Contents
- General Question Time
- First Minister’s Question Time
- Community-led Housing Supporting a Sustainable Future
- Portfolio Question Time
- Space Sector
- Motion without Notice
- Decision Time
First Minister’s Question Time
Cost of Ferries
This morning, Scotland’s Auditor General, Stephen Boyle, said this to the Parliament’s Public Audit Committee about the £300 million that the Scottish National Party estimates it will cost to build two ferries. The Auditor General said:
“it would be folly to suggest that that is a reliable”
figure for what
“will be spent to deliver the vessels at this stage”.
Will the First Minister continue to defend his Government’s estimate for those ferries, or does he agree with the Auditor General that that would be folly?
I was listening to the committee’s evidence this morning, and I will read the rest of the evidence later today. Douglas Ross will be aware that the figure that was provided to the Public Audit Committee on 22 December last year from the chief executive officer of Ferguson Marine was made up of a number of different factors. The Scottish Government is now reviewing those projections based on independent advice. That process of due diligence—which is important in any procurement programme of this size and scale but is even more important in the case of Ferguson Marine, given the cost overruns—will conclude within the next few weeks.
Regardless of that, I repeat what has been said before when this question has, rightly, been raised by members of the Opposition. It is unacceptable that we have had these cost overruns and delays to vessels 801 and 802. Once again, as First Minister—[Interruption.]—I apologise to island communities for those cost overruns and delays. However, we are focused on getting the vessels completed so that our island communities can see the benefit of them.
I think that even the microphone operator gave up on that answer and switched off the First Minister’s microphone because there was absolutely nothing in it.
Only a party that bought a camper van for £100,000 could think that paying hundreds of millions of pounds for two massively delayed ferries is a good deal. We all know, from the scandal engulfing the SNP, that it really struggles with finances, but this is getting ridiculous. Will the First Minister stop the secrecy and be honest for a change? How much higher is the real cost to taxpayers going to be to deliver the two ferries?
I am not sure that I will take too many lessons on financial literacy from the party of Kwasi Kwarteng and Liz Truss.
However, on the important issue that Douglas Ross is absolutely right to raise in the chamber, I have said that a process of due diligence is, rightly, under way. It will conclude in the next few weeks, and we will, of course, make known the result of that process. I will never shy away from saying that the cost overruns and delays in relation to the two vessels are, of course, unacceptable. To the island communities that are, frankly, frustrated and angry at the cost overruns and delays, I say that I completely accept their frustration and anger.
Therefore, we will continue to invest in Ferguson Marine and do what we can to get the vessels ready, in line with the updated timescales, but the process of due diligence is important and is due to be completed in the next few weeks.
The Auditor General knows that the £300 million figure is folly, but it seems that the First Minister does not. He does not have a clue what the actual cost will be for taxpayers in Scotland. So far, the bill for the vessels is already three times more than what was stated in the original contract—but it gets worse.
The First Minister said that he was listening to the evidence this morning, so he will have heard the Auditor General reveal that the bonus system for highly paid executives at Ferguson Marine is still in place. The two ferries are not fit to sail, costs keep spiralling out of control and islanders continue to be left without vital lifeline services. First Minister, what on earth could those bonuses possibly be for?
I will not disagree with Douglas Ross, nor with the Auditor General, who made it clear in the section 22 report that was published earlier this year that those bonuses should not have been paid. I agree.
So, do something about it!
If Douglas Ross will listen, I will genuinely give him an answer to the question that he is absolutely right to raise. [Interruption.]
Members! We will hear the First Minister.
The former Deputy First Minister made his anger clear. We—and I—share that anger at the fact that bonuses have been paid. Those bonuses relate to a decision that was made by Ferguson Marine’s remuneration committee, without consultation with the Government, in November 2022. I asked for those bonuses not to be paid, but the advice that has come back is that they are a contractual obligation. With regard to any future discussion about or consideration of bonuses, I have made it clear that bonuses should not be paid in relation to vessels 801 and 802. The chair of Ferguson Marine will take forward that work. It is my expectation and the Government’s expectation—the chair of Ferguson Marine knows this very well—that there should not be bonuses in the current financial year, 2023-24, in relation to vessels 801 and 802.
