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Every contribution to the Official Report — chamber and committee — searchable in one place. Pulled from data.parliament.scot, indexed for full-text search, linked through to every MSP.

129
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415
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2,354,908
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1999–2026
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Official Report

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Showing 60 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.
Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (SNP) SNP Chamber
25 Mar 2026
Portfolio Question Time · NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (Discussions)
I remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests.Scotland’s biggest health board, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, has a key role to play in bringing down long waits locally and nationally. Will the cabinet secretary therefore outline the progress that NHS Grea...
Clare Haughey SNP Chamber
24 Mar 2026
Bank of Scotland Branch Closures
I agree with all that Annie Wells has said about the impact on the community. There is also an impact on local charities, churches and community groups, such as scouts and guides, that take in their fees or collections in cash. They are concerned about how they will be able to...
Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (SNP) SNP Chamber
24 Mar 2026
Bank of Scotland Branch Closures
I thank colleagues who signed my motion on the closure of Bank of Scotland branches so that the debate could be brought to the chamber.From Tain in the north to Castle Douglas in the south, 28 Bank of Scotland branches have been closed or are set to be closed this year. Howeve...
Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (SNP) SNP Chamber
18 Mar 2026
Greyhound Racing (Offences) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
I congratulate Mark Ruskell on bringing the bill to this stage in the Parliament. Should it pass, it will be groundbreaking legislation on protecting animal welfare and will improve the lives of many greyhounds. Does he agree that the ban on greyhound racing will save the live...
Clare Haughey SNP Chamber
13 Mar 2026
Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
I thank Murdo Fraser for taking my intervention, but I want to point out that the organisations and the individual that he quoted are not members of this Parliament. They are not here speaking on behalf of their constituents and on behalf of the people of Scotland. For that re...
Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (SNP) SNP Chamber
13 Mar 2026
Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
I am finding the language that Murdo Fraser is using deeply offensive, and I say that as someone who will vote against the bill. He should, please, be careful about the language that he uses. Suicide is a very difficult issue to discuss, as he said, but what we are discussing ...
Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (SNP) SNP Chamber
12 Mar 2026
Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan
It is hugely encouraging to hear about the ambitious action that the SNP Government is taking through its delivery plan, and I welcome the breadth of the measures that have been detailed by the cabinet secretary. The First Minister has made it clear that ending child poverty i...
Clare Haughey SNP Chamber
12 Mar 2026
First Minister’s Question Time · Private Healthcare (NHS Consultants)
Can the First Minister therefore outline how, under the SNP and his leadership, Scotland has seen the number of doctors, consultants and nurses increase, and what that means for bringing down waits?
Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (SNP) SNP Chamber
12 Mar 2026
First Minister’s Question Time · Private Healthcare (NHS Consultants)
I remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests. As the First Minister referenced, it is worth Brian Whittle noting that Scotland continues to have a substantially lower private healthcare take-up rate than England.Unlike Labour and the Tories, the SNP is no...
Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (SNP) SNP Chamber
12 Mar 2026
General Question Time · Queen Elizabeth University Hospital
I remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests.It is vital that staff and patients alike feel safe in our NHS estate. Can the cabinet secretary say how the recently announced oversight group will ensure that the board of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde takes ...
Clare Haughey SNP Chamber
11 Mar 2026
Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
I thank Mr Ross for taking my intervention—I am not going to take up too much time. I absolutely concur with what Dr Allan has said, but I can assure Mr Ross that these things were discussed at the committee stages and that members were well aware of what is covered by the Sco...
Clare Haughey SNP Chamber
11 Mar 2026
Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
Will the member give way?
Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (SNP) SNP Chamber
11 Mar 2026
Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
I have been listening carefully to what Audrey Nicoll has said. Does she recognise that the situation in the jurisdictions that she is talking about—where people go “doctor shopping”, as she labelled it—is not the same as it is here because of our national health service? In t...
Clare Haughey SNP Chamber
10 Mar 2026
Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
I thank the cabinet secretary for letting me intervene, and I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests, which I did not put on record earlier.Cabinet secretary, can you understand, given that we are being asked to vote on a bill without legislative prote...
Clare Haughey SNP Chamber
10 Mar 2026
Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?
Clare Haughey SNP Chamber
10 Mar 2026
Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
I thank Mr Briggs for his indulgence in allowing me to labour this point. I fail to see how having a register of psychiatrists who have undertaken additional training, who are at senior or consultant level and who have been conferred additional powers under the 2003 act can be...
