Scottish Ambulance Service
Figures that were released yesterday show that one in every 10 ambulances in Scotland sat outside hospitals for hours waiting for patients to be admitted. That means that, in just one week, 700 ambulances across the country were stuck outside hospital for hours. We have heard of reports of ambulances backing up and waiting outside Aberdeen royal infirmary, Edinburgh royal infirmary, Ayrshire’s Crosshouse hospital and many more. Deputy First Minister, why are ambulances backed up for hours outside hospitals in Scotland?
Before I answer Douglas Ross’s question, I want to put on record the Scottish Government’s thanks and very best wishes to Mark Drakeford as he steps down as First Minister of Wales and pay tribute to his dedication in many years of public service. Despite our differences on the constitution, Mark Drakeford has been a friend and ally to Scotland throughout his time as First Minister. He has never shied away from defending devolution, working with others to improve cross-Government co-operation or, of course, standing against the devastating effects of Brexit and Tory cuts. I wish him all the best for the future. [Applause.]
I will answer Douglas Ross’s important question on the Scottish Ambulance Service, which continues to experience challenges on waiting times for ambulances at a number of hospital sites across Scotland. As Douglas Ross said, some ambulances are taking longer than they should to turn around at the front doors of our hospitals. Of course, similar pressures are being felt throughout the United Kingdom as we enter into winter pressures.
Patient safety remains our top priority. I of course apologise to anyone who has experienced a wait for an ambulance to reach them or has had to wait too long in accident and emergency. I thank our ambulance staff, who are working extremely hard to maintain a fast response to our most critically unwell patients.
The Scottish Ambulance Service is working hard with health boards to minimise delays in handover times. As part of the funding for the winter plan, the Scottish Ambulance Service has received an additional £50 million to help address the increased demand for its services going into winter—
Thank you, cabinet secretary. I turn to Douglas Ross for his next question.
I, too, wish Mark Drakeford well. I am sure that he will pleased that that mention from the Scottish National Party is positive, because the mentions are normally critical when it suits the SNP’s argument.
Shona Robison mentioned that some of—[Interruption.] Well, it is true.
Members, let us hear Mr Ross. [Interruption.] Members!
It is interesting that SNP members do not like to hear that, but they criticise Westminster and the Welsh Assembly every week.
Mr Ross, please ask your question.
Anyway, the Deputy First Minister mentioned that some waiting times are longer than they should be. We submitted a freedom of information request on ambulance waiting times across Scotland, and I have the response here. It shows some of the worst turnaround times on record. We can reveal that an ambulance waited outside a hospital in Ayrshire for 15 hours, another waited more than 10 hours in Grampian and another waited more than 11 hours in the Lothian health board area. The Government has known about the problem for years, so why does this scandalous situation keep on happening?
As the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care said earlier, as part of the winter plan, we are funding the Scottish Ambulance Service with an additional £50 million to help to address the increased demand for its services going into winter. In addition, we are investing £12 million in hospital at home to increase capacity and keep people away from the front door of our hospitals.
The cabinet secretary also talked about the action that is being taken in various health board areas, including Grampian, which is getting its share of hospital-at-home capacity, and is working hard to address the issues that Douglas Ross alluded to.
I will also say that the investment that I mentioned—the £50 million—that has been given to the Scottish Ambulance Service to address the increased demand on the service is nearly five times the amount of money that the UK Tory Government is giving for health in its entirety in the budget next year.
We will continue to address some of the very serious concerns. The health secretary had the annual review with the Scottish Ambulance Service yesterday, when many of those issues were addressed. However, it is a bit rich for Douglas Ross to come to the chamber and talk about the performance of our Scottish Ambulance Service—or our health service more generally—when the Tories have singularly failed to provide any funding for our health service.
That is just not true. I do not know how many times the Deputy First Minister will come to Parliament and make statements that are incorrect.
The Deputy First Minister referenced what the health secretary said earlier in response to Douglas Lumsden on ambulance waiting times; however, the health secretary mentioned something that the Deputy First Minister did not. He mentioned the challenge of delayed discharge. I wonder why Shona Robison did not want to mention delayed discharge in her answer. Could it be that, when she was health secretary eight years ago, she promised to eradicate delayed discharge completely? That is a consequence of her and the Government’s failure to deliver on that pledge.
