Hansard

Tess White (North East Scotland) (Con) Con

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the decision of the employment tribunal of Sandie Peggie v NHS Fife health board.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care (Neil Gray) SNP

We note the judgment in this very complex case. Individual decisions by the board in relation to employment matters are a matter for the board, but, as a Gov...

Tess White Con

NHS Fife was found to have harassed a nurse of 30 years just for standing up for her rights to privacy and dignity. Her sex-based rights under the Equality A...

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur) LD

Speak through the chair.

Neil Gray SNP

I have been very clear since coming to office—as, I believe, my predecessors were—on the importance of dignity and respect for all people in the employment i...

Tess White Con

Cabinet secretary, what about the care and compassion for female nurses?

The Deputy Presiding Officer LD

Through the chair, Ms White.

Tess White Con

The floodgates have opened and the judgment is the thin end of the wedge for employment tribunal cases and settlements. Millions of pounds of hard-earned tax...

The Deputy Presiding Officer LD

Through the chair, Ms White.

Tess White Con

Presiding Officer, will the cabinet secretary personally oversee a review of the policies and guidelines that are being influenced by those organisations bef...

The Deputy Presiding Officer LD

Cabinet secretary.

Tess White Con

—or will he, under his watch, allow—

The Deputy Presiding Officer LD

Cabinet secretary.

Neil Gray SNP

Presiding Officer, I think that we are going slightly beyond the tribunal decision. To provide some context, the tribunal has still to proceed to a remedy; t...

The Deputy Presiding Officer LD

A number of members wish to ask supplementary questions; I hope to get all those in, but they will need to be slightly briefer.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Lab

The ruling in the Sandie Peggie case leaves significant questions for NHS Fife and the Scottish Government to answer. The Scottish Government wrote to health...

Neil Gray SNP

Again, the Scottish Government accepts the Supreme Court ruling. We accept that judgment and are taking forward the detailed work that is necessary as a cons...

Sharon Dowey (South Scotland) (Con) Con

This case is a prime example of the Scottish National Party’s flawed self-identification guidance having gone wrong. It has been nearly eight months since th...

Neil Gray SNP

I have already given the Government’s position on the Supreme Court, in answer to Jackie Baillie. Again, I will provide context on where we are when it comes...

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green) Green

Despite the valiant attempts of anti-trans campaigners to claim a win on the issue, the tribunal found that Ms Peggie’s behaviour amounted to harassment of D...

Neil Gray SNP

As I said, we are still working through and will consider carefully the tribunal ruling and its implication not just for the health service but for wider pub...

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con

The conduct of the senior management of NHS Fife throughout this entire episode has been disgraceful. Hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money has bee...

Neil Gray SNP

The tribunal has still to proceed to a remedy and the parties involved still have 14 days to appeal the decision. I note that four claims were upheld out of ...

Emma Roddick (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) SNP

Everybody, regardless of their protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, has the right to feel safe at work and free from harassment. Organisati...

Neil Gray SNP

I have already set out that I expect, from a health service perspective, a culture of openness, transparency and support for patients and members of staff to...

Douglas Ross (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Con

Shamefully, during the tribunal, the cabinet secretary expressed confidence in the senior leadership of NHS Fife. Now he must have come to the conclusion tha...

Neil Gray SNP

I have already said in response to Murdo Fraser’s question that the tribunal still has a course to run, which includes the conclusion of the remedy, and that...

Ash Regan (Edinburgh Eastern) (Ind) Ind

The Sandie Peggie employment tribunal exposes not just one employer’s failings but a systemic collapse in how public bodies understand and uphold women’s sex...

Neil Gray SNP

We have been clear since the Supreme Court ruling that we accept its judgment. We are taking forward the detailed work that is necessary as a consequence. We...

Rachael Hamilton (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Con

It is clear that the SNP’s gender self-identification policy still prevails in spite of the Supreme Court judgment. Sandie Peggie’s case proves that the burd...