Clare Haughey SNP Chamber
10 Mar 2026
Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
I am intrigued by the piece of legislation that the member is using as an example. It is my understanding that the register of approved medical practitioners that the member refers to was concerned with detaining people and extending their detention under the 2003 act, as well...
Clare Haughey SNP Chamber
10 Mar 2026
Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
I am quite astounded by that characterisation of people who have thoughts of self-harm or suicidal thoughts—that they can never get over that and never recover. I am absolutely astonished at the stigmatisation of those people who express themselves in the most difficult moment...
Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (SNP) SNP Chamber
10 Mar 2026
Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
Will the member take an intervention?
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
I thank the minister and her officials for attending the meeting this morning.As is currently planned, this will be the final meeting of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee in this parliamentary session. I take this opportunity to thank all those who have engaged with ...
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
Again, Ms Harper, the minister is here in relation to the LCM. Please keep your questions in relation to the LCM.
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
Again, minister, please make your comments in relation to the LCM that is in front of us.
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
Sandesh, do you have any further questions?
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
Although I accept that those are important questions, I believe that one of your colleagues will raise them with the relevant minister in a topical question this afternoon. However, the minister who is sitting in front of the committee is here to speak to the LCM, which is qui...
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
Your questioning is straying quite far from the limits of the LCM. Is your question in relation to the LCM that the minister is here to speak to?
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
Thank you, minister. We now move to questions from Sandesh Gulhane
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
The next item is an evidence session with the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health and supporting officials on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill supplementary legislative consent memorandum, LCM-S6-51b, which was lodged in the Scottish Parliament by the Cabinet Secretary for...
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Public Health Scotland
I thank the witnesses for attending and for their evidence. I suspend the meeting to allow for a short break and the changeover of witnesses.10:48Meeting suspended.10:59On resuming—
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Public Health Scotland
Brian Whittle has a final question.
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Public Health Scotland
That would be really helpful, Mr Johnston, because the clinical steering group raised serious concerns and was informed that the step back from SEAN would be effective from 1 April, which is less than 20 days away.Given that it has been acknowledged that the network plays a cr...
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Public Health Scotland
The vision for SNAP is“to provide an internationally recognised health intelligence service which, by working in partnership with stakeholders to audit clinical care, plays a key role in promoting safe, effective and person-centred healthcare in Scotland.”How does that vision ...
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Public Health Scotland
The Scottish national audit programme—SNAP—is run by Public Health Scotland. How many audits are carried out into treatment for mental illness?
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Public Health Scotland
Time is running away from us, so I ask members to keep their questions short and our witnesses to be succinct in their answers.
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Public Health Scotland
I call Emma Harper.
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Public Health Scotland
I place on record my entry in the register of members’ interests, which says that I hold a bank nurse contract with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and that I am a registered mental health nurse.We move to questions from Elena Whitham.
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Public Health Scotland
Do you recognise that there is a difference between mental wellbeing and mental ill health?
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Public Health Scotland
On the theme of national strategy and public health priorities, I note that priority 3 in the “Public Health Priorities for Scotland” is to have a“Scotland where we have good mental wellbeing”.However, when I look at the strategy document, I can see only one reference to menta...
The Convener SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Public Health Scotland
Our second item is an evidence session with representatives from Public Health Scotland. I welcome to the committee Councillor Nairn Angus-McDonald, who is a non-executive director; Councillor Julie Bell, who is also a non-executive director; Alastair Boyle MBE, the board chai...
The Convener (Clare Haughey) SNP Committee
10 Mar 2026
Decision on Taking Business in Private
Good morning, and welcome to the 11th meeting in 2026 of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. I have received apologies for today’s meeting from Paul Sweeney.Our first agenda item is to decide whether to take agenda items 4, 5 and 6 in private. Do members agree to take...
Clare Haughey SNP Chamber
05 Mar 2026
Draft Climate Change Plan
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I respectfully ask for your ruling on some of the language that Mr Lumsden has used which, personally, I find offensive. It is not becoming of a member of the chamber.
Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (SNP) SNP Chamber
05 Mar 2026
Draft Climate Change Plan
Thanks for the opportunity to contribute to the debate on behalf of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. First, I offer my sincere thanks to all the stakeholders who engaged with the committee throughout its scrutiny of the draft climate change plan. As it is likely th...
Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (SNP) SNP Chamber
05 Mar 2026
First Minister’s Question Time
I remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests.This week, new figures have shown a 6.1 per cent increase in the number of NHS operations performed in the past year. Meanwhile, child and adolescent mental health service waiting times of more than 18 weeks ar...
