That the Parliament notes with concern the decision of the University of Stirling to suspend students who were involved in the UCU Strike Occupation in 2019 in solidarity with striking lecturers over pay; understands that the punishment could include an eight-week suspension from attending lectures, access to university accommodation and submitting coursework; believes that such a punishment might lead to making students homeless, impact on their degree grade and causing anxiety that could impact on the students' mental health and wellbeing, and, rather than implement what it sees as a Draconian punishment, calls on the university to halt any disciplinary action and enter into meaningful discussion with the students to listen to their concerns.
Current Status:
That the Parliament notes with concern the decision of the University of Stirling to suspend students who were involved in the UCU Strike Occupation in 2019 in solidarity with striking lecturers over pay; understands that the punishment could include an eight-week suspension from attending lectures, access to university accommodation and submitting coursework; believes that such a punishment might lead to making students homeless, impact on their degree grade and causing anxiety that could impact on the students' mental health and wellbeing, and, rather than implement what it sees as a Draconian punishment, calls on the university to halt any disciplinary action and enter into meaningful discussion with the students to listen to their concerns.
Supported by: Iain Gray, Jackie Baillie, Stuart McMillan, Richard Lyle, Sarah Boyack, Monica Lennon, Elaine Smith, Claire Baker, Bill Kidd, Neil Findlay, Gil Paterson, Neil Bibby, Clare Adamson, Ruth Maguire
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That the Parliament welcomes the report by A Menu for Change, Found Wanting, which looks at the pressures forcing people into food insecurity in Scotland; understands that A Menu for Change is a three-year initiative that is run by Oxfam Scotland, Nourish Scotland, the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland and the Poverty Alliance, and is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund; notes that its research was carried out in Fife, East Ayrshire and Dundee and tracked people with lived experience in and out of food insecurity; believes that, while people said that they found great support from community groups and the healthcare and education sectors, the report found that system changes are required to prevent the causes of food insecurity; considers that income shocks from insecure and inadequate wages from employment and social security are key drivers in pushing people to become food insecure; notes the report's recommendations for a review of the budget for the Scottish Welfare Fund, for the Scottish Government to use public procurement to deliver fair work and invest in low-paid sectors, and to ensure that devolved employability programmes are designed to provide person-centred support for people who are furthest from the labour market; recognises the significant barriers that people facing food insecurity can face, and, in doing so, notes the authors' recommendations for UK ministers to restore the value of key benefits, uprate all benefits in line with inflation, remove the two-child limit and benefit cap, eliminate measures creating income shocks, including the five-week wait for universal credit, and to improve in-work conditions through measures such as increasing the national living wage to the real living wage, banning exploitative zero-hours contracts and improving in-work support.
Current Status:
That the Parliament welcomes the report by A Menu for Change, Found Wanting, which looks at the pressures forcing people into food insecurity in Scotland; understands that A Menu for Change is a three-year initiative that is run by Oxfam Scotland, Nourish Scotland, the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland and the Poverty Alliance, and is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund; notes that its research was carried out in Fife, East Ayrshire and Dundee and tracked people with lived experience in and out of food insecurity; believes that, while people said that they found great support from community groups and the healthcare and education sectors, the report found that system changes are required to prevent the causes of food insecurity; considers that income shocks from insecure and inadequate wages from employment and social security are key drivers in pushing people to become food insecure; notes the report's recommendations for a review of the budget for the Scottish Welfare Fund, for the Scottish Government to use public procurement to deliver fair work and invest in low-paid sectors, and to ensure that devolved employability programmes are designed to provide person-centred support for people who are furthest from the labour market; recognises the significant barriers that people facing food insecurity can face, and, in doing so, notes the authors' recommendations for UK ministers to restore the value of key benefits, uprate all benefits in line with inflation, remove the two-child limit and benefit cap, eliminate measures creating income shocks, including the five-week wait for universal credit, and to improve in-work conditions through measures such as increasing the national living wage to the real living wage, banning exploitative zero-hours contracts and improving in-work support.
