Martin Whitfield
Scottish Labour · Scotland
“To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any impact on its energy policy and strategy, and in light of reports that Torness nuclear power station is due to close by 2030, what its response is to the United Kingdom Government’s new fusion strategy, which aims to deliver thousands of jobs and long-term energy security. (S6O-05690)”
“I ask members to note my entry in the members’ register of interests. As we come to the conclusion of today’s debate, I rise to offer the full support of Scottish Labour for the Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Bill.”
“The last few motions before us today are the final motions from the committee designed to put the standing orders book in its best possible state for the next session. The first motion, regarding the sixth report, relates to cross-party groups. We have had some challenges this session with the compliance of cross-party groups.”
“Last year’s fostering and adoption statistics show that children who are going through the adoption system face significant delays, with some waiting for six months or longer.”
“I will dwell on the comments he made as convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee, because it is a tribute to him that he saw, in that committee, the ability to fulfil a role that is crucial for committees in a unicameral Parliament.”
“The Presiding Officer: The next question is, that motion S6M-21167, in the name of Graeme Dey, on a motion on legislative consent for the Armed Forces Bill, which is UK legislation, be agreed to.”
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“Those services are provided independently by qualified practitioners who are trained to use a trauma-informed approach. The corporate body is keen to engage with the SPPA Committee to understand what more it considers can be done to support members in such circumstances. Martin Whitfield: The pastoral element was the most important element of the support that the committee called for. The committee has received substantial evidence on the importance of pastoral support throughout the session. I welcome the corporate body’s offer to engage with our successor committee on the matter, but does Jackson Carlaw agree that specialist knowledge in respect of MSP complaints must be a prerequisite for anyone who advises members who are the subject of such a complaint, given that it is an almost unique situation?”
“To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what its response is to the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee announcement on pastoral support for MSPs that was made in the chamber on 10 March. (S6O- 05682) Jackson Carlaw (Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body): It is harder to be succinct in response to that question, Presiding Officer. The corporate body noted with interest the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee’s announcement. The corporate body offers a wide range of pastoral support measures for members who are the subject of a complaint, including access to free individualised and confidential counselling services, access to specialist psychological services, and access to specialists who are trained in bullying and harassment complaints.”
“I therefore welcome the Government’s willingness both to seek to solve the problem in its drafting and, perhaps more importantly, to acknowledge that the issue exists. That issue can create what I believe to be an unacceptable additional barrier to access to support, particularly for children who left care just before they were 16 and would have had to apply for support. That goes against the fundamental principles of fairness that are outlined in the Promise. I hope that we will find greater agreement later. I can confirm that Scottish Labour will support Roz McCall’s excellent amendment 92 with regard to accommodation and maintenance. I will leave it at that.”
“I remind members in the chamber, and those who are watching, of my entry in the register of members’ interests. With regard to group 1, I echo Roz McCall’s thanks to the minister and to those supporting her for what has been an unusually active engagement with regard to this complex and long- standing bill, which comes very late in the session. It is very much to the credit of the minister’s leadership, particularly at stages 2 and 3. Having got the compliments out of the way, I will speak to the amendments in the group. My two amendments 96 and 97 build on amendments that were lodged at stage 2. There is a challenge in differentiating between children and young people on the basis of when they left care. I know that the Government’s amendments go some way towards doing that, but there is still a challenge coming down the line.”
“We would also expect the CMO to update the guidance so that medical practitioners can provide consistent and safe assessment in the most complex of cases. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I call Daniel Johnson, who joins us remotely.”
“11:30 Jackie Baillie: In the interests of time, I will limit my comments to amendment 274, which I lodged on behalf of Children’s Hospices Across Scotland. I have previously covered the arguments about the unique challenges faced by young adults up to the age of 25 years old who have a diagnosis of a life- shortening condition. Those include fluctuating and unpredictable conditions; reduced cognitive maturity and greater risk of coercion; communication differences; and heightened safeguarding needs. In that context, I believe that there is a clear need for national clinical guidance to ensure consistency in the most complex cases. Amendment 274 would do just that by requiring the chief medical officer to publish guidance explaining how assessments should be carried out for young adults under 25 who we know have fluctuating conditions.”
