Latest news with #TessWhite
South Wales Argus
10-07-2025
- Health
- South Wales Argus
NHS Fife has run up £220,000 legal bill in Peggie tribunal, watchdog reveals
The extent of the costs was uncovered following an intervention by Scotland's information commissioner, who ruled that the health board had failed to comply with freedom of information requests. Up to the end of March, a total of £220,465.93 was spent on the case, including counsel fees and services from the NHS Scotland's central legal office. Ms Peggie brought the case against the health board after her complaint about sharing a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton led to her being suspended. The nurse lodged a complaint of sexual harassment or harassment related to a protected belief under section 26 of the Equality Act 2010. Information Commissioner David Hamilton said NHS Fife should carry out searches for data on the costs of the case, describing the situation as 'frustrating' when freedom of information requests were appealed. In its response to the requests, the health board said: 'These costs will be reclaimed through the national clinical negligence and other risks indemnity scheme (CNORIS). 'Under CNORIS, NHS Fife's financial liability is limited to £25,000, which ensures that the legal proceedings do not impact frontline clinical or patient services. Tess White called for answers from senior officials (Fraser Bremner/Daily Mail/PA) 'NHS Fife is not in a position to estimate the full cost of proceedings while the tribunal remains ongoing.' Ms Peggie has publicly welcomed the UK Supreme Court judgment which in April made clear the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the 2010 Equality Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex'. She said that she 'expects NHS Fife to immediately stop permitting any man who identifies as a woman access to female-only, single-sex spaces in the workplace'. Maya Forstater, chief executive of the gender critical campaign group, Sex Matters, which is supporting the nurse, told The Herald newspaper: 'That NHS Fife has already run up £220,000 in legal costs to date is outrageous, but also unsurprising given the determination of so many employers to defend policies that permit trans-identifying men like Dr Upton to use women's facilities, even though the law is clear that female employees have the right to male-free facilities.' Conservative MSP Tess White said the costs had been released in a 'sleekit' way. She said: 'They have spent months rejecting legitimate requests to reveal how much taxpayers' money they are squandering on this case, only to try and slip it out in the hope nobody will see it. 'The sum spent so far taking Sandie Peggie to a tribunal could have gone to frontline healthcare services which are overwhelmed due to 18 years of SNP mismanagement. 'Senior figures within the health board must come clean about why this figure was not revealed sooner and how much more money from the public purse they expect to waste when the case resumes.'
Glasgow Times
10-07-2025
- Health
- Glasgow Times
NHS Fife has run up £220,000 legal bill in Peggie tribunal, watchdog reveals
The extent of the costs was uncovered following an intervention by Scotland's information commissioner, who ruled that the health board had failed to comply with freedom of information requests. Up to the end of March, a total of £220,465.93 was spent on the case, including counsel fees and services from the NHS Scotland's central legal office. Ms Peggie brought the case against the health board after her complaint about sharing a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton led to her being suspended. The nurse lodged a complaint of sexual harassment or harassment related to a protected belief under section 26 of the Equality Act 2010. Information Commissioner David Hamilton said NHS Fife should carry out searches for data on the costs of the case, describing the situation as 'frustrating' when freedom of information requests were appealed. In its response to the requests, the health board said: 'These costs will be reclaimed through the national clinical negligence and other risks indemnity scheme (CNORIS). 'Under CNORIS, NHS Fife's financial liability is limited to £25,000, which ensures that the legal proceedings do not impact frontline clinical or patient services. Tess White called for answers from senior officials (Fraser Bremner/Daily Mail/PA) 'NHS Fife is not in a position to estimate the full cost of proceedings while the tribunal remains ongoing.' Ms Peggie has publicly welcomed the UK Supreme Court judgment which in April made clear the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the 2010 Equality Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex'. She said that she 'expects NHS Fife to immediately stop permitting any man who identifies as a woman access to female-only, single-sex spaces in the workplace'. Maya Forstater, chief executive of the gender critical campaign group, Sex Matters, which is supporting the nurse, told The Herald newspaper: 'That NHS Fife has already run up £220,000 in legal costs to date is outrageous, but also unsurprising given the determination of so many employers to defend policies that permit trans-identifying men like Dr Upton to use women's facilities, even though the law is clear that female employees have the right to male-free facilities.' Conservative MSP Tess White said the costs had been released in a 'sleekit' way. She said: 'They have spent months rejecting legitimate requests to reveal how much taxpayers' money they are squandering on this case, only to try and slip it out in the hope nobody will see it. 'The sum spent so far taking Sandie Peggie to a tribunal could have gone to frontline healthcare services which are overwhelmed due to 18 years of SNP mismanagement. 'Senior figures within the health board must come clean about why this figure was not revealed sooner and how much more money from the public purse they expect to waste when the case resumes.'
