Tag: Holyrood

Holyrood’s Finance Committee visits University of Dundee

MSPs from the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee  visited the University of Dundee on Thursday (29 August).

The cross-party committee of MSPs learned about the contribution life science research can make towards growing Scotland’s economy.

The visit forms part of its parliamentary inquiry into ‘Managing Scotland’s public finances’, which aims to influence the Scottish Government’s Budget before it is announced in autumn.

The MSPs are examining how the Scottish Government uses its capital expenditure to achieve innovation, productivity, and growth – and whether its priorities are the most effective choices.

Finance and Public Administration Committee Convener Kenneth Gibson said: “Our parliamentary inquiry is about examining the effectiveness of the Scottish Government’s overall approach towards managing Scotland’s public finances.

“With a really challenging fiscal and economic outlook, it’s vital that we look critically at boosting innovation, productivity and growth.

“Life sciences already contribute to the Scottish economy, but we want to learn more about its potential for growth and what that could mean in terms of high-value Scottish jobs, high return research and successful spin-out companies.”

“A key part of our inquiry is examining how the Scottish Government currently uses its capital expenditure to boost growth – but we want to ensure its priorities are the right ones ahead of the coming budget.

“Our visit to the University of Dundee’s school of life sciences, to meet leading figures in the field, will give us a good insight into what scope there is to expand research and boost innovation and growth.

“We’ll take the learning from our visit back to Holyrood to inform our inquiry and our recommendations to the Scottish Government ahead of the budget.”

Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Dundee, Professor Iain Gillespie, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Finance and Public Administration Committee to Dundee and help boost innovation and growth.

“As the UK’s top university for both biological sciences research and for nurturing spinout success we are a key driver of the economy, learning and skills, as well as a vital part of the scientific ecosystem that is addressing the great health challenges of our time.

“Investment in research and innovation is an investment in the nation’s health and wealth, and we are happy to share our expertise in creating high value companies and anchoring jobs in Scotland.”

The committee’s Dundee visit will provide insight into:

  • funding of research & development at the University
  • commercialisation: turning research into innovation
  • creating, support and scaling of high growth spin-out companies

Background provided by the University of Dundee:

Dundee has been the UK’s top ranked university for Biological Sciences in the last two Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercises. It was also named the UK’s best university for supporting spin out companies by venture capitalist firm Octopus Ventures last year.

While at the University, members of the Finance and Public Administration Committee toured Dundee’s Drug Discovery Unit (DDU), which bridges the gap between academic scientific research and industrially experienced drug discovery.

DDU’s successes include the invention of cabamaquine, a new compound currently in human trials that has been shown to treat malaria with a single dose, while potentially protect people from contracting the disease and prevent its spread.

The committee also viewed the site of Dundee’s Life Sciences Innovation Hub, which will anchor a new generation of high-growth companies and high-value jobs in the city, and visited the Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation (CeTPD).

The University is one of the world leaders in targeted protein degradation, a field of research which has received billions of pounds of investment in recent years and is making the treatment of diseases previously thought to be undruggable a reality.

Third of Scottish Tory MSPs endorse Tom Tugendhat to be party Leader

NEW SCOTS TORY MP ALSO BACKS THE FORMER-SOLDIER

Eight Members of the Scottish Parliament, a third of all eligible Conservative MSPs, have announced that they are backing Shadow Security Minister, Tom Tugendhat MP to be the next Leader of the Conservative Party.

The MSPs include Douglas Lumsden, Tim Eagle, Roz McCall, Stephen Kerr, Tess White, Maurice Golden, Finlay Carson and Sandesh Gulhane. 

Endorsing Tom for Leader, they said that he is the only candidate who has spent the time needed to understand the challenges facing Scotland, including those surrounding energy security, fisheries, farming and rural communities.

Likewise, he is the only candidate who has taken the time to meet with Scottish Conservative Party members, regularly campaign in the country and attend Scottish Conservative Party Conference multiple times. 

Proud champions of the union, the MSPs explained they wanted someone who would not only protect and fight for the union, but understood that if Scotland failed, everyone across the United Kingdom would feel the consequences. With Tugendhat as Leader, they argue they would always  have a champion for the Union – and the priorities of Scotland – at the helm in Westminster.

As a soldier, Tugendhat spent over 10 years keeping the entire United Kingdom safe before entering Parliament. He was one of the first MPs to warn about the threat of Russia and China.

As Security Minister, he was responsible for the National Security Act, which resulted in Britain arresting and charging more Russian and Chinese spies in his time as Minister than in the previous decade.