“Amendment 273 is a consequential amendment that would ensure that the provisions that relate to the review mechanisms fit coherently with the rest of section 23. Taken together, amendments 268, 269, 272 and 273 recognise that, if Parliament legislates on assisted dying, our responsibility does not end on the day that the bill is passed. We absolutely must continue to monitor how the system operates in practice, how many people are accessing the service, their reasons for doing so and the wider impacts on families, healthcare professionals, our NHS and local authorities. That regular scrutiny and review would help to ensure that the safeguards that Parliament intends are not weakened over time. I urge colleagues to support my amendments.”
“Alternatively, is it her view that, if a future Parliament refused to approve changes to the guidance, it would revert back to whatever the existing guidance was, and the act would still be law? Could future Parliaments use the provisions as a blocking mechanism? Liz Smith: Mr Greene makes an interesting point. I do not think that the act would be blocked because of the review having to be undertaken in successive periods. My amendments seek to ensure that, should the guidance change, there is proper parliamentary scrutiny of that. As I said when I dealt with Mr McArthur’s point, that is an unusual approach but, because the bill is so critical—let us be honest: this is the most important debate that we have had in the Parliament—we have to ensure that the safeguards are in place.”
“That review would allow Parliament to assess whether the safeguards in the bill were working as intended and, if necessary, recommend that ministers revise the guidance if the safeguards were not being adequately upheld. Jamie Greene: I am eternally sympathetic to the notion that the Parliament should have as much say as possible in major change. We have amended other bills in a similar fashion. However, there is a technical niggle at the back of my mind: we do not know the make-up of the next Parliament or its future views on any legislation that might be passed in this session. My worry is this: could the resolution that Ms Smith’s amendments would require for any changes in guidance to be approved be used as a way to block the act in its entirety?”
“Would Liz Smith be surprised if the guidance had not developed over that period, and would it concern her if it had not? Liz Smith: I think that that is highly possible. Obviously, some of the guidance would be a matter for the medical practitioners, who would have an influence over whichever Government ministers were responsible for reviewing it. However, we must have a parliamentary process that scrutinises any changes that we make because Parliament is the sovereign body and, as Mr Kerr rightly set out in relation to his amendment 266, that is critical to the oversight of any legislation that we might pass. Amendment 269 goes a little bit further by placing “at least once every five years” a duty on the Parliament to “review the operation and effectiveness” of the guidance.”
“I invite the Parliament to join me in recognising the truly extraordinary legacy of Edinburgh medical school and in wishing its staff, its students and its alumni every success as its goes into its next 300 years. The Deputy Presiding Officer: We move to the open debate. 13:03”
“They have pioneered diagnostics. They have advanced public health. They have helped guide health policy at home and abroad. For 300 years, the institution has stood at the intersection of learning, discovery and service. The spirit of collaboration, diversity and ingenuity is alive and well, and that has been a key part of EMS 300 celebrations. School of art students have produced an EMS 300 tartan. There are poems about the school’s history. Events have been put on by the medical school throughout the year. The next generations of Charles Darwins, Wong Fung Chus and Sophia Jex-Blakes are already being moulded. They are the difference makers who will go on to save lives, push boundaries and break those boundaries.”
“At the lecture, they spoke about imposter syndrome, about the subtle but persistent barriers that remain, and about the importance of mentorship and of representation, because, as Ms Shamaz so cleverly and succinctly put it: “You can’t be what you can’t see.” They reminded us that commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion are not an administrative duty but a clinical one, because the future of medicine is not about treating disease but about understanding people. As we congratulate the university and all those who are involved in curating the diverse, thoughtful programme of events—from lectures to alumni reunions and public outreach activities—we also need to recognise Edinburgh medical school’s immense contribution to Scotland’s health, economy and reputation, because its graduates have shaped global surgery.”
