Pauline McNeill
Scottish Labour · Scotland
“Does she welcome what I am setting out to do in providing an expansion in GPS technology for bail management and home detention curfew, in order to give reassurance around the community management of offenders? Pauline McNeill: Yes, I do. I would like an early indication of additional investment in GPS technology.”
“I have consistently raised my concerns about prisoners not being guaranteed time out of their cells, and a number of prisoners have written to me, as a criminal justice spokesperson, because they cannot get access to the rehabilitation programmes that it is vital for them to do in order to be considered for release back into the community…”
“Scottish Labour welcomes the opportunity to have an early discussion on the state of the Scottish prison system. There is a lot in the amendments from the other parties with which we agree. We have just heard a considerable announcement. I will address some of it, albeit briefly.”
“The Cabinet Secretary for Justice has just taken up his post, and I respect the fact that he is at least attempting to put some bold proposals out there. I will address some of them briefly. Changing the definition of long-term sentences from more than four years to more than five years has serious implications.”
“What investment is the Scottish Government prepared to make to commit in the longer term to robust alternatives, such as GPS monitoring, which is referred to in the Scottish Labour amendment, to ensure that communities are safe? I do not mind saying that I have had this conversation with many previous cabinet secretaries.”
“On the release of long-term prisoners at 60 per cent or two thirds of their sentence, when I was not in Parliament, one of the big issues around the release of long-term prisoners was that the public thought that a prisoner’s sentence would be served in jail, and nobody could really follow the number of years that they would spend there.”
The complete record
Every one of 391 lines we hold for Pauline McNeill, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 6 of 8.
“Yesterday, I did my best to follow all the late amendments, but I have to be honest and say that I did not understand all that members were trying to achieve, because there was simply not enough time, and that is not satisfactory. The debates on jury size and the balance within the jury for convictions have not achieved the positive consensus that we would want for making such substantive changes. There is no way of knowing whether we have retained the same balance of interest on how the change will affect convictions—we will just have to wait and see. A lot of what the bill is trying to achieve could be done without legislation. In fact, I would argue that culture change has already started.”
“This is the most difficult bill that I have dealt with in my time on the Criminal Justice Committee. It deals, in its entirety, with wholesale reform of the criminal justice system, overturning years of established systems that fit together, so it is not simple to pick apart. In the early stages of the bill process, there was considerable focus on the systems—on abolishing the not proven verdict and on abolishing the jury system for some trials—rather than on victims. There is a lot to deal with in the bill, but we do not have the kind of consensus that we would want for changes to some of the big legal principles, such as to the size of the jury following the removal of the not proven verdict. At stages 2 and 3, many big issues arrived that were not properly scrutinised, and I was not comfortable with that.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I had technical problems. I would have voted yes. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Thank you, Ms McNeill. Your vote will be recorded.”
“The Homeless Project Scotland in Glasgow has done an incredible job of feeding people, giving them a bed for the night and saving their lives—in fact, 27,000 people have gone through its doors. However, the charity might be homeless if the planning committee at Glasgow City Council does not consent to allowing it to remain on Glassford Street. If it were to close, it would be devastating for many homeless people. Does the First Minister agree that Glasgow City Council must work with the Homeless Project to find an alternative home should planning consent not be granted? Would the First Minister consider—time permitting— visiting the project, which he has known about for some time? He would be very welcome if he did.”
“The nearest that we got was under President Bill Clinton, when he produced the Oslo accords. Yasser Arafat was on the verge of potentially agreeing what would have been a settlement on which a future peace could have been built, but, unfortunately, he was unable to sustain the agreements that he had potentially arrived at when he arrived back in the middle east. Those efforts fell apart and, really, for 30 years we have made no progress whatsoever.”
“Although, clearly, there have been speeches with which I cannot agree this afternoon, the debate has not been held in the terms that I feared it could have been, and I thank members for that. Alex Cole-Hamilton talked about the historical perspective. In 2018, we celebrated—or commemorated, rather—the centenary of the Balfour declaration and the failure of the whole international community to act. It has taken more than 100 years to grapple with and resolve the issue of the middle east and Palestine. It was implicit in the Balfour declaration that there would be not only a state of Israel but a state of Palestine, too. That has been a failure, and it has not been arrived at without effort; lots of people have made efforts, but there has sometimes been an intransigence.”
