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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“That is why we put record funding in place, and it is also why Ms Baillie could not find it within herself to back the Government’s budget. She is not interested in investing in the national health service—it is just politics, politics, politics for Jackie Baillie. Rent Increases (Controls) 3.”
“Those figures are a demonstration of the national health service’s achievements. Most importantly, we are treating more cancer patients on time, within both standards, compared with the same quarter five years ago: the figures are 4.5 per cent more patients being seen within the 31-day standard and 1.6 per cent more within the 62-day standard. Jackie Baillie mentioned mental health services. For the first time, we are now meeting the 18-week treatment standard for child and adolescent mental health services, which reflects an important commitment to support the mental health of children and young people in our society. Yes, there are challenges, but this Government is absolutely focused on delivering on the national health service.”
“They deserve more than the SNP’s hollow apologies and half- baked plans that never get delivered. Is it not the case that, after 18 years in charge, if the SNP had a plan to fix the NHS, it would have done it by now? The First Minister: Well, that is just what we hear from Jackie Baillie every single week, and it ignores—[Interruption.] It ignores the facts of what is going on. Jackie Baillie raised some really important issues about cancer care. I want to reassure members of the public—[Interruption.] The Presiding Officer: Let us hear one another. The First Minister: It is not good enough for Jackie Baillie to create alarm by putting those questions. Let us take the 31-day treatment standard. Some 94.7 per cent of patients were treated within 31 days of a decision to treat. The median wait is four days.”
“Jackie Baillie: Once again, we see the SNP spin machine wanting to pretend that everything is fine, but John Swinney cannot escape his record. After a global pandemic, he was the one who cut hundreds of millions of pounds from Scotland’s GPs, social care and mental health budgets. What is the result? Cancer targets are missed, waiting lists are out of control, deadly disease diagnosis is delayed and thousands of patients are forced to go private. However, we should not worry—the fifth NHS recovery plan in four years will definitely sort it all out. When it does not, there is still time to fit in a few more before the election. NHS nurses, doctors and ambulance workers are not fooled. Neither are 800,000 Scots who are stuck in pain on an NHS waiting list.”
“We have invested in general practice to ensure that it is strong to meet the needs of the current period. We have also invested in broadening the staff base in general practice and in recruitment through health boards to ensure that allied health professionals are able to contribute to meeting the demand that, as a result of the Covid pandemic, now presents itself in the national health service. Let me assure Jackie Baillie that the Government is absolutely focused on delivering improvements in the national health service. We are beginning to see the fruits of that plan, which is resulting in more procedures, more activity and more engagement in the national health service. There will be more of that to come in the period ahead, because the Government has put a record sum of money in to support the service.”
“Dr Iain Morrison, chair of the British Medical Association’s Scottish GP committee, told the BBC that general practice is at “crisis point”. Is he wrong? The First Minister: I accept that, as I have said throughout all my answers about the health service since I became First Minister, there are challenges. Jackie Baillie ignores the impact on population health of a global pandemic that has had a colossal impact not just on the health service in Scotland but across the United Kingdom and in every affected country in the world. I recognise the challenges in the NHS. On GPs, we have seen an increase in numbers—the total headcount—by 307 since 2017. In Scotland, we already have 82 GPs per 100,000 of population, compared to 64 in England, 67 in Wales and 75 in Northern Ireland.”
“I accept that there are challenges, but the Scottish Government is focused on delivering progress for the people of Scotland, and that is what we are delivering now. Jackie Baillie: The First Minister talks as if this is year zero. It is not. After 18 years in charge of our NHS, there is no one else left to blame. Let us take the crisis in primary care as an example. Back in 2018, the SNP unveiled a big new plan with the usual fanfare. It promised to deliver 800 more general practitioners. The result is that, today, there are fewer whole-time equivalent GPs while demand has soared. In fact, since 2013, the number of whole-time equivalent GPs has fallen by more than 200 while the SNP has cut funding time and again. It is the SNP’s constant cycle of failure: create a problem, announce a plan and things get worse, so rinse and repeat.”
“No—I do not agree with that. I accept that there are challenges in the national health service, and I am very candid about that. I set out in my speech at the National Robotarium in January exactly how the Scottish Government is going about addressing that. Let me give Jackie Baillie some reassurance about the progress that we are making. In April 2024, the Scottish Government provided additional funding to NHS boards to deliver 64,000 additional procedures by March 2025. By the end of January, 75,500 additional procedures had been delivered. We promised 64,000 over a whole year, and within 10 months we delivered 75,500. In addition to that, all four key radiology diagnostic tests have shown a 4 per cent decrease in the total waiting list size for diagnostic tests.”
