First Minister's Questions 15 May 2025

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The Scottish Parliament

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4.8 • 25 Ratings

🗓️ 15 May 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

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Summary

The First Minister answers questions from Party Leaders and other MSPs in this weekly question time. Topics covered this week include: Collette Stevenson To ask the First Minister, regarding any implications for its work to tackle poverty, what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the Department for Work and Pension’s forecasts reportedly indicating that the UK Government’s planned reductions to disability benefits will impact 700,000 families that are already in poverty. Sandesh Gulhane To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government is taking to address the performance of NHS 24, in light of reports that nearly one in five calls to the service went unanswered last year. Michelle Thomson To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the recently announced UK-USA trade deal and its potential implications for businesses in Scotland. A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions is available here: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/recent-publication?meeting=16416&iob=140223

Transcript

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0:00.0	Thank you.
0:03.0	The next item of business is First Minister's questions.
0:06.0	At question number one, I call Russell Finley.
0:08.0	Thank you, President.
0:09.0	This week we discovered the Calmac Ferry M.V. Glenroser won't be completed until June
0:15.0	2026, and that's at the earliest.
0:18.0	It will enter service at least eight years late. So why will it take so long?
0:25.6	First Minister.
0:27.6	First of all, I want to make clear that the time that it's taken to build the Glenrosa is unacceptable.
0:36.6	The Deputy First Minister set out to Parliament yesterday, many of the reasons why that is
0:41.0	the case.
0:42.0	This has obviously caused disruption to island communities and the Scottish Government is very
0:48.0	focused on making sure with the measures the Deputy First Minister outlined yesterday that
0:53.6	early progress is made on the Glen
0:55.2	Rosa and that can join the Glen Sanox in service at the earliest possible opportunity.
1:00.2	Russell Finley.
1:01.2	We asked John Swinney's predecessor how high the eventual bill for the Glen Rosa and
1:08.2	Glen Sanak's was likely to reach. Three years ago, we specifically asked Nicholas Durgeon if the costs would exceed £400 million.
1:17.6	And she said, I simply don't recognise those numbers.
1:23.6	Well, Scotland's taxpayers certainly do recognise those numbers
1:28.7	because they're the ones paying the bill for the SMP's mess.
1:34.5	Reporting this week, the BBC said the ferries will now cost £460 million and counting.
	...

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