Chamber and committees

Douglas Lumsden raises an issue related to a policy proposal of the United Kingdom Government; it is not a policy proposal of the Scottish Government. Douglas Lumsden is at the front of the queue to complain when this Government raises any issues with the UK Government’s actions, so I gently point out the complete hypocrisy that is lying at the heart of his question. The Government engages in a wide degree of consultation and dialogue with interested parties on issues related to energy transmission, and that will continue under my leadership.

The University of the West of Scotland wrote to the Minister for Higher and Further Education in January regarding its organisational change project and multiyear recovery plan, which are seeking to return the university to reporting a surplus in 2026-27. The Scottish Funding Council, on behalf of the Government, will continue to work closely with the university as it pursues that plan.

I greatly value the contribution made by our universities. That is why we are investing, in the budget, more than £1.1 billion in university teaching and research, and it is why we announced an additional £15 million of financial transactions for the Scottish Funding Council in February to support the sector.

The Government will engage constructively in discussions about university finances. We do that on all such issues. The Government is immersed in discussions about the University of Dundee. I have put on record the discussions that we are having about the University of West of Scotland, which will continue in the period ahead.

Mr Rennie is in a stronger position to argue for that, because he was prepared to do the tough thing of voting for the Government’s budget earlier this year. [Interruption.]

I will not tire of pointing out to the Conservatives the complete and utter hypocrisy of their demanding that we spend more money when, at the same time, they want us to cut the budget. They are beyond credibility in this Parliament. I say to Mr Rennie that we are happy to engage on issues concerning the operation and the future of the university sector in Scotland, and the Government is already engaged in on-going discussions with the sector. However, all such discussions require us to have a mature conversation about priorities. I acknowledge that Mr Rennie and his party have been prepared to do that, and I invite others in the Parliament to step up to the plate.

We are pleased to be working with Professor Sir Michael Marmot and Public Health Scotland through the collaboration for health equity in Scotland. As part of the collaboration, Aberdeen City Council, North Ayrshire Council and South Lanarkshire Council will work with us over the next two years to share learning from all parts of the system and test approaches that strengthen and accelerate action to improve health and reduce health inequalities.

That valuable work will link into our upcoming population health framework, which will focus on prevention and early intervention, targeting action in the areas and communities that are most in need.

The UCAN SURE unit has been designed to provide rapid diagnosis for patients. It is intended that the unit will be taken forward within the existing resources of NHS Grampian. I am keen to make sure that there is progress in that respect at the earliest opportunity.

I also point out to Mr Kerr that if he wants more money spent on NHS Grampian, he should have voted for the Government’s budget, which he failed to do. This is just another example of how the Conservatives come to Parliament and plead for something but are not prepared to vote for it.

We have had discussions with the Foreign Secretary on this question. I personally raised the issue with the Indian Government when I was in India in previous years. As Jackie Baillie correctly says, the matter has been on-going for many years. Without prejudging proceedings in any way, I acknowledge that the initial court case must be providing welcome hope to the family. I send them my warmest wishes in the hope that that can be sustained.

I am concerned to hear the details that Roz McCall puts to me. I will ask the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to meet her to discuss what more can be done to address that particular case.

No, I will not, because that is not the case. The poverty-related attainment gap has reduced by 67 per cent since 2009-10 under the leadership of this Government. Indeed, we see clear signs about the future performance of the education system: we have a record-low poverty-related attainment gap in primary school literacy and in secondary 3 literacy and numeracy.

While Mr Findlay works his way through different aspects of the record of the Government of which I have been proud to be a member—and in which I was proud to serve as Nicola Sturgeon’s education secretary and Deputy First Minister—he should remember that there has been a 44 per cent increase in the number of 18-year-olds from deprived backgrounds going to university in this country. I am proud that we have widened access to Scottish education.