Chamber and committees

Before I bring in our next member, I will pick up on the points that you were making, Dr Fletcher, about feedback on toxicology, given the issues that we are facing at the moment around the timescales for post-mortems. You articulated that in some detail, but I am interested to know what timescale we are looking at. Is it weeks, or longer?

I welcome our second panel of witnesses: Christina McKelvie, who is the Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy—congratulations on your new role—Michael Crook, who is head of the harm reduction team, and Alison Crockett, who is unit head of the whole systems unit in the drugs policy division, both at the Scottish Government; and Dr Saket Priyadarshi, who is associate medical director of the Glasgow alcohol and drug recovery services. A warm welcome to you all.

I ask the minister to make some brief opening remarks.

Russell, am I right that you would like to ask a supplementary question on stigma?

I have to move things on, because we only have about 15 minutes left and three members still want to come in. Succinct questions and answers would be helpful. I call Collette Stevenson, to be followed by Paul O’Kane.

The minister touched on the fact that, despite the shadow of 14 years of Westminster austerity, Scotland is still choosing to invest in its public sector. Will the minister provide further information about the action that the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that the college sector is built on fair work principles that support staff and students alike?

I apologise to members, because I might have to leave before the conclusion of the debate due to a previous commitment. I thank Liam Kerr for securing the debate. As north-east MSPs, we have a common interest in this issue.

The Nestrans announcement that new rail stations at Cove and Newtonhill are to be “examined in more detail” as part of the work to develop sustainable travel between Aberdeen and Laurencekirk is extremely welcome. As Liam Kerr has outlined, Cove is a residential area on the south side of Aberdeen, and Newtonhill is a commuter town that is a little further south. Both are in my constituency and, historically, both had train stops that served the local populations.

I have supported these improvements since I was a councillor for the Torry/Ferryhill ward of Aberdeen City Council. Indeed, I campaigned for the reinstatement of the train stops as part of my election campaign for the Scottish Parliament. I have since remained focused and active on the issue and, more recently, I wrote to the now cabinet secretary seeking her support on the matter. I know that Mr Kerr has been equally passionate and active on the issue.

The question to be asked and answered is why there is such consensus on the issue. The Parliament is, of course, aware of the critical role that the north-east plays in our national economy. A skilled workforce is spread across a number of communities that were once stand-alone small towns and villages and are now home to considerably bigger populations. Those communities continue to grow, with further development situated in or near them.

Regional transport links to the south of Aberdeen are primarily road based, with the exception of the rail links between Aberdeen and the central belt. As we continue to transition to a greener economy, people have become conscious of the need to consider alternative and more green travel options.

Local bus companies have delivered green transport options. Electric and hydrogen fleets, which have expanded rapidly in recent times, serve communities across the area.

The north-east communities at Newtonhill and Cove, as well as those that lie further north, along the Ellon to Peterhead corridor, are aware of the post-Beeching cuts that affected those communities. To one extent or another, the infrastructure that would make modern transport links viable again still exists.

Like other communities in the north-east, the communities of Cove and Newtonhill are seeking innovative connectivity with wider regional centres and beyond. The proposals for electrification and the reopening of rail links that were closed under Beeching offer the multimodal options that our communities are now seeking as a necessary part of 21st century living.

A previous Nestrans study on multimodal transport along the Aberdeen to Laurencekirk corridor indicated a clear willingness on the part of residents to support improvements to the rail network of the kind that, I believe, the opening of stations at Cove and Newtonhill would bring.

Where similar improvements have progressed, such as at Kintore, which other members have mentioned, it has quickly become clear that projects to deliver local transport infrastructure make a significant positive difference to local residents. I will put the Kintore improvements into focus: according to the most recent figures for journeys to and from Kintore station, about 85,000 passengers per annum use the station, and Kintore has a population that is half the size of the combined population of Newtonhill and Cove.

Kintore has shown us the way forward in providing travel options for our communities, and what has been done there can and should be replicated elsewhere. I hope that the Nestrans appraisal brings forward a positive case for stations at Cove and Newtonhill.

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the Universities Scotland 40 faces campaign. (S6O-03344)

Can the minister provide an update on the work to ensure that colleges can utilise their assets that become available for disposal to enhance local investment?

Indeed, the Universities Scotland 40 faces campaign highlights the access stories of students and graduates at Scotland’s universities and other higher education institutions from underrepresented groups such as students from the most deprived 20 per cent of postcodes, those from low-participation schools, students with care experience and/or those who are estranged from their families. Does the minister agree with Universities Scotland and the commissioner for fair access that transitioning towards using individual-level indicators of socioeconomic disadvantage further strengthens the widening access agenda, as opposed to using SIMD20 from the Scottish index of multiple deprivation alone?

I will bring in Russell Findlay.