More than 4 in 5 women feel comfortable discussing menopause with their GP or healthcare professional, according to new findings welcomed by the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (CoSRH).
However, while 83% of women surveyed as part of Menopause Mandate’s Big Menopause Survey 2026 were offered hormone replacement therapy (HRT), CoSRH warns that progress in menopause care is being hampered by issues around timely access to the full range of treatment and support.
Hormonal coils (or intrauterine devices, IUDs) can be accessed through local sexual health services or GP surgeries when they are needed for contraception and usually take minutes to fit. But due to funding restrictions, women seeking a coil to manage perimenopausal symptoms are often passed between services before being referred to NHS gynaecology, where waits can be lengthy. More than three out of five (62%) of CoSRH members report that this is the case in their service.
Dr Zara Haider, President of CoSRH, said:“Hormonal coils are not only a fantastic form of contraception, they can be life-changing for women experiencing perimenopausal symptoms by providing the progestogen part of combined HRT. Yet access too often depends on where a woman lives, rather than the care she clinically needs.
“Local funding restrictions can limit which women clinicians are able to provide hormonal coils to, meaning those over 55 years old can be pushed into an already overstretched NHS gynaecology system.
“For a procedure that takes minutes, it makes absolutely no sense for women to face months or even years of waiting along with repeated appointments and hospital visits.”
CoSRH’s Why must women wait? campaign is calling for fairer, more consistent access to hormonal IUDs for women who need them for gynaecological and menopause-related care, as well as contraception.
The campaign highlights how access barriers can leave women waiting months on a gynaecology waiting list alongside 750,000 women for a procedure that can take minutes.
With 98.5% of women reporting that perimenopause symptoms affected their quality of life and 61% reporting a considerable or extreme impact, CoSRH is calling for action to ensure women can access the care they need.
This includes removing restrictions on access to hormonal IUDs, enabling seamless referral between services, investing in training and workforce capacity, making full use of trained professionals’ skills, and tackling inequalities in access and waiting times.
The Institute for Health Equity’s new report A Fairer, Healthier Scotland: The Collaboration for Health Equity reinforces that health inequalities are largely driven by the conditions of daily life that shape health, including income, housing, work and education, rather than access to health services alone.
The Collaboration for Health Equity in Scotland (CHES) is a partnership between Public Health Scotland, University College London’s Institute of Health Equity (directed by Professor Sir Michael Marmot) and three collaborating areas: Aberdeen City, North Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire.
Each area utilised local evidence to develop their own priorities to reduce inequalities, with a shared emphasis on prevention and working in partnership.
COSLA’s Spokesperson for Health and Social Care Cllr Paul Kelly commented: “Through our unique position close to communities, Local Government already has a strong understanding of the wider social, economic and environment determinants which act as the building blocks of health.
“This report reaffirms that empowering local authorities to develop place-based solutions makes a positive difference to people, families and communities, preventing issues before they arise and reducing inequalities in outcomes.
“As a joint sponsor of Public Health Scotland, COSLA will explore how we can build on this successful approach, creating the conditions for more people to live longer, healthier and fulfilling lives.”
A Fairer, Healthier Scotland: The Collaboration for Health Equity is an independent assessment authored by University College London’s Institute of Health Equity outlining progress and opportunities arising from the Collaboration for Health Equity in Scotland.
The first phase of the programme ran from 2024 to 2026 and aimed to better understand barriers to reducing health inequalities and to test practical approaches for improving health equity.
A new report from Healthcare Improvement Scotland has found that nearly three-quarters of Scots surveyed support the opt-out system for organ and tissue donation in Scotland.
The statistics were revealed in the 18th Citizens’ Panel report, which gathered views from 646 people. They were asked about their attitudes to organ and tissue donation after death.
A large majority of respondents (76%) were in favour of the current system. Scotland uses an opt-out system for organ and tissue donation, meaning people are considered willing to donate their organs when they die, unless they have chosen to opt out or belong to an excluded group.
