John Swinney
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“Since the report from several years ago was published, the Government has presided over the passage of legislation to rationalise that area of activity. Work is under way to transfer the responsibility for the funding of further education student support from the Scottish Funding Council to the Student Awards Agency Scotland.”
“I appreciate the urgency of the general policy elements of the question, because a number of applications are now being considered by planning authorities. My view is that, given the concerns that have been expressed by planning authorities, the Government has to be responsive to the issue.”
“For as long as we do not have a proper strategy on prison capacity, rehabilitation and clearing the court backlog, early release will be a revolving door, with people going in, coming out and going back into our prisons. Our justice system is in crisis, so we need a strategy.”
“I associate myself unreservedly Mr Cole-Hamilton’s comments about the feelings in the Muslim community. On Monday, I visited the Broomhouse mosque along with Simita Kumar and the Annandale Street mosque in Edinburgh with Ben Macpherson.”
“The development of further guidance will be undertaken in a manner consistent with the ruling by Lady Ross. Malcolm Offord: I thank the First Minister for his answer, which was more comprehensive than I expected.”
“I am a huge supporter of apprenticeship programmes. With foundation apprenticeships and graduate apprenticeships, the Government has brought forward important reforms that create new and successful pathways for young people. I am determined to make sure that every young person has that desirable pathway for their future.”
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“Those are some of the measures that the Scottish Government is taking to address the substance of our agenda—I agree with Mr Harvie that there are real concerns about that—in order to ensure that we address the real concerns and priorities of people in Scotland and the threat to our democracy from the far right. Patrick Harvie: It sounds as though the Government’s agenda after the summit is exactly the same as it was before the summit. There is a real sense of drift from the First Minister. He came into the job saying that he wanted to build the best future for our country. Since then, he has watered down rent controls, stalled on plans to help people to stop using expensive fossil fuels, abandoned progress on human rights and equalities laws and ditched environmental actions such as the creation of a new national park.”
“The Government has taken forward our agenda, which is about eradicating child poverty. I have just cited one example of our actions: taking measures to lift the two-child limit, which will lift children out of poverty. That is in stark contrast to the prevailing attitude of the United Kingdom Government. We have been working with different groups to make a rational argument for an approach to immigration that will boost our working-age population, because we recognise that, unless we do that, we will suffer extreme economic harm and have real difficulty in sustaining our public services. We have taken the steps that were announced this morning on carbon budgets. We are following the Climate Change Committee’s advice on the setting of budget limits and are deploying a programme that will tackle climate change.”
“Since 2020, the Scottish Government has provided £58 million of funding for zero-emission buses through the Scottish ultra-low-emission bus scheme and the Scottish zero-emission bus challenge fund. That fundamentally holes Mr Sarwar’s argument. Those funds have contributed to a situation in which, through its funding programmes, the Scottish Government has allocated 360 bus orders to Alexander Dennis— [Interruption.] The Presiding Officer: Let us hear the First Minister. The First Minister: We have done that as part of the process of supporting and assisting the work that is undertaken at Alexander Dennis. [Interruption.]”
“Now that the UK Procurement Act 2023 is in place, the SNP Government can disregard bids from non-treaty suppliers, which include countries such as China. Did John Swinney not understand the law, or did he make the usual SNP attempt to pass the buck, find somebody else to blame and show no interest in actually doing his job? The First Minister: If Mr Sarwar was to look carefully at what the company has said, he would see that it has expressed its appreciation of the engagement that it has had with the Scottish Government on all those questions. The company’s workforce are the only people I am interested in here. The company has expressed its appreciation of the Scottish Government’s sustained engagement in supporting its operations.”
“I hope that the fact that 360 Alexander Dennis buses have been ordered through Scottish Government funding programmes and 160 have been ordered by Manchester indicates that the Scottish Government has been supporting Alexander Dennis. Anas Sarwar: John Swinney did not answer the question. Since he received that letter almost a year ago, zero buses have been ordered from Alexander Dennis. He can try to waffle all he likes, but he cannot escape the fact that his Government has the powers and the resources to act but has failed to do so. The Cabinet Office has clearly set out how the SNP Scottish Government could have helped to ensure that contracts go to Scottish manufacturers to support Scottish jobs. He could have applied social value criteria, which help domestic suppliers, or he could have considered a direct award. He did neither.”
