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Hansard

Every contribution to the Official Report — chamber and committee — searchable in one place. Pulled from data.parliament.scot, indexed for full-text search, linked through to every MSP.

129

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2,095,827

Hansard contributions

1999–2026

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Official Report

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Showing 60 of 2,095,827 contributions. Latest 30 days: 3,026. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 10 Jun 2026.

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Covid-19 (Tracking the Implications for Scotland’s Public Finances)

I think that my questions have been covered, convener.

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 22 Report

I am not convinced by what I have heard, and I think that there is an issue that needs to be addressed. However, I am happy to pass on to others.

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 22 Report

With all due respect, the health service has far more impact on people’s lives and their life spans than Scottish Water. I accept that Scottish Water is an essential service, but so is the health service.

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 22 Report

I would say the health service—

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 22 Report

The chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is paid less than 50 per cent of the total remuneration package of the chief executive of Scottish Water, turns over more than Scottish Water, and is responsible for a far bigger staff. All the criteria that you mentioned ap...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 22 Report

Thank you. I go back to Dame Susan on the completely different subject of remuneration within Scottish Water. I do not want to talk about individuals or anything like that; I am looking at it from a policy point of view and talking about the total remuneration package and how ...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 22 Report

That is good news. However, there is a 10 per cent gap in satisfaction between the smaller companies and, I presume, the larger companies. Is it one of your objectives to close that gap?

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 22 Report

I will move on to the Scottish market. I am stepping down next month, but I have been an MSP for 22 years. In that time, I have had very few complaints about Scottish Water from constituents, and, when I have made complaints, they have been responded to professionally and quic...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 22 Report

On Scottish Water’s decision to make the facility to borrow from it available to Business Stream if money was needed as a result of the Covid crisis, did Scottish Water and/or Business Stream require the approval of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland to do that?

Alex Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 22 Report

I have a simple question about Business Stream for Dame Susan and her team. We have our own regulator in Scotland that regulates Scottish Water and its subsidiaries, and there is a parallel regulation regime south of the border. Business Stream has operations in Scotland and s...

Alex Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) SNP Chamber

Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Bill

Thank you very much. As the Deputy Presiding Officer said, this is, after 22 years, my final speech to Parliament as an MSP, before I step down in May. Until my dying day I will be very proud, like the Deputy Presiding Officer, to be have been a founding member of the Parliam...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

We do not expect you to be back on an even keel by 5 April.

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

When you say “current financial year”, I assume that you mean the new financial year that starts in April.

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

Thank you for using up most of my time. I have one final question. I want to go back to Caroline Lamb about the capacity issue and all the challenges. I understand that this is a moving target, but, as things stand, when would you expect the national health service, particular...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

The same concern applies to deprived and rural areas. All the evidence shows that, historically, trainees who come from rural areas of Scotland tend to go back into those areas much more than graduates do on average. They do not necessarily go back into the areas that they cam...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

Convener, may I add to that before Dr Smith answers?

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

I want to ask you about use of new technology such as robotics and artificial intelligence, particularly for diagnosis. We have seen fairly exciting developments in robotics and artificial intelligence and, indeed, in many other fields of innovation and technology relating to ...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 23 Report

As an ex-health secretary, I am very proud of how the national health service and social care services have responded to the pandemic in Scotland. It has been outstanding, and everybody should be proud of what they have done. I reiterate what Gail Ross said. I wish Fiona McQu...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Public Finances (Implications of Covid-19)

I am sure that groups that represent cancer patients and others will also want to talk to you. That is much appreciated—thank you.

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Public Finances (Implications of Covid-19)

That is very good. I will pick up on your last point about patient experience. I recognise that, as auditors, your primary focus is the money, but value for money is also an issue. A lot of people are currently very concerned about, for example, a lack of adequate access in so...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Public Finances (Implications of Covid-19)

I am sure that you realise that it does not look very good that we can get a UK figure in January or February—I cannot remember exactly when it was—and yet we have to wait until July, August, September or October before we get an equivalent figure for Scotland. I have a simil...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Public Finances (Implications of Covid-19)

I do not find it very satisfactory that the UK NAO was able to come up with a figure so quickly, and yet it will be six, or possibly nine, months after that before Audit Scotland gives us an equivalent figure. Surely you should be moving much faster than that. 09:15

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Public Finances (Implications of Covid-19)

When will you be in a position to tell taxpayers in Scotland what the equivalent figure is for Scotland?

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Public Finances (Implications of Covid-19)

That does not answer the question. Why have you not done it?

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Public Finances (Implications of Covid-19)

That does not answer my question. The UK National Audit Office has done the calculations on £12 billion-worth of PPE in that timescale. The timescales for securing PPE and so on were the same north and south of the border. Why has your office not yet produced an equivalent fig...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Public Finances (Implications of Covid-19)

The NAO must have done that work, so why have you not done it already?

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Public Finances (Implications of Covid-19)

Why is it that the UK National Audit Office could give us a figure six weeks ago, but Audit Scotland cannot give us a figure for Scotland yet?

Alex Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) SNP Committee

Public Finances (Implications of Covid-19)

Auditor General, I have two questions. First, I want to follow up on the United Kingdom National Audit Office report, “Investigation into government procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic”, on the money that has been wasted as a result of the lack of preparedness for the Cov...

