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Some of those providers will be disproportionately impacted because of the nature of the route that has been chosen by the UK Government, such as those with a higher number of staff who are paid at a lower salary rate.

One of the other issues that I believe is going to be problematic is that those who are contracted to provide more than 50 per cent of their business within the public sector will not be eligible for some of the relief that the UK Government has proposed. That, again, serves to illustrate to me that the move has not been properly thought through and that the UK Government has chosen the wrong area from which to raise revenue.

Again, I underline that the UK Government should raise revenue to invest in public services to start to undo the damage that austerity has done. The revenue that has been provided to the Scottish Government through the budget is very welcome—it starts to make progress. It does not answer all the questions from the Scottish Government or, indeed, other Governments. I genuinely believe that the UK Government went down the wrong route on raising revenue and that there will be clear and stark unintended consequences that it will have to resolve—and quickly.

Yes, I absolutely recognise that, but my point is that, when someone does not need an appointment, it is difficult to understand whether they would have needed an appointment in the first place.

Our preventative activity is about reducing the overall level of interaction with secondary care services, in particular. We want to reduce the level of acute admissions and to stop the escalation of people’s ill health. All that is wrapped into what we are seeking to do in the budget, especially with the £200 million that we have set aside for reducing waiting times, addressing the efficiency of flow in the system and reducing delayed discharge. That involves providing capacity to our social care providers and our primary care providers.

The issue is not only about general practice. We have a huge opportunity with ophthalmology in the community and from encouraging greater utilisation of our pharmacy first programme. A range of interventions are available. However, I again point to the fact that not all prevention will be achieved through health service intervention. Mr Whittle and other members have spoken about the importance of our sporting and leisure facilities, as well as that of cultural and other public service interventions.

Part of the discussion that we will be having with IJBs is about the deployment of the £100 million for improving the delayed discharges picture and ensuring that IJBs have the resource and certainty available to them to allow investment in care packages and care home support.

Mr FitzPatrick asked what my expectation would be. The reduction in the levels of reserves that Alan Gray has just narrated meets the fact that there is pressure across the public sector. I do not think that anyone would expect there to be high levels of reserves sitting there when there is fiscal pressure across public services. Those things need to be balanced. I acknowledge Audit Scotland’s report in that respect, and the Auditor General’s concern about ensuring that there is financial sustainability going forward.

We must continue to work with our partners in local government and health boards to ensure that there is funding sustainability for our IJBs so that they can continue to meet service demand and be sustainable over time. We need to ensure that that is a smooth process. Alan Gray talked about ensuring that the allocated reserves are there to allow investment over time and allow some of those multiyear projects to be delivered.

Sandesh Gulhane is right that there is an oral health inequality, but it has reduced substantially. I hope that Alan Gray has access to the figures. Child oral health inequality has reduced substantially. We have seen a reduction in the number of children who arrive at dental services with cavities, so the childsmile programme has clearly made an impact and reduced inequalities.

The reason why we have invested in general dental services and reform of the funding for NHS dentistry is to ensure that our dentists find carrying out NHS work more attractive. That is also why, in the budget, we are investing in increasing the number of dental training places so that we can increase the number of dentists coming into the system. We are increasing the number of Scotland-domiciled dental places by 10 because we recognise that it is an incredibly competitive environment for potential students to go into and we want to ensure that we maximise the number of dentists who come into the health service.

I am happy to provide greater detail on the reduction of childhood dental health inequality in the follow-up correspondence. The information gives a good summary of the progress that has been made and the impact that childsmile has made. I think that Mr Gulhane will welcome that.

Thank you very much, convener, and good morning, colleagues. I really appreciate the opportunity to answer your questions today.

I want to begin by wishing Christina McKelvie all the very best in her treatment. We look forward to her return as Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy.

We launched the national mission to reduce drug-related deaths in 2021. Since then, the Scottish Government and our partners have worked tirelessly to bring innovative, structural change to that complex emergency, and we remain fully committed to reducing drug deaths and harms. Backed by £2 million of investment from the Scottish Government, a safer drug consumption facility, the first in the United Kingdom, will open soon in Glasgow. That landmark evidence-based service, which was co-designed with local people using substances, will help protect those who are most vulnerable from overdose and reduce harm.

