Donald MacKinnon
Scottish Labour · Scotland
“I associate myself with the comments made earlier by the Minister for Business and Fair Work, and by others around the chamber, who have condemned recent violence on our streets. We must call that out for what it is. I welcome the speech by Willie Rennie. He talked about migrant workers in our social care sector.”
“Along with members from across the chamber, I joined Jenny Young in marking the 10th anniversary of the murder of Jo Cox. Jo Cox’s belief that there is more that unites us than divides us remains as relevant today as it was when she first said it.”
“It will be no surprise that, as the member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, I approach a debate on what is not working in Scotland today by focusing on the issue that dominates daily life for many of my constituents: the ferry service, which we have already heard about from Tim Eagle.”
“On Saturday I attended a food festival in my constituency, as part of the inaugural Hebridean refugee week. Families from Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan shared their food in a packed Stornoway town hall. It was a wonderful event that showed our community at its best—welcoming and open. Now to the motion.”
“The tripartite model of Transport Scotland, CMAL and CalMac is failing islanders. A lack of clear lines of accountability, the organisations pointing the finger at one another when things go wrong and, ultimately, an unsatisfactory service being delivered all point to a need for reform of governance.”
“What lessons has the Scottish Government learned from the disastrous highly protected marine areas consultation in 2022-23, and what engagement has taken place with coastal communities, including the Western Isles Fishermen’s Association, ahead of any further consultation in this area?”
The complete record
Every one of 41 lines we hold for Donald MacKinnon, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account.
“Kim Schmulian: Will the member take an intervention? Donald MacKinnon: I am done. 17:14”
“Along with members from across the chamber, I joined Jenny Young in marking the 10th anniversary of the murder of Jo Cox. Jo Cox’s belief that there is more that unites us than divides us remains as relevant today as it was when she first said it. If there is a common thread running through the debate, it is that people expect better from us. They expect reliable infrastructure, effective public services and a politics that delivers solutions, rather than division. For the people of our islands, that must begin with fixing our ferry service, but the wider challenges facing all of us are to ensure that Government works better, that public bodies work smarter and that politics works in the interests of those we represent. That is a responsibility that we share, and it is the challenge that we must all meet.”
“I associate myself with the comments made earlier by the Minister for Business and Fair Work, and by others around the chamber, who have condemned recent violence on our streets. We must call that out for what it is. I welcome the speech by Willie Rennie. He talked about migrant workers in our social care sector. It is important that, when we are talking about that, we value the contributions that those people make to our social care services. I acknowledge the contribution from Jenny Young, who spoke powerfully about the need for political parties to work together and to reject the politics of hate, division and violence. That message is particularly important in an era when political discourse can too easily become toxic. Her remarks were a timely reminder that disagreement must never become dehumanisation.”
“The tripartite model of Transport Scotland, CMAL and CalMac is failing islanders. A lack of clear lines of accountability, the organisations pointing the finger at one another when things go wrong and, ultimately, an unsatisfactory service being delivered all point to a need for reform of governance. Last week, at the Scottish Affairs Committee in Westminster, CalMac’s chief executive officer Duncan Mackison indicated that he thought that a merger of CalMac and CMAL would be possible. I urge Ivan McKee to look closely at ferry governance as he considers public service reform. Now that I have got my need to talk about ferries out of the way, I will turn to some of the speeches that we have heard.”
“It will be no surprise that, as the member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, I approach a debate on what is not working in Scotland today by focusing on the issue that dominates daily life for many of my constituents: the ferry service, which we have already heard about from Tim Eagle. For island communities, ferries are not a luxury but a lifeline service. Yet, since January 2023, more than 10,000 CalMac sailings have been cancelled because of technical faults. Families, patients, businesses and visitors have all paid the price for a system that has too often failed to provide the certainty and reliability that island communities deserve. My colleague Daniel Johnson spoke about public bodies, and it is increasingly clear that the governance arrangements that sit behind our ferry service are not working.”
“On Saturday I attended a food festival in my constituency, as part of the inaugural Hebridean refugee week. Families from Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan shared their food in a packed Stornoway town hall. It was a wonderful event that showed our community at its best—welcoming and open. Now to the motion. There is no doubt that there is much in Scotland that could be better, and it must be better, but the populist approach that we have heard from Reform relies on simple solutions to complex issues and blames others for our problems. It is right that we debate where we can do better, but that should not be done through division. One benefit of the Reform motion is that it covers so much ground that I can talk about just about anything in my speech.”
