Patricia Gibson
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“More than £441 million that was allocated to local authorities for this year is yet to be formally allocated by the joint settlement and distribution group.”
“That is why we are working closely with local employability partnerships to strengthen the employment offer for parents and families, and it is why we are working with third sector partners such as Fife Gingerbread to support confidence and skills.”
“I very much welcome the extensive package of measures that the Scottish Government has put in place to tackle child poverty, as well as the allocation of £19 million for local employability partnerships and regional transport partnerships to help to remove barriers to work.”
“That day, I was in the class with my former secondary 2 pupils, and the teacher had been discussing how Westminster operates. He had played a clip, and as the clip ended, the television reverted to live broadcast.”
“We knew that it was only a matter of time before another such attack took place—and it did subsequently, claiming the life of David Amess, a long-standing MP who was respected and admired across the house.”
“However, in some sections of the mainstream media, our motives are constantly questioned, our efforts constantly belittled and our visions constantly undermined through language that is nasty and excoriating, and that is the backdrop against which social media exists.”
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“More than £441 million that was allocated to local authorities for this year is yet to be formally allocated by the joint settlement and distribution group. Given the need to invest in further health and social care integration, and given that North Ayrshire moved to critical care-only provision in April, can the First Minister say when those resources will be distributed and how much will be allocated to North Ayrshire?”
“That is why we are working closely with local employability partnerships to strengthen the employment offer for parents and families, and it is why we are working with third sector partners such as Fife Gingerbread to support confidence and skills. I heard clearly from the mums and their support workers there about the real difference that it can make for a woman who comes through the door, who has perhaps not been in employment for some time as she has been raising her family, to then be given confidence by the support workers and other mums to develop skills and gain successful employment. Fife Gingerbread is a fantastic example of that work, and the Government is determined to support more such examples in the third sector and through our local authority colleagues.”
“I very much welcome the extensive package of measures that the Scottish Government has put in place to tackle child poverty, as well as the allocation of £19 million for local employability partnerships and regional transport partnerships to help to remove barriers to work. What more can the Scottish Government do to boost the take-up of employability programmes, especially for those who are furthest away from work, who might also require support in building soft skills? Shirley-Anne Somerville: I saw important examples of that during my visit to Fife Gingerbread this morning, and there are many other examples. We know that fair work offers a sustainable route out of poverty for many families, and it is key to our approach in eradicating child poverty.”
“However, in some sections of the mainstream media, our motives are constantly questioned, our efforts constantly belittled and our visions constantly undermined through language that is nasty and excoriating, and that is the backdrop against which social media exists. To all politicians in this place and in all our democratic institutions, to everyone involved in the media—whether it be social, print or television—and to all those involved in the political process, I say that we should have a care with regard to how we speak to and about each other. In this chamber and in wider society, we need to relearn how to disagree respectfully and not assume the worst of someone just because we disagree with their politics. Let us try to heal our politics, so that extremism cannot flourish.”
“I say that because, when I was in the House of Commons, I did not meet one MP—not one—who had not suffered at least one death threat or a threat of some kind of physical harm. That is a terrible thing to say. When elected representatives in democratic nations are attacked and killed for their beliefs, it is our democratic values that are being attacked. Those values are too precious to lose without challenge from those of us who hold them dear. The vast majority of elected representatives are in politics to stand up for ideals and better the lives of those we seek to represent. That is it. That is all.”
“That is bad enough, but in that particular context we must all be more mindful of the language that we use and how we debate and interact with each other. People often blame the nastiness that is spouted on the influence of social media. Members have done that today, and I completely understand why. However, I say this: social media does not operate in a vacuum. It gives me no pleasure to say that, sadly, some elements of the media need to have a care about their contribution to the creation in our virtual town squares of digital stocks and pitchforks that are increasingly the norm on social media. We all know that words—outpourings—can move or motivate others into deadly action.”
“We knew that it was only a matter of time before another such attack took place—and it did subsequently, claiming the life of David Amess, a long-standing MP who was respected and admired across the house. I recall the five-year anniversary of Jo’s death and how her sister, Kim Leadbeater MP, led a debate in the House of Commons to celebrate her sister’s life and legacy while continuing to fight for the values that cost Jo Cox her life. Kim’s speech on that day, witnessed by her and Jo’s parents, was moving, inspiring, powerful and memorable. Ten years on, with two MPs murdered in the line of duty and countless others abused and subjected to intimidating tactics on social media, it is a good time to take stock of where we are, because politics has become increasingly divided by extremism.”
