Chamber and committees

As an experienced member of the Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee, and as somebody who knows his way around the issues in our courts and our judicial system, Mr Findlay knows that the Lord Advocate is independent in the prosecutorial decisions that are taken. I have said to Parliament that I will convey to the Lord Advocate the issues—

Suicide prevention is a key priority for the Scottish Government, and it will be a priority for me, as First Minister. In September 2022, with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, we published our 10-year suicide prevention strategy, “Creating Hope Together”, and an associated first three-year action plan. Those are backed by a commitment to double annual funding for suicide prevention to £2.8 million by 2026. We are tailoring our approach to ensure that we reach people across Scotland who are most at risk of suicide, which includes placing a strong emphasis on reaching men.

If Mr Stewart will allow me, I will look into the question that he has asked me about funding for the men’s shed movement, with which I have many happy associations. Indeed, I had the great pleasure of opening the men’s shed in the village of Stanley, in my constituency, which emerged from a collaboration with Historic Environment Scotland. That was an example of how Government facilities can be used to create a men’s shed and support it without direct funding being made available.

As I said earlier in answer to Mr Ross, funding is under enormous pressure, but I recognise the contribution of the men’s shed movement. I also recognise that, just last week, my colleague Jim Fairlie hosted a gathering in the Parliament for a variety of organisations that support men who face difficulty. I welcome all efforts to support that aim.

I do not think that Mr Lumsden’s language is appropriate in the Parliament. It is not for me to police language—I am just giving my observation; it is a matter for the Presiding Officer. However, in the spirit of trying to get us to a position in which we respect one another’s opinions—[Interruption.]

I disagree fundamentally with Mr Lumsden on more issues than I care to imagine, but he will be treated with courtesy by me, and I think that others should be treated with courtesy in the chamber, too.

Presiding Officer, please allow me to say that I was not trying to intrude on your responsibilities. I just think that, in general, the public expect us to be quite civilised to one another, and it would be nice if we could be.

On the substantive point of the question, I want to ensure that we have a just transition for the oil and gas sector. We have a climate crisis, and we have to take careful and appropriate steps to respond to it. That response must involve a just transition for the oil and gas sector, and that is what the Government will deliver.

The Government’s commitments in relation to teacher numbers have been given in good faith to strengthen the provision of education in Scotland. I want the Government to work with our local authority partners to deliver on those commitments.

The approach that we take is, of course, hugely dependent on the resources that we have available. The Government has taken steps to expand those resources: for example, if it had not taken the tax decisions that it has taken, we would be more than £1 billion worse off in relation to the funding that we have available.

I have to directly answer Mr Ross’s question about the challenges that we face in the public finances due to the pressures of inflation and the persistence of austerity that is framing public expenditure from the United Kingdom Government. I assure Mr Ross and parents, most importantly in the city of Glasgow but around the country, of the Government’s commitment to sustained investment in education and the maximisation of the investment that we can make available.

If inflation rises—and this is elementary—

This is elementary arithmetic, Mr Hoy, and we are going to have to go through some elementary arithmetic to help you out here with understanding the answer.

If inflation rises by 10 per cent, the value of the money available to spend reduces. I want to ensure that we have a well-supported and substantial teaching profession, but I have to live in the real world of the public finances available to me—never mind the fact that the Conservatives opposed every single tax change that we have made to boost the public expenditure that is available in Scotland. The Government will take these decisions in the proper course of its budgetary process.

When I was education secretary, teacher numbers rose. They rose during my term in office as education secretary. One of the things that I am most pleased about—I cannot claim all the credit for this because my successors have delivered it since 2021—is that record positive destinations are being achieved by young people in Scotland, and that is a tribute to the strength of the education system.

The first point that I want to make is that the events of the past two weeks have been traumatic for my party—I accept that—and they have had everything to do with running the country. I am now here to lead this Government and to lead it with the firmness of direction that it needs to address the problems that the country faces and to achieve our objectives. That is what I am here to do.

On the question of attainment, I have gone through with Mr Ross some of the strengths that exist in Scottish education today. We will continue to improve that performance and support the education system in doing so. We will obviously work collaboratively with local government on that agenda, because local authorities such as Glasgow City Council are responsible for the delivery of education in our communities. I will be meeting the leadership of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities on Friday, immediately after the first meeting of the new Cabinet, because I attach the greatest importance to working in partnership with our local authorities.

One of the most critical points about working in partnership with local authorities is that we work collaboratively. I would have members of Parliament in here complaining all the time if I instructed local authorities on what to do, and I will not be doing that.

It is very important that we have an open discussion about the choices that public authorities and public bodies face. One of the issues that Glasgow City Council has faced, and which has cost it a formidable amount of money, has been the resolution of the equal pay disgrace that was presided over by the Labour Party when it ran the council. For many years, women in our society were persistently let down. When it was running Glasgow City Council, the Labour Party went to the courts to challenge the legitimate claims of low-paid women in the city of Glasgow. The Labour Party should be utterly ashamed of that.

I understand the challenges that Glasgow City Council faces. That is why I will engage constructively with Glasgow City Council and with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities when I meet it on Friday.

I have good news for Anas Sarwar: that fresh leadership has just arrived—[Interruption.]