Seòmar agus comataidhean

That the Parliament notes that ME Awareness Week runs from 12 to 18 May 2025 and aims to raise awareness of the need for greater investment in care and support for people with ME, including through #MEAction Scotland’s Missing Millions rally outside the Scottish Parliament on 14 May; welcomes the reported announcement of £4.5 million in the Scottish Budget to fund specialist support for long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and similar conditions; understands that, despite over an estimated 58,000 people across Scotland, including in Glasgow, having ME, there are virtually no specialist ME services in Scotland, except in NHS Lothian; further understands that NHS Fife has been unable to replace the only specialist ME nurse in Scotland due to a lack of suitably skilled and experienced candidates; notes the view that it is important to expand services committed to following the 2021 ME/CFS NICE guidance, which includes key recommendations relating to diagnosis, management and specific care for those with severe ME, as well as children and young people with the condition; further notes the updated 2024 NHS board survey, which aimed to understand the barriers to, and opportunities from, implementing the updated NICE guidance and identify how NHS boards can best be supported to create ME/CFS specific care in the future; understands that the report indicated that awareness of the 2021 guidance among NHS boards had not been converted into implementation of the recommendations due to a lack of resource, capacity, pathways and training; notes the view that there is a need for appropriate training of healthcare professionals to ensure that they can offer appropriate, effective support to people with ME; further notes the view that the involvement of patients and third sector organisations across Scotland in the design and delivery of new services supported by this new funding is essential, and commends the volunteers and campaigners striving for better ME services for their continued efforts.

As an amendment to motion S6M-17539 in the name of Angus Robertson (Scotland in Today’s Europe), leave out from “agrees” to end and insert “welcomes the UK Government resetting the UK’s relationship with the EU following the chaotic and damaging approach of the previous UK Conservative administration; further welcomes the summit to be held on 19 May 2025; welcomes the commitment by the UK Government to create a strategic partnership between the UK and the EU to agree a path forward on trade, security and defence; believes that economic growth, raising living standards and defence and security must be the highest of priorities for the Scottish and UK governments; welcomes the UK Government’s specific commitment to negotiate a sanitary and phytosanitary veterinary agreement so that agricultural products, food and drink can be traded more cheaply between the EU and the UK, which could boost agri-food exports to the EU by up to 22.5%; further welcomes the commitment by the Prime Minister to improve security co-operation with the EU and to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027, which will benefit jobs and industries in Scotland; welcomes the UK Government’s newly negotiated trade deals with the United States and India, noting the importance of the latter for Scotland’s whisky industry; calls on the Scottish Government to support the UK Government’s efforts to rebuild the relationship with European friends and neighbours, and further calls on the Scottish Government to set out what actions it will take to improve economic growth and living standards in Scotland, including whether its public procurement processes will emulate those in other European countries in driving place-based industrial development, using the powers that it has and the record funding settlement that it has received from the UK Government of £47.7 billion this financial year.”

As an amendment to motion S6M-17539 in the name of Angus Robertson (Scotland in Today’s Europe), after “young people” insert “, such as an EU Youth Mobility Scheme, a comprehensive UK-EU defence and security pact, which would include access to the Security Action for Europe fund, a roadmap and timeline for the creation of a bespoke UK-EU customs union that would cut the red tape brought in by the botched former UK Conservative administration deal".

As an amendment to motion S6M-17539 in the name of Angus Robertson (Scotland in Today’s Europe), leave out from "agrees" to end and insert "recognises that foreign affairs, including the country's relationship with the EU, trade and immigration are reserved matters, and calls on the Scottish Government to dedicate more parliamentary time towards tackling the issues that matter to most people in Scotland, such as improving NHS waiting times, raising Scotland’s falling attainment standards, addressing school violence and bringing down bills for taxpayers."

