Chamber and committees

I have already stated that I am interested in the suggestion of having higher tax rates on private jet flights. We continue to explore all options for implementing air departure tax, but that must be done in a way that protects the connectivity of the Highlands and Islands and the lifeline services that those communities rely on. I understand and sympathise with the points that Mr Greer raises and we will consider those as part of any steps that we take on air departure tax. However, as Mr Greer will know, those issues are incredibly complex, and we must ensure that we have a sustainable response that does not in any way undermine the approach that we take in the Highlands and Islands.

Mr Sarwar raises a number of important issues. On housing, the Government has put in place a budget provision for this year that provides a significant increase in housing investment and that will assist us with the affordable housing plans. That builds on the fact that, in Scotland, we have built 47 per cent more affordable houses per head of population than have been built in England and 73 per cent more than have been built in Labour-run Wales. Of course, that money was in a budget that Mr Sarwar never voted for. On delayed discharge, 97 per cent of patients are discharged from hospital without any delay whatsoever, and the level of delayed discharge is falling. Recorded crime is broadly stable. The increase in the reporting of sexual crime is due to the fact that more people are prepared to come forward because this Government is prepared to pursue sexual crime and bring offenders to account. On cancer treatment, as I explained to Mr Findlay, the Government is focused on improving and reducing waiting times.

This Government is absolutely focused on the priorities of the people of Scotland. The leadership that I deliver ensures that that is the case.

The Government is taking steps to make sure that the NHS has the capacity and resources to deliver on people’s expectations and needs.

I will give two examples of that. The first is that we have put in place a record financial settlement for the national health service, which the Labour Party could not bring itself to vote for in the recent budget.

Secondly, in April 2024, we promised to put in place an additional 64,000 appointments and procedures by the end of March 2025, and we exceeded that target by delivering 105,500 additional procedures in the first year of my term in office as First Minister.

This Government will focus on meeting the needs of the people of Scotland, and we will put the money in place to do so. We will not duck the responsibilities, as Mr Sarwar has done, and we will make sure that people get the treatment that they require.

I say to families that the Government is doing all that it can to make sure that we have in place services that meet the needs of individuals. I reassure them that, when individuals are identified as requiring treatment, the median waiting time for people getting that treatment is three days. That means that the majority of patients are getting an urgent intervention within a matter of three days after their assessment. That is what the Scottish Government is doing.

I accept that, around the country, performance against the 62-day target is not what we require. However, we know from individual parts of the country that those services can be delivered. The health secretary and I are focused on making sure that, in every part of the country, people can rely on the national health service to be there when they require it. That is the commitment that I give to Parliament, and that is what we are focused on delivering.

As I hope that I have demonstrated in my handling of the questions today, I take the issue and the delivery of cancer care incredibly seriously, so I do not in any way dispute the points that Mr Cole-Hamilton puts to me.

Mr Cole-Hamilton posed his question to me in a particular way, by saying that people who have a cancer diagnosis need to know that they will get an urgent intervention. I reassure him—I know that it is a statistic, but it matters—that the median wait, once a diagnosis is given, is three days. A three-day intervention for the majority of patients could hardly be any more immediate.

I accept that the 62-day target is not being met sufficiently well around the country, and we are focused on strengthening capacity to make sure that it is met. However, we are treating more patients with cancer on time and within both standards compared with the same quarter prior to the pandemic. The pandemic has disrupted healthcare, but, on cancer care, we are treating more patients with cancer on time and within both standards. I hope that that gives some reassurance to Mr Cole-Hamilton about the steps that the Government is taking.

As I have said, I fully recognise the challenges that we continue to face in cancer care. However, the report highlights that specialist cancer care in Scotland is of a high standard. I am committed to ensuring that everyone who is affected by cancer, including those with rarer forms such as sarcoma, receives timely, equitable and compassionate care.

We will publish our refreshed Scottish referral guidelines for suspected cancer, including for sarcoma and bone cancer, this summer, to ensure that patients are on the right pathways at the right time.

The Scottish Government will continue to work to identify where improvements can and must be made.

We have consulted widely on a proposed cruise ship levy, as we promised that we would. The responses are being analysed and all views will be considered as we make decisions on next steps in relation to that policy area.

I understand that those issues are the subject of consultation between Amey and the relevant trade unions. I want to make sure that that consultation is done properly and in accordance with the Government’s fair work principles. I understand the importance of Carol Mochan’s point, but there is a process to go through on those issues, and the outcome that will be achieved through that might not be the one that Carol Mochan fears. I will ask the Cabinet Secretary for Transport to consider the issues that have been raised and to reply to Carol Mochan about how those points can be properly and fully addressed.

Work is on-going with local authorities to address the issue that Pam Gosal puts to me. Obviously, many of those issues—indeed, all of them—will be taken forward at a local level, because they involve local planning considerations, and it is right that local authorities are taking the lead in that respect. As part of the process that I am setting out today, the Government will engage with local authorities about how that agenda is taken forward. The best way to address the errors and failings of the past, particularly in relation to questions such as poor accommodation, is to ensure that, in the future, accommodation is better and meets the needs of the communities. That is the objective that the Government brings to Parliament today.

The route to addressing Mr Stewart’s question lies in the approach and legacy of Christina McKelvie, who acted with dignity, empathy and respect when dealing with all communities in our society. As a long-serving colleague of mine, Mr Stewart will know how much we were all influenced and affected by the skills and attributes of Christina McKelvie, who demonstrated how empathy, dignity and respect could be deployed in community relationships in our country. I want to ensure that, through the Government’s actions, we learn from that experience and approach so that we succeed in addressing the substantial question that Mr Stewart has put to me.