It is more than three years since Scottish National Party ministers cancelled the new replacement hospital for the eye pavilion in Edinburgh, a decision that the former First Minister agreed to U-turn on during the 2020-21 Holyrood election, pledging to build a new hospital during this parliamentary session.

Will the First Minister keep that pledge to patients in Edinburgh and the south-east of Scotland?

There is no doubt that the replacement for the eye pavilion needs to be built. We need to replace the existing infrastructure, and there is no doubt across any political party about that.

However, I go back to the points that I made to the member’s colleagues. We are having to take forward capital spending projects in the face of high inflation in construction costs but also a 10 per cent cut to our capital budget over the next five years, which is being imposed on Scotland by the Conservatives. Therefore, although Miles Briggs has every right to ask us about the progress that we are making, I hope that he will also use any influence that he has with the UK Government to tell it to reverse that capital cut, which is having such significant impacts on our budget and on health infrastructure up and down the country.

The Presiding Officer:

That concludes questions to the First Minister. The next item of business is a members’ business debate in the name of Paul O’Kane. There will be a short suspension to allow members and people in the public gallery to leave before the debate begins, if they wish to do so.

12:45 Meeting suspended.

12:47 On resuming—