Seòmar agus comataidhean

That this Parliament notes the participation of the North East Scotland Climate Action Network (NESCAN) Hub in London Climate Week 2026, which runs from 20 to 28 June; believes that this will provide an excellent opportunity to highlight what it sees as the vital work that communities and organisations across Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, and across Scotland more broadly, are doing through the regional hub network in areas including climate action, biodiversity gain, deliberative democracy, co-creation and the circular economy; notes that the NESCAN network emerged from an organic grassroots movement and brought community visions from the north east to COP26 in Glasgow; believes that, since then, NESCAN has become the pathfinder regional climate action hub, illustrating how communities, when supported and connected, can lead the way in responding to the climate emergency despite what it considers are profound global pressures and geopolitical instability; understands that NESCAN's role is to enable and amplify progress by ensuring that people have access to the support, tools, training, connections, funding and confidence to act; applauds the work of NESCAN, and wishes the network every success with its future activities.

That the Parliament expresses its thanks to its Presiding Officer, Alison Johnstone, for her dedicated service to the Parliament; thanks her Deputy Presiding Officers, and pays tribute to all of those Members who are standing down at the end of this session.

That the Parliament commends the publication of the Children's Parliament's Child Human Rights Defenders' Investigate Vaping report; notes that the report supports ASH Scotland's World No Tobacco Day campaign; understands that the group gathered evidence from 100 children, aged nine to 12, in Dundee, Alloa and Glenrothes; understands that participants expressed concern that children may be more likely to try vaping due to the use of bright and colourful packaging, attractive flavours as well as advertising and promotions; recognises that participants also felt that there is a lack of understanding about the dangers of vapes; welcomes the group's suggestions for plainer packaging and flavours as well as its call for vapes to be hidden from immediate view in shops and measures to prevent them from being sold near schools and where children play, and recognises the report's calls for better education so that children learn about the risks of vaping from a young age.

That the Parliament expresses its deep concern at what it sees as the growing crisis facing Scotland's higher education sector, including the reported threat of significant job losses at the University of Dundee, the University of Aberdeen and other institutions across Scotland; notes reports that hundreds of jobs have already been lost at Dundee, and that up to 111 academic posts are threatened at Aberdeen as part of ongoing restructuring and cost-reduction programmes; recognises the anxiety, uncertainty and distress that these proposals are causing for staff, students and communities; further recognises the evidence of declining staff morale across the sector, with, it understands, many workers reporting exhaustion, insecurity and a loss of confidence in institutional leadership and governance; believes that those who teach, research, support students, maintain campuses and sustain university life should not be made to pay the price for failures of governance, financial mismanagement or short-term decision making; notes reported concerns regarding increasing casualisation, workload pressures, threats to pensions and job insecurity across the sector; further notes the calls on university leadership teams, governing bodies and the Scottish and UK governments to work collaboratively with staff and students with Fair Work principles as their foundation, to develop long-term solutions that protect jobs, safeguard teaching and research, strengthen transparency and accountability, and secure a sustainable future for what it considers is Scotland's vital higher education sector.

That the Parliament congratulates the BBC programme, Landward, on reaching its 50th anniversary; recognises the programme's outstanding contribution to broadcasting in Scotland since its launch in 1976, showcasing the country's rural communities, agriculture, environment, wildlife, countryside issues and outdoor life; notes that Landward has been produced from the BBC's Aberdeen studios throughout its five decades on air, reflecting the city's important role in Scotland's broadcasting sector; acknowledges the dedication and professionalism of the programme's presenters, producers, journalists and technical staff, past and present, who have helped make Landward one of Scotland's longest-running and most respected television programmes; welcomes the civic reception held at Aberdeen Town House to mark this significant milestone, attended by representatives from the BBC, local and national politicians, rural organisations and others, and wishes everyone associated with Landward ongoing success as it continues to inform, entertain and celebrate Scotland's rural life and communities.

That the Parliament celebrates the first anniversary of the Dundee branch of Living Rent and notes that members mark this milestone at their Annual General Meeting on 2 June 2026; understands that Living Rent is a tenants' and community union that seeks to equip members with the skills, knowledge and collective power to challenge unfair treatment and poor housing conditions; recognises the efforts of Living Rent organisers and members in campaigning for stronger tenant protections and improvements to the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025; acknowledges what it sees as the achievements of Living Rent branches across Scotland, including securing investment in local authority housing, challenging eviction notices, obtaining rent rebates and housing repairs, and supporting tenants to exercise their rights; recognises the branch's engagement with the wider community through events such as Mouldfest and its collaboration with other organisations working to influence housing policy; commends all those involved in establishing and developing the Dundee branch during its first year, and wishes the branch and its members every success in their future work to support tenants and communities across Dundee.

As an amendment to motion S7M-00228 in the name of Angela Constance (Investing, Protecting and Renewing Scotland’s NHS), insert at end “; recognises that issues in hospitals cannot be solved without addressing the crisis in social care, reducing health inequalities and tackling poverty; believes that social care workers should be paid at least £15 an hour, and calls on the Scottish Government to address long term workforce planning to support current staff and patients.”

As an amendment to motion S7M-00128 in the name of Màiri McAllan (Expanding Childcare), insert at end "and further agrees that as a first step towards this expansion, the Scottish Government and COSLA must work together to ensure that cross-border placements are available across Scotland, that all children can access the current funded hours the week rather than term after the child's relevant birthday, and that the required flexibility in provision will only be achieved with proper workforce planning."

That the Parliament notes that farrowing crates are metal cages used on pig farms to confine a sow shortly before she gives birth and throughout the nursing period; understands that these crates are about two metres long and less than one metre wide, preventing the sow from turning around or moving naturally; regrets that over 200,000 mother pigs on UK farms are forced to spend nearly a quarter of their adult lives confined in farrowing crates; welcomes that polling carried out by Humane World for Animals UK earlier in 2026, showed that 84% of respondents from Scotland reject the use of farrowing crates for mother pigs; thanks Humane World for Animals UK for touring Scotland with Penny, the life-size robot pig in a replica farrowing crate, to raise awareness of the distress that the small metal cage causes; regrets what it sees as continued Scottish Government delays to consulting on an end to farrowing crates, and recognises the view that farrowing crates, as well as flexible or temporary crates, which sows are confined in for slightly less time, should be banned, and farms supported to transition to higher-welfare free farrowing pens to protect sows and piglets, including in the North East Scotland Region.  

That the Parliament notes the establishment of the Dundee campaign to revoke the charity status of KKL (Scotland); understands that the purpose of the campaign is to address local concerns relating to the charitable status of the Jewish National Fund (JNF)/Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (KKL) (Scotland) and to complement the ongoing national campaign led by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Committee; understands that concerns relate to the veracity of the JNF/KKL’s environmental activity, the reported reality of its relationship to the expulsion of Palestinians through forcible land acquisition, and the reported use of greenwash by it to justify ethnic cleansing; notes that engagement with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, based in Dundee, will be the focus of the campaign; understands that a similar campaign in Canada to revoke its tax-exempt status has been successful, and wishes the campaign to revoke the charity status of KKL (Scotland) success in its activities.