Maree Todd
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“Is the minister willing to consider a cross-Government approach with local authorities, because the piece-by-piece approach of the 32 local authorities currently is not working?”
“Local authorities, which manage the majority of burial grounds in Scotland, must also comply with the Equality Act 2010, including the public sector equality duty, which requires them to have regard to religious needs when delivering services, including bereavement services.”
“The Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring that burial provision reflects the diverse religious and cultural needs of all communities.”
“Many local authorities charge a lower fee for residents, partly to recognise their indirect contributions to the provision and upkeep of burial grounds through the council tax system. Mr Linden has identified a challenging area for his constituents.”
“CAMHS is a specialist service for children and young people who have acute mental health needs, and referrals are based on clinical judgment. Although referrals are sometimes not accepted, that does not mean that support is not available.”
“We want people to be able to access thrombectomy treatment across Scotland, no matter where they live. That is why, in our election manifesto, we committed to providing a further £25 million, on top of the more than £51 million that we have already invested, to deliver a 24/7 thrombectomy service with national coverage.”
The complete record
Every one of 508 lines we hold for Maree Todd, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 10 of 11.
“Maree Todd: On all those questions, I can assure Meghan Gallacher that the family will receive an answer to the latest request. The family have had numerous responses from the Government. The latest response is sitting on my desk, and I am content to release it as soon as possible after we speak. I am certainly content to meet the family. They will understand that it is very difficult for me to intervene in individual cases, but in this case, it is very important that I meet the family and hear their experience in order to shape improvements in the service. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I have a number of supplementaries. I will try to get them all in, but I will need to be spared some of the preamble; I ask members to limit themselves to a question.”
“Those young women were children— children who needed our care and support. Harmony’s parents have not stopped fighting for their daughter, acting to correct her medical records and challenging those who have failed to care for her. They attempted several times to contact the Scottish Government—including the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Neil Gray, and the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, Maree Todd—to make it aware of what was happening at Skye house. Why has the Government—I am looking at both the cabinet secretary and the minister—ignored the family? Will the cabinet secretary respond to the letter that I sent requesting a meeting with the family? Will the Scottish Government step in to ensure that such abuse and neglect will never happen again at such an establishment?”
“At the national level, I have asked Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland to conduct joint visits to all adolescent and child in-patient units, to provide further assurance and to make recommendations for improvements and future scrutiny. Meghan Gallacher: Over the past few months, I have been working with a family regarding their daughter, Harmony. The family told me that their daughter was illegally sectioned and brought to Skye house on 17 October 2022. Harmony was given the wrong dosage of medication. She was restrained, taken from her family—who were managing her mental health concerns—and put into Skye house, where she was subjected to abuse and neglectful care. The abuse and cruelty that were shown in the documentary lay bare the institutional crisis at Skye house.”
“The care and treatment of young people as described in the programme are completely and wholly unacceptable. When our most vulnerable and unwell young people come forward and ask for help for their mental health, we owe them the highest standard of care and compassion. The accounts that were given by those brave young people and their families were truly harrowing. We must do everything that we can to ensure that patients are treated with the care and respect that they deserve. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has given an assurance that standards have improved significantly since the events that were described. It has initiated internal and external reviews to ensure the quality of care.”
“Maree Todd: As the member will be aware, decisions on funding the integration joint board when it was set up and annual decisions on funding, which comes from both the local authority and NHS Lothian, were and are for local leaders, and those leaders are democratically accountable to the local population. I am more than happy to look at how the integration scheme works; whether it is delivering for NHS Lothian; and, as the member has asked me to, whether it is working well for others. Efforts to look at that are in our programme for work, and I would be happy to pick that up.”
“The previous chief officer indicated that integration has not been functioning properly in Edinburgh, with issues dating back to when the Scottish Government established the Edinburgh IJB in 2015. In November 2023, the City of Edinburgh Council unanimously agreed a cross-party motion to review the integration scheme, but more than a year later, it has been alleged that NHS Lothian is pushing back against that review as the current scheme sees the council being required to continually bail out the IJB in Edinburgh. What is the Scottish Government doing to ensure that the integration scheme is working fairly for the city of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian?”
