Hansard

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

25 Mar 2026

General Question Time · Grangemouth (Redundancy Support)

The Scottish Government has engaged extensively with those workers. Mr Kidd’s question allows me to put on record my enormous appreciation of the constructive and positive role that unions at Grangemouth have played. They have brought ideas and solutions to the table and given...

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic (Kate Forbes) SNP Chamber

25 Mar 2026

General Question Time · Grangemouth (Redundancy Support)

We are committed to securing a just transition for Grangemouth. We have provided more than £12 million in funding to support the creation of up to 279 jobs.We are also committed to supporting workers who have been made redundant as a result of commercial decisions at Grangemou...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

18 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Dumfries Town Centre (Support)

I am aware of the Whitesands flood protection scheme. Its purpose is to combine major flood defences with significant public realm improvements. It is set to start this spring after receiving approval from Dumfries and Galloway Council. I am aware of the member’s concerns. How...

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic (Kate Forbes) SNP Chamber

18 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Dumfries Town Centre (Support)

As I outlined in a previous answer, we continue to deliver on our long-standing commitment to regeneration, with investment of up to £52 million next year. It has long been a commitment of mine to support local regeneration, which is why we have worked hard to safeguard capita...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

18 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Alexander Dennis Ltd (Support)

The member makes a very interesting point, and I thank him, too, for his kind comments. It is an interesting approach, and we have looked carefully at all the approaches that we could take through procurement and grants, for example to support domestic manufacturing at Alexand...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

18 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Alexander Dennis Ltd (Support)

I am very thankful for Richard Leonard’s kind words; I was almost dreading that there was a “but” coming afterwards, but I am grateful for those comments.Richard Leonard raises a very serious issue. I had a call with the GMB this morning—the intention was to discuss another is...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

18 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Alexander Dennis Ltd (Support)

It is important for me to say at the outset—because I have a declaration of interest to make—that my primary responsibility when answering these questions is to Alexander Dennis and that I have no role at all in ScotZEB 3, for very important proprietary reasons. ScotZEB 3 is l...

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic (Kate Forbes) SNP Chamber

18 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Alexander Dennis Ltd (Support)

We continue to work closely with Alexander Dennis Ltd following our award of a time-limited company furlough scheme that is designed to retain jobs in the firm’s manufacturing capacity in Scotland. The agreed terms and conditions of the grant require the business to provide th...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

18 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Venture Capital Funding

I agree that attracting a varied and diverse range of investors who are able to meet the needs of companies across all projects and stages is vital. We have seen huge growth in start-ups, and now the focus needs to turn to scale-ups. A number of innovative private sector equit...

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic (Kate Forbes) SNP Chamber

18 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Venture Capital Funding

That is an important question, because expanding access to private investment is a critical element in seeing Scotland grow. Scotland has a strong public sector investment ecosystem, with our enterprise agencies and the Scottish National Investment Bank focused on investing al...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

18 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · High Streets and Town Centres (West Scotland)

That is why we have the most generous rates relief anywhere in the UK, including some of the most ambitious support, through the small business bonus scheme. The member will know that a lot of the properties on our town centre high streets are beneficiaries of the small busine...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

18 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · High Streets and Town Centres (West Scotland)

That is definitely an issue of concern to us. We have looked at a number of different options to try to resolve the issue of empty properties, which is largely driven by a change in trading conditions and the fact that people are increasingly choosing to shop online rather tha...

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic (Kate Forbes) SNP Chamber

18 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · High Streets and Town Centres (West Scotland)

I recognise that many of our towns face challenges with vacant buildings, which is why we are continuing our long-standing commitment to regeneration, with investment of up to £52 million in the next financial year.Since 2014, we have provided almost £169 million of capital re...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

12 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I know that Miles Briggs takes a huge interest in palliative care, and I am very conscious that members across the chamber think that, irrespective of what happens with the bill next week, we should focus on palliative care. What is his vision for the future of palliative care...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

12 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Mr Marra talked about scrutinising the financial memorandum and he has also referenced a lot of healthcare professionals, such as doctors and nurses. Was there any discussion about the interaction between the UK Government legislating through a section 104 order with regard to...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

12 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Will the member give way?

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

12 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

On Stuart McMillan’s point, there are, of course, differences of opinion in the chamber on the core bill, but we all agree that it should be scrutinised and made in Scotland. Although I am afraid to say that I do not support amendment 112, which would provide for a referendum ...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

12 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I appreciated that being set out. A doctor told me about the ruling in the case of Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board, which said that there is a duty on a doctor to ensure that the patient is as informed as possible about all their treatment options.Does Liam McArthur thin...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

12 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I want to go back, because what Carol Mochan puts on the record is extremely helpful in relation to that point about choice.My two queries are about the difference between assisted dying and other forms of treatment and the point at which it is introduced into the conversation...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

12 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Will the member take an intervention?

