Ben Macpherson rejoins government and Graeme Dey takes up vacant post
Graeme Dey has been appointed Minister for Parliamentary Business and for Veterans by First Minister John Swinney.
Subject to parliamentary agreement and the approval of His Majesty the King, Ben Macpherson will succeed Mr Dey as Minister for Higher & Further Education, while Mr Dey retains his responsibilities for Scottish Government policy on veterans.
The First Minister said: “I am delighted to appoint Graeme Dey as Minister for Parliamentary Business and Ben Macpherson as Minister-designate for Higher & Further Education.
“Graeme Dey brings wide experience of handling parliamentary business to this role and is a minister widely respected across the Parliamentary chamber for his open and constructive approach to finding common ground.
“Ben Macpherson has wider experience across a range of policy areas and will bring a creative and dynamic leadership to higher and further education that is so fundamental to transforming the lives of individuals across the country, and to supporting this government’s ambitious economic agenda.”
Ben Macpherson is the MSP for the Edinburgh Northern & Leith constituency. He grew up in the Scottish capital and graduated at the University of York before studying law at University of Edinburgh and becoming a lawyer.
He served as Minister for Europe, Migration & International Development from June 2018 to February 2020, then Minister for Public Finance & Migration until being appointed Minister for Rural Affairs & the Natural Environment in December 2020.
In 2021 Ben Macpherson became Minister for Social Security & Local Government, a post he held until leaving government in March 2023.
MSPs on Holyrood’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee have voiced their alarm at the extent of “legal aid deserts” in Scotland, which are significantly impacting on people’s access to justice.
The Committee has been exploring civil legal assistance, commonly known as legal aid, in response to concerns raised about access to justice. Legal aid deserts can refer to geographical areas, or elements of law, where there is a lack of legal practitioners available.
During the inquiry the Committee heard of the challenges that people had in finding a legal aid solicitor, with some organisations making 50, or more, phone calls, or individuals needing to travel hundreds of miles to access a solicitor who can provide civil legal assistance.
Low fees for legal aid work and administrative complexity are identified as the key drivers behind the shortage of practitioners. The Committee’s report calls for the Scottish Government to take action to improve the situation immediately.
Reform of the legal aid system has been proposed for several years. An independent review of legal aid in 2018 called for reform to ensure greater focus on the needs of clients and simplification of rules.
However, despite committing to bringing forward legislation, the Scottish Government has not introduced a Bill to reform legal aid in the current parliamentary session. The Committee finds this highly unsatisfactory, given the overwhelming calls for change.
The report also recognises that eligibility is a key issue in access to legal aid. The Committee heard that many people who cannot afford to pay privately for a solicitor are unable to claim legal aid due to rules around disposable income and disposable capital. The Committee does not believe that this is tenable and that the figures used to set this should increase in line with inflation since 2011.
Karen Adam MSP, Convener of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, said: “A shortage of legal aid solicitors and ongoing challenges with access are seriously undermining people’s ability to exercise their rights.
“The consequences can be devastating. Victims of domestic abuse can be left without the support they urgently need, and many people find themselves struggling to access safe and secure housing.
“The case for reform is already clear, and we urge the Scottish Government to move forward with changes that will make a real difference.
“Fee reforms, reducing administrative burdens, and widening eligibility are all vital steps to ensure civil legal assistance is fit for purpose and that people across Scotland can get the justice they deserve.”
TODAY (Friday 19 September), the Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee will visit Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow in Inverclyde, as well as XLCC, a subsea cable manufacturer, and Peel Ports Group in North Ayrshire.
Taking their scrutiny out of Holyrood, the Committee will be hosted by Ferguson Marine for an overview of the shipbuilding operations, an update on the progress of delivery of Glen Rosa and a meeting with the Senior Leadership Team, including the new chief executive, Graeme Thomson, who took up the position on May 1, 2025.
The Committee has taken a long-term interest in monitoring the much delayed and over-budget delivery of the Glen Rosa (Hull 802), as well as its sister ship the Glen Sannox (Hull 801), which finally went into operation earlier this year. The Committee continues to receive quarterly progress updates.
The delegation will then travel to North Ayrshire to visit XLCC Hunterston to learn more about their new subsea cable manufacturing facility.
Members hope to gain a broader understanding of how renewable energy can be transmitted over long distances, including from offshore wind farms and international interconnectors.
