Chamber and committees

Yes, there will.

Wide-ranging powers that were introduced as temporary measures should not be in place for a minute longer than necessary. With the success of the UK’s vaccination programme, Scots have clear reasons to be hopeful that they will soon be released from the clutches of the pandemic. Although the delta variant has undoubtedly presented itself as a new challenge given that it has led to a rise in cases and hospital admissions, we know that adults who are fully vaccinated have significant protection from serious illness.

The First Minister herself has repeatedly said that the vaccination programme in Scotland is the route out of the restrictions. With the confirmation in her statement today that, by the end of the week, over-50s, carers and those who are clinically vulnerable will be fully vaccinated, there is reason to be highly optimistic. After all, it is the Scottish Government’s own target to have all adults vaccinated by mid-September. By then, the state that we are in with Covid could look considerably different.

Despite the substantial progress of the programme’s roll-out and the optimism that is associated with it, the bill will give the SNP Government extensive emergency powers for an additional six months until March 2022—and possibly for even longer, as we have heard. As more people are vaccinated and life in Scotland starts to return to a state that resembles pre-pandemic life, people will rightly be perplexed as to why the Government is in such a hurry to extend the emergency powers. It surely makes more sense for the SNP Government to use the time that it has over the summer recess to consult experts, stakeholders and the public to ascertain whether such an extension is required. For that reason, an extension to the emergency powers is both inappropriate and unnecessary at this stage, and I will vote against the bill at decision time.

I am thankful to be closing the debate for the Scottish Conservatives on a subject that is very close to my heart. There have been excellent and passionate speeches from across the chamber, and I hope that we can all work together constructively to reverse the crisis.

I thank the Minister for Drugs Policy for coming to the chamber to outline the Scottish Government’s plans and I welcome the fact that she is open to working across the Parliament to tackle the emergency. Some of the announcements, particularly around funding, are also a welcome first step and we look forward to scrutinising them in more detail. However, as I will touch on, I believe that we need to go much further to save lives.

As many in the chamber have alluded to this afternoon, that crisis is our national shame. Scotland’s drug death rates remain not only significantly worse than those in the rest of the UK and Europe, but our relative drug deaths numbers also exceed those in the USA. In 2007, in my home city of Glasgow, there were 147 recorded drug deaths in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area; in 2019, a staggering 404 deaths were recorded.

The nature of this public health emergency is also made clear in hospitalisations, as many people across the country are routinely victim to serious harm from the side effects of drugs. As we have heard from colleagues across the chamber, the recent figures from Public Health Scotland highlight that, in 2019-20, there were 282 drug-related hospital stays per 100,000 people. In 1997-98, at the dawn of Scottish devolution, that figure was 88 per 100,000, so those figures have more than tripled.

The crisis has also hit the most vulnerable the hardest. It has been revealed that approximately half of the patients with a drug-related hospital stay lived in the most deprived areas in Scotland. That is particularly shameful, given that organisations such as Waverley Care have warned that, due to social inequalities, many people, such as those who are currently homeless, are at increased risk of being harmed by drugs.

I have lived in Springburn most of my life and I have seen at first hand the devastation that drugs can have on families, friends and communities. I spoke to a neighbour about that issue just this morning, and he said to me:

“How many people do we know in this street alone who have lost their lives due to drugs?”

That fact hits home—families up and down Scotland have been impacted by this dreadful crisis in some way. In the election campaign, Nicola Sturgeon admitted that her Government took its eye off the ball on that issue, when the drug deaths rate in Scotland almost tripled on the SNP’s watch after 14 years in power. Played over many years, those are human costs and real-life consequences of a Government losing focus on tackling the issues that really matter.

Two years ago, the SNP set up the Drug Deaths Taskforce. It had an explicit remit to improve the health outcomes for people who use drugs, by reducing the risk of harm and death, but drug deaths continue to climb, as more victims needlessly lose their lives. It is no wonder that the failure of the task force to come up with effective solutions to one of our nation’s biggest challenges has been criticised by many third sector organisations.