Our FOI request has also uncovered some shocking ambulance response times. Purple calls involve the most life-threatening and dangerous situations for patients. Half of the patients in that category have had a cardiac arrest, and those calls have a target response time of six minutes. However, our FOI request reveals that some patients are waiting more than half an hour, and others are waiting 10 times longer than the target. Why should anyone whose heart has stopped wait so long for an ambulance to arrive?
I absolutely recognise the impact of delayed discharge. That is why the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care is working very closely with local authorities and health boards to address that impact.
On Douglas Ross’s point about the most urgent category of calls, it is important that those calls are responded to as quickly as possible, and in most cases they are. However, as I set out at the beginning of my responses, it is not acceptable if someone waits too long in relation to those calls. The performance information for the week ending 10 December shows that the median response time for purple calls was seven minutes and 32 seconds; for red calls, it was nine minutes and 25 seconds. I accept that that is too long, and I accept that there will be people waiting outside those times. However, the investment that is being made in our Scottish Ambulance Service and in our health service is absolutely not down to any of the resources that are being given to us by the UK Government.
Earlier, Douglas Ross mentioned the investment in public services. I have it in black and white that, next year, all the money that is coming from the UK Government for health amounts to £10.8 million, which is enough for five hours of capacity in the national health service, and, actually, it is only for smoking cessation; it is not for front-line services—
Thank you, Deputy First Minister. I call Douglas Ross.
—so I do not think that Douglas Ross should come here and lecture us about the health service.
The UK Government has provided the biggest ever block grant to the Scottish Government to deliver for public services in Scotland. It is failure by the Scottish National Party Government and SNP ministers that is having an impact on patients. The Deputy First Minister speaks about patients waiting a few minutes longer than the target, but some are waiting for more than an hour for a purple-category call. That is unacceptable.
The situation is not just impacting the patients. This morning, I spoke to a paramedic, who wishes to remain anonymous. He told us:
“Staff morale is at an all-time low.”
He described waiting in ambulances, for more than five hours some days, with unwell patients in freezing temperatures. He said that paramedics want to do more for their patients, but that staff are considering leaving because the situation is unsustainable. He said that the Scottish Government’s latest funding programme was supposed to ensure that the right resources are provided in the right place at the right time, but he wants to know how that can possibly be effective when he and his colleagues are sitting outside hospitals unable to get in.
Systematic problems are preventing front-line staff from giving patients the treatment that they deserve. What does the Deputy First Minister have to say to disillusioned national health service staff about this crisis?
We take the views of our front-line staff very seriously indeed, and that is one of the reasons why the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care meets front-line staff and hears their views when doing annual reviews, as I did when I was health secretary and as the cabinet secretary did yesterday with the Scottish Ambulance Service.
I can say to Douglas Ross that Scottish Ambulance Service staffing is up 50 per cent under this Government, and we have record levels of investment in our health service, including in our Scottish Ambulance Service. That is in stark contrast to the real-terms cut that the UK Tory Government is giving the Department of Health and Social Care in England. That flows through, of course, to the resources that this Government has available for our health service. As for following Tory choices, with £10.8 million for our health service, I can say that we will not follow UK Tory spending plans; we will ensure that we protect our health service and our Scottish Ambulance Service.
Household Finances
I thank the Deputy First Minister for her kind words about Mark Drakeford, who helped to shape devolution over the past 25 years. He has been a dedicated servant to the people of Wales.
We send our condolences to the family of Hanzala Malik. He served the people of Glasgow for more than 25 years as a Labour councillor and as an MSP. He was a champion for equality, and he had friends right across the political spectrum. [Applause.]
People across the country are preparing for Christmas. It is a special time, but for many it comes at the end of a year filled with anxiety about their family finances. Over the past year, there has been a 30 per cent increase in the number of families at risk of losing the homes that they own and being made homeless. That is a direct result of a mortgage crisis caused by Tory economic chaos.
The Scottish Government has a mortgage support scheme, but it seems to be in name only because, in reality, it has not supported anyone since 2015. The Scottish Government has committed to holding a review by the end of the financial year, but that is in April, and people are losing their homes right now. Why will the Government not stop the delay and support families before they lose their homes?
I echo Anas Sarwar’s comments about the sad and sudden news of Hanzala Malik’s death. He was a true champion of his Glasgow community, and our thoughts are with his family and his many friends.
I agree with Anas Sarwar that many families are experiencing real pressure, not just at Christmas but throughout the year, as the Tory-caused cost of living crisis continues to bite and to affect their household finances. Of course, it was the economic catastrophe of Liz Truss’s mini-budget that caused many mortgage payments to become sky high, due to increased interest rates.
