Chamber and committees

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app did not refresh. Has my vote been recorded?

A constituent in Lothian has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and has been told that his tumour is growing. He is on an eight-month waiting list for surgery and has no idea when treatment will start. Public Health Scotland found that only 36.4 per cent of patients with prostate cancer received treatment within the Government’s target of 62 days, which is the lowest percentage for any major cancer type. Will the First Minister advise members what the Scottish Government is doing to bring down those unacceptable waiting times?

This morning, a coalition of housing organisations that includes the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Chartered Institute of Housing and Homes for Scotland put out a statement in which it called on the Scottish Government to take action to cut the number of children in temporary accommodation by 25 per cent before the end of this parliamentary session.

There are 2,910 children in Edinburgh who are stuck in temporary accommodation, and they stay in temporary accommodation for an average of 471 days—the longest period in the country. Will the minister commit to reducing those figures? What concrete action will be taken to get children out of temporary accommodation?

It is known that immunisation rates are lower among those living in more deprived areas and in black and minority ethnic communities because of various factors, including a lack of trust and a lack of information. What measures is the Scottish Government taking to increase uptake of vaccines by those groups?

Growing the economy must be the number 1 priority of Government in Scotland and Westminster. Over the past 17 years, both Scotland and the United Kingdom have seen sluggish economic growth. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research estimates that, since the 2008 financial crisis, the UK economy has grown by an average of 1.2 per cent each year, down from an average of 2.3 per cent in prior decades.

In Scotland, we lag behind the rest of the UK in GDP growth, with 2025 forecasts saying that that will remain the same. Make no mistake—economic growth is stagnating, and the working people of Scotland are paying the price of two weak Governments.

Research from the University of Strathclyde shows that early entrepreneurial activity in Scotland is lower than the UK average. To grow a strong economy and build our reputation as a great place to do business, early entrepreneurs must be better supported. In particular, our technology sector, which is suffering from a lack of capital investment, would benefit. Scottish Government grants need to grow businesses in the long term and reward entrepreneurship. Edinburgh has a growing technology sector, and we cannot afford to miss out. It is imperative that the Government works with our tech and digital industries so that we can be best placed to take advantage of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence.

Growth is also being stunted by our skills system. The British Chamber of Commerce’s business barometer report found that 71 per cent of organisations in Scotland were facing skills shortages. The Scottish Government has allowed that to happen by not planning for the sector that is key to Scotland’s success and by failing to provide workers with the right skills. Our skills system is rigid and does not adapt to the needs of businesses and people, which slows growth. However, while economic inactivity has risen to 23.2 per cent, the Scottish Government has cut the budget for skills programmes, which support young people into work, by 36 per cent.

Scottish Labour will work in partnership with businesses to create a flexible, modular skills system, underpinned by digital skills passports, which can adapt to the needs of the economy. UK Labour would set up a national wealth fund, unlocking private investment and creating 69,000 green jobs. The Scottish Government’s focus on economic growth now is welcome, but its record does not reflect those warm words. We are lagging in productivity and employment compared with the rest of the UK. Scotland needs a Government that will put growth first and work with businesses to invest and unlock Scotland’s potential. Scottish Labour is ready for a change.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I could not connect. I would have voted yes.

I begin by paying tribute to our public service workforce who, in the past few years, have dealt with so much—the people in our NHS who put themselves at risk and treated people while many of us stayed at home during lockdown; our police force, who do a difficult job to keep us safe; our fire service, which saves lives every day; and all those whose roles are not public facing, yet they remain vitally important, all the same. It is unfortunate that many people in the sector spend so much time working harder to achieve less, in trying to cope with the consequences of the repeated underinvestment and chronic mismanagement that we have seen from the SNP Government.

I hear from constituents every week examples of our public services suffering from underinvestment, as does everyone in the chamber. We hear from people who are stuck on waiting lists for vital operations, whose lives are on hold.

In May, I joined Living Streets, the United Kingdom charity for active travel that encourages children to walk through walk to school week.

Our roads are seen as too dangerous for many, with casualties on the roads increasing since 2020. Will the cabinet secretary outline what measures the Scottish Government is taking to increase road safety and promote active travel, and will she assure me that projects for Transport Scotland’s road safety framework will be fully funded until 2030?

I have a lot to get through. I will give way in a minute.

Just this week, I heard from a constituent who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was told that his tumour is growing, but there is an eight-month wait for surgery and he has no idea when his treatment will start. He is living in fear for his health and is confused about when he will get help.

His experience is far from unique—in the past year, the number of Scots waiting more than a year for treatment has risen by a fifth, to almost 88,000 people. While that happens, £1.3 billion has been wasted on delayed discharges and £1.6 billion has been wasted on agency spending. The SNP is leaving Scottish taxpayers to be let down by the service that is supposed to be there for them in their time of greatest need.

Issues of underfunding are being seen in all our services. Ultimately, the public pay the price. That is clearest in our local authorities. Last month, it was found in an Accounts Commission report that Scottish councils have a budget gap of more than £0.5 billion for the year 2024-25. That is staggering. It represents millions of pounds of cuts to essential public services that the public rely on almost every day—more charges for bins, parking charges, less money for social care and less money for pools or for schools. It is shocking that the SNP decries Westminster austerity while constantly ignoring the concern that is raised by our local authorities about funding of their public services.

For Scotland and the United Kingdom to thrive, we must have economic growth. Our wish to pursue social justice and fund public services sustainably must be met with economic growth to create jobs and boost wages, but the SNP has not been able to deliver the necessary change. The people of Scotland deserve better. Labour market trends data shows that, in Scotland, economic inactivity is higher, unemployment is higher and the growth of pay is slower than they are in the rest of the UK. Rather than having a laser focus on growth, on raising funds for public services and on creating jobs, the SNP would prefer to cover up its shortfall by raising taxes on nurses.

The Scottish people have been let down on two fronts—by the Tories in Westminster, who caused chaos through Liz Truss’s fantasy economics, and by the SNP, which has poured fuel on that fire through mismanagement and waste. The people of Scotland need new leadership that will prioritise growth, reduce poverty and allow for greater investment in and reform of our public services. People in Scotland need change and new leadership—which they will get with Labour in Scotland and at Westminster.

Yes, it does, although we should still write—