“Humza Yousaf was right when he said, “Never again.” In Holocaust memorial day speeches that I have made in the chamber, I have said that it is a conceit to say, “Never again.” Genocides have happened in Cambodia, Rwanda, Srebrenica and Bosnia; they have been a permanent way of the world since the Holocaust. There has been a failure by the international community to recognise that and put in place the structures that would effectively intervene and deal with these matters much earlier. I also say to Humza Yousaf that, in expressing my view in my speech, I did not deny that there should be an opportunity for the chamber to participate in the debate. I recognise the strong feelings that have been expressed.”
“Peace can only come about if we add our voice to those of the other 147 countries, because isolating some of the big powers will be a very powerful thing. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I call Jackson Carlaw to close on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives. 17:02 Jackson Carlaw: I will begin by speaking about the powerful speech from Humza Yousaf. In all the years that we have served together in this Parliament, we have always engaged together with mutual respect and—I hope—in a way that is constructive, irrespective of whether we agree or disagree.”
“In a good speech, Patrick Harvie said that “the world must work together”, and I do not think that there has ever been a truer statement. If we are to make up for the ways that the Palestinian people have been failed, which the world has made happen, we must ensure that whatever action we take is targeted so that we can do something about the genocide and bring an end to the occupation. I believe that the UK Government should go further on that. The brave people in Israel who are marching and challenging their own Government also need to be recognised in the debate. Please let the Parliament speak with one voice tonight. Let the Parliament show that Scotland—all of its parties—believes in justice for the Palestinians.”
“The Scottish Parliament speaking with one voice on recognition is a very powerful thing. Like many other speakers, I passionately believe that peace can come about for Israel and Palestinians only when we settle that question. The whole region depends on settling that question, and I hope that we can ensure that the occupation comes to an end. There must be consequences for the state of Israel. It has already faced some, such as the suspension of trade negotiations and the banning of goods that have been imported from illegal settlements, which has been a policy for quite a long time. I broadly support the Scottish Government’s statement—it was really good. Nothing can be off the table to prevent the genocide and bring about compliance with international law.”
“If you have been paying attention to what is happening in the West Bank, you will know that Israel’s Administration has made it a lawless state. I mentioned earlier to the minister that Awdah Hathaleen was known by many people who go to Hebron because he was the person who shows people around and shows what Hebron is really like under occupation. He was shot dead in his own land, and there will be no accountability for that. Like Katy Clark, Neil Bibby, Carol Mochan and others, I believe that we owe the Palestinian people nothing less than the immediate recognition of their sovereign state, without any conditions whatsoever. We must give the Palestinians the dignity that they deserve by having their country be a full member of the United Nations, and I dearly hope that there can be unanimity on that tonight.”
“The Israeli Cabinet does not equate Palestinian lives to Jewish lives and it openly states its genocidal intentions. If you have been reading closely, you will know that even the chief of the IDF is saying to Netanyahu, “We cannot do this.” There are voices in the army trying to argue with Netanyahu, and there are many Israeli voices on their streets saying “This does not represent the Israel that we fought for.” That is the most important thing about the question of Israel’s future. Humza Yousaf is quite right to talk about the impunity that Israel has been allowed since the occupation started in 1967. No one has been willing to hold Israel to account for its occupation. It has been acting in contravention of international law by occupying the West Bank and putting the Gaza Strip under siege for 18 years.”
“The famine is the ugliest aspect, because it leaves permanent damage to the health of the population, and we have perhaps reached the point of no return. Back-to-back strikes on Nasser hospital caused outrage because journalists were murdered when they found a spot on the rooftop of the hospital that had a good internet connection. Evidence shows that missiles were directed at that spot. A double-tap hit, as it is known by those in the military, means that you fool the victim into thinking that they survived the hit only to carry out a bigger hit thereafter. Israel is not held to a higher standard. Israel is held to the standards of international law, and all of those things are breaches of international law. It is not a war. It is clear that it is a deliberate plan to obliterate the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip or force them to flee.”
“They know that they face death, and many are scared that they will not die with their parents. Israel and its Government have crossed a clear line into the darkest crimes. Death by deliberate starvation is a war crime—there is hardly a serious journalist who does not now accept that it is deliberate. Bombing hospitals and targeting doctors and medical staff has become commonplace. Dr Hussam Abu Safiyah is being held in an Israeli jail, and his lawyer said that he has been tortured and they do not know why. Two hundred journalists have been killed trying to hold Israel to account. Israel has gone to extreme lengths to prevent the world from witnessing its genocide and it is committing multiple war crimes.”