We have spent about £3 billion of Scottish Government resources over the past year on supporting household budgets, the main measure being our investment in the Scottish child payment. We will continue, through our welfare funds and other measures such as discretionary housing payments, to support household budgets. On support for people with mortgages specifically, we will continue to look at what more we can do. I will be happy to update Anas Sarwar in due course about that.
The Government has a mortgage support scheme, people are losing their homes right now and are being forced into homelessness, and the Government will “continue to look at” how it will implement that scheme. What is the point of having the scheme if it is not going to support people right now, when they are in such difficulty?
Every family that loses their home risks joining the almost 30,000 families who are currently homeless in Scotland. More than 15,000 families across the country are staying in temporary accommodation right now, many of them in hostels, bed and breakfasts and hotel rooms. Shockingly, that means that 9,500 children will wake up on Christmas morning without a home to call their own. On average, families with children spend 347 days in temporary accommodation—that is almost a year. In some places, the figure is even higher: in Glasgow, it is 381 days; in Midlothian, it is 483 days; and here, in Edinburgh, it is 611 days—that is 20 months during which those families are homeless, living in temporary accommodation.
Is the Deputy First Minister not ashamed of that figure? How has the Scottish National Party Government allowed it to get that bad?
I will come to the important issue of temporary accommodation in a moment.
We are supporting household incomes beyond many of the areas in which we have devolved competence. The £3 billion that I mentioned earlier seeks to address things such as the bedroom tax—I am not sure that Anas Sarwar’s party at Westminster has decided whether it will get rid of the bedroom tax. There are pressures on the Scottish budget from those things that we have to mitigate. However, I will be honest: we cannot mitigate everything, because we do not have the resources to do so.
On the important issue of temporary accommodation, we are committed to, and are, acting on the recommendations of the expert temporary accommodation task and finish group, which we co-chaired with Shelter Scotland, and we are investing at least £60 million this year, through the affordable housing supply programme, to support a national acquisition plan.
We are working with social landlords to deliver a new programme of stock management, and we are implementing targeted plans with local authorities that face the greatest pressure, backed by additional resources.
A transition to rapid rehousing is the best way to reduce the use of temporary accommodation in the longer term. We remain wholly committed to rapid rehousing, and future budgets, which will be set out next week, will confirm that.
That is, frankly, a shocking answer. After 16 years of SNP Government, there are people sleeping rough on our streets across the country.
We have a housing emergency in Scotland—something that the SNP Government fails to recognise. There are 30,000 homeless households in our country, and that is the answer that we get. There are 15,000 families in temporary accommodation and 9,500 children without a home, some of them in hostels, B and Bs and hotels. There are 110,000 families on the housing waiting list, and a child is made homeless in Scotland every 45 seconds.
We desperately need more homes, but the SNP Government cut the housing budget by more than a quarter, and now the number of new housing starts is down by 24 per cent. The Government’s incompetence has consequences.
The Government might not want to take my word for it, but this is what Alison Watson, the director of Shelter Scotland, says about the effect of the SNP’s choices:
“it means that an already devastating housing emergency will get worse and continue to devastate lives.”
How many more families need to be made homeless before the SNP Government takes responsibility for the crisis that it has created?
We are taking action, of course. That is why we have a housing plan, with £3.5 billion of investment over the current session of Parliament, to deliver 110,000 more homes by 2032. It is why, across the UK nations, we in Scotland have the strongest rights for people who are experiencing homelessness, and it is why we are taking the action that I laid out to tackle the issue of temporary accommodation.
We know that one of the pressures on temporary accommodation is the Home Office’s fast-track asylum process, which is placing Glasgow City Council in particular under unprecedented pressure and risks pushing people into destitution.
We will continue to invest in housing and in tackling homelessness. However, it would be good to hear from the Labour Party whether Rachel Reeves is to be believed when she says that there will be no additional funding for public services and that we should lower our expectations that anything will change from the terrible resource settlement that we have had from the Tory Government.
We will wait and see. I would welcome any commitment to housing investment that is made by Rachel Reeves or any other Labour spokesperson, but I might have to wait a long time.