Supported by: Elaine Smith, Colin Smyth, Neil Findlay, Monica Lennon, Sarah Boyack, Claudia Beamish, Alison Johnstone, Mark McDonald, George Adam, Mark Ruskell, Pauline McNeill, Fulton MacGregor, Alex Neil, Angela Constance, Annabelle Ewing
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17/12/2019
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That the Parliament commends Barbara Boyd for the work that she does to raise awareness of mouth cancer; notes that Barbara, who has the condition, raises money for the charity, Let’s Talk About Mouth Cancer, which campaigns to get people to check their mouths for danger signs, including by encouraging everyone to examine the inside of their mouth regularly to check for any irregularities or any unusual changes, swelling or ulcers and, as time is of the essence, recommending that anyone who finds something unusual should get it checked as soon as possible by a medical professional; congratulates Barbara on her fundraising in her home town of Kelty and the surrounding communities, which has resulted in the most money that the charity has ever received from one event, £1,916.25, and applauds Barbara and Let’s Talk About Mouth Cancer for raising awareness to help improve the prognosis of people diagnosed with mouth cancer through early detection.
Current Status:
That the Parliament commends Barbara Boyd for the work that she does to raise awareness of mouth cancer; notes that Barbara, who has the condition, raises money for the charity, Let’s Talk About Mouth Cancer, which campaigns to get people to check their mouths for danger signs, including by encouraging everyone to examine the inside of their mouth regularly to check for any irregularities or any unusual changes, swelling or ulcers and, as time is of the essence, recommending that anyone who finds something unusual should get it checked as soon as possible by a medical professional; congratulates Barbara on her fundraising in her home town of Kelty and the surrounding communities, which has resulted in the most money that the charity has ever received from one event, £1,916.25, and applauds Barbara and Let’s Talk About Mouth Cancer for raising awareness to help improve the prognosis of people diagnosed with mouth cancer through early detection.
Supported by: Clare Adamson
Current Status: Fallen on 13/03/2020
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That the Parliament notes with concern the reductions in the budget of the Fife Sport and Leisure Trust; understands that these are resulting in a reduction in access to public swimming in a number of Fife swimming pools; recognises the campaign led by retired residents of the Cardenden area against the closure of Bowhill swimming pool on weekday mornings to save money on staffing; believes that such closures run contrary to the spirit of many local authority and Scottish Government strategies aimed at tackling poor health, improving wellbeing and reducing social isolation and loneliness; notes that Fife Council established the charitable Trust as a step to avoid paying business rates on its leisure facility buildings; is concerned that, despite the Trust warnings to Fife Council that the consequences of continued reductions in its management fee threatens access to public swimming, the local authority continues to make these reductions; understands that the Trust was set up in 2008 to manage and operate leisure facilities on behalf of Fife Council and was paid a management fee of £6 million, and believes that having reduced the management fee to £2 million, Fife Council must now consult with the people of Fife on their priorities before making any more reductions to public swimming in Fife.
Current Status:
That the Parliament notes with concern the reductions in the budget of the Fife Sport and Leisure Trust; understands that these are resulting in a reduction in access to public swimming in a number of Fife swimming pools; recognises the campaign led by retired residents of the Cardenden area against the closure of Bowhill swimming pool on weekday mornings to save money on staffing; believes that such closures run contrary to the spirit of many local authority and Scottish Government strategies aimed at tackling poor health, improving wellbeing and reducing social isolation and loneliness; notes that Fife Council established the charitable Trust as a step to avoid paying business rates on its leisure facility buildings; is concerned that, despite the Trust warnings to Fife Council that the consequences of continued reductions in its management fee threatens access to public swimming, the local authority continues to make these reductions; understands that the Trust was set up in 2008 to manage and operate leisure facilities on behalf of Fife Council and was paid a management fee of £6 million, and believes that having reduced the management fee to £2 million, Fife Council must now consult with the people of Fife on their priorities before making any more reductions to public swimming in Fife.
Supported by: Elaine Smith, Monica Lennon, Neil Findlay, Annabelle Ewing, Jackie Baillie
Current Status: Fallen on 23/01/2020
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That the Parliament congratulates the members of Lochgelly Youth Forum on their campaign to protect and enhance the provision of youth work in Lochgelly and across Fife; notes the Forum's concerns that the money available for youth work has been cut year-on-year across Scotland as local authority budgets are cut; acknowledges the role that the Forum plays in the local community of Lochgelly through involvement with the gala, the Café Inc, as well as campaigns, such as the action on Mossmorran, and notes its call for a return of youth work services funding to pre-austerity levels, the strengthening of the statutory basis of youth work services and actively promoting the crucial preventative spend that it considers investing in youth work achieves.