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

12 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Presiding Officer, forgive me for talking, through Jeremy Balfour, to the general point. For me, this goes to the absolute heart of a concern that constituents have raised with me frequently, which is that assisted death would be offered at the point where a patient was feelin...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

12 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

rose—

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

12 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I am very sympathetic to Brian Whittle’s amendments. I have two questions. First, in conversations with medical professionals, what did he hear from them about the burden on them to determine when to offer assisted dying alongside other medical options? Secondly, does he have ...

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic (Kate Forbes) SNP Chamber

12 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I think that Elena Whitham makes a really good point. Just for absolute clarity, would Stephen Kerr’s amendment allow for the underlying condition to still be registered on the death certificate?

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

11 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

My understanding is that some amendments were introduced at stage 2 that added to the level of legal incompetence. As we vote at stage 3, we all need to have in our minds that, if amendments are agreed to that make the bill incompetent again, those issues will need to be resol...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

11 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

We did.

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

11 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Perhaps Brian Whittle would allow me to intervene, purely because I was referenced in Liam McArthur’s comments.There are two points that I would put on the record. First, it is well known across this Parliament—and it has been for many years—that the regulation of drugs and em...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

11 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I know that this is a free vote, and I speak on a personal basis rather than on behalf of the Government, but I will push back gently on the idea that the Government has not engaged on this. The issues that we are talking about are reserved to the UK Government under the Scotl...

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic (Kate Forbes) SNP Chamber

11 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I commend Fulton MacGregor on his amendments.Social workers are versed in spotting coercion, and we heard from Michael Matheson yesterday about how critical such long-term relationships are. Does Fulton MacGregor feel—as I think that he does from his amendments—that involving ...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

10 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I am conscious that members at large have concerns about coercion, which is why there are so many different amendments in this group, and that Liam McArthur has shifted on the six-month prognosis issue because of pressure from colleagues. Is he willing to concede any ground on...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

10 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I agree with what Ross Greer says about the democratic deficit. As Daniel Johnson said, we are dealing with profound moral issues. We will be passing a bill and but then leaving it to our workforce—to our doctors and nurses—to actually implement it and have challenging convers...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

10 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I wonder whether the member will agree that one core element of choice is, of course, a well-resourced, well-provisioned service with staff. I know that Liam McArthur has suggested that nobody will leave, but a survey by the Association for Palliative Medicine found that 40 pe...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

10 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I do not want to cause Patrick Harvie and Liam McArthur any fear by saying that I used to agree with them on that point.I again raise the point about accuracy. At stage 2, Liam McArthur made some compelling arguments about the arbitrary nature of accuracy. Does he accept that ...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

10 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I am grateful for the balanced way in which the member has outlined those arguments. How would he respond to some of the concerns that palliative care doctors have raised? They have expressed worry and concern about how the legislation might make them find it harder to do a pr...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

10 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Maybe I was misreading it, but I read that line as meaning that it was essentially about having a fully resourced palliative care offering rather than about providing the accounting details to the patient. I wonder whether, in drafting the amendment, the member was struck by t...

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic (Kate Forbes) SNP Chamber

10 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I am conscious of the argument that the member puts forward. I have been very struck by the work of Dr Scott Murray, the palliative care doctor who wrote recently in The Times that“evidence from palliative care, primary care and prognostic research”paints a picture of the impo...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

05 Mar 2026

General Question Time · Economic Opportunity (Women)

Alongside those helpful recommendations, we have the First Minister’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls and a number of other plans to support the objectives that Maggie Chapman outlined. As the person with responsibility for our approach to the economy, I am proud ...

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic (Kate Forbes) SNP Chamber

05 Mar 2026

General Question Time · Economic Opportunity (Women)

Women must have equitable access to economic opportunities. In April 2025, the gender pay gap for all employees in Scotland was narrower than the United Kingdom gap, but we know that more needs to be done. A range of Government initiatives help women to enter and progress in w...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

03 Mar 2026

Ferguson Marine

Paul Sweeney has been a regular advocate for, and representative of, the yard, and I pay tribute to him, in particular, for his questions around the direct award. He is absolutely right that what I have announced is a means to an end. It is a springboard—it gives the yard work...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

03 Mar 2026

Ferguson Marine

All those points are absolutely critical. We recognise that there have been reputational challenges in the past, but the yard is demonstrating its wider industrial capability. It has successfully delivered a pilot project for BAE Systems as part of the type 26 frigate programm...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

03 Mar 2026

Ferguson Marine

I can unequivocally say that the orders are not dependent on the distribution of the £14.2 million, but we know that that can run alongside the projects. In my earlier answer to Edward Mountain, I was referring to the fact that we need to be able to demonstrate income if we ar...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

03 Mar 2026

Ferguson Marine

I said in my statement that it would be over the next five years. There is a programme to complete the Glen Rosa, and it is important to reiterate the requirement for the yard to complete the Glen Rosa. That requirement has been updated to imply that it will be complete in Q4,...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

