Fulton MacGregor
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“Deputy Presiding Officer, you will know that I am interested in that, as you are. We were both members of the Criminal Justice Committee in the previous session of Parliament. Evidence shows that community-based sentences are effective in reducing reoffending.”
“Scotland’s prison population continues to rise despite our having the lowest number of recorded crimes, and the average custodial sentence length increased by 37 per cent between 2014-15 and 2023-24. That is all having an impact on capacity in our prisons.”
“Scotland’s prison population is at a critical point. As the motion demonstrates, the Scottish Government recognises the importance of the issue and is taking action through sustained investment, careful planning and a clear focus on public safety. The 2026-27 budget includes investment of £1 billion in Scotland’s prisons.”
“It builds on the investment of £25 million over the previous two years. I also welcome the cabinet secretary’s remarks on reviewing community justice. However, the evidence is already clear. Statistics show that people who are released from custody experience higher rates of reconviction than those who receive non-custodial sentences.”
“Given that it is unaffordable, there would be an almighty battle to deliver it, if that could happen at all. The issue is about having a credible plan, with the timescales that we have to date, to deliver for the benefit of the people of Lanarkshire and people elsewhere in Scotland, with that shift in the balance of care.”
“At what point did the Scottish Government deem that the cost outlined in the business case was too high? What discussions did it have with NHS Lanarkshire to try to resolve issues earlier?”
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“What began as a charity that offered bereaved parents a retreat free of charge has now grown into an organisation that also provides counselling, trauma therapy and music therapy for siblings affected by loss. It utilises bereavement counsellors and holds regular support groups for those who avail themselves of its services and I know that other members representing central Scotland are very much aware of that work. The charity’s co-founder, Bryan Morrison, also does a lot of work with men who experience baby loss, a subject that has been touched on by a couple of speakers. He does fantastic work and I encourage everyone here to watch some of the videos that he has made. As I said, I am aware of the significant progress that the Government has made on the issue, but there are still areas that need urgent attention.”
“Taking forward the findings of The Lancet’s report by supporting the development of individualised care plans after a woman’s first miscarriage, ensuring that health boards and women’s services have dedicated facilities for women who are experiencing unexpected pregnancy complications and even committing to introducing three days of paid leave for families who suffer miscarriages and stillbirths are all steps in the right direction. Although I commend the work of the Scottish Government, I must also highlight the incredible work done outwith the public sector by charities such as Baby Loss Retreat, whose chief executive officer and founder is a constituent of mine. Baby Loss Retreat was founded in February 2018 by Julie and Bryan Morrison, who lost their daughter Erin in 2003.”
“The uncertainty around the figures stems from many miscarriages going unreported, with some women even being unaware that they were pregnant in the first place. Whatever the true figures may be, each pregnancy loss has a devastating impact on those who suffer a miscarriage, as well as on their wider family and friends. That traumatic experience requires improved and supportive care that is conducted with dignity and respect. I appreciate the tone of today’s motion, which I think is highlighted by the fact that there are no amendments. I also acknowledge that there has been progress on the issue, but there is, of course, still much to be done.”
“Today’s debate concerns the very difficult topics of miscarriage, stillbirth and pregnancy loss. I know that this Scottish Government is committed to reducing stigma, breaking the silence and normalising conversations about pregnancy loss, which can, in small part, be realised by having debates such as this one today. Although it is hard to get exact figures, as the minister touched on already, it is believed that anything from 8 to 24 per cent of pregnancies end in miscarriage. In the spirit of being open and breaking down the silence, and as I think I have said in the chamber before, my partner and I have experienced several miscarriages. We have three lovely children but have also had miscarriages at various points in that journey.”
“The First Minister will be aware of the news this week that a fatal accident inquiry is to be held into the death of Coatbridge resident Jacqueline McQuillan at Monklands hospital in 2018. Since that time, my office team and I have been supporting the family, and Jacqueline’s sister, Lynne, in particular. They are my constituents, and I know how important the announcement is for them in their on-going search for answers. I know that the First Minister cannot comment on the specifics of the case, but will he join me in acknowledging the difficult time that the family has been through and in calling on the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to keep the family fully up to date as the case progresses?”
“To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the finance secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding infrastructure investment plans for the building of new schools, in light of the recent Audit Scotland report, which noted that further borrowing will be needed to invest in these. (S6O-04290)”
“It is absolutely essential that the UK Government honour its obligations to protect the public sector and ensure that there are no unintended consequences for colleges. Forces Children Scotland 4.”
