From the day this is posted, the 4th of January 2019, /r/MHolyrood will now be operating from /r/MHOCHolyrood.

The First Minister /u/Weebru_m is taking questions from the Parliament.

As the leader of the largest opposition party, /u/El_Chapotato may ask up to 6 initial questions with unlimited follow-up questions.

MSPs may ask 4 initial questions with unlimited follow-up questions. Non-MSPs may ask 2 initial questions and unlimited follow-up questions.

All questions should be styled "To ask the First Minister..." and there should be a separate comment for each question.

This session of FMQs will close at the end of the day on the 5th of January.

The results of the vote on SB066 at Stage 1 are in.

SB066 - Land Value Tax (Scotland) Bill

For: 19
Against: 0
Abstain: 0
Turnout: 100%

This Bill has passed at Stage 1 and will be referred to the General Committee for consideration.

The results of the vote on SM051 are in.

SM051 - Freedom of Speech

For: 8
Against: 11
Abstain: 0
Turnout: 100%

This motion is not agreed.

The results of the votes on SB065 at Stage 1 and on SB063 and SB064 at Stage 2 are in.

SB065 - Schools (Arts Education) (Scotland) Bill

For: 11
Against: 6
Abstain: 2
Turnout: 100%

This Bill has passed at Stage 1 and will be referred to the General Committee for consideration.

SB063 - Police Governance (Scotland) Bill

Read:
For: 1
Against: 2
Abstain: 0
Turnout: 100%

This Bill passes to Stage 3 without Committee consideration.

SB064 - Teaching Salaries (Scotland) Bill

Read:
For: 1
Against: 2
Abstain: 0
Turnout: 100%

This Bill passes to Stage 3 without Committee consideration.

The Cabinet Secretary for the Interior and Rehabilitation /u/Wiredcookie1 is taking questions from the Parliament.

As the Interior and Rehabilitation spokesperson for the largest opposition party, /u/hurricaneoflies may ask up to 6 initial questions and unlimited follow-up questions.

MSPs may ask 4 initial questions and unlimited follow-up questions. Non-MSPs may ask 2 initial questions and one follow-up question for each (4 total).

This session of Interior and Rehabilitation Questions will close at the end of the day on the 22nd of December.

The text of this Bill is given below. You can also read it in formatted form (by me).

Land Value Tax (Scotland) Bill

An Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provision about the taxation of land; to abolish council tax and non-domestic rates; and for connected purposes.

Part 1 (Abolition of previous taxes)

1. Abolition of council tax and non-domestic rates

No person is liable to pay, in respect of any day after the day this section comes into force:

• (a) any council tax provided for by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, or
• (b) any non-domestic rate provided for by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1975.

2. Report on the operation of this Part

The Scottish Ministers must, when section 1 comes into force, lay before the Scottish Parliament a report detailing the consequences the operation of that section is likely to have on the finances of local authorities and the Scottish Administration.

3. Repeals and saving

(1) On the day after the day this section comes into force, the following enactments are repealed:

• (a) Parts 1 to 3 of the Valuation and Rating (Scotland) Act 1956;
• (b) Part 2 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1966;
• (c) sections 1 to 11 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1975;
• (d) Part 2 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992;
• (e) sections 26 to 30 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994;
• (f) sections 5 to 8 of the Local Government and Rating Act 1997;
• (g) Part 5 of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003;
• (h) in section 7 of the Local Government (Boundaries and Special Powers) (Scotland) Act 2017, subsections (2) and (3);
• (i) the Non-Domestic Rates (Independent Schools) (Scotland) Act 2018.

(2) Nothing in this section affects:

• (a) the operation of an enactment repealed by subsection (1) in respect of the day this section comes into force or a day before that day,
• (b) any amendment, repeal, or modification made by an enactment repealed by this section.

Part 2 (Land value tax)

Introductory

4. Land value tax

(1) A tax (known as land value tax) is to be charged on land.

(2) A local authority is responsible for the collection and management of the tax in its area.