“I will approach this in exactly the same way as I have approached every other contentious thing that I have had to do, which is by bringing people together, working out what the issues and problems are, finding a balanced position and then getting that implemented through the consultation and the work that is ongoing just now.”
“What lessons has the Scottish Government learned from the disastrous highly protected marine areas consultation in 2022-23, and what engagement has taken place with coastal communities, including the Western Isles Fishermen’s Association, ahead of any further consultation in this area? Jim Fairlie: I give an absolute guarantee that there is consultation right across the sector and across all sectors. We are cognisant of the fact that this will be a very contentious issue. Some people will be very unhappy with the results either way. Therefore, we are taking our time in order to make sure that we are asking the right questions and consulting with all the people who will be involved.”
“Meeting those targets is not something that would be nice to have; it is an essential and, as we have heard today, it brings opportunity. Unlocking the potential of community energy is one such opportunity. It can contribute to meeting our climate targets while, at the same time, having significantly more local economic impact than would come from commercial projects. Community groups in my constituency have shown how that can be done, but they need our support to build on that early success and to deliver for the future.”
“Regarding agriculture, I am pleased that the Scottish Government has reiterated its commitment not to adopt the Climate Change Committee’s recommendation about livestock numbers. However, despite that, numbers continue to fall, which is a threat to the critical mass that is required to support the agricultural supply chain across the country, to the biodiversity that grazing livestock supports and to our rural communities. That trend must be taken seriously and cannot be viewed as inevitable in helping us meet targets. Meeting our climate targets will require difficult decisions, but we must be wary of the unintended consequences, as I have outlined. If targets are to be met, the pace of change must increase and areas such as the retrofitting of houses and the decarbonisation of heat and transport will be crucial to making that happen.”
“The nature finance initiative has not unlocked private investment to deliver peatland restoration, and uncertainty about carbon markets has held back restoration in some areas, so understanding how best to make public investment in restoration will be key to unlocking more hectares of restoration and avoiding unintended impacts on the land market in the future. Land use change does not have to be an either/or. My own sheep at home spend time grazing on restored peatland and some of the best examples that we see are of shared land use, whether of sheep on restored peatland or cattle grazing alongside forestry. If we get that right, we can build landscapes that are more resilient to climate change, reduce land-based emissions and, importantly, take rural communities with us.”
“The cabinet secretary engaged constructively with UK counterparts in the previous session, and I hope that she will encourage her successor in the energy brief to do the same. Land is critical to meeting our climate ambitions. Emissions from land and land-based industries present enormous opportunities, with peatland restoration, forestry and agriculture presenting the biggest chance for delivery. Work by the Scottish Land Commission has shown that land suitable for planting and natural capital schemes, particularly in our upland areas, saw a dramatic rise in value before falling again, so we must be cautious about how policy on land use change impacts the land market.”
“The Point and Sandwick Trust on Lewis is using profits from its 9MW wind farm to invest in three planting and energy efficiency projects, which is the kind of transformational change that we heard about from Duncan Dunlop. Unlocking the next generation of community energy opportunities is proving challenging. Support from the Scottish Government’s community and renewable energy scheme— CARES—fund, which includes increased funding from GB Energy that is, rightly, being delivered through the existing mechanism, is crucial to developing projects. However, access for community projects to the grid remains a challenge. These are complex problems and getting the projects realised will take collaborative working.”
“Of course I welcome the jobs and supply chain growth that comes with that, but we have failed to learn the lessons of the past, and we have allowed our renewable energy potential to be handed over to private businesses and even foreign-state-owned companies, while hoping that we have something of what is left over. The expansion of renewables cannot be at any cost, and we need a more strategic approach to how projects are developed and delivered. Appropriate community benefit must be a part of that, as we heard from Katie Hagmann. Ownership matters, and there is a different way to do things. Communities in my constituency have led the way with wholly community-owned schemes from Barra to Galson. Their projects are helping us to meet our climate targets and deliver meaningful change for our communities. It does not stop there.”
