Jamie Halcro Johnston: —and to get the answers that have been held back so far is that investigation?
Jamie Halcro Johnston: On a point of order, convener. Unfortunately, my voting app would not connect. I would have voted yes.
Jamie Halcro Johnston: According to the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, among several severe unintended consequences of the Scottish National Party’s rent freeze proposals is a negative impact on “the development of new homes, improvements to existing stock and the pursuit of net zero targets.” Reduced development of rented homes in the social and private sectors will inevitably reduce...
Jamie Halcro Johnston: Families in Moray have at least received an independent review into maternity services. Patients in Caithness have been calling for such a review in their area since 2016 in response to the similarly unacceptable circumstances that have prevailed there. Can the cabinet secretary outline whether an independent review into maternity services in Caithness will be commissioned by the Government,...
Jamie Halcro Johnston: After a period of historically low inflation, and low interest rates, we find ourselves in the middle of an economic crisis in which rising costs of living have hit this country, as well as many others, across a range of goods and services. That presents a real challenge to Governments at all levels. As members of the Scottish Parliament, we see the consequences first hand across our...
Jamie Halcro Johnston: As the Prime Minister did, I do. If prices can be stabilised, the positive impact on the worst medium-term projections for energy costs will be considerable. However, the hard reality is that the underlying problems will not go away in the immediate term, and they will underlie our economic decision making well into next year. At this stage, it is a vital role of Government to use its best...
Jamie Halcro Johnston: As an Orcadian, I will not be speaking in Gaelic or Scots today, but I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate on Scotland’s minority languages. Scotland has a long and diverse linguistic heritage. The Highlands and Islands region that I represent remains most obviously home to the majority of native Gaelic speakers, but northern Scotland also contains a number of different...
Jamie Halcro Johnston: I can certainly encourage my colleagues to join. As I have said, Peter has been a great supporter and promoter of Gaelic and Scots. I have enjoyed, many times, his “Poems & Sangs in the Doric”, so I will do my best to encourage other members to get involved. In the northern isles, which I call home, Shetlandic is increasingly being recognised for its distinctiveness as a language or...
Jamie Halcro Johnston: Scotland’s relationship with the sea has, for centuries, been an important one. We are a maritime nation and have depended on the sea for trade, food and defence throughout our history. The fishing sector is disproportionately significant in my own region and in the north of our country. Fishing is valued not only for its economic benefits and its continuing role in providing fresh,...
Jamie Halcro Johnston: I was talking about trying to avoid knockabout politics, but that is what we have just heard. To reply to the member in the spirit in which she asked the question, I do not imagine that when she goes to speak to fishermen around her constituency they are desperately calling for us to go back into the common fisheries policy, but she might argue otherwise. The coastal states negotiations are,...
Jamie Halcro Johnston: Does Paul McLennan believe that fishermen in his area or across Scotland want to go back into the common fisheries policy, as his party would?
Jamie Halcro Johnston: Presiding Officer, I apologise that I will have to leave before the end of this session to meet another commitment, as advised. The cabinet secretary will be aware that the road equivalent tariff was delivered on ferry routes in the northern isles by the middle of 2018; however, during the intervening four and a half years, while Shetland has benefited from those arrangements, Orkney has been...
Jamie Halcro Johnston: 4. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of hospital coverage for remote and rural areas in the Highlands and Islands. (S6O-01623)
Jamie Halcro Johnston: The cabinet secretary will be aware that there is no urgent care available in the Portree community hospital on the Isle of Skye, and that the number of beds has been halved. In Shetland, there are concerns about when the proposed replacement for the Gilbert Bain hospital will be delivered, and there is no confirmed timetable as yet. In Fort William, the new Belford hospital was originally...
Jamie Halcro Johnston: I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate on this weekend’s small business Saturday. I echo Michelle Thomson’s thanks to all small businesses across the country, and I thank her for bringing this important debate to the chamber. I applaud the work of the small business Saturday campaign and its efforts to encourage us to shop locally and support our small businesses. This...
Jamie Halcro Johnston: I am afraid that I have finished.
Jamie Halcro Johnston: The budget for Scotland’s motorways and trunk roads in 2023-24 has been cut by £76 million. Will the cabinet secretary finally admit what my Highlands and Islands constituents and his Perthshire constituents know, which is that the promised dualling of the A9 between Inverness and Perth will not be completed in 2025 or, indeed, any time soon?
Jamie Halcro Johnston: On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My application froze and I am not sure whether my vote was recorded. I would have abstained.
Jamie Halcro Johnston: On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app would not refresh. I would have voted yes.
Jamie Halcro Johnston: 7. To ask the Scottish Government how many vessels operated by CalMac, NorthLink or Scotland’s local authorities will be operating past their working-life expectancy by the end of the current parliamentary session. (S6O-01738)