“Russell Findlay: When I speak with representatives of the Scotch whisky industry, they tell me that it is the Scottish Government that they are worried about. We need to maximise the opportunities for Scottish businesses to sell their products abroad, which will help to grow our economy and to fund public services. Last year, the Scottish Government announced a USA export plan to identify the best opportunities for Scottish businesses, but within months it was cancelled. We called that decision short-sighted at the time. Was it a mistake? Ahead of his trip to New York for tartan week, will John Swinney reverse that decision and produce a new USA export plan? The First Minister: I find that line of questioning very odd, coming from a party that wants the Scottish Government to scale back—”
“I point out that, when the Conservative Government was in power, it was not shy about putting tax on Scotch whisky into the bargain. It is nice to know that Mr Findlay has had a conversion on the road to Damascus on that particular question. Significant issues affect the Scotch whisky industry. That is why the Government has had extensive dialogue with the Scotch Whisky Association, and it is why I will be engaging with it when I am in the United States over the next few days to mark tartan week. I assure Mr Findlay that the Government will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that we take forward the concerns of the industry and will work with the United Kingdom Government and the industry to protect its prospects, given that it contributes very significantly to the economic wellbeing of Scotland.”
“Russell Findlay: The Scottish Chambers of Commerce says that many of our firms will now struggle to survive. The US is the largest overseas market for Scotch whisky, which is worth almost £1 billion in annual sales. When US tariffs on Scotch were introduced, six years ago, they cost the industry £600 million in lost sales. Deploying some diplomatic understatement, the Scotch Whisky Association says that it is “disappointed” by the new tariffs. Help is needed. Those tariffs follow an increase in whisky duty that was imposed by the UK Government six months ago. Will the Scottish Government back my call for the UK Labour Government to lower its record- high tax on whisky? The First Minister: The United Kingdom Government will make its financial decisions, and Mr Findlay is well able to make his representations to it.”
“That is absolutely what the Scottish Government and our enterprise agencies are doing. On all occasions, we work with the business community to strengthen the economic prospects of and opportunities for Scotland. The imposition of tariffs is not good news. It will be damaging for economic activity not only in Scotland and the United Kingdom but across the world. What was applied yesterday will also have negative implications for the population of the United States. We will, of course, engage with the United Kingdom Government, which carries the responsibility for international trade as part of the constitutional settlement. We have been engaging for some time, and we will continue to do so as part of our efforts to promote and protect Scottish business.”
“I move, That the Parliament expresses its deep sadness at the death of Christina McKelvie MSP; offers its profound sympathy and condolences to her family and friends, and recognises her significant and widely appreciated contribution to Scottish politics and public life through years of dedicated service to her constituents in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, as a champion for social justice, as a convener of two Scottish Parliament committees, and as a Scottish Government minister since 2018. [Applause.] 14:12”
“My Government has lost an outstanding minister, my party has lost one of its finest parliamentarians, and many people—of all parties and of none—have lost a true friend. However, I know that we will all feel the glow of Christina’s warmth for years to come. There are tough days in political leadership. If you were ever having one, Christina McKelvie would make you feel better, with warmth, hope, encouragement and always with laughter. I am so profoundly grateful that my life has been blessed by the friendship and the love of one of Parliament’s finest: Christina McKelvie.”
“Christina was a much-loved member of the SNP family, but it was of course her own family that brought her the greatest happiness in her life. Everyone who knew Christina and her partner— our parliamentary colleague and my party’s deputy leader, Keith Brown—could see how much happiness they brought each other. She spoke always of her pride in her sons, Jack and Lewis, as they grew up, and, more recently, Christina had the unbridled joy of becoming a granny. I express my deepest sympathy and that of the Government to all of Christina’s family and friends at their very personal loss. In Christina’s heart, there was room for all of us. She was one of the kindest and most generous people I have ever met in my life.”
“She was a lifelong campaigner on nuclear disarmament, a proud feminist, a staunch socialist, a committed trade unionist, a nationalist and an internationalist, deeply devoted to Scotland realising her potential as an independent nation at the heart of Europe. In all, Christina did make every day count. Even in recent years, when facing her cancer diagnosis, Christina was still thinking of others. She publicly encouraged women to check themselves and to attend their screening appointments. She was so passionate about trying to improve the lives of others through her work as Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy that she was determined not to step back from her duties until she absolutely had to last summer.”