“Amir walked 12km to a food distribution point, barefoot, to get food for his family. He kissed the hand of an American soldier, thanking him for a bag of lentils. The Israel Defense Forces killed him right in front of the soldier—executed him in broad daylight. He was five years old. The dignity of the Palestinians is unmatched in the world. In the middle of acute famine, they remain dignified and hopeful. A former US special forces officer resigned from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation because he had not in his entire career witnessed such brutality and use of indiscriminate force against an unarmed population, including the use of quadcopters and artificial intelligence-assisted killing. Six-year-old children in Gaza are planning their own funerals.”
“The UK Government must act now, before it is too late. On Monday, I joined the First Minister in meeting representatives of Scotland’s Jewish community to make clear the esteem in which they are held and the value that we place on the community’s contribution to our nation. They must not suffer antisemitism because of the actions of”
“I acknowledge Ms McNeill’s long-standing involvement in this issue, and I thank her for raising this particular case, but I am sure that she shares my view that it is one of many and that they are all totally unacceptable. The First Minister has announced actions that the Scottish Government will take and what we want the United Kingdom Government to do, the latter of which includes following Ireland’s example of banning goods produced in illegal settlements and increasing sanctions against those who promote such settlements. This wave of settler violence appears to be systematic and escalating, and it is going unpunished by the Israeli Government and the Israel Defense Forces. It forces Palestinians off their land, erases livelihoods and communities, and intensifies the humanitarian crisis. There is no time to waste.”
“Is the minister familiar with the case of Palestinian Awdah Hathaleen, who was shot dead in the West Bank only a few weeks ago? Does he agree that, under this Netanyahu Government, Israel has become a lawless state? A man, whom we have all seen if we have watched the footage, shot Awdah Hathaleen dead, but there will not be a trial or any kind of accountability. Can we see now that Israel is not a democracy if it does not have a court system? Angus Robertson: The case that Pauline McNeill raises is shocking. What is perhaps more shocking is that it is not isolated. Unfortunately, two-tier justice or non-existent justice for Palestinians in the occupied territory is but a symptom of the wider challenge.”
“During the summer, I met representatives of UNICEF, who told me about the volume of aid that is sitting within viewing distance of the people of Gaza but which cannot get there because of the actions of the Israeli Government. It is critical that international pressure and our collaboration with the UK Government help to sustain the humanitarian effort to create the corridors and the pathways that will enable us to support young people such as the young person to whom Pauline McNeill referred. I assure Pauline McNeill that we are actively engaged in trying to find solutions, but that will depend on the pressure that can be applied by the international community to create the necessary pathways.”
“The First Minister: I agree with Pauline McNeill that the situation is no longer a war; it stopped being a war a long time ago. Her description of what is happening in Gaza as genocide accurately describes what is going on, so I agree with her characterisation of the process that is under way as ethnic cleansing. I know how substantially Pauline McNeill will be acting to help the young girl who she mentioned. She raised the practical difficulties that exist, which are tied up with the fact that we have no effective humanitarian routes of engagement in Gaza at present. That is entirely at the hand of the Israeli Government.”
“The Palestinian people will rejoice about the fact that their national flag is flying over Government buildings, but does the First Minister agree with my view that the situation that we are discussing is no longer a war but is ethnic cleansing that amounts to genocide, with Israel having the clear intent of occupying the land in question? I welcome the fact that the Government will try to bring 20 children here for emergency treatment. I have tried to help a young girl, Lamar, who is in danger of losing her limbs if she does not get treatment. The big issue is how we evacuate those Palestinians from Gaza. Can the First Minister say any more about how we will get those people out of Gaza so that they can get the emergency treatment that they so desperately need?”
“To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review planning laws regarding the provision of private purpose-built student accommodation, in light of reported concerns over the concentration of student accommodation in certain localities and objections from local residents. (S6O-04851)”
“Angela Constance: With respect, I note that that was the subject of a topical question last week, and I am of the view that I addressed the matter in full at that point. There was an error on the part of Police Scotland, which it acknowledged. It has put on the record, as I did last week, that it has undertaken a course of action to ensure that policies and procedures work as intended. Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 8.”