“Mr Sarwar is correct—I engaged with the company in August 2024, when I received correspondence from it, and I met it again in September. As a consequence of that interaction, we established work for Scottish Enterprise to do with the company to support it in securing its future. That work was taken forward as a consequence of that dialogue. The company subsequently contacted us, in the past few weeks, in relation to its more immediate situation. On bus orders, since 2020, Alexander Dennis has secured orders for more than 360 vehicles through Scottish Government funding programmes, and Manchester has ordered 160.”
“The First Minister: I am going to explain it to Parliament. Mr Findlay said that I had stopped exclusions in Scottish education, but I have just told Parliament that there were 11,676 exclusions in 2022-23, so that statement from Mr Findlay is false. [Interruption.]”
“As the First Minister knows fine well, there are different types of exclusion, rather than just putting children on to the streets, as he suggests. He virtually stopped exclusions, which is causing discipline to collapse. He turned teachers into social workers. He sent a dangerous message to disruptive pupils that they can get away with it. He fundamentally changed the classroom culture, and that is now harming children and their education. People in the real world know how to sort out the problem. We need a tougher approach, not laminated cards and inclusive chats. If pupils are violent or serially disruptive, we should exclude them. Will John Swinney end the barrage of guidance and—please—empower teachers to take a stricter approach? The First Minister: Mr Findlay has said something to Parliament that is palpably false. Members: Oh!”
“I simply point out to Parliament the inherent contradiction in what has been put to me. Two weeks ago, Mr Findlay said that we must make sure that young people are not exposed to criminal activity and, today, he is demanding that we exclude more young people from schools and put them at risk of being exposed to that criminal activity. The most recent figure that I have available is for 2022-23, when 11,676 exclusions were recorded in Scottish education. I accept that that figure is lower than it was in 2018-19, but it is still a very high level of exclusion of young people from our schools. We have to consider the implications of not getting our approach to inclusion correct in our schools, because there can be long-term damage to young people and our society as a consequence. Russell Findlay: That was absolutely desperate.”
“Where does the SNP actually stand on this? Has it U-turned? Does it now support exclusions to tackle bad behaviour or does the SNP not know where it stands? The First Minister: The guidance is crystal clear that exclusions are part of the approach that can be taken, but I am making it clear today that exclusions can have negative consequences for young people. Russell Findlay says that exclusions work. However, if a young person is excluded from school, they are not in the safe environment of school and are therefore likely to be out on the streets and, potentially, able to become involved in some of the criminal activity that Mr Findlay has put to me—in the past fortnight at First Minister’s question time—as being a risk to which young people are exposed.”
“Of course, I note that, this week, we saw that another very high level of positive destinations has been achieved by young people in Scotland. Russell Findlay: I am very confident of my interpretation of this document and I will let the teachers and pupils of Scotland decide what is in it. My party has long argued that a stricter approach is necessary to restore discipline in schools. We believe in exclusions for violence because they protect staff and pupils and because they work. The new SNP guidance says that exclusions should be considered only “as a last resort” and that, when they are considered, teachers still need to follow the guidance that was introduced by none other than John Swinney in 2017. That guidance has a 66-item checklist for teachers to consider while they are going through an exclusion process.”
“For some young people that involves addressing disruptive behaviour, and that is precisely what the guidance assists the teaching profession to try to do, with the assistance of other resources that the Government has put in place in our schools to address the underlying causes of unacceptable behaviour by young people. The guidance is designed to de-escalate situations in our schools to ensure that young people can participate in their education. If young people are unable to participate in their education, they are unlikely to go on to good outcomes in our society, which will mean that we will simply repeat the difficulties that we have seen for many years in relation to young people who do not go on to positive destinations.”
“It also says that disruptive pupils should be allowed to leave class two minutes early, which to me sounds like a reward rather than a punishment. The new guidance ends with 94 questions that teachers are supposed to ask themselves—94 questions; as if they have the time. So, on behalf of Scotland’s teachers, I have just one question for John Swinney: is this for real? The First Minister: I do not think for a moment that Mr Findlay’s presentation of the guidance is in any way, shape or form representative of what is actually there. The guidance is trying to ensure that situations in which there is violence in our schools are addressed and that problems are de- escalated and resolved. We have to ensure that every young person who engages with our education system is able to be well supported to fulfil their potential.”
