Alex Cole-Hamilton
Scottish Liberal Democrats · Scotland
“I am sure that all members will join me in expressing solidarity with Scotland’s Muslim community after the brutal and unprovoked attacks on the streets of Edinburgh last weekend. That community’s response to those attacks has not been one of violence or revenge; it has been to make a plea for tolerance and understanding.”
“All told, more than 1,400 inmates have been let out of prison since the early release scheme began, and that is because our prisons are bursting at the seams. However, that is not a strategy and it will not protect the public.”
“Let that sink in, because the language of displacement and othering is the antithesis of the cohesion that Lord Offord speaks about so regularly. Liberals believe in reform—of course we do. The Whig Government in 1832— Amanda Bland: Will the member take an intervention? Alex Cole-Hamilton: I will give way to Amanda Bland.”
“This was an opportunity for Reform to prove everybody wrong and to pepper the chamber this afternoon with speeches that were measured in tone and full of bright ideas to fix the things that are wrong in Scotland. We have heard none of that today.”
“I welcome the minister’s remarks about the Edinburgh attacks. Does he recognise, as do members on these benches, that as well as expressing solidarity with the Muslim community of Scotland, we owe them a debt of gratitude that there was no call for activism and action on the streets of Scotland by the Muslim community?”
“That is why the Government is prioritising an economy with a strength that is felt by people, businesses and communities across Scotland. Scotland is a great place and, collectively, we are making it even greater.”
The complete record
Every one of 814 lines we hold for Alex Cole-Hamilton, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 9 of 17.
“Recognition for Palestine is one of the most effective ways of disempowering Hamas, too, because it would make clear that the future of Palestine belongs not to the terrorists but to the democrats, to peace builders and to those who are committed to the two-state solution—something that Hamas has no interest in. Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people. It has no genuine interest in a Palestinian state, and it has no future in the governance of Gaza or the West Bank. Recognition is not a reward for Hamas; it is a rejection of it. However, recognition alone is not enough; we need urgent action in order to stop the humanitarian disaster that we are seeing in Gaza.”
“Countries such as France and Canada are moving in that direction, too. If Britain believes in a rules-based international order—and we should do so—we should be part of that majority. We should recognise Palestine immediately and, in so doing, give renewed momentum to the cause of peace. Recognition affirms the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination—a right that they have long been denied. Recognition would be more than just symbolic; it would allow for full diplomatic relations. A Palestinian ambassador in London and a British ambassador in Palestine would help to build the trust that is needed to advance peace.”
“That marks some progress. The Liberal Democrats accept and welcome that, but the Prime Minister can go much further. The Liberal Democrats are in no doubt that the actions of the Israeli Cabinet and the IDF are in breach of international law. We have repeatedly called on the Government to go further in imposing a full arms embargo, sanctioning all members of the Cabinet—including Netanyahu—who are complicit in the illegal aid blockade and the targeting of civilians, and supporting the gathering of evidence for future accountability of these crimes against humanity. Recognition should have happened months ago. By doing it in the way that the Prime Minister intends, we are treating recognition as some kind of bargaining chip. Of the 193 member states of the United Nations, 147 already recognise Palestine.”
“We must never lose sight of either tragedy—both demand urgent action. I echo those who say that a Palestinian life is worth as much as an Israeli life. In that spirit, it is incumbent on all of us to remember, think, speak and act on behalf of all those Israelis in whose name Netanyahu does not act, and those Palestinians whom Hamas does not represent. The motion speaks to the recognition of a Palestinian state. For the Liberal Democrats, recognition is not an abstract gesture; it is a vital, practical step towards peace and a two-state solution that ensures dignity and security for both Palestinians and Israelis. We have heard the Prime Minister finally announce that the UK will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly later this month unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire and allows aid into Gaza, among other conditions.”
