Tess White
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party · Scotland
“It is scandalous that the Scottish National Party Government has spent millions of pounds funding self-identification groups while shutting sex-based women’s organisations out of public funding.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the social justice secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the protection of people’s human rights in relation to new renewable energy infrastructure, including the proposed SSEN Transmission 400kV overhead power line in the North East Scotland region. (S6O-05604)”
“Does the First Minister agree with his Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy’s comment that, if people do not want pylons, battery storage or other destructive infrastructure in rural Scotland, they are on the far right? If he does not agree with her, will he apologise for her disgraceful remark?”
“Siobhian Brown: We have heard the consensus, and this is an issue that needs to be addressed in the next parliamentary session. A commission that can examine and consider the many issues that have been aired today and act quickly in the next session is the way forward ahead of legislation that the Parliament can scrutinise and amend, know…”
“Liam Kerr and Pam Gosal gave example after example of when time was made available at the beginning of the day or at the end. I am not allowed to say that the Scottish Government was lying, but it was a misrepresentation of the truth. I thank Ruth Maguire for her intervention on Maggie Chapman, because we were cringing at her speech.”
“I am clear that we cannot dismiss the comments from women involved in prostitution who are “terrified” of the proposals. That should make us all pause. Ahead of today’s debate, members received many briefings that highlight the risks, but I appreciate that opinion is divided on the issue.”
The complete record
Every one of 316 lines we hold for Tess White, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 5 of 7.
“When previous closures have taken place in Angus, it has been with the facility at Ninewells in the background, as a safety net for the most difficult births in the community. As with many of the centralised services in Tayside, specialism has come at the cost of long drives, bus journeys, ambulance trips or plain old inaccessibility for people who do not have a car. If Ninewells loses its top status for NIC, that could lead to an insane situation in which mums with sick babies living in Dundee will be sent 66 miles away, by the A90, to Aberdeen. As most of us—and most of our constituents, including mums and fathers—know, that would involve navigating the Forfar Road and half of the Kingsway, which is often at a standstill for hours of the day.”
“When the Fyfe Jamieson maternity hospital in Forfar closed in 1993, it was to be replaced by a midwifery service at the new Whitehills health and community care centre. That did not last long before it closed, and mums were sent to Montrose and Arbroath. When the Montrose community maternity unit shut in 2016 because of a lack of staff, that was supposedly for three months, but it never reopened. Proposals for a new maternity unit that was planned for two decades were shelved in 2013. The CMU was centralised to Arbroath, and I am told that the standard of care is second to none, but it is based in a building that is more than a century old, and there is little hope of it being replaced. Why is that relevant to Ninewells?”
“The service at Ninewells hospital in Dundee, in my region, is one of those facilities. For more than 50 years, Ninewells has had a first-class AMU— alongside midwifery unit—with neonatal intensive care as part of that offer. The unit was refurbished in 1999. The AMU means that mums have a safety net, and a psychological boost from having access to obstetric labour suites, specialists and equipment almost at their bedside. The Dundee midwifery unit is separate from the obstetric consultant unit, but it is still in the hospital, which allows for easy access to medical support if that is needed. For years, however, there has been a centralisation of maternity services in Tayside.”
