Seòmar agus comataidhean

I am pleased to close the debate on behalf of the Conservatives—my first in my new role as the shadow minister for local government and public finance. I will support the amendment in the name of Murdo Fraser at decision time.

It is clear that the Scottish public are not receiving the standard of public service that they expect, and it is also clear that the Scottish economy has not performed as well as it could have done over recent decades. However, it would be flattering the Scottish Government to say that that can be blamed on a lack of powers. As my colleague Murdo Fraser has highlighted, Scotland’s is among the most powerful devolved Governments in any part of the world, and any supposed failure of devolution is not due to the lack of fiscal levers—they exist—but down to successive choices that devolved Governments have made.

Instead of using its devolved tax powers to make Scotland a more attractive place in which to live and work, the SNP Government has done the opposite. It has imposed more than £1 billion-worth of additional taxes. In recent years, it has been aided and abetted in that by the Scottish Greens.

We could start with some of the waste, and we would certainly not spend billions of pounds on the national care service.

With regard to some of the speeches that we have heard, Murdo Fraser talked about the Green Party being hostile to economic growth and the Scottish Government not using the powers that it has. We heard that the block grant has continually grown, that it is now 20 per cent higher and that the new taxes that the Government has introduced have ensured that Scotland is the highest-taxed part of the United Kingdom. The Scottish Government has made wrong choices; indeed, the Scottish Fiscal Commission has also highlighted the Government’s errors.

Willie Rennie talked about behavioural changes and individuals and organisations moving out of Scotland, and he also mentioned policies such as the £624 million economic tax grab and higher taxes. My colleague Jimmy Halcro Johnston talked about Scotland being the highest-taxed part of the United Kingdom, visitor levies and the failed deposit return scheme.

All of those policies matter and have a massive impact. Any debate about the Scottish budget priorities is an opportunity for a constructive discussion on how Scotland’s powers can be used effectively, but the solutions that are proposed in the Green motion do nothing to address that. Our amendment calls on the Scottish Government to recognise that its higher tax and anti-growth strategies do not work. Instead, the Government should do all that it can to ensure that we make Scotland the best place in which to live, work and invest.

I support the amendment in the name of Murdo Fraser.

I am pleased to contribute to the debate, and I thank Clare Haughey for bringing it to the chamber.

Liver disease affects both lives and livelihoods across the country. It is the one major disease for which rates appear to be increasing. The debate is timely, as Scotland, on the Scottish National Party’s watch, is in the grip of the highest alcohol-related death rates in 15 years. National Records of Scotland has confirmed that, in 2023, more than 1,200 Scots lost their lives as a result of alcohol, which is the highest number of deaths since 2008. The same research confirmed that more than 19,000 Scots have died from alcohol since 2007. In NHS Forth Valley’s area, 66 people died from alcohol in 2023, and 952 have died since 2007—that is nearly 1,000 people in that part of my region alone.

To go back to the wider issue in question, it is salient to note that liver disease does not affect all parts of society equally. Analysis by Public Health Scotland shows that death rates from chronic liver disease are nearly four times higher in the most deprived areas of Scotland.

The motion mentions the British Liver Trust’s excellent work, which I welcome and commend. Some months ago, I and fellow members had the opportunity to meet and welcome representatives of the trust when they were in Parliament with their love your liver roadshow, as part of its tour of Scotland. The event provided members of all parties with the opportunity to take a screening test and have a non-invasive liver scan. It was an ideal opportunity to learn more about the campaign that the British Liver Trust was organising to make early diagnosis of liver disease routine. It also provided an opportunity for us to find out more about the trust’s work to improve outcomes for liver disease and liver cancer patients across Scotland and the United Kingdom.

With the aid of diseased liver models, the event graphically highlighted for us how an unhealthy lifestyle that is laden with alcohol and processed food can have a massive effect on the efficiency of our organs. It also highlighted the pressures that are put on our health service as a result.

As the British Liver Trust highlights, a major reason for the increase in death rates has been late diagnosis. In around three quarters of cases, diagnosis of late-stage liver disease happens when it is too late for any effective treatment to take place. On that issue, I know that many health boards are working hard to ensure that the condition is detected as early as possible.

In my region, NHS Fife has been taking forward work on early diagnosis, which is to be welcomed. Last year, the board launched an early detection pathway for liver disease, which is also much welcomed. However, just nine of Scotland’s 14 health boards have an early detection pathway in place, so much more requires to be done.

