Meghan Gallacher
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party · Scotland
“Shirley-Anne Somerville: One example of when cutting people’s benefits does not help involves the suggestion that we take away support from disabled people, which disabled people tell us helps them into employment. We need to bear that in mind.”
“I, too, thank Maggie Chapman for bringing the really important issue of our universities to the chamber. I want to cast members’ minds back to March 2025, when Douglas Ross, as the convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee, challenged the former principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Dundee, Professor Iain…”
“As the cabinet secretary mentioned in her statement, the Scottish Government has spent billions of pounds on tackling child poverty, but it remains stubbornly high, with one in five children still living in relative poverty.”
“If we fast forward a year, we see that the University of Dundee has sadly found itself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons again. As Maggie Chapman said, that is not down to the lecturers or the students; it is down to the university’s governance and structures, as well as the financial situation that our universities and colleges…”
“On that latter point, I went to Fife Gingerbread this morning and spoke to families and their support workers about the work that that organisation and others do to ensure that women are supported into employment in a way that encourages their confidence, builds their skills and is sustainable and successful in the long term.”
“The former education secretary and now Deputy First Minister, Jenny Gilruth, said in January this year that teachers would need to relocate to where the jobs are. Mike Corbett from the NASUWT condemned those comments.”
The complete record
Every one of 420 lines we hold for Meghan Gallacher, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 8 of 9.
“There appear to be no solutions to provide parents with the reassurance that they will be able to stay by their newborn’s side. Regardless of whether the Scottish Government continues with what I feel is the wrong move in downgrading neonatal departments across Scotland, it must still ensure that there is overnight accommodation to enable parents to stay with their babies. Otherwise, it is willingly advocating for the sickest newborn babies to be separated from their parents. That would be not only morally wrong, but unforgivable, should any parent learn of a deterioration in their baby’s health without being close by. Therefore, I call on the minister to commit today to ensuring that every hospital that is currently specialising in neonatal care has the appropriate accommodation for parents.”
“The lack of that early contact can disrupt bonding and heighten stress, with an impact on both emotional wellbeing and physical development such as breastfeeding initiation. Why, therefore, do we not have overnight accommodation for parents on neonatal wards? It is not easy for parents having to travel long distances to stay with their baby in a hospital overnight, especially when more than one child is involved. Indeed, the Bliss families kept apart campaign in Scotland found that for one in every 10 babies who need to stay overnight on a unit, there is only one room for a parent to stay with them. In 2025, that is scandalous. Alternative arrangements are considered, but that usually comes at a cost to parents, who might not be able to afford to stay in a nearby hotel.”
“Babies, who have just opened their eyes for the first time, not only are adapting to their new surroundings but are exposed to stress and pain as a result of requiring additional care. One of the main issues that I wish to raise concerns facilities for parents. I have just mentioned how deeply traumatising neonatal care is for parents and babies, yet, moments after giving birth, mums are routinely separated from their babies for extended periods, as most hospitals do not provide sufficient facilities to enable parents to stay overnight. That is undoubtedly detrimental to the health of not just the newborn baby, but of worried parents, who just want to be close so that they can comfort their child.”
“The best start model was first introduced in 2017, yet, eight years on, the new model has not been fully implemented and the resources that are needed to implement it safely while providing support to families have not been delivered in full. There remains great uncertainty over when or how full implementation of the neonatal model, as confirmed by the minister in July 2023, will take place. That is simply not good enough. One in seven babies in the United Kingdom require some level of neonatal care after birth, and the care that they receive is vital to their long-term health. Approximately 5,200 babies are admitted to neonatal units in Scotland each year, and the care that they receive is often life-saving, but it can also be deeply traumatic for babies and their families.”
“The online petition has now surpassed 25,000 signatures, which is testament to the strength of feeling against this ill-thought-out decision. At the time, I warned the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health that “Lanarkshire mums ... are the feisty type”, and said that I knew that they would continue to fight against the downgrade “every step of the way.”—[Official Report, 20 September 2023; c 98.] They will continue to have my support, as I do not believe that Government ministers have truly considered the lasting impact of this decision on parents and their newborn babies, nor does the national health service have the adequate or sustained staffing levels to achieve the new model of neonatal care.”
