Clare Haughey: I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests. Last week, the Financial Times revealed that doctors have been leaving NHS England at a rate of more than 400 a month. With the vote to leave the European Union exacerbating shortages, does the cabinet secretary agree that the Tory approach to Brexit is hindering efforts to ensure that the NHS is staffed for the future?
Clare Haughey: Yesterday, the Prime Minister repeatedly failed to confirm whether David Mundell made representations over Scotland receiving its fair share in funding following the Tory and Democratic Unionist Party deal. Does the First Minister agree with me that it is now obvious that he made no such effort?
Clare Haughey: I refer members to my entry in the register of interests, in particular to the fact I am a registered mental health nurse still in clinical practice, and I thank James Kelly for bringing the motion forward for debate in Parliament. I doubt whether there is a family in Scotland that has not experienced the loss of a loved one through dementia, and I mean loss in all meanings of the word. As...
Clare Haughey: I thank Christina McKelvie for securing the debate, which allows us the opportunity to recognise the important and inspiring work that MND Scotland is doing. There can be no doubt that Gordon Aikman’s brave and very public battle with this progressive condition, while at the same time fundraising more than £600,000 for MND research, raised public and political awareness of the disease and...
Clare Haughey: I welcome what the cabinet secretary has said about children and young people being at the heart of our education system. How has the Scottish Government ensured that their voice has been heard throughout this process and will continue to be heard?
Clare Haughey: 5. To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will reaffirm its commitment to the Paris climate accord. (S5F-01373)
Clare Haughey: Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, and French President Emmanuel Macron have expressed condemnation of the US withdrawal from the accord. Does the First Minister share my view that the United Kingdom Government should have been far more robust in its response, and that Theresa May should have shown leadership on the issue, rather than lacking the backbone to stand up to President Trump?
Clare Haughey: What support and encouragement is the Scottish Government giving to universities to offer places to study medicine to students from less-affluent backgrounds?
Clare Haughey: I am reassured to hear that the UK Government is going to do something for consumers who in future use the green deal to invest in improvements to their houses. Can the member enlighten us as to what the UK Government will do for my constituents, and the constituents to whom Mr McKee referred, who have already suffered under the green deal?
Clare Haughey: I, too, thank Ivan McKee for lodging the motion. I welcome the constituents who are in the public gallery, and I know that many are watching us at home. The problems with the UK Government’s green deal scheme were not confined to one area of the country nor, as we have heard, were they confined to home improvements, cladding, boilers and insulation. In my constituency of Rutherglen, solar...
Clare Haughey: The trade union movement has a proud history of protecting workers’ rights, born of a desire to combat exploitation and ensure a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. From the great advances of the industrial revolution, it was against a background of poor pay, poor conditions and disregard for the value of workers’ lives that the first workers’ co-operatives and unions grew. As an...
Clare Haughey: How will contextual admissions and access thresholds ensure that talent is evaluated fairly? Have universities that already offer grade adjustments experienced a drop-off in academic standards?
Clare Haughey: What resources are available to those in Scotland who have been affected by the attack in Manchester?
Clare Haughey: 8. To ask the Scottish Government what additional income will be raised in 2017-18 by local authorities that have increased council tax rates. (S5O-01026)
Clare Haughey: My local council, which until the recent local authority elections was a Labour-led council, chose not to raise council tax, despite years of asking the Scottish Government to lift the council tax freeze. How much money would a council tax rise have provided for local public services to spend?
Clare Haughey: Does the cabinet secretary agree that, given the international scale of the attack, it is vital—now more than ever—that Scotland is represented at international discussions about security and international threats?
Clare Haughey: I welcome the Deputy First Minister’s statement. What progress is being made in harmonising the terms and conditions of support staff in colleges? I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests.
Clare Haughey: On the point about evidence, is the member suggesting that healthcare professionals lie when they send in reports to PIP or DLA assessments?
Clare Haughey: As we have heard , several of the UK Government’s austerity measures “have disproportionally and adversely affected the rights of persons with disabilities”. Also, before austerity was implemented, impact assessments by the UK Government “expressly foresaw an adverse impact on persons with disabilities”, and the UK Government’s actions have caused “grave or systematic violations...
Clare Haughey: 4. Before I ask my question, I refer members to my entry in the register of interests. To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is marking mental health awareness week. (S5F-01257)