Current Status:
That the Parliament congratulates the members of Lochgelly Youth Forum on their campaign to protect and enhance the provision of youth work in Lochgelly and across Fife; notes the Forum's concerns that the money available for youth work has been cut year-on-year across Scotland as local authority budgets are cut; acknowledges the role that the Forum plays in the local community of Lochgelly through involvement with the gala, the Café Inc, as well as campaigns, such as the action on Mossmorran, and notes its call for a return of youth work services funding to pre-austerity levels, the strengthening of the statutory basis of youth work services and actively promoting the crucial preventative spend that it considers investing in youth work achieves.
Supported by: Annabelle Ewing, Iain Gray, Monica Lennon, Jackie Baillie, David Torrance, Fulton MacGregor, Gil Paterson
Current Status: Fallen on 23/01/2020
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That the Parliament welcomes the report by A Menu for Change, Found Wanting, which looked at the pressures forcing people into food insecurity in Scotland; understands that A Menu for Change is a three-year initiative that is run by Oxfam Scotland, Nourish Scotland, the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland and the Poverty Alliance and is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund; notes that its research was carried out in Fife, East Ayrshire and Dundee and tracked people with lived experience in and out of food insecurity; believes that, while these people said that they found great support from community groups and the healthcare and education sectors, the report found that system changes are required to prevent the causes of food insecurity; understands that income shocks from insecure and inadequate wages from employment and social security are key drivers in pushing people to become food insecure; notes the report's recommendations for a review of the budget for the Scottish Welfare Fund, for the Scottish Government to use public procurement to deliver fair work and invest in low-paid sectors and to ensure that devolved employability programmes are designed to provide person-centred support for people who are furthest from the labour market; recognises the significant barriers that people facing food insecurity can face, and, in doing so, notes the authors' recommendations for UK ministers to restore the value of key benefits, uprate all benefits in line with inflation, remove the two-child limit and benefit cap, eliminate measures creating income shocks, including the five-week wait for universal credit, and to improve in-work conditions through measures such as increasing the national living wage to the real living wage, banning exploitative zero-hours contracts and improving in-work support.
Current Status:
That the Parliament welcomes the report by A Menu for Change, Found Wanting, which looked at the pressures forcing people into food insecurity in Scotland; understands that A Menu for Change is a three-year initiative that is run by Oxfam Scotland, Nourish Scotland, the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland and the Poverty Alliance and is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund; notes that its research was carried out in Fife, East Ayrshire and Dundee and tracked people with lived experience in and out of food insecurity; believes that, while these people said that they found great support from community groups and the healthcare and education sectors, the report found that system changes are required to prevent the causes of food insecurity; understands that income shocks from insecure and inadequate wages from employment and social security are key drivers in pushing people to become food insecure; notes the report's recommendations for a review of the budget for the Scottish Welfare Fund, for the Scottish Government to use public procurement to deliver fair work and invest in low-paid sectors and to ensure that devolved employability programmes are designed to provide person-centred support for people who are furthest from the labour market; recognises the significant barriers that people facing food insecurity can face, and, in doing so, notes the authors' recommendations for UK ministers to restore the value of key benefits, uprate all benefits in line with inflation, remove the two-child limit and benefit cap, eliminate measures creating income shocks, including the five-week wait for universal credit, and to improve in-work conditions through measures such as increasing the national living wage to the real living wage, banning exploitative zero-hours contracts and improving in-work support.
Supported by: Mark McDonald, Mark Ruskell, Mark Griffin, Rona Mackay, Elaine Smith, Gil Paterson, Sarah Boyack, Claudia Beamish, Jackie Baillie, David Torrance, Neil Findlay, Claire Baker, Clare Adamson, Alison Johnstone, Colin Smyth
Current Status: Fallen on 27/11/2019
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That the Parliament recognises the contribution of the John Thomson Memorial Committee, which was founded in 1983 to promote John's memory in his home town of Cardenden and the surrounding area, and in particular its impact on the quality of life for people, especially youngsters, in the community through the annual primary school football tournament, which is open to all boys and girls, irrespective of background or ability in the area; further recognises the service to the community of a founding member of the Committee, Alex Burns, whose service to his community through his work as Chairperson of the Community Council and involvement in many other local groups, was recognised in 2004 when he was appointed an MBE by The Queen; congratulates Alex on his 36th year of organising the John Thomson Tournament in 2019, and also congratulates every child who took part.
