Chamber and committees

Does the First Minister share my disbelief and outrage regarding the United Kingdom Government consulting on giving English whisky a geographical indication, which would give it the same status as Scottish single malt? If approved, that move—which has been entirely enabled by Brexit—would trample on the reputation and tradition of our whisky industry and our Scottish brand. Does the First Minister agree with the Scotch Whisky Association’s view that the integrity of our single malt would be damaged by inferior whisky product, which could potentially harm industry, jobs and trade, including in the new distilleries in the south of Scotland and, indeed, across wider Scotland?

Good morning. I am thinking about the language that has been used and, in particular, the word “messy”. I think that the situation is complicated rather than messy.

The rural payments and services section of the Scottish Government’s website includes the whole-farm plan guidance that was published in October 2024. There are different steps that farmers can go through. There is a link to one page that lists the milestones that need to be reached by 15 May 2025. The guidance is about helping farmers—whether they are involved in small farms, crofts, dairy farming, beef production, sheep farming or whatever—to transition in such a way that there are no cliff edges. That is what we talked about when we considered the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill.

The fundamental reform that you have talked about relates to how we support food production and food security. You mentioned the war in Ukraine. I do not think that the Government is sitting around not doing anything. People need to hear such assurances. All the work that is going on in the background with ARIOB and so on is part of the process of helping to support food production and food security in Scotland and beyond.

There are various platforms on social media in addition to Elon Musk’s X. Is the Government proactively looking at which social media platforms or other methods of communication can be used to promote such programmes?

A few weeks ago, we had a round-table discussion with forestry folks. One of the issues that came up was the difficulty that farmers and crofters experience in accessing funding for agroforestry. I have had a look at the Government’s website, and I can see that there is support available for broadleaf planting, improving biodiversity and so on. However, I would be interested to hear whether the Government is working to make it easier for farmers to access grants for agroforestry.

Iain Carmichael has basically answered my question about the differences between crofters and bigger beef farmers, and I think that I understand that there are exemptions for conservation grazing or for small herds. I want to clarify that there is no one-size-fits-all policy but that there is engagement with everybody about how they will manage their plans for small crofts.

It is important that everyone in society benefits from economic growth, and I welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to a sustainable and inclusive economic model. Can the minister say any more about how community wealth building initiatives will work to address regional wealth inequalities, including rural wealth inequalities, in areas such as Dumfries and Galloway?

I am sure that we all agree that any long wait for patients in our A and E departments is regrettable. Will the cabinet secretary set out any further measures that we have outlined in the upcoming budget as we look to alleviate pressures on A and E services across Scotland to ensure the optimal and most efficient care possible for patients? Will he again encourage members across the chamber to support the budget at stage 3 so that the key funding is put in place?

The latest figures show Scotland reaching a major milestone with more than 10,000 patients across Scotland benefiting from da Vinci robot-assisted surgery since 2021. I was introduced to robotic surgery, including early da Vinci models, when I worked in an operating theatre in Los Angeles in the early 2000s. What assessment has the Scottish Government made of the impact of surgical robots on national health service productivity? Can the First Minister say any more about the steps that the Scottish Government is taking to support the delivery of robot-assisted surgery in Scotland?

Last week, the First Minister outlined that a greater proportion of new NHS funding will go towards primary and community care, and the cabinet secretary has just outlined greater collaboration and the hospital at home service as examples of that. Will the cabinet secretary say something more about how the 2025-26 budget will ensure that general practitioners and services in communities across D and G will have the resources that they need to play a greater role in our health system, including helping with delayed discharge?

If primary legislation was needed, that would need to be in the next parliamentary session.