Meeting of the Parliament (Accessible)

General Questions 1. Duncan Dunlop S7O-00449 To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan and whether it has any plans to set out where new energy infrastructure should be built in Scotland. 2. Colm Merrick S7O-00450 To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to address public safety concerns regarding this year’s Bonfire Night, particularly in relation to the work of operations Amberlight and Moonbeam. 3. Jenni Minto S7O-00451 To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving to the voluntary sector to promote collaborative working with the public sector. 4. Holly Bruce S7O-00452 To ask the Scottish Government how it proposes to hold mid-market rent landlords to account for how they implement rent increases, including where the developments concerned have received Scottish Government funding for their construction. 5. Tim Eagle S7O-00453 To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its position on the proposed Moray FLOW-Park development. 6. David Green S7O-00454 To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve access to audiology services in rural Scotland. 7. Clare Haughey S7O-00455 To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that the £30 million Scotland Together Fund will open to applications. 8. Maggie Chapman S7O-00456 To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports from the Scottish Police Federation that measures introduced to reduce non-crime demand on officers have had no impact on operational policing. 9. Monica Lennon S7O-00457 To ask the Scottish Government how its Phase Two of its Women's Health Plan will address the impact of prolonged gynaecology waiting times on women's ability to work and their financial security, particularly for those whose symptoms leave them unable to work. 10. Colin Beattie S7O-00458 To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with SMEs regarding the accessibility and effectiveness of public procurement processes. followed by First Minister’s Questions (Party Leaders) 1. Michael Marra S7F-00066 Question to be taken in Chamber. 2. Malcolm Offord S7F-00067 Question to be taken in Chamber. 3. Gillian Mackay S7F-00068 Question to be taken in Chamber. 4. Russell Findlay S7F-00069 Question to be taken in Chamber. 5. Alex Cole-Hamilton S7F-00070 Question to be taken in Chamber. followed by Ministerial Statement: Safeguarding and Protecting Children followed by Scottish Government Debate: Strengthening Scotland’s Bus Network Stephen Flynn S7M-01881 That the Parliament welcomes the opportunity to strengthen the availability, affordability and accessibility of Scotland's bus network by bringing the bus network back into public control through franchising and regulation across Scotland; welcomes the Scottish Government's commitment to bring legislation before Parliament to deliver this at the earliest possible opportunity; recognises the successful delivery of the £2 bus fare cap scheme in the Highlands and Islands and Strathclyde areas; welcomes that this means that bus fares are now capped at £2 across 60% of the land area of Scotland and in areas where half of the population of Scotland live; supports expansion of the fare cap to Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire from April 2027 in advance of further roll-out to the rest of Scotland; notes that this measure makes a real difference to people during a cost of living crisis, helping with the cost of everyday travel and supporting access to work, education, healthcare and leisure, and recognises that this builds on the success of the free bus schemes available to 2.4 million people, including everyone aged under 22, eligible disabled people, and over 60s. Further details available for S7M-01881 Paul Sweeney S7M-01881.4 As an amendment to motion S7M-01881 in the name of Stephen Flynn (Strengthening Scotland’s Bus Network), insert at end "; regrets the reduction in bus services across Scotland, including in rural areas, over the past decade; believes that true public control through regional bus franchising must ensure that money raised through passenger fares is retained by the public sector and reinvested directly into the network rather than extracted as profit by private operators; further believes that public control will also enable integrated smart ticketing across Scottish public transport; calls on the Scottish Government to reform taxpayer-funded bus grant processes to give significantly greater weighting to meaningful social value criteria, including measurable commitments relating to domestic jobs, apprenticeships, skills and supply chain growth, and urges the Scottish Government to adopt institutional patient capital leasing models for zero-emission bus fleets, learning from the financing approach being deployed by Transport for London, to reduce upfront financial barriers for franchised or publicly-owned bus operators and secure a long-term order pipeline for Scotland's domestic bus manufacturing base. Further details available for S7M-01881.4 Graham Simpson S7M-01881.1 As an amendment to motion S7M-01881 in the name of Stephen Flynn (Strengthening Scotland’s Bus Network), leave out from first “welcomes” to end and insert “calls on the Scottish Government to introduce legislation that will speed up the process of franchising where it is wanted as well as assisting regional transport partnerships that want to introduce franchising; further calls on the Scottish Government to introduce a trial multi-modal smart ticketing scheme in order that it can be rolled out nationally by 2031, and urges the Scottish Government to set out how it sees bus service improvement partnerships progressing.” Further details available for S7M-01881.1 Patrick Harvie S7M-01881.2 As an amendment to motion S7M-01881 in the name of Stephen Flynn (Strengthening Scotland’s Bus Network), insert at end “; believes that, if the Scottish Government is going to deliver on its commitments, it must urgently update Parliament with a timeline of when the £2 bus cap will be rolled out nationwide, and calls on the Scottish Government to introduce an ambitious bill by Spring 2027 to reform the legislative framework for bus services and accelerate the franchising process.” Further details available for S7M-01881.2 Tim Eagle S7M-01881.5 As an amendment to motion S7M-01881 in the name of Stephen Flynn (Strengthening Scotland’s Bus Network), leave out from first “welcomes” to end and insert “recognises the vital role that reliable, affordable and accessible bus services play in connecting communities, supporting businesses and providing access to employment, education and healthcare; recognises the particular importance of bus services to rural and island communities, where they are often an essential lifeline; supports a bus network that encourages competition and innovation, delivers value for money and puts passengers' needs at its heart; recognises the need to ensure that public transport subsidies deliver value for money, and supports the introduction of a dedicated Rural and Small Towns Bus Fund to protect vital services that might otherwise be commercially unviable.” Further details available for S7M-01881.5 Willie Rennie S7M-01881.3 As an amendment to motion S7M-01881 in the name of Stephen Flynn (Strengthening Scotland’s Bus Network), leave out from first “welcomes” to end and insert "believes in the importance of improving the availability, affordability and accessibility of bus services in Scotland; welcomes the opportunity to consider how this can be achieved through franchising and regulation; notes the Scottish Government’s commitment to introducing a £2 bus fare cap to all areas of Scotland; believes that any such measures should be carefully considered in order to recognise the existing provision and differing needs across Scotland, and that they must be part of a wider strategy for bus services that includes the delivery of integrated ticketing and continued network development; notes with concern that over 150 million fewer passenger journeys were made on local bus services in 2024-25 compared to the peak in 2007-08, the year in which the SNP entered government, and that annual local bus service vehicle kilometres have also fallen by over 100 million in the same period; recognises concerns regarding the sustainability of bus services in rural and remote areas and a lack of coherent integration of bus and rail services; believes that the reduction in the real-terms value of the Network Support Grant base rate has undermined the viability of bus services, particularly in rural and remote areas, and recognises the importance of community transport services in the delivery of public transport across Scotland and the challenges which the sector faces, including increased fuel and maintenance costs." Further details available for S7M-01881.3 Decision Time followed by Members’ Business: World Diabetes Day 2026 Colm Merrick S7M-01544 That the Parliament marks World Diabetes Day 2026, which takes place on 14 November; considers that this year’s theme, Early Action on Diabetes, alongside its goals of early detection, symptom awareness and complication prevention, is timely given that almost half of all people living with diabetes remain undiagnosed, and believes that technology and innovation are central to transforming diabetes management and prevention, while noting the need to couple technological innovation with action to tackle the equity gap, ensuring that advances in diabetes prevention, diagnosis and treatment are accessible to all, and do not widen existing health inequalities. Further details available for S7M-01544