Chamber and committees

I share the aspirations that Rhoda Grant has put to Parliament today. NHS Highland has a close working relationship with Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association, which has supported NHS Highland in providing housing for key staff in Broadford. Four flats have been leased for nurses, three of which are supporting the international recruitment project that brings skills into the locality to meet some of the shortages that we are experiencing. The remaining flat is used for on-call staff. The board also leases two family homes for specialist staff located at the new Broadford hospital. All houses and flats in that development are fully occupied.

I hope that that reassures Rhoda Grant that, where these projects come forward, they are fully utilised and deployed. There is an invitation to public bodies to come forward with proposals to access the fund. The fund has not been fully utilised, so, from this podium, I encourage public authorities to come forward with their bids to address some of the issues that Rhoda Grant raises.

The issues that Rhoda Grant raises underpin the issues that Mr Ross and Mr Cole-Hamilton raised with me today about having accommodation available for staff in rural areas. I acknowledge that that is a problem. My long-term leadership of the convention of the Highlands and Islands over many years in government taught me that important lesson about the interconnectedness of housing. I encourage public authorities to come forward on the measures that will address those issues.

As I said in my original answer to Mr Mountain, an update on the procurement route will be given before the summer recess. It will provide the clarity that Katy Clark reasonably asks for and will give certainty to island communities at that time.

It is a bit rich for Anas Sarwar to come to the chamber and criticise me for decisions that I have taken, when he supports a party that wishes to relieve bankers of the obligation to pay into our tax system by lifting the cap on their bonuses. That is a ludicrous position.

This morning, I listened to the contribution from Keir Starmer in which he set out Labour’s policy position. I did not hear Keir Starmer setting out an uplift in public expenditure as a consequence of 14 years of austerity.

I have gone through with Douglas Ross some of the issues and the provisions that are in place, but I will go through them again for Mr Cole-Hamilton.

The circumstances at the weekend were unacceptable, and the recommendations of Sir Lewis Ritchie should have been implemented consistently over the past six years. They were implemented for three of the past six years. That is not good enough—it certainly was not good enough at the weekend—so that issue has been addressed directly by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care in his dialogue with NHS Highland.

Mr Cole-Hamilton raises issues about maternity care in Caithness. As he will understand, we take direct clinical advice about the sustainability of clinical services. It would be inappropriate for the Government not to take seriously the clinical advice that we have about the sustainability and effectiveness of local services. That will always be a priority for the Government.

I want to make clear to the Parliament the importance that the Government attaches—hence the point that I have just made to Mr Sarwar—to the significance of the financial settlement that we give to the national health service and to ensuring that those resources are deployed effectively around the country so that we have effective public services and effective health services available. That is the direction of the Government’s healthcare policy, and that is what we will do and implement on behalf of the people of Scotland.

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.