Hansard

Rona Mackay SNP Chamber

25 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Heating Oil Prices (Low-income Rural and Off-grid Households)

I thank the cabinet secretary for that welcome response. One of my constituents has seen their heating oil bill triple overnight, has no savings and has been told to wait until April for support that amounts to pennies per household. Does the cabinet secretary agree that the £...

7. Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Chamber

25 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Heating Oil Prices (Low-income Rural and Off-grid Households)

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. (S6O-05715)

Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Chamber

25 Mar 2026

First Minister’s Question Time · HMP and YOI Polmont (Staff Shortages)

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, wit...

Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Chamber

24 Mar 2026

Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Public Protection)

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. ...

Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Chamber

17 Mar 2026

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill

This will be my final speech in this place before stepping down next week after 10 years. It is a short speech and, of course, it is not political. However, that is okay, because what we are debating is not about me. The debate and the days that we spent agreeing to amendments...

Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Chamber

17 Mar 2026

Topical Question Time · Police Scotland (Budget Allocation)

What steps is Police Scotland taking to ensure that there is a good recruitment pipeline into our national force? Can the cabinet secretary provide any reassurance that the Scottish Government’s record funding to Police Scotland will maintain police officer numbers?

Rona Mackay SNP Chamber

13 Mar 2026

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

I rise to speak against Sue Webber’s amendments 115 and 116. Professor Michael Dooley, who was commissioned by the Government in Australia to research and find the approved substance, wrote to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee and outlined 100 per cent efficacy of th...

Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Chamber

13 Mar 2026

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

Is the member aware that people who are refused the choice to die with dignity often end up taking their own life anyway? There are multiple instances of that.

Rona Mackay SNP Chamber

12 Mar 2026

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

I will repeat an intervention that I made yesterday. A House of Commons inquiry found no evidence of palliative or end-of-life care deteriorating following the introduction of assisted dying, and it observed that assisted dying often acted as a catalyst for improvement. That w...

Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Chamber

12 Mar 2026

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

I would argue that giving people access to information is not coercion. Similar restrictions were initially introduced in New Zealand and Australia, but they are now looking to reverse those restrictions because they severely prohibit patients’ access to information. It seems ...

Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Chamber

11 Mar 2026

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

The 14-month House of Commons inquiry found no evidence“of palliative and end-of-life care deteriorating … following the introduction of”assisted dying in other jurisdictions. Indeed, the inquiry observed that it had often acted as a catalyst for improvement.

Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Chamber

11 Mar 2026

Skye House

Apologies, Presiding Officer.It is crucial that anyone who enters Skye house, and their family, have confidence in their care and support. How does the minister anticipate that measures such as the introduction of a care manager role as the key point of contact will help to im...

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

Thank you.

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

Is it something that you keep an eye on?

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

I am sure that I am not alone in being astonished to find out that citations are still being sent out by second-class post, and all the rest of it. I am interested in digitisation and coming into the 21st century. A long time ago—almost 10 years ago—the Justice Committee did a...

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

You just reminded me of a question that I had forgotten about. Do you have any oversight of the planning of the sexual offences court, or do you monitor what is going on in that regard?

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

Good. You mentioned resources. I presume that you think that you could do with more staff and more money. Is that a prospect? Do you think that that will happen in the future?

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

And do you get a reasonable response?

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

And that means that you do not need to do another inspection to see whether something has been actioned; you can just ask why it has not been implemented.

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

So, communication-wise, you can see in the action plan that something has not been actioned.

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

You have spoken about your recommendations being non-statutory and about how many are complied with. Presumably, there are some that are never acted on, although you must have made those recommendations for a good reason. What happens to them? Do they just wither on the vine, ...

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

That is an example of bureaucracy getting in the way. It would surely not cost anything to fix and would require just changing the practice of how the units operate. Anyway, thank you for that answer.

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

One of the issues that came up in the report was the tensions between prison staff and the women. The wearing of prison uniforms did not help in that situation—I do not think that any of us envisaged that the staff would be wearing their uniforms. There were clashes between wo...

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

It is a good illustration of the challenges that are faced.I would like to move on to the SPAROW report on women’s custody units, which you mentioned in your opening remarks. At the recent cross-party group on women, families and justice, there was a presentation from the rese...

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

How has the situation changed over the decades? I realise that you will not have exact figures, but has that always been the case or is the situation much more severe now?

Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

I want to ask about prisoners’ needs and rehabilitation. We are aware that the needs of the prison population have changed with the demographics. Are you satisfied that prisons are able to cope with those changing needs in terms of medical issues and mental health? What effect...

Rona Mackay SNP Chamber

10 Mar 2026

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

I totally appreciate that coercion exists in domestic abuse and other cases but, in relation to assisted dying, I go back to your point that you do not believe the international evidence. That being the case, do you believe that there have been no prosecutions for coercion in ...

Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Chamber

10 Mar 2026

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

How does Bob Doris respond to the fact that international evidence from other jurisdictions shows that there is no evidence of coercion—absolutely none? Lorna Slater’s point is absolutely correct: the evidence is often the other way around, in that it shows that people try to ...

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

04 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

I would be interested to know more about that, because it could be a case of the police marking their own homework.

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

04 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

The commissioner said that sexual cases are currently handled by independent officers in Police Scotland. Can you clarify whether they are handled by serving police officers? If that is how such cases are handled at the moment, what rank are those officers, and are they specia...

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

04 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

Thank you—that is reassuring.

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

04 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

Finally, Glasgow will host the Commonwealth games this year. I guess that you will say that everything is in place for that, and that the service will be completely prepared because, generally with such big events, it is. Can you reassure us that all is going to plan?

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

04 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

There is on-going evaluation that you have to keep doing.

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

04 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

I completely agree with you: it is about collective responsibility and everybody has to play a part. It is encouraging to know that the service is dealing with that.Are there any gaps in the equipment that you have? Is it up to the job? What about training of officers? Do they...

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

04 Mar 2026

Criminal Justice System (Challenges for Session 7)

Good morning. Mr Scott, you said that you have been a firefighter for many years. You mentioned climate change in your opening statement. I want to ask you about resilience and preparedness for the changing circumstances. Will you give us a flavour of how the situation has cha...

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

04 Mar 2026

Subordinate Legislation

I also think that there is a danger that we overthink this. As far as I understand it, the instrument just gives the chief constable more flexibility. There is nothing sinister in that at all. It means that, if circumstances change, she will have the ability to step in and red...

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

04 Mar 2026

Budget 2026-27 and Scottish Spending Review

Are you confident that that will come together and that you will make progress?

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

04 Mar 2026

Budget 2026-27 and Scottish Spending Review

Sarah, you spoke earlier about the force’s inability to borrow as a single force. Have you had conversations with the Scottish Government and has there been any movement in the UK Government dialogue on that?

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

04 Mar 2026

Budget 2026-27 and Scottish Spending Review

The balance is changing.

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

04 Mar 2026

Budget 2026-27 and Scottish Spending Review

That is encouraging. The joint audit by Audit Scotland and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland commented that transformation in digital and estate modernisation“has not been well managed or delivered at pace in the past.”Do you agree with that, or would you ...

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

04 Mar 2026

Budget 2026-27 and Scottish Spending Review

You are having to prioritise the areas.

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

04 Mar 2026

Budget 2026-27 and Scottish Spending Review

How much will the constraints on your budget hamper that? Will you be able to progress it at all?

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

04 Mar 2026

Budget 2026-27 and Scottish Spending Review

When you say 75 per cent, do you mean throughout Scotland?

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

04 Mar 2026

Budget 2026-27 and Scottish Spending Review

I want to follow up on my colleagues’ questions about digital modernisation. My question is about body-worn cameras. DCC Speirs, do you have figures for the percentage of the roll-out that has been achieved and what is still to be done?

Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Committee

04 Mar 2026

Budget 2026-27 and Scottish Spending Review

Good morning. How does your new strategy, for want of a better word, translate to small communities such as villages and rural communities? Would you still operate in the same way, in that, if someone is in distress, you would be the first point of call?

Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Chamber

26 Feb 2026

Substance Misuse in Prisons

The Criminal Justice Committee’s inquiry into substance abuse in prisons was at times harrowing, often emotional when the committee met affected prisoners and, ultimately, extremely concerning on many levels.It is a fact that our prisons, along with those in the rest of the UK...

Rona Mackay SNP Chamber

26 Feb 2026

General Question Time · Dyslexia Assessments for Adults (Free Provision Pathway)

Around one in 10 people in Scotland are dyslexic. Without meaningful reform, too many people will be disadvantaged in a perpetual cycle. Adult assessments and early intervention along with teacher training and school support are key asks of Dyslexia Scotland’s manifesto. Can t...

5. Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Chamber

26 Feb 2026

General Question Time · Dyslexia Assessments for Adults (Free Provision Pathway)

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made towards the establishment of a pathway for free dyslexia assessments at the point of contact for adults. (S6O-05567)

Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Chamber

25 Feb 2026

Protecting Children from Harm

I am delighted to hear about the establishment of the truth project and the inquiry. Will the cabinet secretary provide further detail about how the truth project and the inquiry will interact and work alongside each other to ensure that survivors’ voices feed into the inquiry...

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

25 Feb 2026

Subordinate Legislation

:Thank you.

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

25 Feb 2026

Subordinate Legislation

:I completely understand that. I simply want to reassure members of the transgender community that their rights will be just as strong as they were before once the definition of “biological sex” is added.

Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Committee

25 Feb 2026

Subordinate Legislation

Good morning. I fully support the instrument that we are discussing today, but I am concerned that the transgender community feels less protected by the inclusion of the definition of “biological sex”. I realise that we have been discussing the instrument for the past half hou...

Rona Mackay SNP Chamber

24 Feb 2026

Scottish Parliament (Recall of Members) Bill

I am sorry—I have only a wee bit more to say and I am running out of time.We must ensure that the processes work smoothly and are sufficiently clear to command public confidence, should they need to be used. The review may bring about changes to the consideration and delivery ...

Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Chamber

24 Feb 2026

Scottish Parliament (Recall of Members) Bill

I want to make it clear, as the minister has done, that the Scottish Government and the Scottish National Party support the introduction of a fair and independent recall process in the Scottish Parliament to improve democratic accountability and to strengthen trust in our poli...

Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP Chamber

18 Feb 2026

Urgent Questions

Can the Lord Advocate reassert that no one has spoken to the Crown on the scheduling of the case? Does she agree that any suggestion that the independent Crown would allow any interference in the scheduling of a case—as the Opposition is desperately trying to suggest—would nev...

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

18 Feb 2026

Policing and Mental Health

It is the retention element that I am interested in—obviously, whether we have enough police officers in the future will come down to that.

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

18 Feb 2026

Policing and Mental Health

What I was trying to get at is whether that situation is improving or you are getting more drop-outs. If you do not know the numbers, can you give an approximation?

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

18 Feb 2026

Policing and Mental Health

Are you able to tell the committee about the drop-out rate or the retention rate of new probationers? Is it improving or going backwards?

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

18 Feb 2026

Policing and Mental Health

Sorry, but what do you mean by a “drop”?

Rona Mackay SNP Committee

18 Feb 2026

Policing and Mental Health

You have used the phrase “thriving workforce” quite a lot. Would you say that the workforce is thriving at the moment?