Core provisions

5. Lands subject to tax

(1) Land value tax is to be levied on all lands in the area of a local authority, but not on land which falls within any description in schedule 1 ("exempt land").

(2) It is the duty of the local authority to identify all exempt land within its area.

6. Rate of land value tax

(1) A local authority must, for the financial year 2019-20 and each subsequent financial year, set the proportion (known as the poundage for that local authority's area) of the value of land to be payable as land value tax.

(2) A poundage must be expressed as a number of pence per pound of the value of land.

(3) A poundage may be prescribed in respect of more than one financial year.

(4) A poundage must equal or exceed 1.5 pence and must not exceed 4.5 pence.

(5) A local authority must set the poundage for its area before 11 March in the financial year preceding the year for which the poundage is set (but it is not invalid merely because it is set on or after that date).

7. Liability for land value tax

The person who is liable for amounts of land value tax payable in respect of land for a day is the person who was the owner of the land on that day.

8. Amounts of tax payable

(1) Liability for land value tax is to be calculated on a daily basis.

(2) In so calculating liability, it is to be assumed that the state of affairs that exists at the end of a day had existed throughout the day.

(3) The amount of land value tax payable in respect of land for a day is to be calculated in accordance with the following formula:

  P       LV  
----- × ------  
 100       D

where:

• P is the poundage in pence set for the financial year by the local authority for the area in which the land is situate or, if a different poundage is payable in relation to the land by virtue of section 9, 10, or 11, that poundage;
• LV is the value of the land on that day;
• D is the number of days in the financial year.

(4) The amount of land value tax for which a person is liable is payable in monthly instalments, each of which is to be made on the last day in each month.

(5) But nothing in subsection (4) prevents a local authority from entering into an agreement with a person for that person to make payments in another manner.

Other rates of land value tax

9. Relief from land value tax

(1) The table in schedule 2 sets out:

• (a) in column 1, descriptions of land which is eligible for relief from land value tax;
• (b) in column 2, the percentage relief for which such land is eligible.

(2) A person who is liable to pay land value tax may apply to the local authority for relief in relation to such of the person's lands as are specified in the application.

(3) An application must:

• (a) identify the description or descriptions under which the applicant considers each area of land falls, and
• (b) be made in such manner as the local authority may reasonably require.

(4) If the local authority is satisfied that an area of land falls under one or more of those descriptions, the authority must grant relief and notify the applicant of the relief it has granted.

(5) Where relief is granted in relation to land, the poundage payable is reduced by:

• (a) if the local authority is satisfied the land falls under only one description, the percentage relief corresponding to that description;
• (b) if the local authority is satisfied that the land falls under two or more descriptions, the greatest of the percentage reliefs corresponding to those descriptions.

10. Power of local authority to provide land value tax relief

(1) A person who is liable to pay land value tax may apply to the local authority for relief and the local authority may, if it thinks fit, reduce or fix at nil the poundage payable in relation to such of the person's lands as are specified in the application.

(2) Before exercising its power under this section, the local authority must have regard to:

• (a) any hardship to which paying land value tax may subject the person,
• (b) the authority's expenditure and income,
• (c) the interests of persons liable to pay land value tax to the authority, and
• (d) the relief it has previously provided under this section.

11. Power of the Scottish Ministers to prescribe other rates of tax

(1) The Scottish Ministers may by regulations provide for the poundage payable in respect of any land to be determined in accordance with rules prescribed in such regulations.

(2) Regulations made under this section may be made in respect of any financial year.

(3) Rules prescribed under this section may:

• (a) be framed by reference to such factors as the Scottish Ministers consider appropriate and those factors may, in particular, include the circumstances of persons who are liable to pay land value tax,
• (b) make different provision in relation to different areas and different classes of land,
• (c) make different provision in relation to land based on the value of that land.

(4) Regulations under this section may not provide for any poundage to be less than nil.

(5) Regulations under this section are subject to the negative procedure.

