Jackie Baillie

Jackie Baillie
MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Dumbarton
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 May 1999
Preceded by Constituency created
Majority 1,639 (5.4%)
Personal details
Born 15 January 1964
Hong Kong
Political party Scottish Labour Party
Spouse(s) husband (separated)
Children 1 daughter
Residence Dumbarton
Alma mater St Anne's Independent Girls' School
Cumbernauld College
Strathclyde University
Glasgow University

Jacqueline Marie Baillie (born 15 January 1964, Hong Kong) is a Scottish Labour Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Dumbarton constituency and Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy.

Background

Born in Hong Kong to a Portuguese father and Scottish mother, Baillie was schooled at the private St Anne's School, Windermere in the English Lake District and has studied at Cumbernauld College, Strathclyde University and the University of Glasgow.

She lives in the Glasgow suburb of Lenzie with her daughter.

Early career

Baillie has been a resource centre manager at Strathkelvin District Council and a community economic development manager at East Dunbartonshire Council. She was Chair of the Scottish Labour Party in 1997.[1]

Member of the Scottish Parliament

She was first elected at the inaugural election for the Scottish Parliament in May 1999. She was re-elected in 2003. A member of the Scottish Parliament's Justice 2 Committee and Public Petitions Committee, she was previously a member of the Scottish Executive, serving as Minister for Social Justice when Henry McLeish was First Minister, during which time she was involved with the Homelessness Task Force.[2]

As a backbench MSP she has campaigned for a public inquiry into a lethal outbreak of Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital. In 2007 she defended Wendy Alexander on Newsnight Scotland during the controversy regarding illegal donations to Alexander's leadership campaign.[3]

In 2009 she successfully brought into being an act of the Scottish Parliament, with the unanimous support of all MSPs, to allow for greater protection of disabled parking spaces.

She has opposed minimum pricing of alcohol, being unconvinced about the overall benefits,[4] and stating that it was not the best way of tackling the country's alcohol-related problems but has backed a tax-based alternative amongst other measures.[5]

Baillie held the position of Shadow Health Minister in the Shadow Cabinet of Iain Gray, retaining that post in December 2011 following the election of Johann Lamont as Gray's successor.[6][7] When Lamont announced a major shakeup of the Labour frontbench team on 28 June 2013, Baillie was moved from Health to Social Justice and Welfare.[8]

On 27 March 2014, she stood in for Lamont at First Minister's Questions while Lamont was attending the funeral of veteran Labour politician Tony Benn.[9] She also stood in at FMQs following Lamont's resignation as Labour leader in October 2014.[10] Baillie ruled herself out of standing in the leadership election that followed Lamont's departure, stating that she wanted a "supporting role" rather than to be Labour leader.[11]

She has campaigned on behalf of the families of patients affected by an outbreak of Clostridium difficile colitis at Vale of Leven Hospital in her constituency. The inquiry into the outbreak cost £10m, while the families were offered £1m, something that prompted Baillie to make an emotional plea to Health Secretary Shona Robison during a session of the Scottish Parliament in November 2014 during which she pressed for greater compensation for those affected.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Visit & Learn : Scottish Parliament". Scottish.parliament.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  2. ↑ Task force homes in on homelessness BBC, 25 August 1999
  3. ↑ Newsnight Scotland interview BBC, 3 December 2007
  4. ↑ Macleod, Angus (29 October 2009). "SNP left high and dry as Labour rejects minimum alcohol pricing". The Times (Times Newspapers). Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  5. ↑ "Scots 'drink 46 bottles of vodka'". BBC News. 17 January 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  6. ↑ "New Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont unveils front-bench". STV News (STV). 19 December 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  7. ↑ "Johann Lamont hands finance role to rival Ken Macintosh". BBC News (BBC). 19 December 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  8. ↑ "Johann Lamont in Scottish Labour front bench shake-up". BBC News (BBC). 28 June 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  9. ↑ Taylor, Brian (27 March 2014). "First minister's questions: Getting the last word". BBC News (BBC). Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  10. ↑ "Labour accuses Salmond over NHS". The Courier (D. C. Thompson & Co.). 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  11. ↑ Carrell, Severin; Brooks, Libby (27 October 2014). "Anas Sarwar rules out Scottish Labour leadership bid". The Guardian (Guardian Media Group). Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  12. ↑ "MSP Jackie Baillie's tears over C. diff hospital deaths". BBC News (BBC). 25 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.

External links

Scottish Parliament
Preceded by
Constituency created		 Member of the Scottish Parliament for Dumbarton
1999–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Office created		 Minister for Social Justice
2000–2001 		Succeeded by
Iain Gray
Preceded by
Office created		 Deputy Minister for Communities
1999-2000 		Succeeded by
Office abolished