“How fitting it is that the 300-year celebration deliberately gives prominence to those who had been written out of the story, from the Edinburgh seven to pioneers such as Gertrude Herzfeld, whose leadership helped establish paediatrics as its own discipline; to the present generation, represented by Dr Dawson, who is the first female secretary of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh; and, most importantly, to today’s students, who are the most diverse in the school’s history. The speakers’ message was not only about the past injustice.”
“They reminded us of the Edinburgh seven— Sophia Jex-Blake and her peers—who, in the 1870s, were accepted into medical school only to face harassment, violent obstruction and, ultimately, the denial of the right to graduate. Yet they persisted: they studied abroad when the University of Edinburgh would not grant them degrees. They laid foundations that their own country’s university would fully acknowledge only many decades later. When Edinburgh medical school celebrated its 250th anniversary, the official catalogue singled out a “galaxy of talented and famous men”. There was no mention of the women whose perseverance had opened wider the doors to the profession.”
“As the organisers of the EMS 300 programme have emphasised, the anniversary compels us to recognise the struggles, the exclusions and the inequalities that sit alongside all of those achievements. One of the most powerful elements of that is the role of women in the story of Edinburgh medicine. I think of Heen Shamaz, a final-year student who, on the day that she passed—although she did not know it at the time—her final examinations, gave a lecture in old college, which is a strange building from which, for more than 200 years, women were excluded. She stood alongside distinguished colleagues Professor Lorna Marson and Dr Lesley Dawson, and they reflected on the long fight for equality in medical education.”
“This milestone invites pride, absolutely, but it also invites honesty, reflection and a renewed sense of responsibility for the future. In 1726, when the faculty of medicine was formally established, the University of Edinburgh set in motion a model of medical education that blended rigorous scientific inquiry with clinical observation—a real first, although medical schools had existed in the Netherlands earlier. It brought the scientific principle to medicine. That approach helped to make our capital one of the leading centres during the enlightenment. It drew students from around the world—from Europe, North America and Asia—and influenced the creation of medical schools around the world. The history that we commemorate in this year is not just a procession of success.”
“I start by thanking the colleagues who supported this motion and the colleagues who are in the chamber this afternoon. I am glad to contribute to the debate. I also take the opportunity to welcome representatives from Edinburgh medical school and the University of Edinburgh who join us today, and to thank them for and congratulate them on their sterling work, because Edinburgh medical school 300—EMS 300—has been a massive success. When we mark this 300th anniversary of formal medical teaching at the University of Edinburgh, we do more than just celebrate a date in a calendar; we recognise that, over three centuries, Scotland has shaped global medicine, informed scientific thought and trained generations of clinicians whose work has touched lives far beyond the borders of Scotland.”
“I remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests. The announcement that school strikes in six areas, arising from the Scottish Government’s failure to address workload issues, may be avoided, is to be welcomed. Local authorities have fixed their budgets for this financial year and the next. Will the First Minister confirm the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills that additional funding will be available and that that funding will fully cover local authorities implementing the solution that has been given?”
