Official Report 1060KB pdf
Good morning. The first item of business is general question time.
Forth Valley College (Alloa Campus)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it has taken to support Forth Valley College’s Alloa campus, in light of the recent reported concerns that it may be closed for financial reasons. (S6O-05275)
I last spoke with the principal of Forth Valley College at an event earlier this week and last met him formally on 18 November at the Alloa campus. I remain assured that the college leadership team is committed to doing all that it can to keep the campus open.
The Scottish Government is supporting the Scottish Funding Council’s college infrastructure investment plan. Through that plan, the SFC has supported the college to undertake an urgent feasibility study to identify and explore all possible options. A contract for that work was signed on 2 December and the work will inform the college board’s deliberations in the new year.
The college projects that it will be millions of pounds in the red. A feasibility study will, in itself, still need resources.
In its recent publication on the draft budget, Colleges Scotland highlighted that, under the current model, the college sector is unsustainable without significant change. The publication calls for “above inflation investment” and a commitment to sustainable funding to reverse years of underinvestment in the sector. Does the minister accept that, if we are to reverse the dire state of further education finances, the Scottish Government must commit to above-inflation investment and sustainable funding models moving forward?
With regard to Forth Valley College and the Alloa campus, as I have said, the contract for the work on the feasibility study was signed on 2 December and that work will inform the college board’s deliberations in the new year. As well as that, in the new year, I will be working with the principal to assist the college with organising a round table that will bring together all interested parties in the locality to consider the future of the Alloa campus, with a shared intention for it to continue to be used for the common good of the local area and of all the stakeholders who benefit from it now and could benefit from it in future.
On the budget considerations for the college sector more widely, including Forth Valley College, ministers are constructively engaged with Colleges Scotland as the representative body for the sector. We are having good discussions; indeed, ministers will be having discussions with Colleges Scotland today. However, as Alex Rowley would expect me to say, decisions on next year’s budget are still being considered and will be relayed to Parliament on 13 January.
Funding is at the heart of this issue, but Colleges Scotland has also made clear the unaffordability of the employer national insurance contributions. Has the minister been able to have any further discussions with the United Kingdom Government, which levied that charge? It is having a disproportionate impact on many businesses but, arguably, nowhere more so than on colleges.
The member has raised important points. Although Scottish Government ministers, including me, have recognised the financial pressures on our college sector, whether through the Audit Scotland report or the work of the Scottish Funding Council, we have to recognise collectively that the scenario includes external pressures that are outwith the Scottish Government’s control. It was deeply disappointing for a range of reasons, including for our college sector, that the position on employer national insurance contributions was maintained in the UK budget. It is putting unhelpful and undesirable pressure on our colleges, as it is on many other organisations across the public sector.
Question 2 has been withdrawn.
Legal Aid (North East Scotland)
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to address the reported legal aid crisis, to ensure that people in the North East Scotland region are able to access support. (S6O-05277)
The Scottish Government recognises the concerns raised by Maggie Chapman, including the importance of ensuring access to justice for people in North East Scotland. The Scottish Government values the legal profession and continues to fully fund legal aid while advancing reforms to improve access and sustainability across Scotland and not just in the north-east.
We will soon lay regulations to remove unnecessary financial tests for children’s hearings. We will widen the eligibility for summary criminal cases, incentivise early resolution for solemn criminal cases and ensure fair remuneration for solicitors across Scotland. Additionally, the Scottish Government provides funding to citizens advice bureaux across the country and in North East Scotland, and we support the Civil Legal Assistance Office, which operates locally to offer advice and representation on civil legal issues.
I know that I am not alone in having increasing numbers of constituents come to me about legal aid issues. Each one says a similar thing: they spend weeks, sometimes months, trying to find a legal aid solicitor, only to be told no, either due to the complexity of their case or sheer lack of capacity. Most are in marginalised groups, and they include single migrant parents, disabled people and a single mum who is a survivor of domestic violence that involved financial abuse and coercion. People can sometimes end up self-representing, but they have spent so long looking for legal aid that they do not have time to learn how best to advocate for themselves. How can the Scottish Government ensure that my constituents are able to realise their right to access to justice?
I thank Ms Chapman for highlighting these complex challenges on behalf of her constituents. The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, particularly people from marginalised groups, gets the access to justice that they need.
However, the current legislative framework does not guarantee access to legal advice and representation. Solicitors decide whether to undertake legal aid cases and, if they do, which clients or cases to accept. It is important to note that the Scottish Government cannot compel solicitors to take on a case. As I have already noted, the on-going reforms aim to improve the situation, and solicitor availability will be considered as part of any future changes to the system.
In order to address the issues that we have heard about, as well as the legislative framework, the Scottish Government’s 2021 programme for government promised a legal aid reform bill during this parliamentary session. Given that there is only three months to dissolution, has the Government broken another promise?
