Chamber and committees

Thank you, convener. I have no relevant interests to declare. I look forward to working with you and the other committee members.

I also thank you for the warm welcome, convener, and I look forward to working with you all. I have no interests to declare at this time.

Good morning. In 2018, COSLA called for a tax on visitors, not businesses. Given that, in the bill, the liable person is the owner of the premises, can the Government say that it is not a tax on business?

I have another question. The bill’s business and regulatory impact assessment and policy memorandum discuss a range of other options that could be considered, including the Manchester business improvement district and the Slovenian example. Will you describe the various other options that were considered and why the Government chose to pursue this tax?

It is my privilege to take part in today’s debate on liver cancer, and I thank Stuart McMillan for bringing this important topic to the chamber. I join him in commending the promotion of intelligent liver function testing and non-invasive liver scans by charities and by primary and community care. Those methods help in early detection of liver cancer and liver disease, which can lessen the existing pressure in our national health service and, most importantly, save lives.

The scale of this public health crisis is all too common in our nation. That is the grim reality concerning the pervasiveness of the problem here in comparison with the rest of the UK and other European countries. That is precisely why I join my colleagues on all sides of the chamber tonight to address a destructive issue that plagues many Scots.

For context, the British Liver Trust mentions the fact that

“Anyone can develop liver disease”.

However, it notes that non-genetic risk factors, which include alcohol, excessive body weight and viral hepatitis, comprise nine out of 10 cases of liver disease. Those factors affect a plethora of groups. Disadvantaged individuals are most at risk of developing viral hepatitis, and that includes residents of areas that lack sufficient patient care pathways.

Liver disease is not only one of the leading causes of premature death; it is also one of the principal risk factors for developing liver cancer. Mortality rates from liver disease itself are very alarming. Men are two times more likely to die from liver disease, and among women there has been a 16 per cent increase in deaths between 2012 and 2020.

Public Health Scotland states that improved lifestyle factors, including a healthy diet, lower alcohol consumption and reducing obesity have

“considerable potential to prevent cancers”.

In addition, it has said that, from 1995 to 2020,

“Of the most common cancers, liver cancer had the biggest increase in mortality rates in the last decade”,

with the rate sitting at 38 per cent. It goes on to note that

“Survival from liver cancer is poor in most cases. The main risk factors for liver cancer are obesity, alcohol and infection with hepatitis B and C viruses.”

The average one-year survival rate for liver cancer in Scotland stands at 40 per cent, which means that liver cancer has a lower survival rate than any other form of cancer. That has had tragic consequences, as the greatest rise in liver cancer among people in parts of the UK has been among Scottish men.

Although liver cancer constituted only 2 per cent of cancers across our nation in 2017, there has been a greater increase in rates in Scotland than in nearly all other parts of the UK. Professor Linda Bauld of the University of Edinburgh has described the number of liver cancer deaths and diagnoses in Scotland as “shocking”. She continued by saying that the rise in liver cancer rates over the past few decades should concern all of us.

Groups including charities that focus on liver disease and liver cancer provide invaluable support and information to enable Scots, through lifestyle changes, to lower their chances of developing liver cancer. I would welcome additional input from those charities in scrutinising legislation and reports such as the Scottish Government’s national cancer plan. From the speeches today, I know that MSPs on all sides of the chamber will work constructively as we take the issue forward.

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted any modelling on the potential behavioural impact of the Scottish Green Party's proposal to introduce a new increased tax rate for those earning between £75,000 and £125,000. (S6O-02366)

Under the Scottish National Party, Scotland is already the highest-taxed part of the UK. Hundreds of thousands of Scottish workers pay more tax for doing the same job as people south of the border. That impacts teachers, police officers and national health service staff. If the SNP plans to increase taxes even more—especially if they listen to the extreme Green Party—it could drive people away. Does the cabinet secretary agree that it would be reckless to increase tax so much that it ends up raising less money to support public services?

Good morning. My first question is for Fionna Kell. When can people who already live in buildings of developers that have signed up to the accord expect work to start on their buildings?

Thanks for that, minister.

You have already spoken about legislation, and the Scottish Government said that it would explore legislative options to safeguard residents and home owners. Will you outline what those options are? What, if anything, would trigger their introduction and use?

I have one final, general question for both of you. Fionna, you have already spoken about what is happening elsewhere in the UK. How does the progress of the cladding remediation work in Scotland compare with that in the rest of the UK? Can any other lessons be learned for Scotland?