Drug Deaths
This week marked the start of Ramadan for Scotland’s Muslim community. I am sure that all members will join me in wishing everyone who is observing Ramadan peace and happiness.
For years, drug deaths have been Scotland’s national shame. This week, it emerged that the number has risen again—it is up by 10 per cent on the previous year. Humza Yousaf’s new Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy, Christina McKelvie, was asked for her response. She said that “the plan is working”. Surely the First Minister cannot agree with that.
I, too, wish Muslims in Scotland, across the United Kingdom and across the world a happy Ramadan. However, my thoughts are often with those in Muslim communities who are fasting or cannot access food or water not out of choice because they are fasting for Ramadan, but because of poverty or conflict.
On drug deaths, I say first and foremost that my condolences and the condolences of the entire Government are with every single person who has lost a loved one to a suspected drug death. However, we know from engaging with those families that they do not want warm words or words of sympathy or condolence; they want action.
I was devastated to see that rise, particularly as we witnessed some progress in the previous year, with a reduction in the number of suspected drug deaths. The problem is a deep-rooted, endemic and insidious one in our society, and we are taking a range of significant actions to try to tackle it. We are absolutely committed to that.
We have an unwavering and unshakeable commitment to the national mission to tackle drug deaths. That is why we have continued to expand residential rehab services. I can give some more details on that in subsequent answers. We have provided £50 million a year to community and grass-roots organisations that help people in their local areas who are suffering from substance abuse and addiction. We have progressed work with local authorities such as Glasgow City Council on safer consumption rooms, and we have continued to roll out the carriage of naloxone and to drive up the medication assisted treatment standards, as well as taking a range of other actions. We will continue to maintain the drugs budget for 2024-25.
The rise in the number of suspected drug deaths is deeply disheartening but, from the Government’s perspective, it will only serve to ensure that we rededicate and recommit ourselves to tackling one of the most insidious challenges and problems that we face in our society.
The First Minister referenced last year’s figures. In August last year, the former drugs minister said that the Government was turning the tide on the drug deaths crisis. We now hear from the current drugs minister that, even with a 10 per cent increase, she believes that “the plan is working”. It is absolutely not. The number of drug deaths in Scotland has consistently been the highest across Europe, and the number is on the rise again. The Scottish National Party’s plan is not working, and the SNP seems to be repeating the same mistakes all over again.
Nicola Sturgeon let a rehab facility in her constituency close in 2019. Now Humza Yousaf has let Turning Point Scotland 218, which is a vital rehab service for women in Glasgow, close. The head of justice at Turning Point Scotland said:
“The loss of this service is likely to lead to more women in custody and trapped within the justice system.”
Just in January, the First Minister said in the chamber that that service does “excellent work”. He continued:
“I value the project very highly.”—[Official Report, 18 January 2024; c 27.]
Just a few weeks later, it closed. Why did that happen?
I give an absolute confirmation that the Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy, Christina McKelvie, and I, during our visit to the Bothy, which is an excellent community project based in Craigmillar, said that we absolutely believe that we have to rededicate ourselves and take further action, because we know that the rise is unwelcome. Douglas Ross is right to say that the number of suspected drug deaths per head of the population in Scotland is higher than the number in other parts of the UK, although other parts of the UK have also seen a rise. I suspect that that is partly because of the tide that we are up against. We are, of course, seeing more potent, stronger and more addictive substances on our streets, such as synthetic opioids and nitazines. There is absolutely no complacency about the action that we must take.
Douglas Ross raises an important issue in relation to 218. The closure was Glasgow City Council’s decision, not ours. The only decision that was made by the Scottish Government was that, when the council asked whether it could retain the £1.5 million funding for re-tendering to another service, we said that we would allow it to retain that money and use it flexibly.
It would not be correct to say that there are no facilities for women who are dealing with substance abuse in Glasgow. There is a range of those, and I would be happy to release the letter that we have received from the health and social care partnership. There is tomorrow’s women Glasgow, a community-based service for women who are involved in the justice system, and the Glasgow drug court, which operates a women-only clinic one day a week. Glasgow has purchased 59 residential placements for men or women in alcohol and drug recovery services, and there are 60 sustained tenancy placements that are specifically open to those involved with justice social work.
