Clare Haughey
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“I note that the Deputy First Minister has confirmed that vape shops will be excluded from eligibility for relief from 1 April 2027, and I welcome that commitment. How will that contribute to the Scottish Government’s public health commitments and build on the progress that has been made on reducing the harm that vapes can cause?”
“That is exactly why we are taking action to ensure that vape shops contribute to the high street, recognising the growth of the sector in recent years, and also to ensure that rates relief aligns with our public health commitments, to answer the member’s point.”
“In the 1970s, the then- Labour Glasgow City Council proposed demolishing the People’s Palace building to put in a motorway—a potential work of historical vandalism of epic proportions.”
“I remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests: I hold a bank nurse contract with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. The Queen Elizabeth university hospital in Glasgow was recently ordered by Healthcare Improvement Scotland to make 26 improvements.”
“With that in mind, we always want to encourage women to access the care that they need. In my statement, I intimated that I quickly met the chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and, separately, Healthcare Improvement Scotland.”
“Being able to communicate your needs and have them be understood is fundamental to care. I also took the opportunity to engage with Healthcare Improvement Scotland, which confirmed the proactive leadership and ownership by the chief executive and the board.”
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“This year’s budget provides £13 million for voluntary sector short breaks, which represents an uplift of £5 million, and a working group has been established to bring together carers and third and statutory sector representatives to make sure that their voices are central to on-going discussions on the matter. The implementation of Anne’s law will give adult care home residents a legal right to see their loved ones, formally recognising the role of their family and friends in providing care, support and companionship. It is a formal recognition that family and friends are not simply visitors; they are an integral and essential part of the care team for their loved ones.”
“People have told us about their frustration and trauma when they have had to share their stories repeatedly. That is why a key component of the bill is enhanced information sharing to improve co-ordination, ensure consistent information standards and lay the foundations for integrated digital approaches that will make it easier for people to access and manage information about their care. The bill recognises the incredible contribution that is made by unpaid carers in our communities. It introduces a right to breaks to support people to protect their wellbeing and sustain caring relationships.”
“Irrespective of the bill, the Scottish Government has been committed to taking immediate action to improve outcomes for people who access care and support. Throughout the bill’s progress, the Government was committed to listening and engaging, and it revisited its approach to further engage with people who have lived experience, COSLA and the NHS, among others. The new non-statutory advisory board is allowing vital reform to be driven forward at pace, bringing key partners together. We are already seeing progress across Scotland in reducing delayed discharges thanks to a focus on supporting the local areas that are experiencing the most challenges. The changes that are before us today will improve the lives of those who have been calling for reform.”
“We have also heard repeatedly from people with lived experience that the current adult social care system must change to drive up standards in a consistent manner and ensure that there is access to high-quality social care across Scotland whenever it is needed. The status quo is not an option. Change must be sustainable, our social care workforce must be allowed to flourish, and the sector must be future proofed. The Scottish Government has a long- standing commitment to the principles of fair work for the social care sector that is underlined by a total investment of £950 million to improve pay. That commitment sits alongside a clear focus on both local and national workforce planning, leadership and learning and development support for the sector.”
“I put on the record my entry in the register of members’ interests. I am employed as a bank nurse by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Earlier this year, I underlined my commitment as convener of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee to ensuring that substantial further scrutiny of the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill would take place. I express my thanks to all those who contributed to that process and to all the stakeholders, members of the public and MSPs who shared their views. We know that the social care system in Scotland needs to change. Partners across the public sector, including across local government and our national health service, agree.”
“To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work that it is doing to support those affected by historic forced adoption. (S6O-04665)”
“The committee has very deliberately not made an overall recommendation on the general principles of the bill, out of respect for Parliament’s desire to approach the issue of assisted dying as a matter of individual conscience. However, I hope that, in presenting the evidence that we have gathered during our careful scrutiny of the bill at stage 1, the committee has made a positive and useful contribution to today’s important debate, and that the contents of our report will be helpful to individual members in deciding how they vote on the bill today, and in informing further scrutiny of the bill should it progress to stage 2. The Presiding Officer: We move to the open debate. 14:51”
“Those include the information that is required to be collected as part of the review process; whether five years is an appropriate review period for the bill; and whether the bill should include a sunset clause, which would mean that the legislation could not remain in force beyond a defined period without a further vote in Parliament. In conclusion, I reiterate my sincere thanks to all those who contributed to the committee’s scrutiny of the bill at stage 1, whether by submitting written evidence, giving oral evidence, participating in informal engagement or contributing personal testimony of their lived experience. I also put on record my thanks to the committee clerks for their work on the scrutiny, and to Scottish Parliament information centre colleagues for their assistance to the committee.”
