Meeting of the Parliament 05 February 2026 [Draft]
I thank all colleagues for their contributions to the debate. It is clear that members have put a lot of thought into the points that they wanted to make. I will repeat what I said at the beginning of the debate: I take the committee’s report seriously, I am grateful for its work, and I understand the time constraints on everyone’s work in the Parliament in February, as we find ourselves just ahead of an election.
However, we have to make every minute in the Parliament count. I again assure Edward Mountain, who is the committee’s convener, and all colleagues that work is well under way to identify the areas for amendment on which the Government and I agree. I am genuinely looking at all the committee’s recommendations to see where amendments are appropriate. I will work at pace—not in a rush, and not like a headless chicken, but in a serious, committed way—to get this done. I give the Parliament my word on that.
I agree with Maurice Golden and other colleagues that the issue is too important to kick down the road. The cabinet secretary is right; it is not about Scotland trying to show off that we are the front runners—we are not; we are lagging behind our neighbours in the European Union.
This week, the issue was raised in the House of Commons, where ministers are looking at the issue across portfolios, including in the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, because, as Bill Kidd said, there was a bill in the House of Lords. I assure Bill Kidd that Baroness Rosie Boycott is a real person, who—like Russell Findlay, who is not here today—spent time as a journalist, investigating powerful, wealthy people and holding them to account. She worked with colleagues from across the benches in the House of Lords and also with people of no political persuasion.