Western Telegraph
10-07-2025
- Health
- Western Telegraph
NHS Fife has run up £220,000 legal bill in Peggie tribunal, watchdog reveals
The extent of the costs was uncovered following an intervention by Scotland's information commissioner, who ruled that the health board had failed to comply with freedom of information requests. Up to the end of March, a total of £220,465.93 was spent on the case, including counsel fees and services from the NHS Scotland's central legal office. Ms Peggie brought the case against the health board after her complaint about sharing a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton led to her being suspended. The nurse lodged a complaint of sexual harassment or harassment related to a protected belief under section 26 of the Equality Act 2010. Information Commissioner David Hamilton said NHS Fife should carry out searches for data on the costs of the case, describing the situation as 'frustrating' when freedom of information requests were appealed. In its response to the requests, the health board said: 'These costs will be reclaimed through the national clinical negligence and other risks indemnity scheme (CNORIS). 'Under CNORIS, NHS Fife's financial liability is limited to £25,000, which ensures that the legal proceedings do not impact frontline clinical or patient services. Tess White called for answers from senior officials (Fraser Bremner/Daily Mail/PA) 'NHS Fife is not in a position to estimate the full cost of proceedings while the tribunal remains ongoing.' Ms Peggie has publicly welcomed the UK Supreme Court judgment which in April made clear the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the 2010 Equality Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex'. She said that she 'expects NHS Fife to immediately stop permitting any man who identifies as a woman access to female-only, single-sex spaces in the workplace'. Maya Forstater, chief executive of the gender critical campaign group, Sex Matters, which is supporting the nurse, told The Herald newspaper: 'That NHS Fife has already run up £220,000 in legal costs to date is outrageous, but also unsurprising given the determination of so many employers to defend policies that permit trans-identifying men like Dr Upton to use women's facilities, even though the law is clear that female employees have the right to male-free facilities.' Conservative MSP Tess White said the costs had been released in a 'sleekit' way. She said: 'They have spent months rejecting legitimate requests to reveal how much taxpayers' money they are squandering on this case, only to try and slip it out in the hope nobody will see it. 'The sum spent so far taking Sandie Peggie to a tribunal could have gone to frontline healthcare services which are overwhelmed due to 18 years of SNP mismanagement. 'Senior figures within the health board must come clean about why this figure was not revealed sooner and how much more money from the public purse they expect to waste when the case resumes.'
Telegraph
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Church admits it was wrong to let biological men use girls' lavatories
The Church of Scotland has admitted it was wrong to allow a biological male to use female facilities. A mother said she 'froze' when she picked up her 11-year-old daughter from a drama class at a church-run community centre in Cupar, Fife and encountered a man from an LGBT club in the female lavatories. The mother was initially told by the church that it was 'lawful and often appropriate' for 'women-only spaces to include trans women'. However, Kirk leaders later admitted that their advice contravened the Supreme Court's gender ruling in April that a woman was defined by biological sex under equality law. The disclosure prompted a backlash from opposition politicians who accused the church of putting the young girl in an 'appalling' situation. It comes as the SNP government was criticised by the equalities watchdog for failing to issue updated trans guidelines in the wake of the Supreme Court decision. Tess White, the Scottish Conservative shadow equalities minister, told The Times: 'It's appalling that a young girl was put in this intimidating situation – and it should never have happened. 'The law is clear and there's no excuse for the Church of Scotland or any other organisation not to be following it. 'But SNP ministers are largely to blame for this mess – first by allowing lobby groups to dictate gender policy across the whole of Scottish public life and then by refusing to produce clear, updated guidelines following the Supreme Court ruling.' The church had claimed that its trans-inclusive stance was based on the advice of 'legal experts' such as Stonewall, the activist group, and the Good Law Project, run by the barrister Jolyon Maugham, which is seeking to overturn the Supreme Court ruling. It admitted that its advice to the parent was incorrect and it should not have relied on positions taken by partisan groups. It said it now 'supported the right' of women and girls to access single-sex spaces and suggested that trans people should be provided with gender-neutral facilities. The incident coincides with a warning by the UK's equalities watchdog for Scottish government ministers to update policies to reflect the Supreme Court's landmark ruling on the definition of women without delay. The EHRC issued interim guidance in May related to trans people's use of single-sex facilities and launched a consultation on changes to parts of its code of practice for services, public functions and associations, which closed in 30th June. The updated code is due to be published later this year. Dr Lesley Sawers, the Deputy Chair and Scotland Commissioner for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said ministers had 'a responsibility to ensure their adherence to the Public Sector Equality Duty' - the legal requirement for public authorities in Scotland to consider protected characteristics, including biological sex, when carrying out their functions. She warned that the current 'climate of uncertainty and widespread misinformation serves nobody'. 