“Christina fought to support those at risk of domestic abuse by championing Clare’s law, which allows the disclosure of previous violent and abusive behaviour. She worked to tackle the stigma surrounding menopause. She launched the world’s first strategy to tackle loneliness and social isolation. She campaigned to improve the lives of Gypsy Travellers in Scotland. She fought to protect girls by introducing legislation banning female genital mutilation. Every cause to which Christina devoted herself was underpinned by the core values that she held throughout her life: equalities, fairness and social justice.”
“Many an image-conscious parliamentary colleague—there are some—will recall that feeling of absolute trepidation as Christina, armed with all sorts of pink paraphernalia, would hunt down members to ensure that they all played their part in the campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer. I can confidently say that the only person on the planet who could persuade me to wear endless pink paraphernalia would be Christina McKelvie. Christina campaigned for better support for people living with MND in honour of her late father. She was a key parliamentary supporter of the Time for Inclusive Education campaign, which led to inclusive education being embedded in every school in Scotland. The diligent persuasion that Christina undertook—quietly—was crucial in my decision to make it happen.”
“The scheme allowed constituents attending food banks to access vital heating or power to cook their food, and having successfully trialled it in Hamilton, Scottish Power rolled it out in other areas. To date, the plan has helped around 20,000 families or individuals. Christina did not seek personal credit for that wonderful initiative, but it is clear that she was absolutely crucial to its creation. Christina’s achievements in Parliament and in ministerial office are no less impressive. She was rightly proud of her work as convener of two committees: the European and External Relations Committee and the Equalities and Human Rights Committee. As you mentioned, Presiding Officer, she sponsored the very first wear it pink day in the Scottish Parliament in support of Breast Cancer Now, long before her own diagnosis.”
“Christina began her career in social work services and entered the trade union movement as a member of Unison. Elected politics beckoned. Entering this Parliament in 2007, Christina quickly made her mark as one of its most energetic and engaging members. She was a tireless champion and campaigner for the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency that she loved. Her efforts for her constituents who were struggling, particularly with energy bills, stand out for me as something that she did on behalf of some of the most vulnerable in her community. In 2018, alongside her council colleague Julia Marrs, Christina worked with Scottish Power to establish a quick credit voucher scheme to support those in fuel poverty.”
“For the last week of Christina’s life, her family placed a yellow rose by her side. I have been rereading an interview that Christina gave a few years ago, in which she recounted the day that her dad learned of his MND diagnosis. He came to her school, rounded up Christina and her siblings and told the protesting headteacher that, although his kids could come to school any day, they could not always spend a day with their dad. He then took them to the cinema to see “Star Wars”. On what was a devastating day, I think that I understand the lesson that Christina’s dad wanted to impart to his young children. Judging by the way that Christina recounted that story all those years later, it is clear that she did, too. Every day counts, and we should make every day count. That was certainly how Christina went on to live her life.”
“She also saw the very best in people; in particular, she drew enormous inspiration from her mum, her dad and her grandparents. Over the years, Christina spoke a lot about how those experiences had shaped her beliefs and her values, and made her determined to address the injustice that she had witnessed as a child. Christina’s dad was diagnosed with motor neurone disease when she was just nine years old. She saw not only how her mum cared for her dad with such love as his illness progressed, but how she worked nights to support her four children at a time when there was scandalously little support available from the state. Christina associated a yellow rose with her late mother. You, Presiding Officer, my colleagues and many others are, as I am, wearing the yellow rose in their honour today.”
“It is with great sadness that I rise to move the motion in my name to honour my colleague and friend Christina McKelvie MSP and to express our thanks for the profound effect that she had on all our lives. I thank the other parties in the chamber for offering their debating time today to allow more of my party colleagues to make their tributes. It is an act of generosity that is deeply valued by us all. Last week, I used the term “force of nature” to describe Christina’s life. Although it is a frequently used term, in Christina's case, it was entirely justified. She was born in Glasgow in the late 1960s, and was very proud of her Easterhouse roots. Growing up, she saw at first hand her fair share of injustice affecting her family and her community.”
