Johnstone secures fair work win

Tue 12 Mar, 2019

Scottish Greens Parliamentary Co-Leader Alison Johnstone MSP has this afternoon (12 March) won the support of the Scottish Parliament to improve Scotland’s approach to fair work.

In the amendment, which won the overwhelming support of MSPs, Alison welcomed the Scottish Government’s commitment to apply fair work criteria to every type of grant, funding stream and business support programme, a measure the Greens have campaigned for over many years.

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Who Owns Scotland? Wightman to lead transparency debate

Mon 11 Mar, 2019

Scottish Greens Land Reform spokesperson Andy Wightman MSP will lead a debate this week calling for information on the ownership, use and value of land to be made more easily, openly and transparently available to the public.

The creation of a comprehensive Scottish Land Information System, containing information about the ownership, use and value of land, and made freely available to the people of Scotland, would bring welcome social and economic benefits.

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Greer welcomes teachers’ pay agreement

Fri 8 Mar, 2019

Responding to reports that a deal on teachers’ pay has been reached between the EIS and the Scottish Government, Scottish Greens Education spokesperson Ross Green MSP, who has backed the teachers’ pay campaign, said:

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Greens: Back school students ahead of new climate strike

Fri 8 Mar, 2019

Scottish Greens have today (8 March 2019) stepped up calls for councils across Scotland to back young climate protestors with just one week to go until the next global school strike.

Green MSPs have written to bosses at all Scottish councils urging them to publicly support young people who take part in the strikes, after the City of Edinburgh Council backed a Green motion to veto punishment earlier this week.

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Green MSPs are making Scotland the best country for children to grow up in

Alison Johnstone MSP Fri 8 Mar, 2019

The Scottish Greens have gender balanced leadership roles throughout the party, and last weekend our Council agreed to adopt a Co-leadership model in the parliamentary Green group. I’m delighted that I will now be sharing this new role with Patrick Harvie, and this week, on the day we debate International Women’s Day, was my first opportunity to lead for the party at FMQs.

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Ruskell: More needs to be done to prevent beaver suffering

Tue 5 Mar, 2019

Following news that the Scottish Government will introduce legal protections for beavers from May this year, it has been revealed that beavers may still be killed during the breeding season.

Scottish Greens Environment spokesperson Mark Ruskell MSP has raised serious concerns that this will lead to pregnant beavers being shot and dependent kits left to suffer. Ruskell has called on the Scottish Government to strengthen the proposed protections to ensure no shooting takes place during the breeding season.

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Scottish Government Cycle 'Vision' Not On Track To Meet Community Needs

Alison Johnstone MSP Tue 5 Mar, 2019

When I led the Scottish Parliament’s first ever debate on cycling in 2012, I began by suggesting it is often the case that public attitudes are ahead of the policy-makers responsible for representing them.

Back then, in parts of Edinburgh, up to 20% of vehicles on the roads were bikes, but the picture nationally was mixed, with journeys by bike at a lowly 1%.

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Ruskell reveals MSPs opposed to levy hog Holyrood car park

Mon 4 Mar, 2019

Scottish Greens Environment spokesperson Mark Ruskell MSP has accused Tory, Labour and Lib Dem MSPs of duplicity, claiming their opposition to the devolvolution of workplace parking levy powers to councils was largely borne out of self interest.

Mr Ruskell made the claims after obtaining figures from the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body showing that MSPs from the three parties use the Holyrood car park substantially more than others.

The figures reveal that over a four-week period commencing 7 January 2019, 64 MSPs used the car park at least once.

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Ruskell reveals MSPs opposed to levy hog Holyrood car park

Mon 4 Mar, 2019

Scottish Greens Environment spokesperson Mark Ruskell MSP has accused Tory, Labour and Lib Dem MSPs of duplicity, claiming their opposition to the devolvolution of workplace parking levy powers to councils was largely borne out of self interest.

Mr Ruskell made the claims after obtaining figures from the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body showing that MSPs from the three parties use the Holyrood car park substantially more than others.

The figures reveal that over a four-week period commencing 7 January 2019, 64 MSPs used the car park at least once.

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Committee backs Green calls for urgent climate action

Mon 4 Mar, 2019

Scottish Greens environment and climate change spokesperson Mark Ruskell MSP has today (4 March) called on the Scottish Government to up its ambition on tackling climate change following the publication of the Scottish Parliament’s Environment Committee report on the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill.

The committee has backed Green calls for greater urgency to stop global temperatures rising to dangerous levels, and acknowledged the necessity to set a net zero target for all greenhouse gas emissions.

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