“It was a very sombre time in the Commons when we reconvened the following Monday. All we could think about was, how could this happen? What does it say about the political climate in which we live? Inevitably, we wondered which one of us would be next. Like many in the SNP group, Jo Cox had been elected only the preceding year, and, like many of us, she was still finding her feet and had been taken by surprise at the ferocious hatred that was being spouted out on social media platforms, where good intentions are twisted and misrepresented. It is a digital town square, complete with digital pitchforks, to attack and abuse anyone—especially politicians, but not just politicians—who raises their head even slightly above the parapet.”
“That day, I was in the class with my former secondary 2 pupils, and the teacher had been discussing how Westminster operates. He had played a clip, and as the clip ended, the television reverted to live broadcast. The news flashed up that an MP had been seriously injured following an attack, and the children’s levity came very abruptly to an end. Everybody was really shocked. For the children, it had been a very interesting visit from a former teacher who now seemed to have quite an exciting job, which then became a visit from a former teacher who now had what they perceived to be a really dangerous job. Even from the initial reports, it seemed impossible to imagine—despite the deranged attack on Jo Cox and what she suffered—that she would not come through it. We certainly all hoped and prayed that she would.”
“I join others in congratulating Jenny Young on securing this evening’s debate to commemorate the political contribution of Jo Cox and to pay tribute to her legacy. I was a member of the UK Parliament on the day that Jo Cox was killed. I was out visiting a secondary school that I had been working in right up until the election in May 2015. The school was not in my constituency; I was visiting former colleagues who were keen to catch up and pupils with whom I had built good relationships, and they had loads of questions about my life as an MP. It was a happy visit, with laughter, anecdotes and memories of my time with staff and pupils, which had ended on the day that the Scottish National Party swept into Westminster on a wave of support, the scale of which no one had predicted.”
“Such actions would do much to reassure me, and all women who face serious long-term health risks to which pre-eclampsia has given rise, that women’s health is an absolute priority for the Scottish Government. The Presiding Officer: We move to the open debate, with speeches of around four minutes. 18:16”
“Will the minister work with the NHS to ensure that women, as a right, are better informed about pre-eclampsia symptoms as part of their antenatal care; are provided with vital information about the lifelong risks to their health following a birth that was impacted by pre-eclampsia; and receive lifelong monitoring of their health, particularly cardiovascular health, following pre-eclampsia? It would be good if that monitoring could include women who suffered pre-eclampsia in past years and who still face greater risks to their health. Finally, will the minister work with health boards to centrally collect and collate data on the incidence of pre-eclampsia? That will enable a proper and robust strategy to track the long-term health of women who have suffered from pre- eclampsia.”
“Ensuring that expectant mums recognise the symptoms is important, but it is also vital that, when they present with symptoms, they are not dismissed and fobbed off, as I was. Half of all stillbirths occur after women present with concerns and are shooed away and told not to worry.Had I been listened to, my baby would not have died, my liver would not have ruptured and my husband would probably not have had to be asked to come to the hospital to bid me farewell because clinicians thought that I was going to die.”
“The minister is clearly not responsible if some clinicians do not make their patients aware of very important health risks that they face, but I ask her what she can do to ensure that clinicians share important medical information about health risks and to ensure that that falls under the statutory rights of patients. The reality is simply that women who are impacted by pre-eclampsia are not always provided with that vital information, and that cannot be right. I know that good work on the issue is taking place in NHS Lothian, butthe need is urgent across Scotland, including in my own Cunninghame South constituency. I have spoken about the symptoms of pre- eclampsia and how pregnant women should be informed of them. When those symptoms appear, women do not always realise the danger that they and their babies might be in.”
“I ask that because I suffered a stillbirth at full term in 2009 after developing HELLP— haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets—syndrome, which is a very extreme form of pre-eclampsia and which, along with the mismanagement of my treatment, killed my son and very nearly killed me. After spending 10 days in intensive care and recovering for a further nine days in high dependency, I was discharged. No one, at any time, mentioned to me that I faced long-term serious health risks; it was not even touched on. Members can imagine my upset and anger when I discovered that purely by accident. I am sure that many women have been impacted by pre-eclampsia with no, or very little, idea of the extremely serious health risks to which they have been exposed, and that is truly shocking.”
