The role of local government in helping to reach Scotland’s net zero targets will be the focus for the Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee as it visits Linlithgow.
During the visit on Monday (12 September), Deputy Convener, Fiona Hyslop MSP, Monica Lennon MSP and Mark Ruskell MSP will visit projects which are at the heart of tackling climate change. – POSTPONED – SEE BELOW –
These will include for example a tour of the Linlithgow Community Development Trust; an introduction to the Linlith-Go-Solar’ solar energy project; and a visit to the proposed site for the newly approved community driven project – West Lothian Cycle Circuit.
The visit is part of the Committee’s work exploring the role of local government and its partners in achieving the challenging commitment of making Scotland net zero in greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. Now the Committee are seeing this work in action by visiting projects and communities across Scotland.
Speaking ahead of the visit, the Committee’s Deputy Convener, Fiona Hyslop MSP, said: “So many of the key responsibilities in helping Scotland reach its net zero targets sit with local government. Issues such as travel, housing, recycling and the circular economy have a huge impact on Scotland’s environment.
“But we know that local government can’t make this huge change alone. That is why we want to see how councils across Scotland are working with their communities and building relationships with business, public agencies and the voluntary sector to embed these changes and make a difference to addressing climate change.
“The Parliamentary Committee’s visit to Linlithgow will help us see first-hand the positive work happening in our communities.”
VISIT POSTPONED
Following the death of Her Majesty The Queen, all parliamentary business has been suspended. This committee visit has therefore been postponed.
Following the death of Her Majesty The Queen, all official flags, including the Union Flag, should be half-masted from as soon as possible until 08.00 the day following The Queen’s State Funeral. Flags may be flown overnight during this period but should remain at half-mast.
Official flags in this instance are defined as national flags of the home nations, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories, Ensigns and Ships’ colours.
Any non-official flags flying or due to be flown, such as the Rainbow Flag or the Armed Forces Day Flag, should be taken down and replaced with a Union Flag at half-mast. Other official flags scheduled to be flown can be flown as normal, but at half-mast.
Half-mast means the flag is flown a third of the way down the flagpole from the top, with at least the height of the flag between the top of the flag and the top of the flagpole.
On poles that are more than 45° from the vertical, flags cannot be flown at half-mast and should not be flown at all.
The Union Flag must be flown the correct way up – in the half of the flag nearest the flagpole, the wider diagonal white stripe must be above the red diagonal stripe. Please see the College of Arms website
Royal Standard
The Royal Standard is never flown at half-mast even after the death of a monarch, as there is always a Sovereign on the throne and it would therefore be inappropriate for it to fly at half-mast.
The Union Flag will be flown at half mast on all Royal Residences.
UK PARLIAMENT
Following the announcement of the death of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the House of Commons, the House of Lords and everyone at UK Parliament extend their sympathies to the Royal Family.
Statement from the Speaker of the House of Commons, The Rt Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle:
‘For all of us, the Queen has been a constant presence in our lives – as familiar as a member of the family, yet one who has exercised a calm and steadying influence over our country. Most of us have never known a time when she was not there. Her death is not only a tragedy for the Royal family, but a terrible loss for us all.
During her 70 years on the throne – and even before that, as a teenager, reassuring and engaging with children and families disrupted by the Second World War – she has given our lives a sense of equilibrium. While her reign has been marked by dramatic changes in the world, Her Majesty has maintained her unwavering devotion to the UK, the British Overseas Territories and the Commonwealth of Nations – and her gentle authority and sound reason have been felt throughout.
She has travelled the world extensively, modernised the Royal family, and is credited with inventing the royal ‘walkabout’, which enabled her to meet people from all walks of life during her visits. As Head of State, she has provided advice and the benefit of long experience to 15 prime ministers during her reign – and met more than a quarter of all the American presidents in the history of the US.
The Queen has been involved in everything that is important to us and which makes us who we are – from state occasions to Royal weddings, and especially at Christmas, with her wise words and reflective annual message.
She has been a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother – but she has been our Queen, and we will miss her beyond measure.’
Statement from the Lord Speaker, The Rt Hon. Lord McFall of Alcluith:
‘Following the death of the Queen, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the nation and the whole Commonwealth is united in deep mourning.