“The challenge, which the guidance is focused on, is to put in place the necessary steps and measures to ensure that any disruptive behaviour is addressed, so that the overwhelming majority of young people who behave perfectly well and engage well in their schools are able to prosper in their education. Russell Findlay: If John Swinney really has listened to teachers, he seems to have gone on to completely ignore what they said. What does the guidance say should happen if a pupil commits an act of violence? It tells teachers to give violent pupils a laminated paper with a set of bullet points that tell them to think about their behaviour. It also suggests that a way to tackle unsafe behaviour is to have a “conversation to jointly problem solve with the child”.”
“It is always my priority to listen to the teaching profession. I did that throughout my time as education secretary. The guidance that Mr Findlay has cited is a consequence of the work that has been undertaken by ministers in consultation and dialogue with the teaching profession and other stakeholders in the world of education to make sure that that guidance is effective and necessary to support our education system. The guidance is founded on an important point that Mr Findlay made in his question, which is that disruption and disruptive behaviour in schools are the product of a minority of pupils.”
“That is alongside £2.9 million this year for the Family Fund’s Scotland grant programme for families on a low income who are raising a disabled child. I hope that that gives Karen Adam some confidence that the Government is standing with carers and recognising the invaluable contribution that they make to our society today. The Presiding Officer: That concludes First Minister’s question time. There will be a short suspension to allow the gallery and the chamber to clear. 12:46 Meeting suspended. 12:49 On resuming— Fornethy Survivors”
“We take a number of actions to support the invaluable role of carers in our society. We are investing more than £88 million a year in local carers support through funding for local authorities under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016. By the end of 2025, unpaid carers will be up to £4,400 better off due to the introduction of carers allowance supplement in 2018—a payment that is only available here in Scotland—with more than £330 million in payments to date. Through the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill, which was passed this week, we will establish a right to breaks from caring to support carers’ health and wellbeing. Ahead of that being introduced, we have increased funding for voluntary sector short breaks to £13 million, which includes £2.2 million for the Family Fund’s take a break Scotland programme for parent carers.”
“I am concerned to hear about that decision. The Government will make support available, through partnership action for continuing employment, to the employees who may well face the impact of redundancy. I would be very happy for the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, Jim Fairlie, to meet Mr Lumsden and his constituents to discuss the issue. Carers (Support)”
“I hope that that answer provides Mr Torrance with some context about the final decisions that have been made. Scotbeef (Closure)”
“Colleges play a vital role in our communities, which is why the budget for this year sees a 2.1 per cent uplift to the college resource allocation. It is important to be clear that the Scottish Funding Council has ensured that no college will see a reduction in teaching funding during this financial year compared with the previous one. Fife College will receive a 1.26 per cent increase in teaching funding and a 4.9 per cent increase in capital maintenance funding in the final allocations. Of course, next year, the college will be moving into new facilities in the Dunfermline learning campus, which have been supported by tens of millions of pounds of Scottish Government investment. Operational decisions, including those regarding course provision and staffing, are, of course, a matter for individual colleges.”
“The Government and I greatly value the vital role that social care workers play in delivering high-quality care services across Scotland. Pay negotiations are a matter for trade unions and employers, so I would urge both parties to work together to reach an agreement that is fair for the workforce and affordable for Enable. I would encourage that to be the case. Fife College (Funding)”
“I am sorry to hear that information from Pam Gosal about Clydebank Women’s Aid. The Government has taken a number of steps to legislate for action on domestic abuse, not least of which is the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, which created a specific offence of domestic abuse that incorporates coercive and controlling behaviour. This year, the delivering equally safe fund will provide £21.6 million to 115 projects that focus on preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls. Those projects will be available to ensure that there is support in communities the length and breadth of Scotland to assist women who are facing domestic abuse. I will take the opportunity after this question time to ensure that there is support under that funding scheme to provide relevant and appropriate access in the Clydebank area.”