“Before I begin my remarks, I take the opportunity to thank the team at Bliss Scotland for working with me to lodge the motion in Parliament. I first raised issues surrounding the best start new model of neonatal care back in September 2023. News had broken of the intention to downgrade Wishaw general hospital’s neonatal department, in my region. That provoked a strong backlash from communities in Lanarkshire, especially from families who had received care and support from the award-winning team at the hospital. A campaign group, led by the Wishaw neonatal warriors, has said that the plans would be “catastrophic” as expectant mums and their babies will need to travel to other hospitals to receive specialist care.”
“To bring some common sense back to the chamber, I echo what Sue Webber said in her opening remarks. The SNP has indeed declared war on Scotland’s motorists. Whether it be low- emission zones, roads crumbling away with potholes being unfilled or proposed reductions in speed limits, the SNP is making life more difficult for people who choose to own a car.”
“I hope that Meghan Gallacher will genuinely understand that the final costs of the case are still being calculated. The judgment was issued only in the middle of last week, and some final aspects of the case still need to be finalised, but, once those final costs are calculated, they will be published in due course.”
“There is not a single mention in the cabinet secretary’s statement of the huge amount of taxpayers’ money that has been wasted by the Scottish Government arguing about the definition of a woman. Taxpayers expect their money to be spent on helping our NHS, improving our roads and keeping our streets safe, not on court cases that aim to defend the indefensible, so will the cabinet secretary come clean with the public and confirm how much money was spent by the SNP Government to argue against biological sex in court? Shirley-Anne Somerville: As I said, the Scottish Government had already taken its case to both the inner house and the outer house of the Court of Session, and the reason that it got to the Supreme Court was that due process was followed. Now that we have got to the final decision point, we respect the court’s judgment on that.”
“I am disappointed that Meghan Gallacher regards the proposed bill as simply a rehashed version of the previous proposal. I had expected her to point to the areas that are different from those covered by the consultation on the original bill, some of which I mentioned earlier. The fact that we are talking about targets rather than prohibition is a fairly significant change. It will not be one that everyone will agree with, but it reflects the fact that the Scottish Government has listened to the people who came to us during the consultation rather than merely going through the motions. I hope that she will come to want to work with the Scottish Government, because we should seek to work together towards an aim for which the whole Parliament voted.”
“When will the Government realise that Scotland deserves an affordable, just transition—one that works with industry, protects jobs and is affordable for people to make changes to their homes and lifestyles? The SNP has announced that the new heat in buildings bill will be introduced next year, in the same year as the next Scottish Parliament election. Will the minister be up front with the public and tell them, right now, how much the new bill’s provisions will cost them? Will he confirm that, when the bill is introduced, he will announce to Parliament the timescales that the SNP will work towards? Alasdair Allan: The bill will be introduced to Parliament this year. The timescales that we are working towards aim for it to receive royal assent by the time of dissolution, so it will be introduced in the present session of Parliament.”
“I thank the minister for advance sight of his statement. We warned the Scottish Government and the Scottish Greens time and again that the proposed heat in buildings bill was an absolute farce, but they refused to listen. Patrick Harvie was adamant that his heat pump proposals were the right call, despite warnings from stakeholders, investors and other parties. Expecting people to pay more than £14,000 for a heat pump that might not be suitable for their home shows how out of touch the Scottish Greens are with ordinary hard- working Scots. The Scottish National Party has announced a rehashed heat in buildings bill with no further details about how much it will cost the public. More net zero targets have been missed and more net zero targets have been announced.”
“It is worth saying that no Scottish Government can ultimately mitigate every act of vandalism that the UK Government performs against Scotland, but we do our best in the areas where we feel we have the resource and where we wish to prioritise it.”