Frankly, victims deserve better. Conservative members have consistently called for drug users to have better access to rehabilitation treatment and recovery programmes but, as the First Minister admitted in the chamber this afternoon, the SNP’s record in Government on that has fallen far short. The SNP Government funded only 13 per cent of residential rehab places in Scotland in 2019-20, at a time when we needed it to go much further. According to the Government’s own reports, waiting times for residential rehab can be up to a year, which is nowhere near good enough for people who are often critically ill and who require urgent support.

In the previous parliamentary session, the Scottish Conservatives helped secure an extra £20 million per year for residential rehab facilities. Along with many charities, we remain convinced that more funding in that area will be effective in providing support and, most importantly, saving lives.

I have been clear that my colleagues and I will continue to robustly hold this Government to account on drugs policy but, where possible, I am open to having a constructive relationship with the minister.

As things stand, Scotland’s shameful drug deaths crisis is expected to worsen. Action must be taken now and for the future.

The Conservatives have appealed for cross-party support to tackle the crisis. A key pillar of our approach is to open up access to treatment and residential rehab treatment. The Scottish Conservatives have pledged to introduce 15 ambitious bills over the parliamentary session to secure Scotland’s recovery from Covid. One of those bills will be on a right to recovery. Embedded in such a bill will be the belief that everyone in Scotland should have a right, enshrined in law, to the necessary addiction treatment that they seek. Never again should we be in a situation where fantastic recovery organisations need to seek legal counsel because people are denied access to rehabilitation and drug treatment.

The time has come to completely rethink how we deliver rehabilitation services and addiction treatment, or else we will continue to have more avoidable deaths. How the Government responds to the public health emergency will be one of the defining issues of the session. I hope that the minister will heed views from across the parties on how we can use the powers that the Parliament already has to reverse the drug deaths crisis.

Over the years we have heard many words, but now the time has come for bold action. Scotland is watching and we owe it to the victims to do better.

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the arts and cultural sector in Glasgow, in light of the continued impact of Covid-19 restrictions. (S6O-00040)

Painful Covid restrictions on Scotland’s culture scene, from concert halls to cinemas, have had a brutal effect on people’s livelihoods. Given that the First Minister acknowledged yesterday that there are perceived anomalies in the rules, what action is the minister taking to reassure people who work in the culture sector—including in Glasgow, which remains in level 2—that their voices will not be ignored?

I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak in the debate. First, I take the opportunity to lend my support to cervical screening awareness week. Cervical screening, which is also known as smear testing, is life saving. However, many people find the test difficult for a variety of reasons including anxiety and previous trauma. Indeed, over a quarter of those who are invited to take the test do not take up their invitation.

It is also concerning that figures from Public Health Scotland show that, in 2019-20, there was a lower uptake of cervical screening among those from more deprived areas. That is why campaigns such as cervical screening awareness week are so important. I would like to hear from the Government how it will work to close the gap between the most and least deprived areas when it comes to cervical screening.

Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust has launched its own campaign for the week, which aims to encourage open conversation about cervical screening and to issue clear guidance to women and people with a cervix on how to access vital support that they may need. I urge people to visit its website for more information.

In the coming months, as more people in Scotland are vaccinated and we look to carefully ease restrictions, there will be an opportunity for us all to reflect on our experiences of the pandemic. We can immediately recognise the invaluable role that women have played and continue to play in protecting the national health service against the virus. Many health and social care professions in Scotland—and indeed the world—are dominated by women. We must not lose sight of the key role that women have played in caring for some of the most vulnerable people in society and treating people for this deadly disease.

However, we cannot wait until the pandemic has passed to have an urgent and renewed focus on improving women’s health. The advocacy group Engender has issued a stark warning that there is concern that women’s health problems are being

“dismissed, underestimated and diagnosed late.”