For 70 years she has been a loyal and steadfast presence in the national life of the United Kingdom.
Her integrity, unique record of public service, deep sense of faith and commitment to her role have ensured that she will be regarded as a supreme example of a constitutional Monarch.
Her vital relationship with our Chamber, where the three elements of Parliament come together during the State Opening, ensures that she will be forever remembered and cherished by the House of Lords.
Today my thoughts, and indeed those of the whole House, will go out to His Majesty the King and to the members of the Royal family, for whom this feeling of loss will be profound.
Today the nation reflects on the service Queen Elizabeth II gave to the Crown and to her people, and gives thanks for her life.
Members may wish to be aware that information about arrangements for the House will be issued by Black Rod and the House authorities shortly.
In fondest remembrance of a Queen dedicated to Her nation and Her people.’
MPs will have the opportunity to pay tribute at a special parliamentary session at Westminster this afternoon:
Business
Tributes to Her late Majesty The Queen.
12:00pm – 10:00pm
ROYAL MOURNING
Following the death of Her Majesty The Queen, it is His Majesty The King’s wish that a period of Royal Mourning be observed from now until seven days after The Queen’s Funeral. The date of the Funeral will be confirmed in due course.
Royal Mourning will be observed by Members of the Royal Family, Royal Household staff and Representatives of the Royal Household on official duties, together with troops committed to Ceremonial Duties.
Flags at Royal Residences
Flags at Royal Residences were half masted yesterday, Thursday 8th September, and will remain half-masted until 0800hrs on the morning after the final day of Royal Mourning.
The half-masting of flags at Royal Residences does not apply to the Royal Standard and the Royal Standard in Scotland when The King is in residence, as they are always flown at full mast.
Guidance on flags at other public buildings has been issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Royal Gun Salute
Royal Salutes will be fired in London today at 1300hrs BST in Hyde Park by The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery and at the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company. One round will be fired for each year of The Queen’s life.
Closure of the Royal Residences
Royal Residences will close until after The Queen’s Funeral. This includes The Queen’s Gallery and the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace, and The Queen’s Gallery in Edinburgh. Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House, The Queen’s private estates, will also close for this period. In addition, Hillsborough Castle, The Sovereign’s official residence in Northern Ireland, will be closed.
Floral Tributes at the Royal Residences
Following the death of Her Majesty The Queen, the following guidance is given to members of the public who wish to leave floral tributes at Royal Residences:
At Buckingham Palace members of the public will be guided to lay floral tributes at dedicated sites in The Green Park or Hyde Park. Flowers left outside the gates of Buckingham Palace will be moved to The Green Park Floral Tribute Garden by The Royal Parks. Further guidance will be issued by The Royal Parks.
At Windsor Castle, floral tributes can be left at Cambridge Gate on the Long Walk. These flowers will be brought inside the Castle every evening, and placed on the Castle Chapter grass on the south side of St George’s Chapel and Cambridge Drive.
At the Sandringham Estate, members of the public are encouraged to leave floral tributes at the Norwich Gates.
At Balmoral Castle, floral tributes can be left at the Main Gate.
At the Palace of Holyroodhouse, members of the public are encouraged to give floral tributes to the Wardens at the entrance to The Queen’s Gallery. Those flowers will be laid on the Forecourt grass in front of the North Turret of the Palace.
At Hillsborough Castle, floral tributes may be laid on the Castle Forecourt, in front of the main gates.
Information on Floral Tributes at other public buildings and locations will be issued by the Cabinet Office.
Books of Condolence at the Royal Residences
There are no physical Books of Condolence at the Royal Residences.
Since the early 1960s plans have been in place in the event of the death of the Queen. These have undergone numerous changes in the decades since. As Her Majesty the Queen died in Scotland, “Operation Unicorn” will now be triggered.
Details of “Operation Unicorn” were first reported to the public in 2019, although the codename appeared in the Scottish Parliament’s online papers in 2017.
Holyrood Palace, St Giles’ Cathedral, and the Scottish Parliament will serve as the focal point of gatherings. A condolence book will be open to the public and set up at the Parliament building.
It’s reported that the Scottish Parliament will be suspended to allow authorities to prepare for the Queen’s state funeral.
