John Swinney
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“Since the report from several years ago was published, the Government has presided over the passage of legislation to rationalise that area of activity. Work is under way to transfer the responsibility for the funding of further education student support from the Scottish Funding Council to the Student Awards Agency Scotland.”
“I appreciate the urgency of the general policy elements of the question, because a number of applications are now being considered by planning authorities. My view is that, given the concerns that have been expressed by planning authorities, the Government has to be responsive to the issue.”
“For as long as we do not have a proper strategy on prison capacity, rehabilitation and clearing the court backlog, early release will be a revolving door, with people going in, coming out and going back into our prisons. Our justice system is in crisis, so we need a strategy.”
“I associate myself unreservedly Mr Cole-Hamilton’s comments about the feelings in the Muslim community. On Monday, I visited the Broomhouse mosque along with Simita Kumar and the Annandale Street mosque in Edinburgh with Ben Macpherson.”
“The development of further guidance will be undertaken in a manner consistent with the ruling by Lady Ross. Malcolm Offord: I thank the First Minister for his answer, which was more comprehensive than I expected.”
“I am a huge supporter of apprenticeship programmes. With foundation apprenticeships and graduate apprenticeships, the Government has brought forward important reforms that create new and successful pathways for young people. I am determined to make sure that every young person has that desirable pathway for their future.”
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“I am not quite sure why Labour members are taking such exception to Mr Stewart’s question today. It rather reinforces the lack of concern that Labour has for the employment of people in the North Sea oil and gas sector at the present moment. I have been raising with the Prime Minister for some months now the necessity of removing the energy profits levy. Because of that levy, we are seeing an accelerated decline in oil and gas activity without the upsurge in renewables activity that we need in order for that to be compensated for. There is a significant employment threat faced by people in the North Sea oil and gas sector, and the Labour Party is absolutely oblivious to all of that. It does not care about it one jot— [Interruption.] Well, this Government cares about the employment of individuals in Scotland.”
“I understand the concern that Pauline McNeill raises. This is an issue that is the subject of active consultation, and Transport Scotland will consider the feedback that comes in. I am sure that the concerns that Pauline McNeill has set out will be heard in the consultation process. I give her the commitment that the Government will consider carefully the views about the issue that are expressed by all interested parties. Energy”
“I will have to look at the detail of the timing of those announcements, but I suspect that the Barnett consequentials that Mr Fraser mentions will have been in the budget settlement on which the Parliament made a determination in last week’s budget debate. Of course, following that debate, Mr Fraser did not support the Government’s budget. We will look at the issue and see what we can do to assist. If there are further steps that the Government can take, we will share them with Parliament. M8”
“I am pleased with the interventions that we are making. Listed Places of Worship”
“There is renewed uncertainty about the energy prices that we will all pay because of the events in the middle east, which will cause significant disruption and anxiety in the economy. Therefore, it is essential that we are all mindful of the steps that we take to ensure that those issues are properly addressed. Fundamentally, that onus and responsibility is on the United Kingdom Government in relation to those areas of taxation. As for areas where we do have responsibility, I was in Inverness yesterday to announce the commencement of the £2 bus fare cap proposal, which will be deployed in the Highlands on 23 March. It is already operating in the Western Isles and Shetland, and it will start in Orkney on Monday. It is another example of this Government intervening to support individuals and reduce the cost of living.”
“Improvements to the funding position have been made there, and that is also the case in relation to the STAR Centre in Ayrshire, which she also mentioned. I hope that that will reassure Ms Clark that the Government wishes to fund the network of rape crisis centres around the country adequately and effectively.”
“Three rape crisis centres, including the STAR Centre, which provides services in Ayrshire, have highlighted significant real-terms cuts, and Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis has closed two of its waiting lists. The First Minister has talked about active discussions with ministers. As we approach international women’s day, will he give a commitment that there will be no cuts, so that services provided by rape crisis centres can continue? The First Minister: I reassure Katy Clark that the Government wants to put in place appropriate funding for rape crisis centres around the country. We are providing a 5 per cent uplift to the delivering equally safe fund, bringing the total investment in the fund to almost £46 million from 2026 to 2028. Katy Clark also raised with me issues related to Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis.”
