Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 06 October 2011
06 Oct 2011 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Scottish Ambulance Service (Rest Breaks)
I also welcome the statement and thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of it, although I did get advance sight of the announcement on the BBC website yesterday afternoon.
The subject of the statement is a serious issue that has needed resolution for some time. We have raised it on a number of occasions, including at First Minister’s question time on 9 June, when Annabel Goldie raised the matter. There is concern that it has taken time to resolve it. That said, I welcome the interim solution that has been set out today.
The cabinet secretary said that the majority of the unions involved have accepted the interim offer. I understand that the GMB has not done so. Can the cabinet secretary tell us how many workers are not signed up to the interim offer and what impact that will have? What assurances can she give us that at the end of the three-month period there will be a permanent solution, given that there have been two failed attempts to reach a resolution?
The subject of the statement is a serious issue that has needed resolution for some time. We have raised it on a number of occasions, including at First Minister’s question time on 9 June, when Annabel Goldie raised the matter. There is concern that it has taken time to resolve it. That said, I welcome the interim solution that has been set out today.
The cabinet secretary said that the majority of the unions involved have accepted the interim offer. I understand that the GMB has not done so. Can the cabinet secretary tell us how many workers are not signed up to the interim offer and what impact that will have? What assurances can she give us that at the end of the three-month period there will be a permanent solution, given that there have been two failed attempts to reach a resolution?
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
The next item of business is a statement by Nicola Sturgeon on Scottish Ambulance Service rest breaks.Before we turn to it, I put on record my disappointment...
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy (Nicola Sturgeon)
SNP
I am grateful for the opportunity to update Parliament on the progress that has been made towards resolving the rest break issue within the Scottish Ambulanc...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
The cabinet secretary will now take questions on the issues raised in her statement. I intend to allow about 20 minutes for questions, after which we will mo...
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome the cabinet secretary’s statement and thank her for an advance copy of it. We all agree that there should be no delay in responding to category A 9...
Nicola Sturgeon
SNP
I will deal with the final question first. In my view, the Ambulance Service is an emergency service. I hear the distinction between emergency services and e...
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I also welcome the statement and thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of it, although I did get advance sight of the announcement on the BBC website...
Nicola Sturgeon
SNP
I acknowledge that Annabel Goldie raised the issue in Parliament. I think that we all wish that the situation had never arisen—it dates back to 2004—and that...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
We move to back-bench questions to the minister. I remind members and the minister that questions and answers should be brief, so that we get in as many peop...
Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome the cabinet secretary’s statement. No doubt she shares the widespread disbelief at the death of a 33-year-old woman 750m from an ambulance base bec...
Nicola Sturgeon
SNP
Kenny Gibson can take from my statement that I agree that patient safety is paramount. However, I repeat what I said: staff on rest breaks are abiding by the...
Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome the good statement by the cabinet secretary. The case in Crieff to which she referred involved a constituent of mine and of Gordon Banks.Will the c...
Nicola Sturgeon
SNP
Richard Simpson’s point about defibrillators was well made. Mapping work is being done and it is important that the Ambulance Service knows where publicly ac...
Dr Simpson
Lab
I was.
Nicola Sturgeon
SNP
In that case, he will have heard Michael Matheson’s answer.I give Dr Simpson an absolute assurance on the single-manning issue. There will be no return to ro...
Jackie Baillie
Lab
The cabinet secretary is imagining things.
Nicola Sturgeon
SNP
Maybe I did not see her do so. Just in case, I should say that last-minute events will always crop up that will make certain arrangements unavoidable. Howeve...
Dennis Robertson (Aberdeenshire West) (SNP)
SNP
Can the cabinet secretary provide an update on the work that has been carried out by her, the Scottish Ambulance Service and others to deliver a retained amb...
Nicola Sturgeon
SNP
I know that the member has a great interest in Braemar. All members who represent the north-east of Scotland will be aware of on-going efforts by the Scottis...
Kezia Dugdale (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
Does the cabinet secretary recognise that ambulance crews in rural areas might deal with a dozen call-outs a week, while those in cities, such as Edinburgh, ...
Nicola Sturgeon
SNP
I think that most people would recognise that there is a significant difference between the demands that are placed on our ambulance services in rural areas ...
Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD)
LD
I note the cabinet secretary’s assurance that the new arrangement will be invoked on rare occasions only. The Scottish Ambulance Service has a duty of care t...
Nicola Sturgeon
SNP
Yes, it will capture geographical differences. As I said in my statement, the weekly reports will come from every control room to the Scottish Ambulance Serv...
Clare Adamson (Central Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
The cabinet secretary will be aware that, in some cases, ambulances have struggled to locate properties, particularly in rural areas. Will the cabinet secret...
Nicola Sturgeon
SNP
I am aware of that issue and it was specifically raised with me by the family in Crieff whom I mentioned before. There have been cases in which ambulances ha...
Helen Eadie (Cowdenbeath) (Lab)
Lab
Like my colleagues, I warmly welcome the cabinet secretary’s efforts to resolve an issue that greatly concerns all members in the chamber. Given that we are ...
Nicola Sturgeon
SNP
The Welsh model has been held up as a possible solution, but on further examination I am not sure that it has found the magic solution that has evaded us. We...
Graeme Dey (Angus South) (SNP)
SNP
Given the cabinet secretary’s detailed knowledge of the situation, how hopeful or confident is she that a sustainable solution—that the union membership buys...
Nicola Sturgeon
SNP
I thought—and still think—that the offer that was put to staff in the summer was fair and reasonable, but I must recognise that significant majorities in all...
Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
I welcome the cabinet secretary’s statement, given the death in Tomintoul last year, which shocked the local community. If the number of ambulance service ca...
Nicola Sturgeon
SNP
I have asked to see the weekly reports partly to answer such questions. It will be important to see how the arrangements are implemented in practice and what...