Current Status:
That the Parliament recognises the contribution of the John Thomson Memorial Committee, which was founded in 1983 to promote John's memory in his home town of Cardenden and the surrounding area, and in particular its impact on the quality of life for people, especially youngsters, in the community through the annual primary school football tournament, which is open to all boys and girls, irrespective of background or ability in the area; further recognises the service to the community of a founding member of the Committee, Alex Burns, whose service to his community through his work as Chairperson of the Community Council and involvement in many other local groups, was recognised in 2004 when he was appointed an MBE by The Queen; congratulates Alex on his 36th year of organising the John Thomson Tournament in 2019, and also congratulates every child who took part.
Supported by: Annabelle Ewing, Richard Lyle, Monica Lennon, Kenneth Gibson, Neil Findlay, Ruth Maguire, Bill Kidd, Gil Paterson, Neil Bibby
Current Status: Fallen on 27/11/2019
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That the Parliament congratulates all the volunteers who work to support the Lo’gelly Lunches club; understands that over 50 people participate each Friday at the Salvation Army Hall in Lochgelly where lunch is made and served to all who come; acknowledges the social and nutritional value of this activity as well as the contributions of finance and food from local people and local businesses, and wishes the group continued success into the future.
Current Status:
That the Parliament congratulates all the volunteers who work to support the Lo’gelly Lunches club; understands that over 50 people participate each Friday at the Salvation Army Hall in Lochgelly where lunch is made and served to all who come; acknowledges the social and nutritional value of this activity as well as the contributions of finance and food from local people and local businesses, and wishes the group continued success into the future.
Supported by: Claire Baker, Annabelle Ewing, Richard Lyle, Maureen Watt, Pauline McNeill, Bill Kidd, Neil Bibby
Current Status: Fallen on 27/11/2019
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That the Parliament commends Pittencrieff Park, known locally as "the Glen", in Dunfermline, Fife, on being awarded the title of Best Park in Scotland from the parks and green spaces charity, Fields in Trust; understands that a record 364 nominations were received for UK’s Best Park 2019, of which 42 were in Scotland, and that those nominations were supported by park users, communities, "friends of parks" groups and landowners, with an unprecedented total of 36,832 votes cast for parks and green spaces across the UK; recognises that Pittencrieff Park was nominated for its diversity, children’s play areas, glasshouses, historical features, peacock sanctuary, imaginative paths, rocky waterfall and well-stocked and neat flower beds and herb gardens; acknowledges that the park was bought in 1902 by the philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, and gifted to the people of Dunfermline, and now welcomes more than 750,000 visitors to the Green Flag status park each year; further acknowledges that the park is also home to Pittencrieff House Museum and the art deco Glen Pavilion; encourages people to visit the park and enjoy the many aspects of it for themselves, including sensational views of Dunfermline Abbey, and further wishes the park every success with the events that it has planned throughout the rest of 2019.
Current Status:
That the Parliament commends Pittencrieff Park, known locally as "the Glen", in Dunfermline, Fife, on being awarded the title of Best Park in Scotland from the parks and green spaces charity, Fields in Trust; understands that a record 364 nominations were received for UK’s Best Park 2019, of which 42 were in Scotland, and that those nominations were supported by park users, communities, "friends of parks" groups and landowners, with an unprecedented total of 36,832 votes cast for parks and green spaces across the UK; recognises that Pittencrieff Park was nominated for its diversity, children’s play areas, glasshouses, historical features, peacock sanctuary, imaginative paths, rocky waterfall and well-stocked and neat flower beds and herb gardens; acknowledges that the park was bought in 1902 by the philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, and gifted to the people of Dunfermline, and now welcomes more than 750,000 visitors to the Green Flag status park each year; further acknowledges that the park is also home to Pittencrieff House Museum and the art deco Glen Pavilion; encourages people to visit the park and enjoy the many aspects of it for themselves, including sensational views of Dunfermline Abbey, and further wishes the park every success with the events that it has planned throughout the rest of 2019.
Supported by: Neil Findlay, Bill Kidd, Murdo Fraser, Annabelle Ewing, Richard Lyle, Maureen Watt
Current Status: Fallen on 27/11/2019
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As an amendment to motion S5M-17265 in the name of Aileen Campbell (Adopting the Place Principle), insert at end "; recognises the negative impact of austerity on local services and local communities, and understands that a more joined-up, collaborative and participative approach to services requires sufficient resources to empower local people and those working in local services."
Current Status:
As an amendment to motion S5M-17265 in the name of Aileen Campbell (Adopting the Place Principle), insert at end "; recognises the negative impact of austerity on local services and local communities, and understands that a more joined-up, collaborative and participative approach to services requires sufficient resources to empower local people and those working in local services."
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14/05/2019
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