Chamber and committees

The issue that Sarah Boyack raises is one that falls within the responsibility of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. I am not clear in my mind about what stage the Marionville proposal is at, but, in general terms, the SRFS’s delivery review includes 23 options for change, which will be the subject of a full public consultation that will commence at the end of this month. I imagine that the proposal that Sarah Boyack has asked me about is part of that process, so it will be the subject of dialogue as part of the consultation.

As I said in response to a question a few weeks ago, which I think was from Rachael Hamilton, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service must, in coming to any operational decisions, be mindful of the demand for intervention and the pattern of activity that places demands on its services. There will be a full opportunity for the points that Sarah Boyack has made to be considered by the SFRS.

The point that Mr Doris has put to me is an important one. I will ask the Minister for Equalities to discuss the specific case with Mr Doris so that she can obtain the details and make the necessary representations to the United Kingdom Government.

The point that Mr Doris raises will have wider application in Scotland. Many individuals are here on temporary arrangements as a consequence of the illegal invasion of Ukraine. Scotland has welcomed those individuals, who make a huge contribution to our society. There is a general issue, and the affected individuals would benefit from clarity. I will ensure that the minister gets in touch with Mr Doris, and we will make representations about that case and the wider issue to the UK Government.

I am sorry to hear that information from Pam Gosal about Clydebank Women’s Aid. The Government has taken a number of steps to legislate for action on domestic abuse, not least of which is the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, which created a specific offence of domestic abuse that incorporates coercive and controlling behaviour.

This year, the delivering equally safe fund will provide £21.6 million to 115 projects that focus on preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls. Those projects will be available to ensure that there is support in communities the length and breadth of Scotland to assist women who are facing domestic abuse. I will take the opportunity after this question time to ensure that there is support under that funding scheme to provide relevant and appropriate access in the Clydebank area.

Colleges play a vital role in our communities, which is why the budget for this year sees a 2.1 per cent uplift to the college resource allocation. It is important to be clear that the Scottish Funding Council has ensured that no college will see a reduction in teaching funding during this financial year compared with the previous one.

Fife College will receive a 1.26 per cent increase in teaching funding and a 4.9 per cent increase in capital maintenance funding in the final allocations. Of course, next year, the college will be moving into new facilities in the Dunfermline learning campus, which have been supported by tens of millions of pounds of Scottish Government investment. Operational decisions, including those regarding course provision and staffing, are, of course, a matter for individual colleges.

I hope that that answer provides Mr Torrance with some context about the final decisions that have been made.

The important point to consider is that the extra revenue that is raised as a consequence of the tax decisions that we have taken in Scotland enables us to invest in public services and other interventions that support the Government’s policy agenda. Those changes and differences are well acknowledged and well understood in Scotland. For example, we have a much more significant provision of early learning and childcare in Scotland, which meets the needs of families. In addition, the Scottish child payment helps to keep children out of poverty. In Scotland, we have a falling child poverty rate, whereas child poverty rates are rising in the rest of the United Kingdom.

There are differences in policy outcomes that come from the Government’s decisions to ask people on higher incomes to pay slightly more in taxation.

What is clear from the data is that the improvements in gross domestic product per capita in Scotland under the Scottish Government since we came to office have been superior to those in the rest of the United Kingdom. The data tells us that the Scottish economy in terms of GDP per capita has grown at a faster rate in Scotland than in the rest of the United Kingdom.

As a Government, we take a number of steps to invest in the economy. We are supporting investment in key sectors of the economy, such as renewable energy, and we are actively involved in investing in the skills system to support the development of the economy. We assist companies by having a competitive business rates regime in Scotland, which reduces the burden of business rates on companies, enabling them to invest in their business operations.

That is what Scotland gets from the business-friendly SNP Government. [Interruption.]

I will be clear with Mr Findlay: under the SNP Government, since 2007, GDP per person in Scotland has grown by 10.3 per cent, compared with 6.1 per cent in the United Kingdom. That demonstrates that our economic performance has been superior to that of the rest of the United Kingdom.

Russell Findlay highlights the fact that there are choices to be made about public expenditure. When he talks about the annual benefits bill, he has to be explicit about what he is talking about. What benefits would he cut? We believe that it is important that we support children out of poverty. Is that what Russell Findlay wants to stop? [Interruption.] I think that that is what we are talking about. Russell Findlay wants to end the Scottish child payment and consign more children to poverty. [Interruption.]

I unreservedly accept the importance of food provision in our schools and tackling the issue of children who come to school hungry. Ensuring that children have a good and solid meal during the day is addressed as part of the Government’s policy programme, so there is no disagreement between Lorna Slater and me on that question.

The Government has taken pragmatic decisions within the finances that are available to us to expand the programme to primary 6 and 7 pupils who are eligible for the Scottish child payment, and we are obviously taking forward the pilot exercises for secondary pupils, which were the subject of constructive dialogue with the Green Party during the budget negotiations.

I am committed to doing as much as we can. The Parliament will be familiar with the financial challenges that we face, which were not eased by yesterday’s spending review. We will, of course, engage constructively with other parties about how we can take forward the important commitments to enhance the educational opportunities of children and young people in Scotland.

We recognise the importance of transparent and regular communication with patients, which is why we have in place a standard package of communications that all health boards should be providing. Our revised waiting times guidance, which was published in December 2023, ensures that patients are provided with clear communications throughout their care journey, setting out what they should expect while they are waiting for their appointment, test or treatment.

To assist patients in accessing waiting time information prior to treatment, Public Health Scotland offers an online platform that sets out initial planned care waiting times, indicating typical wait durations over the past quarter.

I entirely understand Mr Matheson’s deep concern about the implications of the situation at Alexander Dennis for his constituency. Throughout all his time in the Parliament, he has been assiduous in supporting the company and enabling and supporting its development.

As I indicated in my earlier answers, we have had a number of programmes of investment in Alexander Dennis. I hope that that gives Mr Matheson an assurance of the Government’s commitment. Although bus orders have been undertaken with and delivered by Alexander Dennis, the company has highlighted to us the significant restrictions that exist in the current competitive climate because of the implications of the Subsidy Control Act 2022 for the ability of public sector procurement to take account of local content, job retention and job creation.

We are exploring those issues with the United Kingdom Government, and I give Mr Matheson an absolute assurance that the Scottish Government will enter the consultation determined to safeguard the future of employment in his constituency.