That the Parliament notes that 17 September 2020 marks the annual International World Patient Safety Day, promoted by the World Health Organization, which this year celebrates the theme, Safe Health Workers, Safe Patients; understands that the aim of the day is to support different programmes around the world to ensure the safety of patients in various healthcare and medical settings; notes the success of the internationally recognised Scottish Patient Safety Programme, which is a unique national initiative that aims to improve the safety and reliability of health and social care and reduce harm whenever care is delivered by improving both education and safety across all health and social care settings in Scotland; acknowledges the Healthcare Improvement Scotland programme, ihub, which is a coordinated campaign of activity to increase awareness and support the provision of safe, high-quality care, whatever the setting; encourages everyone interested to learn more about ihub and the Scottish Patient Safety Programme online at ihub.scot; congratulates NHS Dumfries and Galloway, and other NHS boards in Scotland, on participating in International World Patient Safety Day and on recognising and raising awareness of patient safety across all healthcare settings; thanks all healthcare providers and healthcare staff across Scotland for their continued commitment to patient safety, and further thanks them for their continued efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Current Status:
That the Parliament notes that 17 September 2020 marks the annual International World Patient Safety Day, promoted by the World Health Organization, which this year celebrates the theme, Safe Health Workers, Safe Patients; understands that the aim of the day is to support different programmes around the world to ensure the safety of patients in various healthcare and medical settings; notes the success of the internationally recognised Scottish Patient Safety Programme, which is a unique national initiative that aims to improve the safety and reliability of health and social care and reduce harm whenever care is delivered by improving both education and safety across all health and social care settings in Scotland; acknowledges the Healthcare Improvement Scotland programme, ihub, which is a coordinated campaign of activity to increase awareness and support the provision of safe, high-quality care, whatever the setting; encourages everyone interested to learn more about ihub and the Scottish Patient Safety Programme online at ihub.scot; congratulates NHS Dumfries and Galloway, and other NHS boards in Scotland, on participating in International World Patient Safety Day and on recognising and raising awareness of patient safety across all healthcare settings; thanks all healthcare providers and healthcare staff across Scotland for their continued commitment to patient safety, and further thanks them for their continued efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Supported by: David Stewart, Alex Neil, Bob Doris, Sandra White, Kenneth Gibson, Bill Kidd, Richard Lyle, Keith Brown, Stewart Stevenson, John Mason, David Torrance
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That the Parliament welcomes the publication of the annual asthma survey by Asthma UK; recognises that answers to the survey will help to gain valuable insight into asthma and asthma care across Scotland, as well as other UK nations; welcomes the work of charities such as Asthma UK to help people to live well with the condition, and encourages everyone with asthma to take part in the annual survey.
Current Status:
That the Parliament welcomes the publication of the annual asthma survey by Asthma UK; recognises that answers to the survey will help to gain valuable insight into asthma and asthma care across Scotland, as well as other UK nations; welcomes the work of charities such as Asthma UK to help people to live well with the condition, and encourages everyone with asthma to take part in the annual survey.
Supported by: David Torrance, Richard Lyle, Kenneth Gibson, Stewart Stevenson, Annabelle Ewing, Sandra White, Monica Lennon, Stuart McMillan, Bill Kidd, Mark McDonald, Fulton MacGregor, Joan McAlpine, Alex Rowley
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That the Parliament congratulates Kirkcudbright Coronavirus Community Help on quickly organising a very effective volunteer team that assisted the most vulnerable people in the town during the lockdown in April, May and June 2020; recognises that 85 volunteers registered with the group, with 36 of these linked up with a permanent "buddy’" to assist others in the community, including with shopping, dog walking and phone calls; acknowledges that over 500 calls were received by the dedicated phone line set up by the group with 334 prescriptions delivered and over 300 face coverings made by a team of machinists for the volunteers and people who had been shielding to give them confidence to venture out again, and sends its best wishes to all involved with this work.
Current Status:
That the Parliament congratulates Kirkcudbright Coronavirus Community Help on quickly organising a very effective volunteer team that assisted the most vulnerable people in the town during the lockdown in April, May and June 2020; recognises that 85 volunteers registered with the group, with 36 of these linked up with a permanent "buddy’" to assist others in the community, including with shopping, dog walking and phone calls; acknowledges that over 500 calls were received by the dedicated phone line set up by the group with 334 prescriptions delivered and over 300 face coverings made by a team of machinists for the volunteers and people who had been shielding to give them confidence to venture out again, and sends its best wishes to all involved with this work.