Please be brief, First Minister.
There is a gender-specific community support service, and there are other services that I will be happy to talk about in later answers.
We continue to provide record funding this year to alcohol and drugs partnerships, and we will continue to take action with our local authorities. Like my predecessor, I am happy to continue cross-party work, so that we can work collectively to tackle one of the most challenging issues that our society faces.
The First Minister wants to dodge responsibility for the closure of a vital service that has served women in Glasgow for two decades. Let us listen to what the Unite regional officer, Linda Wilson, said:
“It’s utterly shameful that both Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government believe the best way to help vulnerable women is to cut beds and slash the funding of a lifeline service.”
Newspaper reports today include emails that suggest that the Government was aware that Turning Point Scotland 218 would be closed but did not step in to prevent the closure. Unite says that it was
“crystal clear ... that the Scottish Government was central to the decision-making process which led to the 218 Service closing.”
Humza Yousaf is trying to avoid responsibility and is using the same excuses as Nicola Sturgeon used. Why is the SNP making the same mistakes all over again?
I will try to inject some facts into this discussion. We are not cutting the number of beds. The Scottish Government has invested £38 million in expanding capacity in residential rehab as part of the national mission. Of such beds, 32 are operational and another 38 are in the pipeline for the next few months. We believe that we are absolutely on track, with our projected funding, to meet our commitment to increase the overall residential rehab capacity from 425 to 650 by 2026.
We are also very much on track to meet the targets that we have set for publicly funded rehab placements, so Douglas Ross’s suggestion that we are cutting the number of residential rehab beds is simply not true.
Regarding Glasgow City Council’s decision about the 218 service, I am happy to release the letters about that if they have not been released already. I will quote directly from the letter that one of our civil servants wrote to Glasgow City Council:
“We consider that any decision to retender the service is entirely a matter for Glasgow City Council but confirm we have no objection to the replacement service utilising the funding currently allocated to the 218 service.”
We did the right thing by ensuring that funding was flexible for the local authority. A range of initiatives are still available for women in Glasgow to access, including the Lilias community custody centre, which is based in Glasgow and where practice in supporting all women who are serving sentences has evolved greatly. There is also Glasgow’s Hemat Gryffe Women’s Aid and Glasgow East Women’s Aid, which can provide up to 64 safe places for women, and SAY Women, which supports women aged from 16 to 25 and has nine spaces in purpose-built flats. There is a range of initiatives.
Please be brief, First Minister.
I would be happy to write to Douglas Ross with detail about how we are supporting Glasgow City Council and other local authorities to ensure that they increase residential rehab, rather than decreasing it.
I do not know how the First Minister can possibly stand there and say that he is supporting people who are struggling when a facility has closed after 20 years of supporting vulnerable women.
The Government was involved. Emails that were published in a newspaper article today said that the tendering of the 218 service was
“with relevant ministers for a view”.
Another email—[Interruption.]
Members, let us hear Mr Ross.
Another email referred to the “likelihood” of
“needing ministerial clearance for any new approach”.
That is what is in the emails that have been published today.
During the SNP’s leadership contest, Humza Yousaf said:
“if there’s more money we can give to alcohol and drugs in particular, then that is going to be a priority focus for me.”
Well, it is clear that it is not a priority. Nicola Sturgeon cut funding for drug treatment in 2015, and the number of drug deaths rose. This year, Humza Yousaf has cut the treatment budget in real terms. The SNP promised to create hundreds of new rehab beds, but it has managed to create just over 30. The addiction crisis in Scotland is out of control. Since the SNP came to power, the number of drug deaths has doubled. We have the worst figures in Europe, and new figures show that the number of deaths is increasing again.
Scotland’s shame has not gone away. Nicola Sturgeon admitted that she took her “eye off the ball”. Has Humza Yousaf not done exactly the same?
I reject that in its entirety. Let me take some of the issues that Douglas Ross has mentioned. We have increased the drugs budget over the years. For example, we have presided over a 67 per cent increase in funding between 2014-15 and 2023-24, according to Audit Scotland figures that were recently published. The draft budget for 2024-25 has maintained our alcohol and drugs budget at the same level, and this year there has been record funding of £130 million for alcohol and drugs partnerships.
