Hansard

5. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

09 Jun 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Farming and Food Production Future Policy Group

To ask the Scottish Government when the farming and food production future policy group will publish its report. (S6O-00013)

Foysol Choudhury Lab Chamber

09 Jun 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Farming and Food Production Future Policy Group

In January 2019, the Parliament agreed that the group should be set up. Two and a half years on, we have still not seen its conclusions. That delay is symptomatic of the Government’s indecision and inaction when it comes to setting out the future of post-common agricultural po...

8. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

15 Sep 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Covid-19 (Funding for Culture, the Arts and Events)

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the finance secretary has had with the culture secretary regarding the allocation of funding for the culture, arts and events sectors in light of the impact of Covid-19. (S6O-00148)

Foysol Choudhury Lab Chamber

15 Sep 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Covid-19 (Funding for Culture, the Arts and Events)

A recent Skills Development Scotland sectoral skills assessment report on the creative industries forecast an increase in gross value added of 28 per cent in the sector by 2031 from the current level. That will be good news for my constituents in Edinburgh and the Lothians, an...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

30 Sep 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Afghan Refugees

The cabinet secretary will know that hundreds of thousands of Afghans are fleeing from persecution and more than two decades of war. Scotland must play its part in helping to resettle them. What provisions has the Scottish Government made to ensure that councils have the fundi...

1. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

06 Oct 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Underemployment

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the reported increase in underemployment. (S6O-00243)

Foysol Choudhury Lab Chamber

06 Oct 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Underemployment

According to the annual population survey, which was published last week, underemployment has increased in 22 local authority areas, and as many as 219,100 people are underemployed across Scotland. The city of Edinburgh faces one of the largest increases across the year. Unde...

1. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

10 Nov 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Budget (Public Sector Workers)

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to allocate additional funding in its forthcoming budget to provide pay increases for front-line public sector workers. (S6O-00345)

Foysol Choudhury Lab Chamber

10 Nov 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Budget (Public Sector Workers)

The pandemic has demonstrated the true value of social care, despite the low pay that is endemic throughout the sector. Social care workers have been at the forefront of caring for and protecting our loved ones who have been most vulnerable to Covid-19. Will the Government sho...

1. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

17 Nov 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Covid-19 (Bus Travel)

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage the public to travel by bus, in light of reports that the recent Transport Scotland Covid-19 transport trends indicate that concessionary bus travel is down by 35 per cent on pre-pandemic levels. (S6O-00380)

Foysol Choudhury Lab Chamber

17 Nov 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Covid-19 (Bus Travel)

Pre-pandemic Scottish Government analysis showed that Scottish bus passenger numbers were falling by an average of 10 per cent per year, yet on Lothian Buses services, passenger numbers had remained constant. Given the success of that mutual ownership model, is the Scottish Go...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

25 Nov 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Covid-19 Recovery (Aberdeen Cultural Sector)

What extra financial support will be given to support small theatres in Aberdeen and in my home city of Edinburgh, which have been devastated during the Covid-19 pandemic?

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

15 Dec 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Rural Healthcare Services

Cabinet secretary, a large number of my constituents have contacted me to say that they have still not received their Covid-19 booster shot, despite being over 75 years of age. There is also a clear lack of availability of appointments in my region, with many people also unabl...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

16 Dec 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Global Recovery (Covid-19)

The fight against climate change must always be our priority in supporting the global recovery. In April, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees released data showing that 21.5 million people have been displaced by climate change-related disasters since 2010. It poi...

Foysol Choudhury Lab Chamber

16 Dec 2021

Portfolio Question Time · Global Recovery (Covid-19)

What steps is the Scottish Government taking to prevent further tragedies and to support refugees who are in need?

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

20 Jan 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Performance Venues (Covid-19 Restrictions)

The city of Edinburgh was hit particularly hard when restrictions were imposed, with no notice to the culture sector, including our treasured theatres. Many were left in limbo without the financial support that was needed to keep the sector going. Can the cabinet secretary ass...

8. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

27 Jan 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Student Housing Strategy

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions education ministers have had with ministerial colleagues regarding the development of a student housing strategy that includes rent controls and student tenancy rights for every student in Scotland. (S6O-00683)

Foysol Choudhury Lab Chamber

27 Jan 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Student Housing Strategy

Given the 34 per cent rent hike over the past three years, does the minister agree with the National Union of Students that “the student housing system in Scotland is fundamentally broken” and “the disconnect between student income and rent levels poses an extreme and imm...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

09 Feb 2022

Portfolio Question Time · National Health Service and Social Care Recruitment (Rural Areas)

What steps is the Scottish Government taking to facilitate continued NHS and social care recruitment from European Union countries?

1. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

10 Feb 2022

Portfolio Question Time · International Development Programme (Climate Change)

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding how its international development programme can help to support less-developed countries that are at the forefront of climate damage. (S6O-00740)

Foysol Choudhury Lab Chamber

10 Feb 2022

Portfolio Question Time · International Development Programme (Climate Change)

I would like to congratulate Neil Gray on his new post. We are missing him in the Social Justice and Social Security Committee. I hope that he will do his new job as well as he did his job on the committee. The United Nations World Food Programme has just communicated that ne...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

23 Feb 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Police Officers (Scottish Borders Command Area)

What discussions has the Scottish Government had with the Lothians and Scottish Borders police regarding their capacity to deal with reports of violent crime in the area?