Clare Haughey SNP Chamber
05 Mar 2026
General Question Time · Face-to-face Banking Services
Yet another bank in my Rutherglen constituency is under threat of closure. By my count, nine bank branches have closed in recent years, which has left Blantyre and Cambuslang as banking deserts.Many individuals, businesses, churches and organisations need access to cash bankin...
1. Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (SNP) SNP Chamber
05 Mar 2026
General Question Time · Face-to-face Banking Services
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the banking industry about maintaining access to face-to-face banking services on high streets. (S6O-05595)
The Convener SNP Committee
03 Mar 2026
Subordinate Legislation
At our next meeting, we will undertake periodic scrutiny of the work of Public Health Scotland. That concludes the public part of our meeting.11:06Meeting continued in private until 11:35.
The Convener SNP Committee
03 Mar 2026
Subordinate Legislation
The fifth and final negative instrument that we are considering today is the Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Cancellation of Registration) Order 2026. The purpose of the instrument is to prescribe the circumstances, other than following the giving of an impro...
The Convener SNP Committee
03 Mar 2026
Subordinate Legislation
The fourth negative instrument is the National Health Service (Common Staffing Method) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2026. The purpose of the instrument is to amend the National Health Service (Common Staffing Method) (Scotland) Regulations 2024, which specify the staffing ...
The Convener SNP Committee
03 Mar 2026
Subordinate Legislation
The third negative instrument is the National Assistance (Sums for Personal Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2026, which, as with the previous instrument, are to enable local authorities to calculate an appropriate contribution to be charged to residents in residential acc...
The Convener SNP Committee
03 Mar 2026
Subordinate Legislation
The second negative instrument is the National Assistance (Assessment of Resources) Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2026, which are to enable local authorities to calculate an appropriate contribution to be charged to residents in residential accommodation for the cost of tha...
The Convener SNP Committee
03 Mar 2026
Subordinate Legislation
The next item on our agenda is consideration of five negative instruments. The first is the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts and Primary Medical Services Section 17C Agreements) (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2026. As part of the 20...
The Convener SNP Committee
03 Mar 2026
Subordinate Legislation
That concludes consideration of the instrument. The minister and officials are free to leave as the committee continues its work.
The Convener SNP Committee
03 Mar 2026
Subordinate Legislation
Thank you, minister, for your opening statement. No member has indicated that they have any questions at this point.The next agenda item is the formal debate on the instrument on which we have just heard the minister’s statement. I remind the committee that officials may not s...
The Convener SNP Committee
03 Mar 2026
Subordinate Legislation
The next agenda item is consideration of a draft Scottish statutory instrument that requires approval by resolution of the Parliament before it can become law. The purpose of the instrument is to amend the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Skin Piercing and Ta...
The Convener SNP Committee
03 Mar 2026
Sport and Physical Activity
I thank the witnesses for their evidence. I suspend the meeting to allow for a changeover of witnesses.10:45Meeting suspended.10:54On resuming—
The Convener SNP Committee
03 Mar 2026
Sport and Physical Activity
Two members have supplementary questions. If they are brief and the answers are brief, we can get them both in.
The Convener SNP Committee
03 Mar 2026
Sport and Physical Activity
Your microphone is not on.
The Convener SNP Committee
03 Mar 2026
Sport and Physical Activity
It is.
The Convener SNP Committee
03 Mar 2026
Sport and Physical Activity
We need to move on, I am afraid. There is quite a lot of interest—we have only 50 minutes left of the session and we have covered only two themes.
The Convener SNP Committee
03 Mar 2026
Sport and Physical Activity
I will bring in Jon Doig, since he works at the sharp end of sport and—I hope he will not mind me saying this—he has been there for a while. Is there a trend in terms of where performance athletes are coming from and what pathways they are following?09:30
The Convener SNP Committee
03 Mar 2026
Sport and Physical Activity
Our second agenda item is an evidence-taking session on key issues and future priorities in relation to sport and physical activity in Scotland. I welcome Kim Atkinson, chief executive officer of the Scottish Sports Association; Jon Doig, chief executive officer of Commonwealt...
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Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 10 March 2026 [Draft]

10 Mar 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
Haughey, Clare SNP Rutherglen Watch on SPTV

I am quite astounded by that characterisation of people who have thoughts of self-harm or suicidal thoughts—that they can never get over that and never recover. I am absolutely astonished at the stigmatisation of those people who express themselves in the most difficult moments of their life, or in the depths of mental illness, by saying that they cannot then get on with their lives. To try to use that to prevent people from accessing assisted dying at a time when they are suffering from a terminal illness—I make this point as someone who does not support the bill—is absolutely discriminatory. [Applause.]

