Chamber and committees

I can hear Mr McKee disagreeing with Murdo Fraser’s description of his contribution last week.

As I said to the member previously, we need to work on the issue on a cross-party basis. I am more than happy to hear any suggestions that Murdo Fraser might have. Of course, the budget-setting process in Scotland would be a lot better had we not had Liz Truss’s mini-budget, which made things far more challenging. Had we adhered to some of the tax cuts that Ms Truss was advocating for some time ago, we would have been poorer to the tune of £1.8 billion.

However, I repeat that I am more than happy to take any further learning that Mr Fraser can offer the Scottish Government on these matters.

I had an introductory meeting with COSLA on 28 May and I will meet it again, along with the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Reform, next Thursday.

Although the Scottish Government has no formal role in local government pay negotiations, we worked closely with COSLA to confirm funding flexibilities and additional funding. That allowed COSLA to provide a fair and affordable two-year pay deal, which was worth 7.64 per cent across 2025-26 and 2026-27.

We will have a follow-up meeting on that over the summer recess. There are a number of learnings in relation to health and social care, the use of technology and our use of capital across Government. We had an introductory meeting of around 30 minutes. I would be more than happy to come back to the member with further detail in that regard, because I want to continue that dialogue with the IFS. It is hugely important that we listen to it and that we act accordingly, given the extent of the challenge that members across the chamber recognise exists in relation to our budget.

Mark Griffin will know that, in my former role, I spent a good amount of time with our teaching trade unions and local government, trying to negotiate an agreement in relation to reducing teachers’ class contact. Through joint negotiation, we were able to do that, but it took time. Unnecessary stress was caused for parents and carers because we thought that we might be in receipt of some industrial action—so we had to work at pace to get to that point.

As the Deputy First Minister, I do not want to get to that stage. I want us to have a much more strategic approach to negotiating in relation to pay. Work on that was led across the Government by my predecessor and I want to continue it. I had a helpful discussion with Roz Foyer, who joined the event about public service reform that the cabinet secretary and I attended on Monday; we talked more about how we can have that strategic overview. I would be more than happy to hear any suggestions that Mr Griffin has on that.

We must work in close partnership with local government and our trade unions. The member’s point in relation to the disruption of services is well made. I will take forward the suggestions that he has made to that end in our engagement with COSLA next Thursday.

Governments across these islands face significant pressures on public finances. Those challenges have intensified in recent months due to global instability.

Last summer, we published the medium-term financial strategy, which sets out the scale of the challenge and the action that is required. That was reinforced through the spending review and portfolio efficiency and reform plans, which were agreed in January, led by cabinet secretaries across the Scottish Government.

In addition, last week, I met the IFS to discuss its report and findings in more detail, including the learnings for the Scottish Government, to inform our next steps.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app would not connect. I would have voted yes.

The Scottish Government will work in partnership with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to design a fund that provides flexibility and empowers individual local authorities to improve their road conditions and connectivity, based on their local needs and priorities. I undertook an introductory meeting with COSLA on 28 May, and I will meet the organisation again, as previously intimated, on Thursday 18 June, along with the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Reform.

I have been to Skye many times and am more than happy to come again and visit Andrew Baxter’s roads. However, I put on record that the local road network is the responsibility of the Highland Council, which has had an uplift in funding from the Scottish Government. In 2026-27, it will receive £665.1 million to fund local services, which equates to an extra £32.3 million—5.1 per cent—compared with the previous financial year.

It is important to put on the record that the allocation of capital is a matter for the authority. However, the Government’s budget of last year delivers in full a number of asks from island authorities, including the one in the member’s constituency, to provide extra capital funding and resource for interisland connectivity, in recognition of the importance of rural roads in particular.

Ten billion pounds-worth of capital investment in health infrastructure is planned for the coming decade. Work is already underway to develop a standardised approach to the planning, design and delivery of projects that were announced as part of the infrastructure delivery pipeline in January 2026. The first tranche of projects is currently being progressed.

Dumbarton health centre is recognised as a priority in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s primary care estate. Decisions on the allocation and timing of funding for subsequent projects, including Dumbarton, will be taken as part of future phases of the infrastructure and investment programme.

I do, however, expect to receive further advice on the next stages from my officials during the coming weeks, and I will be happy to provide Jackie Baillie with further updates when they are available.

I cannot give Ms Baillie a specific date at the current time, as I am awaiting advice on that from my officials, but I am more than happy to correspond with her on the challenge that she has put to me today.

However, I hope that she recognises that significant investment is being put in place to support projects such as the one that she has outlined. I am more than happy to write to her with further detail when I receive it.