Seòmar agus comataidhean

I thank Pam Gosal for bringing the debate to the chamber and for allowing us all to speak in the last debate of 2024.

It is fair to say that many of our constituents raise with us the issue of potholes on Scotland’s roads. If we knock on doors, do street surgeries or go into our local Co-op, people stop us to say that we should be dealing with potholes. Constituents definitely put the issue at or near the top of the list of improvements that they would like to see in their local community. That anecdotal evidence is backed up by other evidence, some of which we have heard today.

I pay tribute to my colleague Alex Rowley for his work earlier in the year. Following a freedom of information request, he obtained figures on the estimated cost of fixing the country’s local roads in 2024, which had risen to at least £2.5 billion, despite four councils not providing data. For my home council—East Ayrshire Council—the bill totalled £67,000, and the bill for neighbouring South Ayrshire Council totalled £42,500. That money is for pothole repairs. I argue that that is not investment in our transport infrastructure: it is more about patching things up and hoping that there will be a quick fix. That is why constituents are frustrated.

People are frustrated not only because of potholes but because of the time that it takes to repair them. For example, in South Ayrshire, it reportedly took 295 days to complete a work instruction for repairing a local pothole. Members of the public tell me that they are fed up with reporting issues, because it feels as though nothing is ever done and, if something is done, it is a temporary fix that breaks down quite quickly. It feels as though there is no preventative maintenance of drains and verges, with water staying on the surfaces of roads. There is nothing to ensure the longer-term functioning of our road network. That definitely frustrates members of the public.

I want to mention pavements. There are ever-increasing complaints about the safety of pavements because of deterioration and potholes in them. Potholes are very dangerous for users of wheelchairs and people with visual impairments. That adds to the sense of disappointment in communities about the way in which politicians view the look and safety of our roads and streets.

Reports from organisations such as the RAC show that motorists have put fixing potholes at the top of their priority list. I think that that is the first time that the issue has been at the top of that list.

I am conscious of the time, but I want to make two points in closing. First, when researching for the debate, I found that the Scottish Government’s standard line is, “It’s the responsibility of local government.” However, if we are absolutely honest, we know that local government is on its knees in terms of funding so, understandably, it is prioritising front-line services. The Government needs to recognise the impact that potholes have on our constituents, and there needs to be some honesty about how we might help local government. That will be helped by Opposition parties continuing to put pressure on and scrutinising the Government.

Secondly, in truth, we need to think about the debate more in relation to sustainable transport. Transport is part of the community health that we often talk about. We must seek solutions that lessen the load on our roads and that lead to a future in which we have connected travel, with trains and buses, good paths to walk on and opportunities to be less reliant on cars. At the moment, some journeys are almost impossible without having a car. It is important to think about that when we are considering the ways in which we invest in transport infrastructure, including roads, in Scotland.

I thank members for taking part in the debate and, like others, I wish everyone, including our constituents, a really good festive period.

To ask the Scottish Government what levels of support are currently available to women experiencing domestic abuse. (S6O-04149)

I know that tackling violence against women and girls is a priority for the minister and the Scottish Government.

The minister will know that, according to Police Scotland, between April and September 2024, the number of domestic abuse crimes rose by 2,028 compared to the same period last year. In addition, through Scottish Women’s Aid, we know that, on average, 25 per cent of women who have suffered economic abuse report that that abuse continues after they leave their abuser.

With that in mind, what is the Government doing—or could it be doing—to protect and support the rising number of women who experience and survive domestic abuse, particularly those who experience economic abuse after they leave?

An Audit Scotland report on whether the 2018 general medical services contract has been working effectively is due to be published in April 2025. Recent workforce statistics have shown that there has been an increase in the GP to patient ratio—currently, there is one GP for every 1,743 patients. Can the Government offer the public and doctors any reassurance that the worsening problem is being addressed?

I want to ask about alcohol and alcohol harm. It has never been more urgent for the Government to devote sufficient resources to enable the development of a coherent plan of action to prevent people from suffering from the many and varied harms of alcohol. At this stage, it does not feel as if the budget will provide for that. Will the Government commit to looking at ensuring that we get enough resources to tackle alcohol and alcohol harm?

I know that time is tight, so I will quickly ask about two areas that have been discussed before that need thought around capital investment. The first is reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in NHS buildings. Do you know where we are with that? To the best of your knowledge, will that be addressed?

The other area is the commitment to net zero in the health service. That really changes things for the health service, and is an important aspect of it. How do you feel that capital investment on that will go this year?

Thank you.

I want to ask a wee bit about capital investment. The Scottish Government previously said that it intended to publish a capital investment strategy for health. Do you have any clarity on when that might happen?

That is helpful to know. During those discussions, will we get some clarity about the pause on the national treatment centres? Is that something that you are considering?

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the recruitment and retention of nurses, in light of recent reports that the number of students accepted on to nursing courses remains below its targets. (S6T-02253)