Scottish Parliament, 23 June 2022

439 contributions from 74 members. The official report.

General Question Time

Alison Johnstone (Presiding Officer, Lothian)

Good morning. The first item of business is general question time. In order to get in as many members as possible, I would appreciate short and succinct questions and responses.

Population Decline (Argyll and Bute)

Jenni Minto (Scottish National Party, Argyll and Bute)

1. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle population decline in the Argyll and Bute constituency and other rural areas. (S6O-01276)

Angus Robertson (Scottish National Party, Edinburgh Central)

There is no quick fix for the challenges that lead to depopulation. We must work with regional, local and community partners to ensure that we collectively deliver a sustainable solution to the challenges facing our rural and island populations.

Many such challenges have been exacerbated by Brexit. Increased barriers to the migration that has helped to offset an ageing population and keep services running will leave a particularly damaging gap in our rural communities. The Scottish Government continues to call upon the United Kingdom Government to make vital reforms to the immigration system to meet Scotland’s needs.

Jenni Minto (Scottish National Party, Argyll and Bute)

Scotland’s rural communities often face social and economic challenges for a range of reasons. However, as the cabinet secretary has highlighted, they all have one thing in common: they have all been impacted by an ideologically motivated Tory Brexit. There can be little doubt that many of those often fragile communities have had their populations impacted in some way by that act of social and economic vandalism.

What is the cabinet secretary’s latest assessment of the impact of Brexit on the population of rural Scotland? How is the Scottish Government seeking to repair the damage that that has caused?

Angus Robertson (Scottish National Party, Edinburgh Central)

The detrimental impact of Brexit on our rural and island communities has been profound, especially where reliance on tourism, accommodation

and hospitality-related employment is acute. Such jobs help to sustain rural and island economies. However, we know that those sectors are particularly vulnerable to Brexit impacts including labour shortages, with which 57 per cent of island businesses reported difficulties in 2021.

The Scottish Government is clear that we need practical, deliverable and evidence-based migration solutions that meet Scotland’s needs. One example of our work in that space is the development of a proposal on a rural visa pilot that is to be submitted to the UK Government.

Beatrice Wishart (Liberal Democrat, Shetland Islands)

Does the cabinet secretary agree that reliable transport is essential to preventing depopulation, and that infrastructure such as interisland fixed links would benefit island populations and economies in places like Shetland?

Angus Robertson (Scottish National Party, Edinburgh Central)

Beatrice Wishart is absolutely right to ask such questions. Great lessons can be learned from other island groups in northern Europe—for example, the Faroe Islands, where the various island communities have been successfully integrated.

I am open to suggestions on the issue, and to hearing about best practice. We need to understand what can be done to ensure that our island communities—in Orkney, Shetland or the Western Isles—have the best infrastructure that is available. I would be happy to discuss the issue further with the member.

In-patient Births (Galloway Community Hospital)

Colin Smyth (Labour, South Scotland)

2. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Dumfries and Galloway regarding the reinstatement of in-patient births at the community maternity unit within the Galloway community hospital. (S6O-01277)

Kevin Stewart (Scottish National Party, Aberdeen Central)

Officials and the chief midwifery officer met the head of midwifery at NHS Dumfries and Galloway in May 2022. The Scottish Government is aware of the potential issues, and we continue to engage with the health board to explore ways forward.

Colin Smyth (Labour, South Scotland)

It is four years—long before the pandemic—since in-patient births at the Galloway were halted because poor workforce planning meant that we had a chronic shortage of midwives. The minister will know that, in

rural areas, not being able to fill even a couple of vacancies can mean that a service does not exist at all.

Does the minister agree that it is utterly unacceptable that women in Wigtownshire face the real fear of having to give birth in a lay-by en route to hospital in Dumfries, which is two hours away, because the community maternity unit on their doorstep is closed? More importantly, will he say what specific action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that we have the midwives who are needed in rural communities? Women in Galloway should not be treated differently just because they live in a rural area.

Kevin Stewart (Scottish National Party, Aberdeen Central)

The Scottish Government expects all boards to provide maternity services that are delivered as close to home as possible, including the option of home birth services. However, that has to be balanced with ensuring the safety of mothers and babies when they need access to hospital maternity and neonatal services.

Under this Government, the number of nurses and midwives has grown. I recognise that there are difficulties in recruitment in certain parts of the country. My colleague Maree Todd is working on that. She is taking a close interest in the situation, and I am sure that she will be willing to speak further with Mr Smyth to ensure that progress is made.

Finlay Carson (Conservative, Galloway and West Dumfries)

Although I understand that the NHS Scotland resource allocation committee is the regularly and independently reviewed system of working out funding allocations to health boards across Scotland, and that health boards are free to make decisions on where their priorities lie, we have already heard that the midwife-led community maternity unit in Stranraer, which was once the eighth busiest of Scotland’s 22 such units, is closed for births, whereas other similar CMUs are still in place. If the formula is fit for purpose for rural areas, it should address the health inequities that pregnant women in Wigtownshire face in having to travel for two hours to get to a maternity hospital. Will the minister look at that shocking situation and commit to a reassessment of NRAC, specifically for rural and island communities?

Kevin Stewart (Scottish National Party, Aberdeen Central)

I am sure that the cabinet secretary would be willing to look at any proposal that Mr Carson has on NRAC. However, that is the formula that is in place. If Mr Carson is calling for a review, he should write to the cabinet secretary. That might be popular in some areas but not in others. From my time in local government, I know about the arguments on the local government funding formula.

I repeat to Mr Carson exactly what I said to Mr Smyth—

The Presiding Officer

Briefly, minister, please.

Kevin Stewart (Scottish National Party, Aberdeen Central)

The Government expects all boards to provide maternity services that are delivered as close to home as possible, in a safe manner.

Industrial Action by Rail Workers (Impact on Night-time Economy)

Sharon Dowey (Conservative, South Scotland)

3. To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is putting in place to mitigate the impact of industrial action by rail workers, including on the night-time economy. (S6O-01278)

Jenny Gilruth (Scottish National Party, Mid Fife and Glenrothes)

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Network Rail strikes began on Tuesday this week, with today and Saturday presently earmarked as days for strike action. Noting that the dispute is a reserved matter for Network Rail and the relevant train operating companies to resolve, I have written to both Network Rail and the United Kingdom Secretary of State for Transport outlining this Government’s position on no compulsory redundancies, and urging all parties to resume talks to ensure a quick and timely resolution.

Sharon Dowey (Conservative, South Scotland)

Arts and theatre venues have expressed their concerns about reduced rail timetables and their impact on the re-emergence of live performances and culture in Scotland. What steps is the Scottish Government taking to provide certainty to the Scottish culture sector, and what forms of compensation for theatres, if any, is it considering to mitigate the impacts of restricted timetables?

Jenny Gilruth (Scottish National Party, Mid Fife and Glenrothes)

Sharon Dowey seems to be conflating industrial action, which is happening today and happened earlier this week, with the legitimate action of the train drivers’ union in refusing to work on rest days. It is important to say that the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen—the train drivers’ union—has said that that is not formal industrial action. I accept that—as I had thought the Conservatives did, although maybe we should seek some clarity on that.

ScotRail is running a reduced timetable. I am hopeful that we will be able to reintroduce the previous full timetable in the coming weeks.

When it comes to cultural impacts, Sharon Dowey will recall that I have previously served in Government as a culture minister. I recognise that this has been a deeply challenging time for our theatres and for the culture sector more broadly, which had to contend with the imposition of pandemic restrictions until quite far into last year. The Government sought to support the culture sector and provided additional funding, which the United Kingdom Government did not provide.

When it comes to the work that will have been undertaken by the relevant minister, I defer to Neil Gray to answer the specifics of the member’s question, but I am sure that he will have been meeting regularly with the event industry advisory group, as I did throughout the pandemic, to ensure that we put in place the additional support that is required to help the culture sector in what is a really challenging time.

Siobhian Brown (Scottish National Party, Ayr)

The dispute between the United Kingdom Government’s Network Rail and RMT is having an enormous impact on Scotland, and the Tories are clearly continuing the dispute for political and ideological purposes. Mick Hogg recently told

“The Nine”:

“Perhaps the UK Government should take a feather out of the Scottish Government’s hat and ... propose 5 per cent, along with a five-year no compulsory redundancy agreement”.

In Scotland, we recognise the valuable role that trade unions play in our industrial relations, but it is clear that the Tories would use the dispute to weaken the role of the unions.

The Presiding Officer

Question, please.

Siobhian Brown (Scottish National Party, Ayr)

What discussions have taken place with the UK Government regarding the impact on Scotland of its ideological dispute?

Jenny Gilruth (Scottish National Party, Mid Fife and Glenrothes)

I fully agree with Siobhian Brown. On engagement with the UK Government, meetings were scheduled to take place between the devolved Governments and the UK Government on Monday, but they were cancelled at short notice. I was meant to meet Wendy Morton, the minister who is responsible for rail, on Wednesday, but that meeting was also cancelled at short notice. Despite repeated representations from me to Grant Shapps, there has been limited consultation between the UK Government and this Government, which is deeply regrettable because, of course, at this moment in time, Network Rail remains reserved. This situation is yet another reason why we need full devolution of Scotland’s rail services back to Scotland.

Care at Home (Recruitment and Retention)

Alex Rowley (Labour, Mid Scotland and Fife)

4. To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making to address the reported recruitment and retention problems in the delivery of care at home. (S6O-01279)

Kevin Stewart (Scottish National Party, Aberdeen Central)

I thank Mr Rowley for raising this important issue. The social care workforce has experienced unprecedented challenge during the pandemic. The Scottish Government is committed to supporting social care providers to recruit and retain a skilled and fulfilled workforce.

My officials are working with local Department for Work and Pensions jobcentres to host a number of jobs fairs across Scotland. We have also approved funding to extend the myjobscotland recruitment website until September 2022.

Our most recent recruitment campaign, which ran during the winter, targeted a younger audience using social media. The data that we have received following evaluation of the campaign indicates that there were increased rates of young people entering the sector, which we will continue to encourage through work to improve career pathways.

I reiterate that we are fully committed to improving the experience of the social care workforce, including by improving pay and conditions. From April this year, we have provided funding to deliver a £10.50 minimum wage for adult social care staff in commissioned services.

Alex Rowley (Labour, Mid Scotland and Fife)

When the Government launched its National Care Service (Scotland) Bill on Tuesday, Fiona Collie of Carers Scotland said:

“There need to be actions in the interim to actually make the changes that are needed. For example, investment in social care, investment in breaks for carers, investment in the people who deliver social care. There are huge pressures on health and social care and those pressures are falling on carers, and unless we do something now, we cannot wait five years for the bill to go through.”

Does the minister accept that the unequal treatment of care workers is a key reason for the recruitment and retention problems that we have, and that the only way that we will address that is by putting in resources now and starting to treat care workers properly? Otherwise, this problem will just get worse and worse.

Kevin Stewart (Scottish National Party, Aberdeen Central)

I agree with Fiona Collie and Mr Rowley that we cannot wait until we have the national care service to resolve some of the issues that are in play at this moment. That is why the Government has paid for three pay rises in the past year—an increase of 12.9 per cent. In his question, Mr Rowley mentioned the right to breaks. That is built in to the NCS, but we cannot wait for that, which is why, in this financial year, we have put additional money into breaks for unpaid carers. That is the right thing to do.

We will continue to co-operate with partners, including the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, to ensure that we get this right as we move forward. We will not wait until NCS comes into play.

Hydrogen Action Plan

Fiona Hyslop (Scottish National Party, Linlithgow)

5. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its hydrogen action plan. (S6O-01280)

Michael Matheson (Scottish National Party, Falkirk West)

We will publish our updated hydrogen action plan later this year. Following the publication of the draft hydrogen action plan in November 2021, we undertook a 10-week consultation process to allow comments. That feedback has been reviewed and is informing work that is currently under way to review and update the hydrogen action plan.

Fiona Hyslop (Scottish National Party, Linlithgow)

The Government’s draft hydrogen plan has good intentions. With the energy market making green hydrogen potentially more attractive and other countries now investing in deploying hydrogen electrolysers, what Scottish companies is the Government supporting to create the step change that will be needed to grow the industrial base and to develop the hydrogen production that we will need for domestic use and for exports as part of the energy mix, in order to deliver net zero?

Michael Matheson (Scottish National Party, Falkirk West)

We have a strong track record of supporting a range of hydrogen demonstration projects across the country, from the £7 million that we are investing in the SGN H100 hydrogen heat network in Fife, the hydrogen bus fleet in Aberdeen, and the surf ‘n’ turf programme, which is being taken forward by the European Marine Energy Centre—EMEC—in Orkney.

Alongside that, we have also committed to investing £100 million as part of our hydrogen action plan.

I assure the member that we have on-going discussions with a range of companies that are engaged in the hydrogen sector and are interested in developing hydrogen production facilities in Scotland. Later this year, we will host a hydrogen supply chain event in Edinburgh in order to bring together companies in Scotland that are interested or are working in the hydrogen sector.

Electric Vehicle Charging Network

Jim Fairlie (Scottish National Party, Perthshire South and Kinross-shire)

6. To ask the Scottish Government what work it is undertaking to ensure that there is a suitable and sustainable electric vehicle charging network in place across Scotland. (S6O-01281)

Jenny Gilruth (Scottish National Party, Mid Fife and Glenrothes)

Scotland has the most comprehensive public charging network in the United Kingdom outside London, with close to 3,000 public charge points, of which at least 740 are rapid chargers. Our focus is on growing that network so that it works seamlessly wherever you live or need to get to.

Our priorities are threefold: to encourage commercial investment through our new £60 million electric vehicle infrastructure programme; to introduce regulations on charge point installation in new buildings and developments; and to work with communities and designers to make charging as simple and reliable as visiting your local filling station.

Jim Fairlie (Scottish National Party, Perthshire South and Kinross-shire)

One of the key things that I am hearing from electric vehicle users in my constituency is that we need more EV charging points, and that we need to make sure that the existing ones are reliable. Can the minister explain how the electric vehicle infrastructure fund will help to increase the number of charging points in my constituency?

Jenny Gilruth (Scottish National Party, Mid Fife and Glenrothes)

Our new fund will at least double the number of charge points over the next few years. For constituencies such as Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, our focus is on working with commercial providers so that investment will target gaps in the network, and not just areas of high traffic.

In that regard, it is true to say that we will require to leverage private investment to support some of that work, but we will also need to work with our local authority partners in order to make sure that that works. Funding is, of course, available to all 32 councils, including the council in Mr Fairlie’s constituency.

In relation to developing the EV charging strategy and the infrastructure plans, as Mr Fairlie has correctly pointed out, reliability is front and centre in people’s minds when they are considering the switch to an electric car or van. Although the reliability of the ChargePlace Scotland network is typically high, I know that any unavailable charge point is a source of frustration and that that can also be an inconvenience. As we roll out our new fund, we will work with providers to deliver a network that works for everyone, whenever they need it.

Nurses (Rural Areas)

Finlay Carson (Conservative, Galloway and West Dumfries)

7. To ask the Scottish Government how it will address the reported shortage of nurses in rural areas. (S6O-01282)

Kevin Stewart (Scottish National Party, Aberdeen Central)

Although Scotland’s nursing and midwifery staffing is at a record high, the Government understands that health boards that are operating in primarily remote or rural communities face distinct recruitment challenges. That is why we will develop a remote and rural recruitment strategy by the end of 2024, and a national centre for remote and rural health and social care, which is expected to be operational by spring 2023. That will support employers to ensure that the health and social care needs of people who live in remote and rural communities are met.

Finlay Carson (Conservative, Galloway and West Dumfries)

The latest figures show that the number of unfilled nursing posts continues to grow, which puts pressure on already overworked and exhausted staff members. In Dumfries and Galloway, we have a 14 per cent vacancy rate in paediatrics; a 14 per cent vacancy rate in school nursing; and a 10 per cent vacancy rate, which is more than the national figure, for mental health nursing.

Is the minister aware of the huge impact that that is having on Dumfries and Galloway royal infirmary, which is currently cancelling more operations than those that are going ahead because of staff shortages? Families of patients in one specialist ward have been asked to help out with basic care, such as feeding the patients. There is also a situation where one registered nurse has been left alone in charge of an entire adult mental health ward. Can the minister tell me what urgent action he will take to address those issues?

Kevin Stewart (Scottish National Party, Aberdeen Central)

The Government will continue to invest in the recruitment and retention of healthcare staff, including nurses in remote and rural locations. That includes a record £11 million in the lifetime of this parliamentary session to support further international recruitment. We have also doubled the number of funded training places in nursing and midwifery over the past 10 years.

