The plan offers little on the proposals and on how they will impact motorists. That will alarm car users at a time when the latest RAC report for 2025 shows that the cost of motoring is the top concern for UK motorists, whether they are driving an EV or a car with an internal combustion engine. The biggest challenge is the inequality in the cost of charging; it costs 9p per kilowatt hour at home and 81.2p per kilowatt hour when using public charging. The draft plan does nothing to address that inequality. I have not done speed reading, so, cabinet secretary, will you guarantee that hard-pressed motorists will not face any additional costs because of the plan? What reassurance can you give to motorists that their concerns will be listened to?

It was “three to five”, as in a dash—not the number two, but the letters T and O. You had the choice of three, four or five.

Ninewells hospital in Dundee, Princess royal maternity hospital in Glasgow, Wishaw general hospital in Wishaw, Victoria hospital in Kirkcaldy and Crosshouse hospital in Kilmarnock have all been downgraded under these plans. At least 22,100 people across Scotland have signed a petition to the Scottish Parliament protesting the plans, but the SNP does not listen.

I could continue to list SNP failures across the country, but I want to focus on NHS Lothian in my region. It has been well over a year since an employee at the Royal infirmary of Edinburgh blew the whistle about conditions in the maternity unit there, and nearly a year since the subsequent investigation revealed staff shortages and a toxic management culture. In August 2024, new mother Louise Williamson spoke out about her horrific labour, when she was repeatedly ignored. In December, NHS Lothian said that action had been taken.

The report that was uncovered by the BBC last December upheld, or partially upheld, 17 concerns about safety, and NHS Lothian claimed that work was under way to improve patient safety and the working environment and culture. On 20 June this year, I was among a group of MSPs and MPs who were told in a health authority briefing that the culture was being fixed. However, three days later, there was an unannounced inspection at the unit by HIS, which revealed how much work was still needed.

The depth of the problems that were revealed in the BBC investigation last year—mums and newborn babies coming to harm because of the poor culture and staffing situation in the unit—was such that an instantaneous reversal was improbable. However, the reality is that it has taken an unannounced inspection to confirm that nothing has changed. After many reassurances that the issues were in hand and would improve, I was shocked by the damning inspection into maternity services at the royal infirmary. We now know from the publication of the HIS report last week that it is still in the grip of a crisis. That does not fully explain the “Everything is in hand” message that I was given in June, nor does it give me any faith that the assurances that were given in the wake of the revelations can be trusted.

HIS’s unannounced inspection of the Royal infirmary of Edinburgh revealed a culture of mistrust and staffing shortages that led to delays in the induction of labour process of up to 29 hours. The inspectors also found frustration with staffing levels, which presented a safety risk. Staff were overwhelmed, unsupported and not listened to. There was a reluctance to submit incident reports, and staff described a culture of mistrust.

Following the HIS inspections report last week, I asked the Scottish Government about public confidence in NHS Lothian and delivering the needed changes, because women deserve to know that their maternity services are safe, but NHS Lothian told MSPs last week that those issues would take time to resolve. Do we have time for that?

Professor Hiscox said that 72 additional midwives will be working by the end of the year, with 30 in position to meet basic legal requirements. That is a staggering admission of previous failures, and it exposes how much inequality there is in women’s health provision, because it is hard to imagine any other service being allowed to deteriorate in that way. It should never have got to the situation where undercover investigations and inspections were needed.

The health secretary, Mr Gray, has rightly put NHS Lothian’s maternity services into special measures, and I thank him for that critical intervention. However, what confidence can we offer our constituents that they will see real, tangible changes and improvements in safety?

The BBC’s “Disclosure” programme was a heart-wrenching watch. One woman described how she was made to feel like a nuisance by the staff in her west coast maternity unit. Our maternity services must put families first and provide compassionate and empathetic care and support. They must have safe staffing levels, with staff being valued and given every opportunity to deliver the best care. After all, as I know, having worked in healthcare for nearly 30 years before I was in my current role, that is why midwives enter the profession.

Will the member take an intervention?

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill to determine whether there could be any unintended consequences. (S6O-05090)

It is a fact that there are huge inequalities when it comes to women’s health. Today, we are considering the failings of one critical element in women’s health—the state of our maternity services in Scotland. The failings in our maternity services have not happened overnight. They are a symptom of years of mismanagement, neglect and lack of investment.

The NHS in Scotland has been under SNP management for circa 20 years, and it is a grim fact that maternity services continue to fail women and families across Scotland. Like many others, I believe that its plans to cut the number of neonatal intensive care units are dangerous. Women in rural areas are already forced to travel long distances to give birth, thanks to the downgrading of local maternity units across Scotland. Journeys that I have made on numerous occasions in my life before coming to Parliament—from Raigmore hospital to Caithness general hospital, or from Dr Gray’s hospital to Aberdeen royal infirmary—are challenging to drive at the best of times, never mind when an expectant father is driving his pregnant partner, with all the pressure that that entails, yet the SNP plans to cut the number of neonatal intensive care units from eight to three. Why three and not five? That would force families to travel to Glasgow, Edinburgh or Aberdeen in order to seek treatment for the most pre-term and most sick babies.

Lothian MSPs—including your colleague Lorna Slater—received a briefing in September that spoke of training on culture that was provided to NHS Lothian staff in May 2025. However, in June, when the HIS inspection took place, we heard that nothing had changed. How can we, as elected members, have any confidence that we are not being taken for fools by some of these people?

The bill could seriously impact the deer management sector, allowing NatureScot’s overreach and conflicting powers to be enhanced while eroding the trust of those who work in the sector. Meanwhile, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation and NFU Scotland have expressed significant concerns about unintended impacts of the bill’s mandatory training provisions, which come without any grandfather rights on lowland deer management. That could create barriers to entry and reduce the pool of active deer stalkers, despite a lack of evidence indicating that it is required.

At a time when the Government is legislating for more deer to be culled across Scotland, why is it simultaneously ignoring such concerns?

It was reported three weeks ago that the Scottish Government had agreed a price with Peel Ports for the sale of Ardrossan harbour. However, what analysis has the cabinet secretary undertaken to gauge how much additional investment will be required after the sale goes through to modernise the harbour to ensure that ferries can—finally—sail from Ardrossan again?

Will the member take an intervention?

Mr Simpson, will you comment on the provisions that now make it clear that councillors should give up their allowances when they are in those dual roles? Could you also refer to and comment on your position?