“Motion agreed to, That the Parliament agrees— (a) the following programme of business— Tuesday 17 March 2026 2.00 pm Time for Reflection followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions followed by Topical Questions followed by Ministerial Statement: A Year of Progress in Bringing Down Long Waits - Driving Continued Improvement and Building a Stronger NHS followed by Stage 3 Proceedings: Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Bill followed by Stage 3 Proceedings: Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill followed by Stage 3 Proceedings: Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill followed by Committee Announcements followed by Business Motions followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions 10.00 pm Decision Time Wednesday 18 March 2026 2.00 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions 2.00 pm Portfolio Questions: Deputy First Minister Responsibilities, Economy and Gaelic; Finance and Local Government followed by Stage 3 Proceedings: Greyhound Racing (Offences) (Scotland) Bill followed by Stage 3 Proceedings: Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill followed by Business Motions followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions 10.00 pm Decision Time Thursday 19 March 2026 11.40 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions 11.40 am General Questions 12.00 pm First Minister’s Questions followed by Members’ Business 2.00 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions 2.00 pm Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Questions 2.15 pm Portfolio Questions: Climate Action and Energy, and Transport followed by Stage 3 Proceedings: Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Bill followed by Stage 3 Proceedings: Visitor Levy (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill followed by Stage 3 Proceedings: Crofting and Scottish Land Court Bill followed by Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Motion: Amendments to the Scottish Parliament Salaries Scheme followed by Business Motions followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions 9.05 pm Decision Time Tuesday 24 March 2026 10.00 am Parliamentary Bureau Motions followed by Members’ Business followed by Members’ Business 2.00 pm Time for Reflection followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions followed by Topical Questions followed by Scottish Government Business followed by Committee Announcements followed by Business Motions followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions 5.00 pm Decision Time followed by Members’ Business followed by Members’ Business Wednesday 25 March 2026 11.40 am General Questions 12.00 pm First Minister’s Questions followed by Members’ Business followed by Members’ Business 3.00 pm Parliamentary Bureau Motions 3.00 pm Portfolio Questions: Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands; Health and Social Care; Social Justice and Housing followed by Motion of Thanks followed by Business Motions followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions 4.45 pm Decision Time (b) that, for the purposes of Portfolio Questions in the week beginning 16 March 2026, in rule 13.7.3, after the word “except” the words “to the extent to which the Presiding Officer considers that the questions are on the same or similar subject matter or” are inserted.”
“Amendment disagreed to. The Presiding Officer: The next question is, that motion S6M-21035, in the name of Graeme Dey, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, setting out a business programme, be agreed to.”
“For Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Carlaw, Jackson (Eastwood) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (Con) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con) Gulhane, Sandesh (Glasgow) (Con) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Simpson, Graham (Central Scotland) (Reform) 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) 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) Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Ind) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Coffey, Willie (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP) Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD) 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) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Ind) Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (Ind) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) FitzPatrick, Joe (Dundee City West) (SNP) Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Gougeon, Mairi (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (LD) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP) Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Lennon, Monica (Central Scotland) (Lab) Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP) MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP) McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP) McMillan, Stuart (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP) McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP) Roddick, Emma (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Russell, Davy (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab) Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow) (Lab) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (SNP) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) 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) Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) Abstentions Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Ind) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division on amendment S6M-21035.1, in the name of Alexander Burnett, is: For 31, Against 89, Abstentions 1.”
“I do not in any way downplay the points that Alexander Burnett has made. The position that we articulated was that Neil Gray, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, would be more than willing to meet any members who have an interest in the issue, and that offer still stands. However, we will reflect further on the timetable that Martin Whitfield has identified. In the meantime, I ask Parliament to approve the business motion. The Presiding Officer: The question is, that amendment S6M-21035.1, in the name of Alexander Burnett, which seeks to amend motion S6M-21035, in the name of Graeme Dey, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, setting out a business programme, be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division.”
“From what was articulated in the earlier submission on the state of affairs, the issue seems far more serious than people were perhaps aware of when the initial request was made. I understand that information will, we hope, be provided on Friday. If it is not provided, would that not alter whether a statement should be given, on the basis of what we have heard in the chamber this evening? Graeme Dey: The Government can, of course, reflect on that. An offer was made at the bureau. Let us remember that, a few moments ago, we discussed in great detail the pressures on parliamentary business. I know that a number of members across the chamber would ideally want to ask for ministerial statements in the closing 14 days or so of this session of Parliament, but they recognise that their aspirations cannot reasonably be met.”
“Does the cabinet secretary agree that allowing prisoners with sentences of less than 12 months to vote allows them to retain a connection to the communities that they will return to? Angela Constance: Yes, I do. Police (Mental Health-related Calls) 6.”
“Those judgments will be based on their experience and knowledge of the person, but they will be subjective judgments. All that we can do is to ask for qualifications in addition to those judgments. Throughout the stage 2 process, much was made of international comparison. It is important to note what international comparison tells us about this.”
“I have great interest in Daniel Johnson’s amendment, for the reasons that he has already set out, but does he share my concern that we would end up with a subjective test that would sit on top of what have previously been, in the main, objective assessments, which would be the same? Can he deal with that point? Daniel Johnson: I am happy to deal with that point. I actually disagree with it, because I believe that we must be frank about the fact that all the decisions and judgments that we are asking professionals to make in the course of the assisted death process will be subjective. There is no possibility of true objectivity. We could set some standards, expectations, values and conditions, but, ultimately, it will boil down to doctors and other medical professionals making judgments.”