“The NHS Scotland website highlights potential long-term risks, but that falls very far short of what is required to address them. I understand that, in March, the Scottish Government indicated that women who have had pre-eclampsia would receive annual health reviews and long-term blood pressure monitoring as part of the Scottish cardiovascular disease risk factors programme. I welcome that, and I ask the minister what the timeline for the implementation of monitoring is. I am also keen to know whether that monitoring will be retrospective in order to include women who suffered from pre-eclampsia in years gone by, given that the health risks are lifelong.”
“The lifelong health implications for those women are serious and potentially fatal, because they will have a fivefold increased risk of hypertension; three times the probability of a stroke; twice the risk of cardiovascular mortality; and a fourfold risk of suffering a major adverse cardiovascular event. In addition, such women have an increased risk of diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease and thrombosis. We do not know whether pre-eclampsia causes those increased lifelong risks, or whether pre- eclampsia is caused by underlying conditions that elevate a woman’s likelihood of developing cardiovascular and other issues. We know, however, that women in Scotland—despite those extremely serious lifelong and life-threatening risks—have no long-term monitoring following pre- eclampsia in pregnancy.”
“The information is held at national health service board level, and freedom of information requests would bring it into the public domain, but that should happen already. Unless that information is collated, a proper and robust strategy to track the long-term health of women who suffer from pre- eclampsia, and who may face serious health risks as a direct consequence, cannot be undertaken effectively. I therefore urge the minister to ensure that specific data on the number of women in Scotland who are impacted by pre-eclampsia is made publicly available. According to Action on Pre-eclampsia, more than 5,000 pregnant women in the UK each year suffer from pre-eclampsia and 1,000 babies die from causes related to it.”
“Women who are at risk could, and should, benefit from preventative measures such as low- dose aspirin by 20 weeks or when antenatal care begins; calcium supplementation in settings with low dietary intake; and treatment of any pre- existing high blood pressure or associated conditions. Sadly, the picture is not what it needs to be in Scotland or across the UK, where it is estimated that 10 per cent of pregnancies are impacted by hypertensive disorders, including pre- eclampsia. Specific data on the number of women in Scotland or the UK who are impacted is— astonishingly—not publicly available. Perhaps the Minister for Mental Wellbeing, Public Health, Sport, Alcohol and Drugs can tell us why that is.”
“I pay tribute to the work of Action on Pre- eclampsia, which is a United Kingdom charity that works to raise awareness of this life-threatening condition. As a first step, expectant mums should be aware of the symptoms of pre-eclampsia, as being aware could save their life and the life of their baby. Suffering during pregnancy from headaches, high blood pressure, blurry vision, upper right pain in the tummy, swelling and shortness of breath are all classic signs. More work needs to be done to ensure that pregnant women are provided with that information so that any symptoms can be investigated and addressed at the earliest opportunity.”
“It can affect the heart, liver, lungs, kidneys and brain, and it can cause blood clotting and lead to eclampsia, which is life threatening and involves seizures. The World Health Organization estimates that pre-eclampsia affects between 3 and 8 per cent of women worldwide. A study that the WHO conducted only last year found that hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia, are responsible for 16 per cent of maternal deaths globally. Around 76,000 women and 500,000 babies die worldwide each year from eclampsia. While I welcome the focus that world pre-eclampsia day brings to this important issue, I believe that, given the stark figures that I have cited, pre-eclampsia should receive much more focus than it currently does.”
“Presiding Officer—[Inaudible.] The Presiding Officer: Sorry—you have not got your card in your console. Can you start again, please? Patricia Gibson: My apologies, Presiding Officer. I am delighted to have secured the very first members’ business debate in this session of Parliament, and I thank all members who supported my motion to make it possible. May was national pre-eclampsia awareness month, and 22 May was world pre-eclampsia day. I believe that it is right and fitting that there is global recognition of this important maternal health issue. Pre-eclampsia is a condition that develops during pregnancy or shortly after birth and is characterised by high blood pressure and protein in the urine.”
