Rona Mackay
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“Màiri McAllan: I express the Government’s sympathy with those who are wrestling with dramatically increased oil prices, which will have come as a very unwelcome shock to households.”
“Our islands cost crisis emergency fund will continue into the 2026-27 financial year, with an additional £1 million allocation. This year, we have also invested a further £5.5 million in the Scottish welfare fund, which provides vital support in difficult times. Rona Mackay: I thank the cabinet secretary for that welcome response.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking through its fuel poverty programmes to support low-income rural and off- grid households that are unable to heat their homes due to the recent increase in heating oil prices.”
“I was pleased to see that the Scottish Prison Service has piloted non-pain-inducing control and restraint techniques that reduce the risk of injury to staff and prisoners. Can the First Minister assure me that the pilot approach will be rolled out across the prison estate, with staff being given the appropriate training?”
“The other two that I want to mention are the much-missed Christina McKelvie and Jeane Freeman. What a privilege to have known and worked with those freedom fighters. They fought for equality, fairness and, of course, independence. What a legacy they leave. I know that they will always be in our hearts.”
“I am pleased to speak in today’s important debate for many reasons. First, I want to acknowledge the legendary Christine Grahame and her passionate dedication to the cause of animal welfare. There are not many people we can call a legend, but I think that Christine qualifies.”
The complete record
Every one of 390 lines we hold for Rona Mackay, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 6 of 8.
“Despite the financial challenges and declining international student numbers, it seems that Dundee university’s senior management hired more staff and continued to spend money without control. Professor Gillies’s review points to a failure of leadership. Leaders of the university’s court and members of senior management, including former Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander, who is now a Labour peer in the House of Lords, have let down the university’s staff and students. Does the cabinet secretary agree that the university requires fresh, strong leadership going forward? Will she reiterate how the Scottish Funding Council is working with the university to support it? Jenny Gilruth: I fully agree with the sentiment behind Ms Mackay’s question.”
“I welcome the SNP Government’s commitment to supporting public transport and operational sustainability, notably through schemes such as the Scottish zero-emission bus challenge fund. Can the minister say more about any support that has been received by Alexander Dennis through that scheme and its predecessor, the Scottish ultra-low-emission bus scheme? Will she tell members how many orders Alexander Dennis has secured through the Scottish Government’s funding programmes, such as ScotZEB? Kate Forbes: I am happy to confirm that, through ScotZEB 2, ADL initially secured orders for 72 of the 252 buses, and that, since 2020, through the Scottish ultra-low-emission bus scheme and the Scottish zero-emission bus challenge fund, it has received £58 million in relation to the procurement and building of buses.”
“As a member of the gender-sensitive audit advisory panel, I am pleased that we continue to strive to elect more women, and I am confident in our commitment to improve women’s representation at every level of public and private life. This statement shines a light on not just what we have achieved but what we have yet to achieve to progress equality in the lives of women and girls, now and for the future. 15:48”
“We have been talking about our childcare policy of investing around £1 billion in high-quality funded early learning and childcare every year since 2021. Doing so helps to combat poverty, and I would like to see it go further, too. The child payment and the scrapping of the two-child cap are incredibly important and are measures that are not available in the rest of the UK. We published the women’s health plan and appointed Scotland’s first women’s health champion, as well as investing more than £17 million to support a sexual assault co-ordination service in every health board. I agree with the point that Pam Duncan-Glancy made in her earlier intervention on intersectionality and access to facilities in general practice. That needs to be addressed.”
“As a member of the Criminal Justice Committee, I am also pleased that we are currently legislating to introduce domestic homicide and suicide reviews, to abolish the not proven verdict, and to establish a sexual offences court and a victims and witnesses commissioner to improve women’s journey through the justice system. We know that women’s poverty and child poverty are intrinsically linked and that women experience barriers in the labour market, including discriminatory practices and the gender pay gap. It is critical that we address that if we are to improve the lives of women. To that end, we are investing £522 million in 2025-26 to deliver three benefits to support unpaid carers. The 2023-24 carers census shows that 73 per cent of carers are women, so that investment is crucial.”