“I am grateful to the Scottish Government for making time for this very important debate. The debate takes place against the backdrop of immense humanitarian suffering and our historical culpability, which I raised with the First Minister in response to the statement earlier. In Gaza, what families are enduring is nothing short of a catastrophe. Thousands of civilians have been killed, millions have been displaced and basic necessities such as food, water and medicine are desperately scarce. There is a famine raging through that land. The images of starving children should be burned into the retinas of all our eyes. At the same time, Israeli families still wait in agony for the return of their loved ones who were taken hostage by Hamas terrorists in the atrocities of 7 October.”
“On Monday this week, the First Minister and I spoke to the Palestinian head of mission in London, Husam Zomlot, and he described to the First Minister and me, in heartbreaking terms, what he has witnessed recently in the West Bank. He was clear that the Israeli Government’s aim is to settle the entire West Bank. He described the West Bank’s economic strangulation of more than 50 per cent unemployment, of roadblocks and of Palestinian communities penned in behind walls and behind wire. That is his and nearly 3 million Palestinians’ home. Can any of us imagine what it must feel like for them to be systematically removed from their homeland and to have their homes and livelihoods destroyed and their children’s futures stolen while the international community fails to act decisively?”
“The UK, having authored the Balfour declaration, bears historic responsibility to uphold the principle of equitable rights—something that recognition of Palestine unconditionally would help to restore. Palestine is recognised by 147 United Nations member states, is a UN observer and is accepted by the International Criminal Court as a state entity. The UK’s history imposes a moral duty. The Balfour declaration’s promise of mutual rights cannot be realised without Palestinian statehood. That must be the starting position. As well as genocide in Gaza, we see worsening settler violence in the West Bank. According to the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 1,000 settler attacks have been recorded in this year alone.”
“The Israeli Security Cabinet took the chilling decision to seize Gaza City, which is home to around 900,000 civilians and is where the United Nations has declared that famine conditions exist. Israeli forces have since attacked Gaza City suburbs, killing civilians and ending humanitarian pauses. Those actions directly contradict the UK’s demands. On 20 August 2025, the Israeli Government approved the massive E1 settlement project, which would likely make a two-state solution unviable. Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich said: “This reality finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there is nothing to recognise and no one to recognise”. Those chilling words will resonate through the ages. We have been warned.”
“UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the UK would recognise the state of Palestine at the General Assembly of the United Nations, unless the Israeli Government declared a ceasefire, allowed humanitarian access, halted West Bank annexations and showed genuine commitment to peace and to a two-state solution. Although the Scottish Government has welcomed that decision, having repeatedly called on the UK Government to recognise Palestine, we are clear that recognition should not be conditional but should instead be a first step towards a two- state solution in which Palestinians and Israelis live peacefully, side by side. Recognition is the right of every Palestinian in the occupied Palestinian territories. Let us be clear. Netanyahu’s Government has rejected the United Kingdom’s conditions.”
“The United Kingdom bears a unique historical responsibility, as the former colonial power, over a territory that is so bitterly contested. The First Minister’s statement sets out what the Scottish Government can do within our powers. In effect, the pause on new support for arms companies linked to genocide constitutes the Scottish Government’s divesting its investment, exactly as the Scottish Greens’ amendment calls for. It is clear that the vast majority of the actions that the amendment calls for, such as sanctions, are outwith our powers and are—as the amendment itself notes—matters for the UK Government. The motion for debate refers simply to the need for the state of Palestine to be recognised, and it is for the United Kingdom Government to take that decision.”
“Does the cabinet secretary recognise, as I do, that the evidence for the continuing outrages perpetrated by the Netanyahu Government have prompted former Likud Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to say that Netanyahu’s proposals for a “humanitarian city” in Gaza are tantamount to “ethnic cleansing”? Angus Robertson: I agree with the intervention that Alex Cole-Hamilton has described; it is one of a number of interventions that point to the facts that we can all see. They are there for us all to see—the question is whether we act. The First Minister has, today, set out not only the actions that the Scottish Government is taking, within our powers, but what we expect the UK Government to do, including joining South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice.”