I make it clear that the Scottish Conservatives are committed to ensuring that women’s health and wellbeing needs are met across their whole lifetime. As we heard from the minister, women make up half of the population, yet as a society we often avoid talking about many of the health issues that they face. That must change.

In the light of those concerns, the Scottish Conservatives have welcomed the Government’s commitment to a women’s health plan, and we look forward to carefully scrutinising it following its publication.

In the debate a fortnight ago on the NHS recovery plan, I said that, as our healthcare service is remobilised following Covid, we will need to improve the services that women across Scotland rely on. The NHS needs to be bolstered with significant financial support if we are to tackle the backlog, which threatens to delay and even deny vital treatment for Scottish women. That is why, in our amendment to the Government’s motion, the Scottish Conservatives are calling for a clinician-led, ring-fenced fund with the sole remit of bringing treatment times under control. That would help to ensure that, despite the immense pressure placed on our healthcare system by the pandemic, the NHS is responsive to women’s health and wellbeing concerns.

Take the condition endometriosis, for which the average time for a diagnosis in Scotland is eight and a half years, according to an inquiry by the all-party parliamentary group on endometriosis. The inquiry noted that, in Scotland, it has been difficult for some women to access specialist endometriosis centres, even if they are suffering from deep endometriosis.

Another area of concern regarding women’s health is breast cancer, which is the most common cancer in women in Scotland, accounting for 28.8 per cent of all cancers diagnosed. Only recently, Cancer Research UK revealed that a thousand fewer people in Scotland started breast cancer treatment last year than did the year before. That highlights the tremendous scale of the NHS backlog, and how the queues for essential treatments are growing at a startling rate.

I agree with the minister when she stresses the importance of recognising the link between health and income inequality. As is the case with cervical screenings, the figures show that women from the most deprived areas of Scotland are less likely to attend breast screening appointments.

Whether it be endometriosis, breast cancer or cervical cancer, I again stress that it is vital that we have targeted resources dedicated to tackling the backlog and addressing lengthy waiting times in those key areas of women’s health.

An issue that I know will be discussed passionately across the chamber today is the failings surrounding transvaginal mesh surgery. It is important to praise the efforts of Scottish Mesh Survivors, a group of heroic women who have worked tirelessly over the years to raise awareness of the dangers of mesh. The scandal, which has been a traumatic and harmful experience for the victims involved, needs a resolution as soon as possible. I am clear that I stand side by side with colleagues across the chamber in calling on the Government to urgently introduce financial support to refund the women who paid for private mesh surgery outwith the NHS.

As I mentioned at the beginning of my speech, women make up half of our population, but serious discussions about our unique healthcare needs are often shied away from. That must happen no more. The barriers to good physical and mental health that women face are clear, and the pandemic continues to place significant pressure on the NHS. With a laser-eyed focus, let us recommit ourselves to supporting women’s health by giving the NHS the proper funding that it needs to tackle the backlog and be responsive to the healthcare needs of women across Scotland.

I move amendment S6M-00369.1, to insert at end:

“; notes that women face significant barriers to good mental and physical health, including unreasonably long waiting times for a diagnosis of conditions such as endometriosis, where the average waiting time is eight and a half years in Scotland; believes that women from the most deprived areas of Scotland are less likely to attend breast screening appointments, and, with breast cancer referrals declining during the COVID-19 pandemic, calls on the Scottish Government to bring treatment times under control by having a separate, clinician-led fund to tackle the NHS backlog.”

The vaccination programme has been described by the First Minister as a route out of restrictions. Why, then, does the Government need to extend powers to introduce restrictions after the point at which the vaccination programme will have delivered two doses to all adults and, potentially, many children as well?

