Chamber and committees

I will make a number of points, which I hope are helpful. Given potential reform of this nature, it is necessary that there is widespread consensus about the path that we eventually take. First, it is really important to recognise—as, I am sure, everybody in Parliament does—that the dual role of the law officers is not new. It was not created under a Scottish National Party Administration; it has been that way since the dawn of devolution, and the dual roles were held under previous Governments.

Secondly, I think that there is a case for reform, which is why my manifesto committed to carrying out a consultation on that, but it is really important that we take the time to get it right. As I was listening to Liam McArthur, one thing came to mind that Parliament will want to consider during the course of such a consultation. Because of the dual role of law officers, they can be called to Parliament to answer questions, and, on all the issues that fall within the prosecutorial function of the law officers, they can be questioned in the chamber. If we separate those roles, it may not be possible to do that in the same way in the future. Parliament might be comfortable with that, but it is just one example of why there is a need to take care over the matter. We must make sure that we get the consultation right and try to move forward on the basis of as much consensus and proper consideration as possible.

These issues are really serious, and I hope that all members, including Liam McArthur, will engage with them seriously over the course of any consultation that comes.

I thank John Mason for raising an extremely important issue. I was, as were many others in Glasgow and beyond, deeply concerned to learn that Pladis had entered into consultation with its Tollcross workforce. It is a bitter blow to the staff who have been so loyal to the company for such a long time, and it is a big blow to the local area, given the importance of the McVitie’s factory to Tollcross.

We—by which I mean the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise—will do everything that we can. I know that Glasgow City Council, too, has made that commitment. We have put together an action group that is co-chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy and the leader of the council, Susan Aitken. Membership of the action group includes trade unions, Scottish Enterprise, Clyde Gateway and Skills Development Scotland.

The group met yesterday and will pursue every opportunity to secure the long-term future of the Tollcross site and the associated jobs. However, that requires willingness from Pladis to engage in the process. Let me make it very clear in Parliament today that I am calling on Pladis to do that constructively, in the interests of its workforce.

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy is also writing to the United Kingdom Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to make him aware of the situation and the on-going work of the action group.

I say to Douglas Ross that the point that I was making in my earlier answer was about the importance of careful, cautious and responsible decision making in the face of a deadly virus. I was also pointing out, with reference to some of what we heard yesterday, what the impact and implications can be if a leader does not take careful, cautious and responsible decisions. I think that most people across the country understand the seriousness of my point, which is relevant and not deflective because we are still facing the pandemic and it remains important that we take those careful decisions.

I know how long the city of Glasgow has been under restrictions because, unlike Douglas Ross, I am a resident of the city of Glasgow, and the restrictions apply to me just as they apply to others. I know how difficult the situation is for residents and businesses across Glasgow, but I also know how dangerous it would be if we were to ease restrictions too quickly and allow a new variant of the virus—a variant that we know is spreading perhaps even more quickly than the variant that we saw at the start of the year—to take a grip again. That is why public health interventions—surge testing and accelerated vaccination—are under way across Glasgow. I said earlier in the week that we see cautious signs for optimism that those interventions are working.

We will continue to monitor that very carefully, and we will continue to discuss with businesses how, in the face of this difficult situation, we can support them to the best of our ability and with the best of the resources that we have at our disposal.

However frustrating I know that it is for business, the worst thing that somebody in my position could do for businesses and individuals would be to act in a way that would allow the virus to take over again, because that would lead to more businesses being closed and more lives being lost. Therefore, we need to continue to steer a careful course through this, and, difficult though I know that it is for everyone, that is what I will seek to do.

We respond to all Audit Scotland reports and we set out the steps that we will take in response to recommendations that are made, which will be the case for that report. Scrutiny of the Government is a key part of the responsibilities of the Parliament. We are, even given the resounding election victory that we have just enjoyed, a minority Government. It is, therefore, incumbent on all of us to work together to make sure that scrutiny is robust. We all have a job to do—the committees of the Parliament, the Opposition parties in the Parliament and us, as a Government—to make sure that we aid that transparency.

On that, as on everything else, I note that the election is over. We all had our say and had the arguments during the election, and the people have decided. In many ways, this is the opportunity for a fresh start to respect the differences between us. I say again: my door is open, and the door of the Government is open, to anybody who wants to come to us with good ideas about how we can make life better for the people of Scotland. I am ready to listen—the question is whether other parties in the Parliament are ready to work in that way.

Next week in Parliament—certainly in the next couple of weeks—we will set out our plans to remobilise the NHS and get waiting times not just back to where they were pre-pandemic but to where we want them to be. We will also set out more of our plans on closing the educational attainment gap. Everything that I said to the Scottish public in the election is what we now seek to take forward and deliver.