Supported by: Richard Lyle, David Torrance, Annabelle Ewing, Kenneth Gibson, Sandra White, Bill Kidd, Stewart Stevenson, Stuart McMillan, Fulton MacGregor, Joan McAlpine
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That the Parliament expresses severe concern regarding the publication of the UK Internal Market Bill (2019-21), which it considers to be in direct breach both of international law and of the devolution settlements of all constituent parts of the UK; understands that the Bill, which seeks to make provision in relation to the internal market for goods and services in the UK, on the recognition of professional and other qualifications, and on provisions in connection with the Northern Ireland Protocol, proposes changes to the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, which was negotiated and signed by both parties in 2019; further understands that the proposed Bill includes a section on a “mutual recognition regime”, which would require regulatory standards in one part of the UK to be automatically accepted in others, which it considers could mean potentially lowered standards of food, animal welfare and production quality across the UK; notes with dismay the reported comments by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in the House of Commons on 9 September 2020 that the Bill breaches international law in a “specific and limited way”, and believes this to be completely unacceptable; considers the situation to be of the utmost severity with, it understands, senior UK Government officials, including the Permanent Secretary to the UK Government Legal Department, resigning over the decision by the Prime Minister to proceed with the Bill; notes the view that all governments must respect and follow the rule of foreign and domestic law; believes that the UK Government is bringing the institution that it represents into disrepute, and notes the calls on the UK Government to do what it sees as the right thing by the people of the UK and Europe, including those in the South Scotland region, and amend the Bill to bring it in line with international law, and with the devolution settlements of all parts of the UK.
Current Status:
That the Parliament expresses severe concern regarding the publication of the UK Internal Market Bill (2019-21), which it considers to be in direct breach both of international law and of the devolution settlements of all constituent parts of the UK; understands that the Bill, which seeks to make provision in relation to the internal market for goods and services in the UK, on the recognition of professional and other qualifications, and on provisions in connection with the Northern Ireland Protocol, proposes changes to the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, which was negotiated and signed by both parties in 2019; further understands that the proposed Bill includes a section on a “mutual recognition regime”, which would require regulatory standards in one part of the UK to be automatically accepted in others, which it considers could mean potentially lowered standards of food, animal welfare and production quality across the UK; notes with dismay the reported comments by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in the House of Commons on 9 September 2020 that the Bill breaches international law in a “specific and limited way”, and believes this to be completely unacceptable; considers the situation to be of the utmost severity with, it understands, senior UK Government officials, including the Permanent Secretary to the UK Government Legal Department, resigning over the decision by the Prime Minister to proceed with the Bill; notes the view that all governments must respect and follow the rule of foreign and domestic law; believes that the UK Government is bringing the institution that it represents into disrepute, and notes the calls on the UK Government to do what it sees as the right thing by the people of the UK and Europe, including those in the South Scotland region, and amend the Bill to bring it in line with international law, and with the devolution settlements of all parts of the UK.
Supported by: Bill Kidd, Richard Lyle, Sandra White, Kenneth Gibson, Willie Coffey, Rona Mackay, Gordon MacDonald, Stuart McMillan, Andy Wightman, Angus MacDonald, David Torrance, Stewart Stevenson, John Mason, Joan McAlpine, Fulton MacGregor, John Finnie, Angela Constance, Annabelle Ewing, Mark McDonald, Clare Adamson
Current Status: Eligible for Members’ Business, Pending Cross Party Support
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That the Parliament notes that 25 September 2020 marks International Ataxia Awareness Day; understands that ataxias are a rare group of neurological conditions that most commonly affect balance, coordination, speech and swallowing and which are either the result of serious trauma, old age or genetics; notes that the condition does not discriminate and that it can affect anyone, of any age, with recent studies suggesting that there are around 10,000 people living across the UK with a form of the condition; understands that, while some forms of ataxia are treatable, many are not, and that it is the aim of International Ataxia Day to ask a friend to get involved and help spread the word of ataxia in a bid to raise current recognition and understanding of the condition to more than the current level of 10% of the UK population; considers that, the more that people are aware of the condition, more money is likely to be invested into finding a cure; wishes all those living with ataxia the very best for the future, and encourages everyone to raise awareness and spread the word of ataxia to help widen understanding and knowledge of the condition.
