Climate Change Committee (Advice)
The Climate Change Committee’s new report sets out what the Scottish Government would need to do to reach its 2045 net zero target. It would have to reduce oil and gas production by 91 per cent, which would devastate the industry and our economy. It would have to ask home owners to meet stringent and expensive new energy standards. It would have to get more than half the population to drive electric cars or vans by 2035. For electric cars, the current figure is just 2.2 per cent, and for electric vans it is less than 1 per cent.
The report lays bare the crippling cost to hard-working families and businesses. Does John Swinney think that the committee’s proposals are realistic?
The Government will carefully consider the advice of the Climate Change Committee before we set out our proposed carbon budgets in secondary legislation in due course. There are a lot of policy proposals in the committee’s recommendations. The Government will consider those. However, what is absolutely inescapable is that we have to take action to tackle climate change in our society. That is why the Government is absolutely committed to achieving net zero by 2045—because the implications and consequences of not doing so would be very dramatic and damaging for Scotland and our economy.
Let us take a look at some of the specific suggestions in the report. To meet the Scottish National Party’s net zero target, the number of cattle and sheep in Scotland would need to fall by 2 million—meaning a cull of 2 million animals in the next decade—which is around 25 per cent. That would drive farmers out of business, destroy the rural economy and put our food security at risk. The report says that Scots would need to eat one third less meat. That is utter madness. It is an act of national self-harm. Will John Swinney rule out going ahead with that specific plan?
As I have said, the Government will consider the advice of the Climate Change Committee in an orderly fashion, and we will set out our own proposals for taking the action that is absolutely necessary. There has been parliamentary consensus on the importance of achieving net zero by 2045, which has been supported across the political spectrum. The Government will consider specific proposals and bring them forward, and the Parliament will have the opportunity to decide whether those proposals should be approved or not.
There is absolutely no reassurance for farmers in that answer.
Let us look at another measure in the report. Fewer than 1 per cent of Scotland’s homes have a heat pump, but to meet the SNP’s 2045 target, that figure would need to reach almost 70 per cent. The number of annual installations would need to increase fivefold in just five years’ time. That is before we work out how people would afford heat pumps, given that they typically cost between £8,000 and £15,000. That proposal is simply not realistic, and if it was imposed, it would hammer hard-working Scots. Will John Swinney please rule it out now?
Mr Findlay talked about reassurance for farmers. As a representative of a constituency that includes many members of the farming community, I take the commitment to support the future of Scottish agriculture very seriously, and it has always been reflected—[Interruption.] That commitment has always been reflected in my policy priorities.
I can tell the Parliament that what was not reassuring to farmers was Brexit, which Mr Findlay supported. That has damaged the economic opportunities—[Interruption.]
Let us hear one another.
In the Brexit—[Interruption.]
Mr Ross, you have persistently refused to abide by our standing orders. I ask you to leave the chamber; you are excluded for the rest of the day.
The issue of Brexit—
Excuse me, First Minister. Mr Ross, I have asked you to leave the chamber. Please do so.
First Minister, please continue.
Reassurance for farmers was absent in the Brexit that the Conservatives imposed on us, and it has caused incalculable—[Interruption.]
Mr Lumsden, please refrain from shouting from your seat.
Brexit has caused incalculable damage to the farming industry in Scotland, and this Government is working to repair that damage.
My second point is that the targets for reaching net zero by 2045 are not those of the SNP—they are the Parliament’s. They were democratically agreed to by the Parliament because we all recognised the importance of climate action.
What we see in front of us just now is obvious: the Conservatives are deserting the action that is necessary on climate for a cheap political opportunity. However, this Government will do what it always does, which is to act in the best interests of the people of Scotland and to secure the future of our country.
I can only share my colleagues’ frustration at this weekly exercise in deflection and evasion. The SNP has missed its eco-targets for years. Its expert advisers now confirm that the only way to reach net zero by 2045 is by imposing radical and financially devastating policies.
If John Swinney sticks to his target, he has to be honest with the people of Scotland about the price that he expects them to pay. People will be forced to ditch petrol cars, rip out their boilers and change their diets. Farmers will need to get rid of cattle. Scotland’s oil and gas industry will cease to exist. All of it will be paid for through higher taxes and higher household bills. None of it makes sense to people in the real world. It is just not realistic or affordable. Does John Swinney agree, or will he continue to make promises that he knows that the SNP cannot keep?