Family or loved ones will always be consulted and asked about known views, faith, and beliefs before any donation goes ahead.
A large majority of respondents were aware of the opt-out system of organ and tissue donation in Scotland (88%), and understood that the opt-out system means that they may be presumed to be willing to donate unless they have stated that they do not wish to do so (86%).
The majority of respondents (82%) also feel that they have enough information to make an informed choice about their organ and tissue donation.
Three quarters of respondents (73%) felt that their family or close friends know what their wishes are regarding organ and tissue donation, including 46% who felt that their family or friends “definitely” know their wishes.
However, respondents were less likely to know how to register their organ and tissue donation decision (55%).
One person who responded noted: “More advertising is needed to explain how to donate, how this affects your end of life and how your family is involved.”
And another noted: “It would be good if more information was available to help people decide and discuss with family and friends.”
Others were unsure if they would be able to donate due to concerns about their age, health conditions and eligibility to donate.
Diana Hekerem, Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Associate Director of Transformational Change, said: “The issue is a very sensitive one, but the findings from Citizens’ Panel 18 clearly show strong public support for organ and tissue donation in Scotland.
“Three-quarters of those who responded supported the current opt-out system. Most who replied felt they had enough information to make an informed decision, although understanding of some aspects of the donation system aren’t always clear.”
There was positive feedback to the idea of organ and tissue donation.
One respondee said: “I’m in favour of a system that makes as many organs available as possible and minimises decisions for family.’
Another added: “If someone else could benefit from my death, it will not matter to me but could matter a huge amount to the recipient.”
And another concluded: “To give another person the gift of life is a privilege not to be missed.”
The report has six conclusions, including that there should be more communications on how the opt-out systems works, the need for an awareness campaign, and encouraging people to talk about their decision to donate or opt-out.
A cargo bike carnival in the Meadows on Sunday launched a report about cargo bike use across Edinburgh, and the importance of bike libraries, hubs and other lending schemes for normalising cargo bike use across the city and the country.
Organisers hope that the biggest gathering of cargo bikes in Edinburgh ever, will meet on the Meadows for games, stalls, a play about the history of the bicycle, and a mass bike ride.
Cargo bikes combine the relatively low environmental impact of cycling with greater carrying capacity and practicality. By enabling the transportation of loads that would be difficult to carry by conventional bicycle, including children, shopping, and equipment, they can play an important role in reducing car use.
These cargo-carrying electric bikes are currently most popular amongst families with young children as they are a fun and practical way to carry children and their stuff from school to club to family outing in a fast and easy manner. They have become a much more common sight out and about in Edinburgh in the last few years.
The Scottish government had a target of a 20 per cent reduction in car kilometres by 2030 which is currently being revised. At the moment, it is off track to meet such a target – so anything that encourages a move away from private car use is valuable.
The report: ‘Carrying change: Unlocking the potential of cargo bike use in Edinburgh and the Lothians’ focuses on the different uses people have made of cargo bikes hired from the various bike libraries and hubs across the city.
It suggests how the government can support the city-wide growth in cargo bike use by taking inspiration from schemes and infrastructure development in other European cities.
Lothians Cargo Bike Network is a newly formed informal coalition of organisations that hire out cargo bikes.
Data from this group was used to write the report that has been funded by the cycle campaign organisation Spokes.
The coalition have worked together to organise Sunday’s family day out in the Meadowsand are encouraging cargo bike owners to attend and enter the ‘best dressed car.
Sasha Taylor, Bike Station CEO said: ‘Cities across Europe demonstrate how cargo bikes can be part of the solution to sustainable travel in our cities. This report has been written to capture where Edinburgh is compared to other cities and sets out recommendations to realise the potential of cargo bikes in our city.
As proud custodians of Cargo Bike Movement’s mission and vision, The Bike Station is one of many local groups providing cargo bikes within our city. This report was compiled by Calum Glen, Impact and Data Officer for The Bike Station.’