I hope that the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health will, in summing up, talk about what we are doing to ensure that health boards are all actively taking part in that pathway. I urge her to confirm that the Scottish Government will work enthusiastically and effectively with the remaining health boards to ensure that it becomes the norm across the country. We must do all that we can to save as many lives as possible from this terrible condition, which is a blight on many of our communities.

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that diagnostic pathways in Scotland are appropriate for those affected by brain tumours. (S6O-03792)

I thank the minister for that response. What steps is the Scottish Government taking to ensure general practitioners’ access to imaging—specifically computed tomography head imaging for those with non-specific symptoms that are suspected to be symptoms of cancer, such as a brain tumour? Are those steps being regularly monitored to ensure that the pathway is utilised efficiently and effectively?

I am grateful for the opportunity to pay tribute to the history and achievements of Fife College. I thank David Torrance for bringing the debate to the chamber. This is Parliament’s opportunity to recognise a legacy of learning that has been growing for more than a century. The motion mentions Lauder Technical College, which was founded in 1899. The modern-day Fife College also incorporates previous institutions such as the former Buckhaven Mining School, Cowdenbeath Technical College and Kirkcaldy Technical School.

If we fast forward to today, Fife College is the home of more than 20,000 students. It has five campuses that are spread across the heart of Fife, where it delivers 400 further and higher education courses. During the summer recess, I visited the college’s Dunfermline campus, where I had a constructive and positive meeting with the principal, Jim Metcalfe. His focus is on raising the college’s profile and delivering community benefits and economic growth across the region. Although he has been in his post for just over a year, I have no doubt that the college will continue to flourish under his stewardship.

As with other colleges across Scotland, Fife College is expanding its international outreach and building strong relationships with its overseas partners. The college awards an annual bursary for college students to study in the US. This year, Dunfermline-based students Camryn Provan and Megan Simpson were given the opportunity to study in New York. The bursaries were awarded by William Garner, who is the great-great-grandson of the college’s founder, George Lauder. They form an important part of the college’s Adam Smith scholarship programme.

I welcome the college’s plans, as part of its 125th anniversary celebrations, to further develop such international outreach. That will include strengthening ties with institutions in the US, such as Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, which has a shared heritage involving George Lauder and Andrew Carnegie.

Scotland’s colleges play such an important role in our further and higher education landscape. It is important that we take every opportunity to celebrate the work that they do, at the highest level, to create benefits for individuals and their career paths. Unfortunately, the work of our colleges is becoming more and more difficult.

Shona Struthers, who is the outgoing chief executive of Colleges Scotland, has highlighted the uncertainty that colleges face. Cuts are inevitable. College budgets have been falling for many years—17 per cent has been taken off in just the past three years. Colleges stand ready to tackle Scotland’s skills shortages, whether they be in Fife or in other parts of Scotland. However, that mission currently faces an uphill battle.

This welcome debate gives us a chance not only to celebrate Fife College’s achievements but to highlight the challenges that it faces. For 125 years, Fife College has provided opportunities for young people, and it continues to go from strength to strength.

I welcome the opportunity to celebrate the college’s success, and I congratulate its staff, students and alumni, who are reaching out to people through their many activities during the anniversary. I wish them all the best for the future as they continue to inspire young minds, create new skills and open up opportunities for the future for people all across Mid Scotland and Fife.

We have to ensure, as I said, that we have a common sense of purpose. There is an opportunity for us to fight the corner of the Ukrainian people, and we all want to see the end of the war. To make that happen, we have to show solidarity with one another and to each person in the community.

In conclusion, as we approach the thousandth day of the war in Europe, let there be no doubt that Scotland truly stands with the Ukrainian people, as does the United Kingdom. Once again, this Parliament gives its unwavering support, and we look forward to the day when the Ukrainian people can go back, enjoy the opportunities in their homeland and move forward.

What is the Scottish Government’s reaction to the findings in a new study by the World Health Organization that Scottish 13-year-old girls are displaying addictive behaviours towards social media, and that boys of the same age are showing the highest levels of daily gaming? How does the Government plan to manage that potentially dangerous and damaging behaviour?

We have to ensure, as I said, that we have a common sense of purpose. There is an opportunity for us to fight the corner of the Ukrainian people, and we all want to see the end of the war. To make that happen, we have to show solidarity with one another and to each person in the community.

In conclusion, as we approach the thousandth day of the war in Europe, let there be no doubt that Scotland truly stands with the Ukrainian people, as does the United Kingdom. Once again, this Parliament gives its unwavering support, and we look forward to the day when the Ukrainian people can go back, enjoy the opportunities in their homeland and move forward.