Current Status:
That the Parliament notes that 25 September 2020 marks International Ataxia Awareness Day; understands that ataxias are a rare group of neurological conditions that most commonly affect balance, coordination, speech and swallowing and which are either the result of serious trauma, old age or genetics; notes that the condition does not discriminate and that it can affect anyone, of any age, with recent studies suggesting that there are around 10,000 people living across the UK with a form of the condition; understands that, while some forms of ataxia are treatable, many are not, and that it is the aim of International Ataxia Day to ask a friend to get involved and help spread the word of ataxia in a bid to raise current recognition and understanding of the condition to more than the current level of 10% of the UK population; considers that, the more that people are aware of the condition, more money is likely to be invested into finding a cure; wishes all those living with ataxia the very best for the future, and encourages everyone to raise awareness and spread the word of ataxia to help widen understanding and knowledge of the condition.
Supported by: Sandra White, Kenneth Gibson, Richard Lyle, Stewart Stevenson, Bill Kidd, David Torrance, Stuart McMillan, John Finnie, Alex Rowley, Fulton MacGregor, John Mason, Monica Lennon, Mark McDonald, Clare Adamson, Joan McAlpine
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That the Parliament congratulates the Market Inn Hotel and Restaurant in Castle Douglas on the introduction of its new Family Pass policy, which aims to help reduce hunger and poverty within the local area; understands that the policy, which is available seven days a week for anyone who may need it, works by the person or family quoting "Family Pass" when arriving at the restaurant, upon which they are seated and each provided with a hearty plate of food and a soft drink completely free of charge; acknowledges the overwhelming support that the Market Inn Hotel and Restaurant has received since the introduction of this policy, and thanks the team wholeheartedly for playing their part in reducing hunger and poverty at what is a particularly challenging time for many; notes that the Market Inn is also providing a free chocolate brownie sundae to all Blue Light Card Holders when booking a meal, and 50p teas and coffees everyday to all key workers; wishes the Market Inn Hotel and Restaurant every success for the future, and expresses its thanks for its invaluable community work.
Current Status:
That the Parliament congratulates the Market Inn Hotel and Restaurant in Castle Douglas on the introduction of its new Family Pass policy, which aims to help reduce hunger and poverty within the local area; understands that the policy, which is available seven days a week for anyone who may need it, works by the person or family quoting "Family Pass" when arriving at the restaurant, upon which they are seated and each provided with a hearty plate of food and a soft drink completely free of charge; acknowledges the overwhelming support that the Market Inn Hotel and Restaurant has received since the introduction of this policy, and thanks the team wholeheartedly for playing their part in reducing hunger and poverty at what is a particularly challenging time for many; notes that the Market Inn is also providing a free chocolate brownie sundae to all Blue Light Card Holders when booking a meal, and 50p teas and coffees everyday to all key workers; wishes the Market Inn Hotel and Restaurant every success for the future, and expresses its thanks for its invaluable community work.
Supported by: Annabelle Ewing, Richard Lyle, Sandra White, Bill Kidd, David Torrance, Maureen Watt, Fulton MacGregor, Ruth Maguire, Gil Paterson, Clare Adamson, Stewart Stevenson
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That the Parliament congratulates Dumfries and Galloway College as it celebrates the 30th anniversary of learning and teaching at The John Niven Further Education Centre in Stranraer; acknowledges and appreciates the significant positive impact that the college has had over the last three decades to the educational opportunities available in the area it serves; applauds the site’s growth from 60 to 223 full-time students; congratulates all 4,500 former students who have gained qualifications from the Stranraer campus over the past decade and all who have studied; congratulates the College for the depth and breadth of courses it has made available at the campus in Stranraer; appreciates the hard work, dedication, and vision that the Principal, Joanna Campbell, and her team at have shown in providing an inspirational role model for further education in the south of Scotland and throughout the country, and wishes everyone associated with the Stranraer campus, and the college as a whole, every future success.
Current Status:
That the Parliament congratulates Dumfries and Galloway College as it celebrates the 30th anniversary of learning and teaching at The John Niven Further Education Centre in Stranraer; acknowledges and appreciates the significant positive impact that the college has had over the last three decades to the educational opportunities available in the area it serves; applauds the site’s growth from 60 to 223 full-time students; congratulates all 4,500 former students who have gained qualifications from the Stranraer campus over the past decade and all who have studied; congratulates the College for the depth and breadth of courses it has made available at the campus in Stranraer; appreciates the hard work, dedication, and vision that the Principal, Joanna Campbell, and her team at have shown in providing an inspirational role model for further education in the south of Scotland and throughout the country, and wishes everyone associated with the Stranraer campus, and the college as a whole, every future success.