Douglas Ross mentioned that I said, “if there’s more money”. The point is that our budget has been cut by £500 million in real terms by the UK Government. If Douglas Ross is able to convince his colleagues south of the border to give further funding to Scotland, I absolutely promise him—[Interruption.]
Let us hear the First Minister.
—that drugs and alcohol policy will be one of the areas that we will look to give further funding to.
I am happy to write to Douglas Ross with more detail on the action that we are taking. We have ensured that there is greater carriage of naloxone, with more than 150,000 kits. We are working with Glasgow City Council on more radical approaches, such as a safe consumption room. We are increasing the number of beds in residential rehab, and we continue to work with local authorities to help them to tackle the issue.
I make the offer that I have already made to Douglas Ross and to others across the chamber that we are willing to work cross party in order to resolve one of the most difficult challenges that this country has faced. It is an issue that has plagued our society not just for years but for decades.
Drug Deaths
I join others in wishing Muslims here and around the world Ramadan Mubarak. Ramadan is a month of fasting from sunrise to sunset, of reflection on those who are less fortunate and of charity. Our thoughts are with all those who are living in poverty and in conflict at this time. I will have to battle a dry mouth for 10 minutes—fair play to the First Minister who has to do it for 45 minutes.
Since the Scottish National Party Government declared a drug deaths emergency four and a half years ago, more than 5,200 lives have been lost in drug-related deaths—every one of them someone’s son, daughter or loved one. In 2023 alone, 1,197 people died, which is a 10 per cent increase on the previous year. The response from the Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy this week was that the “plan is working”.
However, Anne Marie Ward, who is chief executive officer of Faces & Voices of Recovery UK—FAVOR UK—said that Government leaders
“have the audacity to claim progress in this catastrophe. Their assertions are a slap in the face, a mockery of the grim reality we witness daily. How dare they feed us these blatant lies, expecting us to nod along, while our communities are ravaged and our streets are lined with the casualties of their incompetence?”
Who is right? Is it the people who are impacted by drugs or the Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy?
The Government continues to engage with those who have lived experience and are on their recovery journey. Only yesterday, the Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy and I met those who have lived experience and are going through the recovery journey, not to spin, as has been suggested, but to directly front up what is an extremely challenging issue and to say that we continue to listen and to act.
That is why I say to Anas Sarwar and to Douglas Ross that nobody in the Government—neither I nor the Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy—is complacent or attempting at all to dismiss the very serious concerns that have been raised by them, by parliamentarians across the chamber and indeed by our stakeholders.
However, I point to the fact that we are taking action. For example, we are continuing to expand residential rehabilitation, we are providing funding to community-based organisations and we are working with the likes of Glasgow City Council on more radical approaches such as safer drug-consumption facilities. We are not just doing the same things; we are looking to see what more we can possibly do that is different. We are widening access to naloxone and we are driving the medication assisted treatment standards. Everybody knows how important same-day access to treatment is and can be. Through the national collaborative, we are working on the rights of those who have lived experience.
If there are particular interventions that Anas Sarwar and others want us to explore and examine, I give them an absolute promise that we will do so with an open mind. However, nobody in the Government—neither I nor the drugs policy minister—is downplaying what is one of the most serious issues that our country is facing.
It is a repeated action of this Government to focus a lot on the inputs but not look at the outcomes of Government policy. What matters here are the outcomes, and the outcome is more people losing their lives to drugs. In Tayside, 83 people died last year. In Edinburgh, it was more than two people a week. In Glasgow, it was six people a week.
In January 2021, the Government set targets to increase residential rehab beds and it promised 225 more beds by 2026. Three years on, only 32 beds are operational. In 2022, the Government said that it would establish drug-checking facilities but, two years on, no facilities are open and not a single licence application has been made.
In what world does the First Minister think that the plan is working? How can he expect families who have lost loved ones to believe him when there does not seem to be any sense of urgency?
Again, I reject the accusation that there is not a sense of urgency. There absolutely is a sense of urgency.