Valuation

12. Valuation lists

(1) The assessor for each local authority area must compile and maintain a list (known as the valuation list) for that area in accordance with this section.

(2) A valuation list must show, for each day it is in force:

• (a) each area of land situated within the local authority area,
• (b) the value of that land, and
• (c) such other information as may be required under an enactment.

(3) An omission from a list of anything that is required to be in the list does not render the list invalid so far as anything else contained in the list is concerned.

(4) No rule as to Crown exemption prevents a list from showing any land or other information.

(5) In this Act, unless the context requires otherwise:

• (a) a reference to land is a reference to an area of land shown in the valuation list for a local authority area that is, for the time being, in force (and "lands" is to be read accordingly);
• (b) a reference to the value of land is to the value shown for that land in the valuation list for a local authority area that is, for the time being, in force.

13. Compilation and updating of valuation lists

(1) A valuation list must be compiled for each local authority area on the day this section comes into force and that list comes into force on that day.

(2) A subsequent valuation list must be compiled for each local authority area on 1 April each year, and that list is to come into force on that day and supersede any prior list.

(3) If a local authority considers it necessary or desirable in connection with the operation of section 9 or 11, it may direct the assessor for its area to reconsider how the assessor has divided its area (or a part of its area) and the assessor may:

• (a) revise the valuation list so as to:
  • (i) merge one or more lands into a single area of land or revise the boundaries or extents of lands; and
  • (ii) reflect the value of the lands as merged or revised, or
• (b) notify the authority that the assessor does not intend to revise the list.

(4) The assessor for a local authority area must send a copy of each list compiled (or, as the case may be, revised) under this section to:

• (a) the local authority for the area, and
• (b) the Keeper of the Records of Scotland, for the Keeper to preserve.

14. Inspection, etc. of valuation lists

(1) A local authority must not make a valuation list available for public inspection.

(2) A local authority must, during reasonable hours at the request of a person who is liable to pay land value tax to the authority, send or make available to the person a copy of each entry in the valuation list relating to lands in relation to which the person is liable.

(3) Where an entry in a valuation list is modified, the local authority must send notice to the person liable to pay land value tax in relation to the land shown in the entry.

(4) The notice must state:

• (a) the nature of the modification, and
• (b) the implications of the modification on the person's liability for land value tax.

15. Valuation of areas of land

(1) The value of an area of land shown in a valuation list is to be determined in accordance with this section.

(2) For the purposes of valuing land, the assessor must divide their area based on:

• (a) the ownership of areas of land,
• (b) the use or application of those areas, and
• (c) such other factors as the Scottish Ministers may by regulations specify.

(3) Each division is to be an area of land shown in a valuation list.

(4) In dividing their area on the basis of use or application, the assessor must have regard to the desirability of determining whether a different poundage is payable in relation to the land by virtue of section 9 or 11.

(5) The value of the land is the price the land might reasonably be expected to achieve in a sale on the open market.

(6) In determining that value, the value of any fixtures on the land is to be disregarded.

(7) Regulations under this section are subject to the negative procedure.

(8) In this section:

• "assessor" means the assessor for a local authority area (and a reference to the assessor's area is a reference to that local authority area);
• "fixture", in relation to land, means any heritable property (other than the land itself) and includes any such heritable property which is included in the definition of "lands and heritages" in section 42 of the Lands Valuation (Scotland) Act 1854.

16. Appointment of assessors

(1) A local authority must appoint for its area:

• (a) an assessor, and
• (b) so many depute assessors as the authority considers necessary for the purposes of the Valuation Acts.

(2) The Scottish Ministers must by regulations prescribe the qualifications necessary for a person to be appointed an assessor or depute assessor.

(3) A local authority must not appoint a person as an assessor or depute assessor unless the authority is satisfied that the person holds the qualifications prescribed.

(4) A depute assessor for an area has and may exercise all functions of an assessor for that area.

(5) Despite the repeal of section 27(3) of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, an order made under that section continues to have effect on and after the day this section comes into force as if the order were made under subsection (2) (and accordingly the power under subsection (2) includes the power to revoke or modify such orders).