Between 1990 and 2022, Scotland’s emissions halved, while the economy grew by 66.6 per cent. I cite that information to note to the Parliament that it is possible for us to grow our economy and reduce our emissions by sensible investment. What does that sensible investment involve? It involves supporting the transition to renewable energy—and I mean the transition to renewable energy—whereby we manage carefully the way in which we generate our energy by attracting investment—[Interruption.]
Let us hear the First Minister.
—which we are successfully doing to secure the energy future of our country. That is the commitment of the Scottish Government: to ensure that we deliver a just transition, grow the economy and always take action to protect the interests of the people of Scotland. The SNP Government will do that while the Conservatives play politics with the opportunists.
National Health Service Waiting Lists
Another week and another set of damning statistics demonstrate the Scottish National Party’s mismanagement of our NHS. There are now 860,925 people on an NHS waiting list, which is one in six Scots. Of those people, 105,953 have been waiting for more than a year, and more than 13,000 Scots have been waiting for more than two years, which is the highest number ever recorded.
There is a human cost to that. Just one example is Tracey Meechan, who has waited more than 100 weeks to be treated for an ovarian cyst. She is living in pain, has constant anxiety, is desperate to work but cannot and is unable to do as much with her children as she wants. Why are hundreds of thousands of Scottish patients such as Tracey paying the price for SNP failure?
As I have explained in the Parliament on many occasions before, I recognise the significant impact of long waits on individual patients. I apologise to everybody who is affected by those long waits. That impact is why tackling long waits is central to the Government’s plans to deliver the improvements in the national health service that are required.
I am aware of the case of Tracey Meechan; I saw the media reports on it. My officials have already contacted NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to raise her case with it. We are advised that dialogue is under way with Ms Meechan about the procedure and I hope that that leads to progress.
However, there are obviously many other people like Ms Meechan who are waiting for treatment, and I apologise for those circumstances. For that reason, the Government has made the largest-ever investment in the national health service. Based on the most recent initiative that we took to tackle the volume of transactions and procedures in the health service, we expected there to be 64,000 additional appointments and procedures by March this year—in fact, we achieved 105,500.
I hope that that gives Mr Sarwar and members of the public reassurance that the Government is focusing on expanding capacity to tackle the issue that he raises.
Week after week, John Swinney comes to the chamber and apologises, and things continue to get worse. People do not want to hear “Sorry”—they want treatment, and that is on the SNP Government. Time after time, the SNP has promised to get to grips with the crisis in our NHS. It promised recovery after the pandemic, but the situation has only got worse. The Government is now on to its fifth NHS recovery plan, its fourth health minister and its third First Minister since that promise, and the crisis only deepens.
Thousands of people are, like Tracey Meechan, waiting more than two years for procedures in specialisms that include ear, nose and throat, neurosurgery, orthopaedics—that is, hip and knee replacements—and gynaecology, including ovarian surgery. When will John Swinney finally come clean and admit that he and his Government have utterly failed and that he has no plan to fix Scotland’s NHS?
I welcome the acknowledgement in Mr Sarwar’s question of the significant impact of the Covid pandemic. All of us must realise that the pandemic had a serious and detrimental effect on the ability of the NHS, over a period of about two years, to tackle the health issues that members of the public face.
That is why we have in place a plan to focus on expanding capacity. What I set out earlier this year involves enhancing the capacity of national treatment centres; expanding regional delivery of healthcare services in order to increase levels of activity; and putting in place additional capacity in hospitals such as Gartnavel general hospital, Inverclyde royal hospital, Stracathro hospital, Perth royal infirmary and Queen Margaret hospital to deliver more procedures in exactly the specialisms that Mr Sarwar put to me.
I acknowledge the scale of the challenge. We are putting in place the practical expansion of capacity to make sure that we can treat more patients, which is exactly what the Government is focused on doing.
Just like this SNP Government, the plan is not working, and Scotland needs a new direction.
There is a human cost to SNP failure. Take the case of Eileen Kelly, who is an 80-year-old grandmother from the south side of Glasgow. Eileen is living with severe osteoarthritis in both hips—so severe, in fact, that her entire right hip has disintegrated. When she most needed help, she was told that she faced a wait of two and a half years on the NHS. Due to the severe pain that she is in, she has paid more than £10,000 to be treated privately. Eileen told me that she lives two flights up and has been left immobile and in agony. She has worked and paid taxes all her life, but when she needed the NHS, the SNP let her down. She feels betrayed and abandoned.