“We are also supporting schools to equip young people with the skills to counter the impacts of online hate, including misogyny, and we are piloting specialist independent legal advice for complainers in rape and attempted rape cases. A helpful briefing from the Scottish Women’s Budget Group states: “While there has been some movement towards embedding intersectional gender budgeting, progress remains far too slow”. In short, we must do better. Another overriding issue is the lack of essential data to improve the collection, analysis and use of evidence on gender inequality. I am pleased that the Scottish Government is continuing to work with our stakeholders on that important issue.”
“However, make no mistake: despite record investment on challenging inequality and norms, there is still a great deal of work to be done, not least in keeping women and girls safe. I am convener of the cross-party group on men’s violence against women and children, which constantly challenges the underpinning issue that affects the safety of women and girls in society— the behaviour of men. Domestic violence is still a scourge in our society. The equally safe strategy strives to combat all forms of violence against women and girls, including delivering the women’s health plan, which we have been hearing about; investing to tackle domestic violence against women and girls and survivors of abuse; supporting women to access fair work; and helping to reduce the gender pay gap.”
“I am pleased to be speaking in this important debate to highlight the key findings in the report of the National Advisory Council on Women and Girls and on the first statement on gender equality coherence. The statement is vital in tracking the progress of gender equality in public and private life. It is packed full of interesting and sometimes surprising statistics—there are too many to highlight during a short speech, but I will try to sift out some of them. The SNP has a proud record of fighting for gender equality while in government, and will leave no stone unturned in its work towards equality. From action on equal pay, support for women returning to the workplace and the first gender-balanced Cabinet in the UK, to taking action to end period poverty, we have worked hard to tear down barriers.”
“I discourage conversations, but members are entitled to respond and react to what they are hearing, as happens in any debate. 15:26”
“I move amendment S6M-18016.1, to insert at end: “; highlights that inequalities still exist for women and girls in Scotland in areas including health, poverty, education, earnings and employment; expresses concern that the Scottish Government continues to conflate the terms ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ following the findings of the Sullivan Review and the UK Supreme Court’s judgment in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers; believes that progress towards equality for women and girls has been hampered by the Scottish Government contesting the lawful definition of ‘woman’; regrets that the Scottish Government has scrapped plans for a Misogyny Bill, and urges the Scottish Government to urgently ensure that all public bodies are following their legal obligations in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling on 16 April 2025.” The Deputy Presiding Officer: For the sake of clarity, it is up to the chair to determine whether noise in the chamber is contravening the rules on courtesy and respect.”
“The voices of gender-critical campaigners must be included in Government policy making; there should not be the usual Government-funded echo chamber. The National Advisory Council on Women and Girls was set up by Nicola Sturgeon, who maligned women for standing up for their sex- based rights during scrutiny of the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill. Women and girls feel badly let down by the SNP Government and we have had enough—[Interruption.] Some members might not want to hear this, but they should show respect by at least listening to a speech. Not doing so is bad manners. We have had enough of tokenistic policy papers, supportive soundbites and the SNP’s self- identification obsession. Women want their rights respected, their dignity protected and equality with men.”
“In other words, now that the law on women’s spaces has been clarified, the SNP is demanding the powers to change it and pave the way for self-identification. Against the background of the Sullivan review and the Supreme Court’s ruling, I want to speak briefly about sex and gender, as highlighted in the Scottish Conservative amendment. Gender is a nebulous word in policy making that is frequently hijacked by activist organisations to promote harmful ideology. Too often, it is conflated with sex. If we want to be serious about sex-based inequalities, we must use the right words to frame the problem and collect the data to help us to solve it. The NHS is a prime example. Gender markers can be changed with the click of a button. We cannot manage what we do not properly measure.”
“I am struggling to understand what path you are going down. What you are talking about is not in the report that we are supposed to be debating. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Speak through the chair. Tess White: Ms Mackay might like to listen to my speech—if she does, she will find out. Meanwhile, the SNP’s proposed misogyny bill is just the latest in a litany of paused, ditched or botched Sturgeon-era policies. The bill was supposed to improve protections for women against misogynistic abuse, but the SNP has shamefully spent so long contesting the definition of a woman that it claims that the window to legislate has disappeared. Today’s document renews the SNP Government’s call for the full devolution of equality legislation to enable us to enact progressive and inclusive Scottish values.”