“The point that Mr Doris has put to me is an important one. I will ask the Minister for Equalities to discuss the specific case with Mr Doris so that she can obtain the details and make the necessary representations to the United Kingdom Government. The point that Mr Doris raises will have wider application in Scotland. Many individuals are here on temporary arrangements as a consequence of the illegal invasion of Ukraine. Scotland has welcomed those individuals, who make a huge contribution to our society. There is a general issue, and the affected individuals would benefit from clarity. I will ensure that the minister gets in touch with Mr Doris, and we will make representations about that case and the wider issue to the UK Government. Clydebank Women’s Aid (Closure)”
“There will be a full opportunity for the points that Sarah Boyack has made to be considered by the SFRS. Work Visas (Ukrainian Nationals)”
“The issue that Sarah Boyack raises is one that falls within the responsibility of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. I am not clear in my mind about what stage the Marionville proposal is at, but, in general terms, the SRFS’s delivery review includes 23 options for change, which will be the subject of a full public consultation that will commence at the end of this month. I imagine that the proposal that Sarah Boyack has asked me about is part of that process, so it will be the subject of dialogue as part of the consultation. As I said in response to a question a few weeks ago, which I think was from Rachael Hamilton, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service must, in coming to any operational decisions, be mindful of the demand for intervention and the pattern of activity that places demands on its services.”
“Marionville Fire Station (Proposed Closure)”
“As my answers today have shown, I am trying to handle the issue without making any party-political remarks. However, I must point out to Mr Simpson that the Subsidy Control Act 2022 was legislated for by the Conservative United Kingdom Government. It is UK legislation that we are obliged by law to follow. I cannot act in a fashion that is outwith the provisions of the law, because I will not be enabled to do so—I will not have a legal basis for acting in such a fashion. There are ways in which we can work with the UK Government to address the issue. That is the spirit in which we have entered discussions on the issue. The Deputy First Minister has discussed it with the Secretary of State for Scotland, and I have discussed it with the company. We will do everything that we can to address the situation.”
“We are exploring those issues with the United Kingdom Government, and I give Mr Matheson an absolute assurance that the Scottish Government will enter the consultation determined to safeguard the future of employment in his constituency.”
“I entirely understand Mr Matheson’s deep concern about the implications of the situation at Alexander Dennis for his constituency. Throughout all his time in the Parliament, he has been assiduous in supporting the company and enabling and supporting its development. As I indicated in my earlier answers, we have had a number of programmes of investment in Alexander Dennis. I hope that that gives Mr Matheson an assurance of the Government’s commitment. Although bus orders have been undertaken with and delivered by Alexander Dennis, the company has highlighted to us the significant restrictions that exist in the current competitive climate because of the implications of the Subsidy Control Act 2022 for the ability of public sector procurement to take account of local content, job retention and job creation.”
“Mr Choudhury specifically raises the issue of dermatology services. The Government is rolling out a digital dermatology service, which involves all general practices in the country. As part of the reforms that we are undertaking, the service aims to reduce the times for which individuals are waiting for dermatology processes by improving the flow and handling of cases. I assure Mr Choudhury that those measures are being progressed by the Government with the aim of addressing the issue that he puts to me.”
“He does not know when he will be seen, and his skin condition and mental health are getting worse. In NHS Lothian, the number of people who are waiting for more than 52 weeks to see a dermatologist has doubled in the past year. Will the First Minister admit that his Government has lost control of waiting times for specialist care, and will he apologise to my constituent? The First Minister: As I have made clear on a number of occasions, there are individuals who are waiting too long for treatment. There are many people who are treated timeously in the NHS, but there are also many people who are waiting too long. I regret and apologise for the fact that people are waiting too long. We are trying to recover services as quickly as possible following the Covid pandemic—that work has the focus of the Government.”
“We recognise the importance of transparent and regular communication with patients, which is why we have in place a standard package of communications that all health boards should be providing. Our revised waiting times guidance, which was published in December 2023, ensures that patients are provided with clear communications throughout their care journey, setting out what they should expect while they are waiting for their appointment, test or treatment. To assist patients in accessing waiting time information prior to treatment, Public Health Scotland offers an online platform that sets out initial planned care waiting times, indicating typical wait durations over the past quarter. Foysol Choudhury: It has been more than a year since my constituent was referred to a dermatologist.”
“As I have indicated before in the Parliament, Demi Hannaway’s case is tragic, and I express my sympathies to her family. I will explore the details of the issues that Mr Kerr has put on the record today to determine whether any further action or intervention can be taken, subject to respecting the operational independence of the Scottish Prison Service to arrive at its judgments. I note that the Lord Advocate has instructed an investigation into the circumstances of Demi’s death, and that is under way.”