On every front, the SNP is engulfed in scandal, secrecy and a shameful waste of money. [Interruption.] SNP members are groaning about what I have said about a waste of money when the First Minister has just accepted how much this will cost taxpayers.
This week, the SNP’s ex-treasurer, Colin Beattie, said, “It wasn’t me, guv,” when he was asked about the notorious camper van, before abruptly changing his mind. Humza Yousaf has said that he is not sure whether Scottish Government ministers are using burner phones. That is what the First Minister said. This is all starting to look like an episode of “Line of Duty”, but it is also a massive distraction that is preventing the SNP from getting on and delivering vital ferry services to island communities.
The problem for the First Minister is that he has been personally involved in the ferry scandal from the very beginning. He was at the SNP conference in 2015, beaming beside the disgraced Derek Mackay when the contract was announced. In 2016, he was behind Nicola Sturgeon, hoping that, one day, he would be the First Minister to launch a ship with painted-on windows. He was the transport minister who inspected the yard for years. We found this picture of the First Minister visiting one of the yards when he was transport minister. He was there that day to mark the halfway point in the building of the ferries. The only problem for Humza Yousaf is that this picture—taken, according to him, at the halfway point—was taken in December 2016. That was more than six years ago. First Minister, that was not the halfway point; it was not even the start of this sorry saga. How is the First Minister, who got us into this mess, going to fix it?
Before the First Minister responds, I remind members that we do not use props in the chamber.
That is a sign of Douglas Ross’s desperation, his pathetic schoolboy tactics, his inability to raise his game—[Interruption.]
Thank you, members!
—and his inability to address what is a really serious issue.
I agree with Opposition members when they talk, rightly, about the anger in island communities over the fact that the ferries have not been completed, so I give those communities an absolute commitment and guarantee that we are focused on that and that Ferguson Marine will receive the resources that are required on the back of the due diligence that is being done on the cost.
There are things that we, as the Government, should and will apologise for, but we will not apologise for saving hundreds of jobs at Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow. I am not surprised that Douglas Ross shakes his head; he belongs to a party that has put—[Interruption.]
First Minister, will you give me a moment? People are gathered here to hear the questions that are put to the First Minister and to hear his responses. Can we please ensure that that is possible?
When I mentioned that we have saved hundreds of jobs at Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow, Douglas Ross was shaking his head because he belongs to a party that decimated communities up and down Scotland and left workers on the scrapheap.
In his question, Douglas Ross decided to take a swipe at the SNP. I remind him that, this week, the SNP released its membership numbers, which I am pleased have increased in the past few weeks. The Tories demanded that we release our membership figures, which we have done, but Douglas Ross does not practise what he preaches—he has not released his party’s membership figures. There is a word for people who do not practise what they preach—they are called hypocrites.
Prisons (Costs)
I know that the First Minister has spent the past few weeks thinking about financial mismanagement and the criminal justice system, so I will ask him about the overspend on the project to replace Barlinnie prison. Financial mismanagement is an issue not just about how the SNP is run but about how the SNP governs our country. The Government’s failure to manage the public finances has cost the taxpayer more than £3.7 billion. That is the result of failed interventions, waste and incompetence.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the cost of building a new prison to replace Barlinnie has spiralled from £100 million to £400 million. Will the First Minister confirm that that project is running over budget? What does he expect the final cost to be? Will the new prison be operational in September 2026, as planned?
Anas Sarwar raises an important issue. We are looking at the cost overruns and what can be done to mitigate their effect. I think that we all agree that Barlinnie is not in the condition that any of us would like it to be in. We are exploring what can be done.
Anas Sarwar does the debate a disservice when he talks about what he describes as more than £3 billion of waste. I have seen Labour’s press release about that, which talks about decisions that are for the Crown, such as the Rangers prosecution. Such decisions are not for the SNP Government; they are independent decisions for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. Including such figures does the debate a disservice.