“Many stakeholders have emphasised that it will take time for a workable solution to those matters to be agreed and implemented. Nonetheless, our report welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitment to enter into a dialogue with the UK Government should the bill progress and to keep Parliament regularly updated on progress. Should the general principles of the bill be agreed to today, its information reporting and review provisions will be particularly important, and our report highlights a number of areas that will require further reflection at stage 2.”
“We welcome Mr McArthur’s preparedness, should the bill be approved at stage 1, to consider mechanisms for reviewing and updating guidance on coercion. That will ensure that health practitioners are suitably equipped to assess coercion effectively and will allow the related offence created by section 21 to be policed appropriately. There has been a good deal of commentary on the provisions in the bill that may be judged to extend beyond the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament. Mr McArthur has acknowledged the constraints that issues of legislative competence will place on the full implementation of the bill until they have been resolved. That will require an open dialogue to take place between the Scottish Government and the United Kingdom Government, with a view to reaching an agreed solution.”
“We have noted Mr McArthur’s willingness to explore further the possibility of creating an opt-in model of participation in assisted dying for healthcare practitioners. That might merit further examination via amendments at stage 2. Irrespective of the position that the Parliament takes on allowing or prohibiting institutional objection, we believe that amendments will be needed, should the bill progress to stage 2, to provide further clarity so that institutions understand how they will be permitted to act should the bill become law. We have taken a particular interest in potential alternative models for assessing coercion, such as those that were created in relation to living donors by the Human Tissue Act 2004. We believe that such alternative models should be explored further via amendments should the bill progress to stage 2.”
“However, we have also heard concerns that the inclusion of such a clause could create unreasonable barriers to access to assisted dying. We have concluded that, where healthcare practitioners exercise a conscientious objection, there should be a minimum expectation that they will refer patients who request assisted dying to a colleague who does not share such an objection. As a bare minimum, they should be expected to provide additional information about the process. We believe that the potential inclusion of a no- detriment provision would merit further investigation at stage 2, as it could help to protect healthcare staff from potential workplace discrimination if they decide to be involved in an assisted dying or, equally, if they decide to exercise a conscientious objection in order not to be involved.”
“Whether through amendments or more detailed guidance, further clarity will be essential to ensure that all parties involved are suitably protected should the bill become law. The committee has concluded that the wording of the section on conscientious objection will require further attention at stage 2 to ensure that it provides an appropriate level of legal clarity and certainty for all parties involved in the assisted dying process. Some stakeholders have called for the bill to include a no-duty clause, meaning that healthcare practitioners who decide to exercise a conscientious objection would be under no obligation to refer an individual who has requested assisted dying to a healthcare colleague who is able to deal with that request.”
“The committee has heard evidence of significant discrepancies in the estimates of the training costs associated with the bill. Those costs might also vary significantly according to a number of factors. Whatever the costs of training ultimately prove to be, should the bill become law, we would expect the Scottish Government to set out how it intends to meet them in a way that does not negatively affect available funding for existing services. We welcome Liam McArthur’s preparedness to consider further the sections of the bill that relate to the provision of assistance. The evidence that was submitted to the committee has led us to conclude that the provisions of the bill concerning self-administration and provision of assistance will require further clarification should the bill progress to stage 2.”
“We heard a range of views from healthcare professionals about the way in which assisted dying would be delivered in practice were the bill to become law. We recognise Mr McArthur’s intention that assisted dying should be delivered via a service model that enables integration with existing services, rather than being provided as a stand-alone service. If the bill becomes law, we think that it will be important to monitor the impact on existing healthcare services over time. We believe that, if the bill progresses to stage 2, it might be appropriate to explore through amendments whether specific aspects of assisted dying would be better delivered on a stand-alone basis. In particular, that might be considered necessary to ensure consistent access across the country, including in rural and remote areas and the islands.”