(6) An assessor or depute assessor holds office at the pleasure of the authority, but must not be removed (or required to resign) without the consent of the Scottish Ministers.

(7) Regulations under this section are subject to the negative procedure.

(8) In this Act, a reference to the assessor for a local authority area is a reference to the assessor appointed by the local authority for that area under this section.

(9) In this section, "Valuation Acts" has the meaning given in section 183(1) of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.

Appeals

17. Appeals against land value tax decisions

(1) A person who is aggrieved by a relevant land value tax decision may appeal against the decision to the Lands Tribunal for Scotland.

(2) A relevant land value tax decision is:

• (a) a decision of a local authority not to grant relief under section 9 or 11;
• (b) a decision of an assessor to revise, or not to revise, a valuation list under section 13;
• (c) a division of land into areas under section 15;
• (d) a valuation made by an assessor under section 15.

Part 3 (General)

18. Commencement

(1) This Part comes into force on the day after Royal Assent.

(2) The Scottish Ministers may by regulations bring into force the remaining provisions.

(3) Different provisions may be brought into force at different times.

19. Short title

The short title of this Act is the Land Value Tax (Scotland) Act 2018.

Schedule 1 (Exempt land)

Crown land

1. Land owned or held in trust by:

• (a) the Scottish Ministers,
• (b) the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body,
• (c) a Minister of the Crown,
• (d) the Corporate Officer of the House of Lords,
• (e) the Corporate Officer of the House of Commons,
• (f) a Northern Ireland department,
• (g) the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission,
• (h) the Welsh Ministers, the First Minister for Wales, or the Counsel General to the Welsh Assembly Government,
• (i) the National Assembly for Wales Commission,
• (j) the National Assembly for Wales.

Public service land

2. Land owned by a local authority.

3. Land owned by:

• (a) a Health Board or Special Health Board constituted under section 2 of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 ("the 1978 Act"),
• (b) the Common Services Agency constituted under section 10 of the 1978 Act,
• (c) Healthcare Improvement Scotland,
• (d) the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland.

4. Land owned by an integration joint board established pursuant to an integration scheme prepared under Part 1 of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014.

5. Land owned by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

6. Land owned by the Scottish Police Authority.

Schedule 2 (Reliefs from land value tax)

	Descriptions of land eligible for relief	Percentage relief
1.	Land owned by or on behalf of a Member of Parliament or a Member of the Scottish Parliament and used solely in connection with their Parliamentary duties.	100%
2.	Land used primarily for arable farming.	100%
3.	Land owned or used by a body entered into the Scottish Charity Register.	50%

This Bill was submitted by /u/Duncs11 (Angus, Perth, and Stirling) on behalf of the Classical Liberals.

This Bill will go to a vote on the 20th of December.

I call on the member to give an opening statement.

The next item of business is a statement from the First Minister on the Programme for Government for the 6th Scottish Government.

The Programme can be found here.

The First Minister delivered the following statement.

Presiding Officer,

The Scottish people have spoken again, and again they chose the Scottish Greens.

It is clear the citizens of Scotland believe in the agenda we have presented ever since the first time we stepped into Bute House with the Labour party and the Liberal Democrats. Again, we are proud and delighted to be working with Scottish Labour to unite under the progressive banner for Scotland we have done so before. Last term was about continuing the good work my predecessors have done, this term is about being bold and protecting Scotland’s voice.

This election gave me a renewed mandate as First Minister of Scotland, and I am honoured to exercise that mandate to deliver a Programme for Government - for the people. Much like what I said in the last Programme’s foreword, the overshadowing issue effecting Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom is Brexit. Between now and the last Programme, we have seen the true side of Brexit: devolved administrations being ignored, a lack of any progress in the negotiations and the very real and very possible threat of no-deal – something that would be destructive to Scotland’s economy, jobs and prosperity. Despite this ever-growing cloud over our country, we will continue on implementing our progressive agenda.