“Other members from across the chamber have talked about the impacts of flooding and fires in their constituencies. We cannot sit this one out. We must play an active role. The Government motion is correct to highlight the opportunities of taking climate change seriously. We have an abundance of renewables potential in Scotland, but we must question who will benefit. The Government talks of Scotland’s energy, as we have already heard in debates in this parliamentary session, but, in reality, it is multinational corporations’ energy—the same as our oil and gas sector.”
“My entry in the register of members’ interests will show that I run a crofting business that is in receipt of agricultural support, and that I am a shareholder in a common grazing with an interest in peatland restoration. We welcome the Government motion and the cabinet secretary’s indication that the Government will support the Labour amendment. We are in a climate emergency, and it is right that the Parliament recognises that, as well as the scale of the challenge that is in front of us. In our islands, the impacts of climate change are not a far-off abstract concept; they are day-to-day life. In Uist, stormier weather and rising sea levels are eating away at the coastline and we are losing bits of our islands, while the same changes threaten the future viability of the causeways that link our communities.”
“The issue then becomes about how we quickly transfer them to areas where the thrombectomy service is available. Thirdly, we must make sure that that service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We are working on all those issues to maximise the opportunities for that transformative care to happen all over Scotland. Planned Housing Growth (Primary Care Service Demand) 2.”
“In my constituency of Na h-Eileanan an Iar, patients must travel to the mainland to access thrombectomy services. The procedure is time sensitive, so early intervention is critical. However, weather, the availability of aircraft and other factors can influence how quickly patients can be transferred to mainland hospitals. Does the minister agree that the distances that are involved and the uncontrollable factors for island patients heighten risk and make it even more important that services are available 24/7? Maree Todd: I recognise the issues that Donald MacKinnon describes, not least because I, too, represent the area that he represents and I come from a rural part of the Highlands. We are working hard to improve the identification of those patients who would benefit from thrombectomy.”
“We all know of the recruitment and retention challenges, particularly in our rural communities, and I appreciate that there are additional challenges with our island communities.”
“Western Isles hospital maternity care service received an excellent report following an inspection earlier this year, showing that staff are doing a great job of providing compassionate and responsive care to women and their families. However, the report from Healthcare Improvement Scotland also stated that recruiting and retaining staff is a concern, with housing being a key issue. What role does the Scottish Government see the key worker housing fund having in ensuring that maternity care in our islands remains excellent? Angela Constance: Donald MacKinnon makes an important pragmatic point. That is why we need all our services and every portfolio in Government to be joined up. The housing fund for key workers is absolutely imperative.”
“To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the current status of the Barra and Vatersay community campus project. (S7O-00050)”
“I hope that some of our policies across the Government, particularly on local food procurement for parts of the public sector, will improve that situation for farmers in”
“I had discussions with the Climate Change Committee, and it gave us advice on what we should put in our climate change plan. It said that there should be policies that actively reduce livestock numbers. We said no: Scotland is an agricultural nation, and we must maintain our herd numbers. As Donald MacKinnon will know, there are many reasons why herd numbers are coming down. We need to ensure that our direct payments are associated with active farming and that we give farmers and crofters the tools not only to decarbonise and to reduce their methane emissions in particular, through innovation and using support payments, but to ensure that their farms are working farms that produce food for our nation.”
“My entry in the register of interests will show that I run a crofting business that is in receipt of agricultural support. I welcome the cabinet secretary’s commitment to supporting farmers and crofters to reduce emissions, and I listened carefully to her response to Finlay Carson’s question earlier. Does she share my concerns that the fall in emissions in agriculture that was published today is largely attributed to a drop in livestock numbers, which has worrying implications for Scottish agriculture? Does she agree with me that the Scottish Government must deliver policy that maintains a critical mass of livestock across the country to support the supply chain and our rural economy? Gillian Martin: I welcome Donald MacKinnon to his role, and I look forward to working with him. The simple answer to his question is yes.”
“Today, once again, Uist is receiving a significantly reduced ferry service, given that the MV Hebrides is out of action and the MV Lord of the Isles is experiencing ongoing technical problems. Last week, the First Minister told us that the amplification of such issues is damaging to island communities. What is in fact damaging to them is his Government’s failure to deliver an adequate ferry service. A recent survey that was carried out by Visit Outer Hebrides revealed that 96 per cent of the businesses that responded had encountered problems as a result of ferry disruption this year. Those businesses are struggling and need support now. When will the islands business resilience fund open, and will the First Minister consider widening access to all affected island businesses?”