“I, too, thank my colleague, Meghan Gallacher, for securing parliamentary time to debate such an important topic. The centralisation of neonatal intensive care is causing massive concern among clinicians. Families have said that it could be catastrophic; there has been strong criticism of the arbitrary scoring mechanism; and it means that new parents to premature and seriously ill babies, at the most vulnerable point in their lives, could—as we have heard today—have to travel miles to visit them, in such difficult circumstances. Tragically, one parent said: “you don’t know what to expect. The family could be called in at any minute to say goodbye.” I ask members to imagine having to travel for hours to Aberdeen, Edinburgh or Glasgow to do so. I pay tribute to campaigners who are fighting to stop the downgrading of existing facilities.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the interim update from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission on the practical implications of the recent UK Supreme Court judgment in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers. (S6T-02484)”
“I rarely agree with Kevin Stewart, but, as my colleagues have said, he was spot on when he rightly pointed out that the national treatment centre for Grampian is on ice. The Baird family hospital and the ANCHOR projects have been beset by problems, delays and design issues. What is the SNP Government’s response? To carry out a patchwork of short-term fixes and make empty promises. It is no wonder that Audit Scotland has highlighted the lack of a strategic vision, and that NHS workers are sounding the alarm. The SNP has failed the north-east. It has failed our NHS. Today, Neil Gray must apologise for the harsh financial conditions that his Government have created for NHS Grampian. My constituents, and the constituents of other MSPs who are speaking on their behalf, deserve better than this. 18:37”
“The crew decided that, if they went to NHS Grampian, the couple probably would not have had their lives saved. The ambulance was diverted—it was blue- lighted all the way through to Dundee and NHS Tayside, double or triple the distance. Upwards of 3,000 patients in the NHS Grampian area have been languishing on waiting lists for more than two years. The health board’s cancer waiting times are the worst in Scotland, with more than 40 per cent of patients waiting longer than two months to receive their first treatment after being referred. That means lives not just put on hold but put at risk, because we know the pivotal importance of early intervention. It is a ticking time bomb. Despite the brilliant efforts of NHS staff, NHS Grampian received red ratings for nearly two thirds of its key targets between October and December 2024.”
“The SNP Government’s parity formula is not worth the paper that it is written on. That underfunding has resulted in the erosion of community hospitals, closed in-patient facilities and the end of night-time minor injuries units. It also means that NHS Grampian has the lowest bed base in Scotland. All that has created substantial pressures on hospitals, GPs and the Scottish Ambulance Service, with crews queuing for hours just to get in the door of Aberdeen royal infirmary—a symptom of a system that is stretched beyond its limits. That is why a critical incident was declared at ARI last November, when patients were diverted from the hospital because the capacity simply was not there. On that day, a dedicated ambulance crew saved the lives of a couple.”
“I, too, thank Douglas Lumsden for securing time for this important debate on NHS Grampian. Healthcare in the north-east is in crisis as a result of years of chronic underfunding of NHS Grampian by the SNP Government. The health board is financially crippled. The situation is so desperate that it has had to take out a £67.5 million loan from the Scottish Government, bringing the total debt that it owes to £92.2 million. There are huge questions about how that debt will be serviced, given that the health board is already trying to make eye-watering savings. It is almost impossible—how can it pay a debt when it cannot make ends meet? The reality is that NHS Grampian has been short-changed by more than £260 million—a quarter of a billion pounds—since the SNP got into power.”
“We will see what the EHRC is able to share with Scottish Government ministers on Thursday. I can give Tess White the reassurance that, across the Scottish Government, work has now begun to ensure that policies, practices, procedures and guidance are absolutely compatible with the judgment of the Supreme Court and with the law. The rule of law is exceptionally important to the Government—right across the Scottish Government and right across the public sector. Further to that, this is a matter not only for this Government but for other Governments in the UK, so it is important that Governments can have discussions on the issues, to be able to deal with the collective challenge of ensuring that our guidance is fit for purpose.”
“Scotland’s public bodies are, by definition, an extension of the Scottish Government. Last week, the Supreme Court exposed the Scottish Government’s fallacy, but the SNP’s reckless ideology has become embedded, like Japanese knotweed, in our public institutions. While this smacks of asking an arsonist to extinguish the fire, will the cabinet secretary secure written assurances from all the Government’s public bodies that they will put in place policies complying with the Supreme Court ruling within three months of her meeting with the EHRC? Shirley-Anne Somerville: It is important to give the EHRC more time than the meeting that we will have on Thursday. With the greatest respect to Tess White, I can absolutely understand the need, desire and indeed obligation for pace on this matter.”
“Douglas Lumsden: Does Tess White agree that it is disgraceful that no Scottish ministers or cabinet secretaries will meet the campaign groups, even though they are totally happy to meet companies such as SSEN? Tess White: It is absolutely disgraceful. All the groups that I have mentioned are watching this debate to hear the defence of the SNP Government. They are looking to see who is in the chamber today. It is disgraceful.”
