Chamber and committees

I acknowledge the concern that exists about the warning that has been put in place. That warning has been put in place in March when, I think, none of us would ordinarily expect a wildfire warning in Scotland. That is an indication of the serious effects of climate change that we are now experiencing in our society, which must be addressed.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service will work with Forestry and Land Scotland, non-governmental organisations, landowners and communities to respond effectively to any incidents, and it is monitoring examples.

The service does an exceptional job in Scotland and is being supported by a budget increase of £29.3 million, which is a measure of the Government’s commitment. Indeed, the budget is now £79 million higher than it was in 2017-18.

I am all for having considered discussions in the Parliament about the public finances, but I have to put it to Mr Carson that he has a bit of a brass neck coming here—

No, I do not accept that in any way, shape or form. If the Government had not intervened and I had not taken actions when the yard faced difficulties, there would be people today who would not have had a livelihood for the best part of a decade. I know that that does not concern Russell Findlay much, because he represents a party that destroyed the industrial base of Scotland. That is what happened under the awful leadership of Conservative Governments in the United Kingdom. This Government is working with the workforce to make sure that we can secure the future of the yard.

At the heart of Russell Findlay’s question is a complete contradiction because, on the one hand, he has accused the Government of rigging a process in the past—

I understand the anxiety that Christine Grahame has expressed. We have all been enormously troubled and concerned by the United Kingdom Government’s announcements, which will significantly undermine access to the disability benefits that will be available to individuals. We have to observe with care the process that the United Kingdom Government is going through, because it will determine the principal impact on the finances that we have available to support the benefits and social security arrangements that are under our control.

I cannot give a definitive answer to Christine Grahame, but I can say that, under the legislation that the Government has put to the UK Parliament, the decisions that we take on social security must ensure that we operate a system that has dignity and respect at its heart. The UK Government’s decisions do not have at their heart dignity and respect, but austerity. We were told that the election of a Labour Government would end austerity, but this week disabled people and others who are vulnerable in our society have learned the hard way that Labour is carrying on the austerity of the Tories.

Yes—this is about wildfires, but there would be no money to tackle them if the Parliament had not passed the budget—a budget that the Conservatives voted against—[Interruption.]

Those are, of course, decisions for BBC Scotland, but I recognise the disappointment about the decision not to continue the “River City” series.

The point that underlies Mr Bibby’s comments is the importance of production of television material within Scotland. The Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture has been discussing that issue with the BBC, and he will discuss the implications of the “River City” decision with Equity.

I want to be clear to the Parliament that the Government attaches the greatest importance to ensuring that production activity is undertaken genuinely within Scotland, so that the economic benefit of it is felt within Scotland. That is what the BBC charter would oblige of the BBC. The Government will be engaging very strongly to ensure that that is the case.

I wonder whether, in the aftermath of the Conservatives’ ejection from office last summer, Craig Hoy has reflected at all on the damage that has been done to our society by 14 years of austerity under the Conservative Government.

Is there absolutely no space for reflection that Craig Hoy has been part of a Conservative Party that has undermined the public finances and delivered poor economic growth and which now comes here and lectures me about a Government that has increased GDP per capita faster in Scotland than it has grown in the rest of the United Kingdom? That demonstrates the fact that Craig Hoy is just playing about with politics.

I will certainly explore that question. It is important that people in our society who require support are able to receive it at the earliest possible opportunity. We are seeing a reduction in Social Security Scotland’s processing times across the range of social security services that are available. I will consider the point that Mr Balfour has put to me.

There would not be a Ferguson’s yard trading just now if I had not intervened more than 10 years ago to try to secure the future of the yard. I make no apology for doing that over all those years.

I want to tell the Parliament what Russell Findlay really thinks, because he has not been straight with the Parliament in all his questions today. This is what Russell Findlay said before. He called Ferguson Marine

“a terrible drain on the public finances.”

He called my Government’s support

“recklessly throwing taxpayers’ money away”—[Interruption.]

I am not finished yet—I have lots more to share with the Parliament today. He said that

“the non-stop squandering of cash cannot go on.”

What we know today is that Russell Findlay has specialised in talking down the yard at Ferguson’s. We know that he has come here today just to demonstrate the political opportunism that we hear from him every week. Furthermore, we know why he is doing it: it is because the Conservative Party is being hammered by Reform, and Russell Findlay is on his way out, along with most of his colleagues. Thank goodness, and good riddance to the lot of them.

First, the Government is working with a range of stakeholders to take forward the women’s health plan. Secondly, the Government is putting in the investment to reduce waiting times to make sure that women such as Chloe do not have to wait as long as they are having to wait, and we are making progress in reducing waiting times across a number of sectors. Thirdly, we are putting in place more than £21 billion of investment in the national health service to make sure that it can meet the needs of the public in Scotland. That is all part of the budget that the Government has put forward, and I am glad to say that Parliament has supported it.