“They have pursued a hard Tory and Reform Brexit. We are asking for a very simple thing: that powers over energy should no longer sit in a failed Westminster but should sit in Scotland’s Parliament, where the voters of Scotland get to decide their own Government. The Presiding Officer: That concludes the debate on the motion entitled “It’s Scotland’s energy”. Decision Time 17:06”
“I will talk briefly about Lord Offord. I congratulate him on his election and thank him for his comments, but, if he is going to refer to the renewables industry as a big fat racket, I wish him luck when going up to campaign in Aberdeen, Dundee and the rest of the north-east in the next wee while, because he is putting lives there at risk. Finally, I suspect that Michael Marra will be in big trouble with the Blairites who inhabit his party. Oh dearie me. He asked how a country the size of Scotland could possibly manage, but other countries are able to manage their own electricity systems, set prices, be part of Europe and control their own resources. He also talked about security when we have to wait for 24 hours for the Royal Navy to respond and when the UK does not even compete in saving for defence procurement.”
“Alan Brown said that Kilmarnock gave us Alexander Fleming, Burns and the co-operative movement. Frankly, it also gave us Alan Brown, who will be an exceptional addition to the Scottish Parliament. I am looking forward to working with Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, who I thought made a lekker speech. As for Murdo Fraser, it was good to see the fable in action. I understand that he has lost seven elections against our First Minister. He talked about generous UK-wide benefits while turning his back on the rest of Europe. That kind of British exceptionalism has done us down and been extremely damaging over the years. Patrick Harvie is right: I want to be pushed out of my comfort zone—that is exceptionally important. Regardless of any disagreements that we might have, the threat of misinformation is one that we must all take exceptionally seriously.”
“The number of people who crossed the Channel on boats exploded when the UK left the Dublin convention. I obtained those figures, and they exploded as a result of Brexit, which, today, is costing taxpayers £250 million. I say to Lord Offord that that is the disaster of our times. Pauline Stafford paid tribute to Fiona Hyslop. The Presiding Officer: Hello! Stephen Gethins: Given the Presiding Officer’s instruction, I will have to turn my back on Heather Anderson, to whom I make a special call-out. What an outstanding advocate she is. I am lucky to have her as a colleague in Dundee. The people of Dundee West got the better deal, I expect. I mentioned Kristopher Leask, who said that we must seize the good chance that renewables give us. I commit to working with him on that.”
“With his professional experience, the people of Fife and Cowdenbeath are lucky to have David Barratt as their representative. The Presiding Officer: We are over here, minister. You must talk through the chair—stop turning your back to the chair. Stephen Gethins: Presiding Officer, I am sure that you will agree that the people of Cowdenbeath are lucky to have David Barratt as their representative. He was right in what he said about the lessons that we must learn on energy boom and decline. Mark Simpson talked about stopping renewables. I wish him luck in trying to get that message across in North East Scotland. I will tell members something else. Mark Simpson also talked about immigration, and I am happy to talk about issues that are reserved to Westminster.”
“Will the minister give way? Stephen Gethins: I will not, but I recognise that the member will make the case for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, which must also benefit. Jack Middleton is an outstanding advocate for Aberdeen Central. As well as thanking Kevin Stewart, he highlighted the poverty challenge, the sanctions on Russia and what independent Norway has been able to achieve. It was courageous of Paul Sweeney to mention Ming Yang and constraint payments. I encourage him to take up those issues with the UK Government. Karen Adam was right to highlight the fact that, for her constituents, this is not a theoretical debate. Paul Sweeney: Will the minister give way? Stephen Gethins: I will not at the moment. The issue is one of how communities can afford to heat their homes.”
“Like Jenni Minto, Mr MacKinnon is quite right to challenge the Government to ensure that the scheme works across Scotland. There are challenges around the island housing market, which present challenges to first-time buyers in particular. However, the scheme can work right across Scotland, including in his constituency. I am not minded at this stage to have targets in different areas, but if, during this first phase, Mr MacKinnon feels that the arrangements are presenting a challenge to his constituents, I am more than happy to pick that up with him in due course.”