“Roughly 900,000 Scottish pensioners were denied access to the winter fuel allowance last year because of decisions taken by the UK Labour Government and the SNP Scottish Government. Has the Scottish Government made any assessment of its failure to pass on the devolved pension-age winter heating payment and the impact that that has had on pensioners living in, or on the cusp of, fuel poverty? Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government’s attempts to mitigate the worst of the UK Government’s actions in this area have brought 800,000 people within the benefit of our scheme, so I do not feel any need to apologise about that.”
“Natalie Don-Innes: It was originally, but it has improved now, because there has been a further restoration of capacity at St Mary’s Kenmure. I believe that the four secure care beds will make a difference. If the member has been following the numbers over the past few months, she will be aware that adding such a number is an appropriate response, because we do not want there to be overprovision. We want to invest money in our children and young people, rather than waste it on empty beds. The member made another point, which I do not recall. If she is happy to write to me on that, I am happy to respond.”
“I find it difficult to believe that the minister has come to the chamber this afternoon to announce that four additional beds will solve secure care accommodation capacity issues. I am not convinced that the minister believes that four additional beds will solve the problem either, given that capacity has already been reduced by almost 20 per cent. I find the timing quite odd, because we have had a statement this afternoon, but the secure care contingency plan has not yet been completed. Why not? How has the minister managed to arrive at the conclusion that four additional beds are sufficient? Will MSPs have to come back to the chamber in a few months’ time, when the number increases yet again? Natalie Don-Innes: Capacity was not reduced by 20 per cent— Meghan Gallacher: Yes, it was.”
“Extensive work has been carried out and Scottish Government building safety standards people have picked up on and improved some areas. In our most recent debate about the issue, I acknowledged that we need to accelerate the pace, following feedback from residents who told us to do that, and today’s announcements do accelerate the pace. I will come back to the member in writing regarding her particular points about the dates.”
“Finally, it feels as if it is a lifetime since the Government announced it in the first place, so when will work on the remaining 102 properties be completed? Paul McLennan: I thought that the member would have welcomed today’s statement. In the discussions that I have had with residents, what they have said to us most often is that they are keen to move on as soon as possible, and the single open call will allow us to do that. The member mentioned it being eight years on from Grenfell. I have spoken before about pace and, when I made a statement in January, I said that we would come back to talk about trying to accelerate the pace. I think that the actions that we are taking today certainly do that. I set out the work that has happened since the fire.”
“There will be more consulting and assessments, more information gathering and a resetting of the ministerial working group, but that will lead to no further action. Today’s announcement is a kick in the teeth for those waiting for work to be carried out on their homes. People want to know when cladding will be removed from their properties, not when the latest Scottish Government talking shop will next meet. The Grenfell tower inquiry’s second report, which was published on 4 September last year, made 58 recommendations, 43 of which fall within areas of devolved competence. Does the minister accept all of those 43 recommendations? When will remediation works on the five properties where work has begun be completed?”
“I thank the minister for advance sight of his statement. We are now eight years on from the Grenfell tragedy. The Scottish Government has had eight years to carry out remedial works to properties with unsafe cladding, yet here we are with another statement, and we are no further forward. It feels like groundhog day in Holyrood. To be frank, it is embarrassing that the Scottish Government has concluded the single building assessment process for only 13 properties. Progress has been painfully slow and the Scottish Government has shown a distinct lack of leadership, leaving us miles behind our UK counterparts. Today’s statement is riddled with next steps that should have been completed following the passing of the 2024 act.”
“Paul McLennan: On that particular point, during the first half of this session of Parliament, we made a record sum of funding—£120 million— available to Fife Council. This year, Fife Council’s budget will increase from £26.2 million to £30.1 million, and those additional funds, which are the council’s share of the national £40 million fund, are intended for the acquisition of properties. The purpose of acquiring properties and of the work that we are doing with Fife Council in relation to voids is to bring properties into circulation as soon as possible. Deposit Return Scheme 7.”