This term will be about compromise. Compromise with all members across the chamber to meet in the middle to ensure legislation passes. Last term we saw an attempt at this when I reached out to every party leader in Scotland to seek compromise on the budget. We fully reserved £400 million for the Perth-Edinburgh Railway line, we explicitly supported moving to a Land Value Tax council system, and we cut taxes for the top tax band. This term we’ve already seen a statement from all the leaders of the Scottish parties condemning the Earl of Ashington’s rhetoric on Twitter, and we wrote a motion that has been co-submitted by the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party leader. This Government is working in the interests of all Scots, nationalist or unionist, left or right, liberal, conservative, socialist.

/u/Weebru_m
First Minister of Scotland

We now move to the open debate.

The text of this motion is as follows.

That the Parliament recognises that democracy cannot exist without the right to criticise; agrees that laws impeding freedom of speech should be repealed; suggests that the criminalisation of hate speech and statutory encouragement of responsible speech are impediments to freedom of speech; notes, however, that a difference between free speech and speech inciting violence exists; resolves not to enact in future any further laws which impede free speech; condemns speech inciting violence, and urges the Scottish Government to take action against such speech through means which do not threaten or impede free speech.

This motion was submitted by /u/paul_rand (Strathclyde and the Borders) on behalf of the Scottish Libertarians.

I call on the member to give an opening statement.

This motion will go to a vote on the 18th of December.

The text of this Bill is given below. You can also read it in formatted form (by me).

Schools (Arts Education) (Scotland) Bill

An Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provision in connection with the teaching of the arts in schools.

1. Guidance to education authorities on arts education

(1) The Scottish Ministers may issue guidance to education authorities in relation to the arts education provided by those authorities in the schools managed by them.

(2) Arts education includes education as to:

• (a) creative writing,
• (b) dance,
• (c) drama and theatre,
• (d) drawing and painting,
• (e) music, including the playing of musical instruments.

(3) Such guidance may be issued in relation to, in particular:

• (a) what arts education is to be taken to include,
• (b) the manner in which arts education is to be provided,
• (c) the number of hours of arts education which are to be provided in a school year to each pupil who is provided with school education by the authority.

(4) An education authority must have regard to such guidance.

2. Arts premiums

(1) The Scottish Ministers may by regulations make a scheme (an "arts premium scheme") in accordance with this section.

(2) An arts premium scheme is a scheme under which the Scottish Ministers are to make a grant to each education authority for the purpose of maintaining the provision of arts education by that education authority.

(3) The amount of such a grant must be determined by reference to the number of pupils who are provided with school education by the education authority.

(4) An arts premium scheme may include such provision as the Scottish Ministers consider necessary or appropriate for the purposes of the scheme and may make different provision for different purposes.

(5) Regulations under this section are subject to the affirmative procedure.

3. Interpretation

Any expression used in this Act and in the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 has the same meaning in this Act as in that Act.

4. Commencement

This Act comes into force on the day after Royal Assent.

5. Short title

The short title of this Act is the Schools (Arts Education) (Scotland) Act 2018.

This Bill was submitted by /u/WillShakespeare99 (Ayrshire) on behalf of the Scottish Labour Party.

No opening statement was received for this Bill.

We move immediately to the open debate.

This Bill will go to a vote on the 17th of December.

The First Minister /u/Weebru_m is taking questions from the Parliament.

As the leader of the largest opposition party, /u/El_Chapotato may ask up to 6 initial questions with unlimited follow-up questions.

MSPs may ask 4 initial questions with unlimited follow-up questions. Non-MSPs may ask 2 initial questions and unlimited follow-up questions.

All questions should be styled "To ask the First Minister..." and there should be a separate comment for each question.

This session of FMQs will close at the end of the day on the 15th of December.

Members of the Parliament have voted, the vote has closed, and it is now time to announce the election of the First Minister of Scotland for this Fourth Parliament. The results are as follows.