Recent figures show that fewer than one in 20 pupils in secondary 3 to 6 have taken part in the Covid-19 testing programme and that uptake was just 6.3 per cent for younger secondary school pupils. Worryingly, despite being in the grip of an outbreak, rates of asymptomatic testing in schools in Glasgow are the lowest in the country. Given recent warnings from public health experts that school children are driving the epidemic in Scotland, what action will the First Minister take to ensure that there is an adequate testing regime in place?

I am grateful to be given the opportunity to speak to the Scottish Conservative amendment in my name, and to the Government’s motion. I wish to extend condolences from my party to all those who have lost a loved one because of Covid.

We welcome the Government’s commitment to producing an NHS recovery plan within 100 days, but we are keen to go further. As the vaccine programme continues to roll out across Scotland and the UK, it gives us more confidence that we can soon put the pandemic behind us and return to a life that resembles normality. In the meantime, I am sure that members are entirely united in expressing our continued gratitude to our fantastic NHS staff.

Although we are making substantial progress in containing Covid, we cannot afford to turn our attention away from other significant challenges. Indeed, some of those challenges might be with us for a long time after the immediate effects of the pandemic have passed. It is truly remarkable, and a testament to their dedication, that during these past 14 months, NHS staff have treated thousands of Covid patients. However, the NHS’s backlog is at great risk of spiralling out of control. If urgent action is not taken, we could be heading for a full-blown healthcare crisis. As shown by the latest Public Health Scotland statistics, approximately 28,000 patients have spent 52 weeks or more on an NHS list awaiting planned hospital treatment. It is also true that, as of March 2021, approximately 100,000 Scots are still waiting for key diagnostic tests. We have already heard stark warnings from leading charities, such as Cancer Research UK, about the impact that that would have on tens of thousands of people across the country.

As part of our manifesto pledge, the Scottish Conservatives committed to an additional £600 million to tackle the NHS treatment backlog in 2021-22. Crucially, we also called on the Scottish National Party Government to speed up the delivery of early cancer diagnostic centres, and I am pleased to see that that is now being delivered, as is prioritising boosting the diagnostic workforce, which is key to tackling the hidden backlog of those who have yet to be referred because of the pandemic.

There is no doubt that the NHS backlog will be a source of acute concern for those who are waiting longer for care and treatment, as well as for their families and loved ones. I therefore welcome the fact that the Scottish Government has pledged to produce an NHS recovery plan. However, we have stressed that the promise to increase in-patient, day-case and out-patient activity must not come at the expense of the time that consultants can spend with a single patient.

Given the immense gravity of that challenge, tackling the NHS backlog must be a top priority for the new Parliament. As such, we cannot spend the next five years stuck in the same debates and disagreements that held us back during the previous parliamentary session.

I also recognise that, as it has affected many aspects of our society and economy, Covid-19 has had a tremendous impact on our social care system. We welcomed the Feeley review and supported many of the recommendations on how to put Scotland’s social care system on a more sustainable footing. As I made clear last week, I very much look forward to working with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, councils, families, and providers on that matter in the weeks ahead.

The Scottish Conservatives have also repeatedly called for an immediate judge-led inquiry to uncover the truth about what happened in our care homes, where more than 3,000 people tragically lost their lives. I recognise that ministers have had an incredibly tough job during the pandemic, but grieving families deserve answers as soon as possible from those who were responsible for making those key decisions.

The Scottish Conservatives are also calling for a women’s health plan to be implemented within 100 days, so I was pleased to hear the cabinet secretary say that Maree Todd will take that forward. As we remodel the NHS, we need to better shape the services that are needed by women of all ages but which have often fallen short in the past.

We also call for a bill on restitution for the victims of the mesh scandal—an issue that my colleague Jackson Carlaw spearheaded—and I look forward to working with others across the chamber and the cabinet secretary on that matter.