“has left us sickened to our stomachs.” A violent monster such as Brown should not be walking the streets just a year after being sentenced to almost four years. Is the First Minister seriously telling Helen that home leave is working as intended? If not, how will he change it? The First Minister: As I indicated in my answer to Mr Kerr’s first question, management and decisions relating to home leave are an operational matter for the Scottish Prison Service, which has to make careful judgments about each individual case. Mr Kerr has put information into the parliamentary discussion just now. I understand that the individual in question has not been granted home leave; he has had unescorted day release, which is a different concept in the process.”
“The management of decisions relating to home leave is an operational matter for the Scottish Prison Service. All decisions are subject to robust risk assessment and risk management planning. If released, individuals are subject to licence conditions and can be recalled to custody if those are breached. The use of home leave and temporary release is a well-established and necessary part of preparing an individual for eventual release and reintegration to the community. Liam Kerr: A year into a four-year sentence for repeatedly subjecting Demi Hannaway to appalling mental and physical abuse, even while she was pregnant, violent thug Andrew Brown will get home leave, with one week a month out of prison. Demi’s mum, Helen, said: “We had not been consulted or warned ... The very thought that we could have walked right into him ...”
“The Government will have to respond to that, and we will have to address those issues as part of the medium-term financial strategy, the spending review and the budget for successive years. It demonstrates that the United Kingdom is not providing the sustained investment in public services that is required as a consequence of the years of austerity. We need to invest to grow, and that was not delivered by the spending review yesterday. Home Leave for Prisoners 5.”
“Across the UK, 276,000 jobs have been lost since Labour’s October budget, with another 109,000 losses expected in May. Annual UK debt interest payments now stand at more than £133 billion— £2,000 for every man, woman and child in the UK. Amid that economic mismanagement, what will be the impact on Scotland’s economy of lower-than- average funding over the next three years relative to UK departments, with Scotland being short- changed by £1,100 million over that period? The First Minister: The implications of the spending review are that the real-terms growth in the Scottish block grant will be 0.8 per cent a year, which is lower than the 1.5 per cent average for UK departments. That demonstrates the scale of the financial challenge that we face in Scotland.”
“The United Kingdom Government’s spending review has left Scotland facing real-terms growth of 0.8 per cent a year for our overall block grant funding, which is lower than the 1.5 per cent average for UK departments. Had our day-to-day resource funding grown in line with overall UK Government spending, we would have more than £1.1 billion more to spend on our priorities by 2028-29. That all comes on top of the additional hike in employer national insurance contributions and the planned cuts to support for disabled people. Those are the realities of the spending review that need to be understood in Scotland today. Kenneth Gibson: In April, the UK economy shrank by 0.3 per cent—that is more than £712 million—following the devastating impact of Labour’s increase in employer national insurance contributions, which is a blatant jobs tax.”
“If anyone needs an explanation of why Scotland would benefit from being an independent country, it comes in the fact that, as was confirmed yesterday, the spending review is predicated on an attack on the poorest and the most vulnerable in our society by a Labour Government. Anyone who was thinking that attacks on the poor and the vulnerable in our society were the exclusive preserve of the Conservative Party got a rude awakening yesterday, because they are the preserve of the Labour Party into the bargain. The answer to the seesaw politics of Westminster attacking the poor and the vulnerable is for Scotland to be an independent country. The sooner that happens, the better. Spending Review 2025 4.”
“Does the First Minister agree that now is the time to demand that Keir Starmer set out exactly what conditions he believes need to be met to trigger an independence referendum for Scotland, so that we can get out of this unequal union? The First Minister: I agree with Lorna Slater about the importance of Scotland becoming an independent country. I think that it is democratically unacceptable—[Interruption.] The Presiding Officer: Let us hear one another. The First Minister: I think that it is democratically unacceptable for the will of the Scottish Parliament, which has demanded the power to hold a referendum on independence, to be ignored by the United Kingdom Government. I agree entirely with Lorna Slater on that point.”