“What is happening now is nothing short of criminal, causing mental health issues and environmental vandalism. That is what it is—environmental vandalism. As my colleague has said, campaigners in Galloway raised more than £26,000 towards the costs of a lawyer and an energy expert to unsuccessfully challenge pylon plans. I think that Labour said today that it would like to have more local planning, but the problem is that the Scottish Government is overriding local planning decisions. Communities should not need to crowdfund just to have their voices heard. It is like David and Goliath, and it is clear which side the SNP Government has taken. The SNP in Holyrood and the Labour Government in Westminster want to remove the right to a public inquiry.”
“Giving evidence to the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, the Law Society of Scotland laid bare what non-compliance with the Aarhus convention means in practice: “Developers may be well funded and there will be Government representation, but community groups or individuals may appear on their own or may have a solicitor appear for them. There is often a mismatch in what you might call the equality of arms.”—[Official Report, Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, 12 November 2024; c 13.] This is inequality of arms. Communities are powerless to do anything as their homeland is destroyed. I would like members to hear the voice of one of my constituents, who said this morning: “The Scottish Government has ignored the Aarhus convention for over a decade ...”
“Campaigners from Save Our Mearns, Angus Pylon Action Group, Deeside Against Pylons, the Leylodge against industrialisation group, the Stop Tealing Industrialisation Group, the Echt and Dunecht against pylons group, the Buchan and Formartine opposed to big energy group, Kyle of Sutherland, Dunbeath and Berriedale groups, Communities B4 Power Companies and other groups have mobilised to fight the plans. However, their monopoly provider, which has a contract to deliver, is bulldozing ahead. [Interruption.] Presiding Officer, there are conversations going on in the chamber. I know that SNP members do not want to hear this, but I say to them that they should please listen. It is also disrespectful to talk when somebody else is speaking.”
“Their land and their livelihoods are about to be destroyed, and they feel absolutely powerless to do anything about it. They also have valid concerns about the health implications of the infrastructure, which have not been explored and allayed because full independent environmental impact assessments have not been done. Wildlife, wheat fields and carrot and potato fields are about to be decimated. Communities are about to be disempowered by the very people they hoped would represent them. The SNP is numb to their plight.”
“I thought that I was hearing an SNP party-political broadcast from the previous speaker, but it is good to know that the SNP is concerned about the environment. Scotland has failed to comply with the Aarhus convention—that is clear. In failing to comply, the SNP has betrayed the principles of environmental justice. That matters, because plans are being rolled out to industrialise the north-east of Scotland with huge substations, a proliferation of battery storage, monster pylons and hundreds of kilometres of overhead lines. In the affected communities, that sprawling energy infrastructure is already having a devastating impact on hundreds of families. Constituents from Angus to Aberdeenshire and beyond see the industrialisation of their homeland.”
“Amendment disagreed to. The Presiding Officer: The next question is, that motion S6M-17059, in the name of Jamie Hepburn, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, setting out a business motion, be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division. The vote is closed.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app would not work. I would have voted yes. The Presiding Officer: Thank you, Ms White. We will ensure that that is recorded. For Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Con) Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Carlaw, Jackson (Eastwood) (Con) Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (Con) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Simpson, Graham (Central Scotland) (Con) Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con) Wells, Annie (Glasgow) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) Against Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP) Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP) Allan, Alasdair (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP) Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire South) (SNP) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Coffey, Willie (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP) Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP) Dey, Graeme (Angus South) (SNP) Don-Innes, Natalie (Renfrewshire North and West) (SNP) Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP) Dornan, James (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP) Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) FitzPatrick, Joe (Dundee City West) (SNP) Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) Gibson, Kenneth (Cunninghame North) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Gougeon, Mairi (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP) Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP) Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP) MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) [Proxy vote cast by Rona Mackay] Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) [Proxy vote cast by Jamie Hepburn] McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP) McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP) McMillan, Stuart (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP) McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP) Roddick, Emma (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP) Thomson, Michelle (Falkirk East) (SNP) Todd, Maree (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP) Torrance, David (Kirkcaldy) (SNP) Tweed, Evelyn (Stirling) (SNP) Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) Abstentions Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Lab) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Lab) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Lennon, Monica (Central Scotland) (Lab) Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) Smyth, Colin (South Scotland) (Lab) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division on amendment S6M-17059.1, in the name of Miles Briggs, is: For 31, Against 60, Abstentions 26.”