We are interrogating the figures in relation to Barlinnie. Construction costs have increased for a whole number of reasons, which are partly to do with the United Kingdom Government’s complete mismanagement of the economy and are also to do with global factors, such as the war against Ukraine—Russia’s illegal invasion has affected construction costs.
The direct answer to Anas Sarwar’s question is that the cost overruns are being interrogated and we will do everything that we can to bring them down.
It is interesting that the First Minister disputes £60 million out of £3.7 billion of waste under the SNP Government. I am sorry, but blaming Ukraine, the wider economic crisis or inflation will not work. Costs have increased by 300 per cent—[Interruption.]
Members.
—at a time when inflation is running at 10 per cent. Even an SNP treasurer could tell people that those figures do not add up.
Scotland’s prison estate is in dire condition. At Greenock prison, HM chief inspector of prisons is threatening to bring in the Health and Safety Executive because of the state of the building. HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland has said that Inverness prison is not fit for purpose. That prison was due to be replaced at an original cost of £52 million, but the cost has now risen to almost £140 million.
In fact, all five major capital programmes in the criminal justice system are running over budget. If the First Minister truly believes in transparency, will he commit to opening the books? Would he welcome an Audit Scotland review of those projects, so that we can understand why costs are running out of control?
Again, I am happy to take away and explore any sensible suggestions around the cost overruns, but it is astonishing that Anas Sarwar seems to suggest that those global factors, as well as domestic factors in relation to inflation, do not have any bearing on construction costs. That is not the reality. Of course, what has not helped our economy at all is a hard Brexit, which is now, quite unbelievably, supported by the Scottish Labour Party.
Of course, Anas Sarwar is right to stand up and question the costs of HMP Barlinnie and other prisons and infrastructure projects. He is absolutely correct to do so, and he can bet his bottom dollar that those costs will be interrogated, because we are absolutely in challenging financial circumstances—again, that is no thanks to the UK Government. However, because of what happened when Anas Sarwar’s party was in charge, we are still having to pay a quarter of a billion pounds in private finance initiative payments. That certainly does not help our budget in any way, shape or form.
The First Minister talked earlier about desperation. It is really desperate to say that a 300 per cent increase in the cost of Barlinnie prison is somehow due to global factors around Ukraine and perhaps even Vladimir Putin. Sixteen years into an SNP Government, it is also desperate to talk about decisions that were made by a Government when the First Minister was 12 years old. He needs to change the script, change the record and take responsibility for a change. [Interruption.]
When Mr Sarwar is putting his question, I would be grateful if we could hear it and members could resist the temptation to make comments at that point.
I can understand why SNP members are frustrated, so I will give them a bit of slack this week and maybe in future weeks as well, because, across the public sector, project after project is running out of control. In health, the initial budget for the new Baird family hospital in Aberdeen was £163 million, but the budget is now £244 million; in education, the initial budget for a new college campus in Dunfermline was £86 million, but the new budget is £119 million; and, of course, in transport, the initial budget for replacement ferries for lifeline routes was £97 million but is now running close to £300 million. While families across Scotland are working out how to make ends meet, the incompetence of the SNP Government and the First Minister is allowing millions of pounds to disappear.
This Government has been in power for 16 years and has lost its grip on taxpayers’ money and weakened every institution in our country. Scotland can no longer afford this chaotic, dysfunctional SNP Government.
Can we have a question, Mr Sarwar?
It is arrogant, incompetent and out of touch, so is it any wonder that people are concluding that it is time for a change?
Tackling the important issues of inequality and poverty continues to be a defining mission for this Government and that is why we invested in the game-changing Scottish child payment, which has lifted many hundreds of thousands out of poverty. The first announcement that I made as First Minister was that we would not just double but triple the fuel insecurity fund. Through Social Security Scotland, seven benefits are available only in Scotland, and our social security system is based on fairness, dignity and compassion. That is our focus when it comes to tackling inequality.
Anas Sarwar says that it is desperate for us to talk about decisions that were made by the most recent Labour Government. I agree with him, because that was many moons ago—and for good reason. Of course, Jackie Baillie was, very briefly, in Government at that point. However, it is important say that the reason that we are still talking about that is that we are still paying for it. The Scottish Labour Party mortgaged not just our future, but our children’s future. The fact that we are having to pay hundreds of millions in PFI payments 16 years on is, undoubtedly, the reason why Anas Sarwar does not want us talking about it.