Carol from Banzai Bikes – a cargo bike library in Bruntsfield said: ‘The Cargo Bike Carnival was a fun event showcasing all the different ways cargo bikes are being used across Edinburgh right now, by families, small businesses and community organisations.
“The versatility of cargo bikes and the incredible variety of loads, equipment and of course passengers that can be transported will surprise people! As well as trying the bikes you can take part in lots of fun activities including bike games, performances, a circus bike and a big bike ride, and find out about bike lending schemes across the city.’
Jane from Porty Community Energy, that has a cargo bike library on Porty prom said: ‘Our cargo bike library on the prom is very well used throughout the year, most commonly by families looking for a fun day out.
“Hiring out a cargo bike offers a fun alternative to an outing in the car with so many great cycle routes away from the roads now available in Edinburgh. It’s great exercise, and good for every family’s health and well being.
“We have had such good feedback from our library, that we think it’s a no-brainer that government funding should be used to support such schemes’
New research conducted by Carers Trust and policy and research consultancy Public First predicts a shortfall of up to ONE MILLION unpaid carers within a generation.
The expected shortfall is calculated from new projections that draw on current trends and future forecasts. It highlights how intense demand for care from an ageing society is set to outstrip the supply of care available unpaid, from family members and friends at an ever-increasing rate over the next two decades.
The shortfall is the difference between the projected ‘demand’ for carers based on the rising number of people with care needs (7.8 million carers needed by 2050) and the ‘supply’ of carers based on the profile of people who care today (6.7 million carers available by 2050).
Under this projection, the number of people able to provide unpaid care will fail to keep pace with ever-greater need, while paid social care – including care homes and home care – will not expand in line with need. this leads to a shortfall of 600,000 unpaid carers by 2035, and an even more alarming one of one million by 2050.
Such a shortfall would have a crippling impact on the provision of care across the UK: a greater number of people would be left with unmet care needs; overall capacity to provide care would be further stretched; and more families and friends would need to step in to fill gaps – from providing sporadic hours of care to caring for multiple people at once.
These changes would have a potentially devastating knock-on effect on unpaid carers’ wellbeing, employment, and the economy.
With care pressures expected to increase across the board in coming years, the research also found that:
10.3m people will need care by 2050, up from 8.4m in 2025
1.2m unpaid carers already provide care hours that equate to a full-time job
1.6m unpaid carers will be in poverty by 2035, rising to over 2m by 2050
The research predicts that the number of people in need of care will have soared by almost two million between 2025 and 2050. Over the same period, without action, the supply of both paid and unpaid care will grow at a much slower rate, thereby failing to keep pace.
These changes are already taking place in society. Over the last 10 years the supply of carers has not increased with rising need, and the average burden on each carer has increased. In the absence of action, the rate at which the gap opening up between supply and demand for care will only quicken over time.
The research comes at a time when Baroness Casey is running her ‘Big Conversation’ amongst the public into the future of social care and follows the announcement by the Prime Minister that he will use what ‘political capital he has’ to reform the system.
Louise Casey has already identified that the work of unpaid carers is one of the main reasons the system continues to function. This research shows that, if nothing changes, this will cease to be the case, with knock on effects on the NHS, public services and the economy.
Carers Trust, as the largest UK charity supporting unpaid carers through its network of 130 local services, is also highlighting the impact on unpaid carers of the current levels of care they are undertaking:
Fewer than three in ten unpaid carers providing care for more than 35 hours a week are in paid work.
Mental and physical health outcomes are consistently worse for unpaid carers than for non-carers.
Unpaid carers are more likely to live in poverty than the broader population, with living conditions worst for those with the most intense caring roles.
Around three in five people in the UK will become carers at some point in their lives. This can happen overnight, often through circumstances that are impossible to predict or plan, such as a family member being diagnosed with a long-term illness or the birth of a child with a disability.
Kirsty McHugh, Chief Executive of Carers Trust, said:“Almost all of us will either care for a loved one or be cared for in turn at some point in our lives. However, as a society, we’re simply not facing up to that fact.