The Committee’s final meeting will be at Fairlie with Peel Ports Group, the UK’s second largest port operator. The Committee hope to learn more about the Hunterston Port and Resource Centre (PARC), a large deep-water industrial port campus owned by the Group, which is being made into a multi-industry energy and marine campus.
The Committee will take the opportunity to discuss the Peel Ports owned Ardrossan Harbour redevelopment project, which aims to upgrade both marine and landside infrastructure to improve ferry services to the Isle of Arran.
Committee Members attending are Convener Edward Mountain MSP, Deputy Convener Michael Matheson MSP and Monica Lennon MSP. Irene Campbell, Labour MP for North Ayrshire and Arran will also be attending the North Ayrshire portion of the visit.
Convener of the Committee, Edward Mountain MSP said:“This visit will begin with us hearing first-hand from FMPG about progress in getting the Glen Rosa fit for launching next year.
“Ferry users on the Firth of Clyde – residents in Arran in particular – have been waiting a long time and want reassurance that the timetable will not slip any further.
“We look forward to hearing about the Glen Rosa’s completion from FMPG’s management and workers and about their hopes and plans for the yard’s future.
“Later when we travel to Hunterston, we’ll have a chance to put questions to Peel Ports about the prospects for the Brodick service being restored to Ardrossan.
“We’re also interested to hear from Peel Ports about their plans to transform Hunterston PARC into a green economic hub and bring skilled employment opportunities to the area. These include exciting opportunities in subsea cable manufacturing and the role this can play in connecting renewable energy to where it’s needed most. We look forward to hearing from XLCC about their cabling project.
“Scrutiny doesn’t just happen at Holyrood. Getting out and about, engaging directly with industry and local stakeholders is an important way of our being able to better understand sectors under our remit.”
A landmark Bill to place victims and witnesses at the heart of the justice system has been passed by Parliament.
The Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill contains historic reforms to transform victims’ and witnesses’ experience of the justice system and ensure they are treated with compassion, while continuing to safeguard the rights of the accused.
Key reforms include abolishing the ‘not proven’ verdict in all criminal trials to help create a clearer, fairer and more transparent decision-making process. The jury majority required for a conviction will move from a simple majority to at least two-thirds to ensure fairness and balance.
The Bill will see trauma-informed practice embedded across the system to avoid victims being re-traumatised by the legal process. It will improve the Victim Notification Scheme and establish an independent Victims and Witnesses Commissioner for Scotland to champion their rights.
The legislation also includes significant new measures to meet the needs of survivors of sexual offences by:
establishing a specialist Sexual Offences Court to enable complainers to give their best evidence while minimising the potential for re-traumatisation
protecting the dignity of victims of sexual offences through an automatic lifelong right of anonymity
providing an automatic right to independent legal representation for complainers in sexual offence cases when an application is made in court to lead evidence of the complainer’s sexual history or character
creating a legal right for victims in rape and serious sexual offences cases to access transcripts of the court proceedings free of charge.
The Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform Bill represents one of the most significant reforms of Scotland's justice system since devolution.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “This historic legislation will put victims and witnesses at the heart of a modern and fair justice system.
“By changing culture, process and practice across the system, it will help to ensure victims are heard, supported, protected and treated with compassion, while the rights of the accused will continue to be safeguarded.
“This legislation, which builds on progress in recent years, has been shaped by the voices of victims, survivors, their families and support organisations, and it is testimony to their tireless efforts to campaign for further improvement.
I am grateful to those who bravely shared their experiences to inform the development of this legislation and pave a better, more compassionate path for others.”
Gordon Macdonald MSP has welcomed new proposals laid before the Scottish Parliament which will see unpaid carers in Edinburgh receive greater financial support, including a brand-new annual payment worth up to £520 for those who care for more than one person.
The Carer Additional Person Payment is expected to benefit around 18,000 people across Scotland and will form part of the SNP Scottish Government’s new Carer Support benefit package. This marks another milestone in Scotland’s distinct approach to social security, built on the SNP’s principles of dignity, fairness and respect.
Other measures include extending the Young Carer Grant to 19 year olds, widening access to Carer Support following the death of the cared-for person, and easing rules around breaks in caring responsibilities.
