Scottish National Party MSP for Highlands and Islands
The Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring that burial provision reflects the diverse religious and cultural needs of all communities. Under the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016, local authorities are responsible for ensuring burial provision, including through joint arrangements with other local authorities, where appropriate. The Burial (Management)...
The requirement of the 2016 act is that every local authority must provide burial space, but the 2016 act does not address burial space for any specific faith. Each local authority has to consider its obligations under the 2016 act, alongside equality legislation, and has to consider the potential indirect discrimination in relation to the provision of burial space for its residents. The...
I suspect that Kate Nevens was going to ask me about a specific section of the 2016 act, and I will refer her query to officials. We can pick that up offline to ensure that she gets a good answer to her question, which she is right to raise. I, too, have heard concerns from constituents about the length of burial and the changes that have come in, so I am more than happy to pick up...
As I said in my earlier answer, I have asked officials to engage with SOLACE on that issue to get a better understanding of local authorities’ provision of burial space for different faiths. The onus is on local authorities to work with their communities and it is perfectly possible under the legislation for part of a burial ground to be designated for a specific faith. Local authorities...
We want people to be able to access thrombectomy treatment across Scotland, no matter where they live. That is why, in our election manifesto, we committed to providing a further £25 million, on top of the more than £51 million that we have already invested, to deliver a 24/7 thrombectomy service with national coverage. We have now commissioned Public Services Delivery Scotland to work with...
We have already provided funding for thrombectomy nurses in spoke sites to maximise the access to thrombectomy. NHS Dumfries and Galloway received £115,936 in 2025-26. Evidence from stroke services suggests that those hyperacute stroke nursing roles are already having a positive impact on the delivery of acute and hyperacute stroke care. We have funded an education package to help staff in...
I recognise the issues that Donald MacKinnon describes, not least because I, too, represent the area that he represents and I come from a rural part of the Highlands. We are working hard to improve the identification of those patients who would benefit from thrombectomy. The issue then becomes about how we quickly transfer them to areas where the thrombectomy service is available....
I want to reassure families that we are making that change for the very best reason: to save babies’ lives. The evidence is clear that the outcomes for the smallest and sickest babies will be improved by the change. The outcomes for those babies are best in units with a high throughput of cases, where support services such as surgery and cardiac care are co-located. The change...
