Chamber and committees

Good morning. What steps has the Scottish Government taken to reduce reliance on bank and agency staff and the significant increase in expenditure on that?

Okay. Thanks.

How successful has the Scottish Government’s international recruitment strategy been to date? Will international recruitment form part of future workforce plans?

Okay. Obviously, there is free education in Scotland. One of the big issues is the talk of fewer Scottish students being able to get on to courses because the universities have to take on students who pay fees. I do not know how true this is, but I heard that in one recent dentistry course only three of the people who completed the course were Scottish and the rest were international students. I cannot say that that is a fact, but it is what I was told.

I know that you do not have them now, but could you give us figures showing how many places Scottish students get on medicine, dentistry and pharmacy courses, and an update on completion rates so that we can see how many Scottish students are completing courses in our universities and can stay on?

You have spoken a lot about recruitment. What are you doing to retain the staff that you already have? Many junior doctors seem to be taking a gap year when they complete foundation year 2, because they say that they are overworked and exhausted. I have figures showing that 15,000 NHS workers left the health service in 2021-22. You have said that numbers have increased to 156,000 compared to 142,000 pre-pandemic, but a lot of staff still seem to be leaving because they are overworked. What are we doing to retain the staff that we already have?

There is an extra premium when you take on international staff. Are you looking at or tracking retention rates of international staff compared with those of domestic staff?

Okay. Thank you.

Can you tell us more about what funding arrangements the Scottish Government is putting in place to ensure that Scottish students have access to places on medical courses that are offered by Scottish universities?

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will increase funding for hospices to ensure that they can manage any rising costs, in light of the reported increase in the number of people in need of palliative care. (S6O-02194)

Although I welcome the pay uplift for national health service staff under the agenda for change in Scotland, hospices are crying out for funding to help them to match that uplift and ensure that their salaries remain competitive with those of the NHS.

Considering that Ayrshire Hospice is facing the perfect storm of rising staff costs, increasing energy and running costs and a tough fundraising environment, what discussions have ministers had with the sector on a new model of funding to help hospices to retain staff? Will the minister commit to meeting the chief executive officer of Ayrshire Hospice, Tracy Flynn, to discuss its issues with funding and how its work impacts the people of Ayrshire?

I am grateful for the opportunity to bring this debate to the chamber, and I thank all the members who supported the motion.

We are a nation of proud Scots: we are proud of our culture, our history and our historic sites. We attract millions of visitors from all around the world to Scotland each year. They come to see our beautiful scenery; meet our friendly, welcoming people; and visit our castles, monuments and heritage sites. Tourism is huge for our economy. It gives a boost not only to the sites themselves but to local businesses, hotels, restaurants, shops and communities, where employment relies on those attractions being fully open. For local communities, however, they are much more than just tourist attractions—they are often the hub of a lot of activities and social gatherings.

In February 2022, I made my first visit to Dundonald castle, where I met the general manager, Dr Kirsteen Croll, and her colleagues from Friends of Dundonald Castle, which is the charity that looks after it. I was not able to see inside the castle at the time of my visit, as it was closed due to high-level masonry inspections at the site. However, I heard all about the plans for the castle and the visitor centre; all the activities that could take place, the events that could be organised, and the visitors that the castle could attract, not only from this country but from around the world; and the involvement of the local community and the lifeline that that gave to those who were involved. There was one sticking point, however—all that could happen only if the castle was open. For Kirsteen and her team, all their future hopes and plans were centred on that.

Kirsteen and her team have always had a good relationship with Historic Environment Scotland. At the time of my visit, the first phase of an inspection programme that is expected to be completed by April 2024 was being conducted. That was proving not to be the easiest of tasks. As many of the properties were built for defensive purposes, they have thick walls and narrow doorways, which makes it a challenge to get access with modern machinery. The inspections required careful planning, with some areas able to be accessed only from above, by harness and a rope. The availability of stonemasons was also having an impact on the delivery of repairs.

HES recently hosted a drop-in session in the Parliament, in which it engaged with a number of MSPs and was able to discuss how it was progressing with sites in each area. I also recently met HES on site at Crossraguel abbey, just outside Maybole—the ancient capital of Carrick, as my dad always reminded me. Although the abbey still has Heras fencing around it, the team was discussing how it could safely move the fencing to allow more access and let visitors see more of the site. It was also planning to put story boards in the fencing to allow the story of the abbey to be told. I take this opportunity to thank Craig, Paul and the rest of the team for taking the time to show me around and explain what they were doing; it was very much appreciated.

Since I lodged the motion, the figure of 60 sites closed has now reduced to 47. Although that reduction is welcome, the number of closed sites is still too high. HES has said that it is making every effort to safely reopen sites as quickly as possible, but the Government needs to ensure that it engages with the agency and gives it all the support that it needs.

HES continues to deliver traditional skills training at its two stonemasonry training centres, in Stirling and Elgin, as well as through its craft fellowship programme. The agency works with the Construction Industry Training Board, the Scottish Qualifications Authority, the Scottish Funding Council and Skills Development Scotland to create a sustainable framework of qualifications and apprenticeships. However, the sector has faced a shortage of skilled craftspeople, including stonemasons, for many years now, and the funding for training must be available to allow the training places to be taken up.

The motion

“calls on the Scottish Government to make additional funding available to accelerate the reopening of closed sites”.

I am pleased that the Scottish Government has now increased funding for HES. I encourage both the agency and the Scottish Government to ensure that the money is indeed being used to help to open closed sites as quickly as possible.

In March this year, I visited Dundonald castle for the second time. There is still some scaffolding in place for repairs that have yet to be completed, but the castle is open, and it is now a hive of activity. It is now open every day, from 10 am to 5 pm, and this time, I was able to go inside. The 14th century hilltop fortified castle was once home to the Scots king Robert II, grandson of Robert the Bruce, and it offers spectacular views across the Ayrshire countryside. When I first walked inside and saw the impressive barrel-vaulted ceilings, my first word was, “Wow!” I then understood why the community was so passionate about its castle.

On the day that I visited, there was a school visit from Glasgow. The kids had an educational talk in the visitor centre, a tour of the castle and then a guided walk in the grounds, which all tied in with the curriculum. Alongside educational talks, the castle hosts theatre productions, movie nights, weddings and the Dundonald games. It is also home to a number of groups, including a writers group, a young walking group, Ayrshire’s Young Archaeologists’ Club, the crazy castle kids group and a Scrabble group, which I am told is diverse and very competitive.

By hosting those groups and arranging visits from schools and care homes, those sites provide cosy spaces, education hubs and placement and volunteering opportunities—they are so much more than just a visitor attraction. Although visitor numbers are not back to pre-Covid levels, the fact that the castle is now open makes life much easier. It is now seeing the return of international tourists, with the visitor book showing visits from tourists from Lithuania, Poland, Italy, the United States, New Zealand and Canada, to name but a few countries.

We need to ensure that all efforts are made to secure the long-term viability of Scotland’s historic sites, and reopening them gives them a starting chance.

I will finish with something that Kirsteen Croll said to me on my first visit to Dundonald castle. It stuck with me, and it sums up how we feel about our heritage. She said:

“At Dundonald, the visitor centre is the heart of the community, but the Castle is its soul.”

Therefore, if Ferguson Marine spends more money, will that need to come back to Parliament? You say that it must hit milestone targets.