Today in Parliament
Today will be the final First Minister’s Questions before recess. Chamber business begins at 11.40am and includes First Minister’s Questions.
General Questions will include:
Katy Clark (S6O-05042)
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the decision by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport to progress with proposals for bus franchising.
Ariane Burgess (S6O-05043)
To ask the Scottish Government what scoping work it has undertaken regarding dualling and electrifying the Highland Main Line.
Mark Griffin (S6O-05044)
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Housing Statistics for Scotland Quarterly Update: New Housebuilding and Affordable Housing Supply to end June 2025.
Liz Smith (S6O-05045)
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of it being Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Week, what financial progress has been made against its 2021-22 Programme for Government commitment to double its investment in sport to £100 million by the end of the current parliamentary session.
Alex Rowley (S6O-05046)
To ask the Scottish Government what rights patients have when their local medical centre has been deemed unfit for purpose by their NHS board.
Jackson Carlaw (S6O-05047)
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with Glasgow City Council regarding its proposals for an “at-city-boundary congestion charge” and a toll on the Clyde Tunnel.
Mark Ruskell (S6O-05048)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the proposed ferry route between Rosyth and Dunkirk.
Willie Coffey (S6O-05049)
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the energy price cap increase on fuel poverty in Scotland.
First Minister’s Questions will include:
Clare Adamson (S6F-04378)
To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of any implications for its work to mitigate the two-child benefit cap of the UK Government’s reported proposals to replace the cap with a tapered system.
Brian Whittle (S6F-04374)
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that the mental health budget has been reduced in the 2025-26 Autumn Budget Revision.
Michael Matheson (S6F-04377)
To ask the First Minister, following Scotland’s Global Investment Summit 2025, whether he will provide an update on the Scottish Government’s work to attract international investment into Scotland’s economy.
The Scottish Parliament
Transport Convener bails out of meeting in North Edinburgh
The Drylaw Telford community council had invited Transport Convener, Stephen Jenkinson to speak to them on Tuesday about the North-South Tram extension, but he advised them on Monday he would not be there. The councillor said he was unaware until Monday that the meeting was being thrown open to the public which raised concerns, but he promised to arrange another date to speak with the elected community councillors.
Cllr Jenkinson said: “I agreed to meet with the community council, not to attend a public meeting.
“There are risks associated with a public meeting that need to be fully addressed well in advance. I was only given notice it was a public meeting on Monday for a meeting that was happening on Tuesday.
“If there were to be a public meeting where officers and councillors were going to be present I would want to be assured that the safety of both the people attending but also the officials and councillors had been fully considered.
“As part of the tram consultation process, it was agreed that drop in sessions would be organised across the city to allow residents to engage with the process, find out about the proposals and ask any questions of officers. That’s the standard engagement process for this consultation. I’m now trying to organise an additional drop in session for the Drylaw area and I’m fairly confident that’s going to happen in the next week or two.”
Meantime the North South tram extension consultation remains open until 17 November. Have your say here.
Filmhouse
Half term is on the approach and you may be looking for things to entertain the younger people in your life.
Filmhouse has two films for younger audiences which bookend the half term week which Edinburgh Schools will enjoy. On Sunday 12 October they are playing Fantastic Mr Fox and on 19 October the film is Frankenweenie. Both are part of the Wee Filmhouse series offered by Filmhouse each week. The screenings are aimed at the younger audience and their families with all tickets priced at £6.
The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh
The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh has announced the appointment of Lyndsey Jackson as its new Executive Director.
Lyndsey Jackson is the current Deputy Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, the charity behind the world’s greatest platform for creative talent. For over twelve years Jackson has played a vital part in delivering the Fringe Society’s vision to give anyone a stage, and everyone a seat. She has worked successfully to secure the long-term sustainability of the Fringe and its ecology through her motivational leadership, crisis management, strategic planning, fundraising, digital innovation and commercialisation.
Jackson recently led the Fringe Society’s effort to secure £7M of capital funding from the UK Government to develop its new home as well as the Keep it Fringe Fund that supports artists to bring their work to the Fringe. Prior to her time in Edinburgh Lyndsey worked in event and theatre production, youth engagement and co-creation, and the development of resident and community outreach programmes in her time at Kabosh (Belfast) and Shooting Fish/Blueprint Film (Lincoln).
Lyndsey has served on several boards, from the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham to a small theatre company in Northern Ireland. Lyndsey is currently the Chair of the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) Board of Finance.
November Concert
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
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