As an amendment to motion S6M-17539 in the name of Angus Robertson (Scotland in Today’s Europe), insert at end "; considers that on a wide range of economic, security, environmental and human rights issues, the UK currently faces a critical strategic choice between alignment with European democracies and alignment with a far-right United States administration, which has shown hostility toward democratic countries that were previously considered allies; regrets that the UK Government seems unwilling to acknowledge the need to make this choice, and believes that commitment to a European future would be in the interests of both Scotland and the rest of the UK.”

That the Parliament congratulates 999 RE:SET, a volunteer-led initiative founded by serving firefighters in Edinburgh, on what it sees as its outstanding work over the past three years in supporting the mental health and physical wellbeing of all blue light responders across Scotland and the UK; acknowledges what it sees as the significant impact the group has made through outdoor wellbeing programmes, CPR awareness training, peer mental health support, and community engagement activities; commends its efforts in strengthening community ties through public education and youth volunteer initiatives, including working with young people from Edinburgh; understands that 999 RE:SET’s work has inspired collaboration with emergency service personnel across the UK, and praises the volunteers for their tireless dedication to preventing frontline worker suicide.

That the Parliament congratulates Falkirk Football Club on winning the 2024-25 Scottish Championship, securing promotion to the Scottish Premiership after a 15-year absence from the top flight of Scottish football; understands that this is a back-to-back promotion for The Falkirk Bairns following its unbeaten run in League One in the 2023-24 season, which has been dubbed its “invincible” season; notes that, at the 2024-25 PFA Scotland Awards on 3 May 2025, the Falkirk midfielder, Brad Spencer, was named Championship Player of the Year, while Bairns’ boss, John McGlynn, was named overall Manager of the Year; notes that Falkirk Football Club is a fan-owned club, showing the benefits of communities coming together to support local football clubs in achieving for, and on behalf of, the supporters, their families and communities; commends the chief executive, Jamie Swinney, manager, John McGlynn, assistant manager, Paul Smith, and the whole team in achieving this down-to-the-wire win to secure promotion back to the top tier of Scottish football; hopes that the team can get a well-earned rest before pre-season starts back later in the summer, and wishes Falkirk Football Club the very best for the coming season as a Scottish Premiership team.

That the Parliament congratulates a team of five engineering students from Heriot-Watt University on being selected to showcase their engineering talent on an international stage at the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge; understands that the Scotland PlusZero team marks the university’s first ever entry into the prestigious challenge, which is regarded as the most advanced university competition on water; notes that the annual competition brings together more than 1,000 students, engineers and industry leaders from 21 countries at the Yacht Club de Monaco Marina; further notes that the competition showcases sustainable innovations in maritime technology in support of the sector’s transition to a carbon-neutral future; notes that all competing teams must design and build boats powered by renewable energy sources, with Heriot-Watt University showcasing a vessel powered by green hydrogen generated through electrolysis; understands that this vessel uses an advanced energy storage and recharging system through which energy is stored and converted back into electricity for propulsion; acknowledges that the project is backed by a host of key industry partners, including Forth Ports, PlusZero, TCP eco, EPTechnologies, Scotcoin and Hydrogen Scotland; further acknowledges that the Heriot-Watt team is part of the university’s Global Research Institute for Net Zero and Beyond (iNetZ+), a global centre of excellence and institute for research, innovation and teaching in its field, and wishes the team the very best in its efforts to demonstrate the potential of hydrogen as a maritime fuel.

That the Parliament congratulates Blackhall Children's Sports Committee, which has been successful in its bid to secure funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK; celebrates the group for being awarded £6,713 from the National Lottery to help support children's sporting ambitions in Blackhall and the surrounding area; recognises that the National Lottery is supporting its sports day, and understands that there will be races, sports taster sessions, local community stalls, a tea tent, food stands, dancers and a pipe band playing.

As an amendment to motion S6M-17524 in the name of Miles Briggs (Review of Additional Support for Learning and Implementation of Mainstreaming), insert at end “; agrees that all children and young people should receive the help that they need to thrive, and thanks Scotland’s hard-working teachers, support staff and the wider education workforce for all that they do every day to support pupils.”