“The gap between soaring demand and shrinking supply of care is opening up like a crocodile’s jaws and, unless we act now, it’s unpaid carers, those they care for, and the system itself that will be swallowed whole.
“This grim future is on the horizon, but there is still time to avoid it if we are willing to do the political hard yards now. The Prime Minister’s commitment to fixing our broken social care system is encouraging, but reform needs to focus on more than care home beds, budgets, and the paid workforce. It has to reckon frankly and fairly with the millions of unpaid carers that are holding the system together – at huge personal cost.
“It could be you, your mother, brother, or child who needs care in the future, or who becomes a carer in turn. We cannot go on asking unpaid carers to absorb yet more pressure, and we cannot let the worst-case scenario set out in this research become our reality.
“We need well-funded local support that reaches carers before they hit crisis point, real, comprehensive financial and wellbeing support, and a system that recognises carers as essential and equal, not invisible and expendable.”
Andrew Harrop, Director at Public First, said:“Today family carers provide the lion’s share of support for people with care needs. But Public First’s projections show that the future supply of carers may not keep up with the demand. In 10 years’ time the UK may need 600,000 more people to care than are in a position to do so.
“The number of people with care needs is rising quickly, because more people are reaching late old age. Meanwhile the number in the generation below who typically provide care is barely increasing.
“The shortfall in carers will mean that more people’s needs go unmet and more intensive pressures on those who are able to care.”
Proposals published to start dialogue with local authorities
A report from an experienced former headteacher on how to improve the way schools are funded and governed has been published.
John Wilson, an Independent Professional Adviser to the Scottish Government, was appointed to identify priorities for reform based on his extensive experience as a secondary headteacher.
His recommendations, which will be considered as part of a three-month dialogue with local authorities, include:
creating Local Schools Authorities to take on statutory responsibility for the delivery of school education
reviewing how schools measure success while making it easier for them to collaborate and share best practice with each other
clearly defining and ring-fencing national funding for education, and improving consistency in the way this funding is recorded by local authorities.
Education Secretary Màiri McAllan said: “We are determined to continuously drive improvement in Scottish education – raising standards, empowering schools and reducing variation across council areas and schools.
“There is a great deal to be proud of already. This year’s exam results showed rising attainment across the board in National 5s, Highers and Advanced Highers and the second consecutive narrowing of the poverty related attainment gap.
Recent statistics show the number of young people in work, training or study nine months after leaving school is at a joint record high and record numbers of young people are being accepted into university. This includes a record number from our most deprived backgrounds.
“However, I am also clear-eyed about the need for change and for excellence. As well as developing a new curriculum and creating phone-free learning environments across Scotland, we’re seizing the opportunity provided by the public service reform agenda to address core issues in our education system.
“This report provides an invaluable contribution to this process, and I’m grateful to John Wilson and everyone else who took part. This publication is intended to contribute to a dialogue with councils. I look forward to setting out our response to the recommendations once that process is complete.”
Acas stats show 68% of disabled workers experienced workplace conflict, compared to 44% of adults overall
Disabled workers are facing significantly higher rates of conflict than their non-disabled colleagues, with challenges around workplace support, communication and reasonable adjustments identified as key factors, according to new Acas research.
A study by the National Centre for Social Research, commissioned by Acas, explored why disabled staff report disproportionately high levels of conflict.
The findings showed that ineffective support, challenges around reasonable adjustments, communication issues, and overly rigid application of workplace policies were key drivers of conflict.
The research also showed that awareness training, wellbeing services and counselling, along with third-party support from unions and specialist health advisors, were effective in preventing and resolving workplace conflict involving disabled people.
Acas stats also show that 68% of disabled employees whose condition has a substantial impact on their daily activities had experienced workplace conflict, compared with 44% of working-age adults overall.
