Seòmar agus comataidhean

I just want to quickly thank the panel for coming along. I mentioned to the previous panel the hope that there was for self-directed support when it was put in place, but I think that you have already answered that question by saying that it has just not reached its full potential.

I suppose that what I have, then, is not so much a question as a request for some homework. What would be the one thing that you think that we should tackle to try to move things on to the next step towards delivery?

Do you want to add anything, Julia?

Great. That was very helpful. Thank you.

Thank you.

There was a great hope when self-directed support came in, but it is probably not doing what we hoped it might do for people. Your opening statements were very helpful, but I want to confirm that you said that the committee needs to look at training social workers with a full understanding of the potential for SDS. The pressures in the sector are a major reason why it cannot be delivered in the way that everybody here would want and the relationship between resources that are required for the assessed need and what we can provide is a real problem in the sector.

Is that a reasonable summary of things that we should look at? Are there any other major issues that we should pick out to tackle in order to ensure that SDS can move forward?

The cabinet secretary knows that I am no fan of the Tory Government at Westminster, but it is fair to say that, after 17 years of the Scottish National Party Government being in power, patients and staff alike are starting to get fed up with it deflecting blame and responsibility.

NHS Ayrshire and Arran has already purchased the Carrick Glen site, which will now lie unused. All the while, patients in that health board area are suffering on long waiting lists and have less provision close to home because of long-term underfunding. Will the cabinet secretary set out a timescale for Parliament to get the critical delivery of Ayr national treatment centre back on track, or will the people of Ayrshire just have to record this as yet another example of the SNP saying one thing and doing another? They need a timeframe.

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the reported decision to delay the progress of all new NHS capital projects for up to two years, including the Ayr national treatment centre. (S6T-01801)

The impact of the delays will be felt not just in Ayrshire. Across Scotland, important promises have been broken. Neil Gray’s constituents will have similar feelings to my own, as the SNP Government cannot even deliver a new Monklands hospital in the cabinet secretary’s own back yard. Those promises were made by the SNP Government. Patients wait for years on waiting lists, and staff are working in buildings that are literally crumbling. In response, rather than delivering the local health provision that it has promised, the SNP has put the brakes on developments that are critical for the future. If the Government cannot be trusted to deliver the project in the cabinet secretary’s own back yard, the Parliament has to be updated on the timescale for the projects to be undertaken.

I thank Gordon MacDonald for bringing the debate to the chamber. We cannot speak about gas, electricity, energy and power without acknowledging the enormous power imbalance between the provider and the consumer, which members—in particular, Ivan McKee—have mentioned. It is well documented and universally acknowledged that there is a power imbalance.

I think that we all agree that how we purchase energy is not easy to understand. The system is weighted against some of our most vulnerable citizens and does not have a fair deal for users at its heart. The tariffs across the UK are unacceptable. The motion speaks about the rates in Scotland, but members will know now, because the minister spoke about it, that the tariffs are enormously high and enormously variable across the UK. I had a quick look earlier, and Gillian Martin was absolutely right to say that north Wales and Liverpool have the highest tariffs in the UK.

This is an inequality issue across the UK. We need to find solutions for fellow citizens in Scotland and across the UK, wherever we can. Citizens Advice Scotland is deeply concerned about the current affordability challenges in the energy market. It feels that consumers who struggled with rising costs and accrued energy debt last year will continue to struggle, even as we go into the fairer months.

Members have mentioned the Citizens Advice Scotland data. From July to September 2023, the Citizens Advice Scotland network provided 18,546 pieces of advice related to regulated fuels, which relates to the point about how complicated it is for people who are in a vulnerable situation. Demand for energy debt advice increased by 34 per cent, and the average energy debt for people who sought complex debt advice from the network in Scotland was more than £2,000.

It is difficult to cover everything in a short debate, but, when we talk about energy, we need to talk about Scotland’s energy potential in relation to both climate change and who should benefit from the development of our energy potential. Members have spoken about Scotland being potentially a provider of very large amounts of energy.

An important element of the debate on energy for me, Scottish Labour and the trade union movement is the just transition. It is, of course, a transition that will help our planet, but it must have ordinary people, ordinary families and ordinary workers at its core. How do we make that transition fair?

The on-going cost of living crisis has shown how deeply the climate emergency and poverty are linked. Fuel costs, in particular, have spiralled, as we have heard from members across the chamber, and we have heard that things such as inefficient houses and expensive transport exacerbate poverty while causing carbon to be emitted into our atmosphere.

The brunt of the crisis has been felt disproportionately by people who are living on the lowest incomes—most members agree with that. Fuel poverty is a major concern, and we must address it whenever we can. We know that energy tariffs are a reserved matter, but I agree that the Scottish Parliament should discuss such matters to ensure that we have an understanding of the consequences for our constituents and to allow us to look at what we can do, within our devolved responsibilities, to help those who are most affected.

We need a clear plan that helps us to sprint towards clean power. That will reduce energy bills for all—including, of course, our most vulnerable people.

I am very aware of the time, but one other thing that I want to talk about is my wish to see us move to community-owned sources of energy. I hope that we might get another chance to discuss that in the chamber, because it is such an important matter.

I thank all the members who have contributed tonight.

On behalf of Scottish Labour, I associate myself with the Deputy First Minister’s remarks—I wish Elena Whitham well and thank her for her work in this area.

I thank the Deputy First Minister for advance sight of her statement. Scottish Labour accepts, as per the evidence, that minimum unit pricing has a role to play in tackling alcohol harms, but we believe that it must be part of a wider package of measures over and above that. That position is shared by 30 public health-related organisations and charities. Does the Deputy First Minister agree that steps must be taken to explore how the additional revenue that is raised by minimum unit pricing can be recouped and invested in tackling alcohol harms in Scotland?