No, and we are all aware of the timetable for this parliamentary session. There have been many members’ bills as well as Government ones. I have been engaging with the legal profession for nearly three years now, and I have ensured that we will take forward legal aid reform in the next parliamentary session. In the meantime, there is a lot of secondary legislation going ahead now that will be delivered in this parliamentary session.
Carers Allowance Supplement
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide further details of the December carers allowance supplement payment, including its anticipated impact on carers and how it will ensure that all eligible carers receive their payment promptly. (S6O-05278)
Social Security Scotland will pay an extra £293.50 to more than 96,000 unpaid carers from 4 December. Since its introduction in 2018, the carers allowance supplement has provided more than 1 million payments, delivering hundreds of millions of pounds to help to ease financial pressures and improve wellbeing. The vast majority of carers receive the payment automatically, but anyone who has not received it by 15 December should contact Social Security Scotland. This year, eligible carers in Scotland will be £587 better off than those elsewhere in the UK, recognising the essential contribution that they make to communities right across the country.
Given that more than 96,000 carers were due that payment from 4 December, and recognising the significant contribution that unpaid carers make to our communities, will the cabinet secretary outline what further steps the Government is taking to widen support, particularly in light of the recent expansion of eligibility for the young carer grant? What advice is available to any carer who has not received their letter or payment by 15 December?
As I said in my original answer, those who have not received their payment by 15 December should contact the agency for further details. Mr Dornan is quite right to point to the extended eligibility for the young carers grant, which, of course, is available only in Scotland and eligibility for which has been extended to the age of 19.
Yesterday, I was delighted to talk to carers in Hamilton about the improvements in support from March 2026, as part of which those with multiple caring roles who receive carer support payment can be paid an extra £520 per year for every additional cared-for person through the carers additional person payment. Again, that is available only in Scotland, and it will provide extra support to around 18,000 carers in the next financial year.
Moreover, from March 2026, carers will receive four more weeks of support when a caring role ends due to a bereavement, which will provide more stability at what is a very difficult time.
Neonatal Wards (Overnight Beds)
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on increasing the number of overnight beds for parents in neonatal wards. (S6O-05279)
“The Best Start: a Five-Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care in Scotland”, which was published in 2017, recommended that all neonatal facilities should provide emergency overnight accommodation on the unit for parents, and that accommodation should be available nearby for parents of less critically ill babies. Boards are expected to include provision for that in their planning.
Every neonatal unit in Scotland has provision for families to stay overnight, where required. All neonatal intensive care units, and the majority of local neonatal units and special care baby units, have rooms on or near the unit, with other accommodation available nearby to allow parents to be with their babies. The majority of boards also provide support to allow siblings to stay, to ensure that families are supported to remain together.
The Scottish Government also provides support to all families with babies in neonatal care to cover the costs of food, travel and accommodation as part of our young patients family fund. If hospital accommodation is not available, the health board will usually be able to book and pay for nearby accommodation for families in advance.
I thank the minister for her answer and for taking the time to meet me yesterday to discuss concerns relating to neonatal care.
Bliss Scotland has been championing the need to increase bed numbers, which is an issue that must be taken seriously. At present, for every 10 babies who need neonatal care, only one bed is available for parents to stay overnight. I could not imagine being a parent of a newborn baby who was sick and vulnerable and being told that I could not stay with my child in the same location.
It is understood and accepted that the Scottish Government must do everything that it can to increase the number of beds. Would the minister be willing to keep me and other members who are interested in the issue up to date on the progress that the Scottish Government makes and on any discussions that it has with local NHS boards on the issue?
I appreciated being able to have a conversation with Meghan Gallacher outwith the chamber to ensure that we both understood the importance of having the right accommodation available nearby or in neonatal units to support families at what can be a very traumatic time.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care has just written to Ms Gallacher to lay out the Government’s plans, which will involve officials engaging with health boards that do not have adequate accommodation to ensure that that is provided.
In parts of my South Scotland region, a lack of overnight beds in neonatal wards could result in parents facing a 100-mile round trip to see their baby. I understand that the recently announced maternity and neonatal task force will review rural service provision. Will the minister ensure that consideration will be given to supporting families in rural areas who have babies in neonatal wards?
Given that I, too, represent a rural and island constituency, the issue of such travel is high on my agenda, and it will be considered.
Debt (Gendered Impact)
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it gives to the gendered impact of debt in its child poverty and social security policies. (S6O-05280)
The Scottish Government recognises the impact of debt on families, particularly women, and it encourages all public bodies to share good practice on debt collection. Our approach includes having a social security system that is underpinned by the values of dignity, fairness and respect.