The Queen’s coffin will initially lie in repose at the Palace of Holyrood, before being carried to St Giles’ Cathedral where there will be a service of reception.
Thousands of people are expected in Edinburgh to pay their respects and they will be encouraged to gather around the Scottish Parliament, Holyrood Palace and St Giles’ Cathedral.
More details to follow.
Edinburgh road closures and public transport information
Road closures are in place in the city centre, with further closures planned in the coming days.
We expect significant disruption in the city over the next few days. We will update this page with further details of which roads will be closing and public transport information.
MSPs are asking for the public to share their views on the support that is currently available for disabled children and young people as they grow into adulthood.
The findings will be considered by the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee as part of their scrutiny of a Bill which seeks to introduce more structured support for disabled children and young people in their transition to adulthood.
The Bill has been proposed by Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP, following on from work started by Johann Lamont in the last session of Parliament.
If passed, the Bill would make three main changes to the law:
the Scottish Government would need to have a strategy explaining how they are going to improve opportunities for disabled children and young people
a Scottish Government minister would be placed in charge of improving opportunities for disabled children and young people moving into adulthood
local authorities would need to have plans for each disabled child and young person as they move into adulthood
Sue Webber MSP, Convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee said: “A young person’s transition to adulthood is a critical stage in their lives and our Committee wants to be sure that the right kind of support is available to help disabled children and young people as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.
“We want to hear the views of disabled children and young people, their parents and their carers on these proposals.
“We’re particularly keen to understand more about the how the support that is currently available is viewed.”
The Committee’s call for views and survey on the Bill opened on 1 September and people can share their views until 27 October 2022.
Assemble 10:30am: Johnson Terrace, EH1 2PW March off: 11am
Rally at the Scottish Parliament 11.30 – 1pm
The Cost-of-Living Crisis is hitting people across the country. Public service workers in particular are facing a fresh set of real terms pay cuts on top of years of stagnating wages.
The STUC and our affiliated unions are campaigning for a range of urgent actions to stem this crisis, including action to reduce energy bills, support for those of all ages on benefits, rent caps and action to reduce transport costs.
The ultimate responsibility for the Cost-of-Living Crisis sits with the Tories at Westminster. However, this does not mean that the Scottish Government is powerless. It needs to start by funding inflation level pay rises for Scottish public service workers.
Join us, as we demand better for the public service workers of Scotland.
Shadow Scottish Secretary: At some point, something will break, and Scottish voters will say: ‘We can’t go on like this’.
LABOUR’S Ian Murray has blasted Nicola Sturgeon for using the Scottish Parliament to “manage decline” and push for independence.
In an exclusive interview with GB News, Mr Murray, who is Labour’s only MP in Scotland, ripped into Ms Sturgeon and said although he doesn’t think Scottish Independence will happen anytime soon opponents would have to fight “very, very hard” to prevent it in any new vote.
Speaking to Gloria De Piero, the Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland also opened up about losing his father when he was aged just nine.
He also recalled the bizarre moment he almost blew his chance of a Shadow Cabinet job – by mistakenly putting the phone down on then Labour-leader Harriet Harman when she’d called to offer him the post.
Asked by Ms Piero about the chances of Scotland ever securing independence during his lifetime he said: “I absolutely don’t think I will live to see it, because it just doesn’t work. They just cannot find a viable way of promoting a proposition that works.
“And that’s not to say they might not win it eventually. Nicola Sturgeon has said that if they lose a second one, they’ll have a third. And all this stuff about mandates, about Brexit, about the Tories. All of the excuses that they give for another referendum are all the excuses that were given the day after the last one.
“So, we’re just finding an excuse and a trigger to have one. And as all that’s happening, and I see it in my own constituency day in, day out is the NHS is getting worse, educational attainment gap’s widening, transport is dreadful, the economy is slipping behind the rest of the UK, the number of higher rate taxpayers is diminishing, the demographics are much older and therefore all the problems that comes with that.
“And none of that’s being dealt with. It’s just all Westminster’s fault: ‘so vote for independence’. And I just think at some point, something will break, and Scottish voters will go, ‘We can’t go on like this’. And maybe that’ll take another referendum, you know, I don’t want one, we shouldn’t have one, if we end up having one, we’ll fight very, very hard to stay in the United Kingdom.