Commenting, Gordon Macdonald MSP said:
“Unpaid carers make an enormous contribution in communities across the city, supporting family, friends and neighbours with dedication and love. The SNP is once again showing it recognises that contribution by putting money directly into the pockets of those caring for more than one person.
“This new payment, alongside the existing Carer Support Payment and Carer Supplement, will provide vital help at a time when so many carers are juggling even more financial pressures with the demands of looking after loved ones because of Labour’s austerity measures and cost of living crisis.
“This is another clear example of the SNP doing everything we can with the powers we have to deliver a fairer social security system for Scotland – one rooted in compassion and respect, and that improves lives where Westminster has failed carers for far too long.”
Young achievers and business leaders from Edinburgh and the Lothians were among those celebrated at the BYITC Inspire Awards 2025, held in the Scottish Parliament to recognise talent and leadership across the UK.
Organised by the British Youth International College (BYITC), the annual awards celebrate excellence across academics, sport, art, culture, social impact, entrepreneurship, and leadership. The event gathered families, educators, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and parliamentarians to applaud the next generation.
Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP served as Chief Guest of Honour and event sponsor, alongside Anas Sarwar MSP, Leader of Scottish Labour and Foysol Choudhury MSP, who all attended to support the award winners.
Business Excellence Tanwi Bhattacharya, Founder of Nikkan Dance Academy, Edinburgh – Artistic Visionary
Foysol Choudhury MSPpraised the honourees: “It was a real honour to be at the Inspire Awards and celebrate so many talented young people and local business leaders from Edinburgh and the Lothians.
“Their achievements are inspiring, and they remind us why it’s so important to back the next generation, to make sure creativity, education, and entrepreneurship can thrive in our communities.”
The evening featured performances from young artists and brought together families, educators, entrepreneurs, and community leaders, highlighting how the next generation is already contributing to Scotland’s future.
PLAN TO END CHLDREN LIVING IN UNSUITABLE ACCOMMODATION, SUPPORT VULNERABLE GROUPS AND BOOST INVESTMENT
Cabinet Secretary for Housing Màiri McAllan has published the Housing Emergency Action Plan to tackle the housing crisis.
The plan focuses on three key areas – ending children living in unsuitable accommodation, supporting the housing needs of vulnerable groups and supporting growth and investment in the housing sector.
In a statement to the Scottish Parliament, the Housing Secretary set out a number of key commitments, including:
A new commitment to invest up to £4.9 billion over the next four years, delivering around 36,000 affordable homes by 2029-30 and providing a home for up to 24,000 children.
Doubling investment in acquisitions this year to £80 million, which will help take between 600-800 children out of temporary accommodation.
Implement Awaab’s Law from March 2026, starting with damp and mould, subject to parliamentary approval, to ensure landlords promptly address issues hazardous to tenants.
A new £1 million national ‘fund to leave’ to provide financial support for up to 1,200 women and their children to leave an abusive partner.
Unlocking land for housing in rural areas by working with the Scottish National Investment Bank, landowners and public bodies
A new Ministerial direction to planning authorities.
Ms McAllan said: “Tackling the housing emergency will be a cornerstone in our efforts to achieve the Scottish Government’s key priority of eradicating child poverty. I am determined this action plan will deliver positive and lasting change.
“At the heart of my mission is ensuring children are not spending time in unsuitable accommodation or long periods in temporary accommodation; that the housing needs of vulnerable communities are met and that we create the optimum conditions for confidence and investment in Scotland’s housing sector.
“Our efforts so far since declaring a housing emergency have seen 2,700 families with children into a permanent home, up to December 2024. Our action plan will see tens of thousands more families have a place they can call home.
“Since I took up the role of Cabinet Secretary I have listened to calls from the sector for multi-year funding to give housebuilders more long-term certainty.
“Today I have committed to investing up to £4.9 billion in affordable homes over the next four years. This long-term certainty and increase in funding will support delivery of around 36,000 affordable homes and provide up to 24,000 children with a warm, safe home.
“We cannot tackle this emergency alone though and I need everyone from across the private and public sector to pull together and deliver this plan to ensure everyone in Scotland has access to a safe, warm and affordable home.”
Crisis Scotland’s Head of Policy and Communications Maeve McGoldrick said: “We welcome today’s announcement. Homelessness is the most acute form of poverty, and we see the damage it does through our frontline services every day.