This Government and I take seriously the important issues around the construction of prisons and our infrastructure projects, and I give Anas Sarwar an absolute promise that we are doing everything that we can to bring those costs down.
Cabinet (Meetings)
To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet. (S6F-02033)
Tuesday.
I am very grateful for that reply.
It is enough to fill 19,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools—that is how much sewage we know was dumped into our rivers last year by Scotland’s Government-owned water company. I say “know” because only one in 20 discharge pipes is actually monitored. In addition, new Liberal Democrat research that we are publishing today reveals more than 400 sewage dumps in the vicinity of some of Scotland’s best beaches last year. From Peterhead to St Andrews, those award-winning beaches should be protected and pristine. They draw tourists, families and wild swimmers, but, like so many other things on the First Minister’s desk right now, this absolutely stinks.
Will the First Minister now instruct the monitoring of all sewage discharges in Scotland, and what will he do to help Scottish Water to get a handle on the issue? Otherwise, how many swimming pools’ worth of poo is he content to see put on our best-loved beaches?
It is a serious issue, and Alex Cole-Hamilton is right to raise it. Our beaches, of which he mentioned a number in his question, are world-class tourist destinations, so I absolutely do not want to see a single sewage dump where that is unnecessary. I will take up the issue personally with Scottish Water, and I know that my cabinet secretary is also doing so directly with Scottish Water.
Alex Cole-Hamilton is absolutely right to the issue, and I will raise it myself with Scottish Water and come back to him in due course.
Alcohol (Deaths and Harm)
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to Alcohol Focus Scotland’s emergency call to urgently take action to prevent further deaths and reduce harm from alcohol. (S6F-02048)
First and foremost, my deepest sympathy, and, I suspect, the deepest sympathy of all members in the chamber, goes to those who have been affected by the loss of a loved one through alcohol.
We remain absolutely determined to reduce alcohol-related harm. That is why we have introduced initiatives such as our world-leading minimum unit pricing. Recent research estimates that it has saved hundreds of lives. As outlined last week, I am committed to reviewing the current level of minimum unit pricing alongside other on-going work, such as the upcoming United Kingdom alcohol treatment guidelines, the development of alcohol treatment targets for April 2024 and the expansion of our residential rehabilitation capacity by 50 per cent by the end of this parliamentary session.
Last year, £106.8 million was made available to alcohol and drug partnerships to support local and national initiatives. We will carefully consider the points that have been raised by Alcohol Focus Scotland, and the Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy is due to meet it and other stakeholders in the coming weeks to discuss our approach to tackling alcohol harm.
I know that the First Minister will agree that the on-going alcohol emergency requires a public health-led policy response to save even more lives and reduce health inequalities. With that in mind, I really appreciate the update on developing alcohol treatment targets. Is the First Minister able to say anything about alcohol brief interventions?
Stephanie Callaghan raises an important point in relation to alcohol brief interventions. We remain absolutely committed to our ABI delivery programme, which has been in place for 10 years. We have seen excellent progress and sustained delivery of the national ABI programme across Scotland today, and I congratulate local partners on that fantastic achievement.
The alcohol framework makes a commitment to review the evidence on current delivery of ABIs to ensure that they are being carried out in the most effective manner. We are working with Public Health Scotland to review the evidence on the current delivery of alcohol brief interventions to determine how the system could better meet the needs of individuals. I will update the member in due course, once that review has been completed.
We know from National Records of Scotland and Alcohol Focus Scotland that alcohol-specific death rates in Scotland’s most deprived areas are more than five times higher than they are in the least deprived areas. With hospital stays linked to alcohol, we see rates that are six times higher in our most deprived communities than in our most affluent. There is a clear need for improved access to alcohol-related support services in our most deprived areas, which are being badly let down by the Government.
The alcohol-related and wider health inequalities that exist in our country are both deep and divisive. The First Minister’s predecessor did little to address them. How can the country have any confidence that he will do any better?