“The answer to his question is that we are willing to be as helpful as we can to as many families as possible, but the number of children and families that we can support will be determined by the collaboration with the”
“The First Minister: I welcome the comments that Mr Cole-Hamilton makes. I have visited KidsOR in Dundee; it is an organisation that has deployed medical care on an incredibly sophisticated level in difficult and challenging circumstances. Its intervention has been very welcome, and I am glad that we are able to support it in the way that we can. I admire the organisation enormously. In relation to the provision of medical care through the NHS, we are working collaboratively with the UK Government on that question. Mr Cole-Hamilton will appreciate that there are all sorts of visa and transfer issues that must be arranged. We cannot do that unilaterally; we have to do it in co-operation with the UK Government, and I welcome the engagement that we have had with the UK Government on pursuing that issue.”
“Given the historical responsibility that we hold in Great Britain for the desperate situation that is unfolding in Palestine, both of our Governments have a duty and an obligation to act, or we should deserve to have the images of the children of Gaza haunt us for 100 years. The people of Gaza and of Israel are now governed by regimes that operate only in their own hate-filled interests, at devastating humanitarian cost, both to the remaining Israeli hostages and to the citizens of Gaza. I am gratified to hear the First Minister talk of the Government’s support for KidsOR, an organisation that I have hosted in the Parliament. I welcome the announcement that 20 children will be brought to Scotland to receive NHS care. What scope will there be to expand that number, given the unfolding humanitarian disaster in that benighted land?”
“I move amendment S6M-18671.1, to leave out from “welcomes” to end and insert: “recognises that people feel let down and frustrated, and considers that Scotland deserves better than the current Scottish National Party administration; calls for first-rate healthcare, help with the cost of living, more support for pupils to help get Scottish education back to its best, and an end to the ferries fiasco, and believes that Scotland needs change with fairness at its heart.” The Deputy Presiding Officer: We now move to the open debate. 15:55”
“This is what the Liberal Democrats stand for: thousands of seemingly tiny acts of public service up and down this country, working to make our communities better, to fix what is broken, to build anew and to protect liberal values at home and abroad. This is how we restore hope in our communities and trust in our politics: by fighting for change with fairness at its heart. Scotland deserves better, and the Liberal Democrats are ready to deliver that.”
“Many people who once backed Ruth Davidson are completely scunnered at what that party has turned into. We will be the champions for every town and village in Scotland. We will be champions who will fight for carers, for those who are waiting for operations or care packages, for families who want to see a GP without weeks of delay, for parents who want the best for their children and for businesses that want to see a customs union and youth mobility scheme to fix our broken relationship with Europe. People are tired of political spin and constant division. They want competence, compassion and care.”
“The progress on closing that yawning attainment gap has been minuscule. We urgently need a plan to drive up education performance and improve outcomes for our young people. It means recruiting and retaining great teachers properly, supporting pupils with additional support needs and ensuring that every child gets the best possible start in life. I am not given to quoting Kemi Badenoch, but I will do so now. She said that the Lib Dems are in local communities and that “A typical Liberal Democrat will be somebody who is good at fixing their church roof.” She is sneering at the Lib Dems for being a party that will come and fix your church roof and be in your local community, but that is something that we hold as a badge of honour. Her words show exactly why the Conservatives have lost the public’s trust.”
“To be shivering in the shadow of a wind turbine and unable to heat your home is not a fair deal when you live in a part of the country that is a powerhouse of the renewables revolution that will move us to net zero and guarantee energy security for all those islands. Jobs in the trades, warmer homes, lower bills—those are the practical differences that a competent Government can make. It is 10 years since Nicola Sturgeon promised to close the poverty-related attainment gap. It was the number 1 priority—the yardstick—of SNP Government. However, Scottish education has fallen further down the international rankings. Parents and teachers are increasingly worried about what is happening in classrooms, especially about the violence. Workforce planning is a mess, which is leaving good teachers out of work.”