Round 1

There were 19 votes submitted as follows:

• Weebru_m: 12
• Duncs11: 7
• RON: 0

As /u/Weebru_m has an absolute majority, he is elected First Minister.

No further rounds of counting are required.

It is now for /u/Weebru_m to form the 6th Scottish Government. There is no hard deadline before which a new Cabinet must be announced, but the First Minister should aim to have his appointments and Programme for Government ready for the 12th of December.

The Parliament will reconvene for the first session of First Minister's Questions on the 13th of December, with Chamber Business resuming on the 14th.

Committee business will resume on the 21st of December.

The Parliament will enter its Christmas recess on the 24th of December until the 2nd of January.

Party leaders will be contacted when it is time for them to submit their committee appointments.

The nomination period ended on the 2nd of December, with the following candidates putting their names forward:

• /u/Duncs11 (for the Classical Liberals)
• /u/Weebru_m (for the Scottish Greens)

We now come to the First Minister Election debate. This is an opportunity for MSPs and members of the public to question the candidates before MSPs vote for the new First Minister. This debate will run until the end of the day on the 4th of December.

The vote will run from the 5th until the 6th of December.

Oaths

Each candidate for First Minister must take the official oath prescribed by the Promissory Oaths Act 1868, which is as follows:

I, [name], do swear that I will well and truly serve Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in the office of First Minister. So help me God.

Alternatively, a candidate may make a solemn affirmation as follows:

I, [name], do solemnly, sincerely, and truly declare and affirm that I will well and truly serve Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in the office of First Minister.

Election process

The election of the First Minister is done by the Instant Runoff Vote method (IRV, also known as AV or single-seat STV). The winner is the candidate with the most votes after redistribution.

Members may vote to "Reopen Nominations" (RON). If a full set of preferences are not provided, the first subsequent preference will be taken as RON. If RON has the most votes after redistribution, the First Minister election will be re-run.

If the Parliament is unable to elect a First Minister on multiple occasions, the Parliament will be dissolved and an extraordinary general election held.

Formation of Government

Once the First Minister is elected, they must appoint Cabinet Secretaries and junior Ministers. The departments headed by Cabinet Secretaries currently stand as follows:

• The Interior
• Education and Skills
• Finance and the Economy
• Health and Social Security
• Environment, Climate Change, and Land Reform
• Communities, Rural Scotland, and Infrastructure
• Culture, Equalities, and the Gàidhealtachd
• Foreign Affairs, Tourism, and the Constitution

There is no hard deadline for appointments, but the Parliament will return from recess on the 13th of December for First Minister's Questions, and so it is recommended that a government be appointed before then. The new First Minister need not keep the departments the same.

Committees

Members of the Scottish Government are not entitled to sit on the General Committee. Once a First Minister is elected and a government appointed, party leaders will be instructed to send in their appointments.

All MSPs have now sworn in, and we can proceed to the next item of business.

Nominations for First Minister are now open, and will be open until 10pm (GMT) tonight, the 2nd of December.

Candidates wishing to stand in the First Minister election for this Fourth Parliament should modmail their nomination to /r/MHolyrood before nominations close.

Tomorrow until the end of the day on the 4th of December, a debate on the candidates for First Minister will be held.

On the 5th of December until the end of the day on the 6th, the election of a candidate to the office of First Minister will take place.

Good luck everyone.

All MSPs must take the oath or affirmation before they participate in the proceedings of the Parliament.

The oath is:

I, [member name], do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Her Heirs and Successors, according to Law. So help me God.

The affirmation is:

I, [member name], do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Her Heirs and Successors, according to Law.

MSPs may preface the oath or affirmation with a statement, and may recite the oath or affirmation in a different language after reciting it in English.

So let’s get this election started with the Leaders’ Debate.

/u/Weebru_m for the Scottish Green Party

/u/El_Chapotato for Scottish Labour

/u/ExplosiveHorse for the Scottish Lib Dems

/u/Duncs11 for the Classical Liberal Delegation to the Scottish Parliament

/u/giraffist for the Scottish Conservatives

/u/paul_rand for the Scottish Libertarians

You can ask any and all of them as many questions as you like before the debate closes on Wednesday at 10pm, within reason.