Anas Sarwar started his question by asking what the outputs are, and he is absolutely right that outputs are important. There is an increase in residential rehab beds, and I will come back to the specific point that Anas Sarwar made shortly. The outputs of our actions mean that we now have better and more urgent standards when it comes to access to treatment. The outcomes are that more than 150,000 naloxone kits have been distributed and we know from Police Scotland figures that naloxone has been used about 500 times, which has undoubtedly saved lives. That is an outcome and an output.
On checking facilities for drugs, my understanding is that they require a Home Office licence, which is why we continue to work with Glasgow City Council and engage with the UK Government in that regard.
In relation to the point that Anas Sarwar made, we are on track to meet our targets in relation to increased capacity of residential rehab. We have invested in eight projects that will provide an additional 172 beds by 2025-26 and, with the further funding that we will provide in 2025-26, we are very confident about meeting the 650 target by the end of the current session of Parliament.
If Anas Sarwar wishes, I can provide a detailed breakdown in writing of the investments that we have made in residential rehab, but we are confident about meeting not just that target and output but the output of having 1,000 publicly funded rehab placements by the end of the current session of Parliament.
The outcome that really matters here is drug deaths falling and not increasing. We have exactly the same drug laws as everywhere else in the UK, but we have almost three times as many drug deaths in Scotland, despite everything that the First Minister said. The outcome that we need the Government to deliver is fewer people dying from drugs, not more and more people dying every year.
It is four and a half years since the SNP Government declared a drug deaths emergency, three years since the launch of its national mission to reduce drug deaths and almost two years since the final report of the drug deaths task force, yet 1,197 more people have died in the past year. Incompetence has consequences. It means that Scotland has the highest rate of drug deaths in Europe. Across Scotland, families are grieving loved ones whose deaths were preventable.
The Government has failed on every promise that it has made. On promises to increase rehab beds—falling behind. Promises on drug-checking facilities—not delivered. Promises on new treatment standards—broken. All that we have heard today is more of the exact same promises that are not being delivered and about a plan that is not working. Drug deaths are going up, not coming down.
I will give the First Minister one last chance. What will he change to get a grip on the crisis and help to save lives in Scotland?
As we know, in many parts of the world and across the United Kingdom, there are challenges with synthetic opioids such as nitazenes and fentanyl, which are more addictive and more potent and are therefore causing real harm and concern across the UK. Anas Sarwar and Douglas Ross were both right to say that levels of drug deaths in Scotland are unacceptable and are higher, per head of population, than in other parts of the UK. However, we have seen increases in England and Wales, which I suspect are largely down to the same issues that we face here. Collectively, we are seeing more addictive substances such as synthetic opioids on our streets.
I say once again to Anas Sarwar not only that we are taking action but that, while he says that promises on increasing residential rehab have been broken, they have not. I am giving him the evidence, the detail and the facts that show that the level—the number—of residential rehab beds has increased, and we are on track to meet our commitment towards the end of the current session of Parliament. The same goes for publicly funded rehab places.
I can give an absolute guarantee, and a promise, not only to those in the chamber but to those who are listening that, where we can try new and innovative approaches, we will absolutely seek to do so. That is why we are supporting Glasgow with funding for its safer consumption room and why we support checking facilities for drugs and other interventions. If we had power over the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, for example, we would seek to make changes in relation to the decriminalisation of drugs for personal use. We would explore that issue, because we know that such an intervention has worked in other countries.
I end where I started: the Government acknowledges the scale of the problem and the challenges, and we rededicate ourselves to taking further action where we can, to investing where we can and to working with anybody we possibly can in order to tackle this shameful, insidious problem in our society.
40 Days for Life Protests
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the current 40 Days for Life protests. (S6F-02931)
The Scottish Government believes that patients and staff should be able to access abortion services free from intimidation and harassment, and from undue influence. That is why we have committed to fully supporting the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill that Gillian Mackay introduced to the Parliament.
As Gillian Mackay, more than anyone, will be acutely aware, the bill is currently being scrutinised by the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. I extend my thanks to her for introducing the bill, and to all the witnesses who have provided evidence to the committee thus far. We will continue to support the bill as it makes its way through the parliamentary process, and I am hopeful that its protection will soon be felt by women across Scotland.
