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To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress in delivering the actions and aims contained in the framework for chronic pain service delivery. (S6O-03096)

No, thank you.

It is fair to say that the rate of NHS registration is also significantly higher in Scotland than in the rest of the United Kingdom, with more than 95 per cent of our population registered with an NHS dentist.

The work by the Scottish Government, alongside the British Dental Association Scotland and the wider sector, on payment reform is the most significant change to NHS dentistry in generations. It provides practitioners with a new suite of fees that are designed to provide a full range of care and treatment to NHS patients. The reform will provide long-term sustainability to the dental sector and encourage dentists to continue to provide NHS care, helping to mitigate some of the access challenges that we are seeing.

The payment reform will improve the system for both dental teams and patients, and it is the first step in the process to make the services that are available on the NHS reflect the changing oral health needs of the population. It also reaffirms the Scottish Government’s commitment to the sector and to all NHS patients in Scotland.

The modernised system will increase clinical freedom for dentists, provide long-term sustainability to the sector and encourage dentists to continue to provide NHS care. Scotland is the only part of the UK where free examinations are available to NHS patients, and that will continue. All patients will receive free NHS dental examinations, with those who are exempt, including children, young people under 26 and those on certain benefits, continuing to receive free care and treatment.

I believe that people in Scotland recognise and appreciate the Government’s commitment to sustaining and improving patient access to NHS dental services. Earlier this week, I received a call from a constituent who wanted to reach out after hearing about the debate that was planned for this afternoon. The gentleman wanted to highlight his recent experience of accessing emergency treatment. He was of the firm belief that he would not get the quality of care that he had received anywhere but in Scotland.

It is an improving picture in NHS dentistry, and building on that progress is an absolute priority for the Scottish Government.

Chronic pain is a considerable healthcare concern that causes physical and emotional stress to sufferers and their families. Equitable and early access to pain management services is vital. What action is the Scottish Government taking to ensure that healthcare professionals across all levels of care have up-to-date knowledge and understanding of available pain management options?

We all know that Opposition parties do not like talking about Brexit, but given that approximately 60 per cent of the dental workforce is European, to simply ignore it or pretend that it has played no part in the situation in which we find ourselves is beyond disingenuous. It simply cannot be ignored. It is utterly undeniable that Brexit, which all the main parties at Westminster are now signed up to, has had a huge impact on recruitment. Eight long years after the referendum, Brexit has had a devastating impact on the UK labour market, and it has hit the recruitment of professionals in the health and social care sector especially hard. The number of EU and European Free Trade Association dentists who have joined the register has halved since the referendum. That is backed up by a Nuffield Trust report on health and Brexit, which states:

“Before the EU referendum, consistently well over 500 dentists trained in the EU and EFTA registered in the UK each year. They made up around a quarter of the additions to the workforce. This dropped sharply around the time of the referendum to around half its previous level, and has never recovered.”

Brexit has brought nothing but harm to people, communities and businesses all across Scotland. This debate gives yet another example of its devastating impact. Scotland needs a migration system that is humane and meets our social and economic needs. We will certainly not get that while we take part in the broken Westminster system.

However, in the face of that challenge, the Scottish Government remains firmly committed to sustaining and improving patient access to NHS dental services. Despite the challenges presented to the profession by the global pandemic and a disastrous Brexit, the Government has maintained a strong track record in growing the NHS dental workforce in Scotland, with 57 dentists per 100,000 population. It continues to work closely with the British Dental Association and others on the recruitment and retention of dentists, particularly in areas where the problem is known to be most acute.

It is worth noting that Scotland continues to outperform England when it comes to the number of dentists per head of population. Compared with England’s 4.3 dentists per 10,000 population and Northern Ireland’s 6, Scotland had 5.9 and Wales had 4.6 in 2021-22. In England, the number carrying out NHS work per head of population has not risen in a decade.

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that all legal predator control is carried out in a way that is consistent with best practice in animal welfare standards. (S6O-03083)

The minister will be aware of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics report “Killing to Kill”, which examines the trapping and killing of animals so that more grouse can be shot for sport. Will that ethical issue be addressed through the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill?

Labour MSPs shamefully failed to support minimum unit pricing, a policy that has been proved to save lives and reduce hospital admissions since its inception. What assessment has the Scottish Government made of the impact of policies such as minimum unit pricing on liver cancer rates in Scotland?

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app would not connect. I would have voted no.

What role does the minister see citizens’ assemblies playing in the future of Scotland’s democratic process?

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work it is undertaking to deliver its commitments on participatory and deliberative democracy. (S6O-02967)