One further reminder, should a question be directed at any particular leader/leaders it is courtesy to allow them to answer the question initially.

Have fun!

Today, the Criminal Justice (Minimum Sentences) (Scotland) Act 2018 (asp 25) received Royal Assent.

The results of the votes on SB064 at Stage 1 and on SM050 are in.

SB064 - Teaching Salaries (Scotland) Bill

For: 15
Against: 1
Abstain: 0
Turnout: 84%

This Bill has passed at Stage 1 and will be referred to the General Committee for consideration.

SM050 - The Welfare (Scotland) Order 2018 (draft)

For: 12
Against: 4
Abstain: 0
Turnout: 84%

This motion is agreed.

If the Order approved by the motion is also approved in the Houses of Parliament, the Secretary of State will be free to make the Order.

The results of the vote on SM049 are in.

SM049 - Rural Access to Healthcare

For: 17
Against: 0
Abstain: 0
Turnout: 89%

This motion is agreed.

The results of the votes on SB063 at Stage 1 and SB052 at Stage 3 are in.

SB063 - Police Governance (Scotland) Bill

For: 16
Against: 0
Abstain: 0
Turnout: 84%

This Bill has passed at Stage 1 and will be referred to the General Committee for consideration.

SB052 - Referendums (Scotland) Bill

For: 3
Against: 14
Abstain: 0
Turnout: 89%

This Bill has fallen at Stage 3.

The First Minister /u/Weebru_m is taking questions from the Parliament.

As the leader of the largest opposition party, /u/Duncs11 may ask up to 6 initial questions with unlimited follow-up questions.

MSPs may ask 4 initial questions with unlimited follow-up questions. Non-MSPs may ask 2 initial questions and unlimited follow-up questions.

All questions should be styled "To ask the First Minister..." and there should be a separate comment for each question.

This session of FMQs will close at the end of the day on the 10th of November.

Note: This is the last FMQs before the election. Make sure to ask some final hard-hitting questions!

The results of the vote on SB058 at Stage 3 are in.

SB058 - Criminal Justice (Minimum Sentences) (Scotland) Bill

For: 17
Against: 1
Abstain: 0
Turnout: 95%

This Bill has passed at Stage 3 and will be sent for Royal Assent.

The results of the votes on amendments to SB052 at Stage 3 are in.

SB052 - Referendums (Scotland) Bill — A01 and A02

A01
For: 5
Against: 12
Abstain: 0
Turnout: 89%

This amendment has fallen.

A02:
For: 5
Against: 12
Abstain: 0
Turnout: 89%

This amendment has fallen.

This Bill now progresses to its final Stage 3 vote.

The text of this motion is as follows.

That the Parliament approves the Welfare (Scotland) Order 2018 (draft).

This motion was submitted by the First Minister /u/Weebru_m on behalf of the Scottish Government.

This motion will go to a vote on the 7th of November.

I call on the First Minister to give an opening statement.

The text of this Bill is given below. You can also find it in formatted form (by me).

Teaching Salaries (Scotland) Bill

An Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provision for regular increases in the salaries of teachers employed by education authorities; and for connected purposes.

Obligation to provide funding

1. The public-sector teacher funding obligation

(1) There is to be a public-sector teacher funding obligation.

(2) The Scottish Ministers are subject to the obligation when they prepare a draft local government finance order for a financial year.

(3) The obligation is that the Scottish Ministers must, in preparing that order, secure that such resources are appropriately allocated as are sufficient to enable a local authority to increase by the relevant percentage the salary it pays to each teacher it employs.

(4) That increase is an increase which:

• (a) is relative to the salary paid to the employee in the financial year previous to the one in relation to which the draft order is prepared ("the previous year"), and
• (b) is applied to the salary paid to the employee in the financial year in relation to which the draft order is prepared ("the current year").