“All those waits are holding people back. They are holding growth back and they are holding our country back. On doorsteps across Scotland, families tell me the same story—their bills are soaring, their money does not go as far as it used to, and they are struggling to get by. We would tackle that head on with a national programme of insulation to bring warmth to the homes of Scotland and to bring down stubbornly high fuel costs. We also want local communities to truly benefit from renewables projects in their areas, so that people actually see the gains from Scotland’s energy wealth.”
“Liberal Democrats will always hold this Government to account, but we will also roll up our sleeves and get things done. That is what our councillors and MSPs and our record-breaking 72 Liberal Democrat MPs are doing. For us, the number 1 issue—for both the remainder of this parliamentary session and the coming election—is the NHS and care in our communities. The equivalent of one in six Scots is now stuck on a waiting list. That means months of pain, anxiety and lost time. Liberal Democrats would invest in a first-rate health service so that people can see a GP or dentist when they need them. It is not hard to imagine a time when we used to have that, and that should be the aspiration now. We would deliver faster access to mental health treatment because nobody should be left waiting years for help.”
“Alex Cole-Hamilton: I am grateful to Fergus Ewing, and I also make the same commitment for the A96. To put it simply, if the M8 were killing upwards of 10 people every year, it would be dualled by Christmas, yet Highlanders have had to wait for nearly 20 years of commitment after commitment but have not seen that vital road dualled. People deserve better, and Scotland deserves better. Nearly two decades into SNP rule, for many people, it feels like our country simply is not working as it should be and as it used to. The SNP has had long enough. We know that the only thing that will truly bring about the change that Scotland needs is a change of Government. Scotland needs change, and it needs to be change with fairness at its heart—fairness for everyone, no matter who you are or where you come from.”
“The waits for many operations and treatments are measured out in years. People are stuck in hospital because they cannot get a care home place or the support that they need to live back at home. Islanders are fed up of ferry cancellations. Communities are fed up of dangerous roads, such as the A9—the backbone of the Perthshire and Highland communities—which finishes each year with a body count. Families worry about violence at school and the lack of support for pupils who need it, and about whether they can find childcare that fits around their work. Fergus Ewing: I am pleased that Alex Cole- Hamilton mentioned the A9. At the forthcoming election, will the Liberals include a manifesto commitment to dual the A9 from Inverness to Perth and to bring forward, if possible, the completion of that dualling before the planned date of 2035?”
“Before I start, I associate myself with the First Minister’s remarks about the situation in Gaza; the scenes that we have seen unfolding there, in particular this summer, should strike a humanitarian chord with every member in the chamber. From Stranraer to Shetland and from Skye to St Andrews, Scotland has so much going for it, but everywhere you go, people say that right now, things feel broken. If you talk to people the length and breadth of the country about how they are feeling, they say that they are tired and frustrated, and they are right to be. They will not stand for the protestations by this First Minister, who, in addressing my intervention, effectively took to the words of Jim Callaghan— “Crisis? What crisis?” It is all around him. It can take weeks to see a GP. You are lucky if you can find an NHS dentist locally.”
“That extra capacity means that, right now, in-patient waiting lists are falling, a record number of hip and knee replacements are being carried out, more people are surviving cancer than ever before and the numbers of paramedics and GPs are increasing. There is work to be done, but substantial progress has been made in strengthening the NHS under this Government’s leadership of the”
“I am sure that everyone across the chamber supports our hard-working NHS staff. However, does the First Minister recognise that his words will come as cold comfort to everyone who has been waiting in line on the phone for a general practitioner appointment this afternoon and to every one of the 2,000 Scots who are stuck in hospital well enough to go home but too frail to do so without a care package? Will he recognise that his words will come as cold comfort to everyone, in general, who is looking for social care in our communities? The First Minister: Let me address those particular issues. In our programme for government, we promised 150,000 extra appointments and procedures, but we now expect to exceed that and to deliver 213,000, meaning that, in total, we will deliver an extra 300,000 appointments and procedures.”
