Alex Rowley
Scottish Labour · Scotland
“Does the minister accept that funding for Forth Valley College needs to increase year on year? Otherwise, we will be in the same position next year and the following year, with the Alloa campus facing the threat of closure.”
“We have had eight parliamentary debates on sport in this session since 2021—I checked that yesterday with the Scottish Parliament information centre; we have four cross-party groups in the Parliament that look at different aspects of sport; and we have a whole host of strategies.”
“Many years ago, when I was a councillor in Kelty, the local community came together to save a park, and it raised a whack of money—about £800,000 in total—for a play park.”
“I am a kind of glass-half-full type of person, and I believe that progress has been made over the 12 years for which I have been an MSP, although it is true that we need to do a lot more. One of the keys to that is getting people to work together. When it comes to sport in the area that I come from— Fife—I see loads of volunteers.”
“I am pleased to speak in Brian Whittle’s members’ business debate. When I saw the motion, I thought, “That’s the one I’ll make my final speech as an MSP in.” I know, from serving on committees with Brian over the past 10 years since he entered Parliament, that sport is an issue that he has consistently highlighted.”
“That is a result of the investment that Fife Council made in the park in 2012-13, including in an astroturf pitch that Kelty Hearts now play on. That is there for the public—it is a public park. Alongside that, there is a big new community centre. We can see the value of that. Most of those activities are run by volunteers.”
The complete record
Every one of 200 lines we hold for Alex Rowley, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 4 of 4.
“At the moment, the scheme covers only Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, and it would be good if it were extended to cover islands such as the Summer Isles, or to enable young people from islands such as Islay and Tiree to travel to the mainland for free. Kenneth Gibson talked about the need for islanders to be involved in decision making about their ferries. It is astounding that that has clearly been an ask since long before the current session of Parliament. As a candidate, I learned that, despite asking for two smaller ferries, communities in Ullapool and Stornoway ended up with one larger one, which has resulted in a lack of service and limited sailings. If islanders had been on the board, different and better decisions would certainly have been made.”
“16:31 Ariane Burgess: Today’s debate has clearly shown the strength of passion, feeling and support for empowering our island communities that exists among members on all sides of the chamber. Ferries and tunnels were mentioned by a number of members. Beatrice Wishart made a good case for fixed links in Shetland, but there are a number of other obvious places where fixed links make sense, and it would be good if the Scottish Government undertook work on the feasibility of such important infrastructure. On ferries, it was good to see the Scottish Government take up the Scottish Greens’ call for free interisland ferries for young people under 22.”
“In October, Argyll and Bute Council announced funding to expand the number of beds at Thomson Court from eight to 14, but those plans have been scrapped because of an overspend on social care costs. The integration joint board says that it is “extremely disappointed”, but that it cannot proceed because the costs far exceed its budget. That is a ridiculous situation for the island to be facing, and it is one that the Government and the Parliament should seek to address and to fix. We must give power to island communities, instead of giving it to quangos and IJBs. Islanders should be able to make the decisions and to come up with the plans for what the islands need. That is how we must proceed; otherwise, we will keep coming back to the chamber to have the same discussion. The Presiding Officer: We move to the winding-up speeches.”
“In the short time that I have left, I will highlight a piece that I saw on STV News last week, which members might not have seen. Under the headline, “Families ‘heartbroken’ after plans to expand island’s only care home scrapped”, the story said: “Funding to expand the number of beds at Thomson Court—the only care home on the Isle of Bute—has been scrapped amid funding concerns. Plans to expand the number of beds at the only care home on a Scottish island have been abandoned. Families on Bute are struggling to care for loved ones with complex dementia needs or having to send them to the mainland.” That means that people are having to go to places such as Stirling and Fife to visit their loved ones. As well as the cost involved, for elderly people, the level of travel involved is difficult.”
“As a youngster, I certainly never experienced the islands at all. Once I did, as I said, I have then gone back time and time again. Housing and depopulation are absolutely major problems for the Highlands and Islands that we must tackle. We know that immigration supports jobs in the Highlands. Over the many years that I have holidayed in the Highlands, I have met families who have come to Scotland to make it their home and work here but who have not been able to get a home. I liked Jamie Halcro Johnston’s comment that island proofing is island box ticking, which is absolutely right. Mention has been made of consultation on a new islands plan. Instead of consulting on a new islands plan, we should allow the people of the islands to develop and write that plan, and we should then give them control over its implementation.”
