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Forth Valley royal hospital maternity service in Larbert is the latest maternity service to receive a damning report from an unannounced inspection. The report highlighted that mothers were being put at serious risk and that some had to wait up to 62 hours to be induced. What is the Scottish Government doing to ensure that lessons are learned from the report and that safeguards are put in place to protect mothers and their unborn babies as a matter of urgency?

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its just transition plan for the Mossmorran petrochemical site. (S6O-05209)

Four hundred employees and contractors face redundancy at Mossmorran, but the transition plan that the Scottish Government promised in early 2025 has still not materialised. Instead of there being a blame game between both Governments, when will the Scottish Government take responsibility for protecting the sector and end its presumption against oil and gas in order to prevent job losses in the oil and gas sector supply chain?

Today’s UK budget appears to be another missed opportunity to tackle the biggest challenges standing in the way of the economic growth that Scotland should be capable of.

A strong workforce is vital for effective economic growth. However, as our motion highlights, there is currently an alarming decrease in economic activity across Scotland. Unemployment has increased over the past year, and a fifth of working-age Scots are economically inactive. Those are far from just statistics; that inactivity means missed opportunities, stalled ambition and lost growth.

To be clear, that is a problem created by both of Scotland’s Governments. The UK Labour Government’s jobs tax is already costing jobs and livelihoods. One in five businesses are claiming that they have already cut jobs due to the national insurance hike. A third of businesses are saying that they plan to cut jobs in the coming months. At the same time, Labour’s Employment Rights Bill will only make it more difficult to provide employment. Instead of strengthening our labour market, the bill risks making hiring more complicated and more expensive. It is little wonder that the Federation of Small Businesses, the Law Society of Scotland and the Confederation of British Industry have raised concerns about the proposals. There is little use in increasing job security if the reforms risk decreasing the number of jobs that are being created and becoming available. Any chancellor who is serious about creating growth should urgently reconsider those anti-business reforms.

Meanwhile, here in Scotland, the SNP’s high-tax agenda has meant that the Scottish tax base has not had the growth that it should have had. Despite having significant powers in relation to employability, the SNP has chosen to prioritise welfare reforms.

As our motion highlights, the welfare budget is rapidly spiralling out of control. The total budget is set to reach more than £9 billion by 2030, which is over £2 billion more than the block grant allocation for social security. The UK Government has already tried, and failed, to control welfare spending earlier this year. As it stands, the Scottish Government has no plan for how to address those spiralling costs—and does not seem to be interested in creating one.

Our motion rightly speaks about the risks in some taxes that threaten opportunities, and the importance of dealing with those risks. We should be backing working households and working people. At the same time, we need to address the spiralling welfare costs that are consuming ever-higher amounts of both the Scottish Government and UK Government’s budgets. We need to deliver reforms that mean that, where possible, people get into well-paying jobs, while ensuring that we target support for people who need it the most. That also means creating more jobs and making sure that there are no anti-growth taxes such as those brought in by the Labour Government.

If the political will existed to do that, members on the Conservative benches would stand ready to work with either Government to ensure that we improve and that those reforms take place. For now, the onus rests on both of Scotland’s Governments to do what is needed to place Scotland firmly on the path to sustainable growth. Doing anything else would be an abdication of responsibility.

Mindless vandalism and antisocial behaviour on Stagecoach buses in my region are at a crisis point. Those mindless acts endanger lives, damage vital transport services and cause significant disruption for the communities that rely on those services. What action will the Scottish Government take to protect drivers, passengers and the wider communities?

The Stirling and Clackmannanshire deal is a 10-year programme, and we are now operating in year 6. The Government promised that 5,000 jobs would be created. In June, it celebrated and defended the creation of only 82 jobs and claimed that projects were still at an early stage. Does the Deputy First Minister really think that, six years on, people in Stirling and Clackmannanshire will find that explanation anything but disappointing? Real progress and real job opportunities for the people of Stirling and Clackmannanshire are needed.

High initial costs such as maintenance and insurance, lack of experience and funding are all still major obstacles to community asset transfers taking place. What is the Scottish Government doing to remove those obstacles and support communities?

Meeting energy efficiency standards can come at great expense for home owners and landlords, particularly in rural areas. In her statement, the cabinet secretary indicated that there will be grants of up to £9,000, together with loans for householders in island and remote rural areas, to connect to local district heat networks. Will she consider certain exemptions for rural properties when meeting those standards would create a significant financial burden for home owners, landlords and tenants?

The ExxonMobil site at Mossmorran has been a cornerstone of chemical production for 40 years. The closure reflects the huge challenges that have been caused by the high-tax and low-growth policies of Labour and the SNP, not forgetting the hostile environment that those parties have created for the oil and gas sector. What action is the Scottish Government taking to limit the damage that the decision will undoubtedly cause to the workforce and the wider community?

I am pleased to speak in the debate and I thank Emma Harper for bringing this important issue to the chamber. I also thank Breast Cancer Now and Make 2nds Count for their helpful briefings for the debate. Those organisations have worked tirelessly, alongside many fantastic organisations in the third sector, to highlight the issue of secondary breast cancer. I hope that colleagues can join me in paying tribute to some of those organisations and the important work that they do, which includes funding vital research, pushing for better access to specialist care and supporting patients and their families. That work reminds us that, although research and data are crucial, compassion and care are just as important to so many people.

October marked breast cancer awareness month, which was an opportunity to pause and recognise all those who have been affected by the condition in the past, and all those who are presently living with breast cancer. As Emma Harper’s motion highlights, it is also an opportunity to raise awareness of secondary breast cancer. Despite the condition’s serious nature, awareness and understanding of secondary breast cancer remain far too low. For example, many people are unaware that breast cancer can return and spread to other parts of the body, and there are many misconceptions around the symptoms that occur. Just as with many types of cancer, raising public awareness of secondary breast cancer is vital, and breast cancer awareness month is a huge opportunity for us to do that.

For many people, living with the condition can mean a continuous cycle of hospital visits, treatment and much uncertainty. All too often, the experience is made even harder by a lack of recognition. The truth is that no accurate data exists on how many people are suffering from secondary breast cancer in Scotland. Public Health Scotland data shows that around 4,200 patients were living with secondary breast cancer in 2023. However, that does not include those who were diagnosed following a recurrence or spread of the disease.

For our national health service, and for the many important third sector organisations that work alongside it, the lack of data means that it can be very difficult to tackle the issue. Without that data, we do not know how many people are living with the condition or are being treated, and we do not know how we can ensure improved outcomes for the future. That means that there are potentially thousands of people across Scotland who are not getting the treatment and support that they require.

It is now nearly 10 years since the Scottish Government first committed to collecting data on those with secondary breast cancer in Scotland. It is time that we finally see real progress on the issue, and I hope that the minister will make that assertion in summing up.

We also know that access to specialist nurses and palliative care is not consistent across health boards in Scotland. Patients deserve better than a postcode lottery in dealing with cancer treatment, and better links between oncology services and palliative care are required.

I hope that the Scottish Government can commit to delivering on its “Cancer Action Plan for Scotland 2023-2026” and ensure that no one who is living with secondary breast cancer is ever made to feel invisible or forgotten again because, at the moment, they are.