Official Report 858KB pdf
Good afternoon, colleagues. The first item of business is general question time. A lot of members wish to ask supplementaries in addition to the published questions. Those who ask supplementaries should please make them as concise as possible, and it would help if ministerial answers were also as concise as possible.
Rape and Attempted Rape
We asked a similar question to this one on Tuesday. Maybe the cabinet secretary will be able to give us a better answer than the First Minister did. The question is, to ask the Scottish Government what action—
You are supposed to ask what is written on the paper. Please do not ad lib at the beginning of a question. Thank you.
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the increase in reported and attempted rapes throughout Scotland. (S7O-00164)
As the First Minister said this week, the Government is very concerned about the rise in violence against women and girls, and he will provide personal leadership in tackling that scourge in society. We will continue to support services and prevention programmes, improve survivor support and strengthen the justice system’s ability to bring perpetrators to justice, in which there has been success over recent years. We will also invest in targeted interventions, including a multiyear public health campaign, to challenge and change problematic misogynistic attitudes in boys and young men, so that they understand their harmful influences and behaviour before it escalates and women and girls are harmed.
Maybe one of the reasons why we have had such an increase in rape cases in Scotland is the Scottish Government’s soft-touch approach to rapists. It was this Scottish National Party-led Government that put rapists into the female prison estate, and it is this SNP Government that is now being propped up by the Scottish Greens, whose spokesperson for rapists claims that rapists have been demonised and that rape is a spectrum.
I will give the cabinet secretary an easy question to answer, because I am such a nice guy. Can he please update the Scottish Parliament on the Scottish Government’s inquiry into the organised mass rape of children? It appears that there has been no progress whatsoever since February this year.
In answer to the latter part of that question, there were publications out this morning from the range of inspectorates involved. Mr Smith might want to avail himself of those so that he can be updated on the progress.
On the first part of his question, that is demonstrably untrue. The average sentences for all cases of rape and sexual assault have risen substantially in recent years, as have the number of successful investigations and prosecutions led by the police and the Crown, for which they should be commended. The very fact that we have a burgeoning prison population that is at emergency levels is because of the increase in the long-term prison population, which has been driven by the prosecution of sexual offences. Therefore, what he is pointing out is demonstrably untrue.
What action, in addition to the public health campaign that the Scottish Government has put in the programme for government, is the Government taking to address the root causes of sexual violence across Scotland? Does it recognise that certain groups—namely, refugee and asylum-seeking communities—are currently being wrongly blamed, without evidence, for an increase in sexual violence, when the evidence shows that the majority of sexual violence takes place in our homes?
There is a significant amount of misinformation and disinformation from those who would seek to divide us about the drivers of sexual offences and violence against women and girls—Holly Bruce is right in that regard. We must work on ensuring that we continue to have strong community cohesion, and that is part of the programme for government.
We will continue to focus on the areas that are the key drivers of violence against women and girls—namely, the actions of men—and to ensure that we have better education, better support services and a better public protection landscape so that we can address those issues.
Monklands Replacement Project
To ask the Scottish Government whether, when briefed by officials on the full business case for the Monklands replacement project in March 2026, the then Minister for Public Health considered the £2.1 billion proposal to be at risk of rejection. (S7O-00165)
I reiterate that the case for the new hospital is well made and has not been rejected. Indeed, I visited the new site during summer recess and reiterated that a new Monklands hospital will be built at Wester Moffat. Work is already progressing with NHS Lanarkshire on refreshed design plans.
As I am sure the member will note from recent freedom of information returns, the Government had not fully completed the assurance of the full business case prior to the dissolution of Parliament. Advice to the minister in March noted that point and made it clear that further advice would follow, after those processes were complete. The business case was sent to the health and social care management board on 25 March 2026. Thereafter, we entered the pre-election period. On the formation of the new Government and following further advice, I assessed the business case and made the decision to pause and instruct the redesign to ensure value for money for the public purse.
