Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 22 January 2026
22 Jan 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Wellbeing and Sustainable Development (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Does the member accept that it would be possible to establish memorandums of understanding with existing commissioners so that there is no overlap? For example, I discussed with the Auditor General that overlap and a waste of public money can be avoided by having constructive conversations at the start, just as took place in the case of the Welsh commissioner.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-20414, in the name of Sarah Boyack, on the Wellbeing and Sustainable Development (Scotland) Bill at stage...
Sarah Boyack (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
This has been a long journey. I thank the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, the clerks and all the stakeholders who contributed to the consultati...
Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Will the member take an intervention?
Sarah Boyack
Lab
If it is brief. Will I get the time back?
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
You will get the time back.
Martin Whitfield
Lab
The proposals that are contained in Sarah Boyack’s bill are the final frame—I had been going to say “jigsaw piece”—that sits around so many important strateg...
Sarah Boyack
Lab
I thank the member for that acknowledgement. It is definitely a practical way to create jobs, lower bills and deliver on climate ambitions.What I was going t...
Collette Stevenson (East Kilbride) (SNP)
SNP
It is my pleasure to open the debate on behalf of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee. I thank Sarah Boyack for introducing the bill. I also tha...
Sarah Boyack
Lab
Does the member accept that it would be possible to establish memorandums of understanding with existing commissioners so that there is no overlap? For examp...
Collette Stevenson
SNP
On the issue of overlap, I hope that the evidence from the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will feed back into the Scottish Government’s review of the ...
The Minister for Business and Employment (Richard Lochhead)
SNP
I welcome the opportunity to speak in this stage 1 debate on the Wellbeing and Sustainable Development (Scotland) Bill, which was brought to the Parliament b...
Sarah Boyack
Lab
Will the reformed national performance framework enable measurement against national outcomes, wellbeing principles and sustainable development goals? Will i...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
I can give you the time back for the intervention, minister.
Richard Lochhead
SNP
The new model for the national performance framework will be concluded shortly and it will come forward for consultation in the current session of Parliament...
Roz McCall (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I recognise Sarah Boyack’s long-standing commitment to the issues that sit behind the bill. She has campaigned on questions of sustainable development and lo...
Carol Mochan (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
As other members have done, I thank my colleague Sarah Boyack for her ambition in and commitment to introducing the bill. A great deal of work has gone into ...
Maggie Chapman (North East Scotland) (Green)
Green
I am grateful to Sarah Boyack for all the work that she has done on this important bill.The bill makes me wonder where we would be had we not waited until no...
Sarah Boyack
Lab
Stakeholders have made some helpful, proportionate and well-crafted comments about the issue of procurement. There is the capacity to amend the bill as it go...
Maggie Chapman
Green
If the bill progresses, there is ample opportunity to look at exactly how we can use all the levers at our disposal to get ourselves into as strong a positio...
Marie McNair (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP)
SNP
I speak as a member of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee. I thank the clerks for their assistance with our report and thank everyone who respo...
Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
I became a member of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee just before Christmas, so, although I was a member when the report was agreed, I was no...
Bob Doris (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP)
SNP
As other members have done, I commend Sarah Boyack for her diligence and dedication to the bill and her commitment to the general policy area over many years...
Sarah Boyack
Lab
Will the member take an intervention?
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
There is time in hand, Mr Doris.
Sarah Boyack
Lab
Does the member agree that additional resources would be required? If he read the evidence from Audit Scotland, he will remember that it said that having ext...
Bob Doris
SNP
That is a very helpful intervention from Sarah Boyack. I put on the record that, when the refreshed national performance framework is ready for delivery, the...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
I call Clare Adamson, who is joining us remotely.15:12
Clare Adamson (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)
SNP
I commend Sarah Boyack for her work and her commitment in this area. The proposals to define “sustainable development” and “wellbeing” in law, and to have ov...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
We now move to closing speeches. I call Patrick Harvie to close on behalf of the Scottish Greens.15:16
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
Green
I congratulate and thank Sarah Boyack for her work on the bill. I regret that today looks like it will be a missed opportunity. We need to begin with a recog...