Supported by: Stewart Stevenson, Joan McAlpine, Richard Lyle, Kenneth Gibson, Sandra White, Bill Kidd, Bruce Crawford, Ruth Maguire, Fulton MacGregor, Gillian Martin, Clare Adamson
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That the Parliament congratulates Stranraer FC, the third oldest league club in Scotland and the twentieth oldest football club in the world, on celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2020; notes that the club, which took up permanent residence at Stair Park in 1907, has had a long and interesting past, with a number of victories and ultimately losses, notably narrowly losing to the then Scottish League Champions, Glasgow Rangers, in 1948 where the ground was said to have been packed full with in excess of 6,500 spectators; understands that Stranraer FC’s history includes entering the C Division in the 1949-50 season, which was a league full of reserve teams from many of the country’s big clubs, before finally achieving full league status in the 1955-56 season when the club was forced to fight for its place in the leagues in the early 1960s along with four other minnow clubs, due to a motion put forward by Glasgow Rangers, which threatened their expulsion; notes that, thanks to some legal wrangling, with Celtic stepping forward as a powerful ally, stating: “Stranraer are a small club which has done football a great deal of good” and “there should be no question of them being eliminated”, this motion was thankfully defeated; applauds the current manager, Stephen Farrell, who took charge in January 2017, with Stranraer bottom of the league, and guided the team to survival in three successive seasons, before the coronavirus outbreak and resulting votes brought an end to The Blues' eight-year spell in the third tier; thanks Stena Line, local firm, McLean's Taxis, the Craignelder Hotel in Stranraer and William Hill for their committed sponsorship of the club, which supports the employment of ground, ticketing, security and catering staff; thanks Stranraer FC players, the Chairman, Iain Dougan, and all of the volunteers, fans and supporters for making the club a team in which the local community can be proud, and wishes the club every success for the future, particularly as the country moves out of the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and which will allow the club to engage in match play again.
Current Status:
That the Parliament congratulates Stranraer FC, the third oldest league club in Scotland and the twentieth oldest football club in the world, on celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2020; notes that the club, which took up permanent residence at Stair Park in 1907, has had a long and interesting past, with a number of victories and ultimately losses, notably narrowly losing to the then Scottish League Champions, Glasgow Rangers, in 1948 where the ground was said to have been packed full with in excess of 6,500 spectators; understands that Stranraer FC’s history includes entering the C Division in the 1949-50 season, which was a league full of reserve teams from many of the country’s big clubs, before finally achieving full league status in the 1955-56 season when the club was forced to fight for its place in the leagues in the early 1960s along with four other minnow clubs, due to a motion put forward by Glasgow Rangers, which threatened their expulsion; notes that, thanks to some legal wrangling, with Celtic stepping forward as a powerful ally, stating: “Stranraer are a small club which has done football a great deal of good” and “there should be no question of them being eliminated”, this motion was thankfully defeated; applauds the current manager, Stephen Farrell, who took charge in January 2017, with Stranraer bottom of the league, and guided the team to survival in three successive seasons, before the coronavirus outbreak and resulting votes brought an end to The Blues' eight-year spell in the third tier; thanks Stena Line, local firm, McLean's Taxis, the Craignelder Hotel in Stranraer and William Hill for their committed sponsorship of the club, which supports the employment of ground, ticketing, security and catering staff; thanks Stranraer FC players, the Chairman, Iain Dougan, and all of the volunteers, fans and supporters for making the club a team in which the local community can be proud, and wishes the club every success for the future, particularly as the country moves out of the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and which will allow the club to engage in match play again.