NHS Lanarkshire submitted its £2.1 billion full business case in December 2025, but ministers did not announce the decision to reset the project until seven weeks after the election. The Government presented Monklands as a major capital project during the election only to send it back to the drawing board after votes had been counted. Why were the people of Lanarkshire not told before the election if there were serious affordability concerns? When did ministers first know that plans were going back to the drawing board?
Substantial information on the matter has, of course, been put in the public domain, and I made an important statement to the Parliament before recess.
It has always been the case that projects of such scale take time to consider fully and to take through the appropriate internal governance and assurance processes, as the public would expect when such significant amounts of public money are involved. In March, the project was still going through various internal assessments and the business case was not ready to proceed for decision before the Scottish Government entered the pre-election period.
For the record, I am 100 per cent focused on the delivery of this much-needed new hospital. I note that the Scottish National Party was the only party to have a commitment to the University hospital Monklands in its manifesto.
I wrote to the new Cabinet Secretary for Justice on 7 August on the back of the recent investigation by the Scottish Mail on Sunday, which reported that the Scottish Government was warned by national health service officials about several significant issues relating to the replacement Monklands hospital. That happened in March. Did the former health secretary know about NHS Scotland Assure’s concerns back in March while he was out campaigning for a new Monklands hospital in his Airdrie seat? Why is the former Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs letting the former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care off the hook?
I remind Ms Gallacher that Neil Gray was recused from decisions in relation to the replacement hospital. I also remind her, with respect, that I made the decision to call a halt and ask for the redesign on the basis of affordability, as the cost to the public purse would have been in excess of £2 billion. Nonetheless, I am 100 per cent committed to delivering a new hospital for Lanarkshire on the Wester Moffat site with core services, including accident and emergency.
If Ms Gallacher has further questions, I would be more than happy to meet or correspond with her.
Those of us who smelled a rat during the election campaign were right. The people of Lanarkshire were hoodwinked over Monklands. Given what we now know, how can they have any confidence that the SNP Government will build a new hospital? When will it be built and what is the budget?
I look forward to Mr Simpson attending the opening of the new hospital in Lanarkshire. As I have said on a number of occasions, I will bust a gut to ensure that plans for the redesign are before me by next year. The indicative plan is to commence building in 2028.
People with Complex Needs (Support and Care)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that people with complex needs, including mental ill health and problematic substance use, receive joined-up support and continuity of care. (S7O-00166)
Ensuring that people with complex needs receive joined-up support is a priority for the Government. Through engagement with people with lived and living experience and front-line services, we know that people who use substances continue to face barriers to accessing mental health support.
Through the mental health and substance use protocol and medication assisted treatment standards, we are improving co-ordination across services. Our service renewal framework and alcohol and drugs strategic plan promote a person-centred approach, which is supported by third sector partners, who are vital in helping people to engage with the right support for them.
The experience of my constituents the Sweeten family, following the tragic death of their son Paul, demonstrates that national guidance alone is not enough if people with complex mental health and substance use issues can still fall between gaps in services. What further action will the Government take to ensure that that guidance is consistently implemented in practice so that people receive joined-up support and continuity of care, rather than simply being passed from one service to another?
I thank Steven Bonnar for raising the experience of the Sweeten family. My thoughts are with them following the tragic loss of their son Paul. I recognise how difficult it is for families when they feel that services have not worked together as they should.
Steven Bonnar is right that guidance alone is not enough, which is why we are focused on implementing the national mental health and substance use protocol, with Healthcare Improvement Scotland supporting local areas to embed joined-up working in practice.
Around 80 per cent of local areas have now developed local protocols, and that work is continuing to ensure that implementation is consistent right across Scotland. We will continue to work with partners to improve access to services, because our expectation is absolutely clear that people should receive co-ordinated support that meets their needs, regardless of their circumstances.
I was pleased that, yesterday, the Government hinted at a move towards multiyear funding for some specialist third sector organisations. Mental health charities are telling me that they can often accept only the most serious referrals because they are at capacity and funding is not secure. Which specialist health services will move towards multiyear funding, and when will the Government announce that plan?
