Hansard

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

25 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2026 to 2031

I welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling child poverty and its investment through the whole family support third sector delivery fund. Will the cabinet secretary say more about how the delivery model will work alongside existing local partnerships? In particu...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

25 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Heating Oil Costs (Agriculture Sector and Rural Industries)

Given the challenges that Christine Grahame outlined and the Scottish Government’s commitment to a just transition, how can the Government support investment in biofuels and anaerobic digestion to reduce reliance on heating oil and provide greener, more secure energy for rural...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

24 Mar 2026

Climate Change Plan

I welcome the climate change plan and its focus on a fair and just transition. Given the importance of rural economies, can the cabinet secretary outline how the plan will support regions such as Dumfries and Galloway through, for instance, the dairy sector, with technologies ...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

24 Mar 2026

Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Public Protection)

I am really chuffed to speak in support of today’s motion, which recognises the serious harm that is caused by animal cruelty, neglect and illegal breeding. Across Scotland, including in the South Scotland region, which I represent, people care deeply about the welfare of pets...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

24 Mar 2026

Sport and Activity as a Force for Good

I thank Brian Whittle for bringing this important debate to the chamber. Mr Whittle’s motion rightly highlights that sport and physical activity are about far more than physical health. I commend him—as others have done—on his commitment to raising those issues in Parliament o...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

19 Mar 2026

First Minister’s Question Time · Care Home Deposit Fees

While Westminster parties are lurching to the right and their policies on immigration are having a catastrophic impact on Scotland’s care homes and social care sector, will the First Minister set out what further steps his Government is taking to support the sector at this tim...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

17 Mar 2026

Topical Question Time · Cost of Living (Support for Families)

Almost 40 per cent of households in Dumfries and Galloway rely on heating oil and are therefore particularly exposed to global price volatility. Does the cabinet secretary agree that, in the light of the pressures caused by international events while we are shackled to a Westm...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

11 Mar 2026

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

Yesterday, it was mentioned in the chamber that the education on coercion that is provided in Western Australia takes five minutes and comprises a couple of PowerPoint slides. I followed that up with a former Western Australia MP, Dr Sally Talbot, who got back to me at 11.05 l...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

11 Mar 2026

Skye House

The comprehensive training of staff working in services such as Skye house is essential to supporting patients. I ask, as a former clinical nurse educator for the NHS, how is the Scottish Government working to ensure that full staff training is a priority and that patients’ we...

Emma Harper SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Petitions

Is it about supporting agriculture but also managing the geese population to reduce the number of greylag geese?

Emma Harper SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Petitions

The Scottish Government announced an extra £20,000, which brings the funding up to a total of £30,000. As was mentioned, it would be better if it was recurrent funding, so that it could be better managed. What is the additional funding used for? What is the plan for that?

Emma Harper SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Salmon Farming in Scotland

That was pretty much all that I had to ask. Thank you.

Emma Harper SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Salmon Farming in Scotland

I think that Rhoda Grant has touched on this already, but you talked earlier about innovation in vaccines, treatments and other things. In previous committee evidence-taking sessions, I asked about collaboration in research and development with, say, Canada, which also has a s...

Emma Harper SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Salmon Farming in Scotland

I know that we will come on to innovation—there has been a lot of innovation—so I will not dwell on it. In the previous parliamentary session, we talked about sea lice a lot; we are now looking at other things such as jellyfish. The situation changes rapidly when there are cha...

Emma Harper SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Salmon Farming in Scotland

Right. Obviously, as the process is being modelled and looked at, there are actions that can be taken if it is identified that a farm has persistently high mortality.

Emma Harper SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Salmon Farming in Scotland

Farms are already measuring mortality every month.

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Committee

11 Mar 2026

Salmon Farming in Scotland

Some of it has, indeed, been touched on already, convener.Good morning, cabinet secretary. Has the analytical framework to identify high mortality already been introduced?

Emma Harper SNP Committee

10 Mar 2026

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Thanks.

Emma Harper SNP Committee

10 Mar 2026

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

My simple question is this: does the LCM not cover snus, and would further legislation be needed to incorporate that?

Emma Harper SNP Committee

10 Mar 2026

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Good morning. This legislation is about tobacco and vapes. There is a rise in vaping among young people, but there are also issues about snus products being taken. It is not illegal to possess snus in the UK but it is illegal to sell it. Does the bill—

Emma Harper SNP Committee

10 Mar 2026

Public Health Scotland

I have a final question. Julie Bell, you mentioned housing. Do you agree that it is not just about the health portfolio and the health budget; it is about everything that must be inputted, and housing would be part of that?

