Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Questions Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Douglas Lumsden S6O-03182 1. To ask the Scottish Government when the remaining £46 million of deferred funding from the agriculture budget will be returned. Ash Regan S6O-03183 2. To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its Rural Delivery Plan, what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the impact of its housing strategies, including the Rural Housing Action Plan, on local rural economies. Liam Kerr S6O-03184 3. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of rising wildlife crime across Scotland. John Mason S6O-03185 4. To ask the Scottish Government what cross-government action it is taking to improve island connectivity, in order to support measures to increase the population of Scotland's islands. Murdo Fraser S6O-03186 5. To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to farmers who have experienced damage to crops as a result of the activities of beavers. Kevin Stewart S6O-03187 6. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its progress towards introducing its proposed Land Reform Bill. Emma Harper S6O-03188 7. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with the health secretary regarding implementing the commitments contained within the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022. Jamie Halcro Johnston S6O-03189 8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps it is taking to support the fishing industry. NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care Kate Forbes S6O-03190 1. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Highland about progressing planning and design work for the new Belford Hospital in Fort William. Rona Mackay S6O-03191 2. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the availability of ADHD medication supplies in Scotland. Liz Smith S6O-03192 3. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which states that the 2024-25 Budget implied a real-terms reduction to health spending. Tim Eagle S6O-03193 4. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the availability of NHS dentistry for residents of Dunoon and its surrounding communities. Keith Brown S6O-03194 5. To ask the Scottish Government when it last received an update on NHS Forth Valley’s Assurance and Improvement Plan. Willie Coffey S6O-03195 6. To ask the Scottish Government how it will develop its eHealth strategy in the coming years. Monica Lennon S6O-03196 7. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on NHS Lanarkshire's recovery plans. Sarah Boyack S6O-03197 8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide further details of the progress that it is making towards fulfilling its 2017 commitment to increase the number of GPs by 800 within a decade. followed by Scottish Labour Party Business: Bringing Down NHS Waiting Lists Jackie Baillie S6M-12455 That the Parliament is concerned that almost 825,000 patients are stuck on NHS waiting lists for tests and treatment, whilst long waits have continued to rise, despite the current First Minister promising to eradicate them; is disappointed that the statutory 12-week Treatment Time Guarantee has been broken 680,000 times since it was introduced, and 320,000 times before the COVID-19 pandemic; notes that the Scottish Government’s NHS Recovery Plan commitment to deliver 55,500 additional inpatient and day-case procedures by 2025-26 will not be met, in light of its decision to pause the National Treatment Centres programme, and calls on the Scottish Ministers to urgently tackle delayed discharge to increase capacity and publish a revised plan for bringing down waiting lists, including clarifying whether it still intends to reduce waiting lists by 100,000 patients by 2026, and to set out the source of the £300 million funding package that it announced in October 2023. Neil Gray S6M-12455.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-12455 in the name of Jackie Baillie (Bringing Down NHS Waiting Lists), leave out from "is concerned" to end and insert "recognises the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on health service waiting times across the UK, and around the world; commends the dedicated NHS staff who work to provide the best care possible; believes that all long waits are regrettable and welcomes the progress in delivering a significant reduction for the longest waits; welcomes the opening of two National Treatment Centres within the last 12 months, with a further two centres opening in the coming months, which will provide capacity for an additional 20,000 procedures each year; notes that the Scottish Budget provides over £19.5 billion for health and social care, ensuring a real-terms uplift for the NHS in the face of UK Government austerity; acknowledges that, without the distinct and progressive approach to income tax in the Budget, the NHS and other public services would have £1.5 billion less funding; understands that the UK Government’s decision to cut the Scottish Government’s capital budget by £1.3 billion in real terms by 2027-28 has a direct impact on health infrastructure projects; believes that the £20 billion that the UK Government will lose as a result of its decision to cut national insurance should instead have been invested in NHS services and in infrastructure investment, and understands that the share of Barnett consequential funding that Scotland has lost as a result is around £1.6 billion, and believes that, in order to recover from the combined impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit and UK Government economic mismanagement, reform and innovation across the health service is required." Sandesh Gulhane S6M-12455.