Julie Dennis, Acas Head of Inclusivity, said: “Disabled workers have told us that the conflict they face at work is driven less by their condition or disability itself, and more by misunderstandings, communication difficulties and challenges in identifying and providing the right support.
“We also know that disabled workers are facing significantly higher rates of conflict than their colleagues, and Acas has seen an almost two-fold increase in disability discrimination cases compared to a decade ago.
“I would urge employers and managers to support disabled workers by identifying pressure points and having conversations as early as possible. Acas advice and training can provide the skills and knowledge to strengthen working relationships, support disabled workers and prevent disputes.”
Disabled employees described a range of experiences that they felt contributed to workplace conflict, including difficulties obtaining support, rigid responses to disability-related needs, and workplace practices that left them feeling isolated or excluded. Examples included:
A dyslexic employee said that, after colleagues complained about her reading words aloud to help with spelling, her manager moved her into what she described as a “cupboard”, leaving her feeling isolated from colleagues.
An employee undergoing cancer treatment said they were threatened with disciplinary action for absences directly related to their condition. Reflecting on their employer’s response, they said: “It was like they’re saying that it was my choice to get a brain tumour, but it wasn’t.”
A neurodivergent employee working in education said that disabled staff were expected to find their own way through support arrangements. They said: “You’d put all these provisions in place for the children … But then for the staff, it’s kind of like, go do it alone.”
In 2024 to 2025, Acas received more than 28,000 disability discrimination early conciliation notifications, almost one in five of all cases, up from fewer than one in ten at the start of the decade.
The research suggests that conflict experienced by disabled workers is linked to how workplace support and management processes operate, rather than the health conditions themselves.
It found that difficulties around agreeing and implementing reasonable adjustments, delays in putting support in place, and a lack of effective dialogue about workplace needs were key triggers.
The research highlights the important role line managers can play in preventing conflict. Giving managers the knowledge, confidence and organisational support to handle sensitive conversations effectively can help build positive working relationships and resolve issues early.
Employees described a range of strategies they had experienced that they felt could help resolve conflict. These included:
conversations with line or senior managers
referrals to occupational health
third party involvement, such as trade union or legal representatives
specialist health and disability support
workplace mediation
changing manager or department
Acting early protects worker wellbeing and saves organisations the cost of lost trust, absence and turnover.
Acas is encouraging employers and managers to work with disabled staff to identify support needs early and create workplaces where concerns can be discussed openly.
Acas guidance, advice and training can help employers agree reasonable adjustments collaboratively, record and implement them consistently, and address concerns before they escalate.
ACAS TIPS FOR EMPLOYERS AND MANAGERS
Create conditions in which employees feel safe to discuss their disability or changing support needs.
Do not assume that the same condition means the same needs. Ask, listen, and explore options collaboratively.
Act promptly. Delays, silence and repeated requests can damage trust and make resolution harder.
Use early, informal approaches where appropriate while maintaining fair access to formal procedures.
Build managers’ disability confidence and conflict confidence through practical training and organisational support.
To view the full report, please visit the Acas website:
The Scottish Government needs to be more transparent about how it will use £755 million raised by a high risk and reward offshore wind leasing round, says the Audit Commisson in a new report published today.
In 2020, Crown Estate Scotland (CES) launched ScotWind. The leasing round offered buyers capped prices for the option to develop the seabed – rather than maximising immediate returns through an open auction. The rationale for the decision was to increase the chance of securing long-term lease payments. The CES Board scrutinised the approach and it was agreed by the Scottish Government. However, no single business case for the ScotWind leasing round was produced.
In 2021, a rapid review of ScotWind was instigated when a rest-of-UK leasing round generated record revenue through an uncapped, open pricing approach. CES drew on external advice and increased the seabed development fee cap from £10,000 to £100,000, although a much higher cap was considered and rejected.
The rapid review also put new penalties in place to encourage developers to deliver on their supply chain commitments, but these need to be further strengthened for future leasing rounds.