“The 2025-26 budget includes more than £2.2 billion of investment in primary care, which will take our spending on wider primary care to more than 11 per cent of the total 2025-26 health and social care resource budget. There has been an increase of more than 300 in the head count of general practitioners and we have expanded the wider multidisciplinary team to approaching 5,000 staff. The characterisation that Tess White gives is just not true. However, I recognise that challenges remain and I recognise the particular challenges in rural and island communities—I understand that especially given my background. As I said in response to Colin Beattie, I will continue to engage with the BMA and the Royal College of General Practitioners to ensure that we can support general practice in all parts of the country.”
“Udny Station GP surgery in my region is the latest casualty of the Scottish National Party’s chronic mismanagement of primary care. A lack of clinical workforce, rising operational costs and population growth mean that the surgery is set to close its doors, which will leave rural communities in the lurch. This is not the first time that I have mentioned the issue. Why is the SNP Government still failing to resource GP surgeries, such as the one in Udny Station, to meet the needs of rural populations? What action will it take to address this unacceptable situation? Neil Gray: I must challenge Tess White’s characterisation. We have invested an additional £73 million in general practice.”
“To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made an assessment of the potential loss of agricultural land in the North East Scotland region as the result of development. (S6O-04516)”
“I say to our visitors in the gallery, who are all most welcome in the Parliament, that we do not have clapping in the gallery because we, MSPs, are the participants in the process. However, visitors are very welcome to observe the process from the gallery. Thank you for your co-operation. 17:40”
“Protecting single-sex spaces in our public sector should be at the top of the policy agenda, and I have had rigorous exchanges with SNP ministers on that issue. Since 2005, the Scottish Government has expected health boards to ensure that their facilities comply with the guidelines and recommendations on the elimination of mixed-sex accommodation that were published 25 years ago. However, that is just not happening on the ground, and I think that that is evident from the data. Our hospitals must be safe for people— especially women and children—who access those settings. The SNP Government must act swiftly to address sexual violence in Scotland’s hospitals. [Applause.] The Deputy Presiding Officer: Thank you, Ms White.”
“Sexual assaults have also been reported in other psychiatric units and palliative settings. That cannot go on. We must see urgent action from the SNP Government, health boards, NHS partners and Police Scotland to allay the concerns of women and girls. What is the way ahead? I often say that we cannot manage what we cannot measure. I understand that Healthcare Improvement Scotland is working to standardise the reporting of incidents, and that is to be welcomed, but we need details from the Scottish Government on how that will operate in practice. To address the risks and weaknesses and to put preventative policies in place, we need to see the data. There is a wider issue about mixed-sex wards.”
“She was terrified and traumatised, she was separated from her support network and she was scared for her safety on a mixed-sex ward. How can that be? Where was the duty of care? For women giving birth or accessing support for serious mental ill health or learning disabilities, safeguarding has to be of paramount importance. The Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee recently heard evidence that 90 per cent of women with learning difficulties and disabilities have been subjected to sexual abuse, with 68 per cent of them experiencing sexual abuse before turning 18. Women have been raped or sexually assaulted at Scottish maternity hospitals on at least five different occasions, and one of those rapes was reported at Aberdeen maternity hospital.”
“The safety of patients, visitors and staff must be the SNP Government’s top priority when it comes to the NHS. I was extremely concerned to learn that some women are afraid to seek treatment because of the potential risk to their safety. I hope that the minister will address that in closing the debate. Earlier this year, I raised with the First Minister concerns about the Carseview psychiatric unit in NHS Tayside, which has mixed-sex wards. The WRN’s research suggests that seven sexual assaults and two rapes took place in this so-called secure psychiatric setting. One of my constituents received treatment in Carseview for postpartum psychosis following the birth of her second baby. I understand that, at that most vulnerable point in her life, she was repeatedly subjected to another patient exposing himself.”