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-12455 in the name of Jackie Baillie (Bringing Down NHS Waiting Lists), after “programme” insert “; recognises with deep concern that the Scottish Government has provided no guarantee of when new healthcare investment will resume; notes with alarm that one in 10 patients in Scotland are forced to wait more than a year for a new outpatient appointment and more than a year and a half for an inpatient appointment; expresses further concern that, because of the increasing shortage of GPs, the true scale of the treatment backlog may be even higher, as patients find it increasingly difficult to access their GPs and obtain referral for diagnosis and treatment; condemns the consistent failure of the Scottish Government to pass on the full Barnett consequential funding for healthcare, cumulatively short-changing the NHS in Scotland by £17.6 billion; emphasises that long waits for treatment and diagnosis cause suffering and death”. followed by Scottish Labour Party Business: Growing Scotland’s Economy Daniel Johnson S6M-12457 That the Parliament recognises the crucial role that economic growth plays in delivering strong public services and social change; believes that, despite this, the Scottish Government has failed to use the powers that it has to grow Scotland’s economy and has instead presided over low growth and low productivity; notes the publication of the CBI-Fraser of Allander Institute Scottish Productivity Index 2024, which shows that Scotland is lagging behind the rest of the UK on 10 out of 13 productivity indicators; believes that this underperformance has serious implications for living standards and incomes and will place further pressure on Scotland’s struggling public services; calls on the Scottish Government to take a new approach to the economy, working in partnership with business to unleash the true economic potential of Scotland and its people, and notes the publication of the Scottish Labour Party’s Building a Business Case for Scotland and its proposals to use the soft power of Brand Scotland to increase exports and international investment, to simplify Scotland’s enterprise agency landscape so that it is better aligned to deliver innovation, promote growth and attract investment, to embed technology across the economy and in Scottish public services to support excellence and ensure future generations are tech and business ready, and to develop a clear skills plan with transition pathways into the green economy. Màiri McAllan S6M-12457.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-12457 in the name of Daniel Johnson (Growing Scotland’s Economy), leave out from "recognises" to end and insert "notes that, since 2007, Scotland’s GDP per capita has grown 10.8% in comparison to the UK’s growth of 5.6%; acknowledges that, over the same time period, productivity has increased at an annual average rate of 1% a year in Scotland compared with the UK’s 0.5% a year; welcomes the approach taken to the economy by the Scottish Government to build a collaborative relationship with business, industry, workers and trades unions and to create jobs through the development of a green industrial strategy; considers that, in Scotland, a near record high number of people are in payrolled employment and a higher proportion of workers earn the real Living Wage than in the other UK nations, while the gender pay gap and child poverty rates are lower also than the UK’s; recognises that the UK economic model has failed to deliver the prosperity to Scotland that is enjoyed by neighbouring countries; further recognises that the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts that the UK economy will be 4% smaller as a result of Brexit, a Brexit which is supported by three of the four largest parties in the UK Parliament, and agrees that the best way for Scotland to develop a wellbeing economy, and so match the economic success of Scotland’s northern European neighbours, is to become an independent EU member state." Murdo Fraser S6M-12457.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-12457 in the name of Daniel Johnson (Growing Scotland’s Economy), leave out from ", and notes" to end and insert "; recognises that ill health and long-term economic inactivity within Scotland are barriers to delivering growth, and calls on the Scottish Government to address these issues and deliver greater investment in education to provide long-term economic growth; notes that the income tax differential between Scotland and the rest of the UK is damaging business and is an obstacle to economic growth; further notes that this tax differential will become more pronounced with the introduction of the new “Advanced” tax band in the new financial year; calls on the Scottish Government to take steps to make income tax competitive with the rest of the UK to unleash Scotland’s economic potential, and further calls on the Scottish Government to look to the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party’s policy paper, Grasping the Thistle – Our plan for economic growth, for inspiration on how to grow Scotland’s economy through its proposals for making the delivery of strong, long-term growth the main economic priority of government, creating a joint Scottish economic board to bring together ministers from the Scottish and UK governments, delivering a national workforce plan, building regional clusters of excellence to deliver Scottish exporting success, and supporting key investments to create a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship." followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-12371 Sandesh Gulhane: International Long Covid Awareness Day 2024 That the Parliament recognises that 15 March 2024 is International Long Covid Awareness Day; understands that it is estimated that around 187,000 people have long COVID in Scotland, an estimated 10,000 of which are children; notes that long COVID can cause a myriad of debilitating and often life-altering symptoms; considers that a lack of awareness of long COVID exists among the public, employers, medical professionals and policy makers, and that there is often a stigma that negatively affects the mental health and wellbeing of people with long COVID; notes the view that current Scottish Government funding for initiatives does not go far enough in addressing any need for more effective treatment services and support for people with long COVID; further notes, with regret, the view that there has been a lack of progress in addressing consistency of access to diagnosis and treatment services, that there is a continuing postcode lottery for long COVID support, and that there remains little data for monitoring the current prevalence of long COVID in Scotland to inform the scale of required care; notes the belief that there is a need for clear referral pathways across all NHS boards, including access to multidisciplinary teams of specialists; highlights, with particular concern, reports that there are no specific services aimed at children or young people with long COVID in Scotland, and notes the calls for the Scottish Government to fully implement, without delay, the recommendations in the COVID-19 Recovery Committee report, Long COVID.