If we take NHS Dumfries and Galloway in Mr Carson’s area, since this Government came to power, staff levels are up 19.1 per cent, or 633.3 whole-time equivalent posts, and the number of qualified nurses and midwives in Dumfries and Galloway is up by 11.3 per cent, or 131.9 WTE posts—much greater than south of the border, where the Tories are in power.

The Presiding Officer

That concludes general questions. Before we move on to First Minister’s question time, I invite members to join me in welcoming to the gallery the Honourable Nathan Cooper MLA, who is the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. [

Applause

.]

Sexual Harassment (Support for Victims)

Douglas Ross (Conservative, Highlands and Islands)

1. Does the First Minister agree that every victim of sexual harassment should be fully supported?

Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Southside)

Yes, I do. I believe that very strongly. When a victim of sexual harassment considers that that has not been the case, whatever organisation is involved should reflect very seriously on that and make any necessary changes. That is how I intend to proceed regarding issues relating to the Scottish National Party.

Douglas Ross (Conservative, Highlands and Islands)

If everything that the First Minister has just said is true and she really believes that victims of sexual harassment should be fully supported, why has Patrick Grady, who is one of her members of the United Kingdom Parliament, and who has been found guilty of sexual harassment, still got the backing of the First Minister?

The First Minister

I have already been clear about that issue and I am certainly very willing to be so again today.

Patrick Grady’s behaviour was wrong. I have said it before and I will repeat it: I am very sorry that a member of the Westminster SNP group staff was subjected to an unwanted sexual advance. It should not have happened. It is important to be very clear about that.

Patrick Grady’s behaviour was investigated by an independent process—an independent process that all parties in the House of Commons are signed up to. The findings of that independent process were, of course, published, as is right and proper, and a sanction was imposed—a sanction that was recommended by that independent process and replicated by the SNP Westminster group.

In this situation, there is also a victim who clearly feels that they were not properly supported in that process. Indeed, the victim in the case believes that the process exacerbated the trauma that they experienced. It is absolutely incumbent on any organisation that is in that position to take views of that nature very seriously. As I have said before, and as I have said again today, that is a matter that the SNP must and will reflect on.

Ian Blackford, who is the leader of our group at Westminster, has already confirmed that there will be an external review of the Westminster group processes. I think that that, too, is right and proper.

The last thing that I will say, Presiding Officer, is this: I take these issues very seriously. It is incumbent on me to do so. However, the issues are not unique to the SNP. All parties have faced such issues and all parties have, at times, been criticised for their handling of them. We all have lessons to learn. Obviously, I am only responsible—in a party-political sense—for the SNP, but all of us, in the society that we live in, have lessons to learn and it is incumbent on all of us to do so. For my part, I am determined that that will be the case.

Douglas Ross (Conservative, Highlands and Islands)

There was a ruling and a sanction from the independent complaints and grievance system within the United Kingdom Parliament, but the same sanction does not have to be adopted by the SNP parliamentary party at Westminster. Patrick Grady has served just two days of suspension from the SNP at Westminster. Two days is an insult.

Throughout the process, the victim has been disregarded. I hope that the First Minister listened to what he had to say this morning. The victim feels betrayed. He said that Patrick Grady and Ian Blackford tried to take

“advantage of me being young and inexperienced”,

and that the party

“did the bare minimum of investigation.”

He described his life as a result of the ordeal as “torture” and “a living hell”. Most depressingly of all, he said that the SNP is

“punishing any victim of this sort of behaviour and ... punishing anyone that has come forward with a similar complaint to mine.”

This morning, the victim also said that there are lots of questions for the First Minister to answer and he made it clear that those questions are not being answered. He said:

“I would like to see Nicola say more on the subject.”

Will the First Minister now tell the victim what her reaction was when she heard the leaked recording in which Ian Blackford encouraged SNP MPs to support the guilty party instead of the victim?

The First Minister

Some days ago, in a written message, I said sorry directly to the victim in the case. I have also confirmed my willingness to meet the victim directly and personally. When—as I hope it will—that interaction takes place, I will say that I am sorry in person. It is not my behaviour that was investigated, but I am the leader of the SNP and I take that responsibility very seriously.

The recording of the Westminster group meeting reveals part of what was wrong in that case. Indeed, some of the individuals who were recorded at that meeting have already said that themselves. I was not at the meeting, so I cannot comment on whether it is an accurate overall reflection of the discussion, but what I have heard suggests that more concern was shown for the perpetrator of the behaviour than for its victim. That is utterly unacceptable and I will be very clear about that.

I will repeat the point that I made earlier. Thankfully, we now live in a society in which behaviour of that nature is not accepted and, rightly, is not brushed under the carpet, as it used to be. I am sure that everybody in the chamber remembers the two years—I think that it was two years, in total—during which I was subjected to pretty gruelling investigations about separate instances. I would argue that that came about because I refused to brush certain things under the carpet.

It is important that there is transparency and that any organisation that is facing such issues reflects on and fully faces up to them. I will ensure that that happens for the SNP.

I will make this my final point: all parties have faced such situations. Two Westminster by-elections are happening today because of behaviour by Conservative MPs. All parties have faced that and all parties have been criticised, including in those cases, for their handling of matters.

It is important for all of us, but I will speak only for myself. A person who is in my position should not sit in a glass house throwing stones about such things. We should sort such things out when they arise in our parties. That is what I intend to do for the SNP, and that is what all leaders should do when the issue arises in their parties.

Douglas Ross (Conservative, Highlands and Islands)

I know that the First Minister wants to make this about other parties and other parts of the country—[

Interruption

.]

Alison Johnstone (Presiding Officer, Lothian)

Members!

Douglas Ross (Conservative, Highlands and Islands)

However, we have two by-elections today because Conservative MPs have been suspended and have resigned from Parliament. Patrick Grady has been suspended for 48 hours. The First Minister called the recording of the SNP group meeting “utterly unacceptable”. The recording has been public for almost a week, but this is the first that we are hearing from the First Minister about it.

The First Minister’s apology will be welcome, but this morning the victim rejected Ian Blackford’s apology. He called it “a cop-out” and “a publicity stunt”.

The victim said that Ian Blackford has apologised only to protect his own position. He said:

“It seems like the SNP under Ian Blackford at Westminster hasn’t learned a thing and they’re still trying to close ranks and discredit the victim by not really addressing any of the issues.”

He added that nobody can really seriously believe that the SNP will make improvements to the procedure as long as Ian Blackford is still in post. The First Minister has to answer that charge. It is a deep systemic problem in the governing party here in Scotland, and it is an all-too-familiar tale.

Last year, in similar circumstances, Nicola Sturgeon stood up and said in this chamber:

“It will be a priority for me, for as long as I am First Minister, to ensure that lessons are learned and that trust is re-established so that anyone who considers in the future that they have suffered sexual harassment has the confidence to come forward and knows that their concerns will be listened to and addressed.”—[

Official Report

, 23 March 2021; c 34.]

I ask the First Minister, having listened to her words from a year ago and to the victim’s words today, is it not the case that no lessons have been learned?

The First Minister

No, that is not the case, and I stand by every single word that has just been quoted. The particular issue that we are discussing today is not a Scottish Government issue—it is an SNP issue—but in the Scottish Government, we have a new complaints process that was put in place after very elaborate consultation of trade unions to ensure that we have a process that people have confidence in and feel able to use. It is important that we reflect on the situation to ensure that if changes need to be made to the process, those changes are made.

On sanctions, as I said, an independent process investigated the matter in detail and recommended the sanction that it considered was appropriate in this case. It is an independent process that all parties are signed up to, and that all parties should respect.

My final point is that Douglas Ross will characterise whatever I say in whatever way he chooses—that is up to him—but I think that people who are listening will hear that I take the issues extremely seriously. I do not think that they will have heard me try to make it all about other parties; they will have heard me say something on which we should all reflect. If I was standing here saying that the SNP has no issues, and it is all about the Conservatives or Labour, I would be showing that I do not understand the systemic nature of the issues.

Douglas Ross is rightly raising issues with me when they arise with the SNP, but if he is really saying that it is somehow a problem that is unique to the SNP, I would argue that he is demonstrating that he does not understand the systemic society-wide nature of the issues.

I will take the issues very seriously whenever the Scottish Government or the SNP is accused of having people who have behaved inappropriately. As I said a moment ago, I went through some of the most difficult times of my whole time in politics because I was not prepared to have simply swept under the carpet allegations that had been made against somebody who had been very close to me.

It is really important that we all face up to this. For my part, I will do so, and I encourage everybody else to do likewise.

Investigation of Complaints (Publication)

Anas Sarwar (Labour, Glasgow)

2. Last week, an investigation in the United Kingdom Parliament was made public, and it concluded that a senior Scottish National Party MP was guilty of making an unwanted sexual advance to a teenage member of staff. In response to Douglas Ross, the First Minister has just said that it was right and proper that those investigations were published.

More than a month ago, I asked the First Minister to make public the outcome of investigations against ministers in her own Government. She refused, instead claiming that it could not be revealed due to the general data protection regulation. That was despite the SNP rightly demanding the publication of investigations into Priti Patel. Those investigations were made public, and the outcome of the investigation into Patrick Grady was made public by the UK Parliament. Why will the First Minister not make public the outcomes of investigations by the Scottish Government into the conduct of Scottish ministers? Do the Scottish people not deserve the same transparency?

Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Southside)

I do think that people deserve transparency, and I am grateful to Anas Sarwar for raising the matter, because it gives me the opportunity to update members on what I said when he last raised the issue with me.

What I said in the chamber then is true: it is absolutely the case that we are limited in what we can publish by legal requirements on data protection and confidentiality issues. That is not a situation that I am comfortable with. I was not comfortable with it—as people could probably see—when I answered questions the last time that I was asked about it.

As a result of that, I sought further advice. I asked for advice on whether, in the future, there would be ways of making it possible for us to report publicly the outcome of complaints involving ministers and whether there was a way of doing that without breaching the legal requirements that I have referred to. The advice that I have now, which I have only very recently had, is that, although we cannot apply this retrospectively, there is a way to do that in relation to future complaints. I can confirm to the chamber that that will involve changes to the ministerial code and probably also to the complaints procedure that is in place. Work is now under way to make the necessary changes to facilitate that happening in the future.

Anas Sarwar (Labour, Glasgow)

I welcome that response from the First Minister, but it is convenient that the response talks about future investigations and not previous ones.

Let us take the advice of Nick McKerrell, a law lecturer at the University of Glasgow, who said in response to this issue:

“As public officials ministers would expect all their activity and decisions to be open to scrutiny. Even in the realm of employment law, this would be the case”.

Clearly, legal experts believe—and, as the First Minister has a law degree and used to be a solicitor, she should know—that there is no case for hiding behind GDPR here. No one is asking her to publish personal details of the victim. It is perfectly reasonable to ask the Scottish Government to make clear the outcome of investigations of Scottish ministers.

A pattern has emerged when it comes to the SNP: close ranks, do as little as you can and hope that the difficult questions go away. On Sunday, Angus Robertson described an SNP member of Parliament making unwanted sexual advances towards a teenager as not “career ending”. We heard a leaked recording in which SNP MPs were cheering and applauding Ian Blackford’s call for them to rally round Patrick Grady. The SNP chief whip then threatened legal action against whistleblowers. There is support for the perpetrator and no support for the victim.

First Minister, do you agree with Ian Blackford and your SNP MPs? Do you agree with the words of Angus Robertson? Do you agree with your SNP chief whip that it is more important to protect the SNP than it is to protect the victim?

The First Minister

Nobody has said that it is more important to protect the SNP than it is to protect the victim. I think that, today, I have made my view very clear that support for victims of sexual harassment must come first. If that does not happen, and if a victim feels that they have not been supported, the obligation is on the organisation—in this case, that is the SNP—to reflect on that and not somehow to suggest that it is the victim who is at fault. I could not be clearer about that.

I want to have the conversation directly with the victim in this case, to make sure that I have as deep an understanding as possible of the exact experience in this case, so that I can reflect on what changes are needed. I do not in any way shy away from that.

In relation to the wider issue, yes, I do have a law degree. Not only that, Nick McKerrell and I were in the same class at Glasgow university when we studied law. He obviously has a wealth of expertise, but I have to rely on the advice that I get as the First Minister, and that advice is clear about retrospective situations. However, I was not prepared to accept that for the future without challenge, which is why I sought further advice. It is why I asked for advice on the ways in which we could be consistent with our legal obligations but also with what I believe is the important obligation of transparency. That is why we will move forward now to make necessary changes to the ministerial code and to the procedure, to allow information to be published in the future.

I think that it is important in any situation like this that somebody in my position takes these things seriously. I am doing that, and I will make whatever changes are necessary to get to a position for my party and my Government whereby we live up to the standards that all of us expect. I think that every organisation, including all political parties, has an obligation to do likewise.

Anas Sarwar (Labour, Glasgow)

I can only imagine Nicola Sturgeon’s response if the Tories were making the same defence of Priti Patel, in terms of her allegations, as she is making of the Scottish ministers in this Parliament.

The Patrick Grady incident happened six years ago and only now is there talk of change. In those six years, Patrick Grady has been an SNP candidate twice, he has been promoted to chief whip and he actually led a debate on harassment while being investigated for harassment.

It has taken the victim going to the press for the First Minister to talk about taking action—an all-too-familiar story when it comes to the SNP. After 15 years in government, there is a culture of secrecy and cover-up at the heart of this Government. This is a First Minister who is unforgiving when it comes to her opponents or anyone who disagrees with her, but who expects forgiveness from everyone else.

In 2002, Nicola Sturgeon said of the then Government that it had been in power for so long that it no longer thought that it was accountable to anybody. There could be no better description of this Government. Why does Nicola Sturgeon believe that there is one standard for her and another standard for everyone else?

The First Minister

The reality is that I do not. Of course, how long any party remains in government in Scotland, the UK or any country—well, most other countries—in the world is entirely down to the electorate. That will be true of my Government, just as it is true of any other Government in the UK.

I just do not think that what Anas Sarwar describes as a pattern is in any way substantiated. I have answered questions in the chamber in relation to other cases, and I have been absolutely clear that I would not brush things under the carpet or be defensive when it came to reflecting on and facing up to changes.

I refused to brush things under the carpet when allegations were made about somebody who was closer to me in politics than anybody else had been. I was subjected to rigorous investigations. Many members in the chamber talked about it being career ending for me. Would I do anything differently? Obviously, I would learn lessons from that process, based on everything that we know about it, but would I change the judgment that I made that it is important not to brush these things under the carpet but to face up to them? No, I would not.

Perhaps this is what distinguishes me from some other politicians in some other places, but I am not going to stand here and defend the indefensible. If things are wrong and represent failures in processes, I will take the action to put them right, just as the Scottish Government did when the issues were raised about the Scottish Government. I will make sure that that happens with the SNP as well.

Cabinet (Meetings)

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Liberal Democrat, Edinburgh Western)

3. To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet. (S6F-01248)

Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Southside)

On Tuesday.

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Liberal Democrat, Edinburgh Western)

I am very grateful for that reply.

The crisis in our national health service is directly linked to what is going on right now in social care. Top doctors are saying that delayed discharges are the worst that they have ever seen. There are currently 1,800 patients who are well enough to leave hospital but who cannot, in large part because there is no care package to help them home. That is the equivalent of all the patients in Caithness general hospital, Borders general hospital, the sick kids hospital, Dumfries and Galloway royal infirmary and Edinburgh royal infirmary put together.

The Government’s solution to that is a ministerial takeover of social care, which my party has opposed from the start. Let us remember that it was Scottish National Party ministers who discharged Covid-positive patients into our care homes. We cannot afford to wait four years for the wrong solution. The crisis is at our gates right now. Why will the First Minister not meet that crisis now with proper pay, fair conditions and local reform?

The First Minister

I think that it is right to move towards a national care service. Of course, the Parliament will scrutinise and debate the legislation that has been put forward, which is about improving the quality and consistency of services and—yes—improving the terms and conditions of those who work in our social care sector.

However, we are not waiting to establish a national care service in order to make those improvements now. We are already increasing the wages of people who work in the adult social care sector. In April this year, the minimum hourly rate increased. That represents a 12.9 per cent increase for those workers in just over a year and,

for a full-time adult social care worker, an uplift of more than £1,600 over the course of the financial year. Those are minimum rates of pay, of course; many employers will pay more than those minimums. We are taking action on that now.

In the overall funding of social care, we are taking action. We are in the process of increasing funding for social care by 25 per cent—or in the region of £800 million—over this session of Parliament.