The MSPs said they were supporting Tom as they know he will deliver for the Scottish people, ensuring energy security and economic rejuvenation, and support rural communities, including Scotland’s cherished farming and fishing industries. 

Tom recognises that the Conservative Party has been undermined by infighting and factionalism in Westminster, which led to a failure to deliver and a breakdown in trust with the public.

He has made it clear that this leadership election is about choice. A choice between drawing a line under the infighting and a future focused on uniting the Party and rebuilding it around core Conservative values.

He argues that people across the United Kingdom deserve better and as Leader of the Conservative Party, he promised to rebuild our party, regain trust and beat Labour at the next election.

The MSPs outlined that they want a leader who will end the infighting in Westminster and return the Party to traditional conservative values, something Tugendhat has always fought for, including when he voted against Covid vaccine passports and did not support the National Insurance rise.

At the general election, the MSPs believe the Scottish people rejected the SNP in a sign they want to move on from the independence debate and want their government to focus on delivery.

As a man who delivers on his promises and can unite the party, the MSPs are backing Tom as they believe he will be an electoral asset for the Scottish Conservatives at the next 2026 Holyrood elections. They believe Scotland deserves better and that Tugendhat will take the Scottish Conservatives and Scotland into a new era. 

In a joint statement, the MSPs said:

“We are backing Tom Tugendhat to be our next UK Party Leader. We believe – indeed we know – that he is the best person for the job.

“A Leader to create a united party for our United Kingdom. A man of principle, service and duty. 

“Someone who says what he will do, then gets it done. Someone who gets Scotland, is a friend of Scotland, and is an asset to the Party in Scotland.

“We need a UK Leader who will be a help, not a hindrance, to the Scottish Conservatives in the battles ahead – Holyrood 2026 and the local elections the year after.

“We do not need a caretaker leader of the opposition, but someone capable and hungry to be the next Prime Minister for all of the UK.

“That Leader is Tom Tugendhat.“

ALSO supporting Mr Tugenhadt is new MP for Gordan and Buchan, Harriet Cross, who commented: “I am delighted to endorse Tom Tugendhat MP for Leader of our Great Party. As a newly elected MP for the Conservative and Unionist Party, it is my duty to support a Leader who will protect and fight for our Union. With Tom at the helm of the Conservative Party, the Union will always have a champion. 

“This is because Tom gets Scotland. He has taken the time to attend multiple Scottish Conservative Conferences, and meet local associations and members. He is someone who cherishes the union and wants all its nations to succeed.

“As part of the new generation of Conservatives, I want a Leader who will take forward traditional conservative values for the Party to unite around, and promise we deliver for all nations. I know that Tom Tugendhat is a man of his word. When he promises something, he delivers. And in ensuring our Party rebuilds trust with the voters of Scotland on a Conservative platform, Tom Tugendhat is the best hope for our Party.”

Welcoming the support, Tom Tugendhat said: “It is an absolute privilege to have so many of my Scottish Conservative colleagues backing me to be the next Leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party today.

“I am thrilled to have their support. Unionism is indivisible from Conservatism and as leader, I promise to always fight for the Union and deliver on the priorities of the Scottish people.” 

Festival of Politics starts on Monday

The Festival of Politics starts on Monday and we can’t wait to welcome you into the Scottish Parliament!

For those of you needing last-minute tickets, here’s a list of handy links to every single event …

MONDAY 19th

Dementia – the power of dance and playlists

In Conversation with Jack Lowden

Healing Arts Scotland performance with Edinburgh International Festival

In conversation with Benedetta Tagliabue with a performance by Roberto Cacciapaglia

TUESDAY 20th

The power of age-friendly communities and the arts

Who controls AI – ethics and legality?

Health creators: health inequalities in Scotland

20 years of Holyrood

What is local government for?

Home sweet home?

Place and displacement: reconnecting to the world through the arts

WEDNESDAY 21st

AI and creativity

Why do we need whistle-blowers?

Space – launching Scotland’s ambitions

Jobs and the just transition – back to the 80s?

Are standards in public life really declining?

U.S. elections – Trump or Harris?

Making amends for the Empire – has Scotland done enough?

THURSDAY 22nd

Global politics in 2024 – testing times ahead?

Consent

GameApocalypse now: can games solve Scotland’s digital skills crisis?

Sexism in the workplace

Not the end of the world?

Reading between the lines: information literacy

25 years of the Scottish Parliament – where are the young women?

