Parliamentary business
Chamber business starts with time for reflection on Tuesday at 2 pm and includes First Minister’s Questions (with British Sign Language – BSL – interpreting) at 12 noon on Thursday. Business this week will also include:
Tuesday 17 January 2023
Improving the education and life chances of all children and young people (Ministerial statement)
Petition PE:1865 Suspend all surgical mesh and fixation devices (Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee debate)
Wednesday 18 January 2023
Health and social care (Scottish Labour debate)
Thursday 19 January 2023
Scotland’s biodiversity strategy (Ministerial statement)
Carbon neutral islands project – first steps towards decarbonisation (Scottish Government debate)
Details will be published in the Business Bulletin.
Committee business will take place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Please note that all business is subject to change at short notice.
You can watch meetings live on SPTV. The transcript of what is said will be available in the Official Report and the videos will be available in the SPTV archive.
Read the Official Report … Watch SPTV
News in brief
Increase in the Scottish Parliament’s bee numbers
In 2014, the Scottish Parliament became the first legislature in the UK to have beehives. There are now 11 beehives onsite. Estimates suggest there are more than half a million bees in the grounds of the Scottish Parliament during summer, reducing to a third of that figure through winter. The beeswax (which is a by-product of beekeeping) is used to fill the Great Seal of Scotland and seal acts of the Scottish Parliament.
Read about the bees … Bees podcast
Ministerial statements
On 10 and 12 January 2023, Scottish Government Ministers delivered statements and answered questions from MSPs on: NHS winter pressures … Scotland’s energy strategy and just transition plan … Proposed Domestic Building Environmental Standards (Scotland) Bill … Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act
Get involved
Petitions
Petitions open for signature include: Introduce mandatory braille labelling for food products sold in Scotland; End legal loopholes for the Monarchy and Withdraw the ‘Supporting transgender young people in schools’ guidance from Scottish schools
Calls for views
The Scottish Parliament is open to hearing your views on a range of topics, including: Long Covid inquiry – your views
The COVID-19 Recovery Committee is holding an inquiry focusing on diagnosis, treatment and the current support available to those with long Covid. The committee is interested in hearing your views. The inquiry closes on 10 February 2023.
Citizens’ Panel recommendations – your priorities
As part of its inquiry into public participation, the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee is asking for your views on which recommendations from the Citizens’ Panel should be prioritised. You can give your views until 10 February 2023.
Citizens’ Panel recommendations – your priorities
As part of its inquiry into public participation, the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee is asking for your views on which recommendations from the Citizens’ Panel should be prioritised. You can give your views until 10 February 2023.
Legislation
Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill – stage 3 proceedings scheduled for 24 January 2023
Where hunting with dogs is allowed, this bill would introduce new limits on the number of dogs that can be used. It would also ban trail hunting except in limited circumstances.
SPICe resources
Research briefings produced by SPICe this week include: European Commission work programme 2023; SPICe spotlight blogs this week include: Energy price crisis – current policy and outlook for 2023; How is Scotland performing? Protecting EU citizens’ rights in the UK; Recommending a more participatory future – the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee’s public participation inquiry; Supporting creative enterprises – exploring the impact of finance initiatives; The three golden rules? Mainstreaming transparency, participation and accountability in the Scottish budget; What’s happening with common frameworks? Views from the House of Lords and Scottish Parliament
Recruitment
Working for the Scottish Parliament
If you want to work for the Scottish Parliament, or for an MSP, check our latest vacancies.
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