Scottish National Party MSP for South Scotland
Does the cabinet secretary believe that, with the publication of the independent advisers’ report, there should now be an end to the matter so that the cabinet secretary and Parliament can move on and concentrate on implementing the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025?
I welcome the fact that resident doctors’ pay in Scotland will have increased by 35 per cent by 2027 under the current pay offer. I thank everyone who works in our health service for everything that they do, and especially for everything that they did in the recent festive period. Does the cabinet secretary agree that industrial action will probably not be the best way to benefit anyone?...
I support Dr Allan’s motion. I want to highlight the impact that the UK Government’s choice of allocation for the UK EU coastal growth fund has had on our smaller inshore fishing communities in the south-west of Scotland. My colleagues Alasdair Allan and Kenneth Gibson outlined really well the Barnett formula percentages and how, with the allocation of the £360 million, a huge amount is...
Absolutely. The twisting of the information is just a distraction from what is happening: the money is going predominantly to English fishermen when most of the quota is landed in Scotland. A total of 9,000 tonnes is landed annually at South Scotland ports. That might be a small amount in comparison with some of the big ports, and I absolutely agree with Karen Adam when she...
As the cabinet secretary has touched on, the largest contributor to rising construction costs is the Tories’ botched Brexit.
Will the cabinet secretary expand on the impact that Brexit, which is now backed by Labour, is continuing to have on the construction industry?
Michelle Thomson mentioned cross-portfolio working. Repopulation is really important, including for Dumfries and Galloway. Will the Government maintain its commitment to that work after May 2026?
The evidence is clear that Scotland’s NHS is turning a corner, with downward trends across nearly all waiting list indicators. To suggest otherwise does a huge disservice to our fantastic NHS staff. I suggest that Jackie Baillie and her colleagues think twice about the impact of their scaremongering about our health and social care system in Scotland and the effect that that is having on...
