Chamber and committees

But inflation is considerably higher than that. Are you projecting that it will come down to 2 per cent?

Do you mean the Government guidance?

Thank you. My time for questions is passing—it is amazing how quickly time goes, even though 10 minutes seems like a long time—so I will now ask the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service witnesses to answer one or two questions.

Ross Haggart, as you know, other members and I have raised the issue of decontamination facilities. I understand at least the basics of the difference between the revenue and capital budgets. What progress will we be able to make with regard to getting shower facilities and other required facilities to keep fire and rescue officers safe? Do you have concerns about your ability to do that?

That was helpful. Delays in the High Court and the law on 140 days are long-standing issues for me, and in answer to Donald Cameron, you said that you do not see it reaching pre-pandemic levels. Is there a target that you are aiming for?

Finally, Stephen McGowan, what is needed to prevent losing the 200 people from the service that you mentioned to Katy Clark? Did you mention a figure?

I understand that you are concerned.

Based on an assumption from what we have just heard from David Page, I also have a concern about the cadet programme. Is it likely that you will have to reduce recruitment of new cadets or new police officers?

Yes, but they cost a fortune. Okay, what you are saying is that the investment will be different—

Scotland’s food and drink industry is vital to our economic growth. Food and drink is now Scotland’s biggest employer and the industry is worth a mighty £15 billion. The food and drink that we produce from our abundant natural resources is revered around the world for its quality and history, and the production of Scotch whisky and other spirit drinks is of particular importance to Scotland. I have enjoyed listening to members promoting the produce in their local areas in their contributions.

Times have been tough for the sector. Many members mentioned Brexit, which clearly had an impact on the sector, the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequences that have flowed from that, and, of course, the war in Ukraine, which has fuelled an unprecedented cost of production crisis. Few people foresaw that crisis, but it shows the global nature of how quickly food insecurity can arise and how important it is to keep an eye on geopolitics.

Relentless market pressures and changes to the regulatory environment have added to the many stresses in the sector. Scottish businesses are still navigating a difficult climate, which is likely to remain turbulent for the next few years. For many, the focus will be on stability and remaining viable.

I will talk about Glasgow, in my region, which is Scotland’s largest city. The hospitality industry is critical to the supply chain of the food and drink sector and it has been hugely exposed to rising costs, including utility costs and many others.

There is a lack of confidence in public transport. There has been a huge impact on the taxi trade and a failure to properly support it, which has had an impact on cities such as Glasgow. The taxi trade is vital to keeping the beating heart of a city centre thriving.

Growth and resilience are important, as Colin Smyth mentioned in his contribution when he talked about the bus industry. Young people rely on the night bus service in Glasgow to get home from work in the hospitality sector. Many parents who were driving their sons and daughters home from a late shift were met with the introduction of the low-emission zone in Glasgow. The way in which that was done was a disaster. I fear the proposed congestion charges, simply because hospitality is so vital to a city such as Glasgow. If the public lack confidence to come into Glasgow or there is a perception that people cannot do that, and if we do not have the standard of public transport necessary to meet the city’s needs, that will impact on recruitment and jobs.

In August, the owners of some of Scotland’s most popular hospitality venues shared their concerns over the future of the industry in light of recent closure. Michael Bergson of Buck’s Bar and Thundercat pointed to the lack of rates relief, which is still a big issue here compared to England. It creates the impression that Scotland is not doing enough for the sector. The issue is of great concern to me. I met leading members of the food and drink sector in Glasgow to discuss how to navigate the current inflationary pressures and impacts on customer spending powers that are making trading difficult.

I also host the cross-party group on hospitality, which is diverse and includes the wedding sector, the music sector and pubs and clubs. It meets in Parliament regularly. In a city region such as Glasgow, which is geographically important to the sector, it is important to make those connections. Emma Harper and others talked about the connections with the oyster and salmon industries. As Christine Grahame mentioned local businesses, I will mention Cafe Gandolfi, which has been in Glasgow for decades. It is a great example of an iconic restaurant that serves fresh food from all over Scotland. I want to ensure that cafes and restaurants such as Cafe Gandolfi can continue to take advantage of Scotland’s strong sector. We can take it that the sector is facing many issues in which it needs Government support.

Aside from economic growth, we must ensure that our food system in Scotland is contributing to the health and wellbeing of everyone. No matter where someone lives, what they earn or their personal circumstances, it is important that they get access to fresh and affordable food. Food is a basic human right. Members such as Rhoda Grant, Colin Smyth and those from other parties have championed that cause. It is to their credit that they have changed the attitude to the availability of food and the concept of the right to food security. Many Scots are going to bed hungry and relying on food banks and the kindness of strangers—that is an outrage in a country so rich in natural food resources.