The £755 million initially raised has been banked by Crown Estate Scotland over 12-month terms on behalf of the Scottish Government. This gives ministers maximum access to the funds and allows them to be used to balance the budget. However, it has limited Crown Estate Scotland’s investment options and financial returns.
Ministers have drawn down £96 million of ScotWind funds to date. But it is not clear how the money has been used to support the transition to net zero.
Nor is it clear how the Scottish Government intends to use remaining ScotWind funds over the course of the Parliament. That extends to the need for transparency around the purpose and operation of a new ScotWind Wealth Fund as ministers’ plans develop.
Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said: “Crown Estate Scotland and the Scottish Government took a high risk and reward approach to the ScotWind leasing round. Whether that decision represents value for money will be determined in the coming years.
“If developers sign long-term leases before their option periods end, then annual payments will continue to benefit Scotland for the next 60 years.
“However, if they give up their options the capped option pricing model will result in limited wider economic benefits and substantially reduced public revenues.
“What is now important is that the Scottish Government is much more transparent about their plans for how the ScotWind funds will be used across this parliamentary term and beyond.”
A new report published by Public Health Scotland (PHS) estimates the burden of disease attributable to physical inactivity from selected mental health and musculoskeletal conditions in Scotland.
The analysis was jointly commissioned by PHS, Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH) and the Active Scotland team within the Scottish Government. It builds on previous analysis of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, to provide a more complete picture of the impact of physical inactivity on the nation’s health.
The report estimates that more than 12,000 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are attributable to physical inactivity from mental health and musculoskeletal conditions alone. When combined with the previous analysis, physical inactivity is estimated to account for nearly 24,000 DALYs each year in Scotland. Mental health conditions account for around 38% of the newly identified total burden, with anxiety the largest contributor.
DALYs are a measure used to help show the impact of ill health on both length and quality of life. They combine years of life lost due to premature death with years lived in less than full health.
While the relationship between physical inactivity and conditions such as cardiovascular disease is well established, these findings show that it also contributes significantly to poor mental health, disability and reduced quality of life.
Addressing the social, economic and environmental barriers that influence activity levels is key to supporting active lifestyles, helping those who are least active to move more and preventing others from becoming inactive.
Dr Dionne Mackison, Head of Place, Environment and Health Harms at Public Health Scotland said:“This report reinforces the importance of physical activity as a key determinant of health, underlining its role supporting good mental wellbeing, mobility and independence throughout life.
“Our Together We Can strategy, focuses on prevention and creating the conditions that enable people and communities to live healthier lives. Supporting people to be more active is crucial in preventing ill health and reducing health inequalities.”
Alex Cumming, Executive Director of Delivery and Service Development at Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH) said:“This research project yet again highlights the importance of good mental health and its foundation in us all leading healthy, active lives.
“Creating the conditions which enable people to be more active, is an early and preventative approach to mental health. Supporting active, connected communities can help reduce the wider burden of disease and improve the quality of life for people impacted by mental health.”
Responding to the Public Health Scotland report, Lauren Bennie, Head of Scotland for Arthritis UK, said:“This report highlights the significant impact musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions have on people’s health and quality of life across Scotland, and the important role physical activity can play in prevention and management.
“Importantly, it notes that MSK problems are ‘among the most common reasons for GP consultations and work absence’, highlighting their wider impact on individuals, health services and the economy.
“While the report estimates that physical inactivity contributes to the loss of more than 3,000 years of healthy life through MSK conditions, for people living with arthritis, being active is not always easy. Pain, stiffness, fatigue and reduced mobility can themselves create major barriers to physical activity, creating a vicious cycle that can further impact people’s physical and mental wellbeing.
“The substantial contribution of mental health and musculoskeletal conditions to the disability burden demonstrates that increasing physical activity is critical not just for living longer, but for living healthier lives, benefiting the individual, society and the economy.
“With around 1.7 million adults in Scotland living with arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions, we need a much greater focus on prevention, early intervention and access to the right treatment and support.