“The Parliament will be familiar with the financial challenges that we face, which were not eased by yesterday’s spending review. We will, of course, engage constructively with other parties about how we can take forward the important commitments to enhance the educational opportunities of children and young people in Scotland. Lorna Slater: Expanding free school meals is one way to build the fairer, greener country that we know Scotland can be. However, children in Scotland will still be forced into poverty thanks to a Labour Government that is balancing the books on the backs of the poorest while the wealthiest grow ever richer. The United Kingdom Government could have scrapped the cruel two-child benefit cap this week, but it did not. Scotland is tired of mitigating Westminster’s mistakes.”
“I unreservedly accept the importance of food provision in our schools and tackling the issue of children who come to school hungry. Ensuring that children have a good and solid meal during the day is addressed as part of the Government’s policy programme, so there is no disagreement between Lorna Slater and me on that question. The Government has taken pragmatic decisions within the finances that are available to us to expand the programme to primary 6 and 7 pupils who are eligible for the Scottish child payment, and we are obviously taking forward the pilot exercises for secondary pupils, which were the subject of constructive dialogue with the Green Party during the budget negotiations. I am committed to doing as much as we can.”
“That is what Scotland gets from the business- friendly SNP Government. [Interruption.]”
“The First Minister: What is clear from the data is that the improvements in gross domestic product per capita in Scotland under the Scottish Government since we came to office have been superior to those in the rest of the United Kingdom. The data tells us that the Scottish economy in terms of GDP per capita has grown at a faster rate in Scotland than in the rest of the United Kingdom. As a Government, we take a number of steps to invest in the economy. We are supporting investment in key sectors of the economy, such as renewable energy, and we are actively involved in investing in the skills system to support the development of the economy. We assist companies by having a competitive business rates regime in Scotland, which reduces the burden of business rates on companies, enabling them to invest in their business operations.”
“Russell Findlay: That is more smoke and mirrors from John Swinney. He does not seem to know the figures, so let me help him. SNP tax rises for hard-working Scots should result in £1.7 billion more to spend, but, because the SNP-run economy lags behind the economy in the rest of the UK, the Scottish Fiscal Commission says that the Scottish Government has only £600 million more to spend. Under the SNP, there is a £1.1 billion economic performance gap—and that is just this year. Last year, it was another £1 billion. Over the past 10 years, according to the SFC, the economic performance gap between Scotland and the rest of the UK adds up to £5.4 billion. Does John Swinney now realise that anti-business SNP policies are costing Scotland a fortune?”
“The important point to consider is that the extra revenue that is raised as a consequence of the tax decisions that we have taken in Scotland enables us to invest in public services and other interventions that support the Government’s policy agenda. Those changes and differences are well acknowledged and well understood in Scotland. For example, we have a much more significant provision of early learning and childcare in Scotland, which meets the needs of families. In addition, the Scottish child payment helps to keep children out of poverty. In Scotland, we have a falling child poverty rate, whereas child poverty rates are rising in the rest of the United Kingdom. There are differences in policy outcomes that come from the Government’s decisions to ask people on higher incomes to pay slightly more in taxation.”
“That decision can be made next week by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and I encourage the chancellor to take the decision to approve the Acorn project. We have waited far too long for that decision. Decision Time 12:46”
“The Government is taking a number of steps to ensure that we support a just transition to net zero in the Scottish economy. Part of that involves a focused approach to investment in renewables, which will have significant benefits to Jackie Dunbar’s constituents. What would also help us in our climate change journey, which is now absolutely critical and pressing, is support from the United Kingdom Government for the Acorn carbon capture and storage project. It is critical that that agreement is given in the spending review next week. We have waited far too long for that. I was promised support for the project by the previous UK Conservative Government, but it failed to deliver. It is now incumbent on the UK Labour Government to take a step that will give us a strategic foundation to our approach to tackling climate change.”
“I am sorry to hear of the experience of Mr Ross’s constituent, and I wish Sarah Beaton well in her recovery. The circumstances that Mr Ross has set out are unacceptable. The health service should be able to address those issues faster, which is why the Government is concentrating on work to reduce long waits and investing to ensure that more procedures are undertaken. In an answer to Anas Sarwar earlier, I cited that, during the early part of this year, we were able to exceed the targets that we expected to meet on early intervention through procedures. That underpins the approach that the Government is taking to address the situation. We have allocated more than £8.8 million to health boards to target long waits for gynaecology, in particular, to avoid the situation that Mr Ross recounted.”
“National Health Service Waiting Times (Gynaecology)”