Seòmar agus comataidhean

Thank you. I have just one more question. Is there anyone whom our witnesses feel that the committee would benefit from hearing from?

When I think of public services, as I did when I was writing this speech, I automatically thought—as I am sure many others do—of the support that they provide us with throughout our lives, from the cradle to the grave, often caring for and supporting us when we most need it. In particular, I thought about our national health service. In my remarks, I will focus principally on that institution, which gave me my first opportunity to serve the public, delivered my six children and two grandchildren, took care of my relatives before they passed away and, on so many occasions throughout my life, has taken care of me and my family in our hours of need. I know that I am far from being alone in feeling gratitude for and pride in the NHS. It is a manifestation of our collective commitment to one other and it embodies the values of compassion, solidarity and care.

The Scottish people look to us to provide investment in the NHS: not only investment in monetary terms but investment in the fundamental belief in the institution itself. Many people who stand at a ballot box are looking to vote for the NHS and to see a party dedicated to the protection of it. That is a marker of our society, and it goes beyond ensuring that every person in Scotland has access to the care and support that they need; it is a matter of ensuring that the NHS is there for future generations, too, delivering services when we are no longer here.

I am proud to support an SNP Scottish Government that is committed to improving Scotland’s public services, particularly our NHS, not as a cost but as a vital investment in our future health, equality and prosperity. Proof of that investment comes in the form of an NHS workforce in Scotland that is currently the highest paid in the UK. Scotland has had the best-performing core accident and emergency units in the UK for nine years. NHS funding has more than doubled, and we have the highest number of general practitioners per head in the UK.

As a consequence of the SNP Government’s decisions, £1.5 billion is available to spend on public services in Scotland today that would not be available had the Government not taken the decisions that it has taken on tax. A socially just and progressive approach to public service investment, design and delivery is essential, and that must be underpinned by fair work and a progressive tax policy. That approach ensures that everyone contributes their fair share to the funding of services that benefit all of us. It is about creating a society in which everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

However, the challenges that we face are significant. Nobody is turning a blind eye to that, but the UK spring budget fell far short of what Scotland needs to deliver further investment in public services and infrastructure. That has resulted in a cut in the Scottish core block grant of around £400 million in real terms for 2024-25 compared with 2022-23. Such cuts hinder our ability to make the necessary investments in our public services. To me, that does not signify a priority on the part of the UK Government to deliver for our NHS. Therefore, I support the Scottish Government’s call on the incoming UK Administration to hold an emergency budget to restore the £1.3 billion cut in Scotland’s capital budget. For as long as the Scottish Government remains on a fixed budget under the current devolution settlement, there are limits to what we can achieve in terms of investment in public services. It is imperative that we have the resources that are needed to support them effectively.

Despite those challenges, people in Scotland currently benefit from policies that are not available in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. They support Scots who are struggling after 14 years of austerity cuts, through measures such as free tuition fees, free prescriptions, free personal care, the Scottish child payment and the mitigation of the bedroom tax. That shows an SNP Scottish Government proving that it prioritises its citizens.

My grandmother was a domestic supervisor at the Royal Cornhill hospital in Aberdeen. Alongside her worked my mother and my auntie. My grandmother had a reputation as a white-glove type, ensuring the highest standards of cleanliness and care. That pride in working for the NHS was a badge of honour in my family. I did a turn as an NHS domestic at Aberdeen royal infirmary, and I remember the pride that my family felt when I started working there. It was celebrated. Before my first late-night shift, my grandmother cooked me a special tea to sustain me, making sure that I was fit for a job that she held in high regard. It was a fulfilling and rewarding job, and one of great importance.

Public services are the core of our society. They represent our collective commitment to care for one another, and we have a deep regard for and pride in them. By investing in those services we invest in the future of Scotland, which is exactly what the SNP Scottish Government is doing.

I thank the member for taking an intervention. Does he truly believe that a Tory austerity agenda, a Tory Brexit and a Tory cost of living crisis have had no impact at all on our national health service?

[Made a request to intervene.]

In response to my previous question to the SPCB on the wider roll-out of BSL accessibility, I was advised to raise the issue at the Conveners Group, which I have done, and I was advised there that the Parliament does not have the necessary resources to facilitate BSL accessibility across all committee work.

Although recent efforts have been commendable, deaf people and BSL users want to be included in more issues than just those that affect their communication needs. They seek inclusion in all areas of democracy. Can the SPCB allocate the necessary resources to ensure that those individuals have direct access to all democratic processes, thereby promoting true inclusivity in our parliamentary system?

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how much of its annual budget is allocated to the provision of BSL services to ensure that the Parliament is accessible to those who use BSL, in light of the 2022 census results showing that BSL is used by 117,300 people, or 2.2 per cent of the population. (S6O-03584)

We now have questions from Marie McNair.

We will now have questions from Paul O’Kane.

We move on to questions from Paul O’Kane.

Heather, would you like to come in?