“In that context, I note Mr McArthur’s recent comment that, should the bill progress to stage 2, he would propose amending the minimum age threshold for eligibility from 16 to 18. I should add that the committee would wish to undertake further engagement on that aspect prior to stage 2 proceedings taking place. The detail of the provisions on capacity would also be worthy of further consideration at stage 2. In particular, there should be scrutiny of the resource implications for the medical professions of their having to assess capacity, by ensuring that the capacity of people with mental disorders would be assessed in a fair and non-discriminatory way while also providing suitable protections for vulnerable adults, and defining how the eligibility of people with fluctuating capacity would be determined.”
“Those could be achieved through amendments to establish an independent oversight mechanism, such as an independent review panel, or to create a potential monitoring role for the chief medical officer. We have looked carefully at the eligibility criteria for assisted dying that the bill sets out. On balance, the committee is satisfied with Mr McArthur’s rationale for not including in the definition of “terminal illness” a timescale for life expectancy, and leaving individual decisions on eligibility to clinical judgment. However, we think that certain of the criteria, specifically those on minimum age and residency, might benefit from further consideration and clarification should the bill progress to stage 2.”
“Equally, in deciding how to vote, members will need to judge for themselves whether the bill strikes an appropriate balance between providing a right for terminally ill adults to access assisted dying and giving adequate protection to vulnerable groups. As part of its scrutiny, the committee took evidence on the related issue of palliative care. We heard how important good-quality palliative care is for people who are approaching the end of their life. No matter how the Parliament votes on the bill today, it is to be hoped that the debate will provide a catalyst for further improvements to be made to the quality and availability of palliative care services in Scotland. If the bill progresses to stage 2, we suggest that the safeguards that it contains and its compliance with human rights requirements could be strengthened.”
“In recognition of that, the committee decided to make no overall recommendation on the general principles of the bill at stage 1. Instead, we highlighted a number of key considerations for members to take into account in deciding how they will vote today. We looked carefully at the human rights that are protected under the European convention on human rights and which might be affected by the bill. Those include the right to life under article 2, the right to respect for private life under article 8, and the prohibition on discrimination in article 14. In that context, members will need to consider how likely it is, or how serious a risk there might be, that a human rights-based legal challenge could result in the scope of eligibility for assisted dying being expanded over time, contrary to the original intentions of the bill.”
“As convener of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, I am pleased to speak to our stage 1 report on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill. Starting with two calls for views that ran during July and August 2024, the committee has undertaken detailed scrutiny of the bill at stage 1 over a period of 10 months. We have listened carefully to strongly held views from people who support assisted dying and those who oppose it. We have gathered detailed evidence on all aspects of the bill. I place on the record the committee’s sincere thanks to those on all sides of the debate who contributed to our stage 1 scrutiny. From the outset, the Parliament has agreed that voting on the sensitive topic of assisted dying should be treated as a matter of conscience.”
“We know that there are challenges in that regard; for example, although historically we have seen our pupil support population increasing, there are fewer additional support for learning teachers. The extra funding from the Government is designed to allow local authorities to have the power to choose to invest in specialist provision to help support their workforce.”
“I am sure that many members will join me in welcoming key announcements on education from this week’s programme for government. Can the cabinet secretary outline what the programme for government will do to address behaviour and improve standards in schools specifically? Jenny Gilruth: The programme for government makes a number of additional contributions to funding to enhance, for example, the number of teachers in our schools. Having a full staffing complement is hugely important, but the extra funding that I spoke of in response to a previous question on additional support for learning is specifically tailored to give that additionality in terms of trained specialist staff.”
“That is a demonstration of this Government’s determination to continue to deliver on affordable homes.”
“I am proud of the SNP Government’s record on delivering affordable housing for families across Scotland. I am not sure that Mr O’Kane can say the same about his party, which famously delivered only six council properties in its last four years in government. Will the cabinet secretary outline how the Scottish Government will work tirelessly to meet the target of 110,000 homes by 2032, particularly through investment in the 2025- 26 Scottish budget, which the Labour Party did not engage with, let alone vote for? Shirley-Anne Somerville: The budget for 2025- 26 sees an increase of more than £211 million when compared with the 2024-25 published budget, which is more than £180 million in capital and almost £31 million in financial transactions.”