Parliament will scrutinise the legislation for the national care service. Let me read out the views of some people this week on the publication of that legislation. Carers Scotland’s director said:

“We welcome the publication of this new bill ... not least that it sets out in legislation”

rights

The Presiding Officer

We move to constituency and general supplementaries.

Uig Harbour Closure

Alasdair Allan (Scottish National Party, Na h-Eileanan an Iar)

Essential i

nfrastructure works are due to start at Uig harbour this October. The interim arrangements that CalMac put forward would see the removal of all ferry services to Tarbert and the loss of a third of the capacity to Lochmaddy during the six-month closure period. Given that there are still a great many unknowns and unresolved issues, what consideration has the Scottish Government given to the option of postponing the works until viable interim arrangements can be put in place?

Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Southside)

I know that the Minister for Transport is very aware of the concerns that communities have in relation to the planned Uig harbour closure. That project is ultimately led by Highland Council, but I understand that the Transport Minister has agreed to meet with Alasdair Allan, in addition to meeting with the community board, to discuss what further mitigations we might be able to support.

The suggestion of postponing the port closure and delaying the completion of works is an option that continues to be considered, but it comes with considerable risks.

The clear focus of the project remains the safe and efficient replacement of infrastructure that is “life-expired”—to use the technical term—and improvement of the capacity, reliability and resilience of the port at Uig for the longer-term benefits of routes to the Western Isles.

Transvaginal Mesh Care

Sue Webber (Conservative, Lothian)

My constituent Samantha received a letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care on 20 June, stating his reassurance that

“Both the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland remain committed to ensuring women who have experienced complications as a result of transvaginal mesh have access to the best possible care.”

That letter left Samantha upset and lost for words. She told me:

“I was heartbroken when I tried to access this care, only for my hospital gynaecology department to tell me the NHS would not honour most of the measures. They were unwilling to refer me to the Glasgow unit, and scared me half to death by saying people like me will never be 100 per cent mesh-free. It’s as if they are trying to put us off mesh removal surgery.”

The First Minister has stated:

“we will do everything possible to get these women the treatment and the care that they need.”

Where is the evidence that that is happening?

Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Southside)

A wealth of measures have been taken to improve the experience of women who have suffered because of mesh, including,

for example, a complex pelvic mesh removal service. We continue to take forward changes to improve that experience to ensure that women have access to the treatment that they need.

I met with groups of women with the then chief medical officer and the then health secretary, and I continue to be committed to taking forward all those changes.

I am obviously not aware of Samantha’s particular circumstances, nor have I seen the letter that she received from the health secretary. However, I am happy to look at that correspondence. If we can provide further information that would be of assistance to Samantha, I am happy to ensure that that is done.

Uig Harbour Closure (Freight Capacity)

Rhoda Grant (Labour, Highlands and Islands)

The First Minister must agree that it is totally unacceptable for freight capacity to Uist to be cut by a third during the six months when Uig harbour will be closed for re-development. There is a solution—it is possible to put in place a temporary link span during that time. Will she commit to that today to ensure that ferries can operate to their normal timetable while the harbour is being redeveloped?

Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Southside)

I will not repeat everything that I have said to Alasdair Allan, except to say that I understand the importance of the issue and the concerns that communities have.

I will not commit today to a particular solution without the proper consideration that that would require and merit. As I said in my answer to Alasdair Allan, any options and solutions that are put forward will be properly considered, which is why the transport minister has agreed to meet not just Alasdair Allan but the ferries community board.

Any possible mitigations that the Government might be able to support will be properly considered. When consideration of the specific suggestion that Rhoda Grant put forward has taken place, I am happy to ask the transport minister to feed back directly to her.

Railway Dispute

Fiona Hyslop (Scottish National Party, Linlithgow)

British railways are in chaos and, referring to the Westminster Tory Government’s intransigence, an RMT representative has said:

“Perhaps the UK Government should take a feather out of the Scottish Government’s hat and propose 5 per cent, along with a five-year no-compulsory-redundancy agreement”.

Does the First Minister recall that, some weeks ago at First Minister’s question time, I warned of the United Kingdom Government’s deeply damaging approach to industrial relations? Now we learn that it proposes to legislate to allow the use of agency workers during legally balloted strike action. Does the First Minister share my view that that is dangerous Tory ideology that is designed to inflame rather than resolve this extremely damaging dispute?

Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Southside)

I recall very well Fiona Hyslop’s warning about the danger of the dispute escalating if it was not resolved; of course, people across the UK are paying the price for that now. They are paying the price for Tory anti-trade union rhetoric—in fact, Tory anti-trade unionism, which I completely deprecate. We should respect workers across our economy; we should respect public sector workers; and we should seek to negotiate fair resolutions to disputes, particularly at a time of soaring inflation—inflation being so exacerbated in the UK by the folly of Brexit.

The rail strike that is crippling the UK right now is not the result of a dispute with ScotRail; it is a dispute with Network Rail and English train operating companies. Therefore, it is entirely a reserved matter.

Another thing that I remember from a few weeks’ ago in the chamber, when there was the potential for a ScotRail dispute, is Tory MSPs getting up and demanding intervention by this Government to resolve it.

I repeat the call for the UK Government to start doing its job: it must get around the table to bring a resolution to the dispute, and it must drop its anti-trade unionism and show some respect for workers across the economy.

Scottish Justice System (Parole)

Liam Kerr (Conservative, North East Scotland)

Last week,

The Courier

’s headline, “Dundee killer Robbie McIntosh to get parole hearing this summer”, related to a murderer who, in 2017, while on home leave from serving a life sentence, carried out a brutal attempt to murder a random, lone, female dog walker in Templeton woods in Dundee. In October 2017, he was sentenced to a lifelong restriction order, with a minimum of five years before being considered for release on licence. We now learn that that dangerous individual will be given a parole hearing on or around 8 August, which is the day after the anniversary of the attack and less than five years from sentencing.

What message does that send to women such as the victim of that shocking attack, other than that this Government’s justice system will not protect them?

Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Southside)

Before responding to the question, I acknowledge again Mrs McDonald’s bravery in continuing to raise the issues. I know that she wants to ensure that all parties learn from the case; that is certainly what I want and what I am determined will happen.

There was a significant case review of the matter, and the Scottish Government and the Scottish Prison Service accepted all the review’s recommendations for them. The SPS has already taken a range of actions to respond to those recommendations.

Home leave for prisoners—I am not talking about this particular case at the moment; I am talking about the situation in general—is a necessary and accepted part of the rehabilitation process. Rightly, prisoners are subject to assessment and review, and when a situation arises that shows that that has not gone in the way that it should have done, it is absolutely vital that lessons are learned.

On parole hearings, the sentence imposed following conviction in any case is a matter for a court. In turn, that determines when someone who is sentenced to an order for lifelong restriction may be considered for parole under licence conditions. It is then a matter for the independent parole board to consider when and whether an individual can be released.

Covid-19 (Spring Booster Vaccination)

Christine Grahame (Scottish National Party, Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale)

4. To ask the First Minister, in light of the increase in Covid-19 cases, what measures the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that everyone eligible for the spring booster vaccine receives it. (S6F-01272)

Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Southside)

As at 20 June, 91 per cent of those aged 75 and over, and 86 per cent of elderly care home residents, have received a fourth dose of the Covid vaccine, the majority of which have been administered as part of the spring booster programme. Again, I express my gratitude to all NHS staff and partners who helped to achieve that uptake.

We have been working closely with health boards to encourage uptake, and have introduced a range of outreach activities to build trust or remove barriers for people who might not otherwise take up the vaccination offer. Those include using mobile outreach units that have been provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service, creating “Covid sense” posters in multiple languages and formats, and developing a culturally sensitive vaccine explainer video that is informed by insights from organisations that represent various communities.

Given the high number of cases that we are seeing right now, I take this opportunity to urge all those who are eligible for the vaccine, including the spring booster, to come forward and get that protection.

Christine Grahame (Scottish National Party, Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale)

I thank the First Minister for her detailed answer. As someone who has had her spring booster, I endorse the statement that she has made, especially as we are now seeing cases rising.

Further to that, with cases reportedly being at one in 30—undoubtedly, that is an underestimate—and the number of hospital admissions rising, we can all see where we might be heading if we throw caution to the winds. I am as sick of restrictions as the next person, but what should we be doing, as individuals and in commercial situations, to try to nip this in the bud and prevent ourselves from heading towards a restricted winter?

The First Minister

We are seeing a rising trend in cases at the moment. We consider that it is being driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of omicron. It is important that we continue to monitor that, so the Scottish Government will continue to monitor it very closely. None of us wants a return to restrictions of any nature.

At this stage, we are not seeing the translation into hospital cases that we saw at earlier stages of the pandemic, particularly before there were vaccinations, but that does not mean that the illness is mild for everyone. Having recently had Covid, I know that it is a nasty virus and that it can affect people seriously. Christine Grahame is therefore right to remind us that it is important to continue to take precautions in order to try to limit potential transmission of the virus. Above all, it is important that people who are eligible for any dose of the vaccine but have not had yet had that dose get it, because it provides significant protection against serious illness.

Jackie Baillie (Labour, Dumbarton)

Covid cases have been rising, hospital admissions are rising and long Covid cases are going up. It is more than six months since many people had their third vaccination, including people who are in the shielding category because of health conditions. Protection through vaccination is, therefore, now waning.

Will the First Minister bring forward the autumn vaccination programme to the summer, given that we are facing another wave of Covid infection? In the light of the press conference that was held by Long Covid Scotland today, what urgent action will she take to improve services for and research into the condition?

The First Minister

We continue to monitor very carefully the effects of vaccination, informed by expert scientific and clinical opinion. It is important to be responsible about the terminology and the language that we use about the impact of vaccinations.

On the timing and coverage of a vaccination programme, or phase of a vaccination programme—this applies to the autumn campaign—we will continue to be guided by the advice and recommendations of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. That is the responsible thing to do. The Government has acted quickly to ensure that recommended vaccinations get to all eligible people as quickly as possible, and we will continue to do that.

On long Covid, we are investing this year to support NHS boards and partners to improve the care and support that is available for people with long Covid. The investment that we are making will, for example, enable boards to introduce care co-ordinator roles so that there is a single point of contact for people with long Covid. It will provide extra resource to support person-centred thorough assessments of the needs of people with long Covid to ensure that they can be supported to access the most appropriate support for them. It will also provide additional capacity for community rehabilitation services to support people who are suffering from long Covid with the issues that affect their day-to-day lives.

NHS Scotland (Bullying)

Tess White (Conservative, North East Scotland)

5. To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of reports that incidents of bullying in NHS Scotland have risen by nearly 50 per cent in five years. (S6F-01255)

Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Southside)

Bullying is always unacceptable. We want people to have available in health boards avenues to raise any experiences or concerns that they have.

In 2020, a new bullying policy was introduced to ensure that more support was available. The Government also commissioned John Sturrock QC to review the culture in NHS Highland, in particular. One outcome of that was the establishment of a ministerial working group to examine the issues of culture more broadly. That work was impacted by Covid.

However, I can confirm that we are now developing a new national leadership development programme so that the health, social work and social care sectors can carry that work on, and to help to foster an open, welcoming and supportive culture in the national health service, whereby all staff are valued and treated with dignity and respect.

Tess White (Conservative, North East Scotland)

The picture is particularly alarming in the north-east, with reported cases having tripled in NHS Tayside and doubled in NHS Grampian. Those cases will have had a deeply damaging effect on the mental health of staff at a time when recruitment and retention are endemic issues in our NHS.

The First Minister mentioned the Sturrock review. What assessment has been made of whether lessons from the Sturrock review of bullying in NHS Highland have been implemented by health boards? What urgent steps is the Scottish Government taking to ensure that health boards foster an open and tolerant workplace culture in the future?

The First Minister

Before I come back to the very serious issue that has been raised, I acknowledge that recruitment is a challenge in the NHS, as it is in many parts of our public services and, indeed, our economy more generally. One of the reasons why recruitment is such a challenge—it is appropriate to say this, because it is six years to the day since the Brexit referendum—is Brexit and the ending of free movement, for example. The issues that we are discussing should remind us all of that folly. I hope that Conservatives, in particular, are reminded of it.

On bullying in the national health service, we should all be very clear that bullying is unacceptable. It has no place anywhere, and it certainly has no place in the NHS. As politicians, we should unite to send that message loudly and clearly.

On the specific question that was asked about John Sturrock’s review of cultural issues in NHS Highland, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care asked all health boards to consider the recommendations, to review their internal assurance mechanisms and to advise the Government of actions that they had taken. We will continue to monitor progress on that closely. As I said in my original answer, we are also developing a new national leadership development programme, which we will launch later this year.

Edward Mountain (Conservative, Highlands and Islands)

In the previous session of the Parliament, the First Minister’s Government agreed to debate the Sturrock report. In fact, it also agreed to do so in the current session of the Parliament. Does the First Minister think that the fact that the Government has not debated the Sturrock report has not helped to tackle bullying in the NHS, and that she should now fulfil her promise and provide time for the report to be debated, as she has undertaken to do twice before?

The First Minister

I am certainly happy to consider giving Government time for that. Of course, Opposition parties can choose to debate any issue that they want to debate in their time.

It is important that we have vigorous and robust debate on such issues in the Parliament, but it is as important that we ensure that the recommendations from John Sturrock’s review are actually implemented. That is why the work that I referred to in my earlier answer is so important.

Such issues matter. It is vital for everybody who works in our NHS that it has a culture that supports them—not one that in any way allows them to be bullied or intimidated. John Sturrock’s recommendations will certainly help to ensure that that is the case.

Women’s Health Champion

Carol Mochan (Labour, South Scotland)

6. To ask the First Minister when the Scottish Government plans to appoint a women’s health champion, in light of the appointment of a women’s health ambassador for England. (S6F-01264)

Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Southside)

We will appoint a women’s health champion or ambassador this summer, which will be an important step in the delivery of our “Women’s Health Plan—A plan for 2021-2024”, which was, of course, the first women’s health plan to be

published by a Government in the United Kingdom. I understand that the UK Government is still developing its women’s health strategy for England, and the Welsh Government has committed to drafting a women’s health plan, but that has not yet been done.

Through the Scottish plan, we have prioritised improving services and information for women, including initiating new research on endometriosis, launching a new women’s health platform on NHS Inform and increasing the choices that women have to access contraception at community pharmacies.

Carol Mochan (Labour, South Scotland)

Women across Scotland face the significant challenges of health inequalities on a daily basis. For many women, those inequalities can define their lives—in some cases, simply because they are women, and in others, because they are women who live in areas where there are higher levels of deprivation. It is clear that women need many of the short-term and medium-term actions in “Women’s Health Plan”.

I thank the First Minister for confirming that the appointment will be made. If the First Minister truly recognises the urgency of the matter, will she give women across Scotland the answer that they not only want but need, and ensure that the appointment will be meaningful and will take forward the important short-term actions in “Women’s Health Plan” that have not been forthcoming so far?

The First Minister

Yes—the appointment will be meaningful. I am not entirely sure what was intended by that question: of course it will be meaningful. Whoever is appointed to the role will have the required expertise.

It is important that we take forward all the action points and recommendations in “Women’s Health Plan”. As I said, we were the first Government in the UK to produce a plan for women’s health. Since the launch of the plan, progress has been made on a range of actions. The development of the women’s health platform on NHS Inform is an important source of information, and the research call, which is jointly funded with Wellbeing of Women, on endometriosis is also important.

We have established a menopause specialist network, which meets regularly to provide peer support and support for primary care teams, which is really important. We have made progress on access to contraception in pharmacies and on action on menstrual health. Menopause is now included in the Scottish curriculum.

A range of things have already happened, but it is important that we drive forward all the recommendations in “Women’s Health Plan”, which is why the appointment of a women’s health champion is such a key part of the plan. As I said in my original answer, that appointment will be made this summer.

The Presiding Officer

I will return briefly to general and constituency supplementary questions and take a final question from Maggie Chapman.

British Bill of Rights

Maggie Chapman (Green, North East Scotland)

Yesterday in the House of Commons, the Deputy Prime Minister laid out his plans for a so-called British bill of rights. In reality, it is a rights-removal bill that would rip the European Court on Human Rights from domestic law and rewrite the Scotland Act 1998. In their place, we are supposed to rely on Mr Raab’s common sense.

It becomes clearer every day that only by becoming independent can we build a fairer and more equal Scotland. Will the First Minister join me in opposing those dangerous plans, and can she outline what impact they might have on our plans to introduce a Scottish human rights bill during this parliamentary session?

Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Southside)

I could hear the discomfort of Conservative members as Maggie Chapman spoke. I am not surprised that they are so deeply uncomfortable. Our having a UK Government that Scotland did not elect, which has taken us out of the European Union against our will and is now ripping up, removing or at the very least diluting human rights, is absolutely yet another argument for Scotland becoming independent.

The bill will impact on devolved responsibilities. It is therefore important that the UK Government properly consults us, but I do not hold much hope that that will happen in reality. We have plans for a human rights bill, and we remain committed to taking them forward over the course of this parliamentary session.

The Presiding Officer

That concludes First Minister’s question time. There will be a brief pause before we move to members’ business.

Celebrating Success of Rugby

Annabelle Ewing (Scottish National Party, Cowdenbeath)

I ask those members of the public who are not remaining for the next item of business to leave the public gallery quickly and quietly.

The next item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-04871, in the name of Douglas Lumsden, on celebrating the success of rugby in Scotland. The debate will be concluded without any question being put. I invite members who wish to speak in the debate to press their request-to-speak button now.

Motion debated,

That the Parliament recognises the fantastic achievements of all of those involved in Scottish rugby in 2021-22; congratulates the women’s team for reaching the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in 2022, and the men’s team for winning the Calcutta Cup and Cuttitta Cup; notes the rise in popularity of Clan rugby and the work that is currently ongoing to encourage the playing of rugby with minority ethnic communities throughout Scotland; welcomes the return of the Rugby Sevens tournaments in 2022; believes that this has brought economic benefit to towns and villages, and enjoyment to all; commends the work of School of Hard Knocks, which is a charity that works with vulnerable children and adults to build self-confidence and self-respect through playing rugby, and supports the work that is being done with young people, boys and girls, in schools and communities up and down the country, including in North East Scotland, through an army of volunteers, coaches and supporters, without whom, it believes, community sports would cease to exist.

Douglas Lumsden (Conservative, North East Scotland)

I have never cleared a venue so quickly.

It gives me great pleasure to be able to bring this debate to the Parliament this afternoon to celebrate all that is Scottish rugby. I thank all the members who supported my motion and helped me to secure the debate.

As a Scottish rugby fan, I acknowledge that we have our fair share of highs and lows. Our national team brings us tears of happiness and—yes—frustration, but we live every minute of those matches with the players and we feel every up and every down. Losses do not affect our passion for the game and we always believe that this is the year that we can win that grand slam—I do anyway.

When it comes to rugby, we can set our political differences aside and admire the skill, commitment and passion of our national teams. I am sure that the minister will agree about that.

I was delighted to host a reception in Parliament recently to celebrate those successes. I thank all my colleagues, especially the Presiding Officer, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and the Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport, who were able to make it along that night. I also thank Sharon and Roger Hill, the parents of our former colleague and friend David Hill, who were able to attend while we also remembered David on the night. It was great to have a reception like that after two years of lockdown; it felt like old times, but it was sad that David was not there to enjoy it with us. I also thank Scottish Rugby and the players and coaches from both the men’s and women’s teams who came along.

Scottish rugby has such a rich history, with many of the past greats, such as Doddie Weir—who I was thinking about during the members’ business debate on motor neurone disease this week—John Jeffrey and Finlay Calder coming swiftly to mind. We all have our favourite players and moments of the past. However, Scottish rugby also has such a bright future, and that is what I want to focus on today.

Scottish Rugby recently launched its new strategy for encouraging more women and girls to enter the sport and find a career in rugby. Post-pandemic, we have seen a rise in the number of women and girls taking part in rugby, which is fantastic to see. However, we are ambitious for the future. There are currently more than 6,000 woman and girl players in clubs throughout Scotland, but the aim of the strategy is to increase that substantially by 2025.

The strategy will grow participation and visibility of women’s rugby nationwide and is based on four Ps: participation, pathway, pipeline and performance.

Scottish Rugby has committed to more than doubling its spend on women’s rugby and will invest an additional £2.5 million next year. That is welcome news in developing rugby for all throughout Scotland. At the reception a couple of weeks ago, Jackie Dunbar raised the point that both of our daughters played football, but there was no option for them to play rugby. I hope that that situation will improve.

We all know how sport can enhance every aspect of our lives, including physical and mental health. I know that, as a Parliament, we would welcome initiatives that encourage more women and girls to pick up a ball and play sport at every level. Whether it is a casual game in the park or playground, getting involved in a club or playing for Scotland, participation at any level is key, and anything that we can do to encourage it has to be welcomed. It would be good to hear from the minister what the Scottish Government can do to help with the level of participation.

We also want to see more parity with the men’s game in terms of rugby as a career. At present, there are only five women on contracts in Scotland, but the aim is to grow that to 30 following the world cup this year, which of course our amazing women’s team have qualified for. I wish the team the very best in the competition in New Zealand. [

Applause

.]

Scotland has one of the top referees in the world—the groundbreaking Hollie Davidson, who takes charge of not just top women’s games but men’s test matches. Hollie will also be heading to the world cup.

I want to mention an exciting initiative in my area of North East Scotland that will build more participation and make rugby accessible to more people. In May, Scottish Rugby launched a new partnership with Aberdeenshire Council and the University of the Highlands and Islands to deliver increased rugby and physical activity for secondary school pupils and adults in further and higher education in the north of Scotland. Aberdeenshire Council education team will have added to it four rugby development officers and three community coaches, who will operate for local rugby clubs. They will deliver a 16-week rugby programme as part of the curriculum for pupils in secondary 1 to S4 across 17 schools.

That is the first time that a specially designed rugby programme will be delivered as an on-going part of the curriculum in the local authority. The initiative will provide enhanced opportunities for young people to focus on their health and wellbeing and to enjoy outdoor learning, working in partnership with local communities.

Brian Whittle (Conservative, South Scotland)

Will the member take an intervention on that point?

Douglas Lumsden (Conservative, North East Scotland)

It is hoped that it will reach 10,000 pupils across Aberdeenshire.

I will take an intervention.

Brian Whittle (Conservative, South Scotland)

I thought for a moment that the member was going to deny me.

Does my esteemed colleague agree with me that rugby is showing the way and that, to be able to do it, you have to see it? There is the shop window of performance sport—our ladies who are going to New Zealand are showing us that—but there is also the pathway that the member has just referred to. It is important that both those elements are put together, and rugby should be commended for what it is doing in that regard.

Douglas Lumsden (Conservative, North East Scotland)

I completely agree with Brian Whittle. Rugby really is showing the way.

As a boy, I was lucky that, at the local comprehensive school that I attended, rugby was part of the core curriculum but, sadly, that is not the case for many and is really quite unusual.

Scottish Rugby is also working on widening its engagement with Scotland’s ethnic and religious minority communities. It is looking to make rugby more diverse, and I hope that the Scottish Government will join it in making the game more representative of our country as a whole.

Given all that good work, I was pleased to see that the contract of Scottish Rugby’s chief executive officer, Mark Dodson, has been extended to 2025.

I must also mention the work of the School of Hard Knocks charity, which delivers life-changing programmes for children and adults across the United Kingdom. Using rugby as a medium, it works with adults to find and sustain employment and with schoolchildren who are at risk of exclusion to help them to re-engage with education. The charity is now in its 10th year and is doing great work in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Last but certainly not least, I want to mention the amazing work that is being done around clan rugby. A couple of months ago, I had the pleasure of attending the match between the Holyrood Parliament team and the Edinburgh Clan. What a fantastic game it was, with smiling faces, fun and inclusion—it was brilliant to see.? Clan rugby brings together able-bodied players and those with a physical or learning disability to compete in one unified game. Clan rugby demonstrates what a fully inclusive sport rugby can be, with people of all abilities playing together and having an incredible time.

It has been great to speak to the Parliament today in celebration of Scottish rugby, and I look forward to hearing the contributions of other members with their stories of how rugby has impacted them and their local areas. Rugby is growing in our nation, and we can all be incredibly proud of our teams, players, coaches and amateurs who love the game, love playing the game and just love getting involved. We must thank all the coaches, volunteers and parents up and down the country who give up their time for the love of the game. Scotland has rugby at its heart and, as a Parliament, it is our privilege to acknowledge that today.

Jackie Dunbar (Scottish National Party, Aberdeen Donside)

As deputy c

onvener of the cross-party group on rugby development in Scotland, I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate. I congratulate the convener of the group, Douglas Lumsden, on securing it and on sponsoring the recent parliamentary reception, where we met Scotland’s manager, Gregor Townsend, and some of the fantastic players in Scotland’s women’s and men’s teams. The reception was a great event, which provided an invaluable opportunity to hear about the importance of rugby to Scotland—to our economy and our young folk, as well as to the health of Scotland.

There are few more stirring sights than that of the Scottish team striding out on to the turf in front of almost 70,000 spectators at Murrayfield ahead of an international game. With around 250 member clubs in every part of the country, there are ample opportunities to both watch and play the game. According to World Rugby, around 100,000 Scots regularly take part, which includes 25,000 women players—that point is worth emphasising. There is a type of rugby and a level of competition that is right for everyone, whether that is 15-a-side, casual touch or even walking rugby. I think that walking rugby would be mine, if I had to choose.

Rugby is a fantastic way to keep fit, improve mental wellbeing and develop transferable skills. On health and wellbeing, I read an interesting study from the University of Edinburgh that shows that playing rugby, at all ages, can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer, stroke, heart disease and depression, as well as improving muscle function, bone health and balance. There really is no reason not to play rugby. The question is how we can support more folk into the sport and ensure that it is supported for our amateur and professional players of the future. In particular, I am interested in how we can support more women and quines into the sport.

I welcome the fact that driving up participation levels of women and quines will be an important part of a £100 million push that will double Scotland’s sport and active living budget by the end of the current session of Parliament. I note that preparations are also under way for a Scottish sport media summit that will aim to explore ways to increase visibility and coverage of women’s sport across all platforms.

That welcome additional investment, which will benefit the wider sporting system, will be delivered in partnership with sportscotland and it will help to rebuild capacity in the sector as we continue to recover from the pandemic. It will also, rightly, focus on breaking down barriers to participation and ensure that more folk, including women and girls, can enjoy active lives, while improving physical, mental and social health.

I ask the minister for a commitment that sportscotland will work with rugby clubs the length and breadth of the country to ensure that they are supported and promoted. I also ask her to give an update on the sport summit and how it will be taken forward.

My final point is that touch rugby is being used to support older folk and those with early-onset dementia and other health conditions to socialise. Touch rugby is a minimal contact sport that is played on a 50m by 70m playing field. It emphasises running or walking, passing, catching, and communication. It can be played by anyone, and the dynamics allow for all ages and abilities. It is a great opportunity for our older folk, and I encourage onybidy interested to take a look.

In closing, I again welcome this debate, I note the vital importance of rugby and I reiterate my asks of the minister.

Finlay Carson (Conservative, Galloway and West Dumfries)

I was not intending to speak in this debate but, unfortunately, my colleague Jamie Halcro Johnston cannot be here. He is the prop for the Scottish Parliament rugby team and he is in a far better place to deliver a speech on rugby than I am.

I congratulate my colleague and fellow athlete Douglas Lumsden on bringing this debate to the chamber.

I want to speak about my home club, Stewartry rugby club, which is based at Greenlaw outside Castle Douglas and was founded in 1970. Two weeks ago, we celebrated our 50th anniversary. The celebration was delayed by two years because of Covid, but the dinner saw more than 450 supporters come together to enjoy the friendships, fellowship and camaraderie that has been built up over half a century. We should not forget that the Stewartry sevens will also celebrate its 50th anniversary in the coming month.

The club has a remarkable seven youth teams that feed into a first 15 men’s team, which plays in west division 1, and the women’s 15—the Stewartry Sirens—which plays in the national 1 division and has a fantastic track record, having won the nationally played competition on three occasions.

Over the years, Stewartry has had some of its players go on to perform at national level, with Stafford McDowall, who plays for the Glasgow Warriors, Alex Craig, who plays for Scotland, and Joe Ansbro, who was a multiple Scottish cap winner; and we cannot forget Alice King, who is captain of Watsonians, and Suzy McKerlie-Hex, who attained 13 caps for Scotland’s women during her career.

The club also supports the local community with a full-time development officer and a number of programmes for children and young people in the area. Not only does it nurture young rugby players for the future, it takes the mental health of everyone in the club very seriously, having sadly lost two young players through suicide during the past few years. The club has introduced some innovative ideas on how to help and support their young—and not so young—players and has worked with Glasgow Warriors on looking at how to best support the mental health of the team and the wider community. It was one of the initial groups that founded the Stewartry mental health forum, which shares experiences and good practice across a range of rural communities.

Rugby really does bring us together, and I am proud to say that I played my part in the Parliament rugby team along with other MSPs and staff, and I think that the minister, Maree Todd, and I might still be joint honorary presidents of the club. We follow the six nations team each year, playing our parliamentary colleagues from Westminster, the Welsh Parliament, the French Parliament and the Irish Parliament—I am actually wearing the Irish Parliament’s club tie today—and we have formed strong friendships across the parliamentary and political divide. That was seen when we sadly lost David Hill, who was a great friend to all of us, and a large number of Irish players and politicians came over to support David and his family. Indeed, David’s family recognises the support that Scottish and Irish rugby gave during the sad events that took place in Dublin.

Rugby bringing the political divide together was never better portrayed than when we were in Dublin a few years ago, in the British embassy, and the British ambassador recognised that that rugby reception was the first time that the embassy had hosted every single party from across the island of Ireland, so rugby really does bring us back together. We have already heard about the work that the School of Hard Knocks and clan rugby do, and the parliamentary team supports that work.

My playing days at an international level may have been brought to an end by a severe lack of ability, but my experiences and the friendships that I have built through rugby mean that I will never regret getting involved with it, and I know it is the same for my friends, colleagues and family. If they do not do so already, I encourage everyone to follow the national team and the Scottish Parliament team, because it is one of the best things that I have ever done.

Carol Mochan (Labour, South Scotland)

I thank Douglas Lumsden for bringing another important sports debate to the chamber. I echo the comments of colleagues and, on behalf of Scottish Labour, I pay tribute to all of those involved in Scottish Rugby for their efforts and successes during the past year, particularly given the adverse impact that the pandemic had on team sport in Scotland. It is great to see that rugby in Scotland is looking as strong as ever.

I will begin my speech by focusing on the successes of the Scottish women’s rugby team, which qualified for the women’s rugby world cup that will take place in New Zealand later this year. That is a significant success for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, it is the first time that the team has qualified for 12 years, which is a magnificent feat, and I know from this debate that the whole Parliament wishes the team well in its group stage fixtures against host nation New Zealand, Australia and Wales.

Qualification also has significance for the future of women’s rugby and women’s sport more generally. Like other sports, rugby has been a male-dominated scene for years, but by playing in the most prestigious of competitions and representing our nation, its elite female athletes will be role models to many young women and girls who might have an interest in sport. It is crucial that we show support through increasing public awareness and other means when the tournament arrives later in the year. Brian Whittle’s points about it being seen and visible in order to encourage people to take part were well made.

Given that we are marking success, I will mention another south of Scotland team, Ayrshire Bulls men’s rugby side, which had national success in the Scottish premiership in 2021 and before the pandemic. It is important to have strong voices for rugby in our own areas, and I am proud that we have that in Ayrshire. I am sure that it encourages local young people who aspire to be rugby players to take that on and be successful.

That said, as with other sports, we know that not everyone plays rugby in order to become a professional and play at the highest of levels; it can also be about enjoying outdoor activity with friends, learning new skills and keeping fit. It is therefore absolutely right that the motion highlights the value of the players, supporters, coaches and volunteers who, more widely, make community rugby and sport what it is. Without those coaches and volunteers, many weekly training sessions and matches across the country would not go ahead. It is therefore really important that we recognise them. I have a football referee in the team that I work with, and he said that I should also mention how tough the referee’s job is and say that we support referees as well.

Many contributing factors make community sport work to the benefit of our physical and mental health, and it is right that we pay tribute to everybody who gives their own time. That said, we must not lose sight of the fact that sport is inaccessible for many and that rugby, football and tennis clubs might be unaffordable for many. I hope that the minister will take that point on board. Jackie Dunbar’s point was also well made—it is important that sport is accessible and affordable for all.

It is right that we have today’s debate to recognise the progress and success of Scottish rugby at the highest level, but also to recognise the importance and influence of rugby at the grass-roots level. As the motion states, admirable organisations such as the School of Hard Knocks use sport to overcome some of the challenges that are faced by the most vulnerable in our communities. However, we need more from the Government and more intervention to focus our efforts on making sport affordable and accessible. I take the opportunity, once again, to pay tribute to the Scottish rugby teams and wish them well for 2022-23.