“The Presiding Officer: That concludes First Minister’s question time. There will be a short suspension to allow those who are leaving the chamber and the gallery to do so. 12:46 Meeting suspended. 12:48 On resuming— Black Watch (300th Anniversary)”
“I stress the importance of there being effective dialogue between Police Scotland and local communities. That dialogue is one channel through which we will establish an understanding and awareness of some of the challenges that exist in local areas. I hope that Mr Mundell and I can agree that such understanding and awareness does not necessarily always have to be through attendance at community council meetings, because there are a lot of community councils across Scotland. However, there has to be good, engaged local dialogue, which I know will take place with the local authority in Dumfries and Galloway. Such dialogue must be satisfactory in ensuring that Police Scotland is aware of the issues in and aspirations of local areas. I will seek the view of the chief constable on that point and will write to Mr Mundell with further details.”
“There will need to be a wider conversation between the Government and the integration joint board to address the concerns that have been properly put to me by members today.”
“In the recent budget that Parliament passed, the Government did two things that potentially help to address the issues that Pam Duncan-Glancy puts to me. First, we increased the health and social care budget to more than £21 billion to ensure that there was an uplift that would enable investment in local services. We also delivered a real-terms increase in local authority funding for core services to enable local authorities, which are the other contributors to integration joint boards. Clearly, I have had questions from Mr Doris and Mr Sweeney on the Notre Dame Centre, and a question from Pam Duncan-Glancy on the care-at- home service, all of which relate to the integration joint board in Glasgow.”
“The visit would be an indication of my warm appreciation of the strength of the school and what it does for the children of that community. [Applause.] Supported Living Service (Glasgow)”
“Not for the first time in my life, I find myself in huge agreement with Mr Carlaw’s comments. I appreciate the way in which he has expressed that point. The contrast of the material that Mr Carlaw has put on the record could not make his point more strongly. The education provision by the school has been acknowledged by Education Scotland and His Majesty’s chief inspector of education to be outstanding, and the outside of the school has been targeted by utterly unacceptable behaviour, which never had any place in Scottish society and certainly does not have any place in Scottish society in 2025. I endorse entirely Mr Carlaw’s comments. Perhaps the best way through this is if Mr Carlaw and I visit St Joseph’s school. We could have a question-and-answer session to see how we both get on at the school in front of the pupils.”
“Those concerns have been raised with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Glasgow City Council, but I would be happy to meet Mr Doris to discuss those questions. I understand his long-standing connection with the Notre Dame Centre and his appreciation of its work, and I would be happy to meet him and the centre to hear the concerns that he has raised in Parliament today. St Joseph’s”
“It would be inappropriate for me to specify where police officers should be located, other than to reassure communities that, where the intelligence that is actively scrutinised by Police Scotland identifies the potential for violence to emerge in our society, that will be responded to by Police Scotland and resources will be allocated accordingly. In the budget, the Government has allocated £1.62 billion to support police capacity and capability, which represents an increase of £57 million in resource funding to enable our police to undertake the roles that we expect them to undertake. There is now capital funding in place that is assisting with the renewal of the estate, technology and fleet activities, and investment in body-worn video camera equipment has been rolled out for the first area of the country in the past few days.”
“Ash Regan: The very serious concerns that were raised at the Scottish Police Federation conference over issues such as officer burnout and underresourcing leading to reactive policing must be urgently addressed to support our police, who, in turn, support our communities’ safety. Edinburgh residents have the right to reassurance from visible, proactive policing and the right to not be left at the risk of being caught up in gang warfare. Will the First Minister commit today to reviewing the allocation formula for police funding for Edinburgh and consider targeted support for policing in areas of rising gang activity? The First Minister: Those issues and judgments are a matter for the chief constable in the exercise of her operational responsibility for control of policing.”
“I am grateful to Ash Regan for her comments on my dear colleague. I am deeply concerned by recent incidents in Edinburgh and am fully supportive of Police Scotland’s efforts to apprehend those responsible. Although it would be inappropriate to comment on the investigation itself, I reassure members that significant resource is being put into the scrutiny of closed-circuit television footage and that door-to- door inquiries and increased patrols are being deployed in the area. I encourage anyone who has information to report it directly to Police Scotland. There are, of course, a range of other measures that are being taken in relation to the work of the serious organised crime task force and its key partners to disrupt, deter and detect serious organised crime. That remains an absolute priority for all partners.”