“That policy is being announced in the same week that I have made a statement on how we are lifting children out of poverty. The Presiding Officer: That concludes the ministerial statement. There will be a brief pause before we move on to the next item of business. Health and Social Care”
“I thank the cabinet secretary for outlining her vision and priority of lifting children out of poverty. How are UK Government policies actively contributing to the problem? What is the Government’s assessment of the delays to the work of the UK Government’s child poverty task force? Shirley-Anne Somerville: My assessment of the delay in the production of the task force’s report is that I fear that the UK Government knows that its current policies are making the situation worse rather than better. One thing that I hear is supposed to be happening tomorrow is the UK Government’s announcement of its determination to cut benefits for disabled people, which, as I mentioned earlier, will push 50,000 children into poverty. That one policy, which is apparently being announced this week, will push 50,000 children into poverty.”
“To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on ScotRail driver recruitment and training programmes, in light of reports of previous service reductions being attributed to staffing shortages. (S6O-04766)”
“We have made grants available to local authorities via the fund, and two of those grants focus on addressing childcare issues in areas that are affected by acute population decline. For example, Highland Council is examining the workability of subsidised childminding, and Western Isles Council was granted funding to pilot new models of training in childcare in order to bolster employability. Additional Support Needs (Support for Pupils) 6.”
“The minister will be aware that the Tories run Aberdeenshire Council, so Mr Burnett should raise the issue with his Tory colleagues. The Scottish Government is funding local authorities to deliver 1,140 hours of ELC to all eligible children, including those in Aberdeenshire. That policy is crucial to providing the best start in life for our children. Will the minister provide information on how the addressing depopulation action plan contributes to that objective? Natalie Don-Innes: Ms Mackay raises an extremely important point. In relation to the challenges, the addressing depopulation action plan sets out the Scottish Government’s strategic approach to supporting local communities that face population decline, of which lack of childcare is an important driver.”
“Can the cabinet secretary assure me that the Sheriff Abercrombie-led independent review of the system of FAIs into deaths in prison custody will meet and engage with families to hear directly from them about their experiences? Angela Constance: It will be for the independent chair, Sheriff Abercrombie, to decide how to conduct the review, but I know from meeting him prior to his taking up the appointment that engaging with families and learning from their experience will be central to the review. The terms of reference that I set mean that the review will have to include the effectiveness, efficiency and the trauma-informed nature of investigations into deaths in custody. International Criminal Court (Scotland) Act 2001 (Prosecution of War Crimes) 6.”
“Can the minister update the Parliament on engagement between the Scottish Government and local authorities regarding steps that are being taken to remove RAAC in local authority buildings? Ivan McKee: We will continue to engage with local authorities, including Aberdeen City Council, in that regard. I indicated in my statement that the work and approach that local authorities undertake will depend on local circumstances. Scottish Government ministers will continue to engage with local authorities and support them where we can to address that hugely significant issue.”
“The framework has five stages in its ladder of escalation, which provides a model for appropriate support and intervention by the Government. Where it is required, as is the case in this instance and other instances of formal escalation, a detailed improvement plan is produced by the relevant territorial board, and a tailored support package is agreed to underpin that improvement plan, with progress against that overseen by Government. The framework is overseen by the national planning and performance oversight group, which is a sub-group of the Government’s health and social care management board.”
“Will the cabinet secretary outline how NHS Scotland’s support and intervention framework works as part of an evidence-based approach to monitoring performance and managing risk across the NHS? Neil Gray: The support and intervention framework is one of the key elements of our evidence-based approach to monitoring performance and managing risk across the NHS. It is important to recognise that territorial health boards are separate legal entities that have their own governance and performance management responsibilities. The Government’s role is to maintain an overview and hold boards to account for the significant public investment that is made in them. We have to get the balance right in providing appropriate support and scrutiny.”
“Last year alone, the agency invested £13.7 million across different projects, including the Chapelcross energy transition zone and the Borders innovation park, which has had the economic benefit of helping to create and safeguard around 1,700 jobs. That is just South of Scotland Enterprise—we continue to invest in a range of bodies and mechanisms, because we want the region to be a success.”