In recent years, we have seen reproductive rights go backwards in countries around the world such as the US, Poland and Brazil. However, there are glimmers of hope, with rights expanding in Argentina and Colombia, and the right to an abortion being enshrined in the constitution in France.
Does the First Minister agree that safe access zones must be the first stop in advancing rights in Scotland, and does he believe that we should go further, including providing abortion in Scotland up to the legal limit, ensuring equitable access to in vitro fertilisation, and removing abortion from criminal law?
First and foremost, I make it clear that the provision and regulation of national health service abortion services within specified term limits should absolutely be a clinical, not a criminal, matter. I am happy to look at that issue in further detail. I know that there are nuances and complexities in opening up that issue and I am happy to discuss it with the member in due course.
There have been improvements in the provision of later-stage abortions in Scotland, with all mainland health boards now providing abortion to at least 20 weeks’ gestation. Nevertheless, Gillian Mackay is right to push the Government and health boards to see what can be done even further on later-term abortions, and I am happy to ensure that the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care writes to her with further details of the actions that we, alongside health boards, are taking in that regard.
Once Gillian Mackay’s bill has made its way through Parliament, we will begin a review of abortion law, which will focus on identifying potential proposals for reform.
Would the First Minister accept that no one is being harassed at those vigils and protests, and no one is being intimidated? It is largely a small group of elderly religious people who are standing outside those facilities. Does he not think that we are overreacting slightly with legislation on the matter?
I do not agree with John Mason on that, I am afraid. What is so important in this matter, particularly for men, is that we listen to the voices of women. Whatever John Mason’s view might be, women have given powerful evidence and testimony that they feel that harm is being done: they do feel harassed and intimidated. Even if, for whatever reason, John Mason was to discard that evidence—and I encourage him not to—he should listen to the clinicians at the services, such as Dr Greg Irwin and many others, who have spoken powerfully about the impact that those protests are having on staff.
John Mason knows that I am a religious person. I pray. People can pray anywhere in the world, for whatever they want, so I do not understand why they have to go to an abortion service where women will then feel harassed and intimidated. Therefore, I believe that the legislation that Gillian Mackay has introduced should have the support of the whole Parliament. We in the Scottish Government will certainly support it.
I say once again to John Mason that it is crucial that, instead of imposing their view on what the impacts or effects of protests are on women, men listen to the voices of women, clinicians and staff at abortion services and that he would also do well to do so.
The protesters intimidate women at what is undoubtedly a challenging moment in their lives. Given the waiting list pressures across the NHS, has the First Minister had direct discussions with health boards to ensure that women can continue to access abortion services in a safe but timely manner, to avoid adding further anxiety to what is already a challenging time in their lives?
Carol Mochan is right to raise that issue. We do not want anybody waiting longer to access healthcare than they have to. We know that the wait is far too long for a range of issues that affect women.
In relation to the discussions that the Government and health boards have had on a range of issues that affect abortion and access to abortion services, and on some of the issues that Gillian Mackay raised, in which Carol Mochan might have an interest, in relation to later-term abortion, I am more than happy for the health secretary to write a detailed note to Carol Mochan. She is right to raise the issues that she raises, because nobody—particularly women who are accessing health services—should have to wait a minute longer than I am afraid they currently do.
Question 4 has been withdrawn.
Teacher Induction Scheme
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government will take in response to reported statistics showing that nearly one in five probationary teachers left the teacher induction scheme in 2023. (S6F-02921)
The teacher induction scheme is an important element of teacher education. It guarantees every eligible student teacher a one-year probation placement to allow them to meet the standard for full registration. Probation numbers fluctuate throughout the year due to deferrals and withdrawals for a variety of reasons, including medical or personal ones, or due to extensions to the original initial teacher education qualification.
The strategic board for teacher education, which is made up of a range of key education stakeholders, is looking at issues around teacher recruitment, increasing support for early career teachers, and raising the profile of teaching as a valued profession.
I agree that the number fluctuates. However, the drop-out rate was 13 per cent before Covid and was nearer 19 per cent last year, which is an alarming rise. The Educational Institute of Scotland believes that, once teachers enter the workplace, they face the harsh realities that many in the profession have known for some time—increased workload, less support for teachers and pupils and a lack of permanent and secure jobs for many probationary teachers. On top of that is the rising violence and abuse towards teachers, which concerns all of us.