“I am not going to underplay the complexity of the issue or the absolute importance of the lead clinician in any decision making that takes place, but I very much recognise the iniquity that can be created when those who are unable to access an assessment or diagnosis through the national health service turn to the private sector and are confronted with a situation in which the two systems do not join up. I am not playing down the complexity of the issue. I will explore it further, and I am happy to engage directly with Alex Cole-Hamilton as part of the wider cross-party summit.”
“The executive medical director of NHS Lothian has now written to several practices to say that she cannot support that decision. There is an impasse between NHS Lothian and local general practitioners. Will the Scottish Government bring those two parties together to agree a protocol for shared care that can be delivered safely, with adequate resources, to ensure that people can start being seen? Tom Arthur: I put on the record my gratitude to the Scottish Liberal Democrats for securing the debate at the end of May that Mr Cole-Hamilton mentioned. As he might imagine should be the case, I have been through the Official Report of the debate and have considered carefully the issues that were raised in it. During my first two weeks in the post that I am honoured now to hold, the issue of shared care has stood out for me.”
“I welcome the minister to his new role. Improving neurodevelopmental care pathways is such a vital issue for the Scottish Liberal Democrats that we used our only debating day this year to bring a debate on it to the Parliament. People should not have to wait seven years for a diagnosis or to face life-defining exams without support. The minister’s statement is utterly silent on the issue of shared care, which we raised in our debate. It used to be that families could get a private diagnosis and thereafter obtain a national health service prescription, but that option is no longer available in the NHS Lothian area. Doctors have ended it because of concerns about the credentials and safety of private diagnosers, but also because they fear that they could be overwhelmed.”
“When this potentially lethal disease turns someone’s world upside down, the last thing that they need is a long wait for life-saving care. Does the First Minister not think that those people deserve better?”
“Presiding Officer, on behalf of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, I thank you for your service to the Parliament as an MSP and, in particular, for your commitment to the integrity and values of this chamber. We wish you well. I listened to what the First Minister had to say about cancer and to his digging into the statistics of one health board, but this comes down to the fact that, when cancer is coming for someone, they deserve to know that they have the best possible chance of survival. Under this SNP Government, that is not happening. Even if we have not had cancer, we will know somebody who has, and treatment times for patients who are referred with an urgent suspicion of cancer are worse than at any point on record.”
“We won an increase in the earnings threshold for carers allowance, allowing unpaid carers to earn more from part-time work without losing vital support through benefits. I welcome the ambition and focus of the annual statement, but action and delivery are what count. The Deputy Presiding Officer: We now move to the open debate. 15:43”
“My party wants to go further by extending funded entitlements so that more two-year-olds get the benefit, with a view to extending the provision to one-year-olds as well. However, all those policies must be backed with workforce support, proper pay and reliable delivery, or they risk becoming empty promises. That brings me to the unpaid workforce that keeps our society going. In 2023-24, 73 per cent of unpaid carers were women. One in four economically inactive women cited looking after family and home as the reason for their being economically inactive. That is nearly four times the rate of men. The Liberal Democrats have consistently championed carers’ rights, and we have led calls to make the carers allowance system fairer and more flexible.”
“As we know, the bulk of childcare still falls on women, despite our wish to change our societal norms. Across much of Scotland, local authorities are cutting back on that provision by providing free hours from the term after the child’s third birthday, rather than from the day after their birthday. That means that many families are missing out on up to four months of free provision. Again, women bear the brunt of that. The Government needs to ensure that local authorities are provided with the funding that they need to roll out support consistently across the country to avoid that postcode lottery. The last thing that mothers who are trying to return to work need is an unfair roadblock.”