Alex Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) SNP Chamber

Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I will not take too long. The committee was determined to do two things. First, along with the cabinet secretary, we were determined to get to a stage to allow the legislation to pass before we finish up for the election. The survivors have waited long enough for the legislati...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Scottish Government Support and Sponsorship Arrangements (Key Audit Themes)

That would be very helpful. Thank you very much.

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Scottish Government Support and Sponsorship Arrangements (Key Audit Themes)

I realise that you cannot provide this detail today, but it would be useful for us to get a list of all the sponsoring departments in the Scottish Government and what the budget is for running each. It seems to me that, if you add it all together, it is quite a substantial ove...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 22 Report

Yes, please. That is my last question, so make it a good answer. Laughter.

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 22 Report

Although you could not give the up-to-date figure, we know that there are roughly 65,000 Gaelic speakers in Scotland, and they are not entirely concentrated in the Highlands. Many of them are in Glasgow; in my area we have an excellent Gaelic-medium education facility in Cumbe...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Section 22 Report

I think that there are two levels of stakeholders. There are formal organisations, such as local authorities and others, and it is absolutely right that you talk to them. However, as a result of the work that the committee did on this last year, I had a lot of feedback—I think...

Alex Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) SNP Committee

Section 22 Report

I will pick up on the point about stakeholders. Although I recognise that the Scottish Government is making more effort to scrutinise Bòrd na Gàidhlig, including improvements in its internal workings, what worries me is that in the feedback that I have had from the Gaelic comm...

Alex Neil SNP Chamber

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Question Time · Legal Advice

I thank Mr Carlaw for that information, and wish all members of the corporate body all the best for the future as I will be stepping down myself. What legal advice did the corporate body receive on how to respond to the recent demand made of it by the Crown Office regarding r...

1. Alex Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) SNP Chamber

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Question Time · Legal Advice

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how much it spends annually on the provision of legal advice for the Parliament and its committees.

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Major Capital Projects

I look forward to an official invitation to the official opening of both roads. I hope that I live long enough, Bill.

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Major Capital Projects

That is very helpful, but I have two outstanding questions. First, the decision to dual the two roads was taken by the Cabinet in 2011-12. Why has it taken 10 years? The completion target date for the A9 is 2025, but we are still doing statutory orders. Surely to God that shou...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Major Capital Projects

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Major Capital Projects

Thank you. If Alyson Stafford is happy for Bill Reeve to answer the question, I will ask him about transport. I declare an interest—a number of years ago, as the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment, I introduced the commitment to dual the A9 between Pe...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Major Capital Projects

Could you find out and write to us to let us know, please? Given the huge demand for and pressures on social housing in Scotland due to the substantially increased population, the reduction in the size of households and waiting lists, it has to be a top priority in the next fi...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Major Capital Projects

Does “in due course” mean before 25 March?

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Major Capital Projects

As things stand, over the past five years, we have had a housing programme of 50,000 houses, 35,000 of which were new-build social housing. What are the comparable figures for the next five years?

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Major Capital Projects

Just to be clear, I understand that the additional consequentials that we are already due that arise from increased spending on housing south of the border still need to be clarified, but if and when we get that money or are told how much it will be, will that money also be al...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Major Capital Projects

If there are further consequentials from the UK budget, is there a policy to give priority to more funding for social housing? Apart from anything else, inflation in the construction sector has traditionally been higher than overall inflation, so we will not get the same outpu...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Major Capital Projects

Would you say that at the moment we are more or less even-stevens?

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Major Capital Projects

I take the point about the cut in financial transactions money and the fact that we are awaiting more information about additional consequentials from the UK budget at the end of next week but, as things stand, compared to the £3.5 billion over the past five years, what are we...

Alex Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) SNP Committee

Major Capital Projects

I will ask about the social housing plans and the budget. In her original budget statement to Parliament for next year, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance appeared to cut the social housing budget by about £270 million, although she then reinstated around £125 million. What is ...

Alex Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) SNP Chamber

First Minister’s Question Time · Mesh Removal Procedures (National Health Service Funding)

Further to Jackson Carlaw’s question about the Britton review on mesh records, will the First Minister undertake that waiting for the results of that review will not in any way hold up a decision on national health service funding for women who need urgent mesh removal procedu...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

The point that I wanted to make—and, in general, what I have been hearing—is that there is agreement that we need to look at the co-ordinated support plan. When it was introduced, we did not have a figure as high as 30 per cent of pupils being classed as requiring additional s...

Alex Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) SNP Committee

Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

I support what Johann Lamont is trying to do with the bill and I appreciate that such support is necessary for young people. I am old enough to remember when the first ever minister for the disabled, Alf Morris, was appointed by Harold Wilson in 1974. The very act of appointin...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

I have one more question. You mentioned the need for secondary legislation in order to facilitate the national database and make it do the things that we want it to do. When will that secondary legislation be laid for approval? More generally, we have made it clear that we be...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

I am sorry to interrupt, but it will probably be easier if you could share that with us in writing after the meeting. I am sure that the convener will be happy with that.

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

To clarify, are you saying that the national database will be up and running by the end of this calendar year?

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

I suspect that you will have to recruit the assistance of the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport to crack this one, quite frankly, because things move slowly in the health service and, at the moment, the matter is not at the top of the in-tray for most people. I suspect th...

Alex Neil SNP Committee

Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

There are two things we need to know. First, what do the existing statistics