“For stabbing a man, Alexandria Stewart, formerly known as Alan Baker, is serving a life sentence in Greenock prison’s women’s wing. Lawyer Paul Lynch was forced to ask four times for the criminal record of that offender, whose offences disappeared when they changed their name, due to the self- identification policy that has been in existence. Mr Lynch was told by the Crown Office that Stewart had no previous convictions. Only after Paul Lynch sent a link to an online news story about Baker’s murder conviction was the error rectified. The policy has done deep damage. Does the cabinet secretary agree that a full investigation should be conducted to ensure that the impact of the policy is fully rectified so that criminal records are disclosed to the courts and are as accurate as they should have been in the first place?”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app did not connect. I would have voted yes. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Thank you, Ms McNeill. We will ensure that your vote is recorded.”
“Ordinary Israelis and significant Israeli figures know that the future of Israel actually depends on stopping Netanyahu from doing this. They believe in their country, and they believe that it is time to join forces with everybody else in the world who wants to stop it. We, as politicians, must stand up and be counted, because we will be asked by our children and our grandchildren, when they see the horrors that have happened in the past 20 months, “What did you do to stop the genocide? What did you do to promote peace in the region of the middle east?” I, for one, have always said that I want peace for Israelis and security for Israel, but I want a sovereign, independent Palestinian state, too. I demand justice for the Palestinians. 18:47”
“However, since they have been set up, people are not being fed, and children who go to get a bag of flour to feed their families are risking their lives. The deliberate starvation of a population is a war crime, but to kill them while they are risking their lives to get food aid goes beyond even that. Words are not enough—only actions count here. There are clear breaches of international law on several counts. Israel, as the occupier, has an obligation to the people that it is responsible for, but it has not taken those responsibilities seriously. The world can clearly see that this is a bid to destroy an entire people, and anyone who does not see that is not watching closely enough. We need to ask ourselves this: what platform are we using to stop it?”
“We should stand up and be counted—we should be trying to stop the slaughter. The future of the region depends on it. If we believe in peace in the region, we have to stop what is happening in Gaza. We have to realise that the morality of the west depends on it. We cannot say that we are a nation of people who believe in morality if we are not prepared to do something to stop what is happening in Gaza. As Bill Kidd was saying, there is death by starvation. On 16 June, nearly 200 people were killed at a Gaza aid centre when an Israeli tank opened fire—it was witnessed and documented. The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Monday that its field hospital in Gaza had received 200 patients, marking the highest number that the hospital had received. Before the aid distribution centres were set up, people were at least being fed.”
“They say that the fire and the bombs are relentless every hour of every day. They cannot sleep, and they all know that, one time, it is going to be them. Nasser hospital has been forced to transport wounded people on public transport. If we want to imagine the unimaginable, we are seeing it in Gaza right now. The speed and the scale of the bombs make them the most powerful weaponry in the world, and they are being used against the poorest women and children. This is about not just the actions of one Government, but the actions of all the European Governments and what they are not doing to stop the genocide. The Labour Government has suspended 30 arms export licences; that is an important move, but we need to go further. Indeed, I do not believe that we should be supplying any weapons or parts for F-35 planes.”
“She talks of the children whose muscles are wasting, with a loss of fat and a lack of essential nutrients. They are not healing, and they have infections as a result of their poor immune systems. There has been no medical aid since 2 March. Hospitals have run out of 47 per cent of all drugs, and the antibiotics that they have are not the ones that they need. Why are no journalists allowed into Gaza to report any of that? Of the ones who have been reporting, 200 are already dead, and we are losing count. Who has not cried at these scenes? Gaza is completely on fire—it is flattened, and its children are under the rubble, with no adequate equipment to rescue them. It is unforgivable, but crying does nothing to stop it. My dear friends Ahmed Al-Nasar and Dr Khamis Elessi message me most days from Gaza.”
“This is not self-defence. I, and most members in the chamber, have condemned the atrocities of 7 October, but, 20 months on, nothing—nothing—can justify what has happened to the Palestinians in Gaza. Rafah, with its population of 275,000, has gone; Jabalia had 56,000 residents—now all gone; and Beit Lahiya had a population of 108,000. They are now in ruins. Israel stands out as being amongst the most extreme war cases in modern history right now. Nonetheless, there have been many brave people—too many to mention—who have been witnesses to this genocide, risking their own lives to save other people. Dr Victoria Rose served for more than months in Gaza. She talks of a three-month blockade of food—for three months, Israel deliberately blocked food from going into the Gaza strip.”