Maree Todd (Scottish National Party, Caithness, Sutherland and Ross)

I thank Douglas Lumsden for lodging the motion in Parliament and everyone across the chamber who contributed to the debate. As members will all know, I am a huge rugby fan and, indeed, a player on our Parliament team—player president, I think, Mr Carson.

I am absolutely delighted to close this members’ business debate on behalf of the Scottish Government. Members across the chamber will know that increasing the participation and visibility of girls and women in sport is a passion of mine and a priority for the Scottish Government. I am therefore thrilled to congratulate the women’s team on reaching the rugby world cup, which will take place in New Zealand later this year. It is an absolutely fantastic achievement, and I know that it is the culmination of a lot of hard work from all those involved in the team, not least the players themselves. I cannot wait to cheer them on, although the time difference will obviously be a challenge—I might just stay up all night. Scottish Rugby’s announcement that it is committing to a minimum of 30 contracted rugby players following the rugby world cup is very welcome. That will be transformative for those players, and it will, I hope, make the path easier for those following in their footsteps.

As many in the chamber highlighted, it was fantastic to see the launch last week of the four-year strategy for women’s and girls’ rugby, which is aimed at developing and growing the game at every level. We know that there are significant physical, mental and—I emphasise this—social benefits to physical activity. As minister, I want everyone to be able to benefit from sport and physical activity in the way that I have been able to.

Members have mentioned a couple of daughters who play rugby. I know that Fin Carson’s daughter has played rugby in the Parliament team, as has my daughter, who plays rugby far better than I do. If we want to get everybody playing and benefiting, we must, as Carol Mochan said, remove the barriers that still exist to being physically active. Increasing participation and creating a pathway for every level in the sport are key to achieving that.

Of course, the men’s international team has also had a successful year. It impressed in the six nations, with the highlight being that memorable victory over England in the first game. Also of note was the men’s performance in the autumn nations series matches, in which they posted victories over Tonga and Japan and retained the Hopetoun cup with victory over Australia.

The rugby sevens calendar is in full swing, and I have very fond memories of sociable summer tournaments that I attended in my younger playing days. I am sure that the men’s and women’s sevens teams will look forward to the competition at the Birmingham Commonwealth games. I am also hopeful that I will get to watch some of the action when I am there.

We have heard about lots of local domestic achievements from members around the chamber. Congratulations go to any individual or team that has had success at any level.

To answer Jackie Dunbar’s question about sportscotland, I inform her that its investments support a wide range of Scottish rugby activity that encourages and supports people to participate in the sport, including club and coach development. Since 2014-15, sportscotland has invested more than £5 million across 36 rugby projects through its sports facilities fund. With partner contributions, the total invested in rugby facility infrastructure is more than £24.5 million.

Sportscotland promotes rugby through the active schools programme, and there is also direct club investment, which supports club development over two to four years. Through that programme, sportscotland has invested more than £553,000 into 19 rugby clubs since 2013.

Jackie Dunbar asked about the media summit on women in sport. I am keen that that event should progress. We are in early planning stages at the moment. Many members have talked about the importance of the visibility of women in sport, and I am determined that that summit should bring a focus to that and improve the visibility of women in all aspects of sport.

I am delighted by the rise in popularity of clan rugby and the opportunity for people to play in the same team irrespective of their disability. I was really pleased to hear about the success of Edinburgh Rugby’s inclusive team, which competed earlier this month in the international mixed-ability world championships in Cork and finished a highly creditable 10th out of 28 teams. I was not playing on the day in question, but I know that our Parliament team loved playing clan rugby so much a couple of months ago that it hopes to make it an annual fixture.

As I noted, the key to creating a healthier nation is breaking down the barriers that exist to being more physically active and engaged in sport. Scottish Rugby’s work with the Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations Scotland—CEMVO Scotland—to welcome more people from Scottish minority ethnic communities to the game of rugby is, therefore, very welcome. I understand that those sessions incorporate contact, non-contact and walking rugby to allow people to enjoy the game in a way that they are comfortable and able to do.

Time and again, we see that sport really changes lives. The charity School of Hard Knocks demonstrates that through its use of rugby as a vehicle to tackle unemployment, crime and ill health. It works with people who would not usually have the opportunity to participate. Participants gain skills to become physically active and, therefore, boost their confidence and, ultimately, their employability. Our Parliament team and many of our women parliamentarians have played against women who have graduated from that programme. We thoroughly enjoyed it, and I am, as ever, desperately keen to encourage more of my colleagues to join in. I can promise a completely inspiring time.

I am glad that the motion refers to volunteers, because rugby, like all sports, could not operate without a dedicated army of volunteers. I place on record my sincere thanks to everyone who volunteers, which enables everyone else to enjoy the sport that they love.

Although it has been a successful year on the pitch, we have seen tragedy off it. I pay tribute to two particular players. Back in November, we tragically lost Scotland’s women’s international Siobhan Cattigan, at the age of only 26. That was a terrible loss of someone so young, who was playing at the top of her game. In March, the Scottish Parliament lost one of our own, with the sad passing of David Hill. He was highly regarded throughout the Parliament and was described as loving rugby more than politics. I am sure that everyone in the chamber and in the global rugby family joins me in passing our thoughts and condolences to the families of Siobhan and David.

I am delighted that rugby continues to provide opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in a form of the game that allows them to be physically active and to enjoy meeting people who share their love of the sport. At every level—from grass roots to elite—the increase in the number of people playing and watching rugby continues. As the minister responsible for sport, I will continue to offer my support to Scottish rugby, and I wish everyone, at all levels, good luck for the summer and next season.

The Deputy Presiding Officer

That concludes the debate. I suspend the meeting until 1.30, which is only eight minutes away.

13:22 Meeting suspended.

13:30 On resuming—

Education and Skills

Alison Johnstone (Presiding Officer, Lothian)

The next item of business is portfolio question time. In order to get in as many questions as possible, I would be grateful for short and succinct questions and responses.

We move to questions on education and skills.

Discussions with COSLA and Unison (Pay Ballot)

Katy (Labour, West Scotland)

1. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and Unison following the balloting of thousands of the trade union’s members working in schools and nurseries over pay. (S6O-01268)

Shirley-Anne Somerville (Scottish National Party, Dunfermline)

The local government pay negotiations are a matter for COSLA, on behalf of the 32 councils and the trade unions, to resolve via the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers. Any intervention from the Scottish Government at this point would undermine that process. I encourage the local government trade unions and COSLA to continue having open, constructive dialogue to find a resolution that would avoid any potential industrial action.

Katy (Labour, West Scotland)

Does the cabinet secretary believe that handing the education staff who kept schools running during the pandemic what is effectively a pay cut is helping to build a Scotland that is, in the words of the First Minister,

“wealthier, fairer and more resilient and better”?

Shirley-Anne Somerville (Scottish National Party, Dunfermline)

Of course, the Scottish Government recognises the strength of feeling right across the public sector, including among many in the local government workforce, and recognises their desire to see their efforts recognised by way of a pay rise.

As I said in my original answer, we are not party to the national local government pay negotiations. We have not participated in those in the past, and our intervention at this point would undermine that process. However, it is important that the Scottish Government continues to meet COSLA and the unions to discuss matters of mutual interest, including, for example, local government funding. Of course, we will continue to have such discussions.

Willie Rennie (Liberal Democrat, North East Fife)

The cabinet secretary will be aware of the admission by COSLA that private and voluntary sector nurseries providing 1,140 hours of childcare receive a significantly lower—[

Inaudible

.]—than council nurseries. That means that staff in one part of the sector receive thousands of pounds less each year for doing exactly the same job. That is discrimination by design. How has that been allowed to happen, and when will it be fixed?

The Presiding Officer

Can I just check that the cabinet secretary heard enough of Mr Rennie’s question? Would she prefer that he repeated it?

Shirley-Anne Somerville (Scottish National Party, Dunfermline)

Between us, Ms Haughey and I were trying to piece together what Mr Rennie said. My apologies if I have not understood his question, in which case I am sure that he will follow it up in writing.

The Scottish Government works with COSLA to ensure that we have a fully funded package for the 1,140 hours of childcare programme. There is an expectation within the Government that we make it clear to COSLA, and that it should recognise, the importance of our private providers to the programme. If there are particular details that I have not managed to pick up because of Mr Rennie’s poor connection, I will be happy to follow those up with him in due course.

Baby Box Programme

Kaukab Stewart (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Kelvin)

2. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the baby box programme. (S6O-01269)

Clare Haughey (Scottish National Party, Rutherglen)

The latest data available on take-up in 2020 shows that 98 per cent of expectant parents took up the opportunity of receiving a baby box. As of Friday 10 June 2022, we had distributed 220,788 baby boxes to families across Scotland. The independent evaluation of Scotland’s baby box programme, which was published in August 2021, highlighted the positive impact of the scheme on families, particularly first-time, younger and low-income parents. It showed 97 per cent satisfaction with the baby box and its contents, and 91 per cent of families reported financial savings as a result of receiving a box.

Kaukab Stewart (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Kelvin)

Will the minister join me in welcoming Ireland’s pilot project, dubbed “the little baby bundle”, which will see 500 newborn babies receive a baby box in a policy initiative that is similar to Scotland’s? Does she agree that universality is an essential aspect of Scotland’s scheme, which promotes an equal start for all children in Scotland, reducing stigma and conveying benefits beyond the purely financial?

Clare Haughey (Scottish National Party, Rutherglen)

I agree with the member. It is fantastic that Ireland has decided to pilot its own version of the baby box, which has been informed by our approach in Scotland, and I wish the project every success.

Scotland’s baby box strongly signals our determination that every child, regardless of the circumstances, should get the best start in life by ensuring that every family with a newborn has access to the essential items and support that are needed in the first six months of a child’s life. I believe that universality is a crucial aspect of the success of the scheme in Scotland. As I said previously, there has been a 98 per cent take-up of the scheme, which helps to underpin our ambition that every child should have the best start in life.

Neurodevelopmental Support (Children in Schools)

Mark Ruskell (Green, Mid Scotland and Fife)

3. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to provide access to neurodevelopmental support for all children in schools. (S6O-01270)

Shirley-Anne Somerville (Scottish National Party, Dunfermline)

We want all children and young people, including those with neurodiverse conditions, to get the support that they need to reach their full potential.

In November 2021, we published our updated additional support for learning action plan and progress report, to deliver the Morgan review recommendations. We will publish a further update in the autumn. Last year, we also published our progress report on the autism in schools action plan. Although the majority of actions are complete, we acknowledge that there is more to do to improve the support that is offered to neurodiverse learners. We continue to engage with partners to take that forward.

Mark Ruskell (Green, Mid Scotland and Fife)

The cabinet secretary will recall our joint visit to Touch primary school in Dunfermline, which is trialling an exciting neurodevelopmental pilot project. It has clearly been transformative for the whole school community, and especially for those children who have previously struggled to find the right school environment to learn in.

Getting it right for every child means that all children in all schools deserve access to that type of support—I know that the cabinet secretary knows that. Beyond pilots and evaluations, will the cabinet secretary outline what the long-term plan is to cement that kind of best practice in every school in Scotland?

Shirley-Anne Somerville (Scottish National Party, Dunfermline)

It was a pleasure to join the member and Kevin Stewart on a visit to Touch primary school, in my constituency. It was a fantastic visit that enabled us to see the real difference that can be made by a project—I acknowledge that it is a pilot project—that enables lessons to be learned about how the school can work with families as well as the young person.

Kevin Stewart and I are determined to see what we can learn from that pilot project and others to ensure that what we saw in Touch can be built on and adapted. Mark Ruskell makes an important point about the fact that the type of support that we saw in that environment should be applied in all schools. It may not be applied in the same way in all schools, but we certainly have a responsibility to ensure that the sort of support that we saw being made available to pupils in Touch is replicated across the country. I will be happy to continue to work with Mr Ruskell on the issue in the future.

Fiona Hyslop (Scottish National Party, Linlithgow)

Having recently visited the Donaldson Trust—the leading charity in Scotland for neurodiversity, which is based in my constituency and which I encourage the cabinet secretary to visit—I am aware of the complexity of the neurodiversity issue and of the importance of early identification.

I acknowledge the Scottish Government’s intentions and actions in its autism in schools action plan, but what assurances can be given to my constituents regarding timescales for early identification of individual needs in neurodiverse pupils, when will mainstream schools make full adaptations to meet the needs of neurodiverse students and how will the real-life impact of the Scottish Government’s action plan be assessed?

Shirley-Anne Somerville (Scottish National Party, Dunfermline)

Education authorities already have a duty to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils, including those with neurodiversities. Fiona Hyslop is quite right to point out the importance of early identification and ensuring that support is there for the child and their family. It is important that we look carefully at that.

There are responsibilities in that regard on the Scottish Government and on local authorities. All local authorities have in place a staged intervention and assessment process, which should enable practitioners to assess and meet their learners’ needs.

I thank Fiona Hyslop for bringing the work of the Donaldson Trust to my attention once again. I would be happy to visit the trust should it wish me to do so.

Oliver Mundell (Conservative, Dumfriesshire)

Identification is important. Will the Scottish Government therefore reconsider the introduction of a more robust national neurodevelopmental screening programme in our primary schools?

Shirley-Anne Somerville (Scottish National Party, Dunfermline)

As I mentioned in my response to Mark Ruskell, a number of pilot projects are currently in progress, and we will see what we can learn from those to ensure that there is better and earlier identification, and then support, in place.

There is no formal diagnosis needed in order for a child or young person to receive support; that is an important aspect of the national project that is currently in place. However, there will be lessons for us to learn from the pilots, and we will do so.

Stephanie Callaghan (Scottish National Party, Uddingston and Bellshill)

I very much welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to appointing a learning disability, autism and neurodiversity commissioner. What plans does the Scottish Government have to gather the views of autistic people, their families and support organisations to ensure that lived experience informs and shapes the role and powers of the commissioner?

Shirley-Anne Somerville (Scottish National Party, Dunfermline)

The Scottish Government has adopted a human rights-based approach to ensure that the learning disability, autism and neurodiversity bill is fully co-designed with people who have lived experience, including autistic people. The process will involve disabled people-led organisations and charities that represent the views of a wide range of people who come under the learning disability, autism and neurodiversity umbrella. It is very important that we continue that work.

Scoping work on the bill is under way as part of which the Scottish Government is currently running a series of events with existing stakeholders to allow us to work alongside people with lived experience to design the public consultation and the initial policy options that will be included.

Skills Priorities (Withdrawal from European Union)

Christine Grahame (Scottish National Party, Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale)

4. To ask the Scottish Government whether its priorities for the skills required to support the economy have changed as a result of any consequences of withdrawal from the European Union. (S6O-01271)

Jamie Hepburn (Scottish National Party, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth)

The national strategy for economic transformation, “Delivering Economic Prosperity”, recognises that

“A skilled population is fundamental to ... productivity and .. prosperity.”

The NSET skilled workforce programme sets out priority actions to ensure that people have the skills that they need at every stage of life and that employers invest in the skill set of their workforce.

NSET highlights that

“Brexit will inflict greater damage on the economy than even the pandemic”,

and says that

“This is becoming increasingly apparent”,

with almost all sectors reporting labour and skills shortages.

To help to mitigate those consequences, the Scottish Government will implement a programme of work to attract talent from the rest of the UK. In addition, it has committed to, and will launch, a migration service for Scotland.

Christine Grahame (Scottish National Party, Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale)

First, Presiding Officer, I thank you for allowing me to leave immediately after my supplementary in order to comply with a long-standing engagement, which was obviously arranged before today’s truncated lunch.

Notwithstanding that education has a role in providing society with a relevant workforce, does the minister agree that the strength of Scottish education is its broad base, with flexibility built in? As pupils progress through secondary school and at senior level, they may very well change their mind about what they want to do later in life.

Jamie Hepburn (Scottish National Party, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth)

In general terms, yes—I very much agree with that. We see that the nature of our society and our economy is constantly changing, and in that sense our education system must adapt and must ensure that people can be resilient and adapt in the face of those changes.

I very much agree with the point that Christine Grahame makes. It is true not only for the school environment, but for pupils’ education and skills development across the entirety of their lives. She can be assured that I will take that approach in my area of activity.