“The Scottish Government is strengthening the rights of women and girls. I am committed to ensuring that people are protected from abuse, which is why we are introducing new protections for women and girls via the hate crime legislation and are consulting on other new protections, such as banning the creation of deepfake images. Significant reforms have also recently been introduced, such as the establishment of a sexual offences court, which provides victims of sexual offences with an automatic lifelong right of anonymity, and providing women with the ability to seek protection from abuse by removing the abuser from their home. Katy Clark: A number of women members have raised with the First Minister the financial problems being faced by rape crisis centres, which provide a range of practical and legal services to women.”
“Those showed the strength of Scottish education. The Government has taken action to address the issues highlighted in the OECD review in relation to curriculum content. Any curriculum has to be founded, and if Mr Kerr does not realise that the curriculum is knowledge based to equip young people with the skills that are needed for the 21st century, he has not been paying attention to the content of Scottish education. I am engaged with those involved in Scottish education the length and breadth of the country, and I see a strong education system with outstanding young people and with a record number of achievements being made in our schools. I am proud of the strength of Scottish education. Legal Rights (Women and Girls) 6.”
“Will the First Minister now accept that his Government bears responsibility for the erosion of Scotland’s once world-leading education system, and will he set out what action must now be taken to restore clear standards, strong knowledge foundations and consistent expectations across Scotland’s schools? The First Minister: I do not accept that characterisation of Scottish education. Attainment levels are at a record high in literacy and numeracy, which is a consequence of the Government’s commitment to the Scottish attainment challenge. The poverty-related attainment gap in literacy and numeracy, across primary and secondary education, is at a record low. With regard to the delivery of Scottish education, there have been improvements in examination results, as demonstrated by the exam results in August 2025.”
“He cannot have read the 2021 OECD review if that is what he thinks the sum content of it was. Teachers have been warning for years that curriculum for excellence is no longer fit for purpose. It has weakened the emphasis on subject knowledge, has created inconsistency between schools and has coincided with Scotland falling behind international competitors. The OECD review in 2021—five years ago— warned that there was insufficient clarity about what pupils should learn and how standards should be measured, and yet, all those years on, the Scottish National Party Government has done nothing.”
“Scottish education continues to perform well, with record levels of literacy and numeracy, a record low in the poverty-related attainment gap in primary schools and a near-record number of young people entering positive destinations. On the encouragement of the commission on school reform, the Government sought an assessment of curriculum for excellence from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. That review indicated that curriculum for excellence was the correct approach. Work to update the curriculum to ensure strong alignment between the broad general education and the senior phase is under way. Those reforms are essential to ensure the continued success of our education system. Stephen Kerr: We have just had the usual self- congratulation from John Swinney.”
“The challenges that we face in Scotland have not been assisted by the stance taken by the United Kingdom Government in its spring statement, but we will work to ensure that, at all times, we continue to protect and promote the interests of the people of Scotland. As for Mr Gibson’s characterisation of the Labour Party’s dynamic election campaign, the slogan for which has gone from “Vote Labour for change” to “Hold your nose and vote Labour”, it tells us what we all knew a long time ago—that it stinks to vote Labour. Curriculum for Excellence 5.”
“The First Minister: On the issues associated with the spring statement, I am still unable to understand how the UK Government can reconcile its supposed enthusiasm for growth in the economy with the increase in employer national insurance contributions, which is so obviously damaging employment growth in many parts of the United Kingdom. Thankfully, though, because of the steps that my Government has taken, unemployment is at a very low level compared with the rest of the United Kingdom. I did want the chancellor’s statement to address the energy profits levy, which is costing 1,000 jobs each month in the North Sea at a time of fuel insecurity.”
“Does the First Minister agree that the spring statement was a missed opportunity to abolish an energy profits levy, which is costing 1,000 jobs each month in the North Sea at a time of fuel insecurity; to remove the increased employer national insurance contributions, which have hit the low paid and businesses and have cost 200,000 jobs; and, finally, to deliver justice to the 3.6 million women against state pension inequality—the WASPI women—who have been betrayed by the UK Labour Government? Does he agree that, given that it is bereft of any vision for Scotland, it is no wonder that the best election slogan that Labour can contrive is, “Hold your nose and vote Labour”? The Presiding Officer: Please answer in relation to devolved competence, First Minister.”
“The UK spring statement provided an update on the various issues in relation to the economic situation. We had hoped that there would be a clear outcome from the spring statement in relation to the energy profits levy, with an immediate end to that profits levy, given the damage that is being done to the North Sea sector as a consequence. We received information about additional consequentials from the United Kingdom Government, which will be spread over a three-year period beginning with 2026-27 and which represent additional funding of less than half of 1 per cent of the budget over a three-year period. Kenneth Gibson: UK economic growth forecasts have been revised downwards to lower than in the last year of the Tories.”
