Humza Yousaf: Our approach to assessing sewage discharges is more effective than that in England. Scottish Water has completed a more extensive environmental study programme to monitor and model the impacts of its facilities on water quality. Data from monitoring is also being used to determine any actions needed to improve Scotland’s water environment. Scottish Water has already invested £686 million...
Humza Yousaf: The safety of residents is, of course, an absolute priority for the Government. We are acting decisively to protect lives through a programme of cladding assessment and remediation. The current programme includes 105 buildings that will each go through a comprehensive technical assessment. Although we expect that the majority will be safe, if the assessment identifies an immediate fire risk,...
Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is proud to have the fairest and most progressive tax system in the United Kingdom. Consideration of behavioural changes is a vital part of our tax policy decisions. Our evaluation of the move to a more progressive tax system in 2018-19 found no evidence of significant behavioural change, including in relation to cross-border migration. That should come as no surprise,...
Humza Yousaf: I recognise that Monica Lennon, rightly, often raises incredibly important issues to do with adult social care. We all know that Covid-19 created an enormous challenge for the social care sector throughout the United Kingdom and in Scotland. That is why we introduced the social care staff support fund in order to support the workforce and protect our most vulnerable people. I thank the social...
Humza Yousaf: I support such decisions being made by clinicians—by the people who have clinical knowledge. That is what we should do. We should trust those who have clinical expertise, as opposed to standing here in the chamber—we do not have such expertise—making judgments about what is best for young people who need gender identity services. The Cass review has produced an interim report. It is...
Humza Yousaf: I will ask the current Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills to have discussions with Renfrewshire Council when they can. I know that the previous education secretary was involved in discussions. It is a local authority matter. Neil Bibby has asked me to take money out of the school building programme and redistribute it to another project. He must say what school we would take that...
Humza Yousaf: We know that poverty is a key driver of poor mental health and we are prioritising work to support the people who are most at risk. As part of mental health awareness week, the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport met money advice and mental health organisations just yesterday to hear at first hand the impact that the cost of living crisis is having on mental health in...
Humza Yousaf: I will ensure that the appropriate minister meets Miles Briggs and, of course, I am more than happy to consider the request for a meeting from Miles Briggs, on behalf of the families. I pay credit to Miles Briggs, who has raised the issue on a number of occasions in the chamber on behalf of the families who have been affected. This Government takes child protection absolutely seriously. In...
Humza Yousaf: That is a decision for the university to make, but I completely understand why Mark Ruskell raises that important issue. As he knows only too well, we have introduced legislation for ensuring fair rents where appropriate, but there might be areas where we can go further, so we are exploring that quite actively. I agree with Mark Ruskell that everybody in our fantastic educational...
Rachael Hamilton: I apologise. I will call Humza Yousaf the First Minister of Scotland. I will take first the most obvious example: the proposals by the SNP and the Green Party for highly protected marine areas, which would ban fishing in large sections in Scotland’s seas. How exactly would reducing the amount of fish that we catch right here on our shores and, instead, flying in costly imports from abroad...
Brian Whittle: ...to walk past her house so many times, the need for Michelle’s law becomes a stark reality. The Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill fails to introduce Michelle’s law, despite Humza Yousaf previously promising action. Does the cabinet secretary agree that Michelle’s law would give victims the reasons for a release decision in full and require—require—their safety...
Jackie Baillie: .... Michael Matheson, who I see has now joined us, and Maree Todd may be new in their roles but they have been in Government for a long time and they inherit the mess that was left to them by Humza Yousaf. It is vital that they acknowledge the SNP’s failings, listen to NHS workers and act now. To start, the SNP can end the short-changing of mental health funding in Scotland. In...
Jim Fairlie: Does Sandesh Gulhane remember that Humza Yousaf, when he was the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, said that he had no objection to any local health board setting up a long Covid clinic if it chose to do so?
Douglas Ross: ...s Finance and Public Administration Committee called for updated costs for the Scottish National Party Government’s controversial plans for a centralised care service to be given to it this week. Humza Yousaf’s Government has refused. The previous estimate of the costs for the centralised care service was £1.3 billion. However, after that figure came out, Audit Scotland said that...
Humza Yousaf: What is best for Scotland is independence, of course, because then we will have the powers in our own hands. [ Interruption .]
Humza Yousaf: We will give that consideration. Littering of any kind is, of course, unacceptable, and I share Gillian Mackay’s concerns about the environmental impact of single-use vapes, not to mention their increased use among children and young people, who should not have access to them in the first place. The Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity has asked Zero Waste Scotland...
Humza Yousaf: The hospital youth navigator pilot will continue to be delivered by Medics Against Violence and national health service partners at the Queen Elizabeth hospital for children in Glasgow alongside the adult navigator programme in nine hospitals across Scotland. Navigators are key support workers who help individuals presenting at hospitals with multiple complex needs to access those support...
Humza Yousaf: Colleges and universities make a crucial and unique contribution to Scotland. We are investing nearly £2 billion in that sector each year through the Scottish Funding Council and, where possible, we make that funding flexible. I recognise the challenges and pressures that colleges and universities are currently facing. We will continue to engage with the Scottish Funding Council as well as...
Humza Yousaf: My understanding is that, under ScotRail’s new May 2023 timetable, the number of daily services will remain the same, with no overall reduction, and resources will be focused on areas to better serve current demand. As a result, peak-time trains and school connections have been prioritised to support the modal shift that Katy Clark referred to. I want to make Scotland’s public transport...
Humza Yousaf: Yes, I agree with that. Of course, my thoughts are with the family of Jaime Carsi, with his wife, Mary—who, I understand, remains in a very serious condition in hospital—and with their friends, family and community, who will be deeply saddened and rocked by these events. A carbon monoxide detector can give people an important life-saving warning about a faulty appliance. Of course, in...