Join the Climate Café ®

FRIDAY 23rd

Mental health and young people

AI – deep fake politics

Raising the curtain on St Andrew’s Day

Incel culture

Elections in 50 countries

Think local, act global? – international cultural ambition in perilous times

Responsible debate

The Scottish Parliament at 25

There’s also live music, exhibitions, book signings, food and drink and merch on offer! 

Find more Festival information here.

Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP sees community in action in Corstorphine

  • Scottish Lib Dem leader sees value of a local branch to prevent fraud and scams and build financial confidence
  • Corstorphine branch supports charities including their upstairs neighbours at Dean and Cauvin Young People’s Trust
  • Long-serving colleague’s retirement marked with gifts from local community

Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, visited the Nationwide branch in Corstorphine to learn more about how important the branch is to its local community.

The MSP toured the branch and learned more about what branches do to tackle fraud and scams. Fraud has become more sophisticated, and branch staff often act as a last line of defence. In recent times Corstorphine branch staff have noticed spikes in attempted WhatsApp scams and cowboy tradespeople.

Nationwide has promised that everywhere it has a branch, it will still be there until at least 2026 – making sure that face-to-face service stays available on the high street. This policy has led to Nationwide becoming the biggest banking brand network on the high street, with more branches than any other provider across the UK.

Corstorphine’s branch supports a range of charities by acting as a collection point for the Kids Love Clothes clothing bank and with staff from the branch volunteering for Dean and Cauvin Young People’s Trust, which is located above the branch.

Nationwide offers all its staff two days a year of paid volunteering time, and in 2023 donated over £50,000 to the charity to support young people aged 16-26 who are in or leaving care.

Mr Cole-Hamilton also saw the Safe Space in the branch for people facing abuse, which forms part of an initiative Nationwide has introduced in over 400 branches across the UK. Branch staff at Corstorphine are able to offer a private space for someone to call friends, family, support charities or the police.

Customer representative, Lorraine Mudie, has worked for Nationwide for 42 years and met Mr. Cole-Hamilton a week before her retirement.

She said: “It was such an honour to welcome Alex Cole-Hamilton to our branch. I’m glad to be able to show how important the branch is to our local community here in Corstorphine.

“Some of our customers heard I was retiring and have been bringing in gifts and cards just to say thank you and goodbye – which I find really touching.”

Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said: “At a time when most other banks are closing branches everywhere, it’s refreshing that Nationwide have decided to stick by their communities in this way.

“I know many of my constituents will be delighted to have the reassurance that their local branch will remain open.”

NHS building plans for Scotland delayed: Briggs speaks out

Plans to reveal which new hospitals, surgeries and treatment centres will be built in Scotland have been delayed.

In a letter to Holyrood’s finance committee, Cabinet secretary for Finance and Local Government Shona Robison explained: ‘To provide as much certainty as possible to parliament and wider stakeholders of our capital investment plans, I must wait until I have confirmed capital allocations from the new UK government”.

That confirmation is not expected until late Autumn – and, given the new Labour government’s warnings about a £20 bn. ‘black hole in the UK’s finances, it’s not expected to be good news.

Lothian Conservative MSP, Miles Briggs said: “This further delay to finding out if SNP Ministers will reinstate the funding for a new Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion is extremely disappointing. 

“We urgently need a new eye hospital to improve the delivery of ophthalmology across the South East of Scotland. 

“The decision by SNP Ministers not to reverse funding for a new hospital has been a disastrous decision and will ultimately lead to additional costs for the delivery of a new hospital.

“I will continue to lead calls for the funding for a new eye hospital. What we desperately need is to see some leadership from SNP Ministers.”

Holyrood Committee seeks views on the impact of the Child Poverty Act

The Scottish Parliament’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee has opened a consultation to consider the impact of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017.

The Act aims to measure, tackle and report on child poverty in Scotland. It set out specific targets that seek to virtually eradicate child poverty by April 2030. The Act also established the Poverty and Inequality Commission, which has responsibility for scrutinising child poverty reduction targets.

The Committee has launched its call for views to understand the impact of the Act, and in particular the difference that has been made by having the framework for reducing child poverty set in law.

In addition to interested individuals or groups, the Committee would like to hear from local authorities, health boards, academics with expertise in this area and private and third sector organisations that are working to reduce child poverty.

The Committee also wants to hear from people who engaged in the scrutiny of the Bill in 2017, before it became an Act, so that it can assess whether the Government’s approach has lived up to expectations.