“The previous iteration of the fund—the first home fund—underperformed in rural Scotland, with remote and island areas representing only 1.3 per cent of supported sales in 2019-20. I heard the cabinet secretary’s response to Jenni Minto, and I appreciate what she said. I note that the target for rural house building is set at 10 per cent in rural areas. Will the cabinet secretary apply a similar target to the proportion of the first homes fund that will be targeted in rural areas? Shirley-Anne Somerville: I welcome Donald MacKinnon to the chamber. I welcomed him to the Parliament privately yesterday, after his first speech. It was an exceptionally good first contribution, and I look forward to working with him on issues to do with island housing.”
“Without the actions that were taken by the parliamentarians of the past and driven by the activism of people who came before me, the world that I grew up in would not have existed. I will take every opportunity I can to stand up and raise my voice for the issues that matter to my constituents in this Parliament. This is what ambition for our islands and Scotland looks like. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I call Lloyd Melville for their first speech. 15:05”
“However, what makes our islands really special is the people. I was born and raised in Arnol, a crofting township, and, like many islanders, I had more than one job before coming here. I managed a community-owned estate, and I served my community as an on-call firefighter while also crofting. That grounding in community is what I want to bring to debates in Parliament. The place that I have grown up in, worked in and served has shaped me. I care deeply about its future, and I am worried that if we do not get things right here, that future will be in doubt. That matters for the survival of our Gaelic language and for our culture, and it should matter for all of Scotland. Crofting and community land ownership are both deeply political.”
“In the past fortnight, I have heard from constituents who could not get to hospital appointments, accommodation providers who are worried about the future of their businesses and islanders who are simply at the end of their tether as they try to go about their daily lives. The islanders I spoke to during the election campaign want the Scottish Government’s priority to be delivering a ferry service that works for islanders, not talking about the constitution. We will no doubt hear many claims in maiden speeches over the coming weeks that members’ constituencies are the most beautiful in the country. They will all be wrong, because everyone knows that Na h-Eileanan an Iar is the jewel in Scotland’s crown. From our stunning beaches to our crofting townships, rugged hills and towering cliffs, there is nowhere quite like it.”
“All too often, people tell me that they feel things are going backwards. That must change. I want to focus on delivering a transport system that actually works. Currently, islanders are faced with a ferry service that, at times, is barely functioning and with eye-watering prices for flights. Last week, every ferry route in the Western Isles was either disrupted or had a warning of potential disruption due to technical or operational issues. Islanders know that ferries will not always be able to sail—we know all about the weather and that ships break down—but we are well beyond acceptable levels of disruption.”
“With the frightening population projections that cast doubt on the future sustainability of our communities, we are in a crisis, and much is at stake. That is what I believe that my constituents want me to focus on. Far too many people from my generation want to make their life back home, but they cannot. A lack of access to housing, good jobs and childcare, as well as declining public services and a transport system that is not working, is holding back the next generation. I want to focus on how we solve access to housing. I want to focus on how we grow our economy—not just here in the central belt but across Scotland and in our islands—to provide the opportunities and jobs of the future. I want to focus on how we can make childcare work in our islands and on delivering good public services.”
“During the election campaign, I spoke to thousands of people across Na h-Eileanan an Iar, from Vatersay in the south to Ness in the north, and I can count on two hands the number of people who mentioned the constitution to me on the doorstep. That is not to say that all those people I spoke to do not support independence. We should all be cautious about how we interpret the mandates that we have been given to be here. However, this is about priorities. I am here because the people who voted for me wanted change. They saw a Scottish Government and a Scottish Parliament that, all too often, were not working for them, and changing that was their priority. I stood in the election because I was worried about the future of our islands.”
“It is the privilege of my life to be elected to represent the islands that I love. I pay tribute to my predecessor, Alasdair Allan, for his 19 years of dedicated service to Na h-Eileanan an Iar. [Applause.] I also thank all those who supported me to get here: those who voted for me, all the volunteers who knocked on doors for me and, not least, our Scottish Labour MP, Torcuil Crichton, who was by my side throughout the campaign. For the first time since 2005, our islands are represented by a Labour MP and a Labour MSP— a team working together for our islands. I am disappointed that the Government’s first action of the new parliamentary session has been to lodge a motion that talks about independence.”
“I, Donald MacKinnon, do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God. Tha mise Dòmhnall MacFhionghain, a’ mionnachadh gum bi mi dìleas agus fìor umhail do A Mhòrachd An Rìgh Teàrlach, a oighreachan agus a thànaistean, a rèir an lagh. Mar sin cuidich mi a Dhè.”