“To ask the Scottish Government when it expects a general practitioner walk-in centre to open in North Ayrshire. (S7O-00023)”
“Throughout the bathing water season, SEPA provides information on bathing water quality, short-term pollution incidents and dedicated bathing water quality on its website. In addition, it has installed and maintains electronic signs at 30 out of Scotland’s 90 bathing waters, as Patricia Gibson has mentioned, and those signs display information in real time on water quality. SEPA told me that one of the signs, at Saltcoats, was removed due to concerns about proximity to a cycle path. I would be willing to meet Patricia Gibson to give her more detail on that particular incident, as I know that it affects her constituents. The Presiding Officer: That concludes general questions. Apologies to those members I was unable to call. First Minister’s Question Time Party Leaders 14:09 Income Tax 1.”
“The 2026 bathing season is, indeed, upon us. The cabinet secretary will be aware of SEPA’s proposals to close its network of live electronic signage, and instead of posting daily water quality predictions or pollution event warnings directly at beaches, it will rely on the use of a QR code and posters linking to the SEPA website. Does the cabinet secretary share my concerns that that might compromise accessible and clearly visible live public information at beach locations, which is a key statutory duty under the Bathing Waters (Scotland) Regulations 2008? Gillian Martin: Patricia Gibson and I talked about that informally and, as a result, I reached out to SEPA about its plans for the signage.”
“However, I am keen to ensure that what we finally pass in the chamber reflects the gravity of the potential harm that could impact our young people and operates as a bit of a line in the sand for how we see the correct use of smartphones in the online world for our young people.”
“The teachers and young people reflected to me that that not only helps to remove distractions in the classroom but frees the young people from what we know can be the malign influence of the online world throughout their day. Some of the young people reflected to me that, because their phone had been off in their bag, increasingly, when they were going home, they were not turning it back on as quickly as they might have done before. That is breaking the addictiveness that we know tech companies build into many of their platforms. In response to Patricia Gibson, I would say that flexibility will be built in and we will consult carefully on what everybody involved thinks needs to be reflected in the eventual law change.”
“Màiri McAllan: It is not at all daunting to have one former teacher sitting next to me and one over my shoulder, but that helps to stress how much I hope that we can deliver the change in the law in a way that takes on board the views of the teaching profession, parliamentarians across the chamber, parents and carers and, of course, our teaching unions and local authorities. I recognise that each school will have to seek to overcome different aspects of the issue, whether there is a classroom ban or a campus ban, and I have alluded to some of them already. Personally, I saw a campus ban working really well at James Gillespie’s high school.”
“I welcome the cabinet secretary’s statement. As a former English teacher of 25 years’ experience, I have front-line experience of how destructive and distracting mobile phones in classrooms can be to the teaching and learning process, and of the range of harms that they cause, to which the cabinet secretary has alluded. Many teachers have longed for a statutory ban to be put in place and will also welcome the measures. What powers and support does the cabinet secretary envisage that schools will be able to access in enforcing a ban on phones in classrooms, especially in view of the fact that there could well be some parental pushback, beyond any exemptions that are in place, as has been reported recently in some parts of the country where schools have tried to enforce such bans?”
“After 25 years of secondary teaching, I know that not having those things can scar children’s school experiences and create clear and obvious social barriers in our schools, which do not support learning. Therefore, I very much welcome the proposals and the support that they will provide for families, and I applaud the early inclusion of such funding in the 2026-27 budget.”
“As someone who grew up in deep poverty, I can barely imagine the impact that such support would have had on my childhood and that of my siblings, had it been available. The measures that the Scottish Government is taking to support families are not, and should not be considered to be, a silver bullet, but they will chip away at the barriers that too many young people face and level the playing field just a little bit. Incrementally, the Government will help young people to reach their potential and develop their talents by removing some of the everyday barriers to accessing early learning and by ensuring that they have access to nutritional food in school, a new school uniform for the new school year and the essentials that they need.”
“Together with free school meals for primary school children up to primary 5; the best start grant, which helps parents to equip their child with essentials for the new school year; the school clothing grant; and the best start food payments—not to mention the Scottish child payment—that will ease the financial burden on families during these difficult times. I know that providing free school meals for all primary school children from primary 1 to primary 5 took time, because we had to build capacity, but I wonder whether any further detail can be provided on when the offer can be extended to include those in primary 6 and primary 7. Taken together, the Government’s commitment to our young people and the focus on supporting household budgets, which remain under such pressure, mean that an unprecedented level of support is being provided.”