I absolutely agree with the member that multiyear funding is key to unlocking the power of our third sector organisations, which spend far too much time struggling to ensure that they keep the roof above their heads to keep going instead of focusing on supporting the people whom they want to and have the expertise to support. The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to improving that situation. As the member rightly points out, there have been some announcements about which organisations will have multiyear funding. I will write to the member and let him know what further news he can expect in that area, and I will set out a plan for future multiyear funding for the organisations in that portfolio area.
Link Workers and Social Prescribing (Glasgow)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support access to link workers and social prescribing in areas of Glasgow where the Scottish index of multiple deprivation data might mask levels of poverty. (S7O-00167)
Community link workers are a key part of our work to tackle health inequalities and connect people with support in their communities. Through the £190 million primary care improvement fund, we are investing in multidisciplinary primary care teams, including link worker services.
In Glasgow, we have provided an additional £3.6 million over three years to strengthen link worker capacity across 80 general practices and specialist services, helping thousands of people to access support with issues such as mental health, poverty and wellbeing. We are also developing a national social prescribing framework to strengthen access to person-centred community support across Scotland.
I highlight the important work that is carried out by the community-run Partick Annexe, including taking referrals from across 14 general practitioner practices that do not have access to a community link worker. The project was described to me as a support and social prescribing model, funded by vital investing in communities funding, which, as the cabinet secretary knows, is coming to an end.
How can the Scottish Government work with Partick Annexe to support it to access whatever the successor funding might be, and to support local identified need, which is often masked in SIMD data due to the presence of wealthier nearby communities?
As a Government, we invest around £1 billion in support to the third sector. We greatly value the essential role that it plays in supporting communities. Further to that, the primary care budget planning will include recognition that community link worker provision is an important part of supporting communities and individuals.
The member makes a reasonable point, notwithstanding that we need to focus funding where there is evidence of greatest need. Currently, the SIMD is the best way for us to do that. However, I recognise that there are pockets of deprivation that are surrounded by affluence, and our third sector is vital to supporting those communities. The member’s example of Partick Annexe is a good one, and I know that it has received funding through the investing in communities fund for four years.
Social Care System (Vulnerable Children)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in response to the joint statement from all local authority chief social work officers declaring an emergency in the social care system, particularly in relation to the shortage of homes and social care for vulnerable children. (S7O-00168)
Following the chief social work officers’ joint statement, I immediately convened a meeting with them to discuss all the concerns that were raised. After that, on 7 August, I jointly convened a multi-agency round table with Councillor Buchanan from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to identify practical actions that can be taken at local and national levels.
Through that collaborative work, partners have agreed a range of measures to be taken forward urgently to help to address the immediate pressures in the system, alongside longer-term actions that are aimed at increasing capacity. Although there is no single solution to these really complex challenges, all partners are committed to working together to deliver meaningful and sustained improvements.
The Homes for Scotland briefing that was sent to all MSPs earlier this week argued that Scottish house-building numbers in 2025 were 30 per cent lower than the numbers required, and it called for more delivery and less bureaucracy. The recently published programme for government is extremely light on detail when it comes to how the planning system will be changed to speed up house building in Scotland. Will the minister indicate how more permanent homes for vulnerable children in care will be fast tracked and built?
As I said, the Scottish Government is very concerned about the challenges in securing suitable care placements for children and young people who are unable to remain with their families and about the pressures that that is placing on children, carers, families and the workforce. As I said, we are working very closely with COSLA and social work, which will incorporate work across portfolios, including housing.
Will the minister outline what work the Scottish Government is doing through the new National Social Work Agency to address issues with placements for children?
Officials in the agency have led our response to the issue, working closely with the sector and chief social work officers. The agency has worked at pace to gather data on the scale of the issue and to put forward options for consideration by stakeholders with a role in securing suitable care placements for children and young people who are unable to remain with their families.