Planning Regulations (Reform)
To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will commit to any reform of Scotland’s planning regulations in order to generate growth, as recommended by CBI Scotland in a statement on 7 December. (S6F-02642)
Planning is crucial for delivering the development and infrastructure that we will need to achieve a fairer and greener economy. We have already made significant progress on planning reform, including through the adoption earlier this year of the fourth national planning framework and a new system of local development planning.
Our reforms are now focusing on working with industry and local authorities to ensure that the new system does all that it can to support the delivery of good-quality development. As a priority, we are preparing to publish a consultation early next year on opportunities for improving resources in planning authorities.
Last week, the First Minister was at the 28th United Nations climate change conference of the parties—COP28—promoting Scotland’s green leadership potential. However, the Deputy First Minister will know that the average offshore wind project in Scotland still takes around 12 years to be delivered. She knows, too, that there are substantial concerns in business and industry about the complexity of Scotland’s current planning regulations and the lengthy delays for consenting processes. What is the Scottish Government doing to speed up the timescales for these critical projects in order to unlock billions of pounds of investment that will stimulate the economic growth that Scotland so desperately needs?
We have a very clear plan around cutting consenting times for onshore wind developments, and we are looking at what more can be done around offshore developments, which are absolutely crucial for Scotland’s economy. I met CBI representatives last week—I think that it was then—when they raised issues around planning consents. We agreed to continue to discuss what ways might be found to work, in partnership with businesses and others, on proposals that could help to address such issues, and we will continue to do that.
When one has conversations with businesses—regardless of sector or type—it is striking that the discussion inevitably comes back to planning. That is particularly true of renewables businesses, which, as Liz Smith has said, highlight the length of time that planning can take, ranging from seven to 12 years. They state that, by comparison, the same projects take as little as two years to get through planning consenting regimes in places such as Norway. Is the Scottish Government looking at international best practice, and will it seek to benchmark our planning processes against our key competitors in the renewables space?
Of course we will continue to look at international best practice; that is the right thing to do. Daniel Johnson will appreciate the complexities around many of these applications, which is why some of them take too long. There is an issue about capacity in the planning system, which is what we are looking to address. That was what Liz Smith was alluding to in her question, and those are the issues that have been raised in my meetings with businesses. We will continue to look at how we can make progress, and I am happy to ensure that members are updated as we do so.
Green Economy
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to grow the green economy. (S6F-02655)
The global transition to net zero offers enormous economic opportunities. Scotland has strengths and potential in sectors ranging from wind, hydrogen, renewable heating and advanced manufacturing to data and financial services. Our green industrial strategy will set out how we will support businesses and investors to have confidence to make decisions and invest in Scotland to realise those economic opportunities. The green industrial strategy complements our sectoral just transition plans, which focus on securing a fair transition to net zero for specific high-emitting sectors of the economy.
PWC’s “Green Jobs Barometer” report, which was published this week, found Scotland to be one of only two areas to record an increase in the number of green job adverts from 2022 to 2023, whereas there was a 29 per cent decrease in the United Kingdom as a whole. The number of green job opportunities in Scotland will increase, but what concerns does the Deputy First Minister have regarding the recent illogical Tory net zero U-turns and the harm that they will do to Scotland’s future energy jobs growth?
I join Kevin Stewart in welcoming the positive findings of the jobs barometer. It shows that Scotland is already leading the way in delivering a green jobs revolution and unlocking the tremendous potential of our energy transition. This Government stands squarely behind businesses and investors who are realising the opportunities of green growth in Scotland, and we share an ambition to build a green, fair and growing economy.
My only regret is that we continue to be constrained by the current fiscal settlement and the policies of the UK Government. The recent autumn statement delivers a worst-case scenario for Scotland, with a real-terms cut to our capital budget undermining our ability to invest in Scotland’s renewable future. The message is that Scotland is open for business and we welcome investment.
Last December, I highlighted the fact that Scotland’s circular economy was just 1.3 per cent circular—the worst of those that were surveyed. The former net zero secretary assured me that urgent action was being taken that would
“drive forward ... change in the years ahead.” —[Official Report, 22 December 2022; c 131.]
Twelve months on from that promise, can the Deputy First Minister update the chamber? Is Scotland’s economy now more than 1.3 per cent circular?
The Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity will take forward the Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill in the new year, which will help to ensure that as many circular economy opportunities are gathered together as possible. That is within an environment in which Maurice Golden’s Government is standing in the opposite direction to the one that we need it to stand in. That Government’s policies impact on our ability to attract investment here, because international investors will hear a very different message from the UK Government on renewable opportunities, which is very concerning indeed. Given Maurice Golden’s comments, I am sure that we can be assured of his support for the Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill in the new year.