“The Presiding Officer: The next question is, that motion S6M-20971, in the name of Graeme Dey, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, on approval of a Scottish statutory instrument, be agreed to. Motion agreed to, That the Parliament agrees that the Marine Licensing (Exempted Activities) (Scottish Inshore Region) Amendment Order 2026 [draft] be approved. The Presiding Officer: The next question is, that motion S6M-20972, in the name of Graeme Dey, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, on approval of a Scottish statutory instrument, be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division. The vote is closed.”
“Motion, as amended, agreed to, That the Parliament recognises the challenges that island communities have faced with disruptions and the need to give them reliable and resilient services; supports the announcements made by the Scottish Government on 3 March 2026 of the conclusion of the purchase of Ardrossan Harbour, the proposal to directly award two vessels for the Small Vessel Replacement Programme to Ferguson Marine, the competitive tender for the replacement for the MV Lord of the Isles, funding for the Port Ellen redevelopment on Islay, and that peak fares for islanders on NorthLink ferry services will be removed on 24 March 2026; notes that, with 11 vessels currently being built and with the recent arrival of MV Isle of Islay, one third of the entire CalMac fleet is being replaced, and further notes that the Island Connectivity Plan Vessels and Ports Plan sets out a long-term investment programme to 2045, and that community needs assessments, with community engagement at their heart, will shape these investments in ferries and ports for decades to come.”
“For 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) Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Ind) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) 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) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Ind) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (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) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP) Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP) MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP) McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP) McMillan, Stuart (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP) McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP) Roddick, Emma (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Russell, Davy (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab) Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow) (Lab) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (SNP) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) 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) Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Against Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Carlaw, Jackson (Eastwood) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (Ind) Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (Con) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (LD) Gulhane, Sandesh (Glasgow) (Con) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (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) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Simpson, Graham (Central Scotland) (Reform) Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) Abstentions Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Ind) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division on motion S6M-20957, in the name of Jamie Greene, as amended, on fixing Scotland’s ferry fiasco, is: For 85, Against 33, Abstentions 1.”
“Amendment disagreed to. The Presiding Officer: The next question is, that motion S6M-20957, in the name of Jamie Greene, as amended, on fixing Scotland’s ferry fiasco, be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division.”
“For Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab) Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Carlaw, Jackson (Eastwood) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Ind) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Ind) Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (Ind) Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (Con) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (LD) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Gulhane, Sandesh (Glasgow) (Con) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Ind) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Russell, Davy (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab) Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow) (Lab) Simpson, Graham (Central Scotland) (Reform) Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) 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) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) 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) 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) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) 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, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) 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) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (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 Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Ind) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division on amendment S6M-20957.1, in the name of Rhoda Grant, is: For 53, Against 66, Abstentions 1.”
“Amendment disagreed to. The Presiding Officer: The next question is, that amendment S6M-20957.1, in the name of Rhoda Grant, which seeks to amend motion S6M- 20957, in the name of Jamie Greene, on fixing Scotland’s ferry fiasco, be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division.”
“For Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab) Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Carlaw, Jackson (Eastwood) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Ind) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Ind) Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (Con) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (LD) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Gulhane, Sandesh (Glasgow) (Con) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Ind) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Russell, Davy (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab) Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow) (Lab) Simpson, Graham (Central Scotland) (Reform) Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) 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) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) 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) 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) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) 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, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) 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) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (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 Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Ind) Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (Ind) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division on amendment S6M-20957.2, in the name of Sue Webber, is: For 52, Against 66, Abstentions 2.”