“Living in the real world, making and mixing with friends and discovering and developing hobbies and latent talents will help to foster happy and healthier young children who will have much more positive outcomes and much better mental health. If you will indulge me, Deputy Presiding Officer, I want to say a few words about the expansion of breakfast clubs—a universal offer by August 2027—which is one part of the larger package of measures. We all know that hungry children do not learn well, and ensuring that a healthy, nutritional breakfast is available is a key aspect of raising attainment and levelling the academic playing field for young people.”
“I agree with my colleague Calum Kerr’s comments that, very often, early learning education and childcare is undervalued as a service. Unfortunately, that is just the world that we live in. I wonder whether the cabinet secretary has considered what might be done to further professionalise that important sector. This is all part of a wider package of measures, and I am glad that the work is taking place. It is good to see that provision has been made for improved wraparound activities to expand after- school clubs. That is not just good in further supporting children’s social skills; it has a vital role to play in developing children’s confidence and offers them more options instead of, unfortunately, sitting in front of a screen. Anything that takes children away from screens and social media is good for their mental health.”
“A new system that will fit around families, instead of families having to fit around the system, including cross-border childcare placements, is exactly what working parents have been asking for. In the early days of the new SNP Government, I am pleased that the cabinet secretary is announcing those new plans. I know that that will hearten many parents who have been struggling. I am sure that the cabinet secretary will ensure that the current providers are part of conversations as the initiative is rolled out. Of course, as we have heard, capacity is an issue. I know that the cabinet secretary is mindful of building workforce capacity in the early learning sector to deliver the childcare commitment. Perhaps we could have a little bit more detail about how that might work and what the timeline might be.”
“As we have heard from others today, I have also spoken to parents who found that returning to work full- time after maternity leave posed practical and financial difficulties that the current system does not address. The SNP’s commitment and transformational offer of year-round childcare for children from nine months old until the end of primary school, which is backed by over half a million pounds of new investment, will be a real boon to all working parents, as well as those who are trying to get into the workplace, perhaps after a period of absence or even for the first time. Finding appropriate and affordable childcare will help them to deal with that problem on an on-going basis. We are aware anecdotally of parents who find that the current childcare arrangements simply do not have the flexibility that they need built in.”
“At this point, it is important to say that many mums—I say mums, because most of the childcare falls to them—would love to have the opportunity to stay at home and be full-time carers for their children but, too often, that is not financially viable, although that, too, is work. We all know that childcare is extremely expensive. We do not want to see a situation in which a parent has to stop working because the cost of childcare that meets the needs of their family is prohibitive. I am pleased that the cabinet secretary addressed that in her remarks. The 1,140 hours of high-quality childcare that parents can access and that is worth up to £6,000 per year per eligible child is welcome. I am delighted that the Scottish Government is going further to reflect the needs of hard-pressed working parents.”
“I congratulate the Deputy Presiding Officer on securing her place. I am delighted to speak to the motion in the name of Màiri McAllan. The proposals are radical and will take some time to fully come to fruition, but they must be welcomed for the support that they will deliver for our young families. Early learning and nursery education is extremely important, because all the evidence shows that children who benefit from early learning in positive settings, such as a nursery, tend to have better and more successful longer-term outcomes. It is important not just to support young mums into work but to ensure that those who are already in work can stay in work. Well-funded flexible childcare is good for parents, children and our economic growth.”
“It is time to put Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands, with decisions being made in Scotland for the people of Scotland. That is why the motion seeks to devolve powers to consult the people of Scotland on this vital issue—then we can truly unleash Scotland’s potential as an independent country to better support and improve the lives of all our people. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I call Senga Beresford to make their first speech, for a generous six minutes. 15:19”
“Those who advocate for the union have repeatedly failed to articulate what the route out of it is, because they cannot. Their arguments are exhausted, and all that they have left is stonewalling and attempts to trap Scotland in a union that simply does not work for Scotland. Opponents of independence seem to pretend not to realise or understand that independence is a means by which to pursue the highest ambitions for Scotland. They argue that, instead, we should focus on issues such as the cost of living, but we do. What those who support the union are really asking us to do is to continue to tackle the big challenges that Scotland faces with one hand tied behind our back in order to appease vested interests, and we will not do so.”