“Given the responses to amendments this morning at the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, I am not sure that what the minister says is quite accurate. Fife Council underspent its housing budget by almost £9 million this year, despite declaring a housing emergency a year ago. Included in that £9 million was £3.5 million for the property acquisition programme. Acquisition plays a key role in any council’s housing approach, but it does not necessarily add properties to the overall stock. Will the minister engage with council officials to ensure that all levers are available to local government to prevent slippage? Will he also give an update on the roll- out of the planning hubs? We have not heard much about those since the Government’s announcement.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings of the fatal accident inquiry for Lea Lamont, Ellie McCormick, and Mira-Belle Bosch, published on 14 March 2025, which suggest that the three child fatalities were avoidable.”
“It has been 10 months since the Scottish Government was forced into declaring a housing emergency. Local councils, of course, followed suit, referencing the growing number of people declaring themselves as homeless and the fact that they have to place families in temporary accommodation as they do not have the supply to meet demand. At the same time, measures such as the introduction of rent controls have led to £3.2 billion of lost investment, with a significant drop in house building. Something has gone dreadfully wrong, and I have no confidence that this Government will be able to produce a plan that will tackle the housing emergency before the end of this parliamentary session. Scottish Labour has rightly focused its debate today on the impacts of temporary accommodation and the affect that it has on children and young people.”
“We can also speak to our councillor colleagues and ask them to lodge motions to make sure that our councils are going as far as they can to ensure that our young carers are supported across all our local authority areas. I wish all our young carers in the gallery a very happy and successful young carers action day. I reiterate the words of Karen Adam: we appreciate you more than you will ever know. 13:36”
“They then told me that they were off to a disco, which shows how good those festivals are. However, it also stresses the importance of the theme of young carers action day, which is “geezabreak”, because that was an occasion when young carers were able to enjoy a break, which is so important. I reiterate how MSPs can show their support, particularly this week, given that young carers action day was yesterday. We can share information and content on social media using the hashtags #youngcarersactionday, #ycad2025 and #geezabreak. As Martin Whitfield highlighted, we can sign up to the young carers covenant, which is a commitment to support outcomes that will improve the lives of young adult carers.”
“Paul O’Kane raised an important point about the need for accurate data so that we have know the number of young carers. I hope that the minister will address that point in her summing-up speech. Many members reflected on their attendance at the young carers festival, which I visited back in 2023. It was a fantastic day. I remember the photo booth, the inflatable bouncy castles—I was really disappointed that I did not get a shot on them—the activities, the sports and the hair and make-up. The queue for the hair and make-up went on for miles, but I can understand why that was so popular, particularly among the young girls and women who were there. When we sat down to speak to the young carers, they rightly challenged us on what more we, as parliamentarians, could be doing to improve their lives.”
“Young adult carers’ caring responsibilities mean that they do not always have time to see their friends, enjoy hobbies or focus on education or work. Their minds are usually elsewhere—on their families and on the people they care for—because that is what they feel is important and they want to make sure that they provide the best possible care to the people they love so much. However, because young carers are thinking about the people they care for, it can be hard for them to take a break or a moment to enjoy whatever it is that they want to do. It is important that we raise these issues in the chamber today to ensure that their voices are heard and that the Parliament and the Scottish Government continue to improve the lives of young carers right across Scotland.”
“I am pleased to speak in this debate on young carers action day 2025, and I congratulate Paul O’Kane on securing it. The reason why I want to speak in this debate is that, on Tuesday, I received an email from a young adult carer development worker at Falkirk and Clackmannanshire carers centre. The centre sent through a letter from young adult carers in Falkirk and Clackmannanshire to make sure that we, as MSPs, raise the point of the action day in relation to “geezabreak” and that we address the need for universities, colleges and employers to provide better support in education and work for young carers. Those points have been raised throughout the debate by Martin Whitfield, Jeremy Balfour and other members.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that people live in safe, warm homes, in light of reports that the number of properties falling below the tolerable standard in order to be fit for habitation has increased from an estimated 54,000 in 2018 to 729,000 in 2023. (S6T-02395)”
“To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it plans to introduce its proposed heat in buildings bill. (S6O- 04404)”
“To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any correspondence it has had with the United Kingdom Government and the Scottish Public Pensions Agency regarding the legacy of the Scottish police pension 1987 scheme. (S6O-04369)”
“I am well over time, and I do not want to take up the full debate, so I will stop there. I conclude by congratulating Fulton MacGregor on bringing the debate to the chamber and the community forum on its hard work. I look forward to reading the report in full when I get the opportunity. 17:45”
“We should pursue that to take pressure off villages that cannot cope with the substantial housing developments that come to their area. Fulton MacGregor: I agree with Meghan Gallacher’s point. Does she agree that the issue is that green-belt sites are more attractive to developers than brownfield sites are? Do we need to do more in that space so that builders want to build on brownfield sites? Meghan Gallacher: Fulton MacGregor read my mind. There are ways to address that issue. For example, a system is available in England, but not currently in Scotland, that allows developers to tap into grants to treat the land on brownfield sites. The aim is to make those sites more attractive. That might help with some of the issues that the member rightly raises.”