“I thank Bill Kidd for giving Parliament an opportunity to discuss the horrific and enduring suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza, most of whom are victims of an 18-year blockade. Life in Gaza has become hopeless. People— trapped and living mostly in tents, with some sleeping on the bare roads—are now dying the most horrible deaths while the world is watching live, in real time, and is literally doing nothing to stop what is happening. We have had 20 months of that. Israel’s war on the Palestinian people has become a well-planned operation to clear the land and to ethnically cleanse Gaza and the West Bank of their people. It is like nothing that we have witnessed in our lifetime. At least 56,000 people are dead, with the actual total probably much higher, and yet the hostages are still in danger because of that strategy.”
“The Deputy Presiding Officer: I call Michael Marra to speak to amendment 30 and the other amendments in the group.”
“In the spirit of wishing to demonstrate that collaborative approach, I am minded not to move my amendment and, instead, to support his amendment. Amendments 27 and 28 require the strategy to set out arrangements for the collection of data in order to allow progress towards meeting the objectives and targets in the strategy to be measured. Without a doubt, we need a national language strategy for Gaelic with clear objectives, and an essential element of that is having appropriate targets and a means of measuring progress towards meeting those objectives. The amendments relating to targets will ensure that action is taken and that progress is measured. If there is one thing that unites us all, it is the understanding that the legislation will be only as useful as the progress that it delivers once it passes. I move amendment 24.”
“Amendment 29 sets out that those may include targets for the number of people with Gaelic language skills, targets for education and training in Gaelic and targets for Gaelic activity in an area designated as an area of linguistic significance. Those categories are intended to be illustrative. They are broad headings under which more detailed, specific targets can be shaped, and they do not prevent other targets from being set if it seems useful to do so. Michael Marra’s amendment 30 takes a very similar approach to my amendment 29. I have hugely appreciated Mr Marra’s engagement and commitment on these issues throughout the bill process and I think that we share a lot of common ground. His amendment 30 and my amendment 29 simply offer two slightly different alternatives in relation to what the targets may relate to.”
“Amendment 23 disagreed to. Amendment 65 not moved. Section 5—Gaelic language strategy The Deputy Presiding Officer: Group 2 is on Gaelic language targets. Amendment 24, in the name of the Deputy First Minister, is grouped with amendments 25 to 30. Kate Forbes: The bill requires that we prepare a national Gaelic language strategy that must set out ministers’ objectives in relation to promoting and supporting the use of Gaelic. That is an important ambition and one that needs to be measured against clear and demanding targets for Gaelic, which is a point that was made repeatedly in the stage 2 debate. Amendments 24 to 26 seek to do that by requiring the national Gaelic language strategy to place targets on ministers in relation to promoting and supporting the use of Gaelic.”
“For Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Lab) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Lab) Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Russell, Davy (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab) Smyth, Colin (South Scotland) (Lab) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) 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) Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Carlaw, Jackson (Eastwood) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) 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) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (Con) Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Gibson, Kenneth (Cunninghame North) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con) Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (LD) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con) Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) 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) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP) McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Alba) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP) Roddick, Emma (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) 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) Wells, Annie (Glasgow) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) The Deputy Presiding Officer: The result of the division is: For 12, Against 94, Abstentions 0.”
“Amendment 22 disagreed to. Amendment 23 moved—[Pam Duncan-Glancy]. The Deputy Presiding Officer: The question is, that amendment 23 be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Deputy Presiding Officer: There will be a division. The vote is closed. Pauline McNeill: On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My vote was a yes. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Thank you, Ms McNeill. I will make sure that that is recorded.”
“For Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Carlaw, Jackson (Eastwood) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Lab) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Lab) 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) 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) Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Russell, Davy (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab) Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Smyth, Colin (South Scotland) (Lab) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Wells, Annie (Glasgow) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) 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) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (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) 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) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) Gibson, Kenneth (Cunninghame North) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (LD) 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) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP) McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Alba) 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) 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) 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) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) The Deputy Presiding Officer: The result of the division is: For 38, Against 68, Abstentions 0.”
“Amendment 15 disagreed to. 16:15 Amendment 16 not moved. Amendments 17 and 18 moved—[Emma Roddick]—and agreed to. Amendments 1 and 2 moved—[Pam Duncan- Glancy]—and agreed to. Amendments 19 to 21 moved—[Emma Roddick]—and agreed to. Amendment 22 moved—[Pam Duncan-Glancy]. The Deputy Presiding Officer: The question is, that amendment 22 be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Deputy Presiding Officer: There will be a division.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I could not connect. I would have voted yes. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Thank you, Ms McNeill. I will make sure that that is recorded. For Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Lab) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Lab) Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Russell, Davy (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab) Smyth, Colin (South Scotland) (Lab) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) 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) Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Carlaw, Jackson (Eastwood) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) 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) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (Con) Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Gibson, Kenneth (Cunninghame North) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con) Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con) Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) [Proxy vote cast by Ross Greer] 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) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP) McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Alba) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP) Roddick, Emma (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) 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) Wells, Annie (Glasgow) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) The Deputy Presiding Officer: The result of the division is: For 12, Against 93, Abstentions 0.”
