Chamber and committees

I will now bring in Liam Kerr.

Community payback orders make a significant contribution towards the wider objective of strengthening alternatives to custody and ensuring that our prisons are used for those who should be there. Will the cabinet secretary provide an update on what assessment the Scottish Government has carried out in relation to community justice and reoffending rates?

The Leverhulme research centre for forensic science at the University of Dundee provides a range of crucial forensic services in Scotland. Recent evidence that was provided to the Criminal Justice Committee’s inquiry on substance misuse in prisons described the drug testing service provided by the centre as “critical”. I understand that nine core-funded staff are at risk of redundancy, which risks the future of the drug testing work for the Scottish Prison Service and for the planned national drug testing laboratory for Scotland.

Will the cabinet secretary provide an update on the work that is being done to secure the future of the centre, given its importance to the delivery of justice in Scotland? Will she provide clarity on the university’s recent statement that forensic science will continue to be delivered as part of its portfolio, while pressing ahead with possible redundancies for all its research-active and core-funded forensic science staff?

To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on the Scottish Government’s latest engagement with the United Kingdom Government regarding funding and timescales for the development of the Acorn carbon capture and storage project. (S6F-04200)

After years of delays, the UK Government has finally announced some funding for Acorn, but it has failed to commit to a timetable or final investment decision on the project. That stands in stark contrast to Labour’s £22 billion for carbon capture in England and a swathe of costly nuclear projects. Given that Westminster has had 20 years to hammer out the detail of Acorn, does the First Minister agree that we must now see meaningful support and funding at pace?

GPs are very much at the heart of our health system, so it is vital that we move forward with work to increase timely access. Can the cabinet secretary advise how the steps that are outlined in the programme for government will build on the Scottish Government’s work to improve GP waiting times in NHS Grampian?

By how much have Scotland’s coastal communities been short-changed since Brexit, when we left the European Union? Is there any indication that the current United Kingdom Government is interested in giving Scotland its rightful share of marine funding?

I thank Liam Kerr for bringing the debate to the chamber. It is an issue that impacts on our constituents and, although we are on different parts of the political spectrum, I think that we are united in our belief that a meaningful and fair solution can, and must, be found, following what has been a traumatising and life-changing experience that is not yet over.

As we have heard, RAAC has been used in buildings in the UK for many decades. However, the risks that are associated with RAAC have become more commonly known only following failures of the material, which have prompted investigations in both housing and public buildings.

In my constituency of Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, more than 500 dwellings that were built using that material in the construction of the monopitch roofs sit within the Balnagask area of Torry. Twenty months ago, Aberdeen City Council assessed around 360 of the 500 homes or council houses as being at high risk from RAAC. The remainder—around 138 privately owned properties—had previously been sold by Aberdeen City Council under right-to-buy legislation, with many being resold since, and they, too, are assessed as high risk.

Torry is a Scottish index of multiple deprivation priority area, part of which sits in the bottom 10 per cent of deprived areas in Scotland. Generations of families have grown up, and live, in Torry, with practical support flowing across generations in both directions. People know each other well and there is a strong sense of belonging and connection. Crucially, the community does not have particularly high expectations or demands in life—people just want to have a good life.

Following the discovery of RAAC, Aberdeen City Council confirmed its intention to demolish the estate on safety grounds, and tenants have since been rehoused across the city. Home owners now face a choice of compulsory purchase or agreeing a sale at a reduced price that reflects the impact of RAAC on valuations. That has significant financial implications for home owners, many of whom stand to lose many tens of thousands of pounds through no fault of their own.

Over the past year or so, I have engaged with well over 100 constituents, who are bewildered and frightened and feel powerless. I commend council officers and many other professionals who have worked tirelessly to support home owners, including Dr Adrian Crofton and his team at the Torry medical practice, and Eleanor Sheppard, executive director of families and communities in Aberdeen City Council, whom I thank for her engagement and solution-focused approach.

Although the issue that we are discussing is nothing short of a major incident, cost has become a central and challenging theme. On that, I have engaged with all tiers of government and numerous stakeholders to look under the bonnet of the issue to see how we can address the plight of home owners in such a way that they do not lose out. That is simply the right thing to do. It has been a frustrating process, and I deeply regret that we are not there yet.

I also commend the former Minister for Housing, Paul McLennan, for his engagement with me and community members on the situation that faces private owners. I am also grateful for his feedback on his latest engagement with Aberdeen City Council, in which he set out a range of actions that reflect the Government’s commitment to supporting Aberdeen City Council to resolve the situation.

To conclude, I welcome the Cabinet Secretary for Housing to her new role, which reflects the Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling that priority area, and I would welcome the opportunity to discuss the issue with her in early course.

I strongly urge strong leadership—strong local leadership—to effect a timely and collaborative response that is centred on people, not cost, and fairness for everybody who has been impacted.

To ask the Scottish Government how its marine fund Scotland 2025-26 will support businesses and organisations in coastal communities. (S6O-04800)

The landscape of general practice in Scotland has changed significantly in recent years, with rising numbers of people living longer and with more than one condition. What reform opportunities are being considered to enable general practitioners to offer a greater specialist response, meeting the needs of population groups across areas such as cardiac and frailty?