We already know that, since the First Minister’s party took office, there are 1,000 fewer teachers in Scotland’s classrooms, and we know about the direct impact that that has on subject choice and class sizes. Why does the First Minister think that so many probation teachers are dropping out of the profession so early in their career? More importantly, what is his Government doing about it?
Jamie Greene is right to raise that important issue, which will have cross-party interest. Many of the reasons that Jamie Greene gives for the fact that we might see deferrals or, indeed, withdrawals from teaching are absolutely correct. The issue of violence in schools is particularly high in our mind and in that of the teaching profession.
Again, I am happy for the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills to write to Jamie Greene with details of the actions that we are taking, from the summits that have taken place to the guidance and guidelines that we have provided schools and the support that we are providing in tackling that particular issue.
We are also trying to ensure that teaching is an attractive profession. One way of doing that is by ensuring that teachers in Scotland are the best paid in the United Kingdom, and that teacher starting salaries are the most attractive in the UK. We also provide a number of bursaries for teachers who will work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics—STEM—subjects. There is also the preference waiver scheme, through which teachers who are willing to complete their probation anywhere in Scotland can receive up to £8,000. We are also working with stakeholders on a joint campaign to encourage people to consider teaching an attractive profession.
We are working on a range of issues, and I am more than happy for the education secretary to write to Jamie Greene with further detail of the actions that we are taking.
Accident and Emergency Waiting Times
To ask the First Minister what urgent action is being taken to address long waits in A and E departments, in light of reports that over 7,300 patients waited for more than a day in 2023, with some waiting much longer. (S6F-02918)
I emphasise that all long waits are unacceptable. We continue to work hard with health boards to reduce delays for patients.
A and E performance is impacted by pressures from right across the wider health and social care system, which is why our unscheduled care collaborative programme is taking a whole-systems approach as we work with health boards in delivering sustained improvement. Through the programme, a range of actions is being taken to improve patient flows in order to reduce A and E delays. Those include actions to strengthen arrangements to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions, such as same-day emergency care services; expanding our hospital-at-home services; and optimising flow navigation centres. Those actions support patients, to ensure that they receive the right care in the right place while also reducing pressure on our very busy acute sites.
I thank the First Minister for his response, but in NHS Ayrshire and Arran, one patient waited at A and E for 122 hours—that is five days. At Borders general hospital, the wait was 88 hours. In NHS Lanarkshire, someone waited more than 72 hours. Consultants—I repeat, consultants—tell me that patients are being treated on trolleys in corridors when they should be in a bed.
Let us be in no doubt that the long waits are costing lives. The First Minister does not have to take my word for it—the Royal College of Emergency Medicine estimates that up to 2,000 excess deaths were caused last year by patients waiting more than eight hours in emergency departments. Frankly, that is a national scandal. What action will be taken now to tackle long waits at A and E departments before more lives are lost?
I do not dispute, with either Jackie Baillie or the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, that there is a relationship between long waits and increased risk of harm. There undoubtedly is, which is why we are absolutely committed to reducing those waits.
Some of the figures that were presented in the response to the freedom of information request were erroneous, not due to anything that Jackie Baillie has said but, I believe, due to some coding or recording errors. Nonetheless, Jackie Baillie remains correct that there are still—exceptionally, and not as the rule—people waiting far too long to be seen in A and E.
Jackie Baillie asked what action we will be taking. I am happy for the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care to write to her in greater detail, but I can tell her now some of the actions that we are taking.
We are bolstering our support for NHS 24. We know that doing so can reduce the number of people who go to A and E. In fact, we have increased NHS 24 staffing levels by 65 per cent since 2007, and it is now a 24/7 service.
We are also expanding hospital at home. Leading into this winter, we provided 455 beds to enable more people to get treatment from home.
We are also increasing the A and E workforce to help with staffing levels. We are recruiting more and more A and E consultants to help with patient flow. In fact, there has been a 300 per cent increase in the number of A and E consultants under the Scottish National Party.