“As the cabinet secretary outlined in her statement, many stakeholders and respondents to the consultation highlighted the local economy as central to their considerations. Can she expand on the Scottish Government’s work to boost and develop the regional economy in the south of Scotland? Mairi Gougeon: As I have outlined this afternoon, we are investing in the region in a range of ways, because we want it to thrive and we want its economy to be successful. We should consider some of the work in the area that has been undertaken by organisations such as South of Scotland Enterprise, which I have mentioned a few times this afternoon. It continues to deliver tangible benefits for businesses and communities right across the south of Scotland.”
“Will the minister please expand on how the Scottish Government will continue to work with a range of third sector organisations to ensure that the voices of people with lived experience can help to improve outcomes for LGBTQI+ communities across Scotland? Shirley-Anne Somerville: In 2025-26, we are providing funding of more than £1.1 million to organisations that promote LGBTQI+ equality in Scotland, which are working to improve the lives of the communities and to increase their access to services. The work that is undertaken by the organisations that receive that funding includes policy development, training, research and engagement with the LGBTQI+ community.”
“Time does not allow me to give a comprehensive account of our inquiry, but I believe that we can be very proud of our committee system, which is helped by skilled back-up from our clerks and research teams. However, the structure should always be a work in progress and there will always be room for improvement. 16:26”
“We discussed post-legislative scrutiny, or the lack of time to do it, and it was felt that the legislative workload of most committees and the length of time that is now being taken to complete bills do not allow adequate time to do that important task. It was also agreed that collaborative working between members that leaves party politics aside makes for more effective committees. As a long- standing member of the Criminal Justice Committee, I can testify to that. As others have said, that comes down to the role of the convener. We have excellent conveners in Audrey Nicoll, Martin Whitfield and Kenny Gibson. They unify their committees in a fair and considered way, which makes for far better outcomes.”
“The Scottish Government does not have a position on that, but I personally am not convinced that that would be the best route to take in a Parliament of 129 members, or that it could easily be introduced. Much of the evidence that we received from Westminster witnesses, although interesting, was not really relevant to Holyrood due to the different numbers of elected members. It was agreed that churn in committee membership is not ideal but is often not preventable. Jackson Carlaw articulated that perfectly. Changes in membership can hinder members from building the expertise that they need to scrutinise legislation effectively.”
“That system attempts to reflect the party balance in Parliament across all committees, and the Scottish Government is clear that it would be for Parliament to determine whether that system of representation should change. The gender-sensitive audit marked the importance of having a Parliament that is representative of society. As a member of the audit panel, I fully support that, but gender balance is possible only when a Parliament has a good gender balance to start with, and that rests on the parties’ ability to attract diversity and create a good gender balance during the selection process. We also examined how the process to elect conveners works—such a process currently operates in Westminster.”
“We took evidence from a wide range of witnesses and gained useful insights into the operation of Parliaments in other jurisdictions. We heard from academics, civil servants past and present, and representatives of all six parties in the Scottish Parliament. All that evidence helped to build a picture of how our committees operate and how, after 26 years of this Parliament, they could be improved. As our convener and many others have said, the issue of committee size was crucial to our deliberations, with many witnesses stating that small committees work best. That has been well articulated by members from across the chamber today. The downside of having smaller committees would be that not every party could be represented under the d’Hondt system, which we have also discussed today.”
“I am pleased to speak in this debate on an important subject that is not routinely debated in Parliament. As a relatively new substitute member of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee, I found its inquiry into committee effectiveness fascinating. Like Foysol Choudhury, I think that committees are the engine rooms of this wonderful Parliament, whether they are taking evidence on important legislation or initiating vitally important inquiries on subjects that affect the whole of Scotland’s population. The questions that were central to the inquiry were about what it means for Scottish Parliament committees to be effective, how we can do better and where and how that is being communicated to the public to create maximum engagement and effect.”
“I am confident in that dialogue, and it is one of the issues that I will be talking to Councillor Meiklejohn about at our meeting tomorrow.”
