Chamber and committees

It is important to look at the data and the evidence. Over the past 14 years, we have lived through a period of punishing austerity. That is a financial context that Mr Sarwar and I agree about: we agree that the period of austerity has been incredibly damaging for public infrastructure and the public fabric of our country and that it has significant social and economic implications.

In that context, the Scottish Government has built 73 per cent more affordable homes per head of population than has been built in Wales and 47 per cent more than in England since 2007. That is the record of this Government, and I will argue for it. The facts speak for themselves: against the prevailing tide of austerity, the Scottish Government has built more affordable houses per head of population than any other part of the United Kingdom. However, I accept that that is not enough, which is why we have just increased the budget and put in a commitment to ensure that we can encourage and motivate more house building to address the very issues that Mr Sarwar raises with me today.

I begin by assuring the Parliament that there is currently no impact on patient care or the availability of IT systems for GPs as a result of the announcement.

Scottish Government officials are liaising with NHS National Services Scotland, which holds the national framework contract with INPS on behalf of NHS Scotland, and with the INPS administrators. NSS has established an incident management team, and contingency planning is under way. The Royal College of General Practitioners, the British Medical Association, GP practices and health boards in Scotland have been fully apprised of the situation. Officials have also engaged with counterparts across the four nations, with a further meeting being due to take place tomorrow.

This is an emerging situation. The company is now formally up for sale, and I anticipate that the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care will be able to provide a fuller update to Parliament in January.

The Government is focused on exactly that point. That is why I indicated that there is an incident management team, with contingency planning under way, and that the various relevant organisations that need to be advised about these issues are currently being advised.

There is, of course, technical capability in our GP practices already, and the health secretary will be actively engaged to ensure that our officials are doing everything that they can to support continued provision of that activity.

However, I come back to my key point, which is that there is currently no impact on patient care or the availability of IT systems for GPs as a result of the announcement.

The Scottish Government wrote to the supplier of Contact Scotland BSL on 4 December notifying it that its contract would come to an end on 31 March 2025, in accordance with its terms. First, I want to be clear that there will be no break in service for users of Contact Scotland BSL while we retender for the free service. We will work closely with BSL users in Scotland and the current supplier of Contact Scotland BSL to design the service to ensure that it best meets the needs of those who use it and that it raises awareness of the availability of the service and, therefore, also increases the number of users.

I give Mr Griffin that assurance. I am sorry if there has been an impression that there was to be no retendering of the service. I will make sure that that is properly explored.

I know the long-standing interest that Mr Griffin takes on these issues. He has given a very distinguished contribution to Parliament on these topics, and I want to make sure that the legitimate issues that he raises are properly explored. I give the assurance that there will be engagement with the BSL community.

If, to seek further assurance, Mr Griffin wishes to raise any more material with me, he knows that I will happily engage with him about that, as will ministers, to make sure that the service is available for all the legitimate reasons that he has put to me today.

I understand the sentiments that underpin Roz McCall’s question, but I am not familiar with the case that she puts to me, about the Lilias Graham Trust. I am sure that the trust has made a significant contribution to supporting the wellbeing of children and young people. However, as is always the case in some of these areas, changes to service provision are driven by changes in the way in which we support families.

For example, at the heart of the Promise is a determination to try to keep families together and to avoid separating them. There may be a shift to putting more resources into supporting families in order to keep them together, which would be consistent with the direction of policy in the Promise, because that is fundamentally the core point in the Promise.

There may be changes in service provision. In Glasgow, for example, there have been significant changes in the way that the city deploys its expenditure for care-experienced young people, because it has now shifted its balance away from services that it provides and towards putting much more support into supporting families to stay together.

I will look at the issues that Roz McCall raises with me today, I will take counsel from the Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise, and I will reply in writing to Roz McCall about the issues involved.

We should treat retail workers with kindness 365 days a year. At the root of the issue that Mr Johnson raises is criminal conduct and the fact that people are not behaving appropriately. Whether that is about criminal conduct or disrespect to retail workers, it is part of the same pattern. I agree with the sentiments that Mr Johnson expresses.

The Government has put £3 million into the budget as a specific intervention to tackle retail crime, which will be taken forward as a partnership between the retail sector and the police. That will be in addition to an investment of a record £1.62 billion next year for policing, which is an increase of £70 million on 2024-25 and which I think provides the resources for effective community policing. I am advised on that point by the chief constable of Police Scotland.

All that we need to do is pass the budget. I leave Mr Johnson that message and clarion call to support the Government so that we can get on with tackling the legitimate issue that he puts to me by ensuring that the Government’s budget is passed in February.

I know, admire and respect Christine Grahame’s long interest in those issues and commend all the wise advice that she has put on the record for members of the public. All the steps that she has set out are valuable in ensuring that individuals purchase pets in a responsible and sustained climate in which the welfare of the animal has been assured and protected. My colleague’s advice is very important at this time.

Mr Whittle raises an important point. The Government works closely with officials in the Northern Ireland Executive and with key agencies, through the paws for thought puppy trafficking group, to disrupt and target those who are involved in that trade. Many collaborative actions are taken by us and the Northern Ireland Executive, and the multi-agency pet trade task force shares intelligence and targets those who are involved in the illegal breeding and smuggling of puppies. I hope that that assures Mr Whittle that there is active engagement between the Scottish Government and that of Northern Ireland, as well as with other United Kingdom Administrations, to ensure that the issue is properly and fully addressed, to the best of our ability.

The Government is working to introduce legislative proposals in that respect, but Mr Harvie’s characterisation of the Government’s programme is not accurate and not representative. On a variety of issues—whether on transport, agriculture, heating, renewable energy or measures to reduce carbon through investment in forestry or in peatland restoration—the Government is taking the steps that are necessary to tackle climate action. We will do that as part of a sustained programme. That includes the underpinning of provision of £4.9 billion of investment, in the Government’s budget, to support those objectives. We are determined to fulfil those commitments to Parliament.