Violence in Schools

Meghan Gallacher (Conservative, Central Scotland)

5. To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to address the reported increase in incidents of violence in schools. (S6O-01272)

Shirley-Anne Somerville (Scottish National Party, Dunfermline)

All forms of violence are unacceptable and have no place in our schools or in society. We, and partners across the education sector, advocate an approach for schools and local authorities to work with pupils on the underlying reasons behind inappropriate behaviour. We want all pupils to respect their peers and staff, and we are supporting a number of programmes to promote positive relationships and tackle indiscipline, abuse and violence. That includes good behaviour management, restorative approaches and programmes to help develop social, emotional and behavioural skills.

Meghan Gallacher (Conservative, Central Scotland)

Teaching unions such as the NASUWT and the Educational Institute of Scotland have raised serious concerns about the soaring levels of violence and aggression in classrooms. The unions have warned that the reduction in classroom assistants, combined with the Scottish National Party Government’s refusal to commission research into poor behaviour, are contributing factors. One union representative has even claimed that it is

“as if they don’t really want to know”

the scale of the problem.

That is happening under the SNP’s watch. Will the cabinet secretary listen to the concerns that are being raised about the increased level of violence in our schools, and will the Scottish Government admit that cuts to council and education budgets are putting teachers at risk?

Shona Robison (Scottish National Party, Dundee City East)

We now have 2,000 additional teaching staff in comparison to pre-pandemic numbers, and we have invested an additional £45 million since 2019-20 in order to enhance the provision of support staff in schools.

The latest edition of the “Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research” is an important part of our work. The most recent iteration of that research was due to be undertaken in 2020, but—as I hope the chamber will appreciate, given what was happening in schools at the time—the decision was taken to cancel that research because of Covid.

Arrangements are currently under way for the next wave of that research to be developed, and we are progressing that. It will provide an important research angle. In the meantime, we will work carefully with local authorities and our trade union partners to ensure that the policies and support are in place to help our teachers and young people ensure that there is no violence or misbehaviour in schools, if that can be avoided.

Elena Whitham (Scottish National Party, Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley)

Can the cabinet secretary provide an update on the work that is being done to educate young people on gender-based violence in schools, in order to combat sexual harassment and intimate partner abuse among young people?

Shona Robison (Scottish National Party, Dundee City East)

The Scottish Government wants all children and young people to develop mutually respectful, responsible and confident relationships. There are a number of targeted programmes to support positive behaviour in relationships and that help to address gender-based harassment in schools. One example of that is the mentors in violence prevention programme, which tackles gender stereotyping and attitudes. Equally Safe at School is another project, and the Fearless project educates and supports pupils to speak up about crime.

Those are important parts of the work that is being done, and the gender-based violence in schools working group is developing a national framework to ensure that there is consistent messaging on gender-based harassment for everyone who is working with young people.

The Presiding Officer

Question 6 has been withdrawn.

STEM Learning

Clare Adamson (Scottish National Party, Motherwell and Wishaw)

7. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the future of science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning in Scotland. (S6O-01274)

Jamie Hepburn (Scottish National Party, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth)

The latest annual report on the Government’s STEM education and training strategy was published on 26 May. The report demonstrates that, despite the restrictions that were required as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, the majority of STEM education partners were able to continue to deliver programmes of professional learning and related activity.

As the next step, we plan to improve the strategy, governance, and performance monitoring arrangements in the coming months. The aim is to focus on priority areas such as upskilling computing teachers, which will help to ensure that inequalities in access to STEM continue to be addressed and that STEM education effectively contributes to the Government’s net zero ambitions for Scotland.

Clare Adamson (Scottish National Party, Motherwell and Wishaw)

This week, Equate Scotland’s annual conference discussed STEM through an intersectional lens. Understanding existing power structures and the contribution that they make to inequality is key to intersectionality. Does the minister agree that we have to continue to improve diversity in STEM, in order to ensure that we benefit from the vast potential in the sector?

Jamie Hepburn (Scottish National Party, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth)

Yes, I agree with that. I place on record my thanks to Equate Scotland for all the work that it does; it plays a tremendously important role in highlighting those issues. We cannot fulfil our potential as a country if we do not allow everyone to make the best use of their talents—STEM is no different in that regard.

Since 2019, Education Scotland’s improving gender balance equalities team has been working with schools and local authorities to effect culture change in schools and to tackle stereotypes and unconscious bias. That work continues to be supported. Since the team was established, it has engaged with more than 1,100 educational establishments. This is an important area, and that work will continue.

Pam Gosal (Conservative, West Scotland)

More than one in 10 jobs in Scotland are now in the digital sector, with an average salary of more than £52,000. However, the number of STEM secondary school teachers has declined since 2008, and there is a downturn in the number of pupils who are choosing STEM subjects. What is the Scottish Government doing to ensure that pupils are leaving school with skill sets that are aligned with high-growth sectors?

Jamie Hepburn (Scottish National Party, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth)

Ms Gosal speaks simultaneously to the opportunity and the challenge—the challenge being that we require to ensure the steady supply of such individuals to take up the opportunities that are in place. Where we have that lack of supply, there are many opportunities for people to take up other jobs in the sector, which can cause challenges in recruiting people for teaching.

That is why we have our £20,000 bursary for career changers, to try to support those who are qualified in STEM areas to come into the teaching profession, why we are continuing to take forward the recommendations that Mark Logan made in his Scottish technology ecosystem review. That includes supporting the teacher-led Scottish teachers advancing computing science project at Glasgow university, along with the provision of additional resources of £1.3 million in the last financial year for schools to transform the teaching of computing science.

Skills Development Scotland (Economic Recovery)

Richard Leonard (Labour, Central Scotland)

8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline the role of Skills Development Scotland in delivering its economic recovery plans. (S6O-01275)

Jamie Hepburn (Scottish National Party, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth)

As outlined in the ministerial letter of guidance issued to the agency for 2022-23, Skills Development Scotland—working with other agencies and partners—will support the delivery of key actions in the national strategy for economic transformation, particularly within the skilled workforce programme. The actions in the skilled workforce programme are designed to ensure that people have the skills that they need at every stage of life to have rewarding careers and that employers invest in the skilled employees they need to grow their businesses.

Richard Leonard (Labour, Central Scotland)

Back in January this year, the Auditor General for Scotland reported to this Parliament that the Scottish Government, for almost five years, had presided over a complete and utter failure to agree a plan for skills for Scotland’s workers. The Scottish Government was rebuked for not giving the “necessary leadership or oversight”

or clarity to deliver that. Urgent action was called for.

Instead, it is six months later and the Government still has no credible skills plan. Workers, employers, trade unions and people who are out of work are still in the dark and Skills Development Scotland is now facing a budget cut of £5.8 million. When is the minister finally going to deliver what he was told that he needed to deliver back in January?

Jamie Hepburn (Scottish National Party, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth)

Of course, Mr Leonard refers to the report that the Public Audit Committee has considered. He knows full well that I am engaged in responding to the report. We have welcomed the recommendations and we are taking them forward.

I would reject the assertion that we have no plan in relation to a programme of delivering skills interventions for the people of Scotland. Through the national strategy for economic transformation, we have a range of commitments to support the provision of skills interventions across a person’s life. We also have the future skills action plan, which we are working towards.

Skills Development Scotland is funded to deliver the core services that it provides. Some services were provided as a one-off intervention and are not being funded now, but SDS has the funding that it requires to get on with the task, as demonstrated by the fact that we saw, for example, a 42 per cent uplift in the number of modern apprenticeship starts last year in comparison to the year before. That says to me that we have a skills system that is delivering.

The Presiding Officer

That concludes portfolio questions. I will allow a moment for members to get themselves into place for the next item of business.

Provisional Outturn 2021-22

Alison Johnstone (Presiding Officer, Lothian)

The next item of business is a statement by Tom Arthur, the Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth, on the provisional outturn for 2021-22. The minister will take questions at the end of his statement, so there should be no interventions or interruptions.

Tom Arthur (Scottish National Party, Renfrewshire South)

I welcome the opportunity to update Parliament on the provisional outturn against the budget for the financial year 2021-22.

The provisional outturn demonstrates once again that this Government has prudently and competently managed Scotland’s finances. This has been another exceptionally challenging year. The Scottish Government has had to respond quickly and decisively to significant challenges: in particular, the on-going impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost of living crisis and the tragic, illegal war in Ukraine. However, our effective and prudent financial management has meant that every penny received by the Scottish Government has been channelled to where it was most needed.

In 2021-22, we spent more than £5.7 billion in relation to Covid. That includes just over £2.6 billion to support health and wider public health initiatives, and around £1.5 billion in business support and self-isolation grants. Part of that business support was a £375 million package that was announced to support firms impacted by the unexpected spread of omicron. Proportionately, that was significantly more than the chancellor announced for the United Kingdom as a whole. We also continued to roll out a highly successful Covid-19 vaccination programme, including those vital third booster doses to combat the unexpected omicron variant.

We spent more than £3.5 billion on social security benefits, including £57 million as we started the game-changing Scottish child payment.

We also committed an additional £4 million of Scottish Government humanitarian aid as the first part of a contribution to support the Ukraine crisis. That supports those in Ukraine affected by the conflict; it also supports vulnerable people while in transit as they are displaced from Ukraine

Looking forward, the Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring that we as a country continue to effectively manage the on-going recovery from Covid and provide stability and support against the impact of the cost of living crisis.

Responding to the pandemic, sharply rising inflation and the cost of living crisis has, once again, put a spotlight on the challenges that we face in managing such volatility within the narrow, restricted fiscal powers that we have. We face the same interrelated challenges as other Governments across the world, but we currently do so without the tools and levers that other Governments have at their disposal.

The current fiscal framework is inadequate and leaves us with an imbalance between the risks to which the Scottish budget is exposed and the levers that we have to manage those risks.

We have uncertainty over our UK Government funding. The UK Government did not confirm our final funding envelope until six weeks before the end of the financial year, and materially changed it, with no prior warning up to that point. That limits our ability to do long-term, optimal planning, and makes efficient and effective deployment of late funding changes extremely challenging.

That is an important point and links directly to the management of the budget and spending well. The total resource funding that was confirmed so late in the year was more than £1.1 billion. Some of that was expected but large elements of it were not. We want to make the most of that funding, and doing so requires managing programmes of spending across our year-end cut-off. That is not underspending; it is maximising the effective use of our budget.

The challenge of managing the volatility in our funding envelope is compounded by a funding model that means that our carry-forward budget between financial years is tightly restricted. Our priorities need to be managed using a multiyear model because, unfortunately, those challenges do not stop at the end of a financial year.

Within strict limits, we also have to manage how much, and for what purpose, the Scottish Government can borrow, which leads us to be overly dependent on UK Government policy. That has been compounded by the UK Government’s decision to remove necessary Covid consequential funding at a time when we undeniably need to continue to provide additional support to our public services.

That is why, until such time as the people of Scotland choose a different constitutional path, we will also continue to make the case to the UK Government for more proportionate financial powers to help manage pressures and volatility in Scotland’s financial position and allow the Scottish Government to respond fully to its priorities. The forthcoming fiscal framework review must take place in that context. A narrow, technical review of the framework will not deliver what the people of Scotland need or want.

I turn to the 2021-22 provisional outturn. Under the current devolution settlement, the Scottish Government is not permitted to overspend its budget. At the same time, the carry-forward of budget between financial years is very limited, meaning that phasing of expenditure between financial years is extremely restricted. The UK Government does not constrain its economy and businesses to manage its finances to one single year, so why does it expect a devolved nation to do so? That is the situation that we currently face in Scotland.

Therefore, a balance needs to be struck to ensure that we maintain spend within our budget limits but do not generate high carry-forwards between financial years that would risk breaching our reserve cap and result in the loss of funding. However, we have, once again, managed to maintain that balance under those strict fiscal constraints. I can report that the provisional fiscal outturn for 2021-22 is £47 billion, against a total fiscal budget of £47.6 billion.

The remaining budget of £650 million, which represents just over 1 per cent of our total budget, has been carried forward in full through the Scotland reserve. It is made up of £421 million of fiscal resource, £183 million of capital and £46 million of finance transactions, which, of course, can be used only for loans or equity investment in entities outside of the public sector.

It is important to note that there is no loss of spending power to the Scottish Government as a result of that carry-forward. As I have said, every penny has been allocated in full, which allows us to implement measures at the most optimal time, rather than being constrained to a single financial year. That is evidenced by the fact that the majority of the carry-forward has already been proactively anticipated in the 2022-23 spending plans that have been approved by the Parliament, including the £324 million that was anticipated in the 2022-23 budget, which was published on 9 December 2021, and the £120 million to support local government costs that was announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy on 27 January during stage 1 of the budget bill process. Of that funding, £265 million is directly linked to late UK Government consequentials, which were finally confirmed only six weeks before the end of the financial year. The remainder represents just 0.4 per cent of our budget, and it is already built into our 2022-23 plans to fund expenditure in 2022-23, with the full budget allocations being disclosed to Parliament as part of our autumn budget revision process.

I highlight that the outturn figures for 2021-22 remain provisional because they are subject to the on-going audit process. Finalised figures will be reported as usual in the annual Scottish Government consolidated accounts, and a statement of total outturn for the financial year 2021-22 will come later this year.

To conclude, the provisional outturn demonstrates that the Scottish Government has maintained a firm grip on Scotland’s public finances in the context of a year with significant challenges. We have delivered on our priorities, maintained the balance of not breaching our fixed budgetary limits and ensured that we have sufficient balances to fund our 2022-23 spending commitments. That is despite the challenges and fiscal restrictions that the UK Government places on us.

I commend today’s figures to Parliament.

The Presiding Officer

The minister will now take questions on the issues raised in his statement. I intend to allow around 20 minutes

for questions, after which we will move on to the next item of business. I would be grateful if members who wish to ask a question could press their request-to-speak button now.

Elizabeth Smith (Conservative, Mid Scotland and Fife)

I thank the minister for prior sight of his statement. There is absolutely no doubt that this remains a very challenging fiscal environment, in which many factors are combining to make the path to recovery uncertain.

It is perfectly true, as the minister said, that the Scottish Government cannot overspend on its budget, but the whole of Scotland wants to know why ministers have not acted on the demands that they themselves have repeatedly made to ensure that both businesses and the public receive financial support as quickly as possible. That is exactly what the cabinet secretary demanded of the UK Government just a few weeks ago, yet, today, we learn that there is a large underspend of £650 million and, yesterday, we learned that the Scottish Government has still not decided, a month on, what to do with the £41 million that it received in Barnett consequentials from the household support fund.

I will ask the minister two questions. First, why, when we have businesses that are collectively struggling with debt, the recruitment crisis and rising costs, and many families are really struggling with the cost of living, is the Scottish National Party not releasing more money now so that it can deal with the current financial constraints?

Secondly, will the minister confirm to Parliament that the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy will make a statement prior to recess to announce how the Scottish Government will spend the £41 million of Barnett consequentials to help low-income families, which she has been sitting on for a month?

Tom Arthur (Scottish National Party, Renfrewshire South)

I trust that the member has received the provisional outturn briefing note for MSPs. I am sure that she will have familiarised herself with the annex to it, which details all our spending on Covid in the past financial year, including in business support.

Over the pandemic, we spent £4.7 billion on business support. That is £500 million more than we received in consequentials from the UK Government. As I said in my statement, all the money in the reserve will be disclosed to Parliament through the autumn budget revision process, which is a formal process for parliamentary approval. Ministers, as always, will appear before the committee as part of that process and be subject to scrutiny. As that concerns future parliamentary business, that will, of course, be a matter for the Parliamentary Bureau to determine.

Daniel Johnson (Labour, Edinburgh Southern)

I, too, thank the minister for early sight of his statement.

Covid and the cost of living crisis necessitate that the Government gets the money that it has out the door as quickly as possible. The minister has cited £5.7 billion of Covid spend, but that is £100 million less than was received in consequentials that year. Indeed, the total in consequentials due to Covid was £14.4 billion over the past two financial years.

Will the minister confirm how much of that £14.4 billion cumulatively has been spent over the past financial years? Also, given the issues that have been raised by Audit Scotland, how much of it remains not just in Scottish Government reserves, but in local authorities, non-departmental public bodies, health boards and integration joint boards?

Finally, I ask the minister for clarification: £650 million is very close to the threshold of what is permitted to be held in the Scotland reserve. Given that the outturn numbers are provisional, is there any risk that that threshold will be breached?

Tom Arthur (Scottish National Party, Renfrewshire South)

On Mr Johnson’s last question, in terms of our management, we have headroom of £50 million. However, he raises an important point, which is the fact that the reserve limits are now out of date. A key issue that will have to be addressed as part of the fiscal framework review is that they are not indexed and they do not increase with inflation or with Scotland’s budget.