Supported by: Rona Mackay, Kenneth Gibson, Sandra White, Jeremy Balfour, Willie Coffey, Stewart Stevenson, Richard Lyle, Bill Kidd, Stuart McMillan, David Torrance, Fulton MacGregor, Joan McAlpine, Bruce Crawford, Ruth Maguire, Gillian Martin, Clare Adamson
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That the Parliament congratulates Drax Group, a Scottish and international energy company that focuses on delivering a zero carbon, lower cost energy future for its consumers and clients, on donating £250,000 worth of Chromebooks to school-aged young people across Dumfries and Galloway and Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic; notes that these Chromebooks, along with pre-paid internet dongles, have better enabled learning from home for young people who did not have access to the equipment; understands that, across Dumfries and Galloway, Drax delivered 182 Chromebooks with dongles to Gelston, Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbright, Dalry and Kells, Crossmichael and Heathhall primary schools, as well as to Dumfries and Galloway College; notes that the Chromebooks and dongles have enabled young people to learn in a home setting and that the laptops have also relieved stress for parents and carers who were struggling with the cost of purchasing the equipment; thanks Drax Group for this important community work, and wishes the company well for the future.
Current Status:
That the Parliament congratulates Drax Group, a Scottish and international energy company that focuses on delivering a zero carbon, lower cost energy future for its consumers and clients, on donating £250,000 worth of Chromebooks to school-aged young people across Dumfries and Galloway and Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic; notes that these Chromebooks, along with pre-paid internet dongles, have better enabled learning from home for young people who did not have access to the equipment; understands that, across Dumfries and Galloway, Drax delivered 182 Chromebooks with dongles to Gelston, Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbright, Dalry and Kells, Crossmichael and Heathhall primary schools, as well as to Dumfries and Galloway College; notes that the Chromebooks and dongles have enabled young people to learn in a home setting and that the laptops have also relieved stress for parents and carers who were struggling with the cost of purchasing the equipment; thanks Drax Group for this important community work, and wishes the company well for the future.
Supported by: Joan McAlpine, Sandra White, Kenneth Gibson, Ruth Maguire
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That the Parliament notes with extreme concern the findings of a report carried out by the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) into a close-quarters' incident between the roll-on/roll-off Stena Superfast VII ferry and a Royal Navy submarine in the North Channel between Cairnryan and Northern Ireland on 6 November 2018; notes that the report, which was published on 16 July 2020, found that, on 6 November 2018, the lookout officer on board the ferry spotted a submarine’s periscope close ahead and alerted the Officer of the Watch, who took immediate and effective action, turning the ferry to avoid a genuine risk of collision with the submerged submarine; notes that the report concluded that this incident occurred because the submarine’s control room team had underestimated the ferry’s speed and overestimated its range, resulting in safety-critical decisions being made based on inaccurate information; understands that, despite a significant and life-threatening collision not taking place on this particular occasion, this is the third occasion over a four-year period in which a Royal Navy dived-submarine and surface vessel have either come into contact or have been at immediate risk of doing so; agrees with the MAIB that these incidents are a significant cause for concern and joins it in calling for an independent review of the actions that have been taken by the Royal Navy both pre- and post- the November 2018 incident, to ensure that such occurrences are avoided in future, and agrees with the position of the Scottish Government that weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, have no place in Scotland and that these weapons pose a significant and unnecessary risk to the safety of the people of Scotland and the wider international community.
Current Status:
That the Parliament notes with extreme concern the findings of a report carried out by the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) into a close-quarters' incident between the roll-on/roll-off Stena Superfast VII ferry and a Royal Navy submarine in the North Channel between Cairnryan and Northern Ireland on 6 November 2018; notes that the report, which was published on 16 July 2020, found that, on 6 November 2018, the lookout officer on board the ferry spotted a submarine’s periscope close ahead and alerted the Officer of the Watch, who took immediate and effective action, turning the ferry to avoid a genuine risk of collision with the submerged submarine; notes that the report concluded that this incident occurred because the submarine’s control room team had underestimated the ferry’s speed and overestimated its range, resulting in safety-critical decisions being made based on inaccurate information; understands that, despite a significant and life-threatening collision not taking place on this particular occasion, this is the third occasion over a four-year period in which a Royal Navy dived-submarine and surface vessel have either come into contact or have been at immediate risk of doing so; agrees with the MAIB that these incidents are a significant cause for concern and joins it in calling for an independent review of the actions that have been taken by the Royal Navy both pre- and post- the November 2018 incident, to ensure that such occurrences are avoided in future, and agrees with the position of the Scottish Government that weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, have no place in Scotland and that these weapons pose a significant and unnecessary risk to the safety of the people of Scotland and the wider international community.
Supported by: Kenneth Gibson, John Mason, Stewart Stevenson, David Torrance, Sandra White, Richard Lyle, Gillian Martin, Bill Kidd, Maureen Watt, Fulton MacGregor, Ruth Maguire
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