Chamber and committees

I have a quick supplementary question. I am looking at the 11 national outcomes that we are seeking to achieve. The last one is about poverty. We know that, if we tackle poverty and try to counter the impact of 14 years of imposed austerity on the Scottish people, education and other things will be supported. I am interested in what you think needs to be targeted in order to tackle poverty in Scotland.

I am conscious of the time, so I will stop there. Thanks.

If we are talking about wellbeing and supporting a wellbeing economy through the national performance framework, do you think that the public know what “wellbeing economy” means? We have been talking about it for a few years now. There is the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, and there are lots of experts out there who produce paper after paper, which we see, but do the public know what it means to have a goal of a national performance framework that supports a wellbeing economy?

The Dumfries to Glasgow rail service is a vital link that connects communities in the south to Scotland’s cities. Constituents report that the service is slow and that the fleet servicing the line is dated. We have heard that, if the journey time is faster, such as by electrification, Dumfries and other areas of Dumfries and Galloway could become commuter towns for Glasgow, helping to address depopulation. Will the cabinet secretary agree to meet me to discuss how we can improve that important line?

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with Network Rail and ScotRail with regards to improving the Dumfries-Glasgow train service. (S6O-03672)

Good morning, everybody.

Actually, I think that my question has been answered, but I am still trying to get my head round this pre-budget scrutiny. We have been talking about resourcing science and data collection and analysis, and everybody has been quite clear about that. There seem to be various ways of supporting and funding the marine directorate. For example, Alan Wells mentioned planting trees next to rivers, the money for which—I assume—would come from the Forestry and Land Scotland budget. It seems, therefore, as if there is a lot of potential for cross-portfolio working, but it is the collaboration that Elaine Whyte talked about that I am interested in exploring. How can we support better collaboration to ensure access to funding that can support data analysis and, obviously, data interpretation?

I am not sure whether that question is for Elaine Whyte to start off with. I see that Elspeth Macdonald has indicated that she, too, wants to respond. How do we support better collaboration? By that, I am thinking about finding pots of money to support the marine directorate.

Actually, I am okay, convener.

I welcome the opportunity to speak in the programme for government debate. So much has been mentioned that will need to be dissected in the coming weeks. This year’s programme for government has set out clear actions to deliver real change for the people of Scotland, against the most challenging financial backdrop since our Parliament was reconvened.

Last week, the Prime Minister was clear that the UK budget that will be delivered in October will be painful. The reality is that the UK’s finances will inevitably affect the funding that is available to us in Scotland. The SNP Scottish Government will continue to prioritise action to eradicate child poverty, grasp the opportunities of delivering net zero and grow the economy by attracting business investment and bolstering our public services. Although the Scottish Government will work with the UK Government wherever it can, it will continue to urge the UK Government to drop its impending damaging austerity agenda.

I will make only two points. The first is about Labour's shameless cut to the winter fuel payment, which will hit older people in Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders particularly hard. The second is about how the programme for government will benefit Dumfries and Galloway. Labour’s plan to strictly means test the winter fuel payment in England and Wales sees the Scottish Government’s funding for this newly devolved benefit suddenly reduced by £168 million. Devolving a benefit shortly after removing almost its entire budget is disrespectful to everybody who is involved in shaping the new policy in Scotland. That cut undermines the devolution settlement and ignores the importance of the payment to Scottish households, which face harsher winters and higher energy costs.

That will hit our pensioners in rural communities such as Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders particularly hard. The fact is that the cut is coming from Labour—the party that, just six weeks ago, said that it would.

“give pensioners security in retirement.”

In June, Anas Sarwar said:

“Read my lips: no austerity under Labour.”

Given that the “read my lips” soundbite came from right-wing Republican President George Bush Sr’s 1988 address to the Republican convention, it is hardly surprising that Anas Sarwar is aligning himself with the right-wing Republican playbook. The fact that Labour’s decision was made without any consultation with the Scottish Government has undermined Keir Starmer’s commitment to establish a better working relationship. The cut to the winter fuel payment is shameful, and I call on the UK Government to reverse it.

I welcome the fact that the SNP Government has prioritised economic growth and helping businesses, including those in Dumfries and Galloway, to grow and flourish. From tourism to finance and technology to food and drink exports, the Scottish Government will work to create growth and jobs and maximise the huge economic opportunities that lie ahead.

I also welcome the fact that the First Minister has included in the programme for government items on innovation, supporting entrepreneurs, and artificial intelligence and digital technology. We know how valuable AI can be in healthcare. I remind the chamber that I am still a registered nurse.

The First Minister has made it clear that the SNP Scottish Government is a firmly pro-business Administration. Scotland is open for business. The SNP is acutely aware of the enormous pressures that face businesses across the country and is taking decisive steps to offer support, despite the fact that we have limited powers and are working within a challenging budget. That includes investing more than £5 million across the Scottish Government to grow and transform our economic landscape and using every tool at our disposal to maximise economic growth for a clear purpose.

I again welcome the programme for government, which is good for our priorities, good for our people and good for our communities.

It is good that Clare Adamson mentioned the hing yer helmet campaign, which I was keen to support. It is about farmers wearing helmets and safety in fields and on roads, so I know that it is different from what Bob Doris and others are describing in relation to antisocial behaviour. Does the member agree that it sounds as though there is merit in the Scottish Government’s leading on that issue and taking some action?

Is that complexity caused by there being more people with more than one long-term condition?