“But something’s going to have to break to get out of this. Otherwise, we’re going to stay on this constitutional merry go round and things are just going to get worse. This Scottish Government essentially uses the Scottish Parliament to manage decline.”
Mr Murray, who represents Edinburgh South, also opened up to Ms Piero about losing his dad, Jim, when he was just nine years old.
Recalling the night he died, Mr Murray said: “We were playing snooker at home, mum was out at the bingo, and he was in his pyjamas. His bottoms fell down and I was only nine so I started laughing, my brother was a little bit embarrassed and a bit concerned. But, you know, he also just thought it was him messing around. Then he never missed a ball for about 10 minutes, he just potted everything and we were going: ‘This is a bit strange’.
“Then 10 minutes later, he was on the floor. He had a cerebral haemorrhage. Mum was called and rushed home. Eventually the ambulance came. Then at four o’clock in the morning mum returned and said, ‘Dad’s not coming home’. The following morning, I woke up, went into the lounge, and the whole family were sitting there, and that’s when it really sunk in.
“The lesson from it was that he had been ill for some time and didn’t tell anyone and he should have really got some advice. Whether or not, in the mid-80s, he would have been able to get the medical attention required to sort something like that, I don’t know, because obviously it’s moved on quite a bit.
“But, you know, he was having blackouts at work and wasn’t telling anyone, he was feeling a bit depressed, which is all the great symptoms of having something wrong with your brain. My dad was 39 when he died. I’m six years older than that now, so I reflect on it a lot. And being a father now as well, I reflect on it a lot. But yeah, I mean it was utterly traumatic, and my poor mum had to deal with the consequences of it. She went into 6th gear and brought up two boys on her own.”
Mr Murray said he has hardly any memories of his dad and that his mother, Lena, never talks about her husband’s death.
“She’s never, ever spoken about it,” he continued. “Apart from her regret that she didn’t let us boys go to the funeral, which was a choice she made at the time, and I think she regrets that.”
Mr Murray was the only Scottish Labour MP to keep his seat in 2015, meaning even though he’d been tipped by many to one day become Shadow Scottish Secretary he suddenly became the automatic choice.
However, as he told GB News, things didn’t run smoothly.
He explained: “Because I’d been the only person to win, my phone for 24 hours was just completely red hot. And there was this woman called Harriet from the BBC Scotland who was phoning me up constantly to say, ‘Could you do drive time? Could you do the morning show? Could you do Good Morning Scotland?’ and ‘What about Sunday Shows?’.
“Obviously because the election was on the Thursday, elected overnight on the Thursday night into Friday. And I just said, ‘Look. It’s been a really tough election. I’ve done all the media I really want to do. I have nothing else to say and until things settle down, I’m not quite sure I want to do anymore’, and she kept ringing and ringing.
“And then my phone rang again, and I just picked it up, I was in my flat at home, the flat I still live in, and I just said, ‘Ian Murray speaking’. And I just heard this, ‘It’s Harriet here’, and I didn’t hear anything else, the voice on the other side of the phone said, ‘I’d like you to join the Shadow cabinet’, and I thought I heard, ‘Are you joining the Shadow Cabinet?’.
“I went, ‘Look Harriet, will you stop bothering me? It’s been a long week. You know, I am the only one that’s left. We’re all in a bit of shock here, and I’m sick of journalists phoning me and asking me if I’m joining the Shadow Cabinet. So, the answer is no comment’, and I put the phone down. And actually, the phone rang again, and it was Harriet Harman as the acting leader of the Labour Party offering me a place in the Shadow Cabinet.”
Laughing, he added: “So, I apologised profusely, and she promised never to mention it. Oh, and I also promised I would never tell the story….”
People from across Scotland will be invited to join a Citizens’ Panel which will look to improve how the Parliament works with people across Scotland.
The 24-person panel, to be selected at random, will broadly reflect the demographic make-up of Scotland. The Citizens’ Panel on Participation will give members of the public a direct opportunity to influence change.
They will report to the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee who recently launched an inquiry into public participation.