“As today’s statement laid out, it is vital to engage with those affected by a project of this scale throughout its development and delivery. Can the cabinet secretary provide an update on the consultation of stakeholders relevant to the scheme? Gillian Martin: Yes—Falkirk Council has done the engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, including residents, businesses, utility providers and other consultative bodies and interest groups, throughout the scheme’s development. The publication of 10,000 statutory notices to affected parties commenced on 9 May 2024 with a notice that was published in the Falkirk Herald. A copy of the notice was published in the Edinburgh Gazette on 10 May. Dialogue remains open with all the remaining objectors.”
“The Labour and Conservative parties are now both pro-Brexit parties, while we believe that the best answer is for Scotland to be an independent member state of the European Union. Those parties seek only to ameliorate the damage of Brexit. Any less damage is a good thing, but why do we not go for the real deal and be part of the single market, part of the customs union and part of the European Union? The Labour Party used to believe in that.”
“Although any progress in repairing the damage of the intergenerational catastrophe that is Brexit has to be welcomed, the fact is that, when it comes to renewing relationships with the European Union, small steps just will not cut it. What is the Scottish Government’s view on how much progress can actually be made regarding safeguarding Scotland’s interests while the UK Government maintains red lines on the single market, the customs union and freedom of movement? Angus Robertson: No agreement can deliver the economic, social and security benefits that we lost with Brexit in 2020. If the UK Government is serious about economic growth, it needs to drop its red lines around the single market, the customs union and freedom of movement.”
“Four new secure beds in Rossie have now been fully funded by the Scottish Government and they opened up last month. Updated guidance has been issued by the Care Inspectorate this year, enabling providers to have more flexibility over the use of emergency beds. As my statement indicated, we expect to take further capacity action in the next short period, and we are looking at a range of measures to support that.”
“St Mary’s Kenmure is in my constituency, so I welcome the minister’s continued focus on the issue. It is very welcome to hear that capacity in the secure care system has increased, but, as the minister says, it fluctuates daily. Will the minister reiterate how capacity has increased since the end of last year? Natalie Don-Innes: The annual social work statistics confirm that between July 2023 and July 2024, there were an average of 60 children in secure care, against an average overall availability of 71 beds. The placement embargo was imposed at St Mary’s in October 2024, following the Care Inspectorate’s improvement notice, which, as the member is aware, confined St Mary’s to offering nine beds to children who were already in its care. St Mary’s made sufficient progress by March 2025 to enable it to open up a further three beds.”
“We issued a comprehensive, evidence-based proposal document outlining Scotland’s needs to the Home Office during its development of the immigration white paper. There was no substantive engagement on any of the policy proposals that we submitted. Very clearly, the needs of Scotland’s communities have been ignored. The brutal truth is that the UK Government knows the damage that that policy will do, and it is doing it anyway. The Deputy Presiding Officer: We have six minutes and five colleagues who want to ask questions. We will need to get through the responses a little more quickly.”
“Sadly, it seems that, once again, Scotland is an afterthought to the UK Government. Can the minister provide an update on any engagement that took place between the UK Government and the Scottish Government ahead of the announcement of the migration proposals? Maree Todd: I question whether we were thought of at all. Renaissance Care has said that the UK Government “are shooting themselves in both feet” with its policy. More care homes will close, delays and waiting lists will increase and it will directly harm the lives of vulnerable adults across the UK. However, for the already fragile systems in areas such as the Highlands and Islands, including the area that I represent, the policy is nothing short of calamitous. The UK Government cannot say that it was unaware of impacts.”
“As an additional safeguard, the bill would introduce a new criminal offence of coercion, with a sentence of up to 14 years in prison, which no previous assisted dying bill in Scotland has included.”
“To address that point directly, international experts, such as Professor Ben White from the Australian centre for health law research, have clearly stated that there is no evidence of people being coerced into choosing assisted dying in countries where it is legal. On the contrary, the evidence—this is Government data, not anecdotal—shows that families often try to dissuade loved ones from choosing assisted dying. American doctor Ryan Spielvogel, who gave evidence at Westminster, told members of Parliament: “I have never seen a case where I even suspected coercion.”—[Official Report, House of Commons, Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Public Bill Committee, 28 January 2025; c 101, Q76.] He said that, if anything, it is families who are not ready to let go that put in place emotional roadblocks.”