“A number of people have touched on that point the day; Ariane Burgess rightly highlighted it. Fergus Ewing highlighted the quangos, such as CalMac, in these areas, which we need to be able to address. My favourite holiday destination is around the Oban area. There is nothing more exciting for me than getting a ferry across to Mull and being able to get a ferry to Iona. Going on that ferry and starting to see the islands will never cease to be amazing. I only wish that more people from the central belt were able to experience the islands. I have to say that the costs are sometimes far too great for people to holiday on the islands, as with the Highlands. Sometimes it is cheaper to get an all-inclusive holiday abroad than it is to spend a week in the Highlands. Those are issues for the whole of Scotland.”
“I live in Kelty and represent Mid Scotland and Fife, so members might ask, “What does he know about islands?” However, like Fergus Ewing, I have survived Up Helly Aa more than once, and I have had brilliant times staying on Bressay and enjoying the nightlife in Lerwick. I therefore understand that island life can be different. My family lived on Bressay for many years. The costs can be far greater, and that is without some of the problems that we have had recently. However, the central belt and the islands have some things in common. One is that, since the Parliament was established, over a number of Governments and political parties, we have seen a centralisation of powers away from local authorities and local communities and into this Parliament and successive Scottish Governments of different parties. That has to be reversed.”
“I recognise that there are strongly held views on all sides of the debate, many of which have been built on personal experience. It is a difficult subject. We must ensure that the highest-quality end-of-life care is available to all. That must be the next step. There are far too many risks in this bill. That is why I do not support the principle, and I hope that the Parliament will not support the bill. 17:25”
“Going further has happened in other places. It makes me very concerned that the bill that we would pass today would be a starting point in our society—and goodness knows where it would end up. We have to accept that the legislation could end up going much further. There is a risk of coercion and undue influence. There is a risk that people will start to feel that they are a burden on their family. It would put all that pressure on them, and nobody can guarantee that, if the bill were passed today, that would not happen. I will not support the bill at stage 1, because I do not support the principle of it. If members argue that they accept the principle, do they then accept it for other people who are suffering and who have ill health? Sandesh Gulhane: Will the member give way? Alex Rowley: I am concluding. Sorry.”
“We have seen from other countries around the world that something that started off very tightly defined was able, over time, to expand to include more and more people. I have also asked myself whether, if the bill were passed, that would be the end of the matter or only the beginning. Members have talked about personal choice and freedom, but if someone is struggling with mental ill health and feels that they cannot cope any more, given the suffering that they are experiencing, can they make the argument that they should have the choice whether or not to live? Anybody who has experienced severe mental health problems knows the suffering that comes with that. There are people who are housebound, who have different illnesses and who are suffering pain but who are not terminally ill. How far do we go with the legislation?”
“I heard what Dr Gulhane said earlier, which was that not all people can die without pain, and the fact is that end-of-life care in Scotland is not good enough. It sometimes depends on where you live, which hospital you are accessing and what support there is in the community. We have to address that. The Parliament’s priority should be to address palliative and end-of-life care so that there is a right for every individual who is dying to get the very best care. I do not believe that that is there just now. I have received a massive amount of correspondence from people with both physical and mental disabilities and from their families. I have written down what I took from that: it is fear. They fear this bill. They fear it because they do not know where it will end up.”
“I acknowledge the approach that the introducer of the bill, Liam McArthur, has taken to ensure that the debate, and the discussion over many months, has been conducted in a professional and civil manner. The volume of correspondence that I have received is greater than I have ever received for any other legislation that has gone through the Parliament. There have been some very personal emails, telling me of the experience of someone having lost a loved one and of what people have gone through, which have called for dignity in death. I understand the strength of that feeling: most people, when they reach my age, have lost loved ones and have experienced some of those things. I have asked myself the question: can people with a terminal illness have dignity in death?”
“I am sure that he knows full well from where that pressure has come.”
“In agreeing to that request, the SFC made it clear to the colleges that there would be winners and losers. However, as I said, mindful of the financial challenges that colleges are facing, the SFC put in place transition arrangements to give colleges that are adversely affected a softer landing. That means that, once additional moneys are counted in, no college will see a reduction in 2025-26 compared with 2024-25. As Mr Rowley pointed out, there is an increase in overall funding for Fife College of 1.26 per cent, and I understand that discussions are on-going between the SFC and Fife College. However, I say gently to Mr Rowley, since he talks about inflationary challenges, that one of the additional pressures that that college is facing is the employer national insurance contribution situation.”
