Good morning. The first item of business is general question time.

1. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps it is taking to support innovation and entrepreneurship. (S6O-02544)

2. To ask the Scottish Government what the increase in patient charges for national health service dental treatment will be. (S6O-02545)

3. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the winter flu and Covid-19 vaccination programme. (S6O-02546)

4. To ask the Scottish Government whether Scottish Water has completed any remedial works to prevent future flooding in the Glasgow Anniesland constituency, following reports of widespread...

5. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the procurement process for the upgrade of Ardrossan harbour. (S6O-02548)

6. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps it is taking to eliminate long waiting times for NHS procedures. (S6O-02549)

7. To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to start accepting applications for the £10 million fund for changing places toilets that was announced in the 2021-22 programme for...

8. To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to any benefits to islanders of restoring the monthly season ticket on the Largs to Cumbrae ferry route. (S6O-02551)

1. Tens of thousands of people work in Scotland’s North Sea oil and gas sector. It raises billions of pounds to support public services and it is crucial for Scotland’s economy....

2. People across our country are paying the price for Scottish National Party incompetence and failure at a time when they cannot afford that. In every area that this Government controls, we see...

3. To ask the Deputy First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet. (S6F-02380)

4. To ask the Deputy First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the potential impact of the roll-out of the carer support payment on the national mission to tackle poverty...

5. To ask the Deputy First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reported comments from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and council leaders questioning the...

6. To ask the Deputy First Minister whether the Scottish Government will consider writing off school meal debts, in light of reports of local authorities instructing sheriff officers to pursue...

Cancer Research UK has announced a £123 million investment in the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute, formerly known as the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, which is based at the...

This week, we learned the disappointing news of more Bank of Scotland branch closures, including one in Millport, on Cumbrae, and another in Brodick, on Arran. Those are the last remaining bank...

Given the level of skills shortages across the Scottish economy, is the Deputy First Minister concerned that colleges are cutting courses and making staff redundant in order to balance their budgets?

The Deputy First Minister will recognise that this week is national eye health week. As the convener of the cross-party group on visual impairment, I am pleased that Parliament has led the way...

Last week, the Scottish Government rejected calls from the chamber and the industry to pause the licensing scheme for short-term lets because of its emerging unintended consequences. Yesterday,...

The Deputy First Minister will be aware that Highland Council has cancelled 10 new school buildings, which means that desperately needed affordable housing will be lost. It is due to delays to...

One year after Liz Truss’s disastrous Tory United Kingdom mini-budget, will the Deputy First Minister outline the impact of that chaotic event on Scotland’s economy?

This week, Clackmannanshire Council admitted that a house that caught fire was not fitted with the legally required interlinked heat and smoke alarms, despite legislation requiring that from...

I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests as a trade union member. This week, members of UCU, Unison and Unite the union are on strike at the University of Dundee...

A constituent of mine who is a single mother with a short-term let property has been in touch with me this week. She will shortly be obliged to display a licence notice in the front window of her...

The Conservatives delivered a ruinous Brexit. This week, Keir Starmer said that he would tweak that ruinous Brexit, while ruling out a return to the European single market. He said that his...

We move to the next item of business, and I ask those who are leaving the public gallery to please do so quickly and quietly—thank you. The next item of business is a members’...

Good afternoon, colleagues. The first item of business this afternoon is portfolio questions on education and skills. I invite members who wish to ask a supplementary question to press their...

1. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the summit on tackling violence in schools. (S6O-02536)

2. To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish updated details of its learning estate investment programme. (S6O-02537)

3. To ask the Scottish Government how it supports children within the education system that have learning disabilities, autism or neurodiversity. (S6O-02538)

4. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any assessment and marking backlogs at universities. (S6O-02539)

5. To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with Highland Council to improve the school estate in the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituency. (S6O-02540)

6. To ask the Scottish Government what opportunities the development of a Scottish education exchange programme would present for young people in Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley. (S6O-02541)

7. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve digital education, in light of the increased prominence of artificial intelligence and cyber technology. (S6O-02542)

8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the national allowance for foster and kinship care. (S6O-02543)

The next item of business is a debate on behalf of the Criminal Justice Committee on tackling online child abuse, grooming and exploitation. I invite members who wish to speak in the debate to...

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the Prime Minister’s announcement on delaying a range of net zero targets will have on Scotland’s target to become net zero by 2045.

There are no questions to be put as a result of today’s business, so that concludes decision time. Meeting closed at 17:15.