As regards the total money in the reserve, I will be happy to confirm it to Daniel Johnson in writing, but there is no carry-forward from any Covid funding into the reserve. The money that was spent in the last financial year has been detailed in the annex to the briefing note for members. Similar publications are available that detail the Covid funding that has taken place in previous years. That information is available, and I am happy to write to him to direct him to it, if that would be helpful.

John Mason (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Shettleston)

I thank the minister for his statement. I thought it was very clear, yet we still have Liz Smith using the words “large underspend”, which I would suggest is somewhat misleading for the public.

Can the minister confirm that the Government has to underspend because it is not allowed to overspend?

Tom Arthur (Scottish National Party, Renfrewshire South)

Yes. The member makes a really important point. That is the fundamental reality, and it would be faced by any party in government. We cannot overspend our budget. If I were standing here reporting that we had spent above it and breached our cap, I am sure that Opposition politicians would, rightly, be criticising me.

It is also important to look at the context. The actual underspend—the money that was not anticipated—was 0.4 per cent of the budget. I draw members’ attention to the fact that the outturn figures that we have for 2020-21 in the other devolved Administrations show that the Northern Irish Government had an underspend of 1.1 per cent and the Welsh Government had an underspend of 0.5 per cent. In England, which also has an underspend for this year, the figure was 6 per cent.

Douglas Lumsden (Conservative, North East Scotland)

The SNP Government recently claimed in its spending review that tackling climate change was one of its key priorities for the rest of the parliamentary session. However, it has now emerged that in the past year there was a £511 million underspend by the SNP Government in that portfolio area. How on earth can the SNP Government claim to be tackling climate change, when it is not using all the financial resources at its disposal?

Tom Arthur (Scottish National Party, Renfrewshire South)

This Government is absolutely committed to tackling climate change, which is why we have introduced world-leading targets. The reality is that many projects have been impacted by a combination of the pandemic, supply chain issues and workforce issues. If the member cares to receive it, I will give him an itemised breakdown of some of the challenges.

Part of the £123 million underspend in resource is ultimately a reflection across the net zero, energy and transport portfolio of improved rail passenger revenue. There was also underspend in relation to the northern isles ferries, due to lower fuel costs.

On capital, there was a significant underspend in energy. That is ultimately a reflection of the fact that all capital delivery programmes are demand led and have been severely hampered by continuing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

On financial transactions, a majority of the underspend within the NZET portfolio is in energy, where loan income was higher than anticipated.

Michelle Thomson (Scottish National Party, Falkirk East)

As the minister has outlined, the pandemic caused considerable uncertainty in budgeting, with a need to respond quickly to rapidly changing circumstances. He mentioned the additional uncertainty caused by late notice—or, indeed, lack of engagement—from the UK Government in terms of when funding could be expected.

I note that, despite that uncertainty, Audit Scotland concluded in its recent report, “Scotland’s financial response to Covid-19”, that

“The Scottish Government ... managed its overall budget”

well. That said, can the minister advise what lessons can be taken from the experience of public spending during the crisis and what changes could be made to better manage such uncertainty?

Tom Arthur (Scottish National Party, Renfrewshire South)

The pandemic has brought into sharp focus the existing deficiencies in the fiscal framework. Unlike other countries around the world, we cannot respond quickly to emerging needs by borrowing. That leaves us overly dependent on decisions taken by the UK Government. I think that we can all remember specific moments during the pandemic when that posed very severe challenges. Being reliant on consequentials, with little clarity and certainty over their scale and timing, makes response and recovery planning extremely difficult.

Existing fiscal powers are also being eroded over time by inflation, as I touched on. Key borrowing powers and reserve limits within the fiscal framework are currently set at nominal cash values and hence are not protected in real terms from a growing tax base. As I said earlier, the fiscal framework review must consider the challenges that we face as a result of those fixed nominal limits on current borrowing and reserve powers, as their real-time effectiveness continues to deteriorate over time.

Paul Sweeney (Labour, Glasgow)

The minister knows full well the scale of the cost of living crisis and the misery that millions of people are living through at the moment. The reality is that people need that underspend money in their pockets, not sitting in a Scottish Government reserve being saved for a rainy day. Will the minister tell us why he believes that it is appropriate—or, indeed, fiscally prudent—for the Scottish Government recently to announce the potential loss of up to 30,000 public sector jobs during this cost of living crisis, while sitting on an excessive £420 million resource underspend? That money could be used right now to alleviate the hardship faced by millions of households across Scotland.

Tom Arthur (Scottish National Party, Renfrewshire South)

It is money that is going to be used. It was anticipated in the budget last December and the full process for disclosing how that money will be allocated to current and on-going commitments will take place, as it always does, as part of the budget process at the budget revisions. That is just how things normally operate in Parliament and that is what we will continue to do.

I want to work collaboratively and constructively on the cost of living crisis. We saw a great example of that in the debate yesterday afternoon, when we sought agreement among parties across the chamber—the agreement of not just one party, but most parties—on taking measures to help people.

The reality is that every penny in the reserve is committed to spending in this financial year. That is exactly the action that we will take, and we will disclose that spending, as we always do, through the budget revision process.

Stuart McMillan (Scottish National Party, Greenock and Inverclyde)

I thank the minister for the statement and the clarity regarding the substantial sums that were allocated to business support during the pandemic. It was clearly vital that effective systems were in place to detect and prevent fraud. In comparison, the Westminster’s Public Accounts Committee found that billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money would be lost to fraud and error as a result of the United Kingdom Government’s approach. Can the minister provide any further information about what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of systems that the Scottish Government put in place to detect and prevent fraud in its business support schemes?

Tom Arthur (Scottish National Party, Renfrewshire South)

The risk of fraud was mitigated through a number of control mechanisms that were built into the design and delivery of the business support schemes. For example, local authorities were asked to administer many of the grants that were based on non-domestic rates, given their existing administrative capabilities, including fraud detection and prevention. That meant that local authorities could use an existing, well-established and robust dataset and other information relevant to determining eligibility to enable a large number of businesses to be paid quickly, with appropriate checks in place to mitigate fraud.

In late 2021, the Scottish Government undertook a retrospective fraud risk review on 11 major business support funds that were administered by local authorities and other bodies. The review concluded that there was reasonable assurance in relation to the fraud risk for business support and that appropriate controls were in place. That work is reflected in our unqualified consolidated 2020-21 accounts opinion. The Auditor General for Scotland recognised that the fraud estimate was reasonable and he acknowledged the actions that the Scottish Government had taken to minimise fraud risk.

It is the delivery partners’ responsibility to recover payments that have been made fraudulently. The Scottish Government’s initial work on consideration of assurance in relation to fraud risk found comprehensive fraud prevention measures in place in local authorities, together with experience of managing fraud risk in areas such as local taxation and the application of exemptions.

There were high numbers of rejected applications in the larger schemes that local authorities delivered, which indicates proper scrutiny at the point of application.

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Liberal Democrat, Edinburgh Western)

With the crisis in our national health service and in social care, the cost of living crisis and businesses struggling to pay the bills, particularly in the aftermath of Covid, every pound needs to be put to work—and fast.

I echo the words of Liz Smith, who said that the Government could not afford to sit on that money: we need to get it out the door as quickly as possible. It is important that the Scottish Government properly account for how the Covid funding was used. We heard something about fraud detection in the previous answer, but lots of money will have been lost to fraud or mistakenly distributed by the Government.

Can the minister provide further analysis to the Parliament and an update on how much the Government has lost to fraud or error? Can he outline the steps that are being taken to reclaim the money and how many people the Government has working on the issue at this time?

Tom Arthur (Scottish National Party, Renfrewshire South)

As I referred to in my response to Mr McMillan, we utilised delivery partners, and recovery will be their responsibility. Based on available data and several other factors, we believe that the estimated level of undetected fraud was around 1 to 2 per cent of overall spend. However, the available data tells us that, of the fraud that was detected, a loss of around £600,000 was realised as of April 2021. The total spend for the largest local authority to deliver schemes at that time was £1.6 billion, so our estimate of 1 to 2 per cent would have put fraud at £16 million to £32 million.

We are currently working with delivery partners and Audit Scotland to improve our estimates based on an improved understanding and management of fraud risk; to improve consistency and quality in the capture of data on fraud and error; and to increase post-delivery testing of control effectiveness. The output of that work will form part of the Scottish Government’s 2021-22 consolidated accounts.

Kenneth Gibson (Scottish National Party, Cunninghame North)

I understand that the UK lost £12 billion to furlough fraud alone.

The need for a fiscal framework review has been reinforced through the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis. The situation has clearly demonstrated how difficult it is for Scottish ministers to act without sufficient fiscal powers, often with late notice and a lack of engagement regarding Barnett consequentials.

Can the minister provide an update on the Scottish Government’s latest engagement with its UK counterparts with regard to the fiscal framework review and the changes that it hopes to see as a result of that review?

Tom Arthur (Scottish National Party, Renfrewshire South)

We are clear that the review should be broad in scope and should consider not only the operation of the framework to date but the balance of risk and whether further levers are required to grow Scotland’s tax base and support economic recovery. The review must ensure that the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament have the necessary powers to manage the risks that we face within our devolved responsibilities and to support that economic recovery.

I understand that the joint Exchequer committee will meet later this month and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy will discuss further arrangements for the review with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Ariane Burgess (Green, Highlands and Islands)

The pandemic and the cost of living crisis have had, and continue to have, extremely harsh impacts on the Scottish public sector and on our economy generally. Those crises show the need for reflexive fiscal powers to deal with the shocks that affect Scotland uniquely.

Does the minister agree that the outturn statement illustrates the increasing extent to which the fiscal framework and devolution settlement generally fail to meet Scotland’s needs? How would independence ensure that Scotland has all the fiscal levers and flexibility that it needs to invest in its own vision of a green recovery?

Tom Arthur (Scottish National Party, Renfrewshire South)

There is a really important point in that question. First, we have the upcoming fiscal framework review, as I referred to in my response to Mr Gibson. I will not repeat what I stated then, but it is clear that we need movement. When the fiscal framework was agreed, it was recognised that there should be a review—that in itself was an admission and an understanding that that would be a process and an event.

There are a number of areas on which, regardless of our constitutional views, we should be able to unite across the chamber, for example on expanding borrowing powers, expanding flexibilities around the reserve and ensuring that limits and caps move with inflation. Those are simple, straightforward measures.

There are further things that we could do to enhance the powers of the Parliament through the fiscal framework review, including full powers over income tax, full devolution of national insurance and devolution of VAT. However, Ariane Burgess is absolutely correct to say that the best option for Scotland, and the option that the people of Scotland will be presented with in the near future, is that of becoming an independent country.

Alexander Stewart (Conservative, Mid Scotland and Fife)

We understand that the figures are provisional, but it is crucial that we get the detail when it comes to social justice, housing and local government. Will the minister comment further on how the spending will be broken down, given the tight financial difficulties that local government faces?

Tom Arthur (Scottish National Party, Renfrewshire South)

If Alexander Stewart is asking specifically about the outturn figures for local government, he will note that there is a £210 million overspend in resource. That was a reflection of money transferred from the finance and economy portfolio for a range of measures, such as business support and employability.

If Alexander Stewart is asking about the variance on capital spend, which is similar to the case for capital across the board, it is specifically focused on the affordable housing programme and is a reflection of the challenges in supply chains and workforce that have emanated from the pandemic and impacted the construction sector.

I hope that that provides the detail that Alexander Stewart was looking for on that portfolio.

Kaukab Stewart (Scottish National Party, Glasgow Kelvin)

Brexit continues to have a substantial economic impact on the UK and Scotland. Will the minister provide further information about the assessment that the Scottish Government has made of the impact of Brexit on Scotland’s economy? Will he say more about the steps that the Scottish Government is taking to mitigate the impact of Brexit on Scotland’s public finances?

Tom Arthur (Scottish National Party, Renfrewshire South)

It is six years to the day since Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the European Union, and we are closer to rejoining the EU now than we were on the day when we were forced to leave.

We know that Brexit is contributing to the 19th consecutive monthly rise in prices that are charged by businesses in Scotland, and that it is causing UK food prices to increase by more than 6 per cent, hitting the poorest families hardest and contributing to the cost of living crisis.

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the UK will have the lowest growth among G20 countries, apart from sanctioned Russia, and the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts that Brexit will hurt our gross domestic product growth twice as much as the pandemic will have done. Brexit has direct implications for public finances through lowering our working-age population and GDP, resulting in lower Government revenues in the long run.

Since 2019, Scotland’s goods exports have fallen by 20 per cent, which has been largely driven by a decline in oil and gas exports. It amounts to a falling goods trade with the EU of 16 per cent, whereas trade with non-EU countries has dropped by only 4 per cent.

Even as Scotland tries to cope with the fallout of the reckless hard Brexit, the UK Government is irresponsibly risking a trade war with the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol. That, once again, reinforces the need for this Parliament and country to become independent.

The Presiding Officer

Thank you. That concludes the ministerial statement on the provisional outturn 2021-22. There will be a brief pause before we move on to the next item of business.

Medication Assisted Treatment Standards

Annabelle Ewing (Scottish National Party, Cowdenbeath)

The next item of business is a statement by Angela Constance on medication assisted treatment standards. The minister will take questions at the end of her statement, so there should be no interventions or interruptions.

Angela Constance (Scottish National Party, Almond Valley)

Every life that is lost to drugs is as tragic as it is unacceptable. I offer my condolences to everyone who has felt such a loss, and I offer my determination to turn the tide of this public health emergency.

Families and people with life experience of drug and alcohol problems tell me that there must be a commitment to change and accountability at the very heart of our national mission, and at all levels from the front line to national leaders. I agree, which is why Public Health Scotland has published today’s comprehensive “National benchmarking report on implementation of the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards 2021/22”.

I will spend but little time on the areas in which progress has been made, welcome though that progress is. I want to make it clear to Parliament that the overall pace and scale of change is neither good enough nor quick enough.

The medication assisted treatment standards, which were published in May 2021, are designed to give clear criteria and principles to help care providers, and those who will benefit from services, to understand what must be on offer to support people in their MAT and in recovery. The standards should not just be considered as “nice to have”. My view is unequivocal—they must be delivered.

The standards are a demonstration of our commitment to a whole-system approach to care, and are fundamental to our rights-based approach in Scotland.

In recognition of the ambitious challenge that I set local areas through our national mission, we are providing more than £10 million per year in funding for local areas to implement the standards, and we established the MAT implementation support team to provide consistent support across the country. We are providing more practical and financial support than ever before.

The Public Health Scotland report gives us, for the first time, an area-by-area breakdown of where each alcohol and drug partnership is on implementing the standards, with particular in-depth focus on key standards 1 to 5. They are the standards on same-day treatment, informed choice of treatment, assertive outreach, harm reduction support alongside treatment, and making sure that treatment lasts for as long as people want it.

The report also summarises progress on MAT standards 6 to 10. Less data is available on those standards, which rely more on experiential feedback from people who are in services.

Of the 145 indicators; 26 have not been implemented, 25 have been implemented in full, and 94 are partially implemented. That shows that standards are being embedded and implemented on the ground, particularly in relation to informed choice, proactive identification of those who are at risk, harm reduction and keeping people in treatment. In many cases, the service standards are in place within an area, but are not consistent across the whole area for all people.

I am most concerned about the lack of progress against MAT standard 1. All the standards are crucially important and connected, but access to same-day treatment is life saving. In that regard, the Borders, where I visited recently, stands out as a beacon of what can be achieved, so my challenge to other areas is simple: “If the Borders can do it, why can’t you?”

The report includes eight detailed recommendations and some actions that are already being taken. As well as achieving implementation of the original standards themselves, we cannot stand still. The standards will also have to be developed to make them more bespoke for young people, for women and for custodial settings. The recommendations call for immediate improvement plans to set out how each local area will achieve full implementation. Those plans are being developed with ADPs and will be published in August.

I cannot stress enough how vital it is that ADPs fully implement the MAT standards—in particular, standard 1, which is on same-day treatment. We all want people to have the right to treatment, but that right will be for nothing if services are not in place. That is why I am, today, using powers of direction that are available to Scottish ministers under the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 to compel local partners to implement the standards.

The ministerial direction has been issued to all health boards, integration authorities and local authorities. It spells out what must be achieved and the oversight arrangements that I am putting in place to hold local leaders to account for implementing the MAT standards fully. The Scottish Government, the Parliament and, most important, communities require a whole-system response across those three partners, and oversight of that will now be done through the following measures.

Improvement plans for implementing the standards will be required in all areas. We will require that they be signed by all chief executives and chief officers. The plans will be informed by the local assessments that are being published in August to supplement the benchmarking report.

