Seòmar agus comataidhean

That ends stage 2 consideration of the bill.

You mentioned that tackling inequalities will be a key component of the new strategy. What will the barriers be?

Thank you all. We move on to questions from the committee. I will start. What impact was made by the previous strategy, “Every Life Matters”?

Our next agenda item is stage 2 proceedings on the Gender Representation on Public Boards (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill. I welcome Shirley-Anne Somerville, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, who joins us with her officials. I highlight that officials are not able to speak on the record during these proceedings.

We have no amendments to deal with, but the standing orders oblige us to consider and to formally agree to each section of the bill and the long title. Before we do so, I thank the cabinet secretary for attending and ask whether she wishes to make any comments or whether she is happy for the earlier evidence given to the committee to stand as the official record of the Government’s position.

I welcome to the meeting our second panel on suicide prevention in Scotland: Dr Amy Knighton, Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland; Dr Murray Smith, Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland; Sam Campbell, health improvement principal, Argyll and Bute health and social care partnership; and Dr Jane Bray, consultant in public health, NHS Tayside. I thank all of you for attending this morning and invite each of you to make a brief opening statement before we move on to the committee’s questions. I will start with Dr Knighton.

No committee member has indicated that they have any questions to put to the cabinet secretary, so we move to the formal stage 2 proceedings.

Sections 1 to 3 agreed to.

Long title agreed to.

Thank you so much. I move to questions from Evelyn Tweed.

I support any calls for improvements to roads and infrastructure in the north-east. I will make a point on that later in my speech.

I whole-heartedly welcome the growth in my constituency, but we must recognise that the existing infrastructure is already congested with HGV, bus and car traffic. Introducing rail would go a long way towards providing much-needed and welcome relief.

I conclude by asking the Scottish Government whether it will continue to support the Campaign for North East Rail’s work by continuing to consider funding for the project, including for a detailed options appraisal when analysis of the latest study is complete. We are putting a lot of pressure on the Scottish Government to help and support the project. That is right, and it is our job as constituency MSPs to do that.

However, the UK Government has a part to play, as well. If a fraction of the money that has been spent on high-speed rail south of the border were to be spent in the north-east corner, we would not have rail just to Peterhead and Fraserburgh—it could go to Banff and Buckie and beyond. We have the potential to make a boom time for the north-east and beyond. I hope that we all recognise and will take full advantage of that.

I thank Liam Kerr for bringing the debate to the chamber. It is not too long since we walked the Buchan line together in the north-east sunshine—yes, it does exist—with the then Minister for Transport, Jenny Gilruth.

At the meeting that I and my team and the Campaign for North East Rail were at, we had discussions relating to the just transition fund, and a member of my team suggested that the campaign apply for that funding. I put it on the record that the Scottish Government has been a great supporter of the Campaign for North East Rail in every conversation that I have brought to it in that regard. In particular, it has awarded the campaign £250,000 from the just transition fund for a feasibility study to explore the possibility of passenger and freight services running north of Dyce and on to Peterhead and Fraserburgh. We expect the findings of that feasibility study very soon.

In a survey that I carried out recently that received more than 1,000 responses, two in five respondents said that they rely on bus services so that they can attend national health service appointments. We know that bus journeys to Aberdeen royal infirmary take two or three times as long as car journeys. Connecting our coast is about more than transport: it is necessary for the health, safety and wellbeing of my constituents.

From carbon capture projects to wind farms, our north-east corner is playing a vital role in delivering Scotland’s transition to net zero, but that means that heavy goods vehicle numbers on the roads remain consistently high every hour of every day of the working week. The key difference between the Campaign for North East Rail’s study and previous studies is the key focus on rail-freight opportunities in the area. Reconnecting Fraserburgh and Peterhead to the railway would allow many HGV movements to be transferred to the railway, which would result in cleaner air, fewer emissions, safer roads and more economic growth opportunities.

Peterhead and Fraserburgh have been identified as regeneration priority areas, and unemployment there is higher than the national average. We have a chance to replicate the success that we have seen in other schemes, such as the Borders railway, and to bring real regeneration to some of the most deprived areas in Aberdeenshire.

Peterhead south harbour, which is operated by ASCO, is the largest offshore-support facility in Europe. I am sure that the cabinet secretary will join me in celebrating this week’s fantastic news that the world’s biggest offshore floating wind farm is set to be built just off the coast of Peterhead. That project will bring billions to Scotland’s economy. The Blue Toon and the Broch, as they are affectionately known—Peterhead and Fraserburgh—will be vital to the site, and heavy equipment, parts and specialised workers are expected to come to the area once the wind farm is up and running.

That is helpful.