“Why will the First Minister not kick Trump’s troops out of Prestwick airport immediately? The First Minister: I think that it is pretty clear from what I have said over the past few days that I am in no way, shape or form a supporter of what has happened in the course of the past few days— in no way, shape or form. No amount of the characterisation of my stance that Mr Greer has put on the record will demonstrate that not to be the case. I am taking the steps within Government to establish the detail around the use of Prestwick airport. When the Government has more to say to Parliament about that, we will do so. However, let me reiterate that I believe that the intervention by Israel and the United States is incompatible with the international rules-based system. That has been the position of my Government and it will continue to be so.”
“It is abundantly obvious what they are doing. Spain, which is a fellow NATO member, has now banned the US military from using its air bases. Its Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said: “you can be against a hateful regime … and, at the same time, against an unjustified and dangerous military intervention that is outside international law.” I believe that the First Minister agrees with that statement. It is very similar to statements that he made when he marched against the war against Iraq in 2003. The US is using an airport that is owned by the Scottish Government to wage an illegal war, killing hundreds if not thousands of innocent people, but at the moment, Scotland’s First Minister is sitting on his hands. This Government says that it stands up for Scotland. Why does that stop the moment it might involve Donald Trump?”
“We are working with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to seek the repatriation of those individuals as quickly as it is safe to do so, given the risks and threats that are faced. In relation to the question of the use of Prestwick airport, the Government is in the process of establishing clarity around the use of the airport by the American air force. That process of inquiry is under way. Obviously, when the Government has more to say on that question, we will share that with Parliament. Ross Greer: The First Minister is right that America’s attack on Iran is incompatible with international law, but he is seeking an answer that we already have about the US use of Prestwick airport. We can see the flight data and we can see the flights between Prestwick airport and Israel by the US military.”
“Let me reiterate what I have said publicly on the issue. I cannot see how the intervention by the United States and Israel is compatible with an international rules-based system. The implications of this are now being felt very directly by our own citizens, many of whom are stranded in the middle east. The position that the Prime Minister finds himself in, of having to address the security implications for our citizens as a consequence of the American and Israeli action, demonstrates how these issues can escalate out of control very, very quickly indeed and pose direct risks to our citizens. I am concerned for the wellbeing of Scottish citizens who are trapped in the middle east.”
“That is being addressed by the steps that we are taking, and that will continue to be the position of my Government. Prestwick Airport (Military Use) 3.”
“We have established an oversight group that involves representatives of families and is chaired by the chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and by Sir Lewis Ritchie, an eminent clinician, to ensure that there is external interrogation of the issues at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. On the question of openness, I have today put on record the most recent information available to me. I could not be any more open with Parliament on the question, based on the information that is available to me. I add that the Government has established a public inquiry that will consider all those issues and that we await Lord Brodie’s findings. I say to Anas Sarwar at this particular moment that the Government recognises the deep concern of families.”
“In relation to the issue of grieving families, I will meet grieving families this afternoon, as I indicated that I would do, just as I met families last week and just as I have, in my constituency capacity, met victims of the Eljamel situation, whom I also met as First Minister on Monday. On the issue of releasing papers, my understanding is that the papers that were considered by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have been made publicly available, which addresses the question that Mr Sarwar puts to me. If he believes that any documents have not been released when the Government committed to doing so, he should advise me as to what those documents are, because it is my understanding that those documents have been put in the public domain.”
“We now know that political pressure was applied to open a hospital before it was ready and safe, and that people died as a result. Shona Robison was the health secretary at the time and should perhaps reflect on her own decisions and on what happened. We know that repeated warnings about infections were ignored and that staff were bullied and attempts made to silence them. We know that grieving families were offered bribes in exchange for their silence and that, despite all that, even now, the truth is being denied and the hospital has not been validated. Families do not trust John Swinney and he will not release the papers that this Parliament has demanded. Why is he incapable of doing the right thing by families when it comes to that hospital? The First Minister: I completely and utterly reject that charge.”
