Seòmar agus comataidhean

I thank Tess White for bringing the debate to the chamber. I welcome the speeches by members who have already spoken on this really important matter. I will make a short contribution, following on from questions that I have asked the cabinet secretary and the minister about the provision of single-sex toilets.

For context, as others have said, single-sex spaces that are based on biological sex are protected under the Equality Act 2010. Women and girls have a right to feel safe in our public buildings such as schools and hospitals. They are often in those places when they are at their most vulnerable and, further, they require to attend those places, so Government has a responsibility to ensure that those places are safe and comply with the law.

Recently, we have heard about patients having to wait in corridors and the strain that the NHS is under. Given that, we can see why people are asking the Government to engage with them in light of the “How safe are our Scottish hospitals?” report.

We can all agree that the report’s findings are particularly worrying. For 20 years, the Scottish Government, first under Scottish Labour and now under the SNP, has required health boards to eliminate mixed-sex accommodations in hospitals. However, as my colleague Jackie Baillie indicated, at the moment, we think that only two health boards comply with that: NHS Dumfries and Galloway and NHS Orkney. That is unacceptable, and I believe that the Government must take some responsibility for it. I agree with my colleague Claire Baker and others who have said that the Government needs to have more engagement with us on those matters so that we can get the information that is required.

To go back to the questions that I asked the cabinet secretary and the minister, the issue is about engagement. I asked three separate questions—one in the chamber, to the cabinet secretary, and two written questions—on the provision of single-sex toilets. However, I feel that the Government was unable to give me full answers about the way in which it is ensuring that the laws are being applied in Scotland, and I feel that it is important for the Government to take responsibility in that regard.

The cabinet secretary’s response to the question that I asked in the chamber was:

“I say once again that those regulations are also included in the Government’s belief that all public bodies should fulfil their obligations under all pieces of legislation with reference to this issue.”—[Official Report, 25 February 2025; c 15.]

If the cabinet secretary is saying that that is the Government’s belief, I think that, possibly, the Government should be doing more.

I will end by asking the minister whether the Government can give us assurance that it will take some responsibility and look to assess the current situation in our NHS and other organisations, particularly ones to which the Government provides public funds. Gathering that information should not be difficult, but I think that it is essential.

I will touch on training and continuous professional development.

Dr Williams, if the bill were to be passed, would there be training requirements to support people in respect of the right to a second opinion? Is there scope for that?

That is helpful, thank you.

That is helpful. I am hearing that you feel that people across the professions engage with the process, which is good for us to hear.

Lyndsey, do you have a sense of whether the bill would build on people’s lived and living experience of how health professionals work on treatment determination for people with drug and alcohol misuse issues?

Great. Thank you. Would anyone else like to comment on training?

Are you saying that the workforce is under pressure at the moment, so anything additional, including additional training, should be taken into consideration when we look at the financial memorandum, and so on?

To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on how the Scottish Government is working to improve healthy life expectancy. (S6F-03900)

I am glad to hear from the cabinet secretary about the improvements and investments in technology that are being made. The member who spoke before me gave excellent examples of how technology can be used. There are, indeed, great examples, and we welcome how technology is being used, but the point is that we need to embed that in what we do in the NHS across Scotland.

It is fair to say that, having been in government for 18 years, the SNP has had ample opportunity to keep pace with innovation and bring forward the technological changes that our NHS has needed for many years and that it desperately needs now. That is possibly the part that was missing from the cabinet secretary’s excellent speech—the recognition that we have not kept pace.

This Government debate on recognising the significant health and economic benefits of supporting and adopting innovation in our NHS is welcome. It can be seen from the Labour amendment that we support the Government in enabling that. However, on the ground, the motion must feel as though it is only warm words, because the issue is action and the implementation of the fantastic things that have been spoken about.

As we know, thousands of patients are stuck on NHS waiting lists and are waiting for tests and to be diagnosed. We need to do all that we can to embrace innovation and explore the potential of new technology not only to speed up treatment but to make best use of the accuracy in diagnosis and offer the best treatment plans.

