TWENTY-ONE motions for debate have been selected by delegates to the SNP annual conference, which will be addressed by Nicola Sturgeon on the final day.
The First Minister will give the closing address at the three-day event in Glasgow next month, when Scotland’s future relationship with Europe is expected to dominate discussions.
Among the topics that have made it on to the final agenda from 43 provisional motions include an a call for drugs legislation powers to be devolved to Holyrood, allowing a review of legislation to include decriminalisation.
Raising the minimum age of military recruitment to 18, automatic voter registration and calls for immigration to be devolved to Holyrood are among the subjects to be debated by delegates.
Brexit Minister Mike Russell and Stephen Gethins, the SNP’s foreign affairs spokesman at Westminster, have put down a resolution highlighting the benefits being in the EU has brought to Scotland and its people.
The motion asks delegates to recognise that “Scotland is a proud member of the European family of nations”, notes the protections EU law has given to workers, consumers and the environment, and urges SNP MPs to defend hard-won protections.
With party membership at around 118,000, around 5000 people will be at the conference at the Scottish Exhib- ition and Conference Centre (SECC) in Glasgow from October 8 to 10.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney will speak on the opening day, with his address expected to underline Scotland as a progressive and ambitious nation.
The past few months have been challenging for the SNP, after they lost 21 MPs at June’s General Election including senior politicians such as former First Minister Alex Salmond and former Westminster leader Angus Robertson.
The result prompted Sturgeon to postpone plans for a second indep- endence referendum, announcing she would not publish the referendum bill until after autumn 2018 at the earliest.
Admitting she needed to “reset” her referendum strategy, the First Minister told MSPs she accepted there was no widespread support in Scotland for a second vote on indep- endence before the UK leaves the EU. Sturgeon said her priority now was to focus on getting the best Brexit deal possible, leaving the timescale for staging a new referendum vague.
After the June election there was also discussion about a need to refresh some of the Scottish Government’s policies – an issue the First Minister was keen to tackle in the Programme for Government she set out last week.
It included 16 new bills as well as plans to scrap the one per cent pay cap for public-sector workers. The First Minister also signalled the start of a cross-party discussion on income tax.
Her programme also set out a range of environment policies such as a deposit return scheme for drinks cans and bottles and plans to phase out new petrol and diesel cars in Scotland from 2032 – eight years sooner than the 2040 target.
On health, she announced plans to expand free personal care to those under 65 who have conditions such as dementia or motor neurone disease (MND).
It is understood the programme was the key subject of discussion at an away day for SNP MSPs, MPs and MEPs in Edinburgh on Friday.
One of those present told The National: “The mood was very positive. The focus was the programme for government and how it is going to be implemented. All the portfolios were discussed.”
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