I do not agree with that final point, of course. It was my predecessor, when she was health secretary, who introduced minimum unit pricing for alcohol, and it was successive health secretaries who made sure that we pushed ahead, in the face of considerable opposition to minimum unit pricing for alcohol. My understanding is that there was considerable opposition from Scottish Labour to minimum unit pricing of alcohol.
As Carol Mochan talks about saving lives, it is worth saying that the research on unit pricing of alcohol has shown that more than 150 lives a year have been saved because of MUP. It has also resulted in 411 fewer hospital admissions. It is encouraging to see in that research—I am happy to share a copy of it with Carol Mochan, because it is directly related to her question—that the policy is having an effect in Scotland’s most deprived areas, which experience higher death rates and levels of harm from problem alcohol use.
I am happy to give Carol Mochan further details on what more can be done. I am confident in saying that this Government is taking action on alcohol-related harm, particularly in the areas of highest deprivation.
A new study from the University of Glasgow found a correlation between the minimum unit pricing policy and the 13.4 per cent reduction in deaths. However, the 50p rate was set over a decade ago and inflation has been raging since, so we need a change to catch up. Will the First Minister bring forward the review of minimum unit pricing? Will he uprate it from 50p and bring forward legislation to tie the rate to inflation in order to save lives in the future?
I pay credit to Willie Rennie. He has raised this issue many times, including a few times when he raised it with me when I was the health secretary. He makes a really important point about the research.
Willie Rennie will know, because he was in Parliament at the time, that there was robust legal challenge to minimum unit pricing. We are ensuring that, when it comes to the review of minimum unit pricing, we have robust evidence in place in case there was ever to be a legal challenge to a potential increase to the minimum unit price. It is so important that we have that robust evidence base in order to determine and support any decision on a change in level of MUP.
The review of the level of MUP will be concluded in late 2023. Willie Rennie has asked me to see whether that can be brought forward. I will do that—I will have that discussion. However, I go back to my first point that it is so important that we have robust evidence in place for any decision that is made on minimum unit pricing.
Recorded Rape Statistics
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to new Police Scotland statistics showing that the number of recorded rapes has increased to its highest level in six years. (S6F-02046)
Let me say first and foremost that it is abhorrent that women continue to face violence and rape. We will continue to take robust action to tackle sexual offending through Scotland’s equally safe strategy, which is focused on prevention, on improving support and on modernising the law. It is vitally important that anyone who faces sexual violence, and rape in particular, has the confidence and support to report the crime and that the justice system responds.
Jamie Greene will be well aware of—in fact, I think that I heard him on the radio this morning speaking about it—the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, which was introduced to Parliament this week. That will further strengthen the response of the justice system, putting victims and witnesses, crucially, at the very heart of the justice system. It also proposes to implement the significant reforms that were recommended by Lady Dorrian in her report to improve the management of sexual offences, including creation of a specialist court for sexual offending.
I echo many of the comments that the First Minister has made. We should also, as a Parliament, commend the bravery of those who come forward to report this horrific crime.
However, it is dangerous to make the assumption that a rise in recorded cases is simply a by-product of more people coming forward and does not show an underlying rise in the levels of crime of this nature. That is the sort of qualitative work that I would expect the Government already to be doing in this regard.
The real problem is that the entire system, from end to end, is letting the victims of crime down, from the initial reporting experience to the lengthy delays in getting trials to come to pass. It is up to four years in some cases; it is horrendous. The court experience itself is retraumatising and, even if a conviction is secured—it is an “if” because we all know that conversion rates are notoriously low in Scotland—the victim of that crime faces the injustice of watching the perpetrator being dished out a lenient sentence relative to the gravity of the crime that was committed against that victim.
Will the First Minister, as a former justice secretary himself, make a personal commitment to the victims of this horrific crime to undertake a root and branch review of how this country handles and processes cases of rape? Will he undertake a review into why the figures are at such high levels in Scotland, and will he commit to working with victims organisations and victims themselves to finally put them at the heart of the justice system? Far too many women have been let down by the system and that has to change.