“I commend the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee for its stage 1 report, which was fair and balanced. The bill is not a leap into the unknown; it is a cautious, evidence-based step forward. Voluntary assisted dying is grounded in international best practice, and it builds on proven models in Australia, the United States and other jurisdictions. It has been developed through extensive consultation with experts and those with lived experience of terminal illness. The framework that it proposes is safe, compassionate and practical. The decision that members will make today is very personal, and I respect those who feel that they have a dilemma and cannot vote for the general principles. Voluntary assisted dying is not mandatory but a choice, so I can only assume that opposition is based on religious conviction or the fear of coercion.”
“This has been a difficult speech to write, and it will be difficult to deliver. Unlike some members whom we might hear from in the chamber today, I, thankfully, do not have personal experience of any of my loved ones suffering a bad death. However, I strongly support the bill because I believe in giving terminally ill people the right to choose a dignified and peaceful death. I cannot, in good conscience, deny them that right. I say to those who are conflicted on what decision to make today that they do not even have to agree or like what has been proposed in the bill, but I ask that they please do not deny terminally ill people their right to choose. As co-convener of the cross-party group on end of life choices, I know that the bill represents the culmination of years of meticulous research and cross-sector consultation.”
“Our equally safe delivery plan contains commitments from ADES to ensure that all secondary schools sign up to the equally safe at school work, encourage the development of peer learning and activity around gender-based violence in schools, and ensure that all staff complete trauma awareness training. As of January this year, 133 schools have signed up to the equally safe at school programme, which involves a whole-school approach to tackling gender inequality and gender-based violence. We have also published the national framework to help schools tackle sexual harassment and gender-based violence, which, as I mentioned in my statement, is a wider societal challenge at this time.”
“My question follows on from my colleague Ross Greer’s question. Abuse, violence and harassment of any kind, but particularly gender- based violence, should not be tolerated in our society, and certainly not in our education environments. Will the cabinet secretary outline the steps that the Scottish Government is taking to address those issues, particularly in schools, in support of the equally safe strategy? Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government absolutely agrees that gender-based violence of any kind is unacceptable anywhere in our society, including in our education settings. That is why we are implementing our equally safe strategy to prevent and eradicate such violence and harassment.”
“My constituents in Strathkelvin and Bearsden benefit every day from the SNP Government’s current cost of living guarantee, which gives them and their families support that is not available anywhere else in the UK. Which plans in the programme for government will provide further help for families and children in particular? The First Minister: We took steps in the budget to make provision to expand a number of relevant areas. The bright start breakfast fund is one example of that and the expansion of free school meals to around 25,000 more pupils in low-income households will be another. The steps that we are taking to lift the two-child benefits limit will help to address some of the points that Rona Mackay has raised.”
“Given that Scotland’s media relies on PA Scotland’s output, I am sure that the First Minister will share my concern about its planned cuts to staff that were reported this week. Those cuts could have considerable impact on news operations in Scotland, particularly in the year running up to an election. Will the First Minister join me in calling on PA Media’s management to reconsider the cuts in order to protect impartial journalism and preserve the important role of media scrutiny in our democracy?”
“To ask the Scottish Government how much East Dunbartonshire Council has spent on PFI contracts in the last year. (S6O-04584)”
“It is also clear that considerable effort went into ensuring that the committee obtained a wide range of opinion and experience, hearing different perspectives and viewpoints, which were represented in what is a comprehensive report. I am very happy to support the motion. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I call Edward Mountain, who joins us remotely. 16:01”
“In that way, the Parliament retains the ultimate authority in determining whether secondary legislation-making powers should be in place in any piece of legislation in the first instance. Similarly, when the Government exercises powers, including Henry VIII powers, to amend primary legislation, the Parliament has a key role in scrutinising both the technical and policy elements of the use of those powers. Ultimately, the Parliament retains the power to determine secondary legislation by either approving it or not under the affirmative procedure, or by deciding whether to annul it under the negative procedure. In a parliamentary democracy, that is, of course, how it should be. It is clear to see that the committee conducted the inquiry rigorously and that the Government welcomes the overall direction of the report.”