“Investment in new housing will help prevent more people being forced from their homes, while the expansion of Housing First will provide a vital route out of homelessness for people who have been let down by services for too long.
“We can’t allow more people to be trapped in the limbo of the homelessness system– we need to act now to help build a Scotland where everyone has a safe, secure place to call home.”
Scottish Women’s Aid CEO Dr Marsha Scott said: “Scottish Women’s Aid warmly welcomes announcement of a roll-out of the original Fund to Leave pilots to the rest of Scotland.
“Every day we and our local Women’s Aid services see women and children struggling to get free of an abuser. The Fund to Leave offers a critical helping hand when women and children need it most.
‘Leaving’ is difficult and dangerous, and the Fund to Leave is such an important step to making leaving and staying free from an abuser a reality across Scotland.”
Right There works to prevent people becoming homeless and separated from their loved ones, and believes everyone deserves a safe place to call home.
Commenting on the plan, CEO, Janet Haugh said: “Scotland is in the midst of a national housing emergency which needs ambitious and robust action to reverse it.
“We are encouraged that today’s plan recognises the crisis our country is in, with over 53,000 people currently without a home, and over 10,000 children living in temporary accommodation.
“We welcome the focus on ending children’s time in unsuitable or temporary accommodation. Every child deserves a safe, stable place to call home – it is the foundation of wellbeing, learning and hope for the future.
“We know that a house alone is not enough. The right support around people – whether they are rebuilding after domestic abuse, facing poverty, or at risk of homelessness – is vital to turn housing into a home.
“We see every day the pressure on families and individuals waiting far too long in temporary accommodation. While progress is welcome, the reality is that thousands still need urgent solutions.
“We stand ready to play our part. Local organisations like Right There can be powerful delivery partners, bringing together housing, support and community. Sustainable investment and genuine collaboration will be critical.
“Housing is about more than bricks and mortar. It’s about fairness, dignity, and giving people the chance to thrive. The Housing Emergency Action Plan will only succeed if it holds true to those values.”
Every August, Edinburgh transforms into the world’s cultural epicentre, with festivals filling every corner of the city (writes FOYSOL CHOUDHURY MSP).
This year, however, the stage will be busier than ever. Alongside the usual theatre lovers and comedy fans, the capital will welcome an additional influx of visitors as thousands arrive for concerts by Oasis and AC/DC.
It’s a month that draws global attention and economic opportunity. Yet, beneath the spotlight lies a more pressing truth: a festival economy that, while world-renowned, places intense pressure on the very infrastructure residents rely on year-round.
Nowhere is that strain more visible than in housing. When tourists arrive, hotels and B&Bs fill up fast. For people already living in vulnerability, August can mean being pushed further into homelessness. Shelter Scotland warns that major events create a “bottleneck” in temporary accommodation, with people displaced at short notice to make room for tourists.
However, the pressures do not end with housing. Edinburgh’s cultural season is built on the dedication of stage crews, technicians, hospitality staff, and many others who work tirelessly in the supporting industries.
Yet for many, the reality is long, exhausting hours for very modest pay. Often, those hours come under contracts that offer little or no security. With low wages, unstable work, and the seasonal nature of these jobs, it’s a constant struggle to make ends meet, even as the city’s economy thrives on their efforts.
Emerging artists face similar barriers. Simply being in Edinburgh in August can be a financial gamble; some take on debt to perform, while others are priced out entirely. When workers can’t afford to work and artists can’t afford to perform, diversity shrinks, innovation slows, and the cultural richness on which our festivals rely begins to erode.
The Scottish Government is quick to celebrate record visitor numbers, but slower to address the inequalities behind them. A fair cultural strategy cannot be measured by ticket sales alone. It must guarantee that no one is pushed into unsuitable accommodation and ensure fair pay and decent conditions for festival workers, as well as provide real support for emerging artists so they can take part without risking financial hardship.
Last Friday, I hosted a conversation at the Festival of Politics, “Dreaming of a Fairer Future for Culture,” alongside Culture Counts and a panel of inspiring voices from across Scotland’s creative sector.
Edinburgh’s festivals are a treasure, but pride alone will not protect them. Their future depends on whether we confront the pressures that threaten them and act decisively to safeguard the people and communities who make them possible.
If Scotland is to remain a cultural leader, it must honour not just the art on stage, but the lives and livelihoods that keep the curtain rising each year.