I am grateful for the opportunity to close the debate on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives. There has rarely been a time in the Parliament’s 25-year history when it has been more important to have a clear message on external affairs. When it comes to Ukraine, the message from members on the Conservative benches could not be clearer: we stand with Ukraine; the Parliament stands with Ukraine; and, along with the rest of the United Kingdom, Scotland stands with Ukraine. I hope that that message can be understood as clearly today as it was in February 2022.

Thinking back to that time is a stark reminder of how much uncertainty lay ahead. For the first time in decades, we were witnessing a land war in Europe. All too quickly, we became used to seeing images of shattered and broken cities; of civilians fleeing from their homes in fear and trepidation; and of Russian missiles devastating whole communities every day. Perhaps naively, many of us assumed that those images belonged to the Europe of the 20th century. Yet, all of a sudden, we found ourselves seeing such images in 2022. Two and a half years later, we are still seeing them.

As we debate the issue, I believe that we can be proud of the United Kingdom’s response to the conflict so far. Total military aid has reached £7.8 billion, including £3 billion in support this financial year. Russian forces have lost more than 3,000 tanks, and British anti-tank missiles have no doubt played a key role in that. Meanwhile, operation Interflex has allowed the United Kingdom to train more than 45,000 Ukrainian troops, and I am pleased that the scheme will continue throughout 2025. At the same time, Scotland can be proud of the fact that, since the conflict began, more than 27,000 Ukrainians have been settled in Britain with a Scottish sponsor, which is a massive achievement.

None of us wants to see anything other than a continuation of the fighting spirit of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people—and we have seen that fighting spirit time and time again. Despite how well Ukraine has been able to stand its ground against the Russian offensive so far, the future of the conflict remains uncertain. Reports suggest that the Kremlin is still unwilling to hold genuine peace talks. Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy continues to send a message of hope and positivity. During his visit to the United States this week, he stated:

“we are closer to peace than we think.”

We all hope that that is the case.

Today, President Zelenskyy has presented his victory plan in the White House, and he has talked about that being a path to a “diplomatic way out” of the war, which is also to be welcomed. At the same time, we must understand the complexities of achieving that. I will not be alone in hoping that President Zelenskyy is right about much of that.

Just as with previous debates on the issue, there has been no shortage of important contributions from members across the chamber this afternoon. I will mention some of them.

The cabinet secretary spoke about solidarity and the need to be strong. She also spoke about the community spirit that has been evident across Scotland, and the ability of Scotland and Ukraine to support one another through partnerships in both business and culture. That whole idea of working together and supporting each other has been, and continues to be, crucial.

My colleague Meghan Gallacher spoke about Ukraine’s right to democracy, the country’s culture, the children who have suffered and the individuals who are paying the price for the war day to day. Although those who are here in Scotland are secure, every day, they see and hear what is happening in their homeland, and that is distressing for them.

Paul O’Kane spoke about our common sense of purpose in supporting Ukraine, which is very important. He referred to the need to enhance our support and to supply resources and manpower, and to hold open a door for Ukrainian people. We need support mechanisms in place for our councils and for our communities and community groups.

Political consensus is very important. Alex Cole-Hamilton referred to speaking with one voice, which is vital. Our unity and solidarity defines us. We must ensure that we, as individuals and collectively, put out that message of solidarity for the future.

Stephen Kerr made an eloquent speech, as we have heard him do many times before. He talked about the positive response and the support from the British armed forces, but he also mentioned the fact that, despite the current sanctions, a back door to Russian trade has been left open. Diplomatic and economic support has been put in place, but we need to be in it for the long haul, defend ourselves and stay the course. Those are vitally important messages that we need to get across.

I am delighted about the involvement with the Ukrainian community from those in the Parliament. For example, the cross-party group has supported, and continues to support, work in that regard. Claire Baker talked about truth and transparency, which is vital. The way in which the messages go out—how they are put across—to the nations of the world is important. We need to have spirit—that is vital.

On the day that the war started, Parliament held a debate in the chamber, and all parties sent a clear message of solidarity and support for Ukraine. Back in February 2022, we refused to write off the Ukrainian people in their fight against Putin. Today, in September 2024, we still refuse to do so, and we will fight their corner to ensure that the Ukrainian people are supported.

As nations the world over have said, there can be no suggestion of anything other than providing full support, and no wavering in that support. We must be clear that we will stand by the Ukrainian people for as long as it takes. Once again, I pay tribute to the schools, health organisations, businesses, communities and social enterprises that have provided support—