Chamber and committees

Just to pick up on that suggestion of a whole-system approach, Professor Smith, I was reminded of some of the challenges that we have experienced in our local casework. For example, the bus from Stranraer to Dumfries doesnae have a toilet on it, and people have been feeding back to me that they avoid taking their diuretics on the way to hospital appointments, which they shouldnae be doing. At this point, I remind everybody that I am a registered general nurse in Dumfries and Galloway, which is quite remote and rural in many places.

When you talk about a whole-system approach, it makes me think of that example: we have asked for a toilet, but the bus company or the regional transport partnership are not even on the integration joint board or part of the health and social care partnership. Obviously, part of the system is not connecting if people are having to avoid taking medicine on the bus, just because the journey might be two hours and there is no loo available. That is an example of how part of the system is not working right now.

Good morning. It has been interesting to listen to the discussion and to hear colleagues’ questions. I am interested in looking at how the Government will develop policy in the future.

In preparing for this inquiry, I accessed loads of papers and research related to remote and rural healthcare, whether for adults, children or maternity services. I have in front of me a 2007 report from the remote and rural steering group. There have been discussions with Lewis Ritchie, there have been Derek Feeley papers and I remember Jason Leitch talking about the Nuka healthcare system in Alaska being used to develop rural healthcare in Scotland—that was in 2000. We have been talking about how we deliver healthcare in remote and rural areas for decades now. I know that the issue is complicated; indeed, that is why so many policy papers have been discussed.

What current issues must the Scottish Government address in order to deliver remote and rural care? The situation has been challenging after Covid, but we learned from the pandemic when we immediately switched to the Near Me platform. I am interested in hearing your thoughts about current Government policy and what we need to do as a matter of urgency.

I know that I am a substitute on the committee, but I want to go back to the beginning. This is a technical instrument making a technical amendment. In my engagement with Quality Meat Scotland, I have found it to be competent, professional, responsible and diligent in working with businesses and farmers. I would trust Quality Meat Scotland to carry out the correct engagement.

My question goes back to the fact that this is a technical amendment. It allows Quality Meat Scotland to go out and engage if levies are to be increased, which would be done incrementally over an annual engagement basis. Is that correct?

If I bring six puppies over on the ferry to sell them for £2,500 each because they are bonnie wee spaniels, and then somebody says, “Right, I want to move this dog,” and that person keeps the six puppies, the provision would cover moving those dogs on to another person who was going to receive the dogs.

It would help to reduce the unregistered transfer of dogs and, again, it would promote education to whoever is the recipient of the young dog or puppy.

I will not pursue my supplementary question about microchipping, as it relates to the traceability of dogs in relation to livestock worrying. However, as microchipping is not part of the bill at this time, I will not pursue the issue.

Good morning to you all. I know how hard Christine Grahame has worked on the bill over the past six years. I have been very interested to follow the process, because I am interested in illegal puppy farming and puppy trafficking and how we can reduce or prevent that. We know that puppies still come in through the port of Cairnryan.

In 2021, regulations established licensing conditions for the sale of puppies under the age of six months. The conditions include requiring the puppy to be seen with its mother, which is an important part of mitigating trafficking. I am interested that the bill has chosen to define a young dog as a dog under the age of 12 months, whereas the SSPCA defines a puppy as a dog under the age of six months. Will you tell us a bit about why the bill defines a young dog as a dog under the age of 12 months for the purpose of the additional requirements in section 3?

I am happy with that, convener.

You mentioned monitoring and evaluating whatever is implemented. We have had a permanent group looking at rural healthcare for 16 years. How are we monitoring and evaluating that?

I will roll that in with my final question. How will the centre work with integration joint boards and local authorities to ensure that the work is delivered directly at the point that it is needed, which is in our remote and rural areas—fae Shetland tae Stranraer, for instance?

That is fine. That was a good enough answer—thank you.