“Obviously, Scottish Water will procure external construction support to enhance water infrastructure, and I think that we would all accept that that is necessary to ensure value for money for the public purse. Scottish Water invested more than £1 billion in 2023-24 and plans to invest a total of £6 billion across the current regulatory period of 2021 to 2027. I cannot overstate the importance of that, given the fact that we are experiencing—as was made clear by a question last week—wildfires in Scotland in March. I leave that sentence for Parliament to think about. We are having wildfires in Scotland in March when the weather should be significantly wetter, so we now have to cope with such circumstances. That is an illustration of the challenges that we are facing, and I very much endorse the approach that Mercedes Villalba set out.”
“Does the First Minister agree that the people of Scotland deserve public services that reinvest profits in-house, rather than outsourcing and privatising public goods by the back door? Does he support that principle? The First Minister: I very much support the principle of water being owned in the public sector and managed in the interests of the public sector. That is exactly what Scottish Water does, and that is certainly different from water management systems in England, which are privatised and are of poorer quality, less resilient and more expensive and do not operate as firmly in the public interest as Scottish Water does. The model that Mercedes Villalba talks about is the model that I believe is in place in Scotland.”
“From May, SEPA will provide weekly water scarcity reports to update key sectors and stakeholders on the position. I thank Mercedes Villalba for her kind remarks about Christina McKelvie. Mercedes Villalba: I thank the First Minister for that response. Any commitment from the Scottish Government to improve the resilience of our water system is welcome. Upgrading our water infrastructure will be crucial to preventing water scarcity, flash flooding and wildfires. However, according to the outgoing chief executive of Scottish Water, the company is investing only 40 per cent of what is required to upgrade our water infrastructure, while, at the same time, we are seeing it becoming increasingly reliant on outsourcing services, maintenance and upgrades to private interests.”
“Climate change is driving more extreme weather conditions in Scotland. This month, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency reported that Scotland has had a drier than average winter. Scotland’s national water scarcity plan sets out how water resources will be managed during periods of prolonged dry weather. As part of that plan, the Scottish Government, SEPA and Scottish Water have established rigorous processes to monitor the situation and to support those affected. Summer is usually a crucial time of the year for water demand and, potentially, for water shortages. It is important that water users and abstractors are aware of the risk of water scarcity, so that we can all help to reduce the pressure on the water environment.”
“However, if we are truly to meet the challenges with mental wellbeing that young people are experiencing today, which I think have been exacerbated by the Covid pandemic and other factors in our society, we must put in place the early intervention services that were somewhat missing from the NHS Tayside announcement.”
“I give Mr Fraser an assurance that the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care is working very closely with NHS Tayside and other boards to ensure that the model that I have just explained to Parliament is the one that people feel and experience, because that model has the potential to better meet the needs of young people in Scotland. By way of reassurance, I say to Mr Fraser and to Parliament that, for the first time ever, national performance has met the 18-week CAMHS standard, with 90.6 per cent of children and young people starting treatment within 18 weeks of referral. That progress has been made because, in the past decade, we have increased CAMHS staffing levels by 63 per cent.”
“What NHS Tayside is trying to do is recognise that early intervention support can be available in the community to assist young people who present with mental wellbeing challenges. If we provide such early intervention, that will eventually reduce pressure on child and adolescent mental health services, so that they can focus support on those children who have a more acute clinical requirement for such support. That is what is proposed, but I do not think that that has been particularly well communicated to members of the public.”
“Elsewhere in Scotland, we see similar issues with long waiting times of five years or more arising from a severe shortage of qualified professionals and, therefore, an inability for health services to meet the rising level of demand. What action is the Scottish Government taking to address the concern of many young people and their parents that they will not now be able to access the help that they desperately need? The First Minister: I have considerable sympathy with the points that Mr Fraser has made. I am very concerned by the manner in which the proposals that have been set out by NHS Tayside have been communicated, because they are likely to have caused alarm. Indeed, as the member of the Scottish Parliament for Perthshire North, I have seen evidence of that in my inbox. I accept that the proposals have not been well communicated.”
“Long waits for support are unacceptable, which is why we are working closely with health boards and local authorities to ensure that they are tackled. As part of that work, we have allocated £123 million to health boards this year to support improvements across a range of mental health services, including neurodevelopmental services. Murdo Fraser: As I am sure the First Minister will be aware, last week NHS Tayside announced that it would no longer accept referrals for diagnosis of autism and ADHD in children or adolescents unless they have other mental health conditions—a decision that the National Autistic Society has described as “beyond comprehension”.”
