Chamber and committees

What is your assessment of the progress of the Scottish Government’s Covid costs improvement programme?

The report highlights the point that workforce capacity is the biggest risk to recovery and shows that one key recruitment target, that of increasing the general practitioner workforce by 800, is not on track to be achieved by the 2027 deadline. What is the Scottish Government doing to address that? Is the target still achievable?

Thanks. Are enough conversations happening among Government departments before they make announcements such as, “There are going to be 800 extra GPs”? Are they then speaking to the universities and giving them the funding? We hear that Scottish universities are limiting the number of Scottish students because they need fee-paying students to pay the costs. Is enough funding being given for those places?

You spoke about primary care workers as well. The Government is trying to put in place more pharmacists to help GPs and reduce the workload. I have, however, heard that, after pharmacists have gone in, GPs have reduced their hours because they are burned out, so that measure is not helping. There is also an issue with workforce planning for pharmacists. Is enough funding being given to the universities to make sure that we can give places to Scottish students?

Good morning. The report highlights significant challenges facing the NHS in Scotland, while noting that healthcare systems are under extreme pressure across the world. How is the NHS in Scotland performing compared with other countries’ healthcare systems?

The report also states that Covid-19 spend will no longer be monitored. Given your call for transparency, recovery and progress, is it premature for the Scottish Government to stop monitoring that spending?

Will all health boards follow the same guidelines? If we are not monitoring spending, do we run the risk of some health boards spending a lot more on Covid than others, or, indeed, some not spending enough on measures?

I thank Jenni Minto for bringing the debate to the chamber.

Today, we mark a significant milestone in the history of broadcasting in Scotland: the centenary of the BBC’s presence in our country. The BBC has been an integral part of Scottish life for the past century, providing news, entertainment and educational programming to millions of people across the country.

The BBC has grown from its humble beginnings as a radio station in Glasgow in 1923 to a multiplatform media organisation with a strong presence in Scotland, with 14 bases including Dumfries and Selkirk in my South Scotland region.

Over the past century, the BBC has played an important role in shaping Scotland's cultural identity and in promoting Scottish culture and creativity on a global scale. Public broadcasting has always been an important part of Scottish life, providing objective news on current affairs and a platform for diverse voices to be heard. It has been at the forefront of that effort, providing a platform for Gaelic and Scots and working to ensure that Scottish culture and identity are represented on the national and international stage.

The BBC’s contribution to the Scottish creative sector cannot be overstated. From comedy shows such as “Still Game” and “Two Doors Down” to dramas such as “Shetland” and “River City”, the BBC has provided a platform for Scottish talent to flourish over the years. The presence of the BBC in Scotland has also helped in the development of a thriving independent production sector, which is one of the key drivers of the Scottish economy.

As we celebrate the BBC’s centenary, we must acknowledge the challenges that lie ahead. The media landscape is rapidly changing, and the BBC must adapt to maintain high-quality programming that reflects the needs and interests of the Scottish people. The challenges of technological changes and political pressures and the demands of the digital age make it increasingly difficult for a public broadcaster to maintain its unique position, but the BBC has proven its adaptability and resilience over the past century.

That success would not be possible without the people in the industry. Therefore, I will take time to thank the dedicated professionals who have worked tirelessly to ensure that the BBC remains an important part of Scottish life and culture, from the journalists who report the news to the writers, producers, cameramen, costume designers, cinematographers, sound designers, composers, editors, make-up artists and many more—including accountants—who create our favourite programmes. They have all made an invaluable contribution to the success of the BBC in Scotland.

The BBC’s centenary in Scotland is a significant milestone that we should be proud to celebrate. The BBC has played an important role in Scottish life for the past century, and I am confident that it will continue to do so for many years to come.

I am pleased to speak in the debate and to join with colleagues from across the Scottish Parliament in sending the clear message that everybody should feel comfortable using public transport without fear for their safety.

Sadly, as my colleague Graham Simpson and other MSPs have said, the number of assaults at train stations has risen in recent years. Transport Scotland recently found that one in three women was concerned about their personal safety when using public transport and a slightly higher number said that personal safety influenced their travel choices. A UK-wide study found that more than four in 10 women had been verbally abused on public transport and 14 per cent had been physically threatened or assaulted. Those numbers are depressing and concerning in equal measure.

Looking beyond the statistics at individual cases is what should really concentrate minds on the issue. Last year, a criminal was convicted of attacking and robbing a 60-year-old woman at Paisley St James station. He repeatedly kicked her when she fell to the ground as he tried to steal her handbag. Sentencing him, the judge said:

“This was a nasty attack on a random individual and you could tell she was vulnerable and that’s why you attacked her.”

Another offender, who was convicted this month, sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl by putting his hand up her skirt. On the train from Ardrossan to Glasgow Central, his horrific attack made the victim physically sick. She said:

“As soon as I got off the train I just broke down as soon as there was room for me to do so. I was crying, I was in complete hysteria.”

Those appalling examples reveal just some of the threats to women’s safety that occur each day.

As Kelly Given from the Young Women’s Movement Scotland said last year:

“I know all too well the feeling of going home on a train at night, clenching your jaw and sitting tense and dreading getting on the train in the first place—it absolutely needs to be addressed.”

She is right: it must be addressed. I hope to hear the minister outline some of the specific actions that the Government will take in the near future to address the issue and give people greater protection when they are going about their lives.

The document that was published today by Transport Scotland is just a starting point, but it is a good starting point. There are many points to raise from it, but I was most struck by this simple point: women are scared. Women are scared of abuse, physical assault, strangers following them, antisocial behaviour and harassment. Women in Scotland are scared every single day. They describe the feeling of terror and the problems that they encounter each day as “the norm”. That is depressing, but it is true and it is wrong.

There are many possible solutions, but it comes down to this: men need to stop hurting and harming women. Not all men, but the men who inflict violence on women need to stop. They need to be called out and they need to change their behaviour. We can bring in all sorts of measures, we can ask more of the Government and we can do more to act. However, ultimately, men need to change. Until they do, this will continue to be the norm.

Although the onus must be on men not to inflict violence on women, the Transport Scotland report suggests some actions that the Government and ScotRail can take to improve the public transport experience for women.

First, I was shocked that the report says:

“Across the board, female transport workers described little to no formal training either in relation to their own personal safety or that of others.”

I hope that the minister and the Government will agree to change that immediately.

Secondly, there is clearly a need to reach more effectively those who attend football matches and concerts. I hope that the Government will look at the most appropriate way to do that, whether through a messaging campaign or targeted action from the authorities.

Thirdly, women feel more at threat at night in areas of poor lighting, so I hope that the Government will launch a review of all public transport locations, to check whether the lighting could be improved.

Fourthly and finally, improving the reliability of ScotRail would go a long way. That is certainly a major concern in my area. In the report, women raised concerns that they feel less safe if they have to wait for a long time. That fear was heightened by not knowing whether a service would be delayed or cancelled. Those problems are not specific to women, but the report makes it clear that a better ScotRail—not the sub-par service that Scots get now—would be a big boost to women’s safety.

I urge everyone to do what they can to protect women’s safety and prevent violence on public transport by working with the police to report crimes and provide front-line officers with the information that they need to catch offenders. British Transport Police urge people to report concerns directly to officers; to flag incidents using its Railway Guardian app, to which people can upload media evidence; or to discreetly and directly report any non-emergency crimes by texting 61016.

The section 22 report says, at paragraph 17, that directions were issued by the Standards Commission for Scotland. Do you have any information about how long they are likely to remain in place?

The delay in confirming the funding would have had an impact on actioning the recommendations in the report.