In the same item of business

14:27
The Presiding Officer (Alison Johnstone) NPA
The next item of business is stage 3 of the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.In dealing with the amendments, members should have the ...
The Presiding Officer NPA
Group 1 is on the meaning of “terminal illness”. Amendment 136, in the name of Daniel Johnson, is grouped with amendment 1. I call Daniel Johnson to speak to...
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Lab
Thank you, Presiding Officer. It is with a great deal of trepidation that I rise to speak to and move the first amendment.I begin by paying tribute to Liam M...
Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab) Lab
I have great interest in Daniel Johnson’s amendment, for the reasons that he has already set out, but does he share my concern that we would end up with a su...
Daniel Johnson Lab
I am happy to deal with that point. I actually disagree with it, because I believe that we must be frank about the fact that all the decisions and judgments ...
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green) Green
I wonder whether Daniel Johnson can tell us a little bit more about his reasoning for choosing the following form of words in amendment 1:“that treatment tha...
Daniel Johnson Lab
The member makes a fair point, but I would also argue that, without that, if there is the possibility of a treatment that would improve the person’s conditio...
Jamie Hepburn (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) SNP
I think that we would all be drawn to the notion of making intolerable suffering part of the criteria—certainly, I am drawn to that—but we are doing more tha...
Daniel Johnson Lab
I would simply draw on the legislation in the two jurisdictions that I mentioned for comparison, both of which have similar or comparable forms of wording. I...
Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Ind) Ind
I thank Daniel Johnson for lodging the two amendments in this group.I rise to speak with serious concern about the bill, in particular with regard to its imp...
Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD) LD
I am grateful to Jeremy Balfour for taking my intervention. We had some of these exchanges at stage 2, but I wonder whether he would reflect on the evidence ...
Jeremy Balfour Ind
I have to say that that is not the evidence that the disability community has presented to me, and it is not the evidence that is coming loud and clear from ...
Pam Duncan-Glancy (Glasgow) (Ind) Ind
I thank the member in charge of the bill for the way in which he has taken it through Parliament, and I thank other members for the way in which they have en...
Martin Whitfield Lab
From a personal point of view, these amendments are swings and roundabouts. Having listened to Pam Duncan-Glancy’s powerful speech, my question to her is thi...
Pam Duncan-Glancy Ind
Martin Whitfield gets to the heart of why I am concerned about these amendments. I fundamentally believe that they have been drafted with good intentions and...
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Lab
I listened carefully to Daniel Johnson when he spoke to his amendments. There is concern that they expand rather than restrict the definition of those who wo...
The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care (Neil Gray) SNP
I would like to set out to Parliament the Scottish Government’s position on stage 3 of Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bi...
Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green) Green
In the letter from UK ministers to the Westminster Scottish Affairs Committee, the phrases “training, qualifications and experience” and “qualifications and ...
Neil Gray SNP
I appreciate the intervention from Ross Greer. At this stage, I can say only that provisions in the bill may, or could, be outwith the competence of this Par...
Jamie Hepburn SNP
On the issue of the section 104 order, we have had sight of the letter that went to the Scottish Affairs Committee, which I note was not sent to MSPs directl...
The Presiding Officer NPA
Before the cabinet secretary responds, I remind members that we will come on to these issues, and it is very important that we continue to focus on the issue...
Neil Gray SNP
Of course, Presiding Officer. The issue that Mr Hepburn raises is important, because I know that MSPs are concerned about the elements that are to go through...
Stephen Kerr (Central Scotland) (Con) Con
Can the cabinet secretary confirm that the use of a section 104 order means that part of the bill will be subject to secondary legislation?
Neil Gray SNP
How the section 104 process is to be delivered depends on the vehicle that is decided on. That could potentially be through secondary legislation, but it cou...
Liam McArthur LD
I start by echoing Pam Duncan-Glancy’s comments about the way in which colleagues across the board, irrespective of their position on the bill, have engaged ...
Michael Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab
I ask the member to reflect on the evidence from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, which has talked about the subjectivity of diagnosi...
Liam McArthur LD
The assumption that the fact that somebody is going through the process after having made a request means that they would then inevitably and automatically s...
Daniel Johnson Lab
I thank everyone who has contributed to the debate. We all face a fundamental conundrum. We are being asked to ponder legislation in which the key definition...
Liam McArthur LD
Will the member give way?