The panel is just one of the many ways the Committee is gathering views that will help inform how the Parliament involves, reflects and meets the needs of all the communities it represents, with a focus on improving engagement for those currently under-represented.
Participants do not need any prior knowledge to take part and the panel will receive support throughout the sessions, which will hear from speakers who are passionate about democracy and public participation, to help facilitate discussion and inform findings.
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Convener, Jackson Carlaw MSP, said:“This is a unique opportunity to help shape the way the Scottish Parliament works with the people of Scotland and I would encourage everyone who receives an invitation over the coming weeks to register and get involved.
“We know that the Parliament doesn’t hear enough from some groups and communities and this Citizens’ Panel will bring together a diverse range of voices to make recommendations over how Holyrood can better connect and reflect the views of the people MSPs are here to represent.
“If selected, your views could help to directly shape the future of the way the Scottish Parliament engages with communities across Scotland and improve public participation in decision making across the board.”
One week before the release of Scotland’s exam results, Holyrood’s Education, Children and Young People Committee is recommending that replacing Education Scotland is an opportunity to ensure that Scotland’s education agency takes ownership for closing the poverty-related attainment gap.
In its report into the Scottish Attainment Challenge, the Committee notes with concern evidence the variation in education performance across local authorities in Scotland. The report asks Scotland’s education agency to urgently investigate the variations and set out the actions it is taking to ensure consistency across the country.
Teachers are singled out for praise in the report, despite some of the challenges faced in working towards closing the attainment gap. The teachers and headteachers who spoke to the Committee during the inquiry are described as “inspirational”.
Some of the Committee’s other recommendations are around ensuring that the voices of classroom teachers, parents, carers and children and young people are at the centre of plans for attainment challenge spending. The Committee asks the education agency to monitor this so that funding is used as effectively as possible.
The report also calls on the agency to monitor how local authorities ensure stability of funding for third sector partners, take account of the needs of rural schools and make sure that schools have access to external expertise to ensure they can measure the effectiveness of their interventions.
Sue Webber MSP, Convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee, said: “During this inquiry the Committee heard positive stories about the work being done by schools to tackle the poverty-related attainment gap.
“However, in our report, we have noted Audit Scotland’s conclusion that there has been limited progress on closing the poverty-related attainment gap and that inequalities have been worsened by Covid-19.
“It is essential that the reforms to the Government’s education agency ensure the new schools inspectorate is able to monitor the effectiveness of the implementation of plans to close the poverty-related attainment gap.”
The allocation of funding is also examined in the report. Extra funding that was initially allocated to nine ‘challenge authorities’ is now being tapered in favour of a strategy which spreads funding across Scotland.
The Committee recognises that poverty exists throughout Scotland but asks the Scottish Government to monitor the impact of the tapering of funds from the challenge authorities and to report its findings.
With regards to how funds are spent, the Committee would like to see more work done on measuring the impact. Its report asks the Scottish Government to set out how it will, as a matter of urgency, establish a national baseline for measuring progress in closing the attainment gap following the pandemic.
It also asks the Government to explain how there will be sufficient challenge to ensure that both local and national targets are ambitious.
An exhibition showcasing some of the most thought-provoking photographs produced over the last year will go on display at the Scottish Parliament.
The World Press Photo exhibition will feature over 120 images illustrating some of the major issues facing the world today. From the effects of the climate crisis to civil rights movements, access to education and preserving indigenous practices and identities.
The free exhibition will be displayed in the Scottish Parliament’s Main Hall from Thursday 28 July until Saturday 27 August.
Scottish Parliament Presiding Officer, the Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP, said: “This exhibition connects people to the stories that matter.
“Year after year, World Press Photo highlights the significant contribution of photojournalism to our understanding of the stories and people that make the headlines.
“The Scottish Parliament is the only venue in the UK to host this global exhibition. I hope many of you get the opportunity to come to the Parliament to see this striking display.”
This year the winners were chosen out of 64,823 photographs and open format entries, by 4,066 photographers from 130 countries.