The reality is that our NHS is stuck in what can be described only as an analogue age. We need to address the day-to-day technological challenges that are faced. We have magnetic resonance imaging and CT scanners that are decades old and theatres that lie empty due to poor scheduling. Technology could help with that. As we have heard, it is common for doctors and nurses to use pagers, despite there being much more efficient ways of communicating.

No one disputes that our NHS needs urgent action—the cabinet secretary himself is saying that. We need to keep pace with the technologies, but, at times, it is hard to imagine how we can get to that point. The basics, such as data gathering, are a challenge across the NHS. Scotland has a population of around 5.5 million, yet its 14 health boards collect data in different ways and the systems cannot speak to each other. The use of different IT systems creates administrative burdens, while issues in accessing patient records create major barriers to effective care.

I, too, thank all the young carers in the public gallery. It is a delight to have them with us today. I give a special shout-out to the South Ayrshire young carers I met outside. They were really kind to spend some time with me—it was much appreciated.

I thank my colleague Paul O’Kane for bringing the debate to the chamber. It is absolutely right that we make time in this place to discuss such an important issue. Paul O’Kane has been a champion for carers in the current session of Parliament, bringing the issue to the chamber and working cross-party and outwith the Parliament in the way that other members, including Willie Rennie, have spoken about, as well as working with many organisations and charities to raise the voices of carers and ensure that we see lasting change. Again, I thank Paul O’Kane for giving us the opportunity to talk specifically about young carers today.

Other members have mentioned the data and statistics, so I will not go over those again. I simply highlight that, with more than 30,000 young carers under the age of 18, it is incumbent on us to support them. I thank Carers Trust for the work that it does in gathering all the information. As others have said, it is important that we have that information, to ensure that we understand the issues, and that we use it to guide us on the solutions that we need in order to provide adequate support to all our invaluable carers, particularly our young carers.

The debate is in response to young carers action day, and I commend young carers for the contribution that they make to our society when they are caring for their loved ones. As we know, young carers often do not recognise themselves as carers, and many do not think twice about what they do. We owe them a great deal of gratitude.

Dumfries and Galloway Carers Centre, in my region, wrote to me to ask for my support for young carers action day 2025, which I am delighted to give. The theme, “geezabreak”, focuses on the importance of providing breaks and respite for young carers and, as others have said, the need for schools and employers to better support them in school and work.

From previous debates and my meetings with young carers, I am aware that the reality for many young carers in Scotland is that caring responsibilities can dominate their lives. Young carers often do not realise that and continue without support. Sara Jackson, the young carers manager at the Dumfries and Galloway Carers Centre, works directly with young carers and explained in correspondence with me that the damaging impact of a lack of support and burnout means that many young carers are often at breaking point and their reality can be quite difficult. What stood out for me in her correspondence was the suggestion that, although young people need a break through getting straightforward respite from their caring responsibilities, they also need a break in that they must be given equal opportunities to thrive, as others have touched on. That is why Carers Trust Scotland is urging schools, trusts, colleges and universities to step up. It would be great to hear about that from other members, as well as getting a commitment from the minister to work across Government on that.

As politicians, it is our responsibility to work together to ensure that that happens, so that young carers feel confident in the support that is available to them and their loved ones. I commit to doing that. I hope that the debate spurs us all on to do more together in response to the needs of our young carers in Scotland. It is incumbent on us to do that.

I thank everyone who has spoken or is about to speak in the debate.

Scotland has the highest obesity rates in the United Kingdom, which disproportionately affects our most deprived communities and harms the physical and mental wellbeing of millions of people. That hinders economic activity and costs the national health service millions of pounds each year.

The Government consulted on restricting promotions of food and drink that is high in fat, sugar and salt. The consultation closed in May 2024, yet the Parliament is still waiting for the independent analysis of the consultation responses. When will the Government publish the analysis and introduce vital regulation to stop Scotland falling even further behind?