“Last week, the First Minister announced plans to drive down waiting times and reduce pressure on front-line services, and our draft budget sets out almost £2.2 billion of investment in social care and integration. We have revised our approach to the national care service. Parts 2 and 3 of the bill will go ahead, reforming information records and standards and introducing Anne’s law and the right to a break for unpaid carers. We will establish a non-statutory advisory board to drive improvement and ensure that services are consistent, fair and of high quality across Scotland. Sue Webber: The Edinburgh integration joint board is facing another budget gap in the financial year ahead, requiring gross savings of £51 million.”
“I have heard directly from disabled groups and vulnerable individuals across Scotland about the significant impact that those charges have on their lives, and I have directed my officials to continue working with COSLA and local partners to explore any possible options to achieve that objective, considering the current economic climate. I recognise the member’s interests and advocacy in this area, but I think that it is quite rich for a member of the Labour Party to lecture me about broken promises. Battery Storage Plants (Rural Settings) 4.”
“It also sits on the back of a litany of promises that were made to disabled people, including access to a changing places toilet fund; annual health checks for people with learning disabilities; the proposed learning disabilities, autism and neurodivergence bill; the human rights bill; and the ditched national care service. We have also learned today that £20 million of the community living change fund has been wasted or is unaccounted for. When will the minister and her Government finally deliver on the pledge to end non-residential care charges and rectify a long list of broken promises to Scotland’s disabled community? Maree Todd: The Scottish Government and our partners remain absolutely committed to reviewing non-residential care charges as part of the broader reform of social care.”
“The Scottish Government continues to work with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to identify options for the removal of non-residential care charges as part of wider work with partners on social care improvement. Paul O’Kane: With less than 18 months of parliamentary time left in this session, it sounds to me that that is another promise made by the Scottish National Party in its manifesto that will not be met. Broken promises have consequences, particularly for people in many local authorities across Scotland who are looking at having to introduce care charges for the first time for people who have physical and learning disabilities.”
“We are working closely with partners to develop a sectoral bargaining approach that works for the social care sector. We are also working with the UK Government on the Employment Rights Bill, to ensure that it works for Scotland and complements the progress that we have already made. I am afraid that I am running too short of time to pick up on all the points that members have made, but I assure members that the ministerial team is listening carefully. We will respond and rise to the challenges in the health and social care system in Scotland that we face today. 17:04”
“We continue to push forward on our fair work agenda, ensuring that our social care workforce are fairly paid and are heard and supported in their roles. The draft budget for 2025-26 sets out almost £2.2 billion of investment in social care and integration, of which an estimated £950 million enables adult social care workers in the third and private sectors to be paid at least the real living wage. I am very proud of that progress and our commitment to our social care staff in Scotland, which means that they are paid at least £1,000 more than their equivalents in England. Because of this Government’s commitment to progressive taxation, they also pay less tax in Scotland. We must continue to improve pay and terms and conditions for the social care workforce.”
“Constituents, particularly in Dumfries and Galloway, do not want to hear Emma Harper telling us exactly how much money has been spent on a service. We want services to be improved, and we want there to be equality, particularly in rural areas. Maree Todd: Finlay Carson will recognise that the ministerial team has a great deal of rural experience. We are absolutely committed to ensuring that our rural constituents and the rural citizens of Scotland can access high-quality health and social care. I have no doubt that we will continue to engage with him and with Emma Harper, who has pursued those issues with absolute diligence. I will move quickly to establish a national care service advisory board. It will help to advise, scrutinise and drive improvements in the sector, not only for those who access services but for those who deliver them.”
“Finlay Carson: I have no doubt that the two ministers and the cabinet secretary on the front bench want to do the right thing, but the Minister for Public Health visited Dumfries and Galloway and gave assurances that healthcare would be patient centred but did nothing to protect maternity services in Stranraer. We heard about the problems around our cottage hospitals and delivering care as close to home as possible. The minister says all the right things, but when we get written responses, they do not bear any resemblance to the words that the minister or her colleagues use when they speak to constituents. Why can we not get a joined-up approach, and why will the Government not be honest about what it can and cannot deliver?”
“The cabinet secretary briefly touched on our plans in relation to social care and, in particular, the national care service. As I outlined in my statement to Parliament last week and in letters to stakeholders, I have worked to find a way to deliver on our commitment to a national care service that delivers much-needed change without the need to legislate for structural reform. Far from slowing down the chance to deliver reform, I am determined to take this opportunity to move rapidly. Although Labour and the Conservatives may be happy to simply point out the problems, this Government is focused on the solutions, and we will continue to deliver the changes that our workforce so desperately needs.”