03 Mar 2026

Ferguson Marine

There is a very thorough process and we know what steps are required. Officials are progressing a dedicated programme of work to assess and enable the proposed approach. The programme brings together all the relevant policy, legal, commercial, finance, procurement and delivery...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

03 Mar 2026

Ferguson Marine

Obviously, there has been engagement up to this point, particularly from Marine Scotland. The member will appreciate that, within Government, there are quite tight lines of communication. My responsibility is to Ferguson Marine, which, in this case, would be constructing the v...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

03 Mar 2026

Ferguson Marine

In terms of the support for the workforce and for the yard, we will continue to keep Parliament updated on the progress that we make. I am very conscious that, over the next three weeks, before the pre-election period, we will make rapid progress within Government on the steps...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

03 Mar 2026

Ferguson Marine

That allows me to specifically name Alex Logan and put on the record how grateful I am to him for his absolutely tireless and unwavering commitment to the yard. I am sure that he could have spent any free time that he had in other ways, yet his dedication to the people of the ...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

03 Mar 2026

Ferguson Marine

The commitment is to support Ferguson Marine to compete on the open market for additional work in order to safeguard its future. We will support it to do that in two ways: first, through the capital funding that has been announced to support modernisation and, second, through ...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

03 Mar 2026

Ferguson Marine

I will talk about the principle then come to the specific figure.On the additional cost, we know how critical it is for the yard to undergo a programme of modernisation. If Ferguson Marine is to meet the objective that I have set—to secure work on the open market—it needs to b...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

03 Mar 2026

Ferguson Marine

Stuart McMillan has been a tireless advocate for the future of Ferguson Marine and has often made the point to me that Ferguson Marine is more than just an employer. It is an absolutely critical part of the Inverclyde economy and is loved by the wider community, who recognise ...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

03 Mar 2026

Ferguson Marine

It is worth putting on record what my colleague said a few moments ago—that a third of the vessels in the fleet are being replaced as we speak, and we have, today, set out plans for further work.When it comes to timescales, due diligence and formal approvals are required, so I...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

03 Mar 2026

Ferguson Marine

I engage very regularly with the chief executive, largely, and the chair of Ferguson Marine about the Glen Rosa. I have said to the Parliament before that the priority is to deliver that vessel. Sue Webber will be aware that, with the yard having an additional pipeline of work...

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic (Kate Forbes) SNP Chamber

03 Mar 2026

Ferguson Marine

I welcome the opportunity to update the Parliament on Ferguson Marine. My statement will build on the Cabinet Secretary for Transport’s statement and set out clearly the Scottish Government’s commitment to doing all that we can to secure the yard’s long-term future.Ferguson Ma...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

26 Feb 2026

Cost-effectiveness of Scottish Public Inquiries

One of the recommendations was for a future parliamentary committee to take a particular responsibility for inquiries. Obviously, that would be a decision for the Parliament. What does Michael Marra think about that recommendation for the next parliamentary session?

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

26 Feb 2026

Cost-effectiveness of Scottish Public Inquiries

I understand that.In the three minutes that I have left, I will rapidly go through the recommendations in the report and the calls that have been made in the debate.On the recommendation that the Scottish Government should reflect the core purpose, the scope and the limitation...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

26 Feb 2026

Cost-effectiveness of Scottish Public Inquiries

I am not going to get drawn into a conversation on that subject, much as I would very much like to, because it will inevitably be taken as a comment on the most recent public inquiry that has been announced. A lot could be said about that process, and I would love to comment, ...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

26 Feb 2026

Cost-effectiveness of Scottish Public Inquiries

In relation to the opening comments about the breadth and scale of the Government’s response, I reiterate that, although members might be disappointed that we were perhaps not more forthright, anyone who reads our response will see that we are positive about most of the commit...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

26 Feb 2026

Cost-effectiveness of Scottish Public Inquiries

I was going to make this point at the end, but in response to Martin Whitfield and Michelle Thomson, I will say that we will come back to the committee before the pre-election period to indicate how we will strengthen that.

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

26 Feb 2026

Cost-effectiveness of Scottish Public Inquiries

Does the member agree that inquiries all have very different purposes? The Covid inquiry has a very different purpose from the Scottish child abuse inquiry, which is seeking to deliver justice, and the Eljamel inquiry.

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

26 Feb 2026

Cost-effectiveness of Scottish Public Inquiries

The example that I gave of the Scottish child abuse inquiry entirely meets those criteria. Members might recall that there was a relatively fixed timescale at the outset, which was then extended. My officials have provided me with other examples in which ministers have sought ...

Kate Forbes SNP Chamber

26 Feb 2026

Cost-effectiveness of Scottish Public Inquiries

I will come to the committee’s recommendations, because I am aware of the committee’s call on that time-limited aspect. There are good examples that demonstrate that that is not always the best idea, such as the one that I provided in committee: I absolutely support the fact t...