We have committed to exploring further pilot activity on gender budget tagging for the 2026-27 budget, building on the work that was done last year with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. We are consulting a range of stakeholders on the development of our final tackling child poverty delivery plan, including the National Advisory Council on Women and Girls, to ensure that the plan tackles gender inequalities.
It is well understood that domestic abuse can entail financial abuse, including coerced debt, and that single parents are around three times more likely to have experienced domestic abuse. Unfortunately, public debt processes too often do not reflect that knowledge and understanding, and they can perpetuate the impact of financial abuse and coerced debt.
The excellent report by Professor Morag Treanor for Aberlour Children’s Charity, One Parent Families Scotland and the Trussell Trust recognises that the issue requires action from all spheres of government. Will the Scottish Government consider reforming council tax joint liability rules, for example, so that women who are fleeing abuse are not automatically made responsible for debts that have been accrued by their abusers, to protect victims/survivors from debts that result from financial abuse and coercion?
I recognise the challenge that many women face when they are faced with domestic and coercive abuse of that kind. The Aberlour report shines a light on that important issue, and the Government is taking action, but we are always keen to see what more we can do through the child poverty delivery plan.
I hope that I can reassure Ruth Maguire, at least in part, by pointing to the Scottish Government’s funding for Citizens Advice Scotland’s council tax debt project, which extends right across Scotland, to improve access to services for people who are struggling with council tax debt, provide wider, more holistic support and ensure best practice by councils.
There is also the financially included project, which responds to economic abuse and includes a national helpline that my colleague Màiri McAllan launched officially yesterday.
The Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 also places a duty on Scottish ministers to undertake within one year a review of the impact of joint and several liability for council tax arrears—
Briefly, cabinet secretary.
—for those who have experienced or are experiencing domestic abuse, who are primarily women, as suggested by Ruth Maguire.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (Support)
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, in light of reports that the national health service board is dealing with a much higher rate of flu patients compared with previous years. (S6O-05281)
We are working closely with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to support it this winter, as we are seeing levels of flu that are higher than usual for this stage of the winter season. We have provided funding to support initiatives such as virtual hospitals and flow navigation models, which help patients to get the care that they need while reducing unnecessary accident and emergency visits.
Our vaccination programme is also vital in supporting health boards to respond to flu this season. We work closely with boards to make vaccination accessible, supporting them with national resources and funded initiatives such as mobile vaccination units.
Staff in Glasgow hospitals say that beds are filling up at an alarming rate due to what has today been called a super-flu. In other health boards, hospital visitor restrictions are in place. Scotland appears to be facing a worst-case scenario this winter, but the situation could have been managed more effectively if the suggestions that we made to ministers months ago had been heeded.
Flu vaccination rates are unacceptably low. It is shocking that more than 300,000 fewer adults have been vaccinated this season compared with two years ago. That is completely unacceptable. What additional measures will the Government introduce to rebuild Scotland’s vaccination rate before our healthcare system is completely overwhelmed?
In his narration, Mr Sweeney has compared apples with oranges in relation to eligibility for flu vaccinations a year ago in comparison with this year. Eligibility is decided on the basis of Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advice on vaccinations. If we compare like with like, particularly among adults, we are substantially ahead on vaccinations issued compared with where we were last year. Our flu vaccination programme started in September and we have vaccinated more than 1.5 million people.
Of course there is more to do, and it is never too late to pick up a vaccine, which is why the Government and I encourage everybody who is eligible for vaccination, whether they are a member of the public or a member of staff in health and social care, to make sure that they take it up.
I call Davy Russell for a brief question 8.
Social Housing Waiting Lists
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Shelter Scotland statistics stating that there are 109,000 families on waiting lists for social housing. (S6O-05282)
We have the most confidence in those estimates, which are based on the Scottish household survey. They contain no double counting of households across multiple housing lists and are not dependent on keeping the administrative housing lists up to date. They will, however, contain some households who are already living in social rented housing and looking to transfer to another location.
Estimates from the 2024 Scottish household survey are scheduled for publication in January next year. Of course, the Government is entirely focused on work to ensure that supply can meet increasing demand.
There are 5,000 families on the waiting list in my constituency alone. What action have you taken to improve the new-build situation, as the statistics say that there has been a significant drop in new builds over the past three years?
Always through the chair, please.
The Government is taking action across the board to increase the supply of social and affordable homes, building on a record that shows that we have built more than 140,000 affordable homes since we came into government, more than 100,000 of which have been for social rent.
There is £808 million available in this year’s affordable homes budget, which we are putting towards the construction of new homes. We are now also asking councils to acquire family homes in particular off the market, to ensure that children spend less time in temporary accommodation.
Of course, that comes in advance of the £4.9 billion-worth of funding that will, as we have set out, be invested in the coming four years.
That concludes general question time.