We now have an agreed set of actions that can support the immediate retention of capacity and options that will support longer-term improvements to capacity. The agency will oversee the delivery of those actions and report directly to me, to ensure that I am updated on progress.
Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme
To ask the Scottish Government what support it can provide to churches following the closure of the United Kingdom-wide listed places of worship grant scheme. (S7O-00169)
The Scottish Government recognises the vital role that churches and other places of worship play for people of faith and wider communities across Scotland. Following the UK Government’s sudden decision to end the UK-wide listed places of worship grant scheme, I am pleased that Historic Environment Scotland has announced the new Scotland’s places of worship fund. The pilot scheme will make £1 million available in 2026 and 2027 to help eligible listed places of worship to meet VAT costs that are associated with repair and conservation works. It will also provide immediate support to faith communities while helping to inform consideration of future arrangements.
Listed churches that run food banks and community hubs now face a 20 per cent hit on essential repairs, yet the Scottish Government offers a paltry £1 million pilot to March 2027. That is not a replacement, yet the Government will give more than £1 million to a charity that funds a project coaching men to breastfeed babies. Will the minister scrap that use of public money and put in place a proper Scottish funding route for listed places of worship?
Here I was, thinking that the member had a genuine concern and a query about UK Government funding being ceased for places of worship. As I said, Historic Environment Scotland is doing what it can, given that the UK Government will not give any further funding. We will continue to do that.
Focal Therapy (NHS Forth Valley)
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Scotland regarding the provision of focal therapy treatment for prostate cancer patients within NHS Forth Valley. (S7O-00170)
The Scottish Government has communicated about focal therapy provision with NHS Lothian and NHS Fife. Although the Scottish Government has not had communication with NHS Forth Valley regarding that treatment, it is important to note that focal therapy has not yet been approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for routine use across the national health service. NICE states that that procedure should be used only with special arrangements for clinical governance, consents and audit or research. That informs which health boards might be in a position to offer the treatment and has been the basis of officials’ conversations with NHS Fife and NHS Lothian.
Given that patients in Scotland are currently travelling to specialist centres in England for focal therapy, are there plans to establish dedicated NHS focal therapy centres in Scotland to reduce long-distance travel for patients who are already in discomfort?
Martyn Day will be aware of the findings of the recent NHS England and Imperial College London study, which found that focal therapy might be just as effective as standard treatment for prostate cancer but with a lower risk of side effects. However, I must reiterate that it is not yet standard treatment. I would expect NHS boards to proactively consider how to introduce new treatments such as focal therapy that would improve patient outcomes, in line with NICE and Scottish intercollegiate guidelines network guidance. I would expect NICE and SIGN to swiftly look closely at the new evidence from Imperial College London to help us to implement that new understanding in our NHS.
Hyperscale Data Centres (Planning)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to further update planning guidance in relation to the development of hyperscale data centres, following the new data centre planning direction issued on 17 August 2026. (S7O-00171) [Interruption.]
Will members please settle down so that we can hear the questions?
The Minister for Public Finance issued a planning direction on 17 August to support the strategic monitoring of hyperscale artificial intelligence data centre planning applications. The direction requires planning authorities to now notify Scottish ministers of all new data centre applications exceeding 50MW of power capacity within seven days of validation. That also applies to applications that are already in the planning system. The Scottish Government is giving active consideration to the potential for planning guidance and will keep the Parliament informed accordingly.
Outside the Parliament today are hundreds of people from across Scotland, including people from Auchtertool in Fife. They are angry at the lack of meaningful Government action over the summer to control AI data centres. They are angry at the lack of environmental assessment for all projects. They are angry that ministers are only required to be notified when applications are submitted.
Two months have passed since I previously raised the issue in the chamber, and I do so again today to ask the Deputy First Minister for a moratorium—a pause on determining applications—because there is no planning policy in place from the Government at this point. Fracking provides a precedent—planning ministers can step in and have stepped in to deliver moratoriums in the past. Will the Deputy First Minister now step in and show leadership?