“The SFC has also put in place transition arrangements that mean that no college will see a funding reduction in the academic year 2025-26 compared with 2024-25. Alex Rowley: I have to say that that is not the case. The overall increase of 2.6 per cent in funding from the SFC basically gives colleges a standstill budget. When we look further into it, we see that Fife College will receive a 1.26 per cent increase, which is a real-terms cut in its budget. That will result in a significant impact on college provision in Fife. Does the minister accept that colleges have a key part to play if the Government’s policy to drive the economy is to be successful and that Fife College cannot take that cut? Graeme Dey: As I indicated in my initial answer, the allocations reflect the SFC’s response to a specific ask from the sector.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Funding Council’s college indicative funding allocations 2025-26 and any impact this may have on the funding settlement for Fife College. (S6O-04629) The Minister for Higher and Further Education; and Minister for Veterans (Graeme Dey): Building on the direction that I provided to the SFC in this year’s letter of guidance, the SFC has worked with the sector to bring about important changes in how funds are allocated. That has included responding to explicit asks from the sector that funds be distributed in a way that better reflects differences in the cost of delivering different courses in different places. Those changes are reflected in the publication of the college indicative allocations for the academic year 2025-26.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support young people to access the creative industries. (S6O-04546)”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I would have voted yes. The Presiding Officer: Thank you, Mr Rowley. We will ensure that that is recorded.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I would have voted yes. The Presiding Officer: Thank you, Mr Rowley. We will ensure that that is recorded.”
“People looking on expect that housing, education and health issues would be best tackled at a Scottish level. I certainly believed that when I campaigned for a Scottish Parliament all those years ago. We do not seem to want to use the powers that we have, and we do not seem to want to take responsibility for the powers that we have; we just come here year after year, moaning. I was thinking to myself the other day that I have been in this Parliament for 11 years and I have not seen progress on all the big, day-to-day, bread-and- butter issues that the people of Scotland expected this Parliament to take on.”
“I have always believed that the best way to protect devolution in Scotland is to demonstrate what it can deliver for the people of Scotland. Doing so would mean that no one would dare threaten devolution. I find the level of debate today quite depressing. Kenneth Gibson talks about the cannot-do approach, saying, “We do not have powers. We cannot do this. We cannot do that.” What about what we can do? I agree with the points that Rachael Hamilton made. Today, as with almost every day, I am dealing with housing issues, and yet the Parliament, which is celebrating 25 years, has not only failed to tackle some of the big housing issues but has now declared a housing crisis. What about education, where we can do so much more? We have a crisis in the classroom, in our NHS and in social care.”
“Will the First Minister agree to look into the matter and find out why, to date, there has been no progress?”
“The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016, which was passed overwhelmingly by this Parliament, helped to extend the community right to buy to the compulsory purchase of land or a building for the purposes of sustainable development. In Fife, a group of local residents is struggling to get a ministerial decision on its part 5 right to buy application of 31 October 2023. The building that the group is trying to purchase, which is a 200- year-old building at the heart of North Queensferry, is in an increasingly derelict state, and the delay is causing it further harm. The recent storm has made that much worse. The residents wish to restore the building to serve the local community, but they are struggling to get a response from the community land team.”
“There is willingness out there, but we need to understand partnership better and to work in partnership better to support the amazing school staff and all the volunteers who do so much in our communities to lighten the impact of poverty. That would be a good start for the Scottish Government: partnership. 16:21”
“The headteacher said to me that no child would learn well if they were sitting there hungry the whole morning. Since those days, thankfully, a lot more investment has gone in and there are many more breakfast clubs. Fair Isle primary school in Kirkcaldy, which I also used to visit when I was a councillor, has been a leader not just in recent times; it has done masses of good work over many years. Again, it is about partnership. The Scottish Government does not have all the answers, and local authorities might not have all the answers. Local authorities and health authorities have to, by statute, produce a report on what they are doing to tackle child poverty; they then have to produce reports and updates on how they are delivering on that.”