“Does the minister agree that the UK Government’s employer national insurance contribution hike is unnecessarily lumping significant additional pressure on Scotland’s colleges? Can he confirm whether the UK Government is intending to cover those costs, given that colleges in England are to be supported? Graeme Dey: I hear comments from the Labour side of the chamber. I hope that those members will listen to what I will say. There is absolutely no doubt that the UK Government’s decision is putting more pressure on colleges. The hike in employer national insurance contributions is a significant additional burden on our colleges. I was reminded of that only yesterday in the tripartite group, where Colleges Scotland clearly expressed its concerns about the impact of the hike.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Transport Scotland regarding safety measures at the Shawhead flyover on the A725 in Coatbridge. (S6O-04271)”
“That is why, earlier this month, I announced that the First Minister had asked the Minister for Victims and Community Safety and me to form the new task force on online safety. The task force will provide oversight, challenge and direction in order to identify what more can be done to protect children and young people from online harms. I have already referred to the new national child sexual abuse and exploitation strategic group, which was established on 24 October to review current actions and agree on the areas in which additional focus is needed to better protect children. We want the group to be able to act in a way that is informed by the experience and expertise of practitioners. That is why the group is co-chaired by senior police officers and social work representatives.”
“This is a harrowing case. It is absolutely vital that we enhance our child protection services and learn lessons. The minister will be aware that I recently raised with the First Minister the specific issue of mandatory reporting. Can she say any more about what steps the Scottish Government is taking to improve child protection, including through the new task force that it has set up to tackle online harms? Natalie Don-Innes: I thank the member for his question and his continued engagement on this important issue, particularly around support for victims. On mandatory reporting, it is important to note that professionals in Scotland have an existing duty to report child abuse. It is vitally important that we do all that we can to protect children from abuse and sexual exploitation.”
“International experience is imperative, and we are open minded and take with all seriousness the lessons that we can learn from others.”
“Can we in Scotland learn any lessons from the storm practices of countries that are more familiar with such weather or experience it as a norm? How is the Scottish Government seeking to inform its practice using the experience of those other countries? Angela Constance: That is perhaps an issue for a slower time but, for brevity, I reassure Mr MacGregor about our openness to learning from other countries, which I hope is very apparent. Obviously, there are countries that experience significant snowfall with great regularity. A number of years ago, I was in Japan at the time of a typhoon, and it was somewhat instrumental to see how the Japanese Government dealt with that emergency and how quickly the country recovered.”
“However, serious concerns have been relayed to me on possible unintended consequences, including a concern that the vague wording allows scope for a blanket ban to be implemented, which might, counterintuitively, be harmful to the dog population of Scotland. I was told that, for dogs struggling with behavioural issues, e-collars can provide a humane and efficient way to manage and modify challenging behaviours, enabling those dogs to live better and better-adjusted lives.”
“The business owners who contacted me include Kelsey Kiernan from Bedlay Gardens in Moodiesburn, Andrea Kennedy from Gartcloss Kennels in Coatbridge and Daryl Thomson from Cruz K-9 Dog Training. Kelsey Kiernan has engaged with me and the Government before, for example, on the recent debate around XL bullies and the possible unintended consequences of a ban. I very much value her expertise on issues around the welfare of dogs. As everybody can see, on the face of it, amendment 18 appears to take a common-sense approach by preventing suffering. If it had not been for those who contacted me, that might have been where I landed on the matter, and I appreciate everything that Ross Greer has laid out.”
“This is not the kind of debate that I would usually be speaking in, but I have decided to speak to the group 1 amendments after having received a significant number of queries from constituents over the past few days— perhaps the past week. Although I might be praising Christine Grahame too much by saying this, I assume that the fact that I had had no correspondence about the bill until these amendments were revealed is a testament to the bill’s strengths and competence. What struck me about those who contacted me was that they were a mix of individual dog owners and owners of dog-related businesses. Significantly, they all cared deeply about the welfare of dogs. What made me sit up and listen was that they were all passionately opposed to Ross Greer’s amendment 18, which proposes the banning of e-collars.”
“We will continue to work closely with stakeholder partners to shape the future of social care support and improvement in line with priorities that are identified by the advisory board, once it has been established. On the anticipated timescales, we hope to resume the bill process in Parliament soon, subject to Parliament’s agreement on timescales.”