I thank Mr Ruskell for his interest in the topic. I am aware of the protests outside, and he will also recognise that, as a fellow Fife MSP, I am very aware of the strength of feeling on these issues. However, I should put it on the record that the ministerial code prevents ministers from being involved in decision making around planning. It is really important to record that.
Since Parliament previously discussed the subject, a number of actions have been taken forward by the Minister for Public Finance, as I set out in my original response. Planning authorities are now required to notify ministers of new data centre applications within seven days, and the new direction will support that strategic monitoring of the pipeline.
Finally, the important part of Mr Ruskell’s overall question is that the Government is actively considering the potential for future planning guidance. We will keep Parliament, including Mr Ruskell, updated accordingly.
Green Cleugh Wildfire
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the debrief report on the Green Cleugh wildfire that impacted 17 hectares of land in the Pentland hills in the Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale constituency earlier in 2026. (S7O-00172)
I very much welcome the Green Cleugh wildfire debrief report, and I am very grateful to everyone who contributed to the debrief process. The report provides valuable lessons on wildfire prevention, preparedness, response and recovery, and it reinforces the importance of co-ordinated action across all the sectors. It also highlights a number of recommendations, including the establishment of a Pentlands wildfire partnership, improved multi-agency planning, joint exercising and enhanced public communications. We welcome the progress that has already been made through the newly formed partnership, and we will continue to consider the report’s findings as part of our wider work to strengthen Scotland’s wildfire resilience.
I thank the minister for that comprehensive response. The debrief report recommends restricting disposable barbecues and campfires in the Pentlands hills regional park through legislation or byelaws, and building wildfire resilience and fuel load management in the future land use policy. When the fire management byelaws provisions commence next month, what will the Scottish Government do to encourage local authorities to use them and to ensure that the wider regulatory framework supports fuel management to cut wildfire risk?
The Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026 gives local authorities the power to introduce fire prevention byelaws, and Emma Roddick was instrumental in bringing that forward. Local authorities can do that as part of their local wildfire management strategies if they wish to.
We are committed to working in partnership with any local authority that wishes to introduce fire management byelaws when the relevant provisions are commenced next month. The Scottish Government welcomes the steps that the United Kingdom Government took to temporarily restrict the sale of disposable barbecues across the UK, and we are very supportive of a more permanent approach. We will raise that issue with the UK Government.
On fuel management, the strategic action plan on wildfires supports a proportionate land management practice that takes wildfire prevention into consideration, but if Calum Kerr wishes to discuss a specific regulatory issue, I am more than happy to do so.
University of Dundee (Organisational Change)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what discussions it has had with senior leadership at the University of Dundee regarding the university’s ongoing programme of organisational change. (S7O-00173)
The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic is in Dundee today to visit the university and meet senior leadership and trade unions, having engaged with both parties in recent months. Although the university is autonomous and responsible for its own decisions, ministers have emphasised that fair work principles and meaningful engagement with staff and students are essential to compliance with the Scottish Funding Council’s conditions. The education secretary most recently met the SFC on 25 August to seek assurances on the university’s collective consultation and confirmation that the SFC would advise ministers on the university’s compliance before any further funding decisions.
The minister will be aware that, last week, the University of Dundee opened a process for 154 further redundancies, which will bring the total number of job losses at the university since 2024 to almost 1,000. The minister will understand the effect that the scale of those job losses is having on the staff, the students and the whole city. What reassurances can we in Dundee have that the full conditions of the Scottish Government grant, administered through the Scottish Funding Council, have been met and that every step has been taken to militate against any unnecessary job losses?
I fully appreciate the concerns that have been raised regarding the university’s cost reduction measures, and I sympathise with those who are affected. It is imperative that the SFC continues to monitor the university’s compliance with all conditions, which apply throughout the funding period. The university has stated that the Scottish Government support has staved off the threat of insolvency and has protected jobs, and we remain committed to supporting the university towards a sustainable future.
That concludes general question time—apologies to the many members whose supplementaries I was unable to take.