“I was pleased to hear that the forum is not against housing development, but that it wants a sensible and pragmatic approach to how such development comes into the area. It must come with the right infrastructure, otherwise it will not work. Roughly 14,000 people are on social housing waiting lists across North Lanarkshire. It is acknowledged that we have a housing issue in the area, and we must do something to address that collectively—not only local MSPs but North Lanarkshire councillors. One way of doing so would be to explore using brownfield sites instead of encroaching on villages that have a lot of green belt. North Lanarkshire Council’s area is rich in brownfield sites—I think that it has roughly half of the available brownfield sites in Scotland.”
“The number of people coming into the area through new housing development undoubtedly places pressures on infrastructure, healthcare and education, and affects people’s ability simply to get down to local shops, for example. We must ensure that we have the right infrastructure in place for each area. I was struck by the transport issues that Fulton MacGregor raised, regarding accessibility to train stations and the lack of bus services in the area. Such issues are not unique to the northern corridor or to North Lanarkshire. However, the Scottish Government must refocus its efforts. Local people must be able to get into and out of the areas in which they live or work, but we must also be aware of the impact of the journey to net zero and achieving an affordable just transition, on which I am sure all members are focused.”
“We can share that approach across the parties. I would love to have seen a copy of the forum’s report before this evening’s debate, but I was not able to find it online. I have had direct conversations with Fulton MacGregor, but I am keen to have further discussions offline, to see whether there is a cross-party way forward in which we could examine and address the issue collectively, as MSPs who represent the same area. In preparing for the debate, I reflected on my time as a councillor in North Lanarkshire. I fondly remember discussing the northern corridor at that time, when a range of unique problems affected communities in the area. Fulton MacGregor hit the nail on the head: many such problems are down to population growth.”
“I congratulate Fulton MacGregor on securing this important debate and bringing it to the chamber. I also congratulate the northern corridor community forum, which undertook a lot of work in compiling its report, with the aim of making changes for the better in its community. All members can support this issue and get around it. Our constituents’ voices matter, whether or not they are in community forum groups such as the NCCF, many of which have put together concerning statistics on lack of infrastructure and other issues that I will come to shortly. The NCCF’s report shows that people are passionate about the areas in which they live— they care deeply about them. Fulton MacGregor is passionate about the area that he represents, and he has raised local issues in the chamber time and time again.”
“I am extremely sorry for the distress that the situation is causing, and I look forward to meeting them to hear their concerns. Because patient care and delivery are the statutory responsibility of local healthcare providers, it is for relevant NHS health boards to respond to complaints about services. I am happy to look into why the family had no response whatsoever and I will certainly investigate that and get back to Ms Gallacher. Generally, people do receive a response, although it might have been that the response directed the family to NHS Greater Glasgow and”
“If the minister is going to take suggestions from members today, will she conduct an urgent investigation into the matter to find out why nobody contacted my constituent to give them the help and support that they deserved? Maree Todd: I thank the member for that question. As she will understand, Scottish ministers receive a huge amount of correspondence daily. When issues are raised about a medical setting such as Skye house, the Scottish Government would normally direct correspondence to the health board, because patient care and delivery are the statutory responsibility of local healthcare providers. Although, as I have made clear, I cannot intervene or comment on individual cases, I acknowledge the concerns that have been raised by the family that Ms Gallacher has spoken about.”