That is the reality of the NHS after two decades of SNP rule: one in six Scots is on an NHS waiting list, waits are soaring and thousands are being forced to go private. Why has John Swinney and SNP incompetence left our NHS on life support?
In his previous question, Mr Sarwar referenced the significance of the Covid pandemic. All of us must be realistic and recognise that the Covid pandemic interrupted the ability to deliver healthcare services for members of the public for a two-year period. It takes a period of time to recover from such an event, and focus and direction are needed to ensure that the process is successful. The measures that I have set out on the expansion of capacity are designed to ensure that that is the case.
I am sorry that Eileen Kelly has had the experience that she has had. Obviously, there are individuals who receive treatment earlier than was promised in her circumstance, because there is an ability to put forward legitimate clinical cases for urgent intervention where such intervention is able to be undertaken. If Mr Sarwar wants to furnish me with the details of the case, I will examine exactly what has happened in that circumstance.
We are working to make sure that we have in place the staff and the resources to address the issue. What will not help us is the approach that is now being taken on immigration by the United Kingdom Government. Anyone who has looked at the details of what it has set out, which involves turning off our ability to attract international workers, will realise that that is a very damaging blow to our health service. I saw data from Scottish Care on social care—[Interruption.]
Let us hear one another.
—and the sector is heavily dependent on international workers. If the UK Government decides to turn off the ability of the Scottish health service to attract international workers, that will make our challenge in addressing the waiting times issue ever more difficult. That will be a consequence of the actions of the UK Government.
Therefore, I appeal to Mr Sarwar to join me in what I said to the Prime Minister on Friday: the immigration proposals will be damaging to our national health service, and we do not want anything to do with them.
Flamingo Land (Planning Appeal)
Outside Parliament today, people gathered to express their anger at the Scottish Government’s intention to approve a resort development by Flamingo Land on the shores of Loch Lomond. The proposal has been opposed by the National Trust for Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and more than 155,000 people, and it was rejected unanimously by the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority. It is the most unpopular development in the history of the Scottish planning system.
I know that the First Minister is about to tell us that he cannot comment on a specific appeal, but his minister has already made a political decision. It took Ivan McKee just two working days to announce his refusal to act in the public interest and recall the appeal, so he and the First Minister must be accountable for that now. There is still a chance that we can save Loch Lomond—the decision is not set in stone—so will the First Minister listen to all those who have been objecting for years, put the natural environment ahead of corporate profit and recall the decision?
As Mr Harvie indicated, the appeal remains live, so members must understand that it would not be appropriate for me to comment in detail on the proposal. I am aware that the reporter has issued a notice of intention to allow the appeal and to grant planning permission in principle, subject to 49 planning conditions being met and a legal agreement—including on the Lomond promise, which includes a commitment to community benefits and fair work—being reached. The reporter is required to make his decision on the planning merits of the case and to take full account of all submissions made by the parties involved in the case, including representations from members of the local community.
I am afraid that I really do not think that the First Minister is even attempting to acknowledge the scale of the anger about the issue—anger that has been demonstrated by people outside Parliament today and by the 44,000 people who have already written to the minister—as a result of an unnecessary, unwanted and destructive development.
However, this is not the first time that he has defended such a development. In 2007, when John Swinney had been in government for less than a year, he overturned a local planning decision to approve another controversial, environmentally destructive project from a greedy, bullying developer. In that case, of course, the decision was made to give Donald Trump his golf course. Even Trump’s project director from those days has made it clear that the Government was hoodwinked.
The First Minister is not standing up for Scotland. Did he learn nothing from his mistake? Why is he still willing to back greedy developers who cannot look at a landscape without seeing an opportunity to bulldoze it for profit?
I am absolutely committed to protecting Scotland’s natural environment. In all the decisions and steps that I take, I value and cherish that natural environment. The reporter has to come to a decision that is based on the planning merits of the case. In this circumstance, on a range of different conditions, the reporter has established a notice of intention to allow the appeal, subject to 49 planning conditions that I am sure address the issues that Mr Harvie is raising with me. Those issues have to be the subject of further discussion. That is the proper exercise of the planning process, which I am obliged by law to ensure is the case.
