Chamber and committees

That brings me to my last question. Is there sufficient transparency in the Scottish Government’s investment in private companies, including the rationale for investment and the reasons behind failed or rejected bids for subsequent sales of investments? How could transparency in that area be improved?

Moving on to the smelter, paragraph 32 of your report notes that in 2016

“the Scottish Government issued a 25-year financial guarantee contract to SIMEC Lochaber Hydropower Limited”.

The complexity of the financial arrangements is also mentioned. What are the implications of the continued high level of provision in relation to the Scottish Government’s financial guarantees to the smelter?

Moving on again, paragraph 35 states:

“In March 2022, the Scottish Government published its Business Investment Framework to outline its principles and approach for decisions about future investment in private companies.”

Is the framework sufficiently robust for informing decision making in that area?

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the mental health of police officers. (S6O-01754)

The recent £5.1 million cut to Creative Scotland for 2023-24 will inevitably have an impact on Youth Theatre Arts Scotland, which is in my region. What impact assessment has the Scottish Government conducted to determine the effects of funding cuts on the theatre industry?

Police officers are often the first to arrive at murder scenes, abuse incidents, suicides and road traffic accidents. In 2021-22, officers and staff in the force missed 76,848 days due to psychological disorders. Given the reports of burn-out, low morale and high turnover among officers, what further steps is the Scottish Government taking to address the mental health challenges that face police officers? Can the Scottish Government update officers on how its proposed police complaints and misconduct handling bill will address the mental health problems that can be caused for officers when police complaints go unresolved for long periods?

There are umpteen problems that need sorted, from the ferries scandal to the drug—

Today, the SNP has, once again, chosen to put independence above all the urgent matters that the Parliament should focus on. I receive emails from constituents who are worried about their children’s education and safety in the streets, and they are extremely worried about the current state of the NHS. There are much more pressing issues to be debated, such as Scotland’s health service, which is at breaking point.

Thousands of people cannot get to see a GP. They cannot get screened for major illnesses. They cannot get an ambulance. They wait for hours at A and E departments. They cannot get cancer treatment on time. The crisis is overwhelming our NHS. It is risking people’s lives every day.

I was contacted by a constituent whose 80-year-old uncle fell on new year’s eve. She suspected that he had broken his shoulder. She called 999 at 9 pm, 9.55 pm, 11.21 pm, 2.30 am, 4.34 am, 6.30 am and 8.14 am. Seven times she had to phone 999 while her 80-year-old uncle lay in agony, stuck on a cold conservatory floor. That certainly was not a happy new year. Twelve and a half hours after the first call, an ambulance finally arrived. My constituent said:

“The ambulance crews were brilliant, but we are disgusted at what our uncle has been put through.”

On reaching the hospital, her uncle was found to have broken his neck and a shoulder in two places.

Such situations are happening all over Scotland. Front-line workers are doing their best and are making huge efforts to keep people safe. They are focused on doing their jobs for our benefit. If you are a nurse, you do not get to ignore a patient and do what you want. If you are a firefighter, you do not get to ignore a burning building and do something else. And, if you are a police officer, you do not get to ignore a crime because you have other priorities. However, if you are an SNP politician, there is—apparently—no need to focus on the day job.

Today, SNP members are ignoring their duty to the public. They are ignoring the people’s priorities. They are talking about another referendum instead of focusing on what really matters.

Today, SNP members are showing how out of touch they are with the real world. They have become detached from reality. They have crisis after crisis to tackle and umpteen problems that need sorting. [Interruption.] I will take an intervention if somebody wants to explain to my constituent why we are focusing on independence and why we are not focusing on the NHS. Will someone answer that question?

There are umpteen problems that need sorting, from the ferries scandal to the drug deaths crisis and the life-threatening issues in our NHS, but today—yet again—the SNP has focused parliamentary time on another divisive referendum. Normal, hard-working people will be appalled by the SNP Government’s priorities. While our constituents go to work every day and put in a shift, SNP ministers keep wasting time in talking about their obsession.

It is a new year. For their resolutions, I urge Nicola Sturgeon and her allies to focus on what really matters. They should make their top priority the crisis in our NHS, not another divisive referendum, and get back to the day job, as everybody else in Scotland is doing.

The member could not tell my constituent why we are standing here, talking about independence instead of talking about the NHS. [Interruption.] I was taking my lead from what the cabinet secretary did in relation to interventions.