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On a point of order, Presiding Officer.
I think that you were just on the cusp, Mr MacDonald, so I will accept your point of order at this time.
Thank you, Presiding Officer.
At First Minister’s question time today, Anas Sarwar made a series of comments about cancelled operations, suggesting that figures are worse this year than last year. However, it appears that he has misled Parliament by comparing figures across four months this year with those across only two months last year. That is deliberately misleading. He also failed to make Parliament aware that the number of operations that were cancelled due to capacity issues had decreased and that the number of operations that were performed overall was more than 10,300 higher by September this year than in the year to September 2024.
It is vital that we, as members of the Parliament, provide accurate information to the public. Anas Sarwar’s attempt to mislead and talk down our national health service is unfair to the hard-working doctors, nurses and NHS staff who have made that progress possible. Can the Presiding Officer therefore outline how Anas Sarwar can correct the record and ensure that he does not mislead Parliament in future?
Thank you, Mr MacDonald. As members will be aware, the content of a member’s contributions is generally a matter for the member. If a member believes that there has been a factual inaccuracy, there are a number of mechanisms in place for the record to be amended. I would also say that, in general, members in the chamber should avoid suggesting that others have been deliberately misleading and untruthful.
I close this meeting of Parliament.
Meeting closed at 17:09.Previous
Decision Time