As the Scottish Conservatives’ motion makes clear, we want the Government to make a serious commitment towards tackling Scotland’s drug deaths crisis. We have appealed for cross-party support to tackle drug deaths by opening up access to treatment and rehab programmes. In that spirit, I welcome the number of funding announcements that the Minister for Drugs Policy made last week. They are a welcome first step, but much more needs to be done to tackle the crisis, which is, quite frankly, Scotland’s shame. I look forward to working with other parties on that vital matter, as I am determined to build a consensus around new legislation to ensure that no one is denied the rehab support that they need.

To sum up, although I welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to an NHS recovery plan, I believe that we could go further in certain areas. I will continue to make the case that the Parliament’s head must be strictly focused on tackling our various health emergencies and I will work with any member across Parliament who believes that Scotland’s recovery must come first.

I move amendment S6M-00144.4, to leave out from “, and supports the establishment” to end and insert:

“; welcomes the Feeley Review and aims to work with families and the sector to design reforms focused on putting Scotland's social care system on a sustainable footing; calls on the Scottish Government to ensure that the promised increase in inpatient, day. case and outpatient activity will not adversely affect the time consultants get to spend with a single patient; recognises the unacceptably high levels of drug deaths in Scotland and believes everyone should have a right, enshrined in law, to the necessary alcohol and/or drug treatment option that they seek, and awaits the early publication and progress of a bill on restitution for victims of the Mesh scandal.”

I, too, welcome you to your new role, Deputy Presiding Officer.

Today’s maiden speeches were fantastic, but I will pull out just a couple. Pam Duncan-Glancy’s speech was phenomenal; it was passionate and powerful, as was Dr Sandesh Gulhane’s speech. All the new members’ speeches, across the chamber, show the breadth of talent that the Scottish Parliament has gained.

I congratulate John Swinney on his new role. I also congratulate my fellow Glasgow MSP, Humza Yousaf, on his appointment as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. Overseeing such a vital portfolio is a huge responsibility in normal circumstances, but doing so while Scotland remains in the midst of a global pandemic is truly a significant challenge. I wish him well in that.

I stress that, as the Conservative Party’s shadow cabinet secretary for health, alongside my brilliant team of Sandesh Gulhane—who, as I said, gave a powerful maiden speech—Sue Webber and Craig Hoy, I am open to having a constructive relationship with the Government where possible. However, the cabinet secretary will be aware that my Scottish Conservative colleagues and I will not hesitate to hold the Government to account when there have been clear shortcomings.

If we assess where we are as a country in our battle against Covid, it is certain that the light at the end of the tunnel is getting that bit brighter. Thanks to the sheer brilliance of the scientific community, both at home and internationally, each dose of the vaccine is steadily guiding us towards freedom, which I am certain that we will never take for granted again.

The vaccination roll-out has been a success story in Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole, demonstrating the overwhelming benefits of working together to emerge from the pandemic. However, as my colleague Murdo Fraser highlighted, significant and difficult questions remain to be answered, particularly if we are to maximise uptake as the roll-out proceeds through the younger age groups.

There is no question but that vaccines are our best route to lifting restrictions, which continue to have a huge impact on Scotland’s economy, especially in Glasgow, where many businesses have been, to be quite frank, struggling to survive. Therefore, to echo what has already been said loudly and clearly by the Scottish and UK Governments, I say to people that, when they get the call, they should go and get the jag.

As we all know, the NHS has been placed under immense strain. However, even before the pandemic began, there were serious concerns about the NHS backlog. As we look to emerge from the immediate threat of the pandemic, the NHS backlog is at great risk of spiralling out of control. Although it is right that there has been a focus within our NHS on tackling Covid, it is true that thousands of non-Covid-related appointments, treatments and operations have been postponed due to the pandemic.

