Seòmar agus comataidhean

It is quite hard to listen to what is being said—we are speaking about children, and it is important that we are clear about that. I come back to a point that Mahesh Madlani made. Did you say that a 13-year-old could be fined a four-figure sum?

I am interested in the notion that we have a legal relationship with 13-year-olds and under, so anything that you might have on that issue that could help us would be very helpful. Thank you.

Does Stephen Kerr call for international journalists to be allowed into Palestine, as some of us do, so that we can get accurate reporting of what is happening?

I welcome the publication of the long-overdue population health framework and the Government’s response to the high in fat, sugar or salt consultation, which has just been published in the past few minutes, although we were promised it at the start of this year. Those things are critical to improving health and reducing inequalities.

However, I fear that the Government’s actions fall short of its ambition. When does the Government intend to publish its impact assessment on food and drink that is high in fat, sugar or salt? If the Government is truly committed to delivering improvements to health and reducing inequalities, it will need to ensure that regulations are brought forward, otherwise it will just be the usual piecemeal approach to public health intervention.

I thank Bill Kidd for bringing the debate to the chamber and for all his work on establishing peace over the years that he has been in the Parliament and beyond. I know that he will continue to do that.

We need more serious discussion of our country’s role in these conflicts and how we can alter our actions to limit the likelihood of war. The chamber should take time to consider more issues of such importance, and I am glad that we are doing so tonight.

I join other members in calling again for the immediate release of all hostages, the return of remains to families and the unconditional lifting of all restrictions on humanitarian aid going into Gaza. Those are the first steps towards a lasting resolution. People cannot negotiate peace with the threat of violence hanging over them. Let me be absolutely clear: our country should not be selling weapons and associated technology to anyone who is using it indiscriminately to strike civilian targets.

The death toll in this conflict has been utterly intolerable. It is clear to anyone who is approaching it from a moral position that what is occurring in Gaza is an attempt to commit genocide. That is clear for all to see. Some of the attempts to make it seem like a normal war between two adversaries have been perplexing. This is not a war of equals.

For well over a year, we have seen unimaginable slaughter and targeted starvation of the people living in Gaza. That is a fact. On top of that, any sense of human rights and decency has been thrown out of the window. Journalists, aid workers and, as we have heard, medical staff have been murdered simply for trying to help those in great need or to tell the truth.

The world’s response has been impotent and truly depressing. I feel very naive for having assumed that we would never see such scenes again in my lifetime. It is dreadful to realise that it has simply been allowed to happen. I feel great shame that, in the UK, we are not doing all that we can to stop it.

All that I can do is continue to stand up and be counted with the millions who are saying that we must have peace. It is what my constituents want, it is what decent human beings across the world want and it is the right thing to do. I echo the motion’s call for an immediate ceasefire, and not only in Palestine. There must be an end to the needless conflict between Iran and Israel, which was started so aggressively by the Israeli Government just last week. We must call for it to stop.

We have been down this road before when claiming the right to strike countries based on unconfirmed reports that they might develop a weapon of mass destruction. I had hoped that we had learned the lessons from Iraq and the dreadful repercussions that that conflict brought to people across the world.

There is no need for any more death and destruction. Let us use any influence that we have to secure peace and speak with one voice as a Parliament and as the nation of Scotland. Let us call for peace and for no more death and destruction.

I am closing—I apologise.

I hope that members will support Labour’s motion, which recognises the on-going workforce crisis and calls on the Government to undertake a wider review of NHS workforce planning, which must be reported on by the end of the year. Our NHS workers and patients deserve better. The status quo of this Government is no longer an option, and Scottish Labour is ready to deliver the whole-scale change that our NHS needs and deserves.

I am pleased to speak on an issue that concerns the very backbone of our NHS: its workforce. I begin by echoing other members’ points about the value of our NHS workforce. It is the beating heart of the NHS and, without it, services and care would collapse, which is why it is so important that we discuss the matter openly and honestly in the Parliament. I thank all those who work tirelessly in Scotland’s NHS. Scottish Labour recognises the contribution and value of workers and understands the pressure and strain that they face daily.

When I speak to constituents, one of the many things that I hear is how difficult it is to see a local GP, and I hear about how long NHS waiting lists are. Ambulances are stacked up outside accident and emergency, patients are waiting hours for treatment and those who are ready to be discharged are forced to remain in hospital while waiting for appropriate care packages. Everything has stagnated, but let us be clear that people understand that it is not the staff’s fault. In fact, people speak very highly of the staff; the issue is the system, and the responsibility lies with the Government.