“However, having all those products and distributing them are different things. How do you reach the people who are in greatest need? I feel that we are sometimes unable to do that. The way to do it is through schools, so that teachers are involved. Schools can contact the big hoose project and tell it what they need; the council and the voluntary sector then provide support, and the goods are sent out to schools and social workers. That type of approach at the local level is the way to do it. However, I think that we all acknowledge that schools alone cannot tackle poverty. I remember many years ago, when I was a councillor, visiting Benarty primary school, which is in your constituency, Deputy Presiding Officer. The headteacher and the teachers brought in bread in the mornings and made toast and tea.”
“The theme of partnership is one that COSLA talks about, and it is one that I want to talk about. We need to have meaningful partnership—that involves people coming to the table as equals— between the Scottish Government, the UK Government, local government, the third sector and the voluntary sector, whose role is key. An example of that is the Big House Multibank, which was established in Fife and has now been rolled out in many parts of the UK. It was set up as a partnership, with councils, local businesses and large national businesses all contributing. If members were to visit one of the warehouses that it has established in Lochgelly, they would find masses of products there, from shoes to food to cleaning materials—it has every domestic product that anyone would need.”
“When it comes to tackling poverty, there are a number of different levels that we can talk about. Some members have talked about the Scottish child payment. There is no doubt that it has had an impact. Others have talked about removing the two-child cap. There is absolutely no doubt that that would have an impact. There are many issues at different levels of government. In the context of education, I want to focus on the local level. Although schools, early years centres and nurseries are not in a position to bring an end to child poverty, they can provide a lot of support for children who, sadly, are living in poverty. There is absolutely no doubt that poverty has a devastating impact on the ability of a child to achieve his or her full potential. That is why, at the local level, we need to come together and work as best we can.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Accounts Commission report “Local government in Scotland: Financial bulletin 2023/24”, which was published on 28 January 2025. (S6O-04297) [Interruption.] The Deputy Presiding Officer: Can we have a little less chatter from some members?”
“We must listen to the concerns of industry on the apprenticeship levy and the calls for reform, the concerns at the intention to wind up the Scottish apprenticeship advisory board, and the concerns expressed by business about the decision to remove Skills Development Scotland from post-school funding. The future for jobs in Scotland can, and should, be very bright, but it requires a stronger partnership and a new approach that puts education, training and skills at its very heart, and it should be driven by education and industry working together in partnership. Scotland deserves nothing less. The Deputy Presiding Officer: We now move to the open debate. 12:57”
“He was very clear that that should start in primary 6 and primary 7, not in secondary 3 and secondary 4. I know that there is a lot of on-going work by the Scottish Government and its agencies, and I do not want to undermine any of that, but much more has to be done if we are to give every child the chance to gain the education and skills for the jobs of today and tomorrow. We need a revolution in skills from primary schools to secondary schools and colleges, all working in partnership with industry. We need a regional skills strategy for every region of Scotland, along with regional funding to deliver a regional workforce plan. Government at every level must work in partnership with industry.”
“First, the Scottish and UK Governments must work together to encourage the next generation of skilled workers by making available the funding and resources that are needed “to provide the apprenticeships of today for the jobs of tomorrow”. There is a clear and desperate need for that. I urge both of Scotland’s Governments to recognise the urgency of the situation that we are in and act accordingly. Furthermore, I believe that the Scottish Government must “take action to foster a new partnership between schools, colleges, universities and industry to ensure that young people are aware and able to take advantage of the opportunities available in Scotland’s industrial sector”. An academic to whom I spoke recently told me that we must do more to build the relationships between schools, colleges and industry.”
“An example of that is the Hinkley Point nuclear power station project in Somerset, England, which is attracting workers from Scotland, due to the high demand for skills and the higher pay on offer. That is why it is crucial that we look at this issue from a UK-wide point of view. The Open University’s “Business Barometer 2024” found that, “Despite tiny green shoots of improvement, the skills gap in the UK remains stubbornly high across sectors, regions and all four nations.” Across the UK, 62 per cent of organisations are facing skills shortages; in Scotland, the figure is 56 per cent; and a concerning 52 per cent of organisations do not have specific recruitment, retention or training initiatives for targeted groups. As a result, my motion calls for two things.”