I thank Jamie Greene for what was a really important question. Many of the points I agree with; some I will try to address, and I will come back to him in writing with further detail. He is right that we should not assume that the rise in cases is simply down to greater reporting and greater awareness, although it is fair to say that we have seen a rise in reporting of non-recent, historical cases. That is the case not just in Scotland but right across the United Kingdom and, I suspect, in many jurisdictions right across the world. There has been a focus on trying to raise awareness and reporting of cases of rape and sexual offences, in particular. There has also been a greater consistency in approach and the use of specialist police officers in that regard.
A few of the points that Jamie Greene raises, which he is absolutely right to raise, relate to the entire purpose of the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill that has been introduced. That bill will put victims and witnesses as the heart of our justice system. I had the great pleasure of meeting a number of families, activists, campaigners, victims, witnesses and survivors yesterday at a meeting to discuss the bill. I say that it was a great pleasure because, out of the most horrific circumstances and enormous tragedy, they have been at the heart of campaigning, through their bravery and courage, for better reform to the justice system. I think that it is fair to say that, by any objective measure, the bill that we have introduced is bold and ambitious. It will probably be the biggest change that we will see in our justice system, if the bill is passed, in decades—some might even say in longer than that.
Jamie Greene has asked for a root-and-branch review of sexual offences and rape cases. That review was, of course, done by Lady Dorrian, and many of the sections in the bill are a direct result of the work that was done by Lady Dorrian. We will continue to invest in the justice system to continue to bring the court backlogs down, and they are falling. Angela Constance, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, is leading on the bill and she will be engaging with every Opposition member, as you would expect her to. We will take the bill forward in as open-minded and constructive a way as we can, and I hope that all of the Parliament can take these justice reforms through together.
The alarming statistics on rape are a further indication of ingrained levels of violence against women and misogyny across our society. Scottish Labour has been running a consultation with the full involvement of Government officials on tackling violence against women. Sadly, it has confirmed existing research findings that young girls are being subjected to a rape culture in schools and across university campuses. Many have received unwanted sexual images, which is becoming a too-normalised behaviour. I hope that the First Minister will agree that we need to tackle the root cause of the problem in our society by talking directly to boys and young men in all of our schools and campuses about their attitude to women and girls.
I could not agree more with Pauline McNeill’s question and the statements that she makes. When I was justice secretary, I had, again, the pleasure of seeing a programme being delivered in a school not too far away of the Parliament, which was talking directly to young boys particularly around the issue of consent. It was a really engaging session. Pauline McNeill is absolutely right that we have to tackle the root cause which, unfortunately, is predatory men, and we have to intervene as early as possible. I support everything that Pauline McNeill said in her question.
As a Government, we have supported and will continue to support EmilyTest. I know that Pauline McNeill is very aware of the fantastic work that Fiona Drouet and Emily’s family are doing, who are using a horrific tragedy to ensure that, hopefully, nobody else has to suffer what Emily had to suffer. We have supported EmilyTest to create its groundbreaking gender-based violence charter, which I think is the only initiative of its kind in the United Kingdom.
If I heard Pauline McNeill correctly, I believe that she said that the Scottish Labour Party is undertaking its own consultation. When it is ready to be published, I ask Pauline McNeill whether she would not mind sharing the results of that consultation with me and the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, as I would be very interested in them.
National Health Service (Waiting Times)
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to ensure that published national health service waiting times for treatment are accurate. (S6F-02053)
Published statistics are collated and quality-assured by Public Health Scotland. They are published as part of the full release of national statistics each quarter. National statistics status means that the official statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value. The United Kingdom Statistics Authority has designated PHS stats as national statistics, therefore signifying its compliance with the code of practice for statistics.
One in seven Scots is currently on a waiting list, and senior clinicians have warned that the waiting times statistics that are published on nhsinform.scot are both inaccurate and misleading. I wrote to the UK Statistics Authority in October last year; it agreed and asked the Scottish Government to make changes. Six months later, very little has changed. Clinicians are still up in arms about the stats being skewed and the Scottish Government continues to use median waiting times and to mix emergency and elective care.