'An urgent need for clarity' John Swinney, Scotland's First Minister, initially welcomed the 'clarity' provided by the ruling but the Scottish Government has repeatedly said it is waiting for further guidance before issuing new advice of its own to Scotland's public sector - including prisons, schools and the NHS. Dr Sawers said the government should already be following the law: 'We appreciate there is an urgent need for clarity, as a climate of uncertainty and widespread misinformation serves nobody, particularly those with protected characteristics. Ms White added: 'The EHRC is effectively telling SNP ministers: no more excuses. 'The Supreme Court's verdict was delivered over two months ago, yet John Swinney and his colleagues are still dragging their heels on telling public bodies in Scotland to comply with the law.' Kelly, the mother of the 11-year-old, who did not want her surname published, said the incident happened at the Old Parish Centre in May. She later spoke to the church minister, who was initially supportive, but in a second email last week, he said advice from the church's central office meant he had to 'rescind' his first email. It had been made clear to him that 'a trans woman's use of the women's toilet aligns with her gender identity, and this is lawful and consistent with best practice'. The Church of Scotland expressed 'regret' that its initial advice was 'not correct' or aligned with EHRC advice. It said: 'We support the right of women and girls to access single-sex spaces and the right of trans women and trans men to access gender-neutral spaces, so that trans people are not put in a position where there are no facilities for them to use.'
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Cops pledge 'it won't happen again' after Nazi gender storm
Police chiefs have been accused of 'pandering' to 'fringe activists' after backtracking on comments comparing gender-critical campaigners to Nazis. Top brass insisted the internal document drawing the 'Nazi' analogy was 'immediately withdrawn' and measures had been put in place to 'ensure it does not happen again'. The Mail revealed last month that officers were told ' gender binary' – the belief that there are only two genders – was a 'key feature' of the Nazis' ideology. It is understood the document was written by a police officer or member of civilian staff with responsibility for liaising with gay and transgender employees. Last night, Scottish Tory equalities spokesman Tess White said: 'It's disgusting such outrageous language made it into an official Police Scotland document. 'Claiming additional governance has been put in place now is no comfort to those who were smeared for standing up for basic common sense. 'SNP ministers need to get a grip and stop public bodies pandering to fringe gender activists who keep pushing self-ID.' Ms White wrote to Police Scotland demanding an explanation after the Mail disclosed the 'Nazi' document. In his reply, Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland said: 'I can confirm this document was immediately withdrawn from circulation and does not represent the views of Police Scotland. 'Police Scotland drives continual cultural improvement through engagement with diverse communities to ensure we tackle discriminatory behaviours. 'Additional governance has been put in place prior to the circulation and internal publication of documents. When required, this also includes consultation with the Police Scotland equality and diversity unit. 'I trust this provides you with reassurance that this matter was quickly addressed and measures put in place to ensure that it does not happen again.' The document at the centre of the row – which mirrors material from controversial LGBT group Stonewall – focused on last month's 'Trans+ History Week'. It states: 'This week was founded in recognition of the anniversary of the Nazi raid on the world's first ever trans clinic in 1933. 'Books were burned as part of the Nazis' targeting of queer communities. Gender binary was a key feature of the Nazi racist policies. 'Right now, the gender critical movement has a strong voice. Is this movement an echo of past hostilities and does it mean we have failed to understand the lessons from history?' Last month former Police Scotland superintendent Martin Gallagher said: 'This is what happens when the police get involved in contested political issues. 'Police neutrality existed for a reason – the sooner it returns the better.' Dr Stuart Waiton, a sociologist at Abertay University in Dundee, said: 'Transgender activists are inclined to use hyperbolic statements. 'This one that attempts to associate today's gender critics with Nazi Germany is a particularly embarrassing example.'