“The report concludes: “Where that demand is for the opportunity for inward investment, unless there is a rapid change in the required skills investment there is a considerable risk of damage to incumbent industry.” Scottish Engineering also estimates that 20 per cent of demand for apprentice training programmes has “been unmet due to real terms funding cuts to apprenticeships in Scotland.” When I speak to employers of skilled workers across the Mid Scotland and Fife region, one issue that comes up time and again is that due to a lack of the skilled workers that are needed to meet industry demand, the whole of the United Kingdom is having to share pools of workers for each skill.”
“If those figures are concerning, the conclusions are cause for further concern, as it should be noted that the gaps are only for existing industry. That means that there is “no allowance” for the additional demand of offshore wind, grid infrastructure investment, decarbonising heat energy or green hydrogen production—sectors that are essential to Scotland’s stated aims of achieving net zero.”
“The comments came after the publication at the start of the month of Scottish Engineering’s “Engineering Skills Gap Analysis for Scotland”. I believe that we need to seriously consider the report’s findings and the implications for the future of engineering and its impact on our economy. The results are the output of a survey of 70 engineering companies from a broad range of sectors, based on their operations in Scotland. Scottish Engineering reported that “The skills pipeline gaps for these roles are an immediately stark situation”. Indeed, a look at the average demand across 31 engineering roles showed that industry will require an additional 33 per cent of the volume that is currently in role by the end of 2025, rising to 46 per cent by the end of 2026 and again to 58 per cent by the end of 2027.”
“I thank members who signed my motion for debate and my business manager for allowing the time for it. I have been consistent in my view that if we are to secure the future of Scotland’s economy, we must be laser focused on ensuring access to education and training in the skills that we need for the future. As policy continues in the direction of a just transition towards a greener economy, investing in the skills and education of the future has never been more relevant. Scottish Engineering chief executive Paul Sheerin recently described the current outlook for the Scottish economy as an “industrial revolution- sized opportunity”. I agree, but that description came with a stark warning that Scotland was at risk of missing out on the opportunity due to a lack of a skills pipeline.”
“I told them that I was leaning towards a ban but that I was, of course, going to listen to them. Fallin primary school’s phone policy is that children have to hand their phones in at the start of the day. They get them back at lunchtime and then hand them in again after lunch. I was informed that a high school in Stirling has banned phones completely. I say to the cabinet secretary that we need to look at how that initiative is going and how it works. We need more additional support teachers, more assistant support teachers and more learning support teachers in schools. That is what the education establishment, teachers and schools are telling us. It is good that we are making some progress, but we clearly have problems. We need more resources, more teachers and more learning support teachers. That is the way to move forward. 15:29”
“The starting point must be to acknowledge the problems and to look at how we are going to tackle them. I take on board Bill Kidd’s interesting point about the involvement of schools. I had the pleasure of meeting a P7 class from Fallin primary school in Parliament this morning, and I told them about this afternoon’s debate. I said that one of the issues in the discussion would be the fact that, although the Government has issued guidance on the use of phones in schools, many schools would lean towards a total ban, and I explained the procedures for how that would happen. That generated more discussion than I have ever had before when I have met schoolchildren—up went the hands. The majority of the primary 7 pupils did not want to see a ban, and they demanded to know what my view on it was.”
“None of us would be doing our job if we did not come here and raise these issues, which is why I am grateful to the Conservative Party for giving us part of its business time today in which to speak about them. I ask the education secretary to consider having further debates in Government time so that we can look at how we can work together to tackle these issues. In fairness to the education secretary, she has always been more than willing to acknowledge that there are serious challenges in our schools. This week, I read in The Courier a report of a public meeting in Glenrothes, which I believe the education secretary was at. I have a host of quotes from teachers and parents that highlight some of the very serious problems that people face in our schools. I suggest to the minister that she does not put her head in the sand.”
“I have always believed that the greatest gift that any society can give a child is access to a good-quality education that gives them the opportunity to achieve and to reach their full potential. Sadly, for too many children in Scotland, that is not happening. When I speak to parents, pupils, teachers and school staff, they all ask me why the politicians in this place and the politicians in councils cannot work together to resolve the issues. That is where people are at. We know that there are problems and serious issues, and we need to find a way to come together to find the solutions, working with schools, teachers and local authorities. I was therefore disappointed by the speech that the minister just made, in which she warned us about using youth violence as a political football.”
“Mr Rowley knows that the position on capital remains challenging. In determining our capital programme, we will assess the full implications of the UK autumn budget, and we await the outcome of the United Kingdom Government’s spending review.”
