Scottish Parliament: Five things to look out for as Holyrood resumes after recess - Programme for Government, Winnie Ewing tribute, First Minister's Questions

There’s already a full diary for MSPs to get busy with as Parliament returns for a new term

It’s back to school day for MSPs as Holyrood reopens for business after the summer recess.

This summer has been a quiet one in Scottish politics – relatively speaking – but there’s already a full diary for politicians to get stuck into when they go back today.

From First Minister Humza Yousaf’s highly-anticipated Programme for Government to the weekly First Minister’s Questions, there’s plenty to keep the MSPs busy.

We’ve taken a look at the five things to watch out for in the first week back at the Scottish Parliament.

Programme for Government

First Minister Humza Yousaf will be setting out his vision for his Government for the next year on Tuesday afternoon in the debating chamber.

He has pledged to put Scotland “on a path towards tackling some of the big issues facing the country” and “ensure that responding to the climate crisis is at the heart of government, while also taking the next steps in reforming and modernising public services to help tackle the aftermath of the pandemic”.

Mr Yousaf says investment will be prioritised on growing Scotland’s economy, tackling poverty and delivering high-quality public services. It is understood plans to pilot a four-day working week in parts of the public sector will also be touched on.

This is a great opportunity for Mr Yousaf to try and draw a line in the sand over the various internal party scandals that have plagued the first few months of his tenure as First Minister.

Tribute to Winnie Ewing

SNP stalwart Winnie Ewing, affectionately known as ‘Madame Écosse’, died just before the start of the summer recess on June 21 at the age of 93.

She was a powerhouse within the SNP and wrote herself into the history books by officially opening the devolved Scottish Parliament in 1999, saying at the time: “The Scottish Parliament, adjourned on the 25th day of March in the year 1707, is hereby reconvened.”

During her political career she was an MP in Westminster, an MSP in Holyrood and an MEP in Brussels, and is mother to SNP MPs Fergus and Annabelle Ewing. A formal tribute will be paid to her in the debating chamber on Tuesday afternoon.

Calls for a public inquiry into Professor Eljamel

NHS Tayside has now issued a public apology to the patients of disgraced neurosurgeon Eljamel, who was suspended after numerous botched operations.

His survivors have been calling for a public inquiry to be held, particularly as Eljamel was allowed to continue working despite concerns about his work being raised. So far, the Government has not agreed to hold such an inquiry.

A group of survivors are now planning to hold a graphic demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday at 2pm.

Winter planning starts

It’s the very first thing in the diary for this term – the health, social care and sport committee will meet at 9:15am on Tuesday morning to discuss preparations for the coming winter.

Every year a big emphasis is placed on getting the NHS and other public services ready for a rise in demand over the winter months. Hopefully this year’s winter will be less of a strain on the health service than the previous few, but coronavirus is still rife within the community and a new variant has recently been detected in Scotland.

The winter Covid vaccine programme has already been brought forward by six weeks because of concerns for this new variant.

First Minister’s Questions

This is not something new to Humza Yousaf, as he dealt with First Minister’s Questions before the summer recess.

But it’s been a few weeks since the previous spectacle, so a lot of eyes will be on him to see how he performs at the first FMQs back after the summer break, and to see how the dust is settling on his Programme for Government. FMQs takes place at midday on Thursday.

The Scotsman is also launching it’s new-look morning politics newsletter today. This newsletter will cover everything you need to know about the day ahead in Scottish politics, with analysis on the latest news from Holyrood. You can sign up to the newsletter online here.