Seòmar agus comataidhean

Cover crops such as oats can help to improve conditions for ground-nesting birds—black grouse, for instance.

Sitting here, listening to talk about co-production, co-design, co-delivery and co-involvement, is really similar to the experience I had when we were looking at the national care service and talking about co-design, lived experience and engaging folk. When I was a nurse educator, I had to get to the nurses on the ground so that they knew what was coming doon the line. Jonnie Hall says that farmers are saying, “Just tell me what you want me to do,” but that is engagement, not co-design. It is complicated and difficult.

I am thinking about how we deliver healthcare change. We talk aboot it being like moving a giant oil tanker to get healthcare embedded in our national health service. I am thinking back to what Pete Ritchie said at the beginning about how education should be the priority on the wedding cake and should be the first thing that we deal with. I am thinking about that—

Yes, but the issue is complicated. It is really challenging to look at how we effect change and get all the voices heard.

I will be really quick, because I am conscious of the time. Jim, you talked about innovation and the different things that can be done to support emissions reduction. For instance, I know about giving Bovaer to dairy cattle to reduce their methane emissions. Will you briefly touch on some other examples of innovation that can help to reduce emissions and support efficiency—if there is anything that you havenae mentioned so far?

I have a quick question about regenerative agricultural methods, such as cover crops, no-till or low-till farming and agroforestry. How can those methods be made accessible to farmers and crofters across Scotland? What impact do they have on long-term profitability?

Good morning. What action is sportscotland taking to support sport taking place in rural, remote and island areas?

Is there variation between regions or between rural and urban areas in the sports that people pick up? For example, Stranraer and Dumfries have Olympic and world-class curling. Dumfries has an ice hockey team, the Solway Sharks, but the women’s and men’s teams have to play in England, because it is easier to get to Sheffield, for example. There are teams there, whereas there are no teams nearby in Scotland.

Stranraer is developing a water sports hub, which is great because we will have people on the water paddle boarding and sea kayaking, which I have done down there—it is amazing, and it is good for your mental health. Is there a regional aspect to what gets funded or is it based on what sport is taken up?

It is not necessarily sportscotland’s responsibility to do such a wide sweep of the physical activity out there. Yesterday, I was at the convention of the south of Scotland, and we focused on transport and getting folk on their bikes to the bus or on their bikes to a train, but there did not seem to be a lot of people asking whether they can hang their bike on the train or the bus somewhere. It is about agencies collaborating and working together, so that is not sportscotland’s responsibility.

That is what Maureen Campbell seems to be saying about local authorities working together in collaboration, getting out of silos and so on. We have had lung health choirs singing in the Parliament. That is a physical activity but it is not within sportscotland’s remit. The people who perform in the lung health choirs say that they are so much more physically able because of how singing helps their lung health when they have conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. I am interested in your thoughts on that.

My point is that it is a wider issue that is not just your responsibility. It is about everybody collaborating and working together to improve physical activity for folk in Scotland.

Okay. I have a final wee question. The six nations rugby is on now, and it is pretty exciting to watch. I am meeting Scottish Rugby on Thursday, with a specific focus on girls in rugby. You can be any body shape and have a position on the rugby field, which is absolutely fab. Does sportscotland collaborate with Scottish Rugby on promotion and engagement so that more young women can play rugby?

I would be interested in getting further information on what common staffing methods are. I know that, in intensive care units, one-to-one care is often provided—that is, one nurse to one patient—whereas, in a recovery room, it is two-to-one care. In the operating room department, no one can cut skin until a certain number of people from the department are present. Staffing levels are based on, for example, the type of anaesthetic and surgery, and whether the patient is awake. That is based on my experience in the perioperative environment, but we also have new roles with physician associates, anaesthesia associates and surgical assistants.

I would be interested in fleshing out the detail on what the instrument means, rather than looking at reducing work hours. I do not think the cabinet secretary has betrayed anybody—that aspect is in process; it is an on-going discussion.