“Anas Sarwar: In that answer, John Swinney reveals the inconsistency at the heart of this Government. The Government received 14 amber and red warnings before March 2018, but still took no action and denied that there were infection risks at the hospital. The First Minister now admits that amber and red warnings come to the Government, so why were those ignored before 2018 so that people died as a result? Every step of the way, this Scottish National Party Government has attempted to misinform, deflect and deny. Progress has only ever been made when the Government has been backed into a corner and, even now, it hides behind process rather than just telling the truth. Let us look at what has been established in the past few weeks.”
“There is only one factor that has made the difference between the amber alert and the red alert, and that is the upgrading of one aspect of the HIIAT to acknowledge the heightened public anxiety around the matter. It is not because of any increased risk of harm to patients. It is important for me to put on the record the fundamental clinical consensus that the wards in question are safe. I reiterate the view that I consider the hospital, and its component parts, to be safe. Where issues are identified openly and transparently, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is addressing those issues and will be required by the Government to do exactly that. The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care has been engaging with the health board about exactly that, and that is what I expect the health board to do in the period to come.”
“The First Minister: Let me address the issues that Mr Sarwar puts to me. Last week, I met some of the families involved in the Queen Elizabeth university hospital, and I will meet many more as part of the conversation this afternoon. They will have my attention and my engagement on all those issues. Mr Sarwar asked me for transparency on these issues, and I want to be crystal clear with Parliament. The Government received an hospital infection incident assessment tool—HIIAT— amber alert on Thursday 26 February regarding ward 4B at the Queen Elizabeth university hospital, which cares for bone marrow transplant patients. This morning, the Government was advised that that HIIAT alert was upgraded to red.”
“The First Minister does not want to hear it from me, but perhaps he will listen to the words of the grieving widow Louise Slorance: “It beggars belief that as this incident was ongoing”, the health board, “the First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health were publicly proclaiming the hospital was safe. As the leading expert states 4B is not safe and nobody should be saying it is … patients like Andrew remain at risk today simply because those responsible prioritise reputation over patient safety.” Shame on each and every single one of you. Public safety and patient reassurance are urgent. They require honesty and transparency. This Parliament voted three weeks ago for all those documents to be published, and they have not been. Will the First Minister stop hiding behind process and do it right now?”
“I reiterate to Mr Sarwar that at no stage last week did I rule out that possibility, and he should stop misrepresenting me in the chamber. Anas Sarwar: To be frank, patients and families will see right through the nonsense of John Swinney, because they have been hearing it for eight years. This is not the only occasion on which John Swinney has misled Parliament. He has done it for weeks in relation to safety issues at the hospital. Yet again, it has taken whistleblowers and journalists to reveal that infection risks to immunocompromised patients have led to two wards being partially closed.”
“Mr Sarwar has, once again, misrepresented me in the chamber, and it is up to me to correct him for that purpose. In 2020, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport commissioned a case note review, which was undertaken by a panel of independent experts, so some of that work has already been undertaken. The review was led by Professor Mike Stephens and it looked at 118 episodes of bacterial infection in 85 children who received treatment for blood disease, cancer or related conditions at the Royal hospital for children in Glasgow. It published its findings in 2021. That exercise has been done on a large number of cases. As I said last week, if more cases are to be examined, I will consider that question. However, I have to be mindful of the fact that a public inquiry is now under way to look at all these questions.”
“The first thing that I want to say to Mr Sarwar is that I offered no disrespect to families last week. I was simply sitting in my chair, looking at Mr Sarwar and answering his questions. It is my duty to answer questions, and I did that. I simply say to Mr Sarwar that I have to give that matter my attention when I am answering questions in the Parliament. The second question that Mr Sarwar puts to me is about any scrutiny of individual cases. From my recollection of what he has said to me, Mr Sarwar misrepresents what I said to Parliament last week—not, of course, for the first time. What I said to Mr Sarwar last week is that I would have to consider the question of looking at individual cases. I did not, at any stage, rule it out.”
“I am going to do my level best to answer the questions that Russell Findlay has put to me, as I always do, but I am not going to talk about individual cases, because it is important that I respect the proper process that the Government has put in place to ensure that issues in relation to social security payments and potential fraud are dealt with properly. In relation to the specific question that Russell Findlay raises, I first became aware of those issues when the Government received a press inquiry about the subject in recent days. Russell Findlay: John Swinney’s star candidate used a crowdfunder to raise more than £1,200 for her campaign. [Interruption.]”