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

09 Mar 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Alcohol Harm (Disadvantaged Communities)

Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems recently highlighted the so-called multiple disadvantages faced by black and minority ethnic people who are struggling with alcohol harm, whereby culture and other issues add to the barriers to people seeking treatment. What is the Sc...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

10 Mar 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Scene Stirling (United Kingdom City of Culture 2025)

I wish every success to Stirling’s bid to be UK city of culture, but it is becoming clear that many cultural events, outlets and institutions across Scotland are struggling to keep their doors open in the wake of the pandemic. What more can the Scottish Government do to ensure...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

23 Mar 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Meetings)

A constituent has recently argued that they believe that the estimated energy bill that they were given during the latest wave of the pandemic was excessive. Has the Scottish Government had any discussion with Ofgem on the use of estimated bills when meter readings cannot be t...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

21 Apr 2022

Portfolio Question Time · School Curriculum

Does the Scottish Government agree that the school curriculum should contain education on racism and colonialism and that such reforms are not party political, but are sensible and reflective measures on our common history?

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

27 Apr 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Covid-19 (Recovery Strategy) (Resilience)

Culture is one of the sectors that have been hit hardest by the pandemic. What lessons has the Scottish Government learned from the experience of Covid in order to shield the culture sector from the impact of future pandemics?

6. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

27 Apr 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Winchburgh Railway Station

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Transport Scotland, Network Rail, Winchburgh Developments Limited and West Lothian Council relating to the provision of a railway station at Winchburgh. (S6O-01003)

Foysol Choudhury Lab Chamber

27 Apr 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Winchburgh Railway Station

The people of Winchburgh were first promised a railway station 15 years ago, but Transport Scotland would not let West Lothian Council make the station a condition of the development. We now hear that, as a result, there may be no station at all. Would the minister consider vi...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

04 May 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Ukraine Family Scheme (Funding)

One problem that we repeatedly hear that refugees are facing—not just Ukrainian but Afghan and Syrian refugees, too—is a lack of translation and interpretation resources, which can be a huge roadblock to settling into the new country. What more can the Scottish Government do t...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

11 May 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Recorded Crime

In the latest available statistics for reconviction rates, although the baseline rate is 28.3 per cent, the reconviction rate for those with a custodial sentence is a staggering 43.8 per cent. What is the Scottish Government doing to ensure that prison gates are not revolving ...

2. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

12 May 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Race Equality and Anti-Racism in Education

To ask the Scottish Government what the expected timetable is for the race equality and anti-racism in education programme to report. (S6O-01071)

Foysol Choudhury Lab Chamber

12 May 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Race Equality and Anti-Racism in Education

The programme that the Scottish Government has set up is important, and I applaud the work that has been done so far. However, we cannot afford to miss the opportunity to ensure that the curriculum itself is inclusive and representative. Will the cabinet secretary reassure me ...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

18 May 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Invasive Species

What measures are available to the Scottish Government to ensure that invasive species are not being brought into Scotland through international arrivals at airports?

2. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

25 May 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Covid-19 (Evictions)

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of people facing eviction in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. (S6O-01127)

Foysol Choudhury Lab Chamber

25 May 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Covid-19 (Evictions)

In recent weeks, the Social Justice and Social Security Committee has heard evidence that sheriff officers are making up for lost time since the pandemic. The committee has also heard about the remarkable cost of the eviction process for local authorities—in a relatively simpl...

5. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

01 Jun 2022

Portfolio Question Time · School Assessments (Impact of Covid-19)

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support the so-called Covid generation of young people who have not received full assessments at school. (S6O-01170)

Foysol Choudhury Lab Chamber

01 Jun 2022

Portfolio Question Time · School Assessments (Impact of Covid-19)

What plans does the Scottish Government have to carry out an independent review into the impact of Covid on education to identify gaps and lost learning and to understand the challenges to education recovery? How can the Government start to rebuild and combat lost education if...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

16 Jun 2022

Portfolio Question Time · European Countries (Relationships)

One of the best ways to develop relationships with European countries is through educational ties. When my colleagues have asked the Scottish Government recently about delays to the replacement for Erasmus, they have instead been told about the plan for Scotland to rejoin the ...

5. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

22 Jun 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Legal Aid

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure fair access to justice in light of its recent resource spending review reportedly freezing legal aid spending for the next five years. (S6O-01256)

Foysol Choudhury Lab Chamber

22 Jun 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Legal Aid

The impact of the announcement of a budget freeze will paralyse the justice system, which is already struggling. The weight of the court backlog from the Covid period is already harming access to justice and this will only threaten any recovery. In recent months, people across...

2. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

29 Sep 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Concessionary Travel (Budget)

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of its announced £37.6 million reduction in the budget for concessionary travel. (S6O-01397)

Foysol Choudhury Lab Chamber

29 Sep 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Concessionary Travel (Budget)

In its justification for the cuts to concessionary travel, the Scottish Government cited “Forecast reduction in patronage numbers and fare levels.” Given Scotland’s commitments to net zero, would it not make more sense to address the reduction in numbers instead of using tha...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

27 Oct 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Home Education

In cases where home education is a matter of necessity, what support can the Scottish Government provide to ensure that children have the connectivity and the equipment that are needed for a modern education?

7. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

02 Nov 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Small Businesses (Support)

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to small businesses through the cost of living crisis. (S6O-01490)

Foysol Choudhury Lab Chamber

02 Nov 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Small Businesses (Support)

I thank the minister for that answer, and I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests. I have been contacted by business owners in the Lothian region, particularly those with restaurant businesses who have been operating for decades but now find themselve...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

16 Nov 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Winter Festivals Fund

We have seen the closure of Edinburgh Filmhouse and the loss of the Edinburgh International Film Festival. The current economic crisis is affecting Scotland’s cultural landscape, and the withdrawal of this year’s winter festival fund will only intensify the problem for the cul...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

16 Nov 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 (Licensing Scheme)

Edinburgh has recently seen evidence of the damage that the reckless use of fireworks can do in conjunction with antisocial behaviour. Now that there is a legislative framework for a licensing scheme, can the minister give assurances that Police Scotland has the necessary reso...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

24 Nov 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Climate Change (Role of Hydrogen)

At First Minister’s question time, the First Minister said in reply to my colleague Martin Whitfield that the Scottish Government would focus on the growth of both hydrogen and green hydrogen as part of Scotland’s renewable energy mix. Given that the Friends of the Earth Scotl...

1. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

07 Dec 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Cinemas and Edinburgh Film Festival (Closures)

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any progress that has been made in finding a solution to save the Belmont Filmhouse in Aberdeen and the Edinburgh Filmhouse and Edinburgh International Film Festival from permanent closure. (S6O-01644)

Foysol Choudhury Lab Chamber

07 Dec 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Cinemas and Edinburgh Film Festival (Closures)

I appreciate all the efforts that have been made through various avenues to find solutions to the problem for Edinburgh Filmhouse, in particular, but its closure illustrates that the culture sector faces a much wider problem. The perfect storm that the sector faces this winter...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

14 Dec 2022

Portfolio Question Time · Digital Economy (Support)

Yesterday, the BBC reported a slowdown in recruitment in the games sector in Scotland as it responds to the cost of living crisis and economic uncertainty. Given Scotland’s historic place in the industry, has the minister had discussions with the sector about the support that ...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

11 Jan 2023

Portfolio Question Time · Historic Environment Scotland (Reopening of Sites)

Will the minister please advise members of the Scottish Government’s plans to ensure that Historic Environment Scotland’s properties will be able to open to a sufficient degree to allow HES’s revenue to rise as predicted in the budget?

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

11 Jan 2023

Portfolio Question Time · Police Officers (Mental Health)

In June 2022, I asked the First Minister what action the Scottish Government would take to support police officers who were struggling with the cost of living crisis. The First Minister responded by saying: “we will continue to value them not just in rhetoric but in action.”—...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

12 Jan 2023

Portfolio Question Time · Autism (Support for Children)

Multiple constituents have approached me, as parents, with their concerns about how schools are treating their child with autism and the impact that that has on their child’s mental health. What action is the Scottish Government taking to ensure that children with autism are o...

7. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

02 Feb 2023

Portfolio Question Time · Pupil Support Assistants (Recruitment)

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to increase the recruitment of pupil support assistants, including ensuring that they receive fair pay. (S6O-01858)

Foysol Choudhury Lab Chamber

02 Feb 2023

Portfolio Question Time · Pupil Support Assistants (Recruitment)

Yesterday, it was reported that councillors in Edinburgh will be asked to approve a £2.4 million cut to teaching assistant posts. In an industry that is already struggling with the retention and recruitment of staff, that news is deeply concerning. Can the cabinet secretary...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

23 Feb 2023

Portfolio Question Time · Ukraine Longer-term Resettlement Fund

The MS Ambition and the MS Victoria are temporary homes to thousands of Ukrainian refugees. The lease on those boats will soon come to an end and those on the boats will need to be rehoused in suitable accommodation. Many individuals on those boats have formed communities and ...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

01 Mar 2023

Portfolio Question Time · Gender-specific Risk and Safety Planning (Ukrainian Refugees)

The SEREDA—sexual and gender-based violence against refugees: from displacement to arrival—project in Scotland recently launched its report on sexual and gender-based violence among refugees in Scotland. The report highlights the urgent need for services in Scotland to focus o...

Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab) Lab Chamber

16 Mar 2023

Portfolio Question Time · Illegal Migration Bill

The UK Government’s Illegal Migration Bill is likely to have a significant impact on migrants and asylum seekers in Scotland. Scotland’s legal profession alone will likely see the number of cases in their case loads skyrocket under the bill’s provisions for removal. Many asyl...