We know that connectivity is vital to securing and sustaining resilient green local and regional economies. The Campaign for North East Rail’s connect our coast plans, and other public transport infrastructure, will be crucial to ensuring regeneration and community wellbeing, as well as reducing carbon emissions. Can the Deputy First Minister provide an update on strategic support and planning for transport infrastructure to support the green economy, especially in the north-east?
Maggie Chapman raises some important issues. I will ensure that the minister writes to her with an update as quickly as possible.
Depopulation (Highland)
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the recent report by Highland Council, which reportedly warns of a “significant risk” of parts of its region being “drained” of people. (S6F-02648)
I welcome strong local leadership in responding to that complex and varied challenge, including the report from Highland Council. Our forthcoming action plan for addressing depopulation has been developed following extensive engagement with local authorities, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and regional partners. It will establish a new programme of work to be taken forward, with local and regional partners, to ensure sustainable communities, economies and public services.
Homes are needed to retain populations, yet the Government’s promised priority for rural housing also includes commuter towns. Highland Council’s report tells us that the cost of building a standard two or three-bedroom property in Highland exceeds £400,000, but the Government’s grant for council house building is less than £98,000 per house.
Depopulation leads to service breakdown. In many rural areas, there is no available home care for elderly people. Does the Deputy First Minister agree that the Government’s intervention has been totally inadequate to date? Will she now act to save those communities?
I do not accept that analysis. I accept that there are challenges in rural communities relating to housing, which is why we have introduced the rural and islands housing action plan. We know that part of the solution is ensuring that people can remain living in rural communities and that there is housing there for people to move to when they take up opportunities to work. That is why we are providing up to £25 million from the affordable housing budget over the next five years to support housing for key workers. The member mentioned the care sector, which is one of the key sectors that we would want to support with that funding.
We recognise all those issues, which is why I am working with Mairi Gougeon on the rural delivery plan and I am committed to bringing all those areas from across Government into one place, to renew focus on ensuring that we have coherence in delivering for rural Scotland.
Last year, fewer than 5 per cent of Caithness mums gave birth in Caithness, and more than 200 had to travel to Inverness. Highland councillors are likely to declare a schools emergency because schools such as Charleston academy are collapsing. The Government has ignored the option of spending money on capital infrastructure in the Highlands. That catastrophic lack of funding is the real reason why there is a population drain. Surely it is time for the Government to invest in the Highlands and start by dualling the A9 right now.
Of course, what Edward Mountain did not mention was the new national treatment centre in Inverness and the new hospital in Broadford. We will set out our plans for the A9, as the Minister for Parliamentary Business has set out.
Edward Mountain comes here demanding more investment in infrastructure at the same time as his Tory Government is cutting capital investment by 10 per cent over the next five years. How does Edward Mountain think that cutting capital budgets by 10 per cent will deliver on the capital projects that he is demanding for the Highlands? We need a bit of an answer to that from Edward Mountain and his Tory colleagues.
Will the Deputy First Minister join me in calling out the hypocrisy of the Labour Party, which raised the issue of depopulation while supporting Brexit, aligning with the Tories and supporting restrictions on immigration, and failing to join the SNP in calling for the devolution of immigration powers so that Scotland can take all the necessary actions to address depopulation?
The Deputy First Minister may respond as regards matters that are within the Government’s jurisdiction.
I absolutely agree that the Labour Party’s hypocrisy is breathtaking. The Labour Party is now supporting the Brexit plans that have helped to ensure that industries across the Highlands are struggling to recruit workers, and which have had a devastating impact on our economy in the face of our not having the power over migration measures that we would want to have to help with depopulation issues. For example, our suggestions that there should be a rural visa pilot scheme had cross-party support in the chamber, but the intransigence of the UK Tory Government, which will not listen even to the most modest of suggestions, says all that there is to say about those parties not caring about rural Scotland at all.
Young Persons Free Bus Travel Scheme (Social Benefit)
To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of any social benefit of extending free bus travel to all under-22s. (S6F-02641)
I am happy to see that more than 100 million journeys have now been made by under-22s across Scotland. That scheme is making a real and positive difference to the lives of our young people and their families.
“Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme—Year 1 Evaluation: Summary Report” was published today, and it shows positive progress in embedding sustainable travel behaviour in young people, opening up new social, leisure and educational opportunities, and reducing household costs to help children—in particular, those who are living in poverty.
