Chamber and committees

Okay. On Audit Scotland’s work programme, we know the reasons for the change of focus—that is because of the impact of the pandemic. Can you provide us with further information on how parts of the former work programme were identified as suitable for deferment or cancellation? How does the board assure itself that any risks or issues in those areas have not subsequently deteriorated?

I will move on to internal audit arrangements. On page 37, Audit Scotland confirms that five of the six internal audits in 2020-21 achieved substantial assurance. Will you give us further information on the reasons for and the response to the one internal audit that received a reasonable assurance conclusion from BDO?

Okay. Let us jump on to the year-end financial position. Will you give a further explanation about why the final budget position, identified as £1.5 million in January 2021, improved significantly by March 2021? Was the funding that was made available but not required returned to the Scottish consolidated fund? Will the £1 million savings that occurred in 2020-21 be made in subsequent years or were they a one-off?

I own a heritable property. I have no other interests to declare.

I hope that I will not freeze, too, Presiding Officer.

For more than a year, patients the length and breadth of Scotland, many of them vulnerable and elderly, have been suffering from chronic foot pain. Podiatry treatment used to be provided by the NHS, but since the pandemic, GPs have turned patients away, sending them instead to the private sector, where bills for simple procedures can stretch to hundreds of pounds. After a tough financial year, patients have had to choose between paying for private medical treatment or enduring chronic pain, lack of mobility and the associated strains on their mental and physical health. Many have been forced to choose the latter option, confined indoors while the rest of Scotland enjoys newly found freedoms.

Now that NHS workers and those in vulnerable groups have had both jags, and with all of us placing so much importance on staying active, why is podiatry treatment still not available on the NHS? When will those urgently needed services resume?

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the appointment of the new makar. (S6O-00034)

I, too, want to take the opportunity to pay tribute to the former makar Jackie Kay. Her poetry brought joy to many and she will be sorely missed.

Scotland’s makar is responsible not only for celebrating our nation’s poetry and language, but for conserving and cultivating it for future generations. However, that tradition is under threat. A recent study by language learning app Busuu named Scots as one of 12 European languages that are now vulnerable to extinction. Quite correctly, the Scottish Government has moved to encourage Gaelic speaking, but I represent Alloway, the birthplace of Burns and the cradle of the modern Scots tongue. Is the Scottish Government confident that it can halt the decline of Scots? What action is being taken to increase the number of Scots speakers? By when will that be achieved?

It is not only pupils who face an uncertain year: teachers do, too. For new teachers who are just finishing their probationary year, new jobs are being advertised only now, with interviews being in the next few weeks. Not only does that create uncertainty for teachers, it causes problems for headteachers who are trying to fill posts and it leads to disruption to classes. Rural schools such as the Barony campus in Cumnock face even greater challenges because of their location.

Will the First Minister commit to a review of the teacher recruitment process, consider the possibility of increasing the powers that are available to local authorities to attract new teaching talent, and confirm that the funding that was promised for additional teachers has been allocated to councils? I have been told that it has not been allocated. Councils do not need the Scottish Government to look after recruitment; they need confirmed funding so that they can recruit for permanent positions.

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that, to meet the Scottish Qualifications Authority quality assurance processes, local authorities are validating teachers’ estimated grades using a school’s prior attainment data. (S6F-00078)

I thank each and every person who voted for the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party in the south of Scotland, and I thank everyone who helped me in my campaign.

I also pay tribute to John Scott, who served in this place for 21 years. He has helped thousands of constituents and made a huge difference in his community. I thank him personally for all his encouragement, wish him well, and hope that he can now enjoy a well-earned rest and spend more time with his wife, Sheila, and their family. [Applause.]

I am not a career politician—I am a lassie from Maybole. I have worked since I was 14, and for the past 35 years in retail. I entered politics because I want to make a difference.