“The appointment of Professor Anna Glasier as Scotland’s first women’s health champion was absolutely a step forward, but for many, the progress still feels painfully slow. Endometriosis is another stark example of an area that is misunderstood. Too many women continue to suffer for years before receiving a proper diagnosis or treatment. That is not equality of healthcare. If we are serious about gender equality, we must also transform access to work. Today, women in Scotland are more likely to be in insecure work, stuck in low-paid, stereotypically female sectors, and less likely to reach senior roles, even with the same qualifications as their male peers and even with the policies that the Parliament has introduced. That is still a fact. That must change. The 1,140 hours of free childcare for three and four-year-olds is key to that.”
“Meghan Gallacher: Alex Cole-Hamilton is talking about issues in relation to women’s health, but what about young women’s health? We know that young women, particularly those from poorer areas, are less likely to take up the PVG vaccine for cervical cancer. What does Alex Cole-Hamilton think that we can do to encourage take-up of the vaccine by young women, which is a huge issue right now, because it is life saving? Alex Cole-Hamilton: Meghan Gallacher makes an excellent point. It is incumbent on us all, in debates such as this one, to remind young women in particular of the health interventions that are available to them, which could keep them in better health or even save their lives or protect their unborn children. I will come on to talk about younger women if I have time.”
“We have also seen tangible examples in recent years of how women’s health concerns are too often downplayed and treated as an afterthought. I will never forget—and I am sure that colleagues will never forget—the injustice faced by the women who suffered the devastating effects of transvaginal mesh implants and how they had to fight to be recognised and compensated. If it had been an implant for males, I am not sure that the fight would have needed to be so long lasting or so strong, but there we are. The women’s health plan that was introduced in 2021 was a step forward. It rightly widened the lens beyond reproductive health and included menopausal care, post-natal contraception and conditions such as cardiac disease—areas that are too often overlooked or misunderstood in women.”
“However, recognition alone of that fact is not enough. The cultural shift that we seek towards genuine gender equality demands action and delivery from the Government and from us all as parliamentarians. It demands that women’s voices are heard and respected, not only in policy papers but in this Parliament and in the council chambers across Scotland’s 32 local authorities. We are still far behind where we need to be, particularly when it comes to female representation in those local authorities. I would like to focus my remarks specifically on health and health inequalities. In 2021, one in five women aged 16 to 24 reported a mental health condition. When it comes to physical health, women live longer than men—that is a statement of fact—but they spend less of their lives in good health.”
“I am pleased to speak on behalf of the Scottish Liberal Democrats but I am ashamed that, as the cabinet secretary rightly pointed out, I am one of only four men in the chamber. This issue should matter to all of us. As I said in my intervention, we will only get meaningful progress if we enlist men as allies in the crusade and change the way in which we raise our boys. That is a lesson to all of us. The Liberal Democrats absolutely welcome this first annual statement on gender policy coherence. It is right that the Scottish Government has responded in the way that it has done to the recommendations that were laid out by the national advisory council. Recognition matters, and the statement recognises that gender inequality is structural, persistent and entirely unacceptable in modern Scotland.”
“I move, That the Parliament notes the publication of the first Annual Statement on Gender Policy Coherence. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I advise members that we have a bit of time in hand, so they will certainly get the time back for interventions. 15:20”
“It is important that we have this discussion at this time, as the National Advisory Council for Women and Girls wished us to do, so that we can take steps forward to the strategy with a shared understanding of the matters that we raise in the chamber today on behalf of our constituents and stakeholders. I also hope to ensure that we move forward to our next annual statement, which will once again provide a comprehensive picture of what the Government has done and what it still has to do. Future statements will be informed by the work that will start with our gender strategy and what will come from it. I am very proud of the progress that we have made in Scotland but, as I said, there is more to do. I hope that members will agree that gender equality is a goal that we must all continue to strive for.”
“We need to consider how we bring up our young boys into young men and the societal norms they live with—particularly those things that today’s younger generations think are acceptable—because that is a large part of the problem that women and girls continue to face. He raised an important point, and I will take it away and reflect on it. This afternoon, members have highlighted and will highlight areas of concern and areas where they wish the Government to go further and, I hope, some areas where the Government has taken action that they support.”