I thank the Deputy First Minister for that answer. When Scottish Green members of the Scottish Parliament first secured Government support for free bus travel for young people in 2020, we did so because we believed that it would have a transformative impact. The first evaluation report that was published today makes it clear that those benefits are now real. It is opening up our country for young people to access leisure, work, education and support; it is making a difference by allowing young people, especially young women, to travel safely at night; and it is helping young people to develop an affinity with bus travel that will last a lifetime. What more can the Scottish Government do to ensure that even more young people can secure those benefits?
As Gillian Mackay pointed out, the evaluation shows that increased numbers of young people are travelling by bus. More than a third of cardholders who were surveyed are accessing new opportunities, and many families are reporting cost savings and reduced worry and anxiety about travel. Gillian Mackay also made an important point about bus use enabling young women to travel safely at night.
We will continue to consider what more can be done in that area. I will be happy to work with Gillian Mackay and others, as we take that forward.
We move to constituency and general supplementary questions.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Office Closure)
The United Kingdom Government has just announced the closure of its Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office branch in East Kilbride. Following a hard-fought campaign by local workers and their trade unions, we managed to keep His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs in the town. It therefore beggars belief that the UK Government will instead remove 1,000 jobs from my constituency by relocating another department. Local staff are worried about the decision, which represents a hammer blow to East Kilbride that could, according to the UK Government’s own figures, cost the town’s economy £30 million.
Does the Deputy First Minister agree that that represents another broken promise to my constituents from the 2014 referendum campaign? Will she set out the Scottish Government’s reaction to that announcement from a department that is headed by the unelected Tory Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron?
I know that many FCDO staff—[Interruption.] It is appalling that the Tories find—[Interruption.]
Deputy First Minister, please resume your seat. [Interruption.]
Members! I will not have all this argument across the chamber from sedentary positions. It is discourteous to the person who has the floor. The person who currently has the floor is the Deputy First Minister, and we must hear her response.
I think that the people of East Kilbride will draw their own conclusions when they hear the Tories laughing about the loss of 1,000 jobs. I know that many FCDO staff who live and work in East Kilbride will be shocked and concerned by the decision to close the office at Abercrombie house, and by the disappointing way in which the UK Government chose to announce the news.
The former Foreign Secretary had promised 500 more civil service jobs at the FCDO in East Kilbride by 2025, so it is disappointing that the UK Government is now reneging on that promise to boost the local economy.
We will continue to seek clarity from the UK Government and assurances that there will be no compulsory redundancies as a result of the decision, but it is very disappointing for the people of East Kilbride.
I call Jamie Halcro Johnston, who joins us online.
School Buildings (Highland)
A motion that is before Highland Council today, in the name of my Conservative colleague Councillor Helen Crawford, highlights the poor state of many Highland schools. If it is passed, the motion will declare a state of emergency in Highland schools, call for extra resources from the Scottish Government to address the problems urgently, and invite the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills to come before Highland Council to listen to its concerns over funding shortfalls.
Does the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance recognise the serious situation in Highland schools and the impact that it is having on pupils, parents and staff? How will her Scottish National Party Government respond if a state of emergency is declared in schools in the SNP-led Highland Council area today?
I will ask the education secretary to write to Jamie Halcro Johnston. In the meantime, I can tell him that, through phase 1 of our £2 billion learning estate investment programme, the Scottish Government awarded Highland Council funding of nearly £37 million towards its 3-to-18 campus project in Tain. In phase 2, we provided the council with significant funding for the Broadford primary school and Nairn academy projects. In addition, through the previous £1.8 billion schools for the future programme, we awarded the council funding of more than £63 million towards five school projects.
I will make the same point as I have made to other Tory members during this First Minister’s question time. If Tory members really care about investment in our infrastructure, why are they allowing the United Kingdom Tory Government to cut our capital budgets by 10 per cent over the next five years? Perhaps they should have a word.
Police Scotland (Mental Health Calls)
This week, it has been reported that Police Scotland faces a surge in mental health calls—they account for one in six calls, to be exact. I am sure that the Deputy First Minister will agree that the police do an amazing job and often deal with people who are at their lowest point.
However, many officers feel that they are filling a gap in health and social care. I have even heard that, last week, officers changed shifts because they had waited so long in an accident and emergency department. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland’s report states that there are better ways of getting people to the service than police officers staying for long periods of time. What action is the Scottish Government taking to address police officers’ time? Does the Deputy First Minister agree that the situation simply cannot continue?