I want to mention the work of Homeless Project Scotland, which is a wonderful organisation that is saving lives by feeding people on the streets of Glasgow. As we have heard from other members, one in three children in Glasgow is living in poverty. Food insecurity in Scotland is caused by too much poverty, not too little food. For better access to food, particularly for those who live in areas of multiple deprivation, there must be facilities offering a healthy choice of nutritious and fresh food.

I also know that there are plans to increase Glasgow’s food growing capacity by scaling up allotments and community growing as the development of urban farming in the city. Data shows that 20 per cent of people who were referred to food banks in the Trussell Trust network in mid-2022 were in working households, which shows a rise in in-work food poverty.

The Scottish Government has promised a national plan for ending the need for food banks. We must focus on that and on giving people the right to food, alongside focusing on the viability and sustainability of our food and drink sector.

I thank my colleague Carol Mochan for bringing forward this timely debate to highlight the rising level of harm being caused in Scotland by alcohol, which is exacerbating health inequalities and adding to the huge but avoidable pressures faced by our NHS, at huge cost to our economy.

Carol Mochan is right when she says that this is a national crisis. The latest figures from National Records of Scotland show that almost 1,300 people died last year from conditions caused by alcohol, which is the highest figure in 14 years and is up 2 per cent on the previous year. Although we can always use different reference points and figures, it is clear that the situation is becoming more serious.

Our most disadvantaged and marginalised communities are disproportionately impacted by the harms that are caused by alcohol. Shockingly, people in Scotland’s most deprived communities are reportedly five times as likely to die and six times as likely to be admitted to hospital because of alcohol as are people living in the wealthiest communities.

The crisis directly impacts my constituents. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, my local health board and the largest in the country, recorded Scotland’s highest rate of mortality caused by chronic liver disease. This is, indeed, a crisis.

That is unacceptable and highlights the need for urgent action to strengthen prevention and improve access to services. It is important that there are facilities to help women offenders, which has been a key focus for this and previous Governments. There was a question yesterday about the 218 service, which is something that I know about because it was set up under a Labour Administration. It provides a very important alternative to custody for many women, including those who are alcohol-dependent, but it faces deep cuts. I wonder how that fits with the Government’s strategy on women’s offending and the crisis that we face.

Six months ago, Justina Murray of Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs told the Criminal Justice Committee that one of the biggest barriers to effective change comes from implementation. She said:

“In Scotland, we are really good at writing down what we want to do—we have all the right things written in legislation, strategies and policies—but we do not implement what we say we will. We are good at saying what we are going to do, but we are not so good at doing what we should be doing. There is not really any accountability in the system ... there are still significant failings in treatment, care and support services.”—[Official Report, Criminal Justice Committee, 22 March 2023; c 7.]

Much more immediate work is required to reduce alcohol-related harms and death. The long-term funding of relevant services is absolutely vital in tackling the rise in alcohol-related deaths. We need services throughout the country, and the third sector must be appropriately funded in order to sustain those services for the foreseeable future.

Make no mistake: this is a public health crisis that should be taken as seriously as the crisis of drug-related deaths. In Scotland last year, 21 per cent more people died because of alcohol than because of drugs. It is clear that we must tackle both crises. Stuart McMillan made that point earlier and I agree with him. It is time to view alcohol as one of the biggest threats to population health. Every year, alcohol costs Glasgow, the region that I represent, an estimated £365 million, which equates to £615 per person.

Aside from the horrific impact that alcohol has on people’s lives, which Carol Mochan talked about, it has a hugely detrimental impact on economic growth and workforce productivity.

Every life lost is a tragedy, so we must do more to ensure that vulnerable people have access to local community services and the resources to reduce alcohol abuse and alcohol-related deaths in Scotland.

I want to make special mention of Alcoholics Anonymous, which is an organisation and a fellowship that has helped millions of people—and it means a lot to me. The mentoring system and the 12-step programme has given me the opportunity to try to understand alcoholism and the complexity behind it, and I realise that there is not one simple answer.

The organisation has something to offer to the overall strategy on alcohol. Sandesh Gulhane talked about the fact that alcohol is an issue that affects all communities and all classes, as well as about how dangerous it is to focus only on one policy. It is my personal experience, based on talking to people who have been seriously dependent and who have almost risked their lives, that people have been saved by services and by Alcoholics Anonymous. I also agree with Mr Gulhane’s point that affected people will do anything to get access to alcohol because of their dependency on it. There cannot be a one-size-fits-all solution to this. We need to realise that it is a complex issue.

Once again, I thank Carol Mochan for bringing this important debate to the chamber.

Presiding Officer, I apologise that I cannot stay until the end of the statement today.

Universities are at the forefront of innovation in medical sciences and renewables but, despite that success, people working in the city of Glasgow have expressed concerns to me that their expertise is not being converted into jobs growth on the scale that it should be. What plans are there for the Scottish Government to capitalise on the skills and innovation that are being developed in Glasgow’s universities?