Chamber and committees

Mr Sarwar has accepted my point that austerity has been a curse on our society. Despite that austerity, however, resource funding for the national health service has more than doubled since this Government came to office in 2007.

We have taken tough decisions to increase tax in order to invest more in the national health service. We have made the national health service the best financially supported service of all public services in Scotland, and we are absolutely committed to delivering for the national health service.

Anas Sarwar cannot come to the chamber and deny that we have been operating in a significantly constrained public expenditure context and that we have delivered the best settlement that we can for the national health service.

I agree with Mr Ross that that should never have happened. I express my sincere condolences to the family of the individual who lost their life and I say to Eilidh directly that I am sorry for the terrifying experience that she had on Saturday night.

As Mr Ross will be aware, Portree community hospital is not currently operating as a 24/7 emergency facility. Some years ago, Sir Lewis Ritchie recommended that it should be, and it is a matter of deep concern to the Government that that has not happened. The health secretary spoke with the leadership of NHS Highland yesterday to make it clear that we want that to happen at the earliest possible opportunity.

I want to say something to the ambulance crews and other individuals who supported Eilidh. The Portree ambulance was away from Portree at the time, so ambulances came to Portree from Dunvegan and from Kyle, which, as Mr Ross will know, involves quite a travel time. The ambulances got there as quickly as possible. The individuals who supported Eilidh, including Royal National Lifeboat Institution volunteers and others, have the admiration and appreciation of the Government for the steps that they took to support an individual in our society.

I am here to learn. [Laughter.]

On the question of education delivery, let me put on the record a few things that the Government has achieved. When we came into office in 2007, 63 per cent of children and young people were being educated in good or satisfactory buildings. That figure today is 93 per cent. There has been a transformation of the education estate in Scotland. We have allocated £145 million to support the recruitment of teachers, in partnership with local government. Those are some of the things that we have delivered. The reform programme in Education Scotland and the SQA is being implemented.

Obviously, I have just come back into office, and I will be looking very carefully at the progress that has been made in that respect. I have not been on the front bench for 12 months or so, and I will be getting much closer to all of that.

On the question of the commitment to 3,500 teachers, I will be absolutely clear with people in Scotland today. We face very significant financial pressures in our public finances. The perspective on the public finances has deteriorated because of the effect of austerity, the cuts that have been made in public expenditure and the very significant inflation that we have had to wrestle with—which has resulted, for example, in teachers in Scotland becoming the best paid in the United Kingdom as a consequence of our decisions.

The Government will take forward its programme within the resources that are available to us, but I have to make it clear to people—to be straight with the public, which I will be—that public finances are under enormous pressure. We will set out our commitments as we take our budget decisions.

The people did send me here. The people have sent me here. In every election when I have had my name on the ballot paper, my constituents have sent me here. In 2007, the people sent us into government; in 2011, they sent us into government; in 2016, they sent us into government; in 2021 they sent us into government; and in 2026, under my leadership, they will send us back into government as well.

I point out to Mr Sarwar, as he has his absence-of-cheerfulness escapade today, that I think Scotland has a very good education system, which we will continue to improve in the years to come.

I welcome Michelle Thomson’s contribution to the discussion through her question today, but also through her convenership of the cross-party group on women in enterprise.

I acknowledge and recognise that our efforts to boost economic growth in Scotland would be greatly enhanced if, in our society, the participation of women in enterprise was at an equal level to the participation of men. Our efforts have to be focused on closing that gap to ensure that women are able to make a greater contribution to enterprise. I welcome the points that Michelle Thomson has made, and I commit the Government, in its economic strategy and the work that we are taking forward, to specifically making sure that we close that gap, and to working with women and organisations such as Women’s Enterprise Scotland, which is a fabulous organisation, to achieve those objectives.

I associate myself directly with the comments that Mr Greene has made about the tragedy of drug deaths and the loss to families who are affected. That is a national problem that we have to address, and I give him the solemn commitment that we will do that.

I have set out my response to Mr Greene’s question, but I hear what he says about the concerns of the Haven project, which he visited in Kilmacolm. I want to understand directly what those barriers are, because I have no interest in announcements being made if the practical reality is not being felt in communities. If Mr Greene will be so good as to advise of the details of that, I will ask Christina McKelvie, who was reappointed last night to continue the leadership of drugs and alcohol policy within the Government, to engage with him—however, I remain open to direct discussions about how we progress on what is a national tragedy. I give Mr Greene the assurance of the seriousness that I attach to the issues that he has raised with me today.

First, let me welcome the remarks of Pauline McNeill and her welcome, which is appreciated.

From her long service in the Parliament’s justice committees, Pauline McNeill will understand that we are getting into territory where I will, if I answer in a great deal of detail, be intruding on the independence of the Lord Advocate. I will not do that. The Lord Advocate is an independent office-holder and I want to ensure that I protect the independence of the Lord Advocate by my actions.

The issues that Pauline McNeill raised are material to Crown Office decisions about the prosecutions that have been taken. I will relay to the Lord Advocate the points that have been made by Pauline McNeill today. I met the Lord Advocate last night to confirm my desire for her to continue as the Lord Advocate, but I will convey to her the points that Pauline McNeill has made.

We will, of course, also continue to engage with other parties in Parliament about the appropriate way in which the issue can be addressed in Parliament.

I recognise the seriousness of the issue that Rhoda Grant raises. It applies not just in this policy area but in a variety of such areas. The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills will be wrestling with such problems in relation to teacher recruitment. There is a substantive issue that needs to be explored to see whether there is a way in which we can do that, as some teacher induction schemes do already, so there is a serious point to be made. I add that there is much good provision in the Highlands, which is provided by organisations such as shinty clubs. They do very good outreach work to support men who face difficulties. I very much welcome that as part of the approach that we need to take.

First, I express my sadness at the most recent fatality that has taken place on the A9, and I send my condolences to the family of the individual involved.

As Mr Ewing will know from our long association, I have been committed to the dualling of the A9 from the origins of my first parliamentary campaign, for the 1992 election, in the North Tayside constituency, with the A9 passing through my local area.

Therefore, I have been pleased that this Government has delivered a number of improvements to the A9: the improvements to the Kincraig to Dalraddy section that were put in place; the improvements through the grade-separated junction at Ballinluig junction; the Crubenmore improvements; and, most recently, the Luncarty to Birnam improvements, with the road having been made into a dual carriageway. In addition, there is currently a procurement process for the Moy to Tomatin section, and we hope that that will be concluded shortly.

I want to assure Mr Ewing of the Government’s commitment to dualling the A9. I would be very happy to meet the cross-party delegation to discuss the issue and to explain how the project fits into the Scottish Government’s infrastructure plan and how the different steps that we have taken as part of the capital investment programme have delivered the improvements to the A9 that the Government has already delivered.