“If the Government grants consent after bringing it in, it must show the public that it has fairly and transparently looked at the criteria for the application, which I look forward to reading. 16:30”
“This is just my guess, but I suggest that, if the proposal gets the go-ahead, because the theme park will be in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park, the charge will be more than £224. Some reviews of the North Yorkshire park on Tripadvisor from May this year read quite grimly. Many people say that the park is overpriced and in need of upgrading—of course, it is a bit older—and, apparently, the animals look “tired” and “bored”. That made me laugh a bit. There is a lot to think about. It might be appropriate for the development to be placed somewhere else rather than next to a national treasure. It is clear that most people reject such a theme park being developed on the shores of Scotland’s best-known and most iconic loch. I realise that the issue is not only whether a majority is for or against the development.”
“That begs a question about planning law. I think that it would have been perfectly competent to have a planning inquiry instead of a single decision maker, and that would have been more transparent. A public inquiry would have told us what the primary considerations were in coming to any conclusion. Now that the Government has called in the application, it has an opportunity to make the final decision more transparent and to show the public that it has listened to all the voices that have objected to what is, in my opinion, a dreadful proposal. I had a look at Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire. Last year, a survey found that people thought that it was quite a disappointing theme park. If people turn up on the day, a family ticket for two adults and two children is £224.”
“Stuart Pearce, the director of place for the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority said that it created an “unacceptable risk” of flooding of the River Leven. Why was that ignored? More than 178,000 people signed a petition against the project. Of course, under planning law, those people have no right of appeal. The scale of the objections should have told the reporter how controversial the development is. The objections also demonstrate that the decision needs to be properly justified, rather than, as has happened, leaving it open to question whether it is in fact a commercial one and not a planning one. A single person was, perfectly lawfully, able to overturn all those objections from respected organisations, and in particular the national park board, as well as a large public petition.”
“That is the primary reason why the Government should have paid more attention to the issue—there is a lot to lose. According to a poll of Radio Times readers, Loch Lomond is the sixth- greatest natural wonder in Britain—and I can see that Jackie Baillie agrees with that. It is questionable whether the proposal should have been given the go-ahead by the Scottish Government’s reporter after the plans were unanimously rejected by the national park board and opposed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the National Trust for Scotland, the Woodland Trust and members of the local community. That the proposal met the planning criteria in the first place is questionable.”
“The Flamingo Land development clearly resonates across the country as a national concern, and the Scottish Government only just seems to have realised that. Like other members, I have had many emails objecting to the proposed huge theme park. There is widespread public dismay at the prospect of a theme park on the shores of one of Scotland’s national treasures and in an area of great beauty and a national park that the Parliament fought for. The application is no ordinary one, and it is a pretence to suggest otherwise. Whether people are for or against it, it is clear that it will restrict full access to activities for people who visit Loch Lomond for the day. As Ross Greer said, the scale of the project is the most important consideration, against the backdrop of something that the country loves.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of claims by a whistleblower at Police Scotland that officers are being “coerced” into logging individuals in line with their gender identity, even in serious sexual assault cases. (S6T-02583)”
“Work on online harms is being led by the Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise and the Minister for Victims and Community Safety. The endeavours that are led by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills on attendance, behaviour and the curriculum are crucially important, and equally safe and relationships education are an important part of that. Assaults (Teenagers) 4.”
“It is time to focus on the attitudes of boys to women and girls, as we need to recognise that early intervention is the key to a long-term reduction in violence and domestic abuse. I am sure that the cabinet secretary has at least heard of Gareth Southgate’s intervention lecture, which I thought was very good. In it, Gareth Southgate talked about the “manipulative and toxic influences” that are causing harm to young men. Does the cabinet secretary agree that it is imperative to revise existing school programmes to focus on boys and their attitude to women and girls—complex though that is—to ensure that we have a real chance of reducing violence against women and girls in our society? The Deputy Presiding Officer: Cabinet secretary, please be as brief as possible. Angela Constance: In short, I agree with that. I will give two examples.”