I have the honour and privilege of being able to represent the area where I was born and grew up—Carrick, Cumnock and Doon valley—and the area that is now my home, Ayr. I feel lucky to live in one of the most beautiful and diverse parts of Scotland. Other members might have said that of their areas, but I intend to use my time here to change their mind.

I was born in Girvan, which is now famous for its palace—the gin palace, that is, at Grant’s distillery, the home of Hendrick’s gin and Grant’s whisky, among others. For those wanting a taste of Ayrshire, we can offer more than gin, however. The south-west of Scotland has the potential to be a premier tourist destination within the UK, because of Robert Burns, Culzean castle, Dumfries house, Heads of Ayr farm park, Craig Tara, a dark skies park and observatory and superb golf courses, including Turnberry—which is even more famous than its celebrity owner. That is not forgetting that it includes the main route to the port of Cairnryan, the link to Ireland. We boast nationally and internationally renowned businesses: Nestlé, McCulloch Rail in Ballantrae, Begg’s in Ayr, Emergency One, EGGER and the many aerospace companies at Prestwick airport. We have colleges and a university, an airport and a talented local workforce.

Yet, with all that in our favour, we are being left behind by a lack of investment in our forgotten corner of Scotland. Some 27 per cent of children in Ayrshire live in poverty, compared with 23 per cent in Scotland as a whole. The unemployment rate for 18 to 24-year-olds is 12.8 per cent, compared with 8.3 per cent nationally. Last week, as I listened to speeches from other members, I was encouraged to hear Kate Forbes say:

“We know that, to achieve a successful recovery, we must ensure that no one is left behind.”—[Official Report, 2 June 2021; c 19.]

Well, it is time for the Scottish Government to put its money where its mouth is. Ayrshire is being left behind and I challenge the Scottish Government to change that.

The Ayrshire growth deal—a collaboration between the UK Government, the Scottish Government and the three Ayrshire councils—will bring a much-needed boost, but investment barely goes further south than Prestwick airport. To encourage investment and growth further south, we badly need investment in our infrastructure. Dualling of the A77 is a priority, but currently there is no plan for where it would be routed, let alone how it would be funded. The A70 is also badly in need of an upgrade, as it deals with traffic en route to the port of Cairnryan. South Ayrshire would be in prime position for a free port if we were not being let down so badly by the poor quality of local roads. On top of all that, countless people have been affected by the unnecessary crashes that regularly occur on those two roads, and emissions continue to blight town centres such as the one in Girvan.

That brings to mind comments that Fergus Ewing made last week. He noted that

“one key element of a vibrant economy is good, safe and reliable transport links”.

He went on to say:

“it may not be widely known, but the risk of serious head-on collisions is far greater on non-dualled roads because there is no crash barrier”

and

“we are not anti-roads; we are anti-emissions.”

That was echoed by the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, Ivan McKee, who said:

“I will ensure that my colleague the Minister for Transport takes on board his point about the dualling of transport links”.—[Official Report, 2 June 2021; c 34, 65.]

Of course, I am delighted that we have achieved cross-party consensus so soon, and I look forward to sitting down with the Scottish Government at the nearest opportunity to discuss its plans to upgrade South Ayrshire’s roads.

In this debate about addressing the climate emergency, I cannot finish without mentioning the environmental ticking time bomb that is Tarbolton Moss landfill site. The landfill was closed three years ago and, since then, has reportedly been seeping pollution and gases into the environment. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Scottish Government are well aware of the situation, yet we are still waiting for action to be taken. Given the recent report on the quality of bathing water at Ayr beach, questions need to be raised as to whether the two issues are connected. In a new study of the UK beaches with the dirtiest water, seven of the top 10 were in Scotland, and three of them were in South Ayrshire. That is simply not good enough. We have a right to know the truth, and the statements and answers that we hear should reflect that.

To conclude, I have three asks of the Government: stop hiding and delaying reports to members and start to use the knowledge and expertise in this place to fix them; stop talking about what you are going to do and start delivering; and stop the division and start rebuilding.