“Mr Gibson has my assurance that those values will always be at the heart of the decisions that the Scottish Government takes. I want to ensure that we put our focus into the necessary work to eradicate child poverty. That will become more challenging as a consequence of the spring statement, because, as we found with the previous Conservative Government, we are once again swimming against a tide of rising poverty levels as a consequence of UK Government decision making. Our data, which was released today, demonstrates that we are seeing reducing levels of child poverty in Scotland, but that pattern will be challenged by the prevailing decisions that have been taken in the spring statement.”
“It is hardly surprising that long- standing Labour members have resigned, denouncing Labour’s betrayal of their own voters. Will the First Minister confirm that, although Labour’s Holyrood branch office meekly and embarrassingly chooses a policy of omertà in the face of UK Labour cuts, the Scottish National Party Government will always stand up for the most vulnerable people in our communities? The First Minister: The Scottish Government has legislated—for example, when we have acquired new powers on social security—to implement a social security system that is based on dignity and respect. That will always be the approach that we take. We legislated for that in order to ensure that such an approach would be taken in the future.”
“The Government is concerned by a number of details in the UK Government’s spring statement, not least of which is the assessment, which has emerged from the Department for Work and Pensions, that the measures contained in the spring statement are likely to drive 250,000 more people, including 50,000 children, into relative poverty. Those cuts to welfare will have a direct impact on Scotland’s budget. The Fraser of Allander Institute has estimated that it will see a block grant adjustment to our budget that removes £455 million in 2039-40. Kenneth Gibson: Since Labour came to power, we have seen a shameful litany of broken manifesto promises, from rising household energy bills and the denial of justice for the women against state pension inequality to imposing benefit cuts on disabled people and slashing public services.”
“However, there are lessons to be learned from the magnificent generosity of spirit of Christina McKelvie, who, despite the fact that she might have defended the Government’s position vigorously here, from the Government benches, or defended my party’s position from the back benches when she was on the back benches, would also wander out of the chamber with warmth and affection. If anyone—anyone—was facing a moment of difficulty, the first person at their side would be Christina McKelvie. Perhaps we could all take this moment to rebalance and recalibrate how we act and react in our politics, reminded by the astonishing example of Christina McKelvie. Spring Statement 4.”
“I am very grateful to Patrick Harvie for his kind words and all that he has said about Christina McKelvie, which I entirely endorse. It is at moments such as this that some of the conflict that goes on in this Parliament, in politics in general and in the wider political debate is put into sharp relief by the points that Patrick Harvie has put to me. I am no shrinking violet when it comes to defending my position and promoting the position of the Government, so I am not going to say that I am perfect and that everybody else is at fault, because that would just not be the way that it is.”
“Mr Sarwar said that there has been a normalisation of corridor care. Let me make it clear to the Parliament that I do not accept that— rather, I will not tolerate it. I will not normalise corridor care. I do not think that it is a good idea to have corridor care. As I referred to in my final answer to Russell Findlay, we have to address issues such as improving the flow of patients through hospitals so that we avoid corridor care. Mr Sarwar also said that patients are routinely denied appropriate and timely care. I accept that there will be failings in the health service, but I do not think that that is a fair characterisation of the NHS. Many people experience formidably high- quality, professional and loving care from the NHS, and I want to make sure that that is everybody’s experience. Christina McKelvie 3.”
“It appears that the SNP Government is more interested in protecting managers and institutions than in protecting patients and staff. What will it take for that to change? The First Minister: I do not accept that characterisation of the Government’s approach. If that were the case, there would not be an inquiry into Scottish hospitals’ performance, and there would not have been a Healthcare Improvement Scotland analysis of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Those are two examples of the Government being prepared to honestly confront acute difficulties in our health service. I would expect that to be the case, and I give Mr Sarwar and the Parliament the assurance that that will always be the case under my leadership. We will confront difficulties openly and honestly to improve the experience of patients.”
“Two thirds of staff who were surveyed “felt patients ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ received appropriate and timely care.” The Queen Elizabeth hospital has been plagued by issues for years, often with deadly consequences. The most stark is the infection scandal that cost lives. At every turn, patients, parents and staff have fought for answers but have been frustrated by a rotten culture of cover- up. In 2019, the holding of a public inquiry was agreed, but the culture continues. The board was put into special measures, but the culture continues. It was the first NHS board in Scotland to be investigated for corporate homicide, but the culture continues. As the latest report shows, patients are still being put at risk by a failing health board that has been empowered time and time again by the SNP Government.”