“That is why Arthritis UK is calling on the Scottish Government to introduce Scotland’s first MSK Action Plan and include MSK conditions in the upcoming Long Term Conditions Strategy, providing the coordinated national approach needed to improve MSK health and help people live healthier, more active and independent lives.”
Former high profile MSPs told the think tank in a series of “exit interviews” that the parliament is not living up to its consensus-building potential, contributing to key targets being missed.
It is not just the public who are deeply frustrated and disillusioned with the way politics and policymaking are working in Holyrood, new research from IPPR Scotland has found.
MSPs themselves have been feeling the same malaise, with a record number of them having chosen not to stand for re-election at this year’s Scottish parliamentary election.
In a series of detailed “exit interviews”, MSPs from across the political spectrum – including former backbenchers and senior cabinet figures – told researchers that the parliament has been underperforming. The findings come at a time of declining trust in politics and growing frustration with the way democratic institutions function. Voter turnout fell dramatically at the 2026 election and various polls showed voters felt Scotland was headed in the wrong direction.
The Scottish parliament was designed to bring competing ideas together to find productive compromise. But interviewees described a shift towards shallow partisanship, with MSPs increasingly falling back on party lines and formulaic debates where politicians speak past each other.
This disconnect between the parliament’s consensus-building design and adversarial politics undermines the quality of scrutiny and legislation.
The problems show up in the way parliamentary committees operate. When the parliament was set up in 1999, committees were imagined as spaces for sustained, collaborative discussions, allowing MSPs the time to develop subject expertise and contribute meaningfully to policy matters.
But interviewees said members pay little attention to one another, and serious engagement with the substance of issues is all too rare.
Researchers found that:
Short committee tenures are limiting the development of expertise. The median time MSPs serve on committees has hovered around one-and-a-half to two years, compared with five-year parliamentary terms. This restricts their ability to develop the kind of subject expertise that longer tenure would provide.
Instead of interactive discussions, MSPs increasingly resort to monologues. In the first parliamentary session, a committee member spoke an average of 117 words before another member spoke. By the sixth session, this had doubled to 232 words.
This affects the process of legislation making. Committees were intended to scrutinise legislation in detail, drawing on members’ expertise, expert witnesses and detailed evidence. But MSPs said debate has shifted to the final stages of legislation with poorly thought through amendments introduced at the last minute.
The researchers’ analysis of parliamentary data backs this up. In the first session (1999-2003), final-stage debates were about half as long as committee discussions. By the sixth, (2021-2026) the pattern had reversed, with final debates longer than committee stages.
IPPR Scotland has argued that the parliament needs to strengthen its consensus-building mechanisms, both to build trust with the electorate and because the challenges the country faces need long-term policies with widespread buy-in.
The think tank recommends that reforms to parliament be designed by a new Citizens’ Commission on Scotland’s Democracy, giving citizens a formal role in reviewing and reporting on the functioning of Scottish democracy through citizens’ assemblies and juries.
Dave Hawkey, senior research fellow at IPPR Scotland, said: “Scotland faces formidable challenges, from cutting emissions and mitigating the impacts of climate crisis to managing the ageing population and reducing inequality.
“Solving each of these will need bold and far-reaching policy, including ideas from every corner of Scottish society.
“Low trust in politics is a major barrier to building the consensus we need to successfully guide Scotland through these changing times. Concretely, if citizens lack trust in politics, they will not agree to pay the taxes we need to fix our shared problems.”
Anonymous MSP1 said:“If you go as a minister to be interrogated by the opposition or backbenchers, the greatest disappointment is always how rubbish their questions are because they’re all sitting on their phones, you get to their shot, they ask a pre-prepared question.
“It’s either political or general most of the time. And then they go back to scrolling on Twitter.”
Anonymous MSP2 said:“You have legislation that grows arms and bells and whistles. [During recent debates] I was thinking: I cannot believe we’re actually accepting or agreeing to this amendment that, in one line, will give somebody a headline but will cause a huge tail end of policy issues.”