“My constituents in Rutherglen will welcome the recent announcement that peak rail fares are to be abolished on publicly owned ScotRail trains. How much does the First Minister anticipate that the average commuter in Scotland will save over the course of a year’s travel thanks to that intervention by the Scottish National Party—the only party that people in Scotland can rely on to protect their interests and to deliver for them?”
“Although his cancer was initially detected through a post-match drugs test, he has been a strong advocate of men checking their testicles regularly for signs of disease. I am in no doubt that the increased awareness of testicular cancer as a result of people such as Alan Stubbs going public has helped men across the UK and saved their lives.”
“As Scotland’s only dedicated testicular cancer charity, it has a range of resources to raise awareness, offer advice and support men through their cancer journey. On its website, men can input their mobile number and the charity will text them a monthly self-check reminder at no cost to them. Alternatively, men can sign up for the monthly newsletter for updates, also with a self-check reminder. As is the case with so many men’s issues, men are often too uncomfortable to talk about testicular cancer and its prevention. That is why when men are brave enough to go public with a diagnosis, it can save lives by bringing renewed attention and focus to the disease. Members across the chamber may remember, or be aware of, the former Celtic player Alan Stubbs, who was diagnosed with, and survived, testicular cancer twice.”
“While nearly all men survive testicular cancer, if the cancer has spread, the rate of survival for five years or more can reduce to 65 per cent, so checking is incredibly important. The most common symptom is a lump or swelling in a testicle, or a dull ache, pain or heaviness in the scrotum. Usually, those symptoms are caused by nothing more than injury or infection. However, if you notice any of these signs or a combination of them, do not leave it to chance—speak to your general practitioner to make sure. I, too, take the time to congratulate Cahonas Scotland—which is based in Marie McNair’s constituency, as we heard from her—on the work that it does to raise awareness of testicular cancer.”
“Although more than six men are diagnosed each day across the UK, it is important to note that survival rates have risen every year since the 1970s. When testicular cancer is detected in its early stages, it is 96 per cent curable—the outlook is one of the best among all cancers. According to Cancer Research UK, around 95 out of 100 men survive their cancer for one year or more after they are diagnosed; around 95 out of 100 will survive their cancer for five years or more after diagnosis; and around 90 out of hundred men will survive their cancer for 10 years or more after diagnosis. However, men should not allow those survival figures to act as a deterrent to regular checking, nor should they become complacent.”
“I pay tribute to my colleague Marie McNair for securing today’s important debate. In Parliament, we— understandably—devote a lot of time to discussing women’s health issues, so I really welcome the opportunity to speak in a debate with a male focus, on testicular cancer. As we have heard, testicular cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United Kingdom aged 15 to 45. A total of 2,400 men in the UK are diagnosed each year. In Scotland, 175 men were diagnosed with testicular cancer between October 2022 and September 2023. That represents a decrease from October 2021 to September 2022, when 183 men were diagnosed, but an increase from October 2022 to September 2021, when 161 were diagnosed.”
“The UK Government needs to get serious about protecting key Scottish industries, whether that is at Grangemouth, through the Acorn carbon capture and storage project or through wider industrial projects. As part of that, the UK Government must develop an industrial strategy for the whole of the UK, working with the Scottish Government as it does so. As the First Minister said in his Bute house press conference earlier this month, independence is “a way around” the “damaging” impact of Brexit on the country’s finances and trade. Until Scotland has the full powers of an independent nation in the EU, we need to work with the UK Government, which must use its powers to spread opportunities for investment, employment and prosperity equitably across the UK. The people of Scotland, and businesses in Scotland, deserve no less. 16:12”
“In my constituency, I have heard from businesses across almost every sector, from childcare facilities and general practitioner surgeries to service sector companies and manufacturing businesses, that are deeply worried about the tax hike. The reality is that the national insurance increases are still to fully bite businesses, so the economic outlook could potentially worsen as tax bills start to land. The UK Labour Government’s intervention with British Steel in Scunthorpe is welcome, as members across the chamber have said. However, we need the same urgency for Grangemouth, which is sorely lacking from the Westminster establishment, as has been evidenced today. UK industrial interventions cannot stop at the border.”