“I note the calls that have been made for a 10- year workforce plan for our health and social care system. We need a dynamic and integrated approach to workforce planning that strongly links strategic reform and direction, financial plans and a precise understanding of where we need skills and capability, whether that is provided through people or through technology and AI. As the cabinet secretary outlined in his remarks earlier in the debate, we are committed to publishing our medium-term approach to health and social care renewal before the summer recess, which will describe how we will deliver services across our population in future. Our proposals will be underpinned by the approach to workforce planning that I have just described.”
“It makes a difference to people who are accessing care, enabling them to lead fulfilling lives, and to their families and communities. A thriving, fit-for-purpose social care system will also underpin and enhance a thriving, fit-for-purpose national health service. However, to achieve that, we need to change the way that those systems operate. We need to shift the balance of care, create capacity and build the conditions for innovation. The First Minister has now set out how we intend to achieve that, supported by an ambitious Scottish budget, but it will only be possible if it supported by a skilled and engaged workforce that is in turn enabled by structures and technology that reflect the person- led integrated approach that people want and that we are committed to delivering.”
“Thank you to all the members who have contributed to the debate. It is clear that, although there are some differences of opinion, there is a great deal of cross-party consensus and acknowledgement that we should do everything that we can to make the necessary changes that will improve people’s experiences of our health and care system—not least the experiences of those who work in it. Our workforce is at the heart of delivering health and social care services to the people of Scotland. More than 400,000 skilled and compassionate people work in an integrated way in many different roles and settings. As the largest workforce in Scotland, they reach into every aspect of life and every community in Scotland. Social care makes a difference to people every day.”
“Scottish Labour has been telling the Government for years that ineffective planning has led hard-working staff to breaking point. Graduates cannot get jobs, and a lack of staff has meant that remote and rural communities continue to experience inequalities when accessing services. That is why the Parliament must support Scottish Labour’s motion. The Government needs to develop a 10-year health and social care workforce plan that meets the needs of the people of Scotland. The people of Scotland are crying out for a new direction, and they deserve a lot better than what the SNP Government is delivering. I hope that members will support our motion to move things forward. 15:42”
“It has become accepted in hospitals that that is how patients are cared for. Staff are caring for multiple patients in single corridors and are unable to access oxygen, cardiac monitors or other life-saving equipment. Nurses have reported feeling ashamed, demoralised and distraught that they cannot care for patients in the way in which they have been trained to do and in which patients deserve to be cared for. Frankly, it is shameful that things have got as bad as they have. It is undeniable that NHS staff and patients are bearing the brunt of the Government’s failure—the Government’s failure. When the Government clearly lacks ambition and competence in workforce planning, how do we solve a workforce crisis that has cost the taxpayer more than £9 million in spending on temporary nurses, locum doctors and consultants?”
“Under the SNP Government, inequality has widened and our national health service is crumbling. The minister has to accept those points. Staff are forced to deal with rising demand without sufficient planning or action from the Government to help. It is not just MSPs in the chamber who are saying that; respected professional bodies, such as the royal colleges and others in the medical profession, are saying it, too. In its briefing for today’s debate, the BMA says that there is no serious plan and that the Scottish Government is failing to provide a true picture of the stark reality of the challenges in recruiting and retaining senior doctors. The latest Royal College of Nursing report, which has been mentioned, highlights the damning consequences of the lack of planning in relation to corridor care.”
“I want to correct the record, as it is important that we have a healthy debate and discuss the actual facts. I recognise that people are waiting too long, but it is factually inaccurate to suggest, as Carol Mochan suggested—and as Sandesh Gulhane did, too— that nearly one in six Scots are on NHS waiting lists. Public Health Scotland has had to correct that publicly, as it causes alarm among the public— The Deputy Presiding Officer: Briefly. Maree Todd: —and I ask the member to correct the record. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I can give you the time back, Ms Mochan, but interventions will have to be briefer. Carol Mochan: Thank you, Presiding Officer. In Scotland, 863,000 people are on waiting lists. Scotland has the worst life expectancy rates across the UK and the worst in western Europe.”
“I want us in Scotland to move forward collaboratively, focusing on the importance of social care reform and the vital purpose of a national care service to improve people’s lives. Throughout the bill process, I have said that my door is always open to discussion. That is the case today. We are all agreed that social care outcomes must improve, and I urge members from across the chamber to engage constructively with us as we move forward. Together, we can bring about the sustainable change to social care that people urgently need. The Deputy Presiding Officer: The minister will take questions on the issues raised in her statement. I intend to allow around 20 minutes for questions, after which we will move to the next item of business. I invite those members who wish to ask a question to press their request-to-speak button.”