(5) The relevant percentage is the greater of:

• (a) the percentage increase between the retail price index for April in the previous year and March in the current year,
• (b) another percentage determined by the Scottish Ministers.

2. The obligation in 2019/20

As respects financial year 2019/20, section 1 has effect as if there were substituted for subsection (5):

(5) The relevant percentage is 10 percent.

General

3. Interpretation

In this Act:

• "local government finance order" has the meaning given in schedule 12 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992;
• "retail price index", in relation to a month, means the retail price index published by the Government Statistical Service for that month;
• "teacher" means a teacher appointed by a local authority under section 87 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980.

4. Commencement

This Act comes into force on the day after Royal Assent.

5. Short title

The short title of this Act is the Teaching Salaries (Scotland) Act 2018.

This Bill was submitted by /u/Duncs11 (Angus, Perth, and Stirling) on behalf of the Classical Liberals.

This Bill will go to a vote on the 7th of November.

I call on the member to give an opening statement.

The Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Tourism, and the Constitution /u/Weebru_m is taking questions from the Parliament.

As the Foreign Affairs, Tourism, and Constitution spokesperson for the largest opposition party, /u/Duncs11 may ask up to 6 initial questions and unlimited follow-up questions.

MSPs may ask 4 initial questions and unlimited follow-up questions. Non-MSPs may ask 2 initial questions and one follow-up question for each (4 total).

This session of Foreign Affairs, Tourism, and Constitution Questions will close at the end of the day on the 6th of November.

The results of the vote on SB062 at Stage 1 are in.

SB062 - Community Right to Buy (Scotland) Bill

For: 11
Against: 5
Abstain: 0
Turnout: 84%

This Bill has passed at Stage 1 and will be referred to the General Committee for consideration.

The text of this motion is as follows.

That the Parliament notes that people in rural areas often face additional issues in seeking healthcare; further notes that it is often harder for people in rural areas to attend routine healthcare appointments, such as with GPs; recognises that many rural people, particularly in the Highlands and Islands, are severely isolated from the nearest hospital, and calls on the Scottish Government to conduct a full review of access to rural healthcare and implement the proposals of that review.

This motion was submitted by /u/Duncs11 (Angus, Perth, and Stirling) on behalf of the Classical Liberals.

This motion will go to a vote on the 6th of November.

No opening statement was received for this motion.

We move immediately to the open debate.

The results of the vote on SM048 are in.

SM048 - Brexit and the Union

For: 1
Against: 13
Abstain: 3
Turnout: 89%

This motion falls.

The text of this Bill is given below. You can also read it in formatted form (by me).

Police Governance (Scotland) Bill

An Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provision about appointments to the Scottish Police Authority.

1. Certain members to be appointed to the Scottish Police Authority

(1) In the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, schedule 1 (the Scottish Police Authority) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph 2 (membership), after sub-paragraph (2) insert:

(2A) In particular, the Scottish Ministers must appoint as members at least:

• (a) one member who has (at any time), for a period of at least three years, served in the Police Service of Scotland as:
  • (i) assistant chief constable,
  • (ii) deputy chief constable, or
  • (iii) chief constable,
• (b) one member who has (at any time), for a period of at least two years, served as:
  • (i) a sheriff (other than a part-time sheriff),
  • (ii) Chairman of the Scottish Land Court, or
  • (iii) a judge of the Court of Session (including a temporary judge), and
• (c) one member who has been (at any time), for a period of at least 15 years, an advocate or a solicitor entitled to appear in the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary.

2. Saving

Nothing in this Act affects the validity of an appointment made before the day this section comes into force.

3. Commencement

This Act comes into force on the day after Royal Assent.

4. Short title

The short title of this Act is the Police Governance (Scotland) Act 2018.

This Bill was submitted by the Cabinet Secretary for the Interior /u/Wiredcookie1 on behalf of the Scottish Government.

This Bill will go to a vote on the 5th of November.

No opening statement was received for this Bill.

We move immediately to the open debate.