I have a lot of sympathy with the point that Pauline McNeill makes. There has been a lot of work on front-line services to try to find ways of utilising the resources of our health service and our police service in a way that is more joined up. For example, I am aware of a pilot in my area where mental health nurses and police officers worked together to attend calls.
This is a serious issue. There is more to be done in the reform space on how those services work together, and I am determined to see progress being made on that. I am happy to keep Pauline McNeill updated on progress in ensuring that we support our health service and our police service to respond to calls in the most appropriate way.
United Kingdom Debt (Impact on Public Services)
The Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Office for Budget Responsibility told the Finance and Public Administration Committee on Tuesday that interest on the United Kingdom’s £2.6 trillion debt will be £22 billion higher this year than was forecast in March. It will now reach £116 billion, which equates to six times the annual budget of Scotland’s national health service, or £318 million of taxpayers’ money per day. Can the Deputy First Minister explain what the impact will be on public services in Scotland next year, given the UK’s need to service its growing mountain of debt?
It was an excoriating analysis of the UK Government budget by the IFS that was heard at the Finance and Public Administration Committee this week. It is eye-watering that, every day, £318 million of taxpayers’ money is going to service that debt of £116 billion, which is nearly six times the entire Scottish NHS budget. That is yet another example of Tory economic incompetence impacting on Scotland’s budget. That is why it is important that the IFS and others give a stark picture of what the impact of UK Tory incompetence will be on Scotland’s budgets going forward.
ReBlade
South of Scotland Enterprise recently acquired land at Chapelcross, near Annan, and there has been a strong expression of interest from ReBlade—a Scotland-based company that recycles and repurposes wind turbines, which normally go to landfill. The project is a welcome opportunity to create many new local jobs and an opportunity for the environment, and it seems a natural fit with the longer-term plans to establish a green energy park on the wider site. Will the Scottish Government get behind the plans and look to see what additional support can be offered through its agencies to get the project over the line?
I say to Oliver Mundell that the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy will be happy to meet him to discuss that in more detail. We will make sure that that is arranged as soon as possible.
Police Estate (Inverclyde)
The Greenock Telegraph reported on Monday that Greenock police station is likely to be closed and mothballed within a matter of months. Despite reassurances that a police presence will be maintained in the area, no alternative site for the station has been proposed. Closure of the Rue End Street station could leave K division without adequate custody sites, meaning that officers must make hours-long trips to Glasgow in order to process people who are accused of crimes. That came before this morning’s news that Police Scotland has confirmed plans to close 40 buildings in the estate in the coming year, which is another demonstration of the state that the Government has let the police estate fall into.
Is the Deputy First Minister proud of the condition of the police estate, which was presided over by, among others, the current First Minister when he was justice secretary? Will she give a guarantee that a proper police station will be provided to Inverclyde to ensure that local people feel safe?
First, I say to Paul O’Kane that the police perform an essential role in keeping our communities safe, which is why, over the past year, despite the difficult financial circumstances, we have increased police funding by £80 million to £1.45 billion for 2023-24.
Decisions on Police Scotland’s estates strategy are an operational matter. Police Scotland is considering properties so that it can develop modern premises that are capable of delivering effective and efficient public services to meet the needs of people and staff who use them. We will continue to support our Police Scotland services and ensure that they have an estate that is fit for purpose.
OVO Energy (Prepayment Keys)
OVO Energy prepayment customers in Shetland were unaware of the transfer of their prepayment keys from SSE plc to OVO and discovered that their keys had stopped working earlier this month when they tried to top up at post offices. Some constituents had no electricity during a recent cold spell because they were unaware of the change. OVO says that it notified customers in November, but the volume of representations that I have received from constituents suggests otherwise. Will the Deputy First Minister join me in urging OVO to get its act together and ensure that no household is left without electricity at any time, especially in the run-up to and over the festive season?
Although energy regulation is reserved, I join Beatrice Wishart in urging OVO to get its act together. As she puts it, the situation sounds like poor customer service at the very least. We would not want anyone to be left without power in the middle of winter. I am happy to join Beatrice Wishart in her call for OVO to get that sorted.
That concludes First Minister’s questions. There will be a short suspension to allow the public gallery to clear before we move to the next item of business.
12:46 Meeting suspended.Air ais
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