“We do not have data for almost two thirds of Scotland’s NHS and private hospitals. Underreporting and a lack of data management mean that we simply do not know the full scale of the problem. We can all agree that even one sexual assault in our NHS is too many. Whether it is to receive medical care ourselves or to visit a poorly loved one, we are often at our most vulnerable when we enter a hospital. We are placing our physical and psychological safety in the hands of health boards and NHS staff. We are entrusting our children and our family to their care. We must be able to do so without fear. Staff, too, are vulnerable. Members will recall the shocking revelations in autumn 2023 about female surgeons being sexually assaulted and harassed by male colleagues in the operating theatre.”
“The Sunday Post has built on that work in recent weeks by exposing the issue and holding the Scottish National Party Government to account. The WRN submitted close to 200 freedom of information requests to Police Scotland and surveyed 198 hospital settings over a five-year period. Data was made available for only 57 of those hospitals, which is just 29 per cent of Scotland’s total. It showed that, between 2019 and 2024, 276 sexual assaults and 12 rapes were reported and 163 sexual assaults and rapes occurred on hospital wards. Twenty-two sexual assaults and one rape took place in NHS Grampian, in my region, and 17 sexual assaults and three rapes took place in NHS Tayside. Out of a total of 288 incidents, only 156 individuals were charged. Those are spine-chilling figures. By no means is that a complete picture.”
“I welcome the opportunity to lead this members’ business debate on sexual violence in Scotland’s hospitals. I thank Michelle Thomson for supporting the motion and allowing it to achieve cross-party support. That means that we can shine a much- needed light on a serious safeguarding issue in Scotland’s national health service. I pay tribute to the Women’s Rights Network Scotland, which is represented in the public gallery, especially Mary Howden and Carolyn Brown, who authored the sobering report—which I have with me here—“How safe are our Scottish hospitals?” Once again, it is a grass-roots women’s organisation that has brought concerns about safety and safeguarding in Scotland’s public sector to the fore.”
“To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review public sector guidance on single-sex spaces, in light of reported concerns about the Care Inspectorate and the Scottish Prison Service. (S6T-02422)”
“Conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome can have a massive impact on a woman’s physical and mental wellbeing, but it can take years to secure a diagnosis. The Dundee endo warriors have been doing brilliant work to shine a light on women’s health inequalities. Women across Scotland are making such a difference every day. It is our duty to come together and knock down the barriers that are holding them back. 17:48”
“After working in human resources for more than 30 years, I know how vital accessible childcare is for women as they return to work after maternity leave. There are two issues with childcare in Scotland—cost and availability. Both have been highlighted in a petition to the Parliament that was lodged by Aberdeenshire mum Julie Fraser. She is calling for funded hours to be introduced in Scotland when a baby is nine months old. That has already been rolled out in England. Women who want to work are being priced out of the workforce because of sky-high nursery fees. Funded hours from when a baby is nine months old would be a game changer for many working parents. On women’s health, no woman should have to endure sleepless nights because of delays to diagnosis and treatment.”
“Other women, such as Angela Taylor from the Angus Pylon Action Group and June Morrison from the Leylodge against industrialisation group, are leading the charge against the megapylon plans that will puncture the beautiful countryside of the north-east and decimate communities. Those special and brilliant women, and many more besides, have made such a difference to their communities, personally and professionally, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to pay tribute to them today. As the motion highlights, this year’s IWD theme is accelerate action, to address with renewed urgency the barriers that many women face. I will focus the remainder of my remarks on two of those barriers—the crippling cost of childcare and difficulties accessing diagnosis and treatment for medical conditions such as cervical cancer and endometriosis.”
“She leads a team of 185 staff to deliver trauma- informed care, education, health and specialist psychological services for young people with multiple and complex needs in secure care. Helen Reid from Laurencekirk was my local hero for the Scottish Parliament’s 25th anniversary celebration. She makes such a positive contribution to improving her local area by holding fundraising events and coffee mornings to provide Christmas lights and summer hanging baskets. Jill Fotheringham, a local businesswoman, has been campaigning for many years to improve the treacherous Laurencekirk junction, which has caused too many deaths, collisions and near misses. Her unwavering commitment to the campaign has, at all times, kept the pressure on Transport Scotland and Aberdeenshire Council to get shovels in the ground.”