“If Scotland’s extraordinary economic potential is to be achieved, we need a fundamental rebalancing of the UK economy, including removing the self-imposed economic straitjacket of the chancellor’s fiscal rules, working more closely with the EU and reversing the increase in employer national insurance contributions, which are a tax on jobs that is stifling growth. The Fraser of Allander Institute’s most recent Scottish business monitor survey shows that 94 per cent of firms expect cost pressures to increase in the first half of 2025, with three in four businesses highlighting national insurance changes as a significant concern.”
“As the First Minister said in his Bute house press conference earlier this month: “There is a need to challenge ourselves on policy to make sure the policy interventions that we take are commensurate with the scale of the challenges that we now face.” I look forward to hearing more from the Scottish Government as the discussions with industry bodies and trade unions proceed, particularly as the programme for government is to be published next week. Crucially, given that most of the relevant powers are reserved, we need the UK Government to take action to minimise the potential harms that are being caused by the current volatile economic situation.”
“It is absolutely right that the Scottish Government is working with key partners in the business community and trade unions to map out the actions that are required in Scotland and, indeed, the UK as a whole, to respond to those emerging economic challenges and ensure that the needs of the devolved nations are at the heart of UK decision making. Those tariff challenges are being imposed on Scottish industry externally, but we need to do what we can to respond to them and to protect Scotland’s interests.”
“Although I deeply disagree with many of President Trump’s policies, the US is a highly important market for Scotland, and the Scottish Government continues to support a positive transatlantic trading environment that boosts Scottish industries. Additionally, weeks of tough talk on trade from the White House have caused market volatility across the world, with the US tariffs sending the cost of UK borrowing skyrocketing. That, in turn, has led to fears that further UK tax rises could be on the cards.”
“I have had the pleasure of visiting many manufacturing businesses in my constituency that export to the EU and the US, and I have heard countless times how Brexit has made doing business all the more difficult—it has cut profit margins or impacted on their ability to grow their workforce and operations. There are companies that provide highly skilled and well-paid jobs in my constituency, and the impact of tariffs on them, like the impact of Brexit, will be very real indeed. We know that, post-Brexit, many businesses sought closer working relationships with companies and consumers in the US, and the President has now imposed harsh tariffs on them.”
“Unfortunately, due to a combination of external factors, it does not look like that will be any time soon. According to the respected Fraser of Allander Institute, the beginning of 2025 has seen growing unease as firms prepare for rising costs and escalating geopolitical tension, most notably as a result of the introduction of trade tariffs by US President Donald Trump. The talk of tariffs can seem abstract, particularly given that they are being introduced on the other side of the pond and reciprocated in countries such as China, but they will have an impact on communities across Scotland.”
“The past decade or so has been very challenging for the economy of Scotland and the UK. We have had the self-inflicted wound that is Brexit, which the new Labour UK Government is fully signed up to; the Covid-19 pandemic, which understandably caused much of our economy to shut down; and, more recently, the cost of living crisis, which has impacted consumer spending and confidence and which was caused at least in part by the Tory party’s disastrous mini-budget. All those things have created huge economic stress, which translates into real difficulties in people’s lives. Brexit, Covid and the cost of living crisis have also been a toxic mix for businesses the length and breadth of the country, and they will rightly be wondering when they will get a break.”
“I await a reply to my letter to UK Government ministers asking for an urgent meeting to discuss the shared interests on the matter.”
“Will the cabinet secretary advise what engagement the Scottish Government has had with the EHRC on the UK Supreme Court ruling, and when it will next meet the EHRC to discuss the matter further? Shirley-Anne Somerville: As I mentioned, the Scottish Government had a scheduled meeting with the EHRC for Thursday 24 April, which the First Minister referred to during First Minister’s question time. Unfortunately, at short notice, the EHRC cancelled that meeting because it had not yet met or discussed the judgment with the UK Government. I am extremely disappointed by its decision to cancel, and I stand ready to meet it at its earliest convenience. In the meantime, Scottish Government officials will meet the EHRC this week. Scottish Government officials are also continuing their dialogue with UK Government officials.”
