There was only one Edinburgh or Lothians MSP who managed to get a word in edgeways at First Minister’s Questions today at Holyrood.
Margo MacDonald, Lothians MSP, had been warmly welcomed back into the chamber after an absence for illness of a few weeks. She seized the opportunity to say thank you for the Presiding Officer and the First Minister’s kind comments by suggesting to Alex Salmond that he might consider that Scotland becomes a member of EFTA, following his recent Norway visit.
EFTA is the European Free Trade Association of which Norway is one of only four members.
The First Minister did not really give a straight answer as the question had come from nowhere, perhaps an advantage of being the only Independent MSP in the Chamber! You can see a BBC recording of FMQs below.
In a Themed Debate called Health Wellbeing and Cities this afternoon, Marco Biagi, SNP MSP for Edinburgh city centre asked the following question:-
“17. Marco Biagi: To ask the Scottish Executive what benefits will be seen in Edinburgh from the 2014 Commonwealth Games. (S4O-01025)”
And elsewhere Alison Johnstone Green MSP asked the following:-
“20. Alison Johnstone: To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the possible impact on public health of the Fife Diet Food Manifesto 2012. (S4O-01028)”
Alison Johnstone asked a further question in the debate on obesity, on a subject particularly close to her heart, sport and activity among young people and children:-
“S4M-02904.1 Alison Johnstone: Meeting the Challenge, Physical Activity and its Contribution to Tackling Obesity—As an amendment to motion S4M-02904 in the name of Shona Robison (Meeting the Challenge, Physical Activity and its Contribution to Tackling Obesity), after first “active” insert “; considers physical activity among children and young people to be a priority; recognises the important role that the design of the built environment, active travel and access to open space have in promoting a culture of informal physical activity; considers improving facilities and reducing costs to users to be preventative spend and key to enhancing participation in sport and physical activity”.
The MSP believes that the amendment to the Government motion recognises the importance of green priorities such as active travel and access to open space, as well as the need to improve public facilities to increase participation in sport.
Green MSP Alison Johnstone said:-
“Common-sense policies are central to defusing Scotland’s obesity time-bomb. We need to rewire physical activity back into our everyday lives and challenge those who profit from promoting junk food. The Government must now match its promises and words on cycling and walking with far more investment to remove barriers and encourage more people to get active on a daily basis.
“Protecting and improving local sports facilities is essential and I urge Ministers to do all they can to ensure that the legacy of the Commonwealth Games is felt in communities that lack access to good facilities or open space. Today’s debate has shown once again that joined-up Green thinking needs to be at the heart of our response to the big challenges facing Scotland.”
You will be able to see the answers to the above questions or the coverage of the debates in the archive footage of today in Parliament as soon as it is edited and published on the parliamentary website here.
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