“I welcome Audrey Nicoll’s members’ business debate to celebrate international women’s day 2025. The day is an opportunity to celebrate women’s achievements, and I would like to highlight the work of some truly fantastic women in the north-east who do so much to support their communities. Jennifer Garnes is the headteacher of Strathmore primary school in Forfar. She cares passionately about creating adaptive environments to provide equal opportunities for all learners. Her work resulted in the school becoming the first in Scotland to be awarded an ADHD friendly school award. Mary Geaney is the chief executive officer of Rossie Young People’s Trust in Montrose.”
“The NHS, schools, councils, the Prison Service and the police all jumped on the so-called inclusion bandwagon at the behest of Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP Government. Labour did nothing. Equality, diversity and inclusion policies in our public bodies have become exclusionary for women. That is why we need leadership and clarity from the SNP Government, and it is why the Scottish Conservatives are calling on John Swinney to issue a directive requiring public sector bodies to provide single-sex spaces for biological women and girls, in line with their legal obligations. It is high time that, after eroding our rights and relegating our needs for years, the SNP put women and girls first.”
“The SNP does not believe that women are adult human females, and it has taken a sledgehammer to the rights and spaces that are afforded to biological women and girls as a result. In kowtowing to activist organisations such as Stonewall, the SNP Government has allowed self- ID to creep into Scotland’s public sector for years. As I mentioned, the law is being skewed by lobby groups that are being funded by the SNP Government. Faulty guidance is becoming policy, with disastrous consequences, as a result of Nicola Sturgeon’s self-ID obsession. She leaves a dangerous and divisive legacy when she stands down in 2026. As Russell Findlay said, women will not forget that she trashed their rights.”
“As we have heard in the debate, the minister can read out a speech, but she probably does not engage with the substance, as Mr Ewing has pointed out. As Rachael Hamilton said, John Swinney recognises that the law is on the side of women, but the problem is that his SNP Government refuses to enforce it. Lest we forget it, the SNP Government has been arguing in the UK’s highest court that men can get pregnant and become lesbians; John Swinney confirmed at the end of February that he accepts that trans women are women; and he does not regret supporting the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, which was—thankfully—blocked by the previous Conservative UK Government. We cannot have a women-only space and let biological men have access to that space. That is common sense.”
“John Swinney is trying and failing to ride two horses on sex and self-ID. Fergus Ewing: Is it not concerning that neither the minister nor the cabinet secretary has made any reference to the workforce regulations, which unambiguously confer the right to females to have separate changing rooms in hospitals? Ignoring the law does not mean that it will go away. It is profoundly disturbing that the minister and the cabinet secretary have not referred to the law, which they must surely obey and ensure is enforced. Tess White: If I had been allowed to intervene on the cabinet secretary or the minister, I would have asked them about the millions of pounds that the Scottish Government has given to activist groups that are providing guidance, which is being interpreted as law. That is extremely worrying.”
“Why does the word “woman” need to be qualified? I also noticed that, until now, the Labour benches were almost empty. I know that members are looking at me and looking down, but it is unsurprising given Labour’s botched U-turn on women’s rights. Mercedes Villalba, you did a brilliant job for your colleagues who were absent by making all your interventions— The Presiding Officer: Speak through the chair, please. Tess White: I say to Audrey Nicoll and Evelyn Tweed that language matters. Gender is a construct; sex is down to biology. It is no wonder that trust in the Scottish Government has been so badly corroded. The SNP has made an absolute mess of this. Its amendment to the motion says: “the Scottish Government fully upholds the Equality Act 2010”. Senior SNP politicians have made similar statements, but the sleekit SNP is at it again.”
“It is absolutely no surprise that neither of the Government ministers took any interventions from either Labour or the Scottish Conservatives—or, in fact, from their own back benchers, which is telling. They refused. This is a Government that will not tolerate scrutiny unless it is on the Government’s own terms. I say to Lorna Slater that there is no way that she can equate someone’s bathroom at home with a toilet facility in the NHS—that is absolutely absurd. Lorna Slater was the only person to use the word “hate”. I am glad that Paul O’Kane brought the debate back. He talked about the need for facts, the balance of rights and the importance of dignity and respect in debate. Maggie Chapman was true to form, with emotion trumping logic and fact. Once again, she used the term “cis”, which so many women, including me, find offensive.”