It is, however, just one of the programmes of work that we have been taking forward. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the wider action that we are taking to reduce harm and to improve the lives of people and communities that are impacted by drugs and alcohol.

On 31 October, Audit Scotland published a report on drug and alcohol services, which acknowledged that we have “improved national leadership” and have made significant progress in tackling Scotland’s long-standing issues with drugs and alcohol, notably through significant investment and innovative action in our national mission. That action includes widening access to life-saving Naloxone, expanding treatment capacity and increasing access to residential rehabilitation.

However, despite all the progress, there is more to be done. The report specifically draws attention to work on local accountability, so we are stepping up our work with local leaders to strengthen accountability against national and local outcomes. It also highlighted the need for a “whole-systems approach” and “more preventative” action, and I assure colleagues of the Government’s commitment in that area.

Our response to the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce’s recommendations has delivered progress, for example, the publication this September of the mental health and substance use protocol and our work to implement the “Drugs and Alcohol Workforce Action Plan 2023-2026”, which was published in December 2023. Our whole-systems approach to prevention aligns with our wider vision for health and social care—that of a Scotland where people, including those with drug and alcohol dependencies, live longer, healthier and fulfilling lives.

There is, however, clearly still more to be done. The first years of the national mission were about laying the foundations; we are now committed to building on those foundations while responding to new threats and challenges, such as the emergence of novel, stronger synthetic drugs, which pose increased risks to our communities.

Scotland’s drug and alcohol deaths remain too high—I am absolutely clear on that point. Each death is a tragedy—a life lost too soon—and it will be felt dearest by the families concerned. However, we are driven by a steadfast belief in the necessity and possibility of change, and we remain fully committed to delivering on our commitments.

I look forward to the opportunity to provide fuller updates during the meeting.

Ms Haughey touches on an important issue. We all have agency in respect of tackling stigma, with regard to the language and terminology that we use and the recognition that drug or alcohol dependency is a health issue. Government can show clear leadership in that regard, and we are trying to do so.

Nonetheless, there is a role for, and a responsibility on, those who report the news to be cognisant of not only the people who have a drug or alcohol dependency, but their family members. They should ensure that the language that is used to describe those issues does not create greater barriers, or maintain barriers, that prevent people from feeling that they are able to access treatment. That is the stigma issue.

We need to move on from the stereotypes and some of the language that is and has traditionally been used in this area. That is clear in the language that we in Government use, and in how we approach the issue, and I believe that we are making progress on that as a Parliament, too. However, you are right that all of us, including our colleagues in the media, have a role to play in that regard.

It is important to proceed as I have just set out. There are recommendations in the report on which we are already making progress. I accept those areas of challenge, including around local leadership, that need to be addressed.

I welcome the report in general; it recognises—as I said in my opening statement—the national leadership that has been provided and the progress that is being made, and the progress that has been made through the interventions from the Scottish Drug Deaths taskforce.

We will respond more formally in due course, but I do not think that the committees will see much challenge from us to the report, if I can put it that way. We will take seriously the recommendations that are in there.

It is one aspect. The idea of getting it right for everyone is central not only to this policy area but to the wider health and social care policy work that we are taking forward. We must recognise that residential rehab will not work for everyone and that the abstinence route will not be the right route for everyone. Access to rehab is a central part of our national mission, as has been demonstrated by the investment we have made, but it is only one part. There are other elements, including the investment in the Corra Foundation to support community and voluntary elements.

The convener is right that there is interaction with the UK Government because of the legislation that governs our ability to roll out the naloxone programme. I do not have a specific update on the UK Government’s latest thinking on that, but I am aware of the prevalence of naloxone—it is being used and carried across statutory services, including by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland, and it is available further afield for those who are involved in alcohol and drug treatment. In addition, I believe that more than 30,000 take-home naloxone kits have been distributed, and I think that 530 doses have been administered by the police service.

We can confidently say that a substantial number of lives have been saved as a result of the naloxone programme. I commend all those in the public sector—including those in Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, as well as health professionals and others—who carry naloxone and are helping to save lives as a result.

There have been delays. Mr Balfour referenced that the facility was due to open in October. The Glasgow health and social care partnership is working with partners to ensure that it is operational as soon as possible. I am hopeful that that will happen before the end of the year.