First Minister's Questions 25th March 2026

Podcasts By The Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament

Government

4.8 • 25 Ratings

🗓️ 25 March 2026

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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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: Joe FitzPatrick To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on the Scottish Government’s commitment to banning conversion practices. Dr Pam Gosal MBE To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to research by Women's Rights Network Scotland reportedly showing that some children have been assaulted in Scottish hospitals. Pauline McNeill To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland report indicating that staff shortages mean young prisoners at HMP & YOI Polmont lack enough opportunities for work, education or recreation and spend “far too long locked in their cells". Jamie Greene To ask the First Minister, in light of the reported rise in protests and rhetoric aimed at immigrants and minority groups, what action any future Scottish administration can take to restore kindness, decency and tolerance to politics. A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions will be available on the Scottish Parliament website: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report

Transcript

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0:00.0	questions. We move to First Minister's questions. I call Russell Finley at question
0:03.9	number one. Some say the SMP government is incompetent. Some say that it's dishonest.
0:13.1	Some say that it's sleazy. I say that it's all three. And John Swinney has been at the heart of this incompetent, dishonest and sleazy SNP government
0:27.3	for almost two decades.
0:31.3	He defended his health secretary for pocketing £11,000 of taxpayers' money for iPad roaming.
0:38.3	He defended his next health secretary for taking taxpayer-funded limos to the football.
0:45.3	He defended his Justice Secretary for misrepresenting a grooming gang's expert.
0:51.3	He defended his transport secretaries over the corrupt Calmac ferry scandal.
0:57.0	He defended himself for deleting his COVID-era messages to Nicola Sturgeon.
1:04.7	So when will John Swinney start defending the interests of Scotland, not the interests of his sleazy SNP pals.
1:13.6	First Minister.
1:16.6	I defend the interests of the people of Scotland every day of my being.
1:32.3	And having listened to Russell Finley's poorest hits over the course of the last minute or so,
1:39.3	I'm left wondering why are the Conservatives going to get decimated at the forthcoming election.
1:47.0	Russell Finley.
1:48.0	I've got plenty more on the SMP's greatest hits to come.
1:52.0	John Swinney, he spends so much time on the moral high ground.
1:57.0	It's a miracle that the man doesn't suffer from altitude sickness. The truth is that this jaded career politician,
2:06.6	let's hear one another.
2:07.6	This jaded career politician has become accustomed and immune to SMP dishonesty,
2:14.6	incompetence and slees.
2:18.8	His party has trashed the reputation of this Parliament, and it is the people of Scotland
	...

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