The issue of child poverty has featured prominently in the Committee’s work, including during an inquiry that focused on parental employment where the Committee encouraged the Scottish Government to “supercharge” its efforts.

Speaking at the launch of the call for views, Collette Stevenson MSP, Convener of the Social Justice Committee, said: “The Child Poverty Act is a landmark piece of legislation, enshrining in law targets to virtually eradicate child poverty by April 2030.

“As we are now more than halfway towards the date when the 2030 targets are due to be met, our Committee would like to hear views on how the Act is working in practice.

“We’re really keen to understand whether putting the targets into law has been effective and what might have been different had the Scottish Government not taken this approach.”

Improving gender identity healthcare

Implications of the Cass Review for Scotland

A multi-disciplinary team established to consider how the recommendations in the Cass Review might apply to NHS services in Scotland has submitted its findings to the Scottish Parliament.

A senior clinical team, commissioned by the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, considered all 32 recommendations of the Cass Review into Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People in NHS England.

The team assessed to what extent they were applicable in the Scottish context, and whether they could be implemented in Scotland’s health service.

Recommendations of the multi-disciplinary team included:

  • a lead senior clinician, preferably a consultant, should take overall responsibility for each young person’s care
  • each care plan should include a full assessment of the child’s needs, both psychological and physical 
  • as elsewhere in the UK, the use of puberty-supressing hormones – commonly referred to as puberty blockers – should be paused until further clinical trials can be undertaken. NHS Scotland will continue to engage in the forthcoming UK study
  • work to design a regional service for children and young people should begin immediately, and services should ultimately be provided as locally as possible, based in children’s health services, with strong links between secondary and specialist services.

The conclusions of the report will now be considered by the Scottish Government – both in relation to how current services should be delivered to ensure service continuity, as well as on how these services should be commissioned in the future to ensure sustainable person-centred care.  

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Graham Ellis said: “The Cass Review was established to make recommendations on how to improve NHS England gender identity services for children and young people. Through this review we have aimed to set out which recommendations could apply to Scotland, and how they might be implemented.

“At the heart of this question are children and young people in distress, and our ambition must remain focused on meeting their needs with holistic, person-centred care as close to home as practical.

“The Cass Review identified the need to ensure that gender identity services for young people are more closely aligned with other areas of clinical practice, and that responsibility for the full range of services required should extend beyond specialist services. This will be essential as we seek to always provide the best possible care.

“In responding to the Cass Review, the multi-disciplinary team looked at the recommendations from a clinical perspective, always remembering that we have a responsibility to make sure that all children and young people grow up safe, respected and supported.”

Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “The Scottish Government welcomes the multi-disciplinary team’s report, which has carefully considered the Cass Review’s recommendations and how they apply to Scotland.

“The conclusions of the report will now be considered and used to improve gender identity healthcare for children and young people. The Scottish Government will update Parliament after summer recess. 

“We remain absolutely committed, not just to ensuring ongoing support is available, but to reforming and improving gender identity healthcare across Scotland.”

Cass Review – Implications for Scotland – letter from Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Gregor Smith to Convener of the Health, Social Care & Sport Committee.

Cass Review – Implications for Scotland report

Holyrood committee invites public to share views on Residential Outdoor Education proposals

Proposals to ensure that every school pupil in local authority or grant-aided schools can attend a course of residential outdoor education are to be scrutinised by the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee.

If passed, the Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) (Scotland) Bill would give all state school pupils the chance to have four nights and five days residential outdoor education. The Scottish Government would be expected to fund the proposals.

The Committee is now asking for views on the proposal to see whether this would work in practice. It is also keen to hear views on the school year during which pupils should be entitled to residential outdoor education, and whether this should be specified in the Bill, and the requirement for the Scottish Government to fund the programme.

The Bill was introduced by Liz Smith MSP, who has stated the importance of outdoor education as being one of the most valuable and rewarding learning experiences that a young person can have access to.

Sue Webber MSP, Convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee, said: “This Bill would enshrine in law that all state school pupils must have the chance to attend residential outdoor education during their school careers.

“According to the documents presented alongside the Bill, many pupils do not have access to this.

“Our Committee is really keen to hear what the public, and particularly young people, think of the proposal in general and some of the specific ideas within it, before we embark on detailed public scrutiny.

“Please share your views with us by visiting the Scottish Parliament’s website.”

The call for views is now open and will run until 4 September 2024:

https://yourviews.parliament.scot/ecyp/schools-residential-outdoor-education-bill