“Will the minister outline how the Scottish Government is working with stakeholder partners to design and implement improvements to social care support as quickly and effectively as possible? Will she again outline the timescales that can be anticipated for the resumption of the NCS bill’s progress through this Parliament? Maree Todd: We have an on-going programme of policy-level stakeholder engagement and opportunities for stakeholder partners to engage directly in co-design activities. We have 286 stakeholder organisations on our stakeholder register, all of which receive a monthly update on co-design activities that are being undertaken and opportunities to engage.”
“I reiterate that public trust and confidence in public services help to bind our society and our communities together. I will add one thing that I said to the family. I want to be clear to the families and to Parliament that I will not call for action in another place that is the responsibility of others at the expense of the action that I can take. I will pursue the issues on Crown immunity, but I make it clear that that action will not be at the expense of the action that is in my gift.”
“I, too, pass my condolences to the families. I appreciate that the cabinet secretary has referred to the issue of Crown immunity a couple of times already, but I wonder whether she believes that the change in Government at Westminster allows for an opportunity to pursue that issue with renewed urgency. Angela Constance: I very much hope that the change in Government will allow for more fruitful discussions on the matter. I have already laid out, in answers to others, that I will pursue the matter in good faith. The previous UK Government did not reply to earlier correspondence from the previous First Minister. I think that there is a wider interest right now in misconduct in public office, and various other inquiries have led us to that position.”
“In the light of the news this week that the United Kingdom Government will now introduce mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse across professional bodies, what further consideration has the Scottish Government given to adopting that approach in Scotland?”
“I know that the First Minister will be aware of the work of the cross-party group on adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, having had regular supportive engagement with the group in his previous roles. He will also likely be aware of recent work on mandatory reporting, and of a round-table discussion on the matter that was held in the Parliament a couple of months ago, which I chaired in my position as convener of the group. Clearly, there is now a strong coalition of support for that measure from a broad range of survivor agencies and, crucially, from survivors themselves in Scotland.”
“That is done through funding streams such as the cashback for communities fund and the whole-family wellbeing fund. I have witnessed how transformational whole-family interventions have been for families, and I know about the difference that they undoubtedly make in the long term. The Scottish Government also provides ring- fenced funding to all local authorities through the section 27 grant allocation, which includes funding for alternatives such as diversion from prosecution, bail supervision and electronic monitoring. Local authorities also have their own initiatives not only to divert but to prevent, and I am always willing to hear more about any positive initiatives that are going on at the local level.”
“Many children and young people in secure care are vulnerable and have faced significant adverse childhood experiences. What is the Government doing to ensure that local authorities can provide intense alternative-to-care support services that focus on keeping young people out of secure care, so that it is only ever used as a last resort? Natalie Don-Innes: Obviously, the quality of secure care is extremely important, but, in line with our work to keep the Promise, we want to use alternatives for children and young people and, when possible, divert them to alternatives to secure care. The Scottish Government takes a rights-based approach to youth justice, which is reflected in our investment in services and initiatives that are aimed at addressing the underlying causes of offending and at supporting young people in the community.”
“Those meetings provide opportunities for GPs not only to raise their concerns but to discuss the opportunities for reform and improvement, and to shift the balance of care from secondary into primary care.”
“In answer to Sandesh Gulhane, I referenced the areas where I have seen incredible work by general practitioners over the festive period, for which I am very grateful. In addition, on 29 November, at the British Medical Association’s Scottish local medical committee conference, I announced an additional £13.6 million investment in general practice for this financial year. That funding is aimed at addressing financial pressures, supporting staff costs and enabling practices to recruit and retain key staff. It is a practical response to the challenges that GPs face. I frequently meet the BMA, and my officials have regular meetings with the Scottish GP committee.”
“Yesterday, I met GPs and the practice manager at the Atrium medical centre in Coatbridge. I was given a demonstration of a typical day at that busy GP practice, and I heard about the pressures that are faced all year, particularly during these difficult winter months. What support is available for GPs in their role in response to winter pressures? What opportunities will there be for GPs to feed their concerns into Government? Neil Gray: I thank Fulton MacGregor for his engagement with general practice in his constituency, and I am heartened to hear that that engagement is happening. I also reiterate the Government’s commitment to supporting general practice during this critical time.”