“I remind members that I hold a national health service contract with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the uptake of childhood immunisations in NHS Lanarkshire. (S6O-04563)”
“Combining that work with the implementation of the FAI recommendations will help to ensure that individuals have access to targeted preventative health and wellbeing interventions.”
“According to statistics published by the chief statistician this week, there were 345 deaths in prison custody over the period from 2012-13 to 2022-23. What work is being done to ensure that deaths in custody are prevented in the overall prison estate? Angela Constance: That is an important point. The work that is commencing is about developing detailed pathways from the point of admission to liberation and throughcare that ensure that individuals have access to the right interventions that support their wellbeing. Ms Haughey might be interested to know that the SPS and Public Health Scotland are collaborating to gain a better understanding of the prevalence of long-term health conditions in prison, which are more common among the prison population when compared with the wider community.”
“We are committed to increasing culture budgets by £100 million by 2028-29 to demonstrate the commitment to the sector’s future. I refer Clare Haughey to my earlier answer, in which I said that, in Glasgow alone, that has resulted in securing nearly £60 million over the next three years for the future of key cultural and creative organisations. Green Economy (Investment) 2.”
“The culture sector across Scotland has had a significant boost as a result of the delivery of multiyear funding. Can the Deputy First Minister say any more about how that is ensuring a thriving cultural scene and supporting employment opportunities in Glasgow and the surrounding areas, such as my constituency of Rutherglen, as well as boosting the growth of creative industries across Scotland? Kate Forbes: Our investment in Scotland’s culture sector has led to a significant increase in the number of community-based and locally focused creative industries and cultural organisations coming into the multiyear funding portfolio, which better represents the culture and geographical diversity of Scotland, including in Clare Haughey’s Rutherglen constituency.”
“Instead, the new UK Labour Government has chosen to hammer Scottish businesses via their national insurance contributions—a tax on jobs; has entertained the idea of redefining single malt whisky, to the detriment of the Scottish industry; and makes no argument to reverse Brexit, despite the fact one of its ministers has stated that 60 per cent of the impact of that is yet to materialise. The best future for the Scottish economy hinges on Scotland being an independent member of the EU. In the meantime, I am confident that the Scottish Government will continue to do all that it can to support the Scottish food and drink sector and its incredible products. 15:51”
“That has pushed average household food costs up by £250 since the end of 2019. In addition, many Scottish suppliers are suffering from lower volumes of exports to the EU and significant and immediate gaps in labour. The Scottish Government has taken every opportunity to engage with the UK Government and press it on the impact of Brexit and the UK’s immigration policies on Scotland’s food and drink sector. We have heard about some of that today. During the general election campaign, we were told that Labour was open to talks about mitigating labour shortages to help businesses to reach their full potential. However, nothing has happened.”
“It estimates that it produces around 10 tonnes of pakoras a week, so it is safe to say that, if anyone in the chamber has eaten pakoras recently, there is a very high chance that they were made in Rutherglen. In recent years, all parts of the food and drink sector have shown much resilience in responding to the many challenges that they have faced. However, clear areas of concern remain, including the economic strain that has been caused by Brexit, inflationary pressures, increasing energy costs and wider geopolitical disruptions and threats. Using Brexit as just one example, I note that Scotland did not vote for that decision, but we have been left paying the price. UK households have paid £7 billion to cover the cost of post-Brexit trade barriers on food imports from the EU.”
“In recognition of that, I am delighted that the Scottish Government has developed a strong collaborative partnership with the Scottish Wholesale Association and provides it with funding to help it to support our Scottish wholesalers and producers to increase the volume of local produce that is sold. On the subject of the links between local produce and the wholesale industry, PK Foods, which is also based in Rutherglen, supplies Indian starters and snacks to more than 90 per cent of Scotland’s wholesale sector and counts many major chains among its retail customers. That company, which is another family business, has been in operation since 1997 and it prides itself on keeping its entire operation in house, from recipe development and the cooking of products from scratch right through to packing and delivery.”