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Graeme is a member of the following Committees:
Graeme is a member of the following Cross-Party Groups:
Member of the Parliamentary Bureau
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 18 June 2020 : 18 June 2020
Graeme Dey
Mr Balfour highlights an extremely important issue, namely early service leavers and their routes into employment. Alongside supporting the spouses of serving per...
The Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans (Graeme Dey)
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all armed forces personnel, veterans and their families living in Scotland are able to access the best possible care and support....
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 03 June 2020 [Draft] : 03 June 2020
Unlike Mr Kerr, I will not fight old battles; instead, I want to focus on what is actually before us. The two measures in question are a result of the extension of the electoral franchise in...
I indicated to the committee that I plan to make changes by secondary legislation to address those legitimate points. We will not face a council by-election until October, but the matter is ...
I thank members for their contributions to the debate. Before I turn to some of the points that have been raised, I record my appreciation for the efforts of the officials who drafted the bi...
The work that is going on now will inform any decisions that require to be made further down the line by the Parliament. However, to give some assurance on Mr Kel...
That is certainly the intention. Although we could not support Colin Smyth’s amendment earlier, I acknowledge how well intention...
I thank everyone who has engaged with the Scottish Elections (Reform) Bill throughout its parliamentary passage. Many constructive contributions from all parties ...
I will respond to Mark Ruskell’s point. That is not specified in what is being asked of boundaries Scotland, but it is a reasonable ask and it is a conversation t...
The bill would allow two and five-member wards in local government areas in addition to the existing three and four-member wards. That is intended to permit great...
That the Parliament agrees that the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 4) Regulations 2020 (SSI 2020/182) be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the Finance and Constitution Committee be designated as the lead committee, and that the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee be designated as a secondary committee, in consideration of the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Bill at stage 1.
That the Parliament agrees that the Registration of Independent Schools (Prescribed Person) (Coronavirus) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2020 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the Legal Aid and Advice and Assistance (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Coronavirus) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Public Health Information for Passengers Travelling to Scotland) Regulations 2020 (SSI 2020/170) be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (International Travel) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 (SSI 2020/169) be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee be designated as the lead committee in consideration of the legislative consent memorandum in relation to the Fisheries Bill (UK Legislation).
That the Parliament agrees that the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (International Travel) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2020 (SSI 2020/171) be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that the UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Act 2020 (Ticket Touting Offence) (Exceptions for Use of Internet etc.) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 [draft] be approved.
That the Parliament agrees that consideration of the Heat Networks (Scotland) Bill at stage 1 be completed by 4 December 2020.
To ask the Scottish Government when it will lay for consultation the proposed draft regulations providing for the disclosure of information about persons who have controlling interests in land in a public register as required by Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016.
The Scottish Government today laid for consultation in the Scottish Parliament proposed draft regulations (SG/2018/103) and a proposed explanatory document (SG/2018/104) for a new Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land as required by Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016. It has also laid a draft partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment and a draft Privacy Impact Assessment of the draft regulations within the proposed explanatory document.
In addition the Government has published on its website a consultation document to support the consultation, which will run until 8 November 2018.
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the benefits of migration to the Scottish economy and society.
Migration is crucial to the development of Scotland as an inclusive, fair, prosperous, innovative country. It is essential to our economic prospects and our demographic sustainability that Scotland continues to attract the level and nature of migration it needs.
Following the EU referendum we published a report summarising and evaluating the recent literature on the impacts of migrants and migration on Scotland’s economy, labour market, public services, communities and culture. In November last year we set out the evidence about the importance of migration to Scotland, in our submission to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). We followed that earlier this year with a discussion paper on Scotland’s Population Growth and Migration Policy detailing the unique challenges facing Scotland’s population and the potential economic gains if migration was sustained. The paper also outlines how a tailored approach for Scotland, with new powers for the Scottish Parliament, could operate.
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Food Supply Chain Manifesto, which calls on the UK Government to guarantee continued access to permanent and seasonal workers for the farming and food production sector.
