Seòmar agus comataidhean

I declare an interest as a practising NHS general practitioner.

Minister, since the Scottish Government’s decision to go back out to consultation, what has been the cost to the taxpayer for the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill to tread water?

£15.4 million.

Thank you.

I declare my interest as a practising NHS GP.

I draw members’ attention to my entry in the register of members’ interests—I am a practising NHS general practitioner, so I not only have a legacy pension but am paying into the current pension.

Thank you.

Philip, you said twice that staffing is our biggest resource and our biggest cost, which is obviously true. I do not know whether you can answer this, or whether Professor Ulph can answer it, but what is our spend on NHS managers?

This question is for Professor Ulph. You started by saying that there is an opacity around primary care spending. Is data regarding specific Scottish Government commitments in the budget, such as mental health commitments, sufficiently transparent to allows us to monitor it effectively ?

Thank you.

Forgive me, I was not talking about benefits.

Before I ask my question, I declare an interest as a practicing NHS GP.

Professor Ulph, I ask you to clarify briefly what you said to Paul Sweeney about the increase in staff pay. That increase will lead to a cut in other aspects of NHS spend in Scotland.

From what you said to Paul Sweeney earlier, the increase in staff pay in Scotland is going to lead to a cut in NHS budgets and NHS spend elsewhere. Is that what you said?