Labour call for public inquiry into PIP breast implant scandal

• Labour publishes seven point “action plan” aimed at helping the estimated 4,000 affected women in Scotland

The women are believed to have been given implants manufactured by French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), which were filled with non-medical grade silicone intended for use in mattresses and have been linked to rupture and swelling in the body.

The action plan was launched outside the Scottish Parliament with Scottish Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Jackie Baillie and PIP campaigners Jenny Brown and Trisha Devine.

Ms Baillie said: “This seven point plan is designed to provide a constructive alternative to the Scottish Government’s current position of doing little other than waiting for the UK Government to take the lead.

“This is about the care and support we offer women who have been caught up in a public health scandal. There were around 4,000 women involved, and the Scottish Government has an overarching responsibility for the nation’s health.

“It should instruct a public inquiry, which could include establishing minimum standards for private clinics; an early notification procedure; the consideration of issues like the extent of the use of PIP implants in Scotland, and the possible use of Scotland’s National Procurement body to ensure there are effective safeguards.”

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon met with campaigners last week, but has so far ruled out holding a public inquiry

Ms Devine, 34, from Bannockburn, Stirling, paid £4,000 for her cosmetic implants through private health company Transform Medical Group in 2004

She said: “We’ve taken the battle to the floor of the Parliament and we look forward to giving our MSPs as much information and support as possible so we can make some real political progress in our quest for answers.”