Only this week, the latest Public Health Scotland statistics revealed that about 20,000 patients have spent 52 weeks or more on NHS lists, awaiting planned hospital treatment. Meanwhile, as of March 2021, about 100,000 Scots were still waiting on key diagnostic tests. Leading charities such as Cancer Research UK have already expressed deep concern about the on-going backlog of individuals who are waiting to receive critical tests and a diagnosis. To confront that challenge head on, the Scottish Conservatives called for an additional £600 million to tackle the NHS treatment backlog in 2021-22. Suffice it to say that the NHS continues to face one of the most challenging periods in its history. The substantial impact of failing to tackle the backlog will be felt by tens of thousands of people across the country, so tackling it must be a top priority for the cabinet secretary if we are to avert a full-blown healthcare crisis.

The impact of Covid-19 on our social care system has also been felt by thousands of people across Scotland. For too long, this cruel virus has meant that the families of care home residents have been separated from their loved ones and have been unable to give them support—even so much as a hug.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Scottish Conservatives have consistently pressed for a judge-led public inquiry into the more than 3,000 deaths from the coronavirus in Scotland’s care homes. In the previous parliamentary session, members voted for an inquiry twice, but that was ignored. The pandemic has been unprecedented, so mistakes have, of course, been made. However, the actions that were taken by ministers at the time must be properly scrutinised. The reasoning behind crucial mistakes must be established, particularly with regard to moving elderly patients from hospitals into care homes. The Government has a responsibility to give families who have lost loved ones who have tragically passed away from Covid in care home settings the closure that they not only need but deserve.

Looking ahead to the future of social care reform in Scotland, the Scottish Conservatives support many of the recommendations from the Feeley review, including viewing social care as an equal partner to the NHS. I look forward to engaging in further discussion with the cabinet secretary, councils, families and providers on that matter in the coming weeks.

An issue that remains very close to my heart and that has been exacerbated by the pandemic is the drug deaths crisis in Scotland. It is time that we took meaningful steps towards ending it. In my area of Springburn, I have seen at first hand the impact that drugs have on victims, their families and the wider community.

Although the Government finally admitted that more could have been done to prevent people from losing their lives to drugs, we need decisive action now. In that light, and as Douglas Ross said yesterday, the Scottish Conservatives have appealed for cross-party support to tackle drug deaths by opening up access to treatment and rehabilitation programmes. Stemming from my motion on the right to recovery, we will reach out to parties across the chamber, and I am determined to build a consensus around new legislation that ensures that no one is denied the rehab support that they need.

As has been mentioned, the success of the vaccination roll-out means that we are more confident than ever that we can soon put the pandemic behind us. However, we must acknowledge that the peak of the mental health impact of the pandemic is still ahead of us, so mental health support and treatment must be another top priority for the Government during this parliamentary session. The Centre for Mental Health has estimated recently that, across the UK, a staggering 10 million people may need mental health support. Here in Scotland, the latest statistics suggest that up to a fifth of people are waiting too long for mental health treatment. The picture for young people is even more concerning, because more than 1,000 children and young people have waited for more than a year to begin vital treatment.

The Scottish Conservatives called for the share of health funding that is spent on mental health to be increased to 10 per cent by the end of the session but, as much as more funding would help, we need practical steps to improve services and, ultimately, get better treatment for people who need support. To that end, we suggested a permanent shift to community mental health services by expanding programmes such as cognitive behavioural therapy, social prescribing, exercise referral schemes and peer support.

As a nation, we have a significant challenge ahead of us, and the time to act is quickly running out. From the NHS backlog to the mental health crisis, this Parliament must be 100 per cent focused on rebuilding Scotland. The differences in political opinion in the chamber are stark—we all know that. However, given the immense gravity of some of the challenges that lie ahead, the best interests of the Scottish people will be served if we co-operate on the areas that I have outlined this afternoon. The Scottish Conservatives are ready to put recovery first.

We did not hear an answer to Douglas Ross’s earlier question, so I will ask it again. Despite Scotland’s appalling drug-death figures, many people are being denied the help that they need. Therefore, will the First Minister support our proposals for a right to recovery bill, in order to enshrine in law that everyone should have access to the drug or alcohol treatment that they need?