Winter Fuel Payment
To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on the Scottish Government’s latest engagement with the United Kingdom Government regarding its plans for the winter fuel payment and any implications for the Scottish Government’s work to deliver a universal pension age winter heating payment in Scotland. (S6F-04125)
Since the Prime Minister made his announcement, the Scottish Government has not been furnished with detail, and the lack of information is only adding further to the uncertainty. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government wrote to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury this week to urge the UK Government to share its plans with us as quickly as possible, so that we can understand any implications for our own programmes and, crucially, our budget.
Under pressure, the Prime Minister has in effect admitted that Labour’s winter fuel payment cut was wrong, but the lack of information from the UK Government on how, when or whether it will means test the winter fuel payment is causing anxiety for pensioners. Are our pensioners to be kept in the dark, as well as in the cold?
Clare Adamson is right to highlight the lack of information since the Prime Minister made his statement a week ago yesterday. We await further detail and the implications for Scotland.
Pensioners in Scotland should be absolutely assured that, when the Labour Government decided, as one of its first acts, to remove winter fuel payments from pensioners, the Scottish National Party Government stepped in and introduced a universal payment that will provide support to more than 812,000 pensioner households in Scotland—support that is not available anywhere else in the United Kingdom. The people of Scotland and, crucially, the pensioners of Scotland can see that, where the Labour Government takes away the winter fuel payment, the Scottish National Party Government will restore it.
Play Parks (Renewal)
To ask the First Minister, in light of it being almost five years since the Scottish Government committed to spending £60 million to renew every play park in Scotland and of reports that less than half of the funding has been spent, what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that children do not miss out on renewed facilities. (S6F-04139)
The Scottish Government has provided £35 million to local authority partners, which has already led to the renewal of 1,100 play parks since September 2021. In 2025-26, we are providing a further £25 million to help to accelerate local authorities’ plans and to make more parks welcoming, free and accessible spaces for all children to enjoy. That means that our £60 million commitment will be met by my Government. On the basis of a scoping exercise that the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities undertook in 2022, we estimate that that will allow a total renewal of nearly 2,000 play parks, including all parks that are assessed by local authorities as being in need of immediate renewal.
That sounds like another Swinney broken promise. The First Minister promised a free tablet or laptop and an internet connection for every child in Scotland. He promised to provide a free bike for every child, to close the attainment gap, to recruit an additional 3,500 teachers and to ensure that every primary school pupil would receive free school breakfasts and lunches all year round. He has failed on every promise, and now he will fail on delivering the promise of refurbishing every play park by the end of this session of Parliament. Why should the people of this country believe anything that he says, when everywhere we look we see the SNP Government offering up big, empty election gimmicks and then failing to deliver?
I remind all members that we use full names or titles in the chamber.
I think that Stephen Kerr needs to go to a play park to get rid of some of his excess energy. He seems—[Interruption.]
Let us hear one another.
He seems just a little bit too excited for words today.
Let me inject some basic arithmetic into Parliament today—25 plus 35 equals 60, which equals the fulfilment of the Government’s promise. One of the basic foundations of being a member of Parliament is that, when you do not get the answer that you expect, you have to pivot to deal with it. Mr Kerr cannot handle that.
I have a bizarre and inexplicable tolerance of Mr Kerr, who is like that black cloud that appears on a sunny day, even if only temporarily. [Interruption.] Can I—
Ms Grahame, please take your seat.
Mr Lumsden, were you trying to attract attention? I am just asking why you were shouting from your seat. Please desist.
On playgrounds—apart from the fact that Mr Kerr seems to need an abacus rather than a playground—I commend the fact that £800,000 has already been allocated in the Borders, and £1 million in Midlothian. On a serious note, after Covid, when children were socially isolated for so long, it is excellent that they can now have fresh air and fun and be liberated to the safe space of a playground—not too safe, but safe enough.
Christine Grahame makes an incredibly powerful point. In the aftermath of Covid, when, as we all know, there were negative implications for children and young people in our society, making sure that there are good facilities for them to enjoy is part of the work that we have to do.
Some weeks ago, I had the pleasure, with the Deputy First Minister, of seeing some of the improvement work that has been undertaken in Kirkintilloch, and it is happening in other parts of the country. I am not surprised that it has been welcomed by my wise colleague Christine Grahame.
The Scottish Government’s promise was to renew every play park. Will it be every play park?
I answered the point in my earlier answer, where a scoping—[Interruption.]
You did not.
Mr Kerr, you have had an opportunity to put questions to the First Minister. I now ask you to desist from shouting from your seat.
