MSPs were threatened with expulsion from the Holyrood chamber amid a raucous First Minister’s Questions which saw John Swinney accuse Jackie Baillie of giving false information about the NHS.
The SNP leader and Scottish Labour deputy clashed in a heated exchange over the health service, leading Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone to intervene on multiple occasions.
It came after Baillie told MSPs: “Every week the First Minister says sorry, and every week it gets worse.
“A&E departments across Scotland continue to be in chaos, with over 173,000 patients waiting over eight hours to be seen in A&E last year.
“The First Minister hosted an NHS crisis meeting yesterday in Bute House … The First Minister is keen to tell us about the importance of staff, and on that we can agree.
“They are working flat out to keep patients safe, and there is no solution to this crisis that does not involve NHS staff.
“So can I ask the First Minister to explain why Unison and other trade unions which represent the majority of NHS staff were not invited to his meeting yesterday? Do they not matter?”
In his response, the First Minister began by accusing Baillie of giving false information to the chamber – something for which Health Secretary Neil Gray was under fire earlier at FMQs amid an ongoing row over his attendance at football matches.
Swinney said: “So Jackie Baillie just said that every week it gets worse. That is not true. That is not true.
“I'm getting lectured about the importance of accuracy and what we all say to Parliament, so Jackie Baillie better listen to what I'm going to say to her about her statement.
“Although the performance of A&E units are not where we want them to be, the performance of the four-hour target in each of the weeks since the week ending December 22 has risen as a result of the hard work of the staff in the health service – and Jackie Baillie should stop running down the staff of the National Health Service.”
As Swinney continued speaking, Johnstone was forced to intervene amid shouts from the opposition benches.
After things quietened down, the First Minister said: “I don't think Jackie Baillie wants to hear the fact that she's giving factual inaccuracies to Parliament today.
“I don't think she's interested in hearing that.”
After Johnstone again intervened to call for calm, Swinney repeated his allegation that Ballie had given the parliament “incorrect information”.
As shouts from the benches again reached a crescendo, the Presiding Officer cut in.
“This is wholly unacceptable,” she said.
“If there are members who wish to come to the chamber and shout, then perhaps they should think about whether or not this is really where they wish to be.
“If members wish to remain in this chamber, then it is essential that they conduct themselves in a courteous and respectful manner, and that includes respecting the authority of the chair.”
Swinney then concluded his response to Baillie, saying that he would be having many more roundtable meetings on the NHS and that trade unions would be invited.
He said: “If Jackie Baillie had been paying as much attention to my press output as Anas Sarwar, she would have heard that there'll be more round tables in Bute House, and I'll be delighted for Unison and the GMB and other unions to participate.
“I suspect they'll make a more constructive contribution than Jackie Baillie ever will.”