Some of the other images featured in the exhibition include:
World Press Photo of the year by Amber Bracken for the New York Times. Red dresses hung on crosses along a roadside commemorate children who died at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, an institution created to assimilate Indigenous children, following the detection of as many as 215 unmarked graves, Kamloops, British Columbia;
Antonella poses for her photograph in the kitchen at home, while in strict lockdown in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the day she made her promise not to cut her hair till she could resume person-to-person classes, taken by Irina Werning, Pulitzer Center;
Police agents arrest a man while his wife and family resist, during evictions of people from the San Isidro settlement, in Puerto Caldas, Risaralda, Colombia, taken by Vladimir Encina;
A protestor throws back a tear-gas canister that had been fired by security forces, during a march demanding an end to military rule in Khartoum, Sudan, taken by Faiz Abubakr Mohamed.
A targeted emergency response, on a par with action taken during the pandemic, is needed to address the energy bills crisis, says Holyrood’s Net Zero, Energy & Transport Committee in a report published today.
The report, which lays out the Committee’s findings following an inquiry into rising energy prices, says the Scottish and UK Governments must provide more immediate, carefully targeted support to those struggling with increasing fuel bills.
The report highlights three areas where the Committee believe immediate action and targeted support for the most vulnerable could be improved. These include additional financial help for households, better energy education and advice services and acceleration of programmes to retrofit and insulate homes.
It also says that medium and long-term plans and strategies must accelerate to reduce future exposure to volatile energy prices and help meet net zero targets.
Dean Lockhart MSP, Convener of the Committee, said: “This is a crisis unfolding in real time and one which we are told threatens ‘a catastrophic loss of life’ if swift action is not taken.
“We recognise some of the actions taken by the UK and Scottish Governments even over the short period of our inquiry, but more can and must be done now and in a more targeted way to get help to those most in need.
“Over the medium to longer term, it is also clear that we need to escape dependence on volatile international energy markets and accelerate all our efforts to enable this.
“For now, our message is clear: the Scottish Government must demonstrate a targeted emergency response to this crisis, on a par with action taken during the pandemic, to ensure the least well off are not vulnerable to death or serious ill-health due to rising energy costs and associated cost of living expenses.”
In the report, the Committee agrees with the Scottish Government on the need to take action through available welfare provisions but asks them to set out how social security and other assistance will be targeted specifically at lower-paid families with young children, those with disabilities and health conditions, older people, and those identified as experiencing or at risk of experiencing fuel poverty.
The report says that a national publicity campaign – akin to those used during the pandemic – and increased support and funding for those providing advice and advocacy at a local level is needed, so that everyone in Scotland looking for help can find it.
The Committee also recommends that plans for a programme of home heating and insulation, towards which the Scottish Government has committed an investment of £1.8bn, be accelerated and targeted at those most in need.
The Committee is writing separately to the Minister of State for the UK Government, Greg Hands MP, calling for similar urgent action in relation to matters for which he is responsible.
The big issues facing people in Scotland will feature at the Festival of Politics, with the programme for the event being unveiled today.
Taking place over three days from Thursday 11 until Saturday 13 August, the Festival features a number of online and in-person events taking place in the iconic surroundings of the Scottish Parliament.
Themes such as end of life choices, the state of the UK union, cost of living crisis, our climate, migration and equality will all feature. Alongside distinguished panel guests drawn from all walks of life across Scotland and beyond, sessions will allow festivalgoers to share their own experiences and ask questions.
The Debating Chamber will also see well-known figures address the audience in a series of ‘in conversation’ style events. On Thursday, philosopher Professor A.C. Grayling will talk about the three most urgent challenges facing the world today: climate change, technology and justice. On Friday, well-known footballer John Barnes will talk about his experiences of racism and what needs to be done to tackle this in modern society.
This year the Festival will also feature a rehearsed reading of Holding / Holding On from the National Theatre of Scotland scripted by Nicola McCartney in collaboration with care-experienced people and those within the care system. A powerful reading that has, at its heart, the intersection where care, class and poverty meet.
The Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, said: “This programme that has been unveiled today captures the topics of conversations that are happening all over Scotland with family and friends around kitchen tables, on social media, in newspapers and on television.
“We wanted to bring together those issues that are important to people and allow them to hear different perspectives drawn from people across civic society about how we can make a difference.
“I really do hope that there is something for everyone in this programme and I’m delighted to be welcoming people back into the Parliament for this event.”