“I welcomed the news on the United Kingdom Government’s plans for an independent commission on social care, which was announced a few weeks ago. There are significant issues in relation to employment, the relationship with taxation, immigration and pensions that can be resolved only through powers that are held by the UK Government. Those include the impact that increasing employer national insurance contributions will have on the social care sector in Scotland. We are already engaging with UK ministers, and I will continue to urge the UK Government to reconsider. I note the comments made by the UK Government’s social care minister, Stephen Kinnock, on previous UK Government attempts to reform adult social care failing due to a destructive combination of party-political point scoring and short-term thinking.”
“We have a clear focus on national and local workforce planning and high-quality learning, development and leadership support for social care staff. We will build a well-deserved sense of professionalism in the sector and improve parity with the NHS workforce. At local level, integration joint boards will continue to plan and oversee social care and community health. I will consider what changes can be made to secondary legislation, guidance and the approval of integration schemes to ensure that the voice of lived experience is heard and to increase accountability and financial transparency. I will also support Highland partners, who have decided to end their unique model of integration to align with the rest of Scotland’s IJB model.”
“We will explore with partners how we can plan and deliver more effectively for people with high levels of need across current organisational and geographical boundaries. We will empower people to understand their rights by publishing our co- designed charter of rights. We will develop national standards and guidance for commissioning and procurement to deliver on our commitment to ethical commissioning. We will continue to overhaul eligibility criteria in social care, and I will consider how we will achieve our ambition to remove non-residential charging. It is essential that we continue to support our workforce. We are delivering on our commitments to fund the real living wage for adult and social care workers.”
“We will review our health and social care standards, agree local monitoring and reporting frameworks and improve access to information. That will enable a systematic approach to providing progressive and targeted support for local areas, where necessary using our powers of direction and guidance when standards are not being met. The advisory board will have a wide remit. It will provide advice on national programmes that are intended to support improvement. Those include the existing implementation of the carers and dementia strategies, work to embed a person-led approach through getting it right for everyone— GIRFE—and our work to reduce the number of people in delayed discharge in the drugs mission.”
“I want the chair of the board to be independent—ideally someone with lived experience of accessing care or of caring themselves or someone who represents those with lived experience and who can hold the Scottish Government and all our partners to account for the improvement that is needed. Where it is indicated that agreed standards are not being met, progressive and targeted support will be offered to those areas to help them to improve. I will ask the board for advice on the best way to do that. The current system for integrated health and social care is not delivering for people. There is no shared understanding of what good looks like and no systematic approach to tackling problems in local areas quickly when problems first emerge. That results in performance issues in some local areas reaching crisis point.”
“From the Feeley review, engagement with thousands of people with lived experience and a wide range of stakeholders, and the recommendations of this Parliament following its post-legislative scrutiny of the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013, it remains clear that enhanced national support and oversight are necessary. Therefore, I will move quickly to establish a national care service advisory board on a non- statutory basis. It is my intention that the advisory board will include people with lived experience of accessing care services, unpaid carers, those who work in the sector, care providers, the third sector, trade unions, the national health service and local government. I expect the board to meet for the first time in March this year.”
“That builds on the £88 million that we invest, through local government, in support under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 and the £8 million a year that is already provided for voluntary sector short breaks, as well as the roll-out of the carer support payment across Scotland. Across the chamber, as well as across the sector itself, there is agreement that change is needed to support the vital role of social workers. We are committed to driving forward those improvements in partnership to bring sustainable reform that future proofs the social work service in Scotland for generations to come.”
“We are committed to enshrining Anne’s law in primary legislation and to working together to ensure that the bill gets that right. We know that sharing your story repeatedly can be frustrating and traumatic. The bill enables information sharing across health and social care services with consistent information standards. That will lay the foundation for an integrated digital approach, making it easier for people to access and manage their own information and care. Digital approaches offer a great opportunity to improve people’s experience of care and treatment. Unpaid carers make an incredible contribution to Scotland’s communities and to our health and social care system. Through the bill, we will introduce a right to breaks for unpaid carers.”
