Former Labour MSP for North East Scotland
Former Labour MSP for North East Scotland
Entered the Scottish Parliament on 13 January 2016 — appointed
Left the Scottish Parliament on 23 March 2016 — Election
When I moved an amendment identical to amendment 1 at stage 2, the minister said: “I support the principle behind the amendment.” Therefore, it is really welcome that the Government will support amendment 1. The minister also said: “Funeral costs have been debated repeatedly throughout the bill’s passage. The bill’s central purpose is to improve legislation governing burial and...
I thank the Government for agreeing to support amendment 1. We need to recognise that this is the start of the process of eradicating funeral poverty in Scotland. During stage 2, I recognised that power over social fund funeral payments and other consumer protection measures will come through the Scotland Bill. However, the provision on guidance that amendment 1 sets out in the bill is an...
As many members have said, the bill covers many sensitive topics. I have focused on funeral poverty because of my experience as a councillor and, as I mentioned at a previous stage, because of a close friend’s experience. Empathy has been mentioned a few times; politicians ought to be able to empathise so that we can understand how we can best serve the people who we are here to represent....
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