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I thank Marie McNair for bringing this important debate to the chamber. On behalf of Scottish Labour, I welcome world COPD day, which takes place today and recognises this year’s theme of “Know your lung function”. Raising awareness of COPD and its symptoms is an important part of the national day. I congratulate everyone who is involved on its success and I thank colleagues for the briefings that have updated us on the situation for those who live with COPD.

As we have heard, the symptoms include shortness of breath, a persistent chesty cough with phlegm, frequent chest infections and persistent wheezing. The condition causes restricted airflow and breathing problems and it most commonly affects people who smoke or who have smoked, as well as those who have been exposed to dust fumes or chemicals, often in work. Those who had chest trouble or asthma in childhood can also be affected.

The prevalence of COPD in Scotland and, indeed, globally, should cause us all some concern. The condition is estimated to affect more than 140,000 people in Scotland who have had a diagnosis, and it is suspected that thousands of people are living without a proper diagnosis. COPD continues to be the third leading cause of mortality worldwide.

In order to stop that worrying trend, I consider it important that the causes of the disease are understood and highlighted. That is part of what world COPD day is about. I raised that the previous time I spoke on the issue in the chamber. I want to add again that smoking is the most common cause of COPD; it is the leading factor for eight out of 10 cases. That means that many cases of COPD can be tracked back to a single cause, which highlights for the Parliament where action can be taken. I know that the Scottish Government has plans for a smoke-free generation by 2034, and I state again that I am very supportive of that and will do all that I can to support the minister with it.

We need more action now to protect those living with COPD. We have heard from people who suffer from the condition about some of the things that are happening for them at the moment. For the third year in a row, in a survey of COPD sufferers, only 5 per cent of patients reported receiving the important five pillars of care that Marie McNair mentioned. One in five wait more than five years for diagnosis, and one in eight wait more than 10 years. There are real barriers to diagnosis, which are reflected in those long waits—general practitioner misdiagnosis, difficulty getting appointments and a simple lack of awareness in communities of the signs and symptoms.

COPD is another condition that disproportionately impacts the poorest in our society. In Ayrshire, where I live, the rates of COPD are among the highest in Scotland. In 2018, NHS Ayrshire and Arran had the highest proportion of people living with COPD in Scotland. It is important to me, as a South Scotland representative and as someone who lives in Ayrshire, that we take action that supports those people.

The lack of insight from those on the Tory benches today is astounding. Let us be absolutely clear that 14 years of Tory chaos and decline have very much led us down the path to where we are today.

No, thanks—I want to make progress in my first minute.

Our public services are seen as an essential part of society by anyone who considers themselves part of the Labour and trade union movement. They are, to put it quite simply, part of our core belief system. Not only are they a testament to genuine, lasting politics, but they stand as a legacy of the serious transformational power that a Government can wield. I am proud to say that, when we look at our country’s history, we see that, at every level of government, that has been at its best when Labour is in power.

However, whether it be my party or other parties—

I think that I have probably heard Ms Harper speak about him before. I take on board many of Ms Harper’s points and, like others, I appreciate all the work that she does in this area. It is important to have such issues raised in the chamber.

I have a close family friend, Lillian Welsh, who suffers from the condition. Therefore, I know how COPD impacts people’s daily lives and how it restricts work, social life and enjoyment of everyday activities, such as walking the dog or playing with grandchildren. It is a real-life condition, and it is important that the Parliament makes time to debate it.

I thank Marie McNair and others who have contributed to the debate for bringing an issue that is important to our constituents to the Parliament.

I want to make progress.

However, whether it be my party or other parties in Government, if there is a shared belief and a shared goal, we should all work together to get the best outcomes for our communities. My plea to the Scottish Government is to use that ability to be transformational. It can improve Scotland’s public services and give people a better future.

Thank you.

If only we could have constructive conversations in this chamber. That comment comes from a minister in a Government that has implemented an uncosted council tax freeze and which has put the public sector under enormous pressure. The same SNP that has drastically cut local government funds in its draft budget, which will put pressure on every part of our economy, and which has one in six Scots on a waiting list and a burgeoning two-tier healthcare system, does not allow us to discuss those things. I ask the minister and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to take the time to do so.

I say again that Labour has chosen to protect working people, which means that it is asking those with the broadest shoulders to take on as much as they can. Those are the initial steps. We know that more discussion needs to be had, but I hope that the Scottish Government will take action and discuss with the UK Government what can be done and where to go to ensure that we have an excellent public service in Scotland.

I want to make progress.

In order to even get close to achieving that, however, we require a sustainable public sector that everyone can benefit from. That is an achievement in which, I must say, the Scottish Government has often seemed to lack interest, given its decisions in recent years. It is disappointing that the SNP’s posture in its motion, after 17 years in Government, is about the UK Government and not about an opportunity to discuss what we can do.

In the recent UK budget, Labour chose to protect working people, which meant asking the wealthiest—and business—to pay their fair share. That will not be an overnight process after more than a decade of devastating Tory austerity, but it is a solid step in the right direction. Scotland is set to receive an extra £3.4 billion in Treasury funding—our biggest settlement since devolution. I say that again: it is the biggest block grant in the history of devolution, and the SNP Government has a responsibility to discuss its delivery. What will it choose to do? Will it choose our front-line services?

I remind the chamber that, in that increased block grant, Labour has taken into account the effect on the public sector of the additional national insurance contributions that it will be subject to. That is responsible governance. The UK Government has made it clear that it will listen to the devolved Governments and take the liabilities that they face into account. That is an open and on-going discussion, in which I hope that the Scottish Government will engage constructively.

I see that the minister is laughing. I am seriously trying to ask—

Do other witnesses want to come in? That would be helpful.

We have heard from different countries that have taken part in our evidence that there are different approaches to doctors’ responsibility to discuss assisted dying with their patients.

A number of people who have responded to the consultation, particularly those who are interested in the law, have asked whether there would be a duty for doctors to raise assisted dying with patients as a treatment option if the bill was passed. I am interested in your views on that in the bill as drafted, and the implications for doctors and staff.

Your answers to my other question might be similar to those that you have just given. Have any of your organisations discussed with your membership the age limit of 16 years old that is in the bill?

Some legal experts have talked about safeguarding but, in some other areas, under 16-year-olds are deemed competent to make decisions about healthcare. Have any of your organisations discussed that?