“It is through our public services, our schools, the NHS and leisure centres that women and girls most frequently interact with the state. In those settings, they are often at their most vulnerable. They must always be kept safe, and their dignity and privacy must be respected. However, as Roz McCall and Rachael Hamilton mentioned— Lorna Slater: Will the member take an intervention? Tess White: If I have time, I will take an intervention at the end. As Roz McCall and Rachael Hamilton mentioned, research from For Women Scotland shows that, in 2024, only 13 of the 243 secondary schools in Scotland provided single-sex toilets. What have we seen today?”
“Tess White: I completely agree—that is not engaging in the debate, and it just shows what has happened in the seat of so-called Scottish democracy, which is absolutely shameful. Presiding Officer, our questions were swerved; sub judice was seized upon; and SNP scripts—as we have seen today—were woodenly read out. Twice now, the SNP Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee convener, Karen Adam, has shut me down when I have been asking questions on these issues. The public—we see people in the public gallery today—is rightly wondering what the Scottish Parliament is for, if the most salient issues of the day are all but ignored by the party that is in power. It has fallen to the Scottish Conservatives to bring the debate to the chamber today. We will not let the SNP get away with it.”
“John Swinney thinks that the legal position on single- sex spaces is “crystal clear”, but the SNP’s position is as clear as mud. Week after week, the Scottish Conservatives have been trying to get answers out of the SNP on what on earth is happening with women-only spaces in Scotland’s public bodies. Our requests for ministerial statements were knocked back. Our questions were swerved— Edward Mountain: Will the member take an intervention? Tess White: I will. Edward Mountain: Does the member agree that for a minister to stand up and give a speech and not interact with 13 attempts at interventions is a disgraceful show of how irrelevant they are in this Parliament? I am truly shocked; I wonder whether the member agrees with me.”
“Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention? Shirley-Anne Somerville: The supporting transgender young people in schools guidance for schools provides non-statutory legislative policy and practical guidance for schools on the matters that schools might wish to consider in responding to a young person’s personal decision to consider or change their gender identity. That includes a range of considerations, including the provision of toilets and changing rooms, but it goes well beyond those matters.”
“The First Minister: Anyone who has listened to anything that I have said during my tenure as First Minister will know that I am absolutely committed to protecting and asserting the safety of women and girls in our society. I am exercising leadership, as I have done from the moment I became First Minister, to challenge the underpinning issue that affects the safety of women and girls in society, which is the behaviour of men. I will be unapologetic in setting out that point of view from my position as a male First Minister, and in exercising leadership to make sure that men face up to their responsibilities to ensure that women and girls can live safely in our society today.”
“Women’s human rights are being abused in Scotland due to the treatment of biological males as females. A report was published this week by the Women’s Rights Network with spine-chilling figures on rapes and sexual assaults in Scottish hospitals. It is not only in our hospitals—women are being placed in harm’s way, both physically and psychologically, in Scottish prisons, rape crisis centres, toilets and changing rooms. In this week of international women’s day, if the First Minister is not alarmed by that, shame on him. If he wants to do something about it to accelerate action, which is this year’s theme for international women’s day, will he meet me and cross-party MSPs as a matter of urgency? How can any progress on women’s equality be made without that?”
“The £800 million Coalburn battery storage project in South Lanarkshire further highlights the scale of the opportunity to give disused industrial sites a new lease of life. We are striving towards a clean energy system and growing our national economy. I feel strongly that we must do so in a way that supports the communities that host the infrastructure. Despite much of that being reserved to the UK Government, we are taking action to make sure that communities gain tangible benefits from Scotland’s clean power revolution.”
“The energy transition is an era-defining economic opportunity for Scotland, with the potential to provide tens of thousands of good- quality sustainable green jobs across the country. We are leading the UK in delivering a green jobs revolution and unlocking the tremendous potential that is held by that transition and the wider net zero journey. In addition, the manufacturing supply chain and support activities that are associated with renewables are set to give a future to old industrial sites, including the high-voltage direct current cable manufacturing plant that is planned for Hunterston; Ardersier, which is thriving under new management; and the Sumitomo Electric investment in Nigg.”