“Amendment agreed to. The Presiding Officer: The next question is, that amendment S6M-20957.2, in the name of Sue Webber, which seeks to amend motion S6M- 20957, in the name of Jamie Greene, on fixing Scotland’s ferry fiasco, be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app would not connect. I would have voted no. The Presiding Officer: Thank you, Mr Whitfield. We will ensure that that is recorded. For 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) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) 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) 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) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) 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, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) 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) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (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) Against Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab) Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Carlaw, Jackson (Eastwood) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Ind) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Ind) Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (Ind) Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (Con) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (LD) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Gulhane, Sandesh (Glasgow) (Con) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Ind) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Russell, Davy (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab) Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow) (Lab) Simpson, Graham (Central Scotland) (Reform) Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) Abstentions Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Ind) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division on amendment S6M-20957.3, in the name of Fiona Hyslop, is: For 66, Against 53, Abstentions 1.”
“Declining performance since 2012 is not about league table vanity; it is a warning signal that long trends in literacy, numeracy and equity are falling. I turn briefly to the cabinet secretary’s amendment. It offers an impressive catalogue of budgets, figures and future intentions. However, it confirms the problem that this debate is about, because it substitutes announcement for achievement and asks the Parliament to look forward rather than account for what has not yet been delivered. Investment is not in dispute, but delivery is. It is right to have gratitude for teachers, staff, parents and pupils, but that cannot be used as a shield. Education is one of the clearest tests of whether opportunity in Scotland is broadly shared. It is disappointing that this SNP Government has not learned that lesson. 15:28”
“It should surprise no one that teachers are once again considering industrial action. That is not a system at ease; it is a system that is stretched close to breaking point. The motion directs us to the attainment gap, which is perhaps the clearest measure of this Government’s education record. For years, ministers have rightly described closing the poverty-related attainment gap as their defining mission. However, the gap remains wide, and progress has been uneven and fragile. The motion does not deny the complexity of the challenge, but it rejects the idea that ambition alone is a substitute for delivery. Scotland’s children do not have the luxury of waiting, because they get one chance at their childhood. That is why I support the Labour amendment, which recognises that international evidence matters.”
“However, leadership is not tested when delivery is straightforward; it is tested when priorities must be defended and promises must be honoured under strain. The motion is right to state that the failure to meet the commitments has had real and tangible consequences, which we can see in the classroom. Teachers speak of rising levels of violence and disruption, while pupils with additional support needs too often face delay or denial when they seek the help that they are legally entitled to. At the same time, the profession is under profound pressure. Record numbers of newly qualified teachers are leaving the profession not through a lack of vocation but because the system is failing to sustain them. Workloads are excessive, class sizes remain high and promised reductions in class contact time have not been delivered.”
“The pledges included free laptops for all pupils, free bikes for children who cannot afford them, free school meals for all pupils up to primary 7, an additional 3,500 teachers, reduced class contact time and, critically, the closing of the poverty-related attainment gap by 2026. Those were not Opposition demands; they were Government commitments. However, many of those commitments have been missed, diluted, delayed or quietly abandoned altogether. That matters, because, when education targets are missed, it is not spreadsheets that suffer; it is schools, teachers and families—it is our children who are let down. The Government might argue that circumstances have changed. It might point to the pandemic or wider pressures.”
“Martin Whitfield: One of the enduring tests of education is not simply that we affirm but whether we are prepared to examine claims rigorously rather than just accept them uncritically. That principle serves this Parliament well when we assess claims of success in public policy. It is in that spirit that I rise to support the motion in the name of Willie Rennie and to support the Scottish Labour amendment, because they ask the Parliament to do something entirely reasonable: to judge the Scottish Government not on promises made but on commitments delivered. Since 2016, the Government has set out a series of headline pledges on education with clear targets that were publicly stated and repeatedly affirmed.”
“I remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests. It is very powerful to follow what might be Liz Smith’s last contribution on education. I would like to take a moment to say that it has taken you a long time, since 2007, to graduate—longer than many of our young people in university—but you are good at something. Your empathy, wisdom, knowledge and ability to advocate for what our young people need, even though they might not know that they need it, have been exceptional. You will be greatly missed in the chamber, and your contribution to education will be greatly treasured and also missed, so thank you. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I am almost tempted not to say, “Through the chair”, given those remarks, but please speak through the chair.”