Another thing to which I would draw Jackie Baillie’s attention is that we are looking to support social care, because we know how important that is for dealing with the delayed discharge issue. In a few weeks’ time, those who work in social care will get a further pay rise from the Government of £12 an hour.
I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests; I am a practising NHS general practitioner.
As a GP, I see people who cannot wait in the A and E queue any longer. They come to me with chest pain and they come to me with signs of stroke, because they do not want to get into that queue. That puts huge pressure on me in general practice and on primary care. What can the First Minister do for us in primary care to ensure that we can deal with those patients?
I thank Dr Gulhane for the work that he does as a GP and, of course, I thank GPs across the country.
We are seeking to improve A and E performance, which has undoubtedly been impacted by the pandemic. That pressure is faced by A and E services across the UK. That is why we continue to seek to improve A and E performance. Scotland’s A and E departments are the best performing in the UK and have been for eight years.
On the support that we are providing, we are looking to ensure that we can take some pressure away from busy acute sites and busy primary care sites. That is why we are investing in NHS 24, hospital at home and increased staffing levels. We have a target to increase the head-count number of GPs and we have continued to make progress in that regard.
We move to constituency and general supplementary questions.
Breadalbane Street Fire
Parliament will be aware of the concerning fire on Breadalbane Street in my constituency, where combustible cladding may have been a factor. Does the First Minister share my empathy for everyone affected and my gratitude to the many firefighters and other emergency service personnel who responded? Does the First Minister agree that this very worrying incident emphasises the importance of high-rise firefighting capability in urban areas and the extra funding for the fire service in the budget, and that it is vital that the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Bill and the cladding remediation programme are taken forward with urgency by Parliament, Government and developers?
Yes, I agree with all that from Ben Macpherson, and I add my thanks to the emergency services, in particular the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, for their efforts. Those efforts meant that everybody—including, I think, Graham Simpson, who was there—was evacuated safely and without injury, so I am very pleased about that.
The situation is still evolving. Ben Macpherson is right that it is important that we continue to fund the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, which is why there is an increase in its budget for 2024-25.
What Ben Macpherson says about cladding is incredibly important, and it is incredibly important that the bill continues to make progress—the stage 1 debate took place this week—and that all the stakeholders who have responsibility for cladding remediation take that responsibility seriously. They do not have to wait for the bill in order to take action.
David Hill
It is two years since we lost our friend and colleague David Hill while he was playing for the Parliament rugby team in Dublin. His parents, Sharon and Roger, have been an inspiration. David’s father, Roger, is currently on an epic cycling journey to deliver the match ball for the annual match between the Scottish and Irish Parliament teams, and to raise funds for and awareness of cardiac risk in the young. Roger has been joined by friends and family for parts of the journey, and he was even joined by you, Presiding Officer, as he left Edinburgh. Will the First Minister join me in giving everyone involved the very best of wishes, and will he pledge to consider any ways in which his Government can introduce screening to improve outcomes for people living with an undetected cardiac condition? [Applause.]
I join Douglas Lumsden in congratulating Sharon and Roger. I have had the pleasure of meeting them on a couple of occasions, most recently when they were at Parliament. They are incredible. I cannot think of a worse loss than losing a child. Nobody would begrudge Sharon and Roger just dealing privately with that grief, but they have instead chosen, in David’s memory, to ensure that they raise awareness of undetected cardiac issues and cardiac risk in the young. For that, they absolutely deserve recognition, and they have the admiration of everybody across the Parliament.
I wish Roger well in the cycle that he is doing and pledge to look further at what we can possibly do in relation to screening for undetected cardiac issues. I am more than happy for the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care to engage directly with Douglas Lumsden. I am sure that he will also engage with Sharon and Roger on those issues.
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (Bus Franchising)
Tomorrow, the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport board is set to approve bus franchising as part of its regional bus strategy, but the Scottish Government has cut SPT’s capital budget for the coming year to zero. That cut will hamper SPT’s ability to take our buses back under public control and deliver a better bus service for all of greater Glasgow. Does the First Minister welcome the bus franchise for greater Glasgow? If so, will he ensure that SPT has the funding necessary to ensure that it can be launched as soon as possible?
It is because of legislation that was introduced by the Scottish National Party Government that bus franchising is possible. We are very pleased that we have enabled that to take place at a local level.
