Humza Yousaf: We will meet a few times throughout the course of the summer recess.
Humza Yousaf: I thank Bill Kidd for raising that important issue. I fully agree that increasing awareness of the importance of stem cell donation is absolutely vital, especially among groups from which more donors need to sign up, including men and people from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. I have been on the register for stem cell donors for nearly two decades. The Scottish Government...
Humza Yousaf: First, I put on record my thanks to Jackson Carlaw and others for what they do in this area. It is important to recognise Jackson Carlaw’s tireless efforts in standing up for and advocating on behalf of women who have suffered as a result of transvaginal mesh implants. I am grateful to Professor Britton and her team for undertaking what I do not doubt for a minute is a very thorough and...
Humza Yousaf: I am very proud of the progress that the Scottish National Party-led Scottish Government has made on the universal roll-out of free school meals for P1 to P5. There might be a lesson for other political parties right across the United Kingdom if they look towards Scotland to see what we have done. I can give a commitment to Monica Lennon and all who are interested that we are absolutely...
Humza Yousaf: John Mason makes a very good point. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that if the 2020 act had been in place when we first introduced minimum unit pricing, the UK Government would have struck it down. There is simply no doubt whatsoever that that would have been the case. In response to John Mason’s first comment, I am really pleased to see the progress that has been made with the...
Humza Yousaf: I have already met trade unions, including the University and College Union, representatives of which were at a round-table discussion that I, the trade unions and the Scottish Trades Union Congress co-chaired. I have already engaged with trade unions and I know the situation that Pam Duncan-Glancy has described. The Minister for Higher and Further Education wrote to college principals,...
Humza Yousaf: I am grateful to Bob Doris for raising the issue of the Promat site in Springburn. I will await further details from him, but, in response to his direct question, I am more than happy for the relevant minister of the Scottish Government to engage with him on whether there is anything further that we can do to address the issues that he has, quite rightly, raised.
Humza Yousaf: I remind Miles Briggs of the fact that the Edinburgh tram inquiry is an independent public inquiry, so I am not able to interfere with or intervene on its timescale. I have seen the same press reports that Miles Briggs has seen, and all I would say is that, when the tram inquiry report is ready to be published, there will be no objection from the Scottish Government or from me, as First...
Humza Yousaf: I say directly to Foysol Choudhury that the wait that he has described is not acceptable, and I am more than happy for him to contact me to find out whether anything further can be done in Wendy’s case. I also say to Foysol Choudhury—I know that he understands this well—that there is no doubt at all that health services across the United Kingdom, Europe and, indeed, the world have all...
Donald Cameron: ...to a ferry? What about actually providing a ferry? There was a moment a few months ago when I thought that, perhaps, a hint of realism was occurring in the SNP. During the SNP leadership election, Humza Yousaf said that independence was not yet the “settled will of the Scottish people” and Mike Russell, the president of the SNP, said that independence could not “be secured right...
Douglas Ross: 1. This week, the veteran Scottish National Party MSP Fergus Ewing voted against his own Government when he refused to support Humza Yousaf’s decision to back Green minister Lorna Slater in a vote of no confidence. There are reports that Humza Yousaf is going to sack Fergus Ewing because of that. Is he going to do that?
Humza Yousaf: I am delighted that Anas Sarwar has been able to clarify Scottish Labour’s position, because Labour has had about five different positions on this in about five different weeks. I often say to Anas Sarwar that he is far more style than substance, so it was good to hear a little bit of substance from Scottish Labour today. The problem is, of course, that the substance was panned by those in...
Humza Yousaf: This Government absolutely will lead on that. As set out in the policy prospectus, I am absolutely committed to tackling the climate emergency, urgently and fairly. This week, we published our response to the United Kingdom Climate Change Committee’s annual report, accepting 98 of its 99 recommendations, with the other one being on a fully reserved matter. Although it is, of course,...
Humza Yousaf: Access to sexual health advice and services continues to be one of the Scottish Government’s priorities, which is why we are currently revising the sexual health and blood-borne virus framework. Sexual health is also a key priority in our women’s health plan, which looks to improve access to contraception services. T he NHS Inform women’s health platform is being developed, which...
Humza Yousaf: We are fully committed to improving road safety. As such, we continue to invest in the safety and condition of our motorway and trunk road network. For example, we are currently progressing or have recently completed key improvements on the A9, A96, A92, A90, A77, A737, A720, A83 and A82. Our future investment priorities are set out in the second strategic transport projects review, which was...
Humza Yousaf: Although the Scottish Government has no direct role in resolving industrial disputes in the further and higher education sectors, we are clear that we expect trade unions and employers to work together to resolve issues around pay and terms and conditions. The Minister for Higher and Further Education has met college and university employers and trade unions in recent weeks, urging them to...
Humza Yousaf: I am grateful to Rona Mackay for raising the issue. I record my admiration for her for having done so on many occasions. Other parliamentarians have also, rightly, done so. If Rona Mackay invites me to have another conversation and I am unable to attend, I will ensure that someone else from the Scottish Government does attend. We all know that abuse and bullying, online and offline, are...
Humza Yousaf: That issue is of the utmost importance—not only to me as First Minister, and to the Government that I lead but, I am certain, to every single parliamentarian here. I give an absolute guarantee and a cast-iron commitment to every person who has experienced care, whether they are young or at any other stage in life, that we fully intend to keep the Promise. The oversight board report that Roz...
Humza Yousaf: I absolutely agree with the sentiment behind Claire Baker’s question. I am happy to look at the case in more detail and I will, of course, ensure that the Government meets the families who have been affected by the issue that Claire Baker raises, given the good work that the Yard does. If she will forgive me, I will look at the detail of the work that is done by the Yard and the funding...
Humza Yousaf: Beatrice Wishart raises very important points. I do not think that it is helpful to pit one part of the country against another, because we should all have access to transport services. In the case of Beatrice Wishart’s constituents, they are lifeline services, which are so important. Beatrice Wishart has raised a very important point. There can be technical reasons why booking systems...
