Several weeks ago, I submitted a Members’ Business motion to the Scottish Parliament recognising the suppression of women’s rights by Taliban forces in Afghanistan. This week, I was privileged to be able to bring that motion forward to a Parliamentary debate in the chamber. You can watch my full speech and the subsequent debate at:
Further to my Members’ Business Debate, I contributed three times to discussions in the Scottish Parliament this week. At First Minister’s Questions, I asked about the Scottish Government’s assessment of the impact on business following the introduction of new border rules post-Brexit. At the Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Portfolio Questions I also asked how the Scottish Government can ensure any monies given to hedge funds use this money for benefiting local communities. Finally, in the Ministerial Statement on Industrial Relations in the Further Education Sector, I asked how the proposed post-school education reform agenda can support Scotland’s colleges further.
Prior to the summer recess, many Stage 3 Bills will be progressing through the Scottish Parliament. This week MSPs voted on Stage 3 of both the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill and the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Bill. Both these Bills are hugely important. The Visitor Levy legislation will generate funds for communities with strong visitor economies to benefit and will help to attract more visitors to Scotland in a sustainable way. The Post Office Offences Bill is welcomed by all parties and will provide justice to those wrongfully accused.
Both of my Committees were held this week. In the Education, Children & Young People Committee, we considered The Education (Fees and Student Support) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2024, considered evidence on an update to the Scottish Technology Ecosystem Review, and took evidence on the SPSO Child Friendly Complaints Handling Principles. The Finance & Public Administration Committee also carried out some important work this week, taking evidence on Scotland's Commissioner Landscape: A Strategic Approach.
On Wednesday, I sponsored and chaired the Women in Multiple Low-Paid Jobs Roundtable event. A previous post yesterday highlighted this important work. You can see my previous post here:http://www.facebook.com/share/p/BySF3V1g483SrvpR/