On our funding for local government, I remind the member that we are giving an increase in budget to our local authorities. We are always happy to engage with our local authorities and their partners, such as SPT, to see what more we can do to ensure that our public transport is as accessible and affordable as possible. My colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Transport will bring a debate to Parliament on the fair fares review, which, with the agreement of Parliament, will, I believe, be debated without a motion in order that we can have what I hope will be a good discussion on what further we can do to ensure that public transport—be it buses, railways or any other form of public transport—is as accessible and affordable as possible.
Horizon (United Kingdom Legislation)
Does the First Minister share my extreme disappointment that Scotland will not be included in the United Kingdom Government’s Horizon legislation, which was announced this week? Can he outline the steps that the Scottish Government is taking to right the injustice imposed on those living in Scotland who were profoundly affected by the Post Office Horizon scandal?
I absolutely share that sentiment from Audrey Nicoll. The Deputy First Minister has written to the UK Government to urge it to reconsider its decision, as have the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. There is real frustration. We stated publicly our preference for the legislation to apply UK-wide. It would have been the fairest and most equitable way to ensure fair treatment for sub-postmasters and mistresses in Scotland, as well as right across the UK.
If the UK Government does not change its position, we will introduce Scottish-specific legislation. The concern is that the Scottish legislation would have to align with the UK legislation, which will have to make its way through the UK Parliament. It will undoubtedly be amended in the various stages of that parliamentary process, which will inevitably have an impact on our ability to introduce legislation. We hope that that will not have an impact on Scottish sub-postmasters and mistresses being able to access the UK-wide compensation and payment that they are overdue.
We will introduce Scottish-specific legislation, but I again urge the UK Government to treat sub-postmasters and mistresses in Scotland the same as it is treating sub-postmasters and mistresses in England and Wales.
Autism (Mainstream Schooling)
I recently met a constituent of mine in Glasgow called Michaela Holla, who told me about the serious concern that she has for her autistic and non-verbal son, Logan. At five years old, he is due to start school in August. It is quite clear that, due to his development delay and other challenges relating to autism, he will be unable to cope in a mainstream school. The paediatricians, neurologists and other medical professionals who know Logan agree. However, Glasgow City Council has declared that no alternatives are available to Logan, and that he must start mainstream school later this year. There is no route for appeal to contest that decision. It is a totally unacceptable situation that risks harming Logan and causing his family considerable anxiety. Will the First Minister work with me to look again at the case to see whether a more suitable alternative for this vulnerable young boy can be found?
I am happy for Annie Wells to furnish me and the Government with the detail of Logan’s case, with the permission of Logan’s mother, Michaela. If she does, we will happily consult the local authority. Such decisions are made locally. However, it is also important that we take on board the expert opinion of local clinicians. That is where the issue is perhaps concerning because, in her question, Annie Wells suggests that those clinical opinions are not being taken into account. If Annie Wells could furnish me and the Government with the details of Logan’s case, with Michaela’s permission, we will look into it and see whether we can be of any assistance.
Brain Tumour Awareness Month
March is brain tumour awareness month. I thank the First Minister for agreeing to join in the Brain Tumour Research “Wear a hat” day photo call immediately after First Minister’s question time, and I hope that all MSPs here will be able to join us, too.
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer. Despite that devastating impact, this area of cancer research is underfunded, and there are more than 150 different types of brain tumour. What can the First Minister say about increasing funding to find improved treatments and, ultimately, cures?
I thank Beatrice Wishart for all her efforts in this regard, and I look forward to the photo call shortly after First Minister’s question time.
I put on record my thanks to all those who seek to use their own experience to speak out about brain tumours, the need to be cautious and the need to be conscious of getting support where necessary. I think of the case of Glenn Campbell, the BBC journalist who is well known by members right across the chamber. He has used his experience and his voice to raise awareness of brain tumours.
I am more than happy for the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care to write to Beatrice Wishart with further details, but I note that we are increasing funding to the national health service this year to more than £19.5 billion, which is record funding for the NHS. I know just how seriously our NHS colleagues right across the country take the issue of tackling all cancers, including neurological and brain cancers.
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