumstances it considers it appropriate for a guardianship order to be granted. (S4O-04082) 2. Margaret Mitchell: To ask the Scottish Government when the various phases of the Transport Scotland Raith Junction improvement works are due for completion. (S4O-04083) 3. Bob Doris: To ask the Scottish Government when it last met Glasgow City Council to discuss how it is taking forward the childcare commitment for eligible two-year-olds and all three and four-year-olds. (S4O-04084) 4. Margaret McCulloch: To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making toward addressing payday lending and gambling in town centres and neighbourhoods. (S4O-04085) 5. Iain Gray: To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish further details of its attainment fund. (S4O-04086) 6. Graeme Dey: To ask the Scottish Government whether it has responded to the EU consultation on the impact of the use of endocrine disruptors in farming. (S4O- 04087) 7. David Stewart: To ask the Scottish Government what appraisal it has made of the economic impact in the Highlands and Islands of the oil and gas sector. (S4O-04088) 8. Rob Gibson: To ask the Scottish Government how much private and public land in Scotland was registered on the national map-based register of land ownership by December 2014 and how much it envisages being registered in the next five years. (S4O-04089) 9. Mark Griffin: [Not Lodged] 10. Graeme Pearson: To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to develop the abandoned harbour area in Stranraer. (S4O-04091) 12.00 pm First Minister‘s Questions 1. Kezia Dugdale: To ask the First Minister what engagements she has planned for the rest of the day. (S4F-02630) 2. Ruth Davidson: To ask the First Minister when she will next meet the Secretary of State for Scotland. (S4F-02631) 5 3. Willie Rennie: To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet. (S4F-02627) 4. Stuart McMillan: To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with the MOD regarding environmental concerns on the River Clyde. (S4F-02632) 5. Richard Simpson: To ask the First Minister what measures the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that NHS 24 is able to recruit and retain the staff it needs. (S4F-02633) 6. Liz Smith: To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government‘s position is on the National Trust for Scotland, the John Muir Trust and RSPB Scotland‘s view that the planning process should be wholly independent of government. (S4F-02629) followed by Members‘ Business Debate on the subject of— S4M-12297 George Adam: Fairtrade Fortnight 2015—That the Parliament notes that Fairtrade Fortnight 2015 takes place from 23 February to 8 March; further notes that 2015 marks the second anniversary of Scotland achieving Fair Trade Nation status and that this will be celebrated during the fortnight; congratulates everyone who has expressed their commitment to fair trade and who will be holding events across the country; supports the work of the Scottish Fair Trade Forum in promoting what it believes is the deepening and widening of awareness and purchasing of fairly-traded goods and in hosting fair trade visitors to Scotland from the Dominican Republic, Malawi and Mauritius; notes the view that, in order to honour its Fair Trade Nation status, Scotland needs to continue to lead the global campaign to make trade fair; celebrates the achievements of Fair Trade businesses in Paisley and across Scotland in what it sees as them leading the way in showing that trade can be mutually beneficial for producers and consumers, and welcomes moves to encourage public bodies and private business to procure fairly-traded products. 2.30 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions followed by Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Questions 1. Christine Grahame: To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body for what reason there has been no uplift in capped postage provision since 2009 given the increase of 59% and 77% in stamp costs, and whether it considers that this reduces members‘ ability to correspond with their constituents. (S4O-04092) 6 2. Mary Scanlon: To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what assistance it gives to school pupils from remote and rural areas to visit the Parliament. (S4O-04061) 3. John Wilson: To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how it will engage on the proposal to establish a register of lobbying. (S4O-04093) followed by Scottish Government Debate: Protecting Public Services and Boosting Scotland‘s Economy S4M-12521 John Swinney: Protecting Public Services and Boosting Scotland’s Economy—That the Parliament condemns the unfair approach that the UK Government is taking to reductions in public spending and the disproportionate impact that this is having on low-income households; endorses the approach of the Scottish Government, which has fairness at its heart and would see a 0.5% real increase in spending on public services every year from 2016-17 to 2019-20 while continuing to reduce debt over the next parliamentary session; welcomes the additional £180 billion of investment for protecting crucial public