The Government undertook an exercise with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and worked with our local authority partners to determine the way in which the approach could best complement local work. That is the Government working in partnership with local authorities. That is what Parliament always asks us to do, and once again the Government has delivered.
Environmental Protection (Keeping Pace with European Union)
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to maintain its policy aim of keeping pace with the EU on environmental protection. (S6F-04140)
The Scottish Government is committed to remaining aligned with the EU where it is possible and meaningful for Scotland to do so. That commitment is reflected in our annual reports to the Scottish Parliament on the use of the alignment power under the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021. Many of our environmental regulations were derived from EU law, and that is an important area for consideration of alignment. We are currently assessing the revised EU environmental crime directive, including its provision of higher penalties for serious environmental harm that is equivalent to ecocide.
The proposed ecocide (prevention) (Scotland) bill would make it a criminal offence to cause widespread, long-term or irreversible environmental damage, with penalties of up to 20 years in prison for individuals and unlimited fines for organisations. Ecocide law was pioneered by trailblazing Scottish lawyer the late Polly Higgins. The EU and many countries worldwide are acting to deter and punish such devastating crimes, and this is Scotland’s time to act. Does the First Minister agree with the bill’s aims? Does he welcome this vital opportunity for Scotland to become the first UK nation to criminalise ecocide?
I compliment Monica Lennon on the diligent work that she has undertaken to engage with many stakeholders and parties, and also with the Government, on the formulation of the bill that she is to introduce to Parliament. I recognise the importance that she attaches to that piece of legislation, and the Government understands the significance of the points that are raised. We will, of course, consider the bill that Monica Lennon is going to introduce, and we would welcome further dialogue with her on the issue.
We are committed to the protection of our natural environment, as represented by the introduction in February of the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill. We will give very serious consideration to the conduct and issues that Monica Lennon raises, because the implications and impact of those issues are detrimental to our natural environment, which we have to protect.
Scottish Funding Council and University of Dundee (Financial Agreement)
To ask the First Minister for what reason there has reportedly been no financial agreement between the Scottish Funding Council and the University of Dundee, in light of the alternative financial recovery plan being launched four weeks ago. (S6F-04138)
The University of Dundee is an autonomous institution that is responsible for its own decision-making powers and must consider whether further financial support is required. As of this morning, we have not yet received any request from the Scottish Funding Council. However, as I have reiterated throughout this situation, the Scottish Government and the Funding Council will give careful consideration to any request for additional support within the legislative framework.
I am encouraged by the university’s commitment to minimise job losses, but it is vital that the university consults on its revised plan with its community, including trade unions, and with the strategic advisory task force, which is chaired by Sir Alan Langlands.
The situation has been agonising for university staff. A cloud has been hanging over them since November, which is seven months ago. They simply cannot understand why we still have no financial agreement four weeks on from the publication of the new financial recovery plan. One staff member had tears in her eyes as she told me about the toll that it is taking on her and her family. How much longer does the First Minister think that she will have to wait?
First, I sympathise and empathise with the point that Mr Rennie raises with me on behalf of his constituent. At my constituency surgery on Monday, I had a member of staff come to see me in my constituency capacity, who in essence conveyed the very same message, so I understand entirely where Mr Rennie is coming from, and I want to make sure that the Government acts properly and effectively to address the legitimate concerns that he puts to me. He will of course acknowledge, because he is entirely familiar with our legislative arrangements, that the University of Dundee operates as an autonomous institution. It has to take the initiative to come to the Funding Council and the Government.
I assure Mr Rennie that the issue has the most active engagement of the First Minister, the Deputy First Minister, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and the Minister for Higher and Further Education within Government. We are ready to consider any requests that are made to us properly by the University of Dundee and the Funding Council.
I have met university staff and this is what one staff member said to me:
“The weight of not knowing, of being left in limbo, is taking a huge toll on mental health and morale. It is not just us. It is our families, too. The endless delays and broken promises from management and Government are leaving us all in despair. When will they do something?”
The Government’s target is 300 job losses, and the costings, I am told, have now been submitted and are with officials. Will the First Minister commit to Parliament today that the voluntary severance scheme will be in place and open by the end of next week?
Mr Marra knows that I cannot give that commitment, because that would be me dictating to an independent institution how it should go about its own governance, and I would break the law if I did that—it is as simple as that.
Ask it.
I am trying to give Mr Marra a substantive answer, if he would allow me to do that.
