Chamber and committees

I agree with a lot of what the deputy convener has said about urban Scotland, where much more needs to be done to get derelict sites out of being derelict and back into use. As we took evidence during the past few months, we never took evidence on urban Scotland and some of these issues, because they were not really part of the scope of the bill. Would it be right for us to open that up now, when we have not taken any evidence? In hindsight—we all have 20:20 hindsight—was it a mistake that those issues in urban Scotland were not part of the bill that was introduced?

I hear what Monica Lennon is saying. There is misinformation, we should do everything that we can to stamp it out and decisions should be based on evidence.

However, when it comes to some community groups being loud, a lot of them are loud because they are angry at what they see on their doorsteps and they do not feel that they are being listened to. We need to do more about that. If we can bring communities with us on our journey to net zero, that will be a win for us all. I do not feel that that is happening now, and that is why I lodged amendments in that regard.

Will the member take an intervention?

At the committee stage, we heard evidence about the ownership of landholdings—for example, a unit trust—being split into small packets, even though they are managed as one. Will those amendments cover that?

Does Bob Doris anticipate any costs arising from his amendments requiring another location for all land management plans to be held?

I thank the minister for advance sight of the statement. It is clear that he has his head in the sand, because the north-east faces an emergency. The Just Transition Commission report needs to be a wake-up call for this devolved Government, because it sets out something that we already know and have been warning about. It says:

“There is still no transition plan for oil and gas workers.”

We know that because the just transition plan and energy strategy were meant to be delivered years ago. I have repeatedly asked when they will be published, but it is clear that the minister and the cabinet secretary simply do not have a clue.

While that uncertainty continues, thousands of jobs in the north-east are being lost. The Scottish National Party cannot keep passing the buck, because we need an affordable, commonsense transition. The front page of today’s Press and Journal lays bare that 400 jobs are to go every fortnight over the next five years. That is like a Grangemouth facility closing every two weeks. The SNP is doing nothing to stop that, and it is continuing with its presumption against new oil and gas.

Does the minister accept that there can be no transition if oil and gas jobs are lost because the SNP is demonising the industry? Will he apologise to the people of the north-east for his Government’s failure to plan properly and publish its energy strategy and just transition plan?

In his statement today, the minister has called for insurers and mortgage lenders “to treat home owners fairly”. Will he also instruct the SNP administration and Aberdeen City Council to treat homeowners fairly by improving the derisory offers that have been made to homeowners in Torry?

It is clear that NHS Grampian is suffering from a serious leadership crisis. I welcome the fact that there is at last progress on recruiting a new chief executive. The board has for far too long not had a permanent chief executive in place, with waiting lists spiralling and financial difficulties deepening.

Leadership comes from the top. I genuinely appreciate that the cabinet secretary met me and my colleagues to discuss the issues that we have raised. However, does he agree that it is time for the chair of NHS Grampian, who has presided over the mess, to be moved on immediately so that a leader who better understands the scale of the challenge can be appointed?

It is good to hear that the Government is still committed to community audiology. Can the minister give a timescale for when that change will start to happen?

Getting access to the service initially is only one issue; the follow-up is also missing. I speak to many people who have NHS hearing aids, but they never go back to get them checked. That is something else that we are missing out on.

I congratulate my colleague Sharon Dowey on securing the debate, although I feel that it is a debate that we should not be having. We should not be in the situation that we are in now.

The system that we have in place is cruel. Audiology is in crisis. Imagine saying to an elderly person, “I’m sorry, but we’re not going to be able to see you for two years.” We in the chamber can all recognise how inhumane that would be, but the waiting times in NHS Grampian, for example, show that people are having to wait for two years before they get an assessment and then wait longer to get a hearing aid.

As Christine Grahame points out, all that leads to social isolation and links to dementia. There is also an impact on family and community settings. I imagine that people can only say “Pardon?” once or twice before they withdraw from engaging in conversation altogether. The issue should be looked at as soon as possible.

The answer is clear and has been accepted by all: we need to get people out of a hospital setting. Ninety-four per cent of people with hearing loss have uncomplicated adult-onset hearing loss that is suitable for community treatment. At present, those patients compete for the limited capacity that is available to treat children and adults with sudden onset hearing loss and specified comorbidities, who have to be treated in hospital.

There is absolutely a need for intensive audiology in major hospital settings, but the specialists involved should be reserved for the 6 per cent of cases that involve traumatic hearing loss or child hearing loss from birth. However, just now, so much of that resource is being spent on people who should be not in a hospital setting but in community settings instead.

As Sharon Dowey pointed out, we already have a solution in our communities. Companies such as Specsavers, which I visited on Friday—I even had a hearing test done—already provide that service. As we have said, we already do community eye care so, surely, we should just replicate that for hearing.

A couple of months back, I met Neil Gray and Jenni Minto, and the issue was one thing that I spoke to them about, because I had raised questions on it. I thank them for that time.

NHS Grampian would be an ideal place for a pilot on community audiology. There are huge waiting times and a real need for something to be done. I urge the Government to take on the seriousness and urgency of the issue and move with pace, because we are talking about mainly elderly people who might be reaching the end of their lives. We need to look after them and make sure that they can communicate with everyone else as much as possible.