“Moreover, let us not forget that Scotland has one third of Britain’s landmass, half its territorial waters, more than 60 per cent of UK fishing zones, 98 per cent of its oil reserves, 63 per cent of its natural gas, a quarter of Europe’s offshore wind resources and 90 per cent of the UK’s fresh water. To be honest, if I were a member of the UK Westminster establishment, I would not want Scotland to leave the union either, but that must be a matter for the people of Scotland. It is time for us to break the constitutional logjam and give the people of Scotland the right to determine their own future. Democracy is not an event. It is a process, and it is a process in which the people of Scotland have a sovereign right to assert their views.”
“Since the dawn of devolution, we have come so far—free university tuition based on the ability to learn, not the ability to pay; the expansion of childcare; free prescriptions; minimum unit pricing; and inroads being made in tackling child poverty through the Scottish child payment and other measures—but there is so much more to do to improve the lives of the people of Scotland. The ambition for Scotland among SNP members knows no limits and can be delivered through Scotland becoming a fully fledged independent nation. We know that other small independent nations can thrive and prosper, but no other small independent nation has the vast resources that we have in energy-rich Scotland. In energy terms, Scotland has hit the jackpot. For Scotland, as an independent nation, the sky truly would be the limit.”
“This is the most pro-independent Scottish Parliament that we have ever known. Independence is a normal state of affairs, and it will serve Scotland as a means by which to fully realise her ambitions. It is the means by which we can build the fairer, more compassionate and more just Scotland that we all want to see. The reality is that, unless we are unshackled from a failing Westminster system, decisions will not be made in the best interests of the people of Scotland. For example, Scotland has the energy, but we do not have the power. As a result, Scotland’s energy wealth has flowed to the London Treasury while, in Scotland, we pay some of the highest energy bills in Europe. That is not good enough. Scotland needs the power to harness her own resources for the benefit of the people of Scotland.”
“It was the birthplace of Miss Lesley Baillie, who Robert Burns met in 1792 and with whom he was quite taken. A memorial stands to bonnie Lesley in the town to this very day. Moving from north to east, Stewarton is a thriving town that dates back to the 12th century, where Robert Burns’s uncle helped guard the Stewarton laigh church graveyard against body snatchers. Last but by no means least is the picturesque town of Dunlop, which is famed for its cheese, the Ayrshire cow breed and the beautiful Dunlop parish church, which dates back 400 years. That is the diverse range of towns that I now have the honour to represent. As for the motion before us, the election a couple of weeks ago indicated that the Scottish public have placed their trust in parties that fully support an independent Scotland.”
“Irvine, the largest population centre in the constituency with a population of around 34,000, is the birthplace of not one but two former First Ministers of Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon and Jack McConnell. It is a town where Robert Burns worked and that now has two streets named after him: Burns Street and Burns Crescent. The town of Kilwinning, which is known as the crossroads of Ayrshire, dates back to the 600s. It boasts a rich heritage and was famous for its archery in medieval times, and it is tied to the ancient Kilwinning abbey. It is also the birthplace of world-renowned composer Sir James MacMillan, Booker prize nominee Andrew O’Hagan and celebrated author Janice Galloway. Stevenston is also a town that boasts links with Scotland’s national bard.”
“I am delighted to be called to deliver my first speech in our national Parliament. How fitting it is that it is on the very issue that brought me into politics in the first place: ambition for Scotland and the very normal and simple principle that the people of Scotland are the only people who should make decisions about the country in which they live. First, I pay tribute to my predecessor, Ruth Maguire, who served in this place for 10 years. She is a truly kind and thoughtful person, of whom I am very fond. I wish her well and extend my best wishes to her husband Peter and her beloved girls as she begins the next chapter of her future. [Applause.] I stand here with the honour of representing the constituency of Cunninghame South, which comprises the towns of Irvine, Kilwinning, Stevenston, Stewarton and Dunlop.”
“I, Patricia Gibson, 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”
“In the past hour, it has been revealed that the United Kingdom Government will not compensate WASPI women. Does the First Minister agree that Labour’s U-turn on a U-turn in betraying those women is a new low, even for it? The Presiding Officer: Please answer to the extent of devolved responsibility.”