I understand the anxieties of members of staff, because they come to my constituency surgeries. I hear those very directly, and I totally accept the worry and anxiety that is caused, but I have to operate within the existing legal framework. I give Mr Marra, as I give to Parliament and to members of staff at the University of Dundee, the absolute commitment that the Government is engaging actively and promptly on all these questions.
Lastly, I gave to Parliament on a previous occasion my absolute commitment to securing the future of the University of Dundee. I unreservedly reiterate that in front of Parliament today, and the Government will follow that approach in all that we do.
We move to constituency and general supplementary questions.
Inward Investment (ZeroAvia)
I welcome the news that the green aircraft engine developer ZeroAvia will establish a major manufacturing base in Scotland, creating 350 jobs. What assessment has the Scottish Government made of the economic impact of that investment? Can the First Minister say more about the steps that the Scottish Government is taking to attract such inward investment throughout Scotland?
Mr Adam raises a particular case that is directly relevant to the answers that I gave earlier to Russell Findlay: the case of ZeroAvia, which has decided to locate its manufacturing facility for hydrogen fuel cell technology for air travel at the advanced manufacturing innovation district in Inchinnan. As a consequence of that, up to 350 high-skilled, high-value jobs will be created in low-carbon technologies. That has been made possible by investment from not only ZeroAvia but the United Kingdom Government’s National Wealth Fund, the Scottish National Investment Bank, which acts on our behalf, and Scottish Enterprise.
That is a classic example of how, by working with the private sector, the Government can attract investment. The Deputy First Minister is leading that work within Government to ensure that we attract investment into Scotland and that we create economic opportunity from the journey to net zero. That is the point that I made to Mr Findlay in my earlier answer and I am delighted that there will be a positive economic impact in Mr Adam’s Paisley constituency and in the constituency of my colleague Natalie Don-Innes.
Stagecoach Services (Dumfries and Galloway)
Having milked the public purse for years while the going was good, Stagecoach has now decided to throw Dumfries and Galloway under the bus. There are reports that the company is planning to exit the region altogether, abandon more than a hundred members of staff, close depots in Dumfries and Stranraer and even hand back school transport contracts. That presents a huge challenge across a large rural local authority, and constituents are seeking urgent reassurance that they will still be able to get to work, school and hospital appointments. Will the First Minister commit the Government and its agencies to working with Dumfries and Galloway Council to ensure that bus services do not collapse and to explore alternative options that will retain current drivers and staff?
As I understand it, the issue is part of a live procurement exercise that is being led by Dumfries and Galloway Council. The Scottish Government has no involvement in that decision-making process, but I am assured that local authority officers are working through the options as part of that procurement process.
I understand the point that Mr Mundell puts to me about the importance of sustaining community travel services in Dumfries and Galloway. That will be challenging enough for members of the public without any diminution of those services. I will ask my officials to look at the situation to see whether there is any scope for the Government to assist in reaching an agreement. I have been advised that there is a live council procurement exercise, but I will take away Mr Mundell’s point and consider whether the Government can assist in any way.
Stagecoach Services (Dumfries and Galloway)
Does the First Minister accept that, given the scale of the services that Stagecoach provides in a region where the company has a near monopoly on school transport and on lifeline subsidised services, we must urgently look at alternatives? We cannot face a situation in which kids might not be able to get to school by bus in August because of actions as part of the current negotiation, with lifeline services taken away. The situation is an example of bus networks in this country being broken. The big companies have a monopoly, and communities miss out most when they walk away.
I accept Mr Smyth’s final point, hence the importance of Dumfries and Galloway Council acting in a fashion that enables continuity of services.
Opportunities for bus services to be organised in a different way have been provided in legislation that the Government has enacted. I accept that the timescale that Mr Smyth and Mr Mundell have put to me means that there is an urgent need for the issue to be resolved. I give Mr Smyth the assurance that I gave to Mr Mundell, which is that the Cabinet Secretary for Transport will look at the case to see whether there is anything that the Government can do to help to resolve matters and ensure continuity of services. That is a legitimate expectation from Mr Smyth.
Ukraine (Trade and Investment Links)
How will the memorandum of understanding between the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, which commits our Government and that of Ukraine to strengthening trade and investment links, allow Scotland to do its part in supporting Ukraine to rebuild its country in the face of Russia’s illegal war? Will the First Minister make a commitment to the Parliament, and to the country, that his Government will keep under active review the ways in which Scotland can support the future of Ukraine and, by extension, the peace and stability of Europe?
On Tuesday evening, along with Richard Lochhead, the Minister for Business, I had the enormous pleasure of meeting a delegation of mayors from Ukraine who had come to Scotland to sign a trade agreement and to encourage collaboration. On Wednesday, the agreement was signed by the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Angus Robertson, on behalf of the Scottish Government. That dialogue has been encouraged and enabled by the work of the Parliament’s cross-party group on Ukraine, of which Mr Beattie is the convener. I am grateful to that group for its support.
The agreement is one example of how we can establish further co-operation and collaboration with Ukraine as it tries to recover from an illegal invasion. It is also an opportunity for me to indicate our resolute support for Ukraine’s people. On Friday, I was in London, where I met the Prime Minister. Of all the things that he said to me and the leaders of other devolved Governments that day, I cannot compliment enough his resolution in support of Ukraine. I applaud the Prime Minister for his resolute support. He speaks on behalf of the Scottish Parliament when he highlights the importance of our standing up to Russian aggression, protecting Ukraine and securing its future. We will stand steadfast with the people of Ukraine in that regard.
Hawick Fire Station
Due to unprecedented Scottish National Party cuts, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has brought forward plans to scrap 24/7 fire cover at Hawick fire station, which will leave nearby towns and communities at risk. Earlier this month, I met local firefighters who told me how the cuts will pose a direct threat to them and to residents across the Borders. Will the First Minister join my campaign to save Hawick fire station? Given the very real danger that the plans would pose to my constituents, I feel that it is imperative that he should get behind that campaign.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service intends to undertake a consultation on various aspects of service redesign, which it will conduct through engagement. Twenty-three service delivery review options are being considered as part of a full public consultation that will commence at the end of June 2025. Rachael Hamilton’s points can be considered as part of that consultation. It is important that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service adopts a sustainable approach to fire and rescue cover, which will vary around the country based on the number of incidents and the level of risk in particular localities. The SFRS will carry out the consultation in a professional manner.
On the financial aspects, the Government has increased the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s budget for this financial year by £18.1 million. Indeed, its budget has increased by £97 million since 2017-18. Therefore, the Government has been investing in the service, but, from time to time, the SFRS needs to explore how its resources can be deployed properly. It will do that in a professional way while protecting public safety.
Child Poverty (United Kingdom Government Strategy)
Save the Children has warned that delay in the UK Government’s publishing its child poverty strategy means that
“20,000 more children will be dragged into poverty.”
Does the First Minister share my concern that, yet again, Westminster’s inaction is getting in the way of the Scottish Government’s work to eradicate child poverty in South Scotland and across the rest of our country?
It is important that all Governments across the UK take action to eradicate child poverty, which is the focus of my Government. We have put in place the Scottish child payment, which will increase this year. We have also taken the decision to abolish the two-child limit, which is an important step in lifting children out of poverty. When I met the Prime Minister on Friday, my plea to him was that the UK Government should act in a way that assists us in our endeavour to eradicate such poverty.
I am concerned that the steps that are being taken on welfare reform will throw more children into poverty. I hope that the UK Government takes a different course of action, because we are committed to eradicating child poverty, and it would be helpful—after all the years of austerity and the damage that has been done by the Conservatives—if the Labour Government could help us in our work to eradicate child poverty.
Mental Health Services (Police Scotland)
It has been reported that Police Scotland receives approximately 20,000 calls per month relating to mental health issues. The impact of the demand on the service is significant, with a lack of suitably trained psychologists and a lack of fast-tracking for individuals who have the ability to be looked after, and those individuals should not be held in police custody suites. What action is the Scottish Government taking to urgently support police officers during this mental health crisis?
We are taking a number of steps to expand capacity in mental health services. For example, we have exceeded our commitment to fund more than 800 additional mental health workers in various locations, including accident and emergency departments, general practitioner practices and other public sector facilities.
We are also supporting the expansion of community-based support. Since 2020, we have invested more than £145 million in community ventures to support young people. In addition, nearly 83,000 children, young people and their family members accessed community-based mental health support between July 2023 and March 2024. That indicates that we are building capacity to ensure that the mental health needs of the population are effectively addressed in community settings around the country.
That concludes First Minister’s question time. There will be a short suspension to allow those leaving the chamber and the gallery to do so.
12:46 Meeting suspended.