Will the First Minister now stop pulling the wool over people’s eyes and rectify that misleading data? Can he tell us whether he published the stats while knowing about the criticism of their flaws?
No, we did not. We received the letter from the UK Statistics Authority. I have engaged with the Scottish Committee for Orthopaedics and Trauma—SCOT—and I am sure that the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care will continue to meet with the same organisation.
It is incorrect for Jackie Baillie to suggest that changes were not made. She is right that we received that letter in October 2022. We then worked with Public Health Scotland and NHS 24 to review and address the key points that were made. Following the recommendations of the Office for Statistics Regulation, we made a number of changes, which included highlighting both the strengths and the limitations that the data showed on the website. There are now additional links for the full release of national statistics on the PHS website, which provide further information in relation to the distribution of waiting times for patients who have completed their waits and those who are still waiting.
In relation to the criticism from SCOT, the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care will continue to meet with the organisation. I commend it, its members and all those who work in NHS Scotland for the fact that, despite significant on-going pressure, the number of out-patients who have been waiting longer than two years for a new out-patient appointment has reduced by 50 per cent since September 2022 and by more than 60 per cent since June 2022.
We move to general and constituency supplementaries.
South Lanarkshire Sports Clubs (Price Increases)
The First Minister might be aware that South Lanarkshire Council has recently increased the costs to local youth teams and clubs who hire football pitches, swimming pools and halls by up to 114 per cent. I have spoken with many from across the Rutherglen constituency, who fear that they cannot afford those costs and are worried that the clubs might have to fold.
Does the First Minister agree that the Labour administration at South Lanarkshire Council should be focusing on increasing uptake of sports and physical activity; that temporarily suspending the increase is not good enough; and that, instead, it should scrap those damaging price increases without further delay?
Before the First Minister responds, I remind members of the requirement that questions should relate to matters for which the Scottish Government has general responsibility. I ask the First Minister to answer in that light.
While it is clearly for local administrations to determine their own priorities, I am, like Clare Haughey, frankly appalled at the actions of the Labour-led authority in South Lanarkshire. I saw a protest taking place by young people who were suggesting that it is time for Joe Fagan, the leader of South Lanarkshire Council, to go. I have to say that I think that those young people have, frankly, very good judgment indeed.
While families are facing on-going eye-watering hikes in food and energy bills and are having to cut back on other expenditure, this is not the right time to ramp up these charges and potentially deny children and young people in constituencies such as Rutherglen the chance to take part in sport. I can only hope that the council sees sense and turns the temporary reprieve into a permanent one.
Tayside Aviation
On Friday last week, Tayside Aviation, based in Dundee, went into administration with the immediate loss of 22 jobs. Tayside Aviation partnered with a number of universities to provide degree courses in pilot training. Students on those courses, some of them my constituents, now face an uncertain future. They are unable to complete their degrees and they have lost thousands of pounds in fees that were paid to Tayside Aviation up front, which may not be recoverable. Some students now have student loans to repay but nothing to show for the money. How can the Scottish Government help my constituents who are caught in this desperate situation?
This is a very important issue, and Murdo Fraser is right, of course, to raise it here. I am very saddened to hear of the job losses at Tayside Aviation, and my thoughts are with the workers who have been affected, their families and the students. I appreciate that the position has put the students in great difficulty and I understand their concerns about money that they have paid for lessons.
Anybody who is impacted should contact the joint administrators. Further information, including links to the joint administrators’ insolvency portal, is on the Tayside Aviation website.
We are actively taking steps to understand how this will impact students who were funded by the Scottish Government. University students should have been contacted directly by their university. We are also engaging with Middlesex University, which is a delivery partner for the course.
In relation to the workers, our partnership action for continuing employment team stands ready to offer any assistance that it can.
We will continue to examine and explore the issue to see what we can do to minimise the impact on the students in particular, and I will report back to Murdo Fraser in due course.