“I realise that that will be a source of disappointment to many, particularly those with lived experience, who have been clear that greater transparency and scrutiny is necessary to drive the improvement that we all agree is needed. I want to reassure those people that I remain committed to the ambitions of the national care service. We have already made significant improvements to social care during this parliamentary session. Later in my statement, I will explain how I intend to continue that progress. First, I want to set out what will remain in the bill. Core elements of Anne’s law are already in place through strengthened health and social care standards on visiting rights in relation to care homes, but more is needed. The First Minister and I have been profoundly impacted by conversations with families on Anne’s law.”
“We remain committed to creating a national care service, as recommended in the Feeley review and, ultimately, to improving the individual experience of everyone in Scotland who relies on social care. Part 1 of the bill, and the draft amendments lodged in June, proposed reform of integrated social care and community health. We made considerable efforts to find a compromise and a way forward, but it is clear that those proposals are not supported by the chamber. I have concluded that we must deliver our Scottish national care service without legislating for structural reform, securing a different means to deliver our goals. It is therefore my intention to remove part 1 from the bill at stage 2 and to proceed with parts 2 and 3 only.”
“Throughout my conversations with people, the case for reform has remained clear. Despite the best efforts of many, our social care system is not delivering the care and support that people require to live and thrive. There is an overwhelming need for change now. I also note that in England and Wales, similar discussions are under way and that there is rising momentum for national approaches. We have spent three years developing plans, and significant commitment and resources from a wide range of people have brought us to this point. I will set out revised proposals for the bill and other urgent actions to deliver improvements in the social care system.”
“I will start with a quote from Sara Redmond, chief officer of the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland, from November last year. She said that “people with lived experience have invested huge amounts of time, energy and emotion in trying to make the NCS work. We cannot afford to let that effort go to waste by leaving social care in its current state.” Her view has been on my mind since I announced a pause to stage 2 of the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill last year. I have reflected on the evidence that has been taken by the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, and views from stakeholders, people with lived experience, members of the public and political parties. I am grateful to everyone whom I have spoken to, particularly those with lived experience, for their continued commitment.”
“I know that NHS Lanarkshire provides services, including speech therapy, dietetics and learning groups for parents, and that is independent of being provided a diagnosis.”
“Maree Todd: As I have said many times in the chamber, the Government’s ambition in relation to the provision of support for children with neurodivergence is to look at the whole child and to provide holistic support, regardless of whether they have a diagnosis. The needs of the child should be identified and met, and their rights should be upheld. That is the system that we intend to operate. NHS Lanarkshire is working very hard to implement the national neurodevelopmental specification, and it proactively provides support to children and families, although I acknowledge that the level of support in the case that Mr Smyth has detailed has not met the standard that I expect.”
“She was eventually given an assessment in April last year, but she then had to wait until December before any treatment began. That wee girl’s mum described to me how her daughter often spent hours lying on the floor, screaming and crying in pain. She believes that, had she had that treatment sooner, she would not be facing a massive uphill struggle to get her health and life back. Minister, my constituent’s mum wants to know why it has taken more than four years for her daughter to finally get treatment. What is the Government doing to change things and stop other kids who are struggling now having to wait years to get the support that they need?”
“The Scottish Government engages regularly with all health boards regarding their provision of support for neurodivergent children and young people. We are working closely with health boards and local authorities towards implementing the national neurodevelopmental specification in full. The specification aims to ensure that children and families receive support and access to services that meet their needs at the earliest opportunity, based on the getting it right for every child approach. That support will often be community or school based, and receipt of it should not be dependent on a formal diagnosis. Colin Smyth: In March last year, I raised with the First Minister the case of my constituent in Lanarkshire, who is now just 14, who had been waiting three and a half years for a neurodevelopmental assessment.”
“I assure the member that we are absolutely committed to delivering on our mental health priorities and on CAMHS, and we are seeing a massive improvement in CAMHS as a result of our investment. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I will call a couple of members to ask supplementary questions. They will need to be brief, as will the responses.”
“Maree Todd: The member will be aware that we are working very closely with health boards on the target. We measure it using the Scottish health service costs book, which is published annually in arrears by Public Health Scotland. NHS mental health expenditure rose from £1.28 billion in 2021- 22 to £1.3 billion in 2022-23—an increase of 25 per cent or 2 per cent in cash terms, representing 8.53 per cent of total NHS expenditure. Expenditure on CAMHS rose from £98 million to £114.8 million, which is a 17.2 per cent increase, representing 0.75 per cent of total NHS expenditure. The trend in the proportion of spending has tended to be driven primarily by relatively more investment being made in other services.”