“That the Parliament agrees to the following revisions to the programme of business for— (a) Tuesday 3 March 2026— after followed by Topical Questions insert followed by Ministerial Statement: Ferries and Ports followed by Ministerial Statement: Ferguson Marine delete 5.00 pm Decision Time and insert 5.15 pm Decision Time (b) Thursday 5 March 2026— after followed by Appointment of Board Member to Environmental Standards Scotland insert followed by Financial Resolution: Freedom of Information Reform (Scotland) Bill Topical Question Time 14:10 Middle East Conflict (Support for Residents in Scotland) 1.”
“As a former committee convener, I understand the challenges that are faced, particularly at this late stage in a parliamentary session. However, as I said, when Ferguson Marine comes before Mr Mountain’s committee, I hope that it will be a productive session. Motion agreed to.”
“The challenge is that an incredible level of discourtesy has been shown towards the committee by others outside this place. Given the discussions that we have had about the challenges that sometimes exist in getting witnesses to this place, does the minister envisage that the environment will perhaps change in the next session and that the requirement to attend committees may become much higher? In the past, committees have accepted it where people have been unable to attend, but this level of discourtesy from such an important a witness raises the question of how we can ensure attendance at our committees. Graeme Dey: That will be a matter for the next Parliament and its committees. It is not for the Government to have a view on that. However, I recognise the frustration that Mr Mountain has articulated.”
“I echo the committee’s calls for much more guidance, particularly on funding, terms of reference and conflicts of interest. I once again thank the committee for a genuinely excellent piece of work that we should recognise the value of encompassing as we go forward, because that would help a great deal to renew confidence in the organisations and systems that act for the public, and to do so in the right way. The Deputy Presiding Officer: We now come to the open debate. We still have a fair amount of time in hand, and I call Michelle Thomson, who has around four minutes. 15:02”
“They are evidence led, and the recommendations are strong suggestions about how to avoid or prevent a repetition of the problem. I am desperately conscious of the time. I had many fascinating and interesting things to say, but I want to pick up on one point that I hope the Deputy First Minister will return to, which is about addressing conflict of interest. That is a prescient part of the committee’s report, to which the Government’s response was basically to fall back on existing codes and responsibilities. I accept that codes matter, but there is a chance to strengthen confidence through clear and comprehensive guidance. If the Government is to seek to rely on the codes but the codes have already been questioned, simply restating the status quo is not good enough, and it is an opportunity.”
“Martin Whitfield: Craig Hoy’s intervention speaks to the committee’s recognition that we cannot design one inquiry for everything, but we can set in place blueprints—a shared or centralised resource—to feed out the responsibility for setting the costs and inquiry definitions early on, and sticking to them. On the application of inquiry considerations and thoughts, it is dangerous for a Government, Parliament or society to ignore recommendations—that point will allow me to drift back into my speech. They do so at their peril, because huge investments in time and emotional commitment are made to inquiries. It is universal across inquiries that the recommendations that they make come from the evidence that they have heard.”
“Such inquiries are incredibly valuable, not just for the individuals who have been victims of the situations that led to those inquiries, but for the learning experience that Michelle Thomson talked about in relation to how we can improve things. Such inquiries tell us what to look for when things are going wrong. Craig Hoy: I fully accept that there are many different types of inquiries and that, therefore, a one-size-fits-all approach will not work. For example, a death in police custody is very different from a public procurement exercise that has gone wrong. However, one thing that should be common to them all is that the inquiry’s recommendations are implemented. Where does the member think that we should go in creating a statutory legal framework for the implementation of statutory inquiry recommendations?”
“The Covid inquiry has a very different purpose from the Scottish child abuse inquiry, which is seeking to deliver justice, and the Eljamel inquiry. Martin Whitfield: I thank the Deputy First Minister for that intervention, because it goes to the crux of why we find ourselves here today. In its report, the committee made the very strong suggestion that careful consideration be given to what an inquiry is for. We have had inquiries that have developed as the leader of the inquiry has followed the evidence down various paths. There have also been some highly successful inquiries that have had the tight remit of trying to get to the facts of a specific problem or responsibility.”