“The public can be assured that the NHS is safe in the Scottish National Party’s hands and that the SNP is delivering for the national health service in Scotland. The Presiding Officer: That concludes First Minister’s question time. Our next item of business is a members’ business debate in the name of Roz McCall. There will be a short suspension to allow people to leave the chamber and the public gallery. 12:54 Meeting suspended. 12:56 On resuming— Childcare Support for Parents”
“Speaking in relation to my responsibilities, I am very pleased that we have announced plans for 16 walk-in GP centres, and there are more to come. When I was in Shetland on Tuesday, there was a very warm welcome for the proposals that I have put in place. The announcement in Wester Hailes a few weeks ago was also warmly welcomed. The only people who seem to be disappointed about the Scottish Government tackling the 8 am rush are members of the Labour Party, because the Government is offering solutions where the Labour Party offers absolutely nothing. Alongside that, I am very pleased that, as I promised the people of Scotland, long waits continue to fall, and they have done so for eight months in a row.”
“I find that a very odd point for Jackie Baillie to advance, because her party tried to remove the voices of disabled people from integrated joint boards when their inclusion was a policy commitment of the Scottish Government. The Government is putting increased resources into the health service and local authorities. As a consequence, social care should be effectively funded. Jackie Baillie could not bring herself to vote for the Government’s budget yesterday, so this is just more posturing, more empty rhetoric and more of the same from the Labour Party, which lets the people of Scotland down, including people with disabilities. GP”
“Mr Carson makes a reasonable point. No individual, regardless of their geography in the country, should be prevented from developing career progression. If that is happening as a consequence of the changes, I will look into it carefully with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. Let us take the model of the University of the Highlands and Islands as an example. I saw personally how it allows members of the public to remain in the communities in which they and their families live while accessing initial teacher education in the UHI learning environment. Such models can work, and we have to look at them for paramedics. I will take that point away so that the health secretary and I can consider it, and the health secretary will write to Mr Carson about what steps we can take. Social”
“I do not know whether I heard them properly, but I think that, in response to Mr McLennan’s question, members of the Labour Party said from a sedentary position that what Mr McLennan was saying was not the case. Let me prove them wrong. The Labour Government pledged to cut bills by £300, but even with the price cap from April, bills will be £73 higher than at the time of the election. As I frequently have to do in the Parliament, I will provide members with an elementary lesson in arithmetic: £300 and £73 makes £373, which is rounded up to £400. The Labour Party has failed to deliver on its commitment to reduce energy bills for the people of Scotland, and it will not be forgiven for any of that.”
“I simply say to Mr O’Kane that, as part of its agenda in the aftermath of Covid, which has been a hugely disruptive period of our lives in Scotland, the Government is focused on making sure that we support families. We do that by reducing child poverty, which we, in Scotland, are doing, unlike the rest of the United Kingdom. We are also putting the resources in the budget to support the closure of the attainment gap. Yesterday, Mr O’Kane could not bring himself to vote for the Government’s budget and to invest in all those public services. We will not be deflected by the empty rhetoric of Mr O’Kane and his Labour colleagues.”
“I recognise that the statistics this week demonstrate that there is further work to be done. However, what Mr O’Kane puts on the record—not for the first time— is not a complete demonstration of the picture. Attainment levels are at record highs in literacy and numeracy in Scotland’s schools. The poverty- related attainment gap across primary and secondary literacy and numeracy is at a record low in our country. That is a consequence of the Scottish Government’s commitment to invest in education. In addition to all that, there were reduced gaps in each of last summer’s national 5, higher and advanced higher results, as a consequence of the Government’s interventions.”
“We have also recently provided funding to three health boards for patient navigators to directly encourage underscreened individuals to attend screening. We continue to commit £1 million annually to tackle cancer screening inequalities. We will be resolute in taking forward those measures. I am grateful to Ruth Maguire for so powerfully putting this issue on the parliamentary agenda, and I give her the assurance of my commitment and the commitment of the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health to ensuring that the progress that Ruth Maguire demands is delivered in the period to come. Poverty-related”
“Let me begin by saying that Ruth Maguire has, not for the first time, given very powerful advice to Parliament and to members of the public and women in our society about the steps that we have to take. I unequivocally reiterate the message that Ruth Maguire has set out to Parliament and I urge every woman, whether vaccinated or not, to attend their cervical cancer screening. The uptake of screening is not where we want it to be—let me be open about that with members. There are complex reasons for that, but we must take steps to deliver services differently to make sure that we improve those rates of performance. One of the measures, which will begin this March, is the offering of the first self-sampling tests, which will be focused on some of the most deprived areas of Scotland.”