Yes Recycling (Fife)
Last week, Yes Recycling (Fife) entered administration as a result of cash flow difficulties stemming from its inability to operate at full capacity. Only opened in September last year, it is a state-of-the-art recycling centre. Now, 60 jobs are on the brink. It received £520,000 from the circular economy investment fund that is administered by Zero Waste Scotland, with funding from the European regional development fund and the Scottish Government.
What discussions has the Scottish Government had to determine why this important facility has collapsed after less than a year and why it has been unable to operate at full capacity? What support is the Scottish Government offering the employees?
I am concerned about the difficulty that Yes Recycling finds itself in. My thoughts are with the 60 staff members who work at the company and the facility in Glenrothes. This will be a very difficult time for the staff and, indeed, for their families.
To give the member some reassurance, I note that Scottish Enterprise is engaging with the administrator and will provide all possible assistance to help to maintain jobs at the site. In the unfortunate event that any individual should be facing redundancy, the Scottish Government will provide support through partnership action for continuing employment. I understand that PACE has reached out to the administrator to offer support to the affected staff. I can confirm that a local PACE team has provided information on the support that is available for employees and has requested to meet the administrators. Hopefully, through providing skills development and employment support, PACE will minimise the time that individuals affected by redundancy are out of work.
However, I will take away everything that Claire Baker has said and see whether there is anything further that we can do in relation to what is a very difficult situation at Yes Recycling in Glenrothes.
Quantum Energy Partners (Investment)
Will the First Minister welcome this week’s announcement of planned investment by Quantum Energy Partners, to a value of £300 million, in my constituency? The investment will focus on a site in Ardersier that will develop work in offshore wind and oil decommissioning, which will bring massive benefits—benefits that might last for the remainder of the century—in employment in the renewable energy field.
Does the First Minister agree that that development strengthens yet further the case for the dualling of the A96, which is supported by more than 90 per cent of the readers of the excellent Press and Journal, which is the authentic voice of the north? Will he expedite, at long last, the delivery of the dualling of the section from Inverness to Auldearn, including the Nairn bypass?
Yes, I welcome the news of that very important investment. Decommissioning is integral to the pursuit of an orderly, managed transition to net zero, and it has the potential to create significant benefits and opportunities for people right across Scotland. Since 2017, through our decommissioning challenge fund, the Scottish Government has invested £12 million in supporting innovation and building capacity in the decommissioning sector.
Turning to roads, we remain absolutely committed to improving the A96. Of course, the current plan is to fully dual the route, but, as the member knows, we are currently undertaking a review of the A96 corridor, the outcomes of which we expect to be ready for consultation this summer. In addition, we remain absolutely committed to dualling the Inverness to Nairn section, including the Nairn bypass, and we will complete the statutory process for that as soon as possible.
“Adult Human Female” (Screening at University of Edinburgh)
Last night, for the second time, the screening of the documentary “Adult Human Female” at the University of Edinburgh had to be cancelled, as protesters blockaded entrances to the venue. Women were shut out, and discussion about women’s rights was shut down. Does the First Minister agree that freedom of speech should be defended in our academic institutions? Will he join me in urging Edinburgh university to ensure that the event can take place?
I agree with Tess White on the importance of freedom of speech, especially in educational institutions such as our universities. They should be a safe space for debate and discussion, robust as that may be.
I have not seen the film in question—“Adult Human Female”—and I do not know what the contents of it are. My understanding is that there was a protest against the film taking place and then there was a separate protest, which ended up denying people who wanted to see the film access to the screening.
Of course, the issue is one for Edinburgh university. In that sense, I will not look to intervene, but I have made my stance on freedom of speech, particularly in universities, perfectly clear. I see that as not being in conflict with my stance, of which I am very proud, of supporting trans rights, which I am unequivocal about.
However, we should ensure that our universities—and society more generally—are places where we can have even robust exchanges of ideas. I am sure that Edinburgh university will have heard what I have had to say and what Tess White has had to say, but it is important that, ultimately, the decision is one for the university to take.
That concludes First Minister’s question time. The next item of business is a members’ business debate, which will be led by Ariane Burgess. There will be a short suspension to allow people to leave the chamber and the public gallery before the debate begins.
12:48 Meeting suspended.12:50 On resuming—