Meeting of the Parliament (Accessible)

General Questions Douglas Ross S6O-03965 1. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the calls from Sir Chris Hoy to change the advice on testing for prostate cancer, to encourage more younger men to be checked. Maurice Golden S6O-03966 2. To ask the Scottish Government what it anticipates the benefits to Scotland will be of a fully circular waste management system. Oliver Mundell S6O-03967 3. To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to local residents to take forward a replacement river crossing in Annan following storm damage in 2021, in light of the findings of the recently completed feasibility study. Jackie Baillie S6O-03968 4. To ask the Scottish Government what further policy changes it plans to bring forward to address reported concerns regarding the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill. Pam Gosal S6O-03969 5. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve data collection on gender inequality. Meghan Gallacher S6O-03970 6. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions its ministers have had with their UK Government counterparts regarding the changes made to agricultural property relief on inheritance tax. Liz Smith S6O-03971 7. To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the hospitality and tourism sectors to promote safety on Scotland’s mountains in winter 2024-25. Miles Briggs S6O-03972 8. To ask the Scottish Government what support it will make available to fully fund and protect hospice care services, in light of the increase in national insurance contributions in the UK Budget and any impact of the Agenda for Change on hospice budgets. followed by First Minister's Questions Russell Findlay S6F-03519 1. Question to be taken in Chamber. Anas Sarwar S6F-03520 2. Question to be taken in Chamber. Alex Cole-Hamilton S6F-03526 3. To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet. Evelyn Tweed S6F-03534 4. To ask the First Minister what engagement the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government regarding reports from BBC Panorama that smart meters in Scotland are experiencing a disproportionate number of operational issues compared with elsewhere in the UK, due to differences in connection type used to send data to energy providers. Rachael Hamilton S6F-03538 5. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that its spending on private consultants has almost doubled in the space of five years. Maggie Chapman S6F-03527 6. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reported concerns that its proposed formula for calculating rent controls in the Housing (Scotland) Bill will require above-inflation rent rises for hundreds of thousands of renters, thus not tackling unaffordable rents. followed by Members' Business — S6M-14698 Ruth Maguire: Day of the Imprisoned Writer That the Parliament recognises 15 November 2024 as the Day of the Imprisoned Writer, a day when people across the world, including in the Cunninghame South constituency, stand in solidarity with writers who have been persecuted, exiled, imprisoned and killed for exercising their right to free expression; notes with grave concern what it sees as the growing threats to free expression in a world increasingly marked by conflict and war, where writers, it considers, are often the first targets of repression; recognises what it considers to be the alarming rise of authoritarian regimes that use censorship, imprisonment and violence to silence dissenting voices, with a particular focus on the plight of female writers, who, it understands, face compounded risks of persecution; emphasises the reported growing number of female writers who are being imprisoned for, it believes, courageously campaigning for equal rights, freedom from discrimination, and access to education and healthcare; acknowledges what it sees as the critical role that writers play in exposing the truths of war, authoritarianism and social injustice; condemns the widespread use of imprisonment, torture and extrajudicial killings to intimidate and eliminate writers, as documented by organisations such as PEN International, Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, ARTICLE 19, and Reporters Without Borders; notes the calls for governments worldwide to uphold their duty to protect the right to free expression for all, to ensure justice for writers who have been murdered, persecuted and imprisoned, and to address what it sees as the global climate of impunity that undermines trust in justice systems and emboldens further attacks; further notes the support for the ongoing efforts to secure protection for persecuted and imprisoned writers, and honours and commemorates those writers who have lost their lives or freedom for exercising their right to freedom of expression.