“With regard to what Ms Gosal said about a soft touch, there are more people serving longer sentences in Scotland because of the decisions of the Lord Advocate to prosecute and secure convictions on those cases. Lastly, I am absolutely committed—and I give leadership on this across Government—to make sure that violence against women and girls is tackled in our country, and that will always be at the heart of my Government’s steps. Cervical Cancer Screening (Uptake)”
“It is important that I put some context around the points that Pam Gosal has made. Scotland is a safer place since this Government came to office. Recorded crime is down by 38 per cent since the Government came to office in 2006-07, and it has halved since its peak in 1991. This country is a safer country but, within that data, there is a rise in a number of elements of sexual crimes and domestic violence. Some of that is to do with the approach that has been taken, as I set out to Parliament last week, by the Lord Advocate in making sure that significant progress is made on bringing crimes of violence against women and girls to the courts with confidence and effective prosecutorial strength, to make sure that more and more of those cases are prosecuted. I pay tribute to the Lord Advocate for what she has done in that respect.”
“The First Minister: I reiterate the points that I made earlier to Mercedes Villalba. I want to make sure that there is good dialogue between the university leadership and the trade unions to resolve these issues. On the financing of universities, the Government has increased the resources that are available to the university sector through the Scottish budget. We have also increased the budget that is available for colleges. I welcome the launch of the framework for sustainability and success of Scottish universities, which will explore options for securing a successful and sustainable future for the world-leading university sector that we benefit from in Scotland. The Government is fully engaged in that activity.”
“They voted in defence of their jobs, their workplace and their students’ learning conditions, because, over the past two years, more than 440 jobs at the university have been lost. Elsewhere, the University of Dundee has seen more than 500 job losses since July 2024. Strike ballots have been held at Heriot-Watt University, the University of Strathclyde and the University of Stirling, and a new ballot opened today in Edinburgh. UCU members are having to fight the same battle, again and again, up and down the country. I am pleased to hear the First Minister urging university principals across the country to meet campus unions. They must listen to their workforce, but what is his Government doing to address the financial crisis in our higher education sector?”
“Although ministers cannot intervene directly, I encourage the University and College Union and the University of Aberdeen to work constructively to seek a resolution to the dispute. I am keen that all parties work together to minimise the risk of disruption for students. My clear expectation is that staff and trade unions are consulted meaningfully on the potential impact of any measures that would have an effect on the university’s workforce, in line with the fair work principles that are taken forward by the Government. Mercedes Villalba: Just two years after strike action was averted, thanks to trade union negotiation, UCU members at the University of Aberdeen have voted overwhelmingly in support of industrial action.”
“The First Minister: There are a number of hypothetical elements to that question. However, for me to be able to fulfil what Mr Kerr has asked of me, I will first have to win the forthcoming election and ensure that I lead the Government after it. I am glad that Liam Kerr believes that that is exactly what I am going to be doing.”
“Liam Kerr: I am pleased that we finally have a publication date for the research, but it is extraordinarily late, given that Malcolm McMillan’s appointment to do it was more than three years ago. For the sake of the system’s integrity, for public confidence and to achieve a clear separation of powers, the Lord Advocate’s dual role must be split, which the Scottish National Party promised to do in its 2021 manifesto. The First Minister will be pleased to note that Conservative MP John Cooper has tabled a bill in the UK Parliament that would enable such a split. Will the First Minister instruct Stephen Flynn and the SNP’s MPs to support Mr Cooper’s bill? If the bill should pass, will the First Minister immediately take the steps required to split the Lord Advocate’s role?”
“The law officers operate with integrity and entirely independently of any other person as they undertake their prosecutorial and investigation of deaths functions and provide legal advice to ministers. Separating the functions would require legislation by the United Kingdom Parliament. A draft research paper on the law officers’ roles and functions, which set out factual information, context and analysis, was produced by the former chief executive of the Scottish Law Commission, Malcolm McMillan. The paper was subsequently peer reviewed and will be published before the end of the parliamentary session. Although the Scottish Government is exploring whether any change might be desirable, it considers that the current position is appropriate.”
“However, under the current United Kingdom arrangements, people in Scotland will not get the benefit of the renewable energy that is being generated. I agree with Michelle Thomson that if Scotland wants to have lower energy costs for households and businesses, its energy wealth must work for the people of Scotland. That will come only when Scotland becomes independent.”