Reducing access to labour and skills by ending free movement will damage businesses in every sector of the economy in Scotland, and Scottish Ministers are clear that we need a solution for future migration that meets the needs of the agriculture sector.
However, evidence published by the Migration Advisory Committee shows that every sector of the economy - agriculture and fisheries, tourism and culture, healthcare and education - faces labour and skills challenges due to Brexit. We therefore need a migration system which meets the needs of all sectors of the economy, and we need an approach which is simple for employers and individuals to navigate and is flexible enough to meet changing needs.
Most importantly though we need the UK Government to start engaging on this issue. We have set out this Government’s position on the benefits of free movement of people and the need for new powers for the Scottish Parliament on migration. UK Ministers should now meet with the Scottish Government to discuss how we develop solutions tailored to Scotland’s needs.
To ask the Scottish Government when the annual progress report on the Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme will be published.
The Scottish Government published its fourth Climate Change Adaptation Annual Report today.
The Report sets out the context for climate adaptation in Scotland, highlighting that we are already experiencing climate change, that there are a range of future risks and opportunities, and that we have a developing evidence base that is informing action.
The Report provides a summary of the core content of the Programme, the highlights to date, and the findings of the first Independent Assessment of the Programme in 2016. Finally, this Report refers to the development of Scotland’s second five-year Adaptation Programme which is to be published in 2019.
The Fourth Annual Report highlights include the latest on flood management, the Peatland ACTION Fund, the new Climate Change Plan’s commitments on woodland creation, the Fourth UK Forestry Standard 2017, a new Centre of Expertise in Plant Health launched in February 2018, Scotland’s National Coastal Change Assessment, Historic Environment Scotland’s climate change risk assessment, Green Infrastructure Fund, A82 Steep Ground Harvesting Project, Edinburgh Adapts, Aberdeen Adapts, Climate Ready Business, NHS Scotland Climate Change Risk Assessment Tool, and the third European Climate Change Adaptation Conference held in Glasgow.
Copies of the Annual Report have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, laying number SG/2018/74.
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the introduction of average speed cameras on the A90 has had on road safety between Dundee and Aberdeen.
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its guidance regarding engaging communities in decisions relating to land, as required under Part 4 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016.
The Scottish Government's Guidance on Engaging Communities in Decisions Relating to Land is published today. Copies of the guidance have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, laying number SG/2018/32.
To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish Land Commission will lay its revised Programme of Work in the Parliament.
The Scottish Land Commission will lay its revised Programme of Work in Parliament today, in advance of the first anniversary of the Commission’s establishment on 1 April. Extensive engagement and scoping work in the last six months has enabled the Commission to more sharply focus the Programme of Work to ensure the most positive impact in the short and long term. Copies have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, laying number SG/2018/35.
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that any additional funding it provides to councils for specific purposes is used in that way.
To ask the Scottish Government what further measures it is considering to address the persecution of birds of prey.
I was extremely concerned to hear about the recent disappearance of a satellite tagged golden eagle in the Pentland Hills. While we may never know exactly what happened to this bird, the circumstances are clearly suspicious. This is especially true when taken in the context of the satellite tagging report that I commissioned and was published last May. This showed that around one third of tagged eagles have disappeared in similar circumstances with many on or near driven grouse moors.
Since the report was published we have set up a review group to examine how we can ensure grouse moor management is sustainable and compliant with the law. The group, which will also consider possible regulatory options including licensing, met for the first time last month and will report back to me in Spring 2019. I await their findings with great interest.
I am also pleased to say that we are supporting a new Police Wildlife Crime Investigative Support Officer post which has now been filled. This officer will bring expertise to wildlife crime investigations across Scotland. We also expect shortly to launch a pilot project to use Special Constables to tackle wildlife crime in the Cairngorms National Park. These new measures build upon existing work, and demonstrate our commitment to put a stop to the wildlife crime that still occurs in parts of our countryside.
To ask the Scottish Government when it will bring forward legislation regarding the reintroduction of beavers.
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