“Liberal Democrats are very supportive of the work that the Government is outlining today. The cabinet secretary mentioned the strategy that is to be forthcoming. What is her view on enlisting men and boys in the strategy towards the promotion of equality, protection and reduction of violence against women and girls? How we raise our boys and enlist men in the fight against that is absolutely vital. Shirley-Anne Somerville: The member has raised an exceptionally important point. As I look around the chamber, I see that it is mostly women who are here, as is often the case when we discuss such issues. I do not have a problem with that; the more the merrier. However, the Parliament needs to think about the contribution that men make to the debate.”
“The work on further digitisation mentioned in the strategy is already proceeding in relation to improving user interfaces and making the back- office functions of services more effective. There is more to be done on that, which the new digital strategy will identify. I should sound one note of caution: we need to be careful about how we share data. We very much want to share data, but we must ensure that the appropriate safeguards are in place when we use AI in that regard, building on the intelligent automation work that we have already done. However, the member can rest assured that, working with our great universities, we are keen to move the agenda forward as fast as we can.”
“Ivan McKee: That is the biggest compliment that I have had today, and Mr Cole-Hamilton can reflect to Mr Rennie that I have done my level best to make my statement this afternoon as boring as possible. Of course, the important point is that our approach is about getting the detail and the fundamentals right—it is not about flashy headlines. Detailed work is what will deliver for the people of Scotland. On the question of digitisation, I refer back to an earlier answer: quite a bit of work on that is happening already. We have CivTech Scotland, which is a world leader in Government technology solutions and is the vehicle for bringing in private sector initiatives to solve public sector problems. That approach has been copied by Governments all over the world.”
“Yesterday, my colleague Willie Rennie told the chamber that public service reform should be boring. So far, the statement is doing a good job of keeping the promise of that directive. The real path to reform must embrace the transformative technologies that are now at our fingertips. Our universities are packed with research projects on AI, but risk aversion in the national health service and a lack of dedicated funding mean that such projects are not making it to the front line, where they could bring down waiting times and improve patient outcomes. How does the Government plan to roll out the use of AI and other emerging technologies, where appropriate, to deliver faster, smarter public services?”
“The decision-making process that the service renewal framework and the population health framework set out is about taking those considerations into account. We will continue to work with our boards—including those that represent rural and island communities—to ensure that service parity is available. I was born and brought up in an island community; I know what it is like to travel to receive services; I therefore recognise that, for some, travel will inevitably be needed. I want to ensure that that is done equitably, fairly and supportively, so that there will be a better situation for island communities such as the one that I am from, and for the communities that colleagues across parties represent—and a better system for the people of”
“Strategies and recovery plans such as these come and go, but the health and social care sector is still on its knees. Nowhere is that crisis more acute than in our remote, rural and island communities. However, the renewal document suggests that those communities will have to wait until year 9 before they can expect care that meets quality standards. All the while, mums will have to drive 100 miles down the A9, care homes in the Highlands will continue to close and care visits will be cut short because of travel time. Does the cabinet secretary really expect those communities to be happy to wait until 2034 for the care that we all expect now? Neil Gray: That is not what we have set out. We expect the framework to inform decision making from now on.”
“Local economies benefit when young people come here to work, to live and to spend. Such a scheme would be a two- way street, as young Scots would be able to access the same opportunities across the continent. The Deputy Presiding Officer: We move to the open debate. 16:00”
“A properly designed youth mobility scheme would be a huge win for our economy. The Centre for European Reform has said that a youth mobility scheme could add nearly 0.5 per cent to our gross domestic product in the longer term, while analysts at the House of Commons library who were commissioned by the Lib Dems suggest that such growth could add roughly £5 billion to the Exchequer each year. That could mean that there would be about £5 billion of additional tax revenue each year in the long run. The 0.45 per cent figure was arrived at in a Centre for European Reform study on the economic impact of a youth mobility scheme between the UK and the EU. Our hospitality and tourism sectors, our farms, our construction sites and our start-ups all need flexible and energetic workers.”