Willie Rennie and I disagree on Scottish independence. However, although we will not pursue a referendum until we are out of the Covid crisis, it is nevertheless the case that the powers and levers that we have in this Parliament and the issues of recovery and what we are recovering to are interlinked—they cannot be separated. In his heart, Willie Rennie does not want Scotland’s recovery to be guided and steered by Boris Johnson any more than I do. If we are to avoid that in the long term, we have to take decisions into our own hands.

Fundamentally, Willie Rennie and I can disagree on independence, but it should not be for us to decide—it should be for the people of Scotland to decide. That is the proposition that we put before people in the election and it is the proposition on which we were overwhelmingly elected.

I welcome Collette Stevenson to Parliament. I am delighted to see her here.

The commitment that we made during the election to make available funding to refurbish all play parks across Scotland was, as I very quickly realised, one of those election commitments that penetrates beyond the political bubble. On the—I think—one day of good weather that we had during the whole election campaign, I was in Queen’s park, in my constituency, where many young people were talking about that commitment. That illustrates that, during the pandemic, people have realised how important it is that they get outdoors and that children have good, safe places in which to play. The commitment that we have made is really special and one that we are determined to take forward as quickly as possible.

I will respond to the two questions. We will discuss the allocation of the funding with local authorities, and we will seek to start to make the funding available within the Government’s first 100 days. We will ensure that the importance of sensory play parks is recognised. I remember, a few years ago, opening a sensory play park for children with disabilities in Fife. It was an absolutely wonderful place. We want to ensure that play parks are fully accessible to all children. The point that has been raised is really important.

Before I address the question of physical distancing, I note that Graeme Dey, the new Minister for Transport, has just answered a question in the chamber on ferry provision. We recognise how unacceptable the recent disruption has been, and everyone is working hard to address and resolve that as quickly as possible.

On physical distancing, we need to take care as we come out of the crisis, because we do not want to set ourselves back. We are already seeing—as I described them earlier—bumps in the road in Glasgow, and we want to minimise any potential to set our progress back. However, as I announced a few weeks ago, after the election, we are carrying out a more fundamental review of physical distancing, and we will set out the outcome of that review as soon as possible.

That work is about looking in the longer term to the time when we will restore a greater degree of normality and considering whether it is possible to have shorter distances in different environments—or, in some environments, ultimately, perhaps, no distance at all. It is important that we get that work right. It has relevance for ferries, of course, but it has wider relevance, too, and we will publish the outcome as soon as possible.

We have already seen, in the previous parliamentary session, the variety of ways in which the UK Government seeks to encroach on the powers and responsibilities of the Scottish Parliament. That is undeniable and undisputable. We are starting to see the potential implications, including the potential for trade deals that will devastate our rural communities. That is not abstract or hypothetical—it is real. It brings to the fore a key issue, which is that the debate about Scotland’s future over the next period is not a debate between a benign status quo and independence, but is a debate about whether we continue to allow a UK Government to take powers away from this Parliament or decide to take more powers into our own hands, so that we can build the country that we want Scotland to be.

People in Scotland have a right to make that decision. Of course they want my focus to be on leading us through the Covid crisis; it absolutely will be, for as long as that is required. However, as we come out of the crisis, the questions about what kind of country we want to be and who makes such decisions are absolutely central to what we recover to and the values that underpin it.

Oliver Mundell raises reasonable questions, but his characterisation and assessment of the Government is not shared by the Scottish people. I stand here as a re-elected First Minister with a record number of votes. I suspect that, if the Scottish Conservatives continue to refight the election over and over again, they will end up having the same outcomes.

On the substance of the question, we will consider how quickly we can make available the funding for the 3,500 teachers and classroom assistants. As Oliver Mundell will be aware, the issue is not just about funding; it is about how quickly it is practically possible to recruit teachers. That priority is important for us, and we will take it forward as quickly as possible. In our first 100 days, we will make available the funding for 1,000 teachers and 500 classroom assistants.

More generally, there is a job of work to do to help young people to catch up, not just in educational terms but in social and wellbeing terms. That is why the summer programme that I mentioned in my statement is important, too. The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills will make more details of that available shortly.

All those bills will be brought before Parliament. As is customary, we will set out—on, I think, the first sitting day after the summer recess, subject to the agreement of the Parliamentary Bureau—our legislative programme for the next year in our programme for government. That will set out the timing and the timescales for all our proposed legislation.

I repeat a point that I made earlier. In this parliamentary session, we have already had suggestions from Opposition parties of bills that they would like us to take forward. The door is open if people want to suggest bills beyond those that we are already considering.