“Paul Sweeney: “Progress towards the targets” seems an interesting way of describing it when NHS funding for mental health has decreased to just 8.53 per cent, which represents a £238.5 million shortfall when adjusting for inflation. In the 2022-23 financial year, no health board achieved the Government’s 10 per cent spending target and only one board invested at least 1 per cent of its funding in CAMHS. We have been hearing about the target since 2021, yet the share of the spend is actually going backwards. There is now just over a year of the parliamentary session left. Will the Government work with health boards to ensure that spend is suitably allocated to realise the commitment before the next election, or is it content to continue posturing instead of delivering on the target?”
“We remain committed to delivery of the 10 per cent and 1 per cent spending targets for mental health services and CAMHS respectively. However, as we all know, there are continued and unprecedented challenges to the public finances. That means that, in practice, achieving the targets will depend on the outcome of future budgets. It is also dependent on the financial decisions that are taken by NHS boards and their partners on the continued local investment that is needed to achieve the targets. We will continue to closely monitor our progress towards the 10 per cent and 1 per cent targets over the remainder of the parliamentary session.”
“It is vital that all avenues are explored to ensure that, where possible, local clubs and communities have access to sport and leisure facilities. The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and I will continue to work on a cross-portfolio basis to ensure that we maximise the opportunity for children to learn to swim at school.”
“I remind members that I live in the Highlands, where children often attend school at a very long distance from their local pool. However, Highland Council is dedicated to ensuring that children can learn to swim at school. Neil Bibby asked about leisure facilities. We understand the challenging financial circumstances that local authorities are facing in relation to maintaining and operating sports and leisure facilities. That is due, in part, to rising energy costs. We have repeatedly called on the United Kingdom Government to use all the powers at its disposal to tackle the cost of living crisis and to provide appropriate energy bill relief to leisure facilities. Swimming is a very energy-dense activity.”
“Not every school has a pool and it is getting harder to go swimming outwith school. We know from Scottish Swimming that, some time ago, up to 40 per cent of primary school-aged children left school unable to swim. That should be a serious concern for us all, including the Scottish Government. Next week, the Parliament will consider Scottish Swimming’s petition concerning the proposed closure of school pools, including five in Dundee. Does the minister accept that that all makes it more difficult to ensure that primary school-aged children have the opportunity to learn how to swim and the basics of water safety? What is the Government’s plan to make sure that they can do so? Maree Todd: I absolutely recognise the challenges that Neil Bibby has described.”
“The Scottish Government believes that every child should be given the opportunity to learn to swim. It is a life skill that can save lives. Swimming lessons are not delivered nationally as part of the school curriculum and there is currently no requirement to report a child’s swimming ability, either locally or nationally. As a result, we are unable to provide an estimate of the number of pupils who leave school unable to swim. However, we will continue to work with sportscotland, Scottish Swimming and various local and national partners to develop interventions and approaches to provide opportunities for children to become confident, safer and competent swimmers. Neil Bibby: Community access to swimming has been massively reduced through pool closures and cuts to opening hours. Costs are rising for families, too.”
“Ministers’ support for the investment has been solid and steadfast. The best thing that the member can do to ensure that that investment becomes a reality is to vote for the budget.”
“The number of changing places toilets in Scotland has risen from 25 to 269, which means that Scotland has the highest number of changing places toilets per head in the United Kingdom. That is an increase of almost 30 per cent compared to 2019, when the Scottish Government introduced the new Scottish building regulations, so it is not the case that we have made no progress in relation to that funding. The member will be aware that we are operating in an extremely challenging financial context. We had to make difficult decisions collectively and flex to respond to changing circumstances. However, on 11 December, I was pleased to be able to confirm that work is on-going to establish the number of projects that we have and how the fund will be distributed and profiled, and the funding will be in place next year.”
“The minister will be aware that significant rises in construction costs and the costs of equipment over many years have vastly increased the overall cost of building a changing places toilet. The Government has caused delays. There has been repeated reprofiling of the fund, which has caused exasperation for disabled people, as the minister has heard and well knows, and it is clear that projects across the country now cost more money and that the fund has been devalued. Has the Government done any analysis of how many projects it would expect £10 million to fund? How many fewer projects might there be as a result of the delays around the issue? Maree Todd: We have done a great deal of work on the issue over a number of years, and I am absolutely delighted to have seen such good progress in Scotland.”