“The email subject line read: “Urgent concerns regarding the care and treatment of our child”. On 25 November 2024, she again contacted the minister, Natalie Don-Innes, after being ignored by the minister who has delivered the statement today. I have no idea how the minister can stand here today and pretend to be shocked, because she has known about this for years. The minister says that she finally feels the need to make a statement on the abuse that young women endured while they were detained at Skye house—two years late. Is she now acting only because the issue has been made public? Why did none of the Scottish Government ministers treat my constituent’s letter with the utmost seriousness? Why did multiple ministers ignore a parent who was trying to raise institutional failures at Skye house?”
“I thank the minister for advance sight of her statement. The minister states that she is unable to comment on the details of individual cases of care and treatment. However, in this instance, individual cases are critical to shining a light on the lack of action taken by those at Skye house and those in the NHS and the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government did not find out about the problem through the BBC documentary—it has known for years. I have emails from my constituent that outline when she contacted ministers for help. On 23 June 2023, my constituent contacted Scottish Government officials on behalf of her daughter, Harmony. On 12 August 2024, she contacted the First Minister; the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Neil Gray; and the Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise, Natalie Don-Innes.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. There was an issue with my app; I would have voted yes. The Presiding Officer: Thank you, Ms Gallacher. We will ensure that that is recorded. Several members have indicated that they wish to make a point of order. I will reach each one of them, and I must ensure that our clerks have an opportunity to record the information. Sarah Boyack has a point of order.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent programme, “Disclosure: Kids on the Psychiatric Ward”, which features Skye house in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. (S6O-04322)”
“To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any data showing the number of children or parents who were aware that results from the health and wellbeing census could be accessed by third-party researchers.”
“To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government is taking to address concerns regarding waiting times in A and E departments, following reports of a mother having to wait 50 hours for medical care at University hospital Wishaw. (S6F-03736)”
“However, the question needs to be asked whether, come the next parliamentary session, an MSP will pick up such a bill to try to make the system fairer. I think that it would get cross-party support, as it did the last time around. There is more to do to support our showpeople in Scotland, but I am delighted to have been able to speak in this debate. I genuinely hope that the problems that we have raised can be rectified and that we can get a response from the cabinet secretary. 17:43”
“Because showpeople spend a lot of time moving around the country, it is difficult for them to pin down local elected members to raise issues with councils to get them rectified. Had Mr Lyle’s bill been successful, councils would have had to grant a licence within 21 days if an operator met certain application requirements. If the council did not respond within those 21 days, the licence would be granted automatically. Crucially, the application fee across the board would have been a grand total of £50. That would have been a fairer way of allowing fairs and attractions to take place across the country. I appreciate that time is running out in the current parliamentary session—as is my time to speak this evening.”
“One of the options to save the many events, funfairs and attractions that we see throughout the year has already been explored this evening, with Jackson Carlaw and others mentioning the bill that was introduced in Parliament by former MSP Richard Lyle—who, I believe, is in the gallery this evening. He rightly stated that travelling entertainers are given very little in the way of licensing leeway. They face overly burdensome and inconsistent application processes that differ from council to council. To put it simply, there is a complete imbalance between councils and those businesses. Licensing systems appear to work against showpeople at every turn. They are overly complex, tedious and unreliable.”
“However, to my knowledge, there has been no real discussion since. That is a real shame, because I know many people from the Bellshill area who think fondly of their time visiting the Bellshill street fair. We seem to be seeing an unnecessary decline in street fairs and travelling fairs—there is a risk of their disappearing entirely, which is why I was pleased to find out that the European Showmen’s Union congress was coming to Edinburgh. It is an opportunity for showmen and showwomen to discuss matters relating to the industry and the importance of preserving its culture. Their resilience and perseverance are important and are integral to the continuation of funfairs and attractions in Scotland.”