At the centre of the Government’s stagnation is our workforce, which is struggling to keep up with demand in a fundamentally broken system. After 18 years in power, the SNP has presided over a workforce crisis in which staff shortages not only risk patient safety but put additional pressure on the existing workforce, which impacts their mental and physical health.

Our healthcare system is crying out for additional staff, but newly trained doctors and nurses, who are highly motivated and ready to serve, are meeting with disappointment when they are being told, after years of training, that there are no jobs, although that is not true. The system is crying out for highly professional, trained staff. If we want safe staffing, the NHS must fill more posts, and the Government knows it. How can it be right that newly qualified nurses are being forced to find jobs outside Scotland, despite completing their training at Scottish universities and hospitals, where they see the pressures day in, day out? There are currently more than 2,600 unfilled whole-time-equivalent nursing and midwifery vacancies. We hear from nurses daily that going through and completing the recruitment process in the NHS is agonising.

Since 2013, the number of registered nurses who are employed in care homes has decreased by 28 per cent. That issue is important because those nurses greatly contribute to keeping hospital admissions down, so we must take the statistics seriously. Delivering and supporting a sustainable nursing workforce across Scotland is crucial to improving overall patient care and experience, yet our nurses report feeling undervalued and overlooked. When it comes to issues such as corridor care, poor planning has left staff feeling ashamed, demoralised and distraught.

Our NHS workforce deserves better, and things cannot continue as they are. The Government is aware that urgent work is needed to attract and retain a sustainable workforce, yet there is no obvious plan. There is a disconnect between what the Government promises to do and what it actually delivers. Delivery is essential.

That is very helpful, because I was going to ask how the act works. Perhaps we need to look at the issue and follow up. Thank you.

I will ask about the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020. I know that you have commented on it before, but, to help us understand, what do you think the overall impact of the act will be on food standards and consumer protection in Scotland? Have you had any discussion with or made representation to the UK Government, and how has that gone?

When I joined the Parliament, back in 2021, there was genuine enthusiasm, following the Feeley review, about the prospect of a national care service. Only four years later, that enthusiasm has been depleted and we have a much-reduced bill. What was once heralded by the Government as the “biggest public sector reform” of a generation is now a limited number of stage 3 amendments.

The bill does not address the fundamental problems in social care, and the Government seems to be unable to tell us how it will address those issues. That is a great shame. It was our duty to build enthusiasm and support for what could have been such far-reaching legislation. As we have heard, it is a missed opportunity to be transformative, which is due largely to Government inability and lack of vision. Although it is not the legislation that I or many wanted, what is important now is that we make it as robust as possible and take on board the concerns that many of my colleagues, the trade unions and professional organisations have raised throughout the bill process.

I say a big thank you to all our constituents—people such as the care home relatives Scotland group and many more—who have truly influenced the bill and worked with us. They have contacted us, and it is our responsibility to ensure that the legislation progresses.

Scottish Labour’s vision was for a bill that really addressed the long-term needs of social care, putting it on a footing with our NHS and creating a system fit for the future, for staff and users. Throughout the stages of the bill, we have sought to ensure that the legislation will address commissioning and fair work, which is essential to ensuring improvement in social care. We brought both of those issues back at stage 3, and we are pleased that our amendments have been successful. We would have wished for much more, but it was clear by stage 3 that the Government had no ability or vision to deliver that. We want to see Anne’s law, carers’ right to breaks, improved commissioning and digital care records in place as quickly as possible, which is why we will, of course, support the bill this evening.

However, there is much work to be done. I have to trust that the bill will achieve what the minister believes it will and that it will fulfil its potential to create change, because the care sector in Scotland can no longer wait for serious reform: it needs action now. We heard from my colleague Jackie Baillie that 10,000 Scots are waiting for care assessments or for care, and Michael Marra reminded us about the Government’s financial incompetence. Our constituents need delivery, because they are the ones who will suffer in the long run.

Scottish Labour will work with the Government to build on any potential and, as I have said, will support the bill this evening, but make no mistake: Scottish Labour in power will deliver a national care service that is worthy of the name, and that is what we look forward to.