“NHS Fife has made it clear that the mental health estate is not fit for purpose. Stratheden hospital is an old Victorian building. Will the cabinet secretary agree to look at the case that NHS Fife is making for the mental health estate to be replaced to ensure that people get the proper care that they require? Neil Gray: I thank Alex Rowley for raising the issue in the tenor in which he has done so. Despite recent media coverage, it is simply untrue to claim that there is “no money” for mental health in NHS Fife or, indeed, in any other health board. Although we have had to take difficult decisions about reductions that affect all of Government, we maintain our commitment to mental health and have supported overall increases in mental health spending over a period of years.”
“We failed on all of that, and prevention is something that we have not achieved. We have had a lot of warm words and a lot of strategies, but we have actually had a lot of failure. If we are going to transform Scotland and drive it forward, we must go beyond warm words. 16:27”
“That partnership is about treating both levels of government as equals in coming together and working out, from a national strategy, how to deliver locally. Finance is clearly part of that, but so is planning and the acquisition of land—and therefore powers for local authorities. If people are to come together and work to achieve the outcome together, the Government needs to go much further than just words, using partnerships or ticking boxes. The Deputy First Minister mentioned the Christie commission. I remember when John Swinney and Derek Mackay went round local authorities talking about Christie, the proposed framework and how we would deliver. We failed. Christie was clear that prevention was the way forward: we had to prevent people from getting to the point of being in hospital, and we needed to give people warm, secure homes.”
“I spoke to representatives of the Welsh Government about what it has done, as it has tried to embed the UN sustainable development goals so that it reviews every policy change that it makes and every penny that it spends against the sustainable development goals. I have never seen big societal change delivered as a result of a tick-box exercise. There is a big question here about how we corral everyone behind the big changes. Often, we do not need tick-box exercises; we just need to see what we need to achieve for the constituents Alex Rowley is talking about. Alex Rowley: For housing, we need a far better partnership, with local government and central Government working together. We need a national house plan and 32 local delivery plans for how we are going to build the houses in each of the 32 local authorities.”
“It states: “We live in safe, high-quality and affordable homes that meet our needs”. It continues: “We ensure that everyone has housing that is safe, secure, accessible and affordable. Homelessness and the causes of homelessness are addressed”, and it goes on. All that is, in the end, is a kind of wish for how we would want things to be. If we actually want to tackle the housing crisis, we will have to do far more than come up with those nice words. Kate Forbes: I am very interested in how we do that. For the avoidance of any doubt, I am suggesting that we reform the national performance framework itself, so that it leads to reform. I take on board the criticisms that have been made. How we deliver big societal change, away from tick-box exercises, is a fascinating question.”
“Does he think that the NPF is trying to do too much and that there are too many outcomes? Does he agree that, if we had, say, three or four outcomes, that would be better and would have more impact? Alex Rowley: Take, for example, the fact that housing has been included. If we are going to have such outcomes, housing should be included. However, I do not think that including housing in the framework will make much difference to the housing crisis. My office covers Mid Scotland and Fife, and we have hundreds of constituents contacting us every year. It is heartbreaking when we meet people and listen to their problems of homelessness, poor housing conditions and so on. We are not making progress; if anything, the situation is getting worse. Who would disagree with the outcome on housing?”
“I agree with that, but I do not think that the review of the national outcomes and the national performance framework will deliver the type of reform that we need across Scotland—far from it. From that point of view, and given the framework’s history over the years, I would describe it as a failure, because it has not improved public services across Scotland—far from it. For seven years, I was a member of the Fife partnership and attended meetings every three months. Indeed, I chaired the Fife partnership for a number of years. Officers would come along and show us lines to the national outcomes and to the national indicators, and boxes would be ticked. Eventually, I thought, “This is a tick-box exercise that is not achieving much.” That is my view on the framework. John Mason: The member makes some valid points.”
“Before today’s debate, a number of policy organisations wrote to us and were quite enthusiastic about the national performance framework and the review of the national outcomes. Oxfam welcomed the fact that a dedicated national outcome on care is to be included, and rightly so, and likewise with housing. Oxfam went on to say that not having care in the previous set of national outcomes was a major omission. That led me to wonder whether it would have made any difference to care and the provision of care in Scotland had care been included. My view is that it would not. I was interested to hear the Deputy First Minister speak about the need for a more substantial programme of reform.”