The chief executives and chief officers will have shared and visible responsibility for delivering the MAT standards, and they will identify one senior leader to take responsibility for driving the necessary changes and reporting on progress. Most will be expected to deliver quarterly reports on progress. However, for areas that are of particular concern, where drug death rates are particularly high—today’s report shows that MAT standard 1, on same-day treatment, has not been delivered—those reports will be monthly.

The new oversight arrangements that I am putting in place will also strengthen accountability to communities, through the involvement of lived and living experience in the quarterly or monthly reporting that is now required. If necessary, we may also consider further powers to intervene through implementation of the national care service, which will introduce a more formal single framework of accountability. I will provide Parliament with regular updates on progress on implementation of the new arrangements and oversight of implementation.

I do not want to give the impression that no progress has been made. It is clear that some areas are on that journey, including East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. In West Lothian, which I visited today, the Change Grow Live recovery service in Bathgate, which is part of the West Lothian Drug and Alcohol Service, offers same-day treatment, so it has implemented MAT standard 1. I know that that change has made a huge difference to the people who are being supported there. The challenge that lies ahead for West Lothian and other areas is to scale up the level of service across the whole council area.

ADPs and local partnerships are taking forward innovations to help to address drug deaths. One innovation that I know is of interest to Parliament is potential use of safer drug-consumption facilities. I have previously made it clear that we would support work to make such facilities available within the constraints and limits of the law on drugs, which is currently reserved.

Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership has been developing such a proposal for some time. It has engaged extensively, and I thank it for its work. Following detailed partnership working between the Scottish Government, the health and social care partnership, Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, details of a new service specification have been developed and shared with the COPFS. The specification, which seeks to meet the parameters that were set out in the Lord Advocate’s statement on 3 November, will now be considered by the COPFS. If appropriate, it will then be referred to the Lord Advocate for consideration of any related statement of prosecution policy.

To improve services and embed standards, we need to have the necessary workforce in place. That is why the majority of the £10 million per year funding is targeted at recruiting more than 100 additional staff who will be able to offer services that meet the MAT standards. That increase in staffing is part of our national mission planning for further workforce recruitment and development. I intend to return to Parliament in the autumn to set out our plan to expand and upskill the workforce. Over this summer, we will draw on the experience of people who are at the heart of workforce policy, as part of the expert group, to help to develop and implement the necessary planning.

The standards are not optional extras; they are essential to getting more people into the protection of life-saving treatment more quickly. I pay tribute to local leaders, families, people with lived and living experience, and members of the voluntary sector, who have worked together to deliver demonstrable change on the ground, where it matters most. I thank the MAT standards implementation team for its continuing hands-on support, which it works alongside local areas to provide, and I thank Public Health Scotland for its vital report.

MAT standards are about delivering faster and more responsive services, but they are also about changing hearts and minds, and tackling stigma and discrimination. MAT standards are empowering people to demand the treatment that they deserve. There is no going back—we can now only go forward.

We all need to dig deep to do the hard miles ahead. All senior leaders within and outside Government must pick up the pace and deliver a public health response to this public health emergency, and they must do it now.

The Deputy Presiding Officer

The minister will now take questions on issues that were raised in her statement. I intend to allow around 20 minutes for questions, after which we will move to the next item of business. It would be helpful if members who wish to ask a question would press their request-to-speak buttons now.

Sue Webber (Conservative, Lothian)

I thank the minister for advance sight of her statement, and I acknowledge the challenging comments that she has made today about progress on the standards.

The statement has laid bare the damning truth that a critical target has been missed. Drug-related deaths are Scotland’s national shame, yet this Government’s actions have once again fallen short and families continue to be let down. Although a target was set last year to ensure that the MAT standards would be fully embedded across the country by April 2022, the report shows that that target was nothing more than a pipe dream. Only 17 per cent of the standards have been fully implemented and, shamefully, MAT standard 1 has been implemented in only one ADP area—the Borders. That is a 97 per cent failure rate.

The new recommendation from Public Health Scotland is to push the target back by a year and water it down; it is that only half the standards are to be implemented by April 2023, with only partial implementation for the others.

Across Scotland, there has been unwarranted variation in implementation of the standards. There can be no clearer illustration of that than the statistics on drug-related deaths that were released last week, which show welcome declines in Glasgow but mask increases in deaths in Edinburgh, Fife, and Dumfries and Galloway. What urgent steps is the Government taking to end that postcode lottery? What support will the minister offer to the ADPs that have fallen so far behind?

Angela Constance (Scottish National Party, Almond Valley)

The report by Public Health Scotland does not pull its punches or mince its words, and nor will I. I say again that progress is not good enough or fast enough.

There are, obviously, responsibilities within Government, but some responsibilities lie on the shoulders of people outwith Government. I have today announced immediate action on issuing letters of ministerial direction, which are not just asking. I have also announced the important improvement plans and the reporting oversight arrangements that will now be in place. In some instances, reports will be required monthly. That is all about driving faster and more consistent progress.

The Public Health Scotland report shows that some areas have—despite the challenging environment that everyone is working in—been successful in implementing changes, or are well along on that journey. We must pick up the pace, because people across Scotland deserve consistent services.

I am well aware of the commitments that I have made as a Government minister, and of what I have said should have happened regarding those statements. I will continue to set the very highest standards, based on the highest expectations, and I will continue to provide both financial and practical support. I will continue to be accountable to Parliament and to do everything that I can to overcome every challenge and difficulty that gets in our way, because we have a national mission that is about saving and improving lives. Some of our people are dying, and we must remember every day that those deaths are preventable.

Claire Baker (Labour, Mid Scotland and Fife)

The number of drug deaths in Scotland remains too high: in the past 14 years, more than 11,000 people have died preventable deaths.

Today’s publication of the benchmarking report is welcome, but its content is not: it is a disaster. A year ago, the minister talked about embedding and implementing the MAT standards within a year, and the First Minister said 18 months ago that there would be rapid implementation. Those claims are now in tatters. A year later, we see abject lack of delivery of what was promised, and a flagship policy that is now in disarray. It is appalling that, after all the promises that were made, only one ADP is fully delivering same-day prescribing, while almost 60 per cent are making no progress.

Although the minister talks of powers to compel delivery, she must take responsibility for the difficulties that are still being identified by the sector. ADPs are concerned about insufficient funding for delivery, a burned-out workforce and a lack of staff.

Can we really have confidence that standards 1 to 5 will be implemented by next June, when progress in the past year has been so slow? How can the minister give an implementation date of 2025 for standards 6 to 10? That is unacceptable.

Angela Constance (Scottish National Party, Almond Valley)

The level of detail in this first benchmarking report means that there is no hiding place for either national leaders or local leaders. That is why we will continue to invest £10 million per annum, most of which is going to support the workforce.

The recommendations in the report are recommendations that Public Health Scotland published prior to my announcement today on the immediate action that we are taking in and around ministerial direction. I, for one, want to see much quicker progress being made. I will, of course, be reporting back to Parliament and making sure that we follow the investment—investment that has increased by 67 per cent, according to Audit Scotland—that has been secured since 2014-15 as a result of the national mission.

Public Health Scotland is very clear about the role of leadership, and not just at the national level. I am not asking people to do something that I will not do myself. However, it is very clear that we need a whole-system approach and leadership right across the public sector—from national health service boards, from local authorities and from integration authorities, in particular. Each and every one of us now has to step up to the plate.

I have announced immediate action that will take place, and once we have seen the improvement assessments and improvement plans, I will certainly come back to Parliament later in the year to provide further updates.

Stuart McMillan (Scottish National Party, Greenock and Inverclyde)

The MAT standards emphasise a multipronged approach to treatment and residential rehabilitation as one potential course for support. In the work to ensure that the MAT standards are met, will there also be oversight of ADPs’ efforts to increase access to residential rehab?

Angela Constance (Scottish National Party, Almond Valley)

Yes. There is already oversight from the Government, through an evaluation and monitoring programme, of our investment in residential rehab. There has been an uplift to ADPs of £20 million, and a portion of that is specifically identified for residential rehab placements and, crucially, aftercare.

When I reported to Parliament two statements ago, I think, I confirmed that 326 placements had been funded through ADPs in the first nine months of last year. Figures on this are available area by area, and Mr McMillan will be able to check on the progress that is being made in Inverclyde. One of the purposes of our gathering and publishing more data than ever before is to enable members of this Parliament to scrutinise what is happening in their areas, as well as to scrutinise the Government.

Our overall target is that, over the next five years—over this parliamentary session—we want to see at least 1,000 people being publicly funded for their residential rehabilitation placements.

Sandesh Gulhane (Conservative, Glasgow)

Overall, nearly three quarters of alcohol and drug partnerships were unable to provide documented policies, guidelines and standard operating procedures that were sufficient to demonstrate full and consistent implementation of the MAT standards. Shockingly, no data was provided for 14 per cent of standards. I quote directly from the report:

“There is a risk that, as a result of systems to collect numerical and experiential information not being set up, data for improvement work is not available and the improvement cannot take place.”

Over a year after the standards were drafted, it is shocking that there is still no standardised method of data collection and that improvement work cannot take place because those systems have not been set up. Why is that the case? As the minister knows, standardisation of data collection is key to knowing what is going on across Scotland. Did we not know—

The Deputy Presiding Officer

Dr Gulhane, are you coming to the end of your question for the minister?

Sandesh Gulhane (Conservative, Glasgow)

Absolutely. What work is the Government undertaking to correct those identified flaws?

The Deputy Presiding Officer

Thank you.

Angela Constance (Scottish National Party, Almond Valley)

The point that Mr Gulhane makes about data is certainly not lost on me—I assure him of that. Nonetheless, despite the difficulties or the frustrations that Public Health Scotland has faced in relation to data, it has for the first time produced a benchmarking report that, to be blunt, is a warts-and-all assessment of what is happening in every ADP, local authority and health board area.

I make the point that data is important, as we are not relying solely on self-reporting, therefore a range of work is on-going, both within and outwith Government, to strengthen the data. That is partly through the drug and alcohol information system—DAISy—and partly through the measures that I announced at the end of last year on the national drug-related deaths database and data linkages. Other studies are taking place in emergency departments, to help us with quicker warning systems about what is happening on the ground.

The point in the report that really strikes me is that, in many areas, people still need to get with the programme on the role and importance of experiential data. We can collect people’s operational policies, which are important, and we can collect numbers and data, which are also important. However, what else is important is the experience of folk on the ground. Local areas need to speak to local people about their experience of which services are, or are not, meeting their needs.

The Deputy Presiding Officer

Before I call the next member, I point out that eight members wish to ask questions. I would like to take all of those, but to do so we must have shorter questions and answers.

Audrey Nicoll (Scottish National Party, Aberdeen South and North Kincardine)

The creation of a national care service might provide opportunities to give greater statutory oversight of ADPs in the delivery of MAT standards. Now that the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill has been introduced, will the minister outline what steps will be taken to determine whether greater statutory powers are needed in this area?

Angela Constance (Scottish National Party, Almond Valley)

There is a bit of a twin-track approach here. First, there is the work that is going on around the national care service. I am a proponent of having such a service. I also want drug and alcohol services to be covered by the national care service, because it is important that we have a single framework of accountability. The national care service could be a really important vehicle for delivery of person-centred care and the provision of joined-up services. It is not good enough that folk are bouncing about between services, whether they be for addiction or mental health issues.

The work that we are doing on MAT in relation to local assessments of needed improvements, which will be published in August, and the quarterly or monthly reporting cycles that are now required of all agencies will certainly feed into our work on building a national care service to ensure that we end the postcode lottery and can deliver consistency of care to people afflicted by drug and alcohol problems.

Paul Sweeney (Labour, Glasgow)

I welcome the news that there has been progress on the work that is being done on overdose prevention centres. The minister and I whole-heartedly agree that those centres are desperately needed, particularly in a city like Glasgow. My proposed member’s bill on drug deaths prevention is out for consultation at present.

However, what Glasgow also needs is full implementation of the MAT standards to which the Government has committed.

I find it appalling that Glasgow—the city with the highest drug death rate in Scotland—has not fully implemented a single MAT standard by the target date. I accept that the minister has said that that is not good enough, but what exactly are she and the Scottish Government doing to turn it around? Every time that we miss the target, more people are dying. No amount of warm words will fix that.

Angela Constance (Scottish National Party, Almond Valley)

I would have thought that I had demonstrated to Mr Sweeney that I am prepared to do the hard miles when it comes to issues such as safer drug consumption rooms. We have worked steadfastly on those, and our work will now be scrutinised and a decision will be taken elsewhere.

I think that I have also demonstrated in my statement today not just warm words, but tough words of action. We will dig deep and do the hard miles. When it comes to implementing MAT standards, I am not asking and I am not taking no for an answer.

Joe FitzPatrick (Scottish National Party, Dundee City West)

I know that the minister will be disappointed that she has had to take the measures announced in her statement. However, we should not lose sight of the excellent work that is taking place across Scotland. Just last week, I visited the Lochee hub, in my constituency. It is supported by significant Scottish Government funding, via the Corra Foundation, to deliver the five-tier recovery programme that is aligned with the MAT standards. I invite the minister to join me in a visit to the hub. Will she provide an update on the range of support that is being provided to Dundee to fully implement the MAT standards? Can she say anything about discussions on the potential provision of drug checking and heroin-assisted treatment in the city?

Angela Constance (Scottish National Party, Almond Valley)

There is a lot in that question, but I say to Joe FitzPatrick that I am no stranger to the good city of Dundee and I very much look forward to an invitation to visit the Lochee community hub or, indeed, anywhere that members would like to invite me to.

I have engaged with the Dundee drugs commission and the Dundee ADP—my officials continue to be in discussion with the partnership. Through the medication assisted treatment implementation support team—MIST—we have provided programme management support to assist the implementation of MAT standards. We are funding work in primary care that relates to MAT standard 7 and, of course, we have been in discussion with Dundee and other areas of Scotland in and around the provision of heroin-assisted treatment. Of course, we need to turn interest into commitments with regard to some of those initiatives and others, but I very much look forward to continuing to support the good city of Dundee. I know that work is also under way to establish a pilot drug-checking facility.

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Liberal Democrat, Edinburgh Western)

The minister knows that she and I share a lot of common ground on this issue and that I want her to succeed. However, I am disappointed by today’s statement and by the explanations that have been given. I say that because she is doing exactly what she has criticised others for in the past, which is blaming staff. I also say that because, yesterday, a whistleblower approached my party to say that the reason why many of the MAT standards have not been delivered or data accurately collated is that the Scottish Government made money available to achieve them only very recently. Can the minister tell Parliament right now when that money was released?

Angela Constance (Scottish National Party, Almond Valley)

I have come to the chamber a number of times to outline action on a range of issues, and I have also, a number of times—verbally, in and outwith the chamber, and in writing—given the assurance that, as I have continuity of funding, that continuity of funding is also passed on to ADPs and front-line services. In addition, we have delivered five-year or multiyear funding opportunities for the voluntary sector. I assure Alex Cole-Hamilton that, where there are blockages in the system, I will get in about it and unblock them. I am sure that people have received funding, because I certainly recall signing letters confirming funding. People should have received those funds. If they have not, I will check what is happening.

I say to Alex Cole-Hamilton that I am not taking a dig at staff or front-line workers. The Public Health Scotland report says:

“Commitment and senior leadership from Health and Social Care Partnerships will be necessary to allocate the resource that is required for successful implementation.”

I know what money I am putting out the door, and I am determined to follow that money to ensure that it gets to the front line and does not sit in reserves anywhere. There is no point in putting money away for a rainy day if you do not use it when there is a rainy day. The present circumstance is more than a rainy day, and money that is allocated by this Government needs to be committed and spent.

The Deputy Presiding Officer

Four more members wish to ask a question. I will not get all of them in unless we now have succinct questions and answers.

Jenni Minto (Scottish National Party, Argyll and Bute)

Will the minister outline the next steps that she understands the Crown Office and the Lord Advocate will take to consider the proposals for a safer consumption facility?

Angela Constance (Scottish National Party, Almond Valley)

I will be brief. If Jenni Minto wants further information, I will be happy to discuss the issue further with her.

Those proposals are now with the Crown Office, and it is for the Crown Office to submit them to the Lord Advocate. It would be somewhat inappropriate for me to comment any further than that, other than to thank partners including Police Scotland, the Glasgow city ADP and, indeed, my officials and the Crown Office officials, who worked hard to get a specification together and meet what was required, which was outlined when the Lord Advocate attended the Criminal Justice Committee on 3 November 2021.