Emma Harper SNP Committee

10 Mar 2026

Public Health Scotland

Are there challenges with the prevention budget competing with acute services? Are we always firefighting at the front door of accident and emergency, for instance?

Emma Harper SNP Committee

10 Mar 2026

Public Health Scotland

About 33 per cent of the Scottish budget—£22.5 billion—is allocated to the health and social care portfolio, £17.6 billion of which is for NHS boards. Will that level of spending help to have an impact on public health in Scotland?

Emma Harper SNP Committee

10 Mar 2026

Public Health Scotland

That is perhaps an issue for the next parliamentary session.

Emma Harper SNP Committee

10 Mar 2026

Public Health Scotland

I have some questions on the budget but, before I ask those, I have a question about junk food—ultra-high-processed food. Is it considered to be a health-harming product?

Emma Harper SNP Committee

10 Mar 2026

Public Health Scotland

Are you monitoring the use of snus? Even though it is illegal in the UK, it is obviously coming in from somewhere and young people in schools are using it.

Emma Harper SNP Committee

10 Mar 2026

Public Health Scotland

With regard to quitting smoking, the quit your way Scotland service was established to help people stop smoking, but because of the rise of vaping—and, indeed, vaping among 12-year-olds—some challenges have arisen that might mean that quit your way will need to be adapted, or ...

Emma Harper SNP Committee

10 Mar 2026

Public Health Scotland

The good food nation plan will work alongside the climate change plan, the population health framework and everything else in order to address what we need to do, which is to tackle obesity in Scotland.

Emma Harper SNP Committee

10 Mar 2026

Public Health Scotland

Height is only one measurement, is it not?

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Committee

10 Mar 2026

Public Health Scotland

We have heard at committee that five-year-olds in the United Kingdom are up to 7cm shorter than their counterparts in Europe, although that evidence is being contested. Danny Dorling and Tim Cole wrote a paper about how Covid affected that and the collection of some of that da...

Emma Harper SNP Chamber

05 Mar 2026

Draft Climate Change Plan

Will the member take an intervention?

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

05 Mar 2026

Draft Climate Change Plan

I will first highlight the hugely beneficial way in which the Parliament’s committees have worked independently but coherently on how their remits interact with the draft climate change plan. The Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee has been the lead committee, but seven o...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

05 Mar 2026

Disabled People’s Representation in Scottish Democracy

I welcome today’s debate. I thank Jeremy Balfour for bringing the motion, which I supported, before the Parliament. I agree with much of what he has said and I did not realise that that might be one of his last speeches in the chamber.Strengthening disabled people’s representa...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

04 Mar 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Outdoor Access and Dog Walking

Bob Doris’s question shows that livestock worrying is an issue not just for rural communities but for all of Scotland, urban and rural. With lambing season already in progress in many areas of Scotland, and the wee good turn in the weather this spring, the risks for livestock ...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

03 Mar 2026

Ferries and Ports

It is hugely welcome that the SNP Government is making record investment in public transport in 2026 and 2027, including the investment for Ardrossan in response to Kenneth Gibson’s request. Will the cabinet secretary expand on how the investment will be used to deliver wider ...

Emma Harper SNP Committee

03 Mar 2026

Sport and Physical Activity

:I know a young woman who started playing wheelchair rugby. Her asthma was unstable, so she did not need to use a wheelchair all the time. When she started playing wheelchair rugby, her lung health improved and she is now part of the Edinburgh Rugby club.

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Committee

03 Mar 2026

Sport and Physical Activity

Good morning. We were talking about health and wellbeing at the beginning. At the other end of the age continuum, we are seeing a real rise in walking football and rugby across Scotland—there is now a women’s walking football team at Annan. However, there are also challenges w...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

26 Feb 2026

First Minister’s Question Time

This week, the First Minister set out plans for a further 15 general practitioner walk-in centres across Scotland, in both rural and urban areas, including in my region, in Stranraer. Meanwhile, waiting times have fallen for eight months in a row, as we start to see our nation...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

25 Feb 2026

Protecting Children from Harm

It is welcome that Professor Alexis Jay, with her considerable experience and expertise from leading the inquiry into child sexual abuse in England and Wales, will chair the inquiry that was announced today. The inquiry that was held was thorough, and I note that it took seven...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Committee

25 Feb 2026

Salmon Farming in Scotland

I am interested in what Ben Hadfield said about innovative tech—vaccines, for instance. There has been a lot of research, development and innovation during the past few years. I have been on the rural committee, on and off, for the past two sessions of Parliament and I have be...

Emma Harper SNP Committee

25 Feb 2026

Subordinate Legislation

To clarify, SEPA already extends the framework to 3 nautical miles, and the SSIs will extend it to 12 nautical miles. You are seeking to ensure simplification and avoid duplication of legislation, so that we have a framework that is more manageable and easier for people to fol...

Emma Harper SNP Committee

24 Feb 2026

Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

:I do not have anything to add. I seek to withdraw the amendment.Amendment 75, by agreement, withdrawn.Amendment 44 moved—Maurice Golden.

Emma Harper SNP Committee

24 Feb 2026

Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

:Mr MacGregor sends his apologies—he has inadvertently been delayed. He intended to be here to speak to his amendment. I have his speaking notes; I will be concise.Amendment 75 would place a duty on Healthcare Improvement Scotland to set standards for premises where non-surgic...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Committee

24 Feb 2026

Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

Botulinum toxin comes in a multidose vial, so one vial would be used for more than one person. That raises issues of the traceability of that vial, its expiry date and the dosing, which might be different for each recipient.

Emma Harper SNP Chamber

19 Feb 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Racism in Schools

I have heard reports of pupils moving schools due to persistent racist bullying. That can be especially difficult for families in rural areas, where alternatives are limited. In addition, the rise in anti-immigration rhetoric from some political parties might be emboldening pa...

5. Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

19 Feb 2026

Portfolio Question Time · Racism in Schools

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle racism in secondary schools. (S6O-05543)

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

17 Feb 2026

Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2026

I welcome the opportunity to speak in recognition of eating disorders awareness week 2026, and I thank Elena Whitham for leading this important debate. I have led the debate myself in the past, and, as an MSP, I have spoken on the issue almost every year for the past 10 years....

Emma Harper SNP Committee

17 Feb 2026

Subordinate Legislation

Engagement is required between all the professionals involved, including Public Health Scotland, local authorities and health and social care partnerships, but what is required in that engagement? Is there a formal requirement for a process that will outline how they come to a...

Emma Harper SNP Committee

17 Feb 2026

Subordinate Legislation

The suspension of visits arose because of the Covid pandemic. That was an international health crisis, as opposed to a local issue, such as a norovirus outbreak, for which different measures would be put in place for visiting, including a requirement for personal protective eq...

Emma Harper SNP Committee

17 Feb 2026

Subordinate Legislation

Good morning. We have reviewed information on the suspension of visiting, which was raised in various written submissions. The submission from Dumfries and Galloway health and social care partnership questioned who actually makes the decision to suspend visits and how that ali...

Emma Harper SNP Committee

17 Feb 2026

Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan

What do you envision Food Standards Scotland’s role to be in helping to support the implementation of the good food nation legislation?

Emma Harper SNP Committee

17 Feb 2026

Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan

I will move on to the recommendation to reduce the consumption of red meat and dairy in the Scottish diet. When I looked further, I found that the recommendation was not just to reduce red meat but to reduce red and processed meat—we need to remember that.I come from a dairy a...

Emma Harper SNP Committee

17 Feb 2026

Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan

Geoff Ogle, on the issue of high fat, sugar and salt, are you aware of current research to look at the chemicals that are added—for example, stabilisers, emulsifiers, flavourings and colourings—and how those affect people physically and mentally?I talk about being satiated or ...

Emma Harper SNP Committee

17 Feb 2026

Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan

Aye, sure, if we are already there. I am glad that these witnesses are here today, because I have a great interest in this subject. I have previously raised issues about the Nova classification and Carlos Monteiro’s work in São Paulo in Brazil in relation to how we define ultr...

Emma Harper SNP Committee

17 Feb 2026

Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan

As part of all of that, we need to make sure that people are not living in food deserts where they do not have access to food that they can cook quickly and easily. It all intermingles with the cost of living crisis, when it also costs money to turn on the gas burner and cook ...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Committee

17 Feb 2026

Food Standards Scotland and the First National Good Food Nation Plan

Good morning to youse all. I want to pick up on the issues around regulations and business with regard to the good food nation plan. It is the first such plan. When the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health was before the committee previously, she said that it will cha...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP Chamber

12 Feb 2026

Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission

On the issues that have been raised already in relation to reoffending, although prison sentences will always be required, evidence shows that community-based sentences reduce reoffending and relieve the pressures on prison populations, including at HMP Dumfries, as well as ad...

Emma Harper SNP Committee

11 Feb 2026

Subordinate Legislation

A new SSI could not be prepared in the remainder of this parliamentary session, could it?

Emma Harper SNP Committee

11 Feb 2026

Subordinate Legislation

I want to follow up on Tim Eagle’s original question. Witnesses reported that vessel sales were down and businesses were closing and that there was reduced harbour activity in Maidens, Girvan and Campbeltown. We know about depopulation and the challenges that rural communities...

Emma Harper SNP Committee

11 Feb 2026

Subordinate Legislation

That act is about protecting stock and making sure that we have sustainable fisheries.