Chamber and committees

The picture that you paint seems to be quite complex with regard to patient flow, interaction and presentation, and whether you would then induce demand by creating an easier interface.

It would be interesting to know, for example, whether requests for referral to residential rehab are not being fulfilled, and whether that illustrates unmet needs in a more critical sense—not necessarily assuming that X thousand people would theoretically benefit and that therefore we can convert that to capacity. As you said, myriad complexities and risks are associated with the subject. It would not be the case that everyone would turn up on the first day. I am just trying to get a rough idea of the scale of financial and other resource capacity that might be needed.

Also, what impact would the reporting requirements that are set out in the bill have on healthcare professionals?

I want to raise with the cabinet secretary correspondence that we have received from the Royal College of Nursing, which has expressed particular concern about the proposed reduction in the working week for the agenda for change staff. It claims that there had been mixed messages from the Scottish Government and health boards; indeed, it was aware of some boards proactively informing staff that further reductions would go ahead in April, and that people had made plans and arrangements accordingly. Therefore, the late announcement from the Government that a further reduction would not go ahead this year has resulted in a great loss of trust. Cabinet secretary, do you want to respond to those points from the RCN?

Thank you.

That is all helpful context, but this is what I am trying to get at. There is currently a relatively known number of people in Scotland who use drugs and might benefit from rehabilitation if that service were available to them. If we assume a fairly high take-up rate, do we have an understanding of the capacity that would be required?

Obviously, everyone presenting at once would be unrealistic, but has there been any consideration on your part of the rough numbers that we would be looking at in terms of scale, staffing and facilities? It might be that all of that is perfectly fine—my question is about whether you have looked at the logistics in any detail.

I appreciate the feedback on the planning for the Commonwealth games.

I want to pick up on the point about legacy, and, in particular, the opportunities for developing capital facilities that are not currently being utilised. For example, Whitehill pool in the city’s Dennistoun district, which is close to Tollcross international swimming centre, has been closed since December 2023 due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, which has displaced a number of local clubs, including ones that focus on people with disabilities.

Has sportscotland engaged with the organising committee for the 2026 games and the Commonwealth Games Federation about what capital investment opportunities are available to ensure that facilities, in particular in the deprived parts of Glasgow, can be repaired in time for there to be a legacy proposition for the Commonwealth games?

That is great. One of the core venues for the Commonwealth games is Scotstoun stadium, the main tenant of which, Glasgow Warriors, is looking into developing the facilities. Are there any discussions about how the capital investment can assist with a longer-term legacy in rugby development—for Glasgow Warriors in particular—at the stadium?

That is no problem.

I will quickly return to an earlier point on equalities and equity of access to sport as a potential legacy of the Commonwealth games. I believe that a concern was raised at the November meeting of the Scottish Sports Council Trust Company board regarding

“strategies to engage key groups, such as BAME children experiencing poverty.”

It was highlighted that there were

“challenges in identifying specific students within schools”

and that there could be better use of

“data to target support and remove barriers, including financial assistance.”

Could the Commonwealth games offer an opportunity to enrich the data picture on engaging young people, especially those from deprived backgrounds or ethnic minority backgrounds? Do you think that looking at that picture through the prism of the Commonwealth games would allow us to build such relationships, given that Glasgow has the most ethnically diverse population in Scotland?

Has sportscotland engaged with other local authorities about whether they could sustain the pupils who currently attend the school for the duration of their secondary education? Has sportscotland made any effort to be involved in future planning in relation to pupils who currently attend the school and whether the model should be sustained? You seem to be suggesting that the model is obsolete. Is that correct?

Do you have any ideas about how that work might evolve? Could that happen through engagement with the charities that work with more deprived communities or engagement with specific schools? Is an idea emerging of how that work might be developed?