Meeting of the Parliament Tuesday 24 January 2017 Session 5 © Parliamentary copyright. Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Information on the Scottish Parliament’s copyright policy can be found on the website - www.parliament.scot or by contacting Public Information on 0131 348 5000 Tuesday 24 January 2017 CONTENTS Col. TIME FOR REFLECTION ....................................................................................................................................... 1 BUSINESS MOTION ............................................................................................................................................. 3 Motion moved—[Joe FitzPatrick]—and agreed to. TOPICAL QUESTION TIME ................................................................................................................................... 4 Concessionary Travel Scheme (Eligibility Age) ............................................................................................ 4 Rape Victims (Support) ................................................................................................................................ 7 DRAFT SCOTTISH ENERGY STRATEGY .............................................................................................................. 12 Statement—[Paul Wheelhouse]. The Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy (Paul Wheelhouse) ..................................................... 12 FORESTRY ....................................................................................................................................................... 26 Motion moved—[Fergus Ewing]. Amendment moved—[Peter Chapman]. Amendment moved—[Rhoda Grant]. Amendment moved—[Andy Wightman]. The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity (Fergus Ewing) ........................................... 26 Peter Chapman (North East Scotland) (Con) ............................................................................................. 30 Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) ............................................................................................... 33 Andy Wightman (Lothian) (Green) .............................................................................................................. 36 Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) ...................................................................................................... 39 Finlay Carson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) ................................................................................. 41 Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) ........................................................................ 43 Claudia Beamish (South Scotland) (Lab) ................................................................................................... 45 Graeme Dey (Angus South) (SNP) ............................................................................................................ 47 Edward Mountain (Highlands and Islands) (Con) ....................................................................................... 49 Richard Lyle (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) ........................................................................................... 51 Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (LD) ................................................................................................. 53 Alexander Burnett (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) ......................................................................................... 55 Colin Smyth (South Scotland) (Lab) ........................................................................................................... 57 Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP) ................................................................................................. 60 Andy Wightman .......................................................................................................................................... 61 Rhoda Grant ............................................................................................................................................... 64 Maurice Golden (West Scotland) (Con) ..................................................................................................... 66 Fergus Ewing .............................................................................................................................................. 68 SCOTRAIL PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT PLAN (UPDATE) ................................................................................ 72 Statement—[Humza Yousaf]. The Minister for Transport and the Islands (Humza Yousaf) ..................................................................... 72 DECISION TIME ................................................................................................................................................ 85 WORLD CANCER DAY ...................................................................................................................................... 88 Motion debated—[Donald Cameron]. Donald Cameron (Highlands and Islands) (Con) ....................................................................................... 88 Maree Todd (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) .............................................................................................. 91 Jackson Carlaw (Eastwood) (Con) ............................................................................................................. 92 Anas Sarwar (Glasgow) (Lab) .................................................................................................................... 94 Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Green)............................................................................................................ 95 Colin Smyth (South Scotland) (Lab) ........................................................................................................... 97 Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Con) ....................................................................................................................... 99 Monica Lennon (Central Scotland) (Lab) ................................................................................................. 101 The Minister for Public Health and Sport (Aileen Campbell) .................................................................... 103 1 24 JANUARY 2017 2 When I think about Holocaust memorial day’s Scottish Parliament theme, “How can life go on?”, I think about my generation. It is we who must tell people what Tuesday 24 January 2017 happened 77 years ago. When survivors can no longer tell their stories, it is we who must ensure [The Presiding Officer opened the meeting at that they live on. We must spread the message of 14:00] acceptance of all cultures, religions and races. My generation can defy expectations and Time for Reflection improve the world. I am an optimist; I am passionate. I do not want history to repeat itself. I The Presiding Officer (Ken Macintosh): Good hope that today members of the Scottish afternoon. The first item of business today is time Parliament and people across Scotland will join us for reflection. Our time for reflection leaders are in remembering those murdered in Auschwitz. Jessica Reid and Callum Docherty, who are pupils Together, let us ensure that the world never at Braes high school, Reddingmuirhead in Falkirk. forgets the past and strives for a more positive Callum Docherty (Braes High School, future. Falkirk): My name is Callum and this is Jess. We attend Braes high school in Falkirk. In November, we participated in the lessons from Auschwitz project. It was one of the most significant experiences of my life. We heard the testimony of Holocaust survivor Eva Clarke, who was born, against all odds, on the steps of Mauthausen concentration camp. It was such a personal story. I learned a great deal from Eva about the impact of the Holocaust on real people—a type of understanding you cannot get from a textbook. Our visit began in the town of Oświęcim, which had a majority Jewish population before the Holocaust. Christians and Jews lived together in peace. Now not a single Jew lives there. A whole community was destroyed for ever. What I saw at Auschwitz will stay with me for ever. I saw 2,000kg of human hair that had been taken from victims for use in the manufacture of clothing and bedding. I could not believe it. Jews had been persecuted to the point where they were not even viewed as human. To see the horrors that mankind is capable of is often incomprehensible, but we must always remember what happened in the past, so that we can learn from it. Jessica Reid (Braes High School, Falkirk): We have discussed at length the individuals who were affected by, and the perpetrators of, the Holocaust. They were people like us with families, dreams and worries. So why did it happen? What made people think that it was acceptable? We must learn from history to ensure that it never happens again. The importance of fighting prejudice is never more evident than when we consider those people who did nothing to speak out. In a world where racism and prejudice are still rising, it is vital to educate others to recognise the consequences of not fighting anti-Semitism, racism and hatred. 3 24 JANUARY 2017 4 Business Motion Topical Question Time 14:03 14:04 The Presiding Officer (Ken Macintosh): The Concessionary Travel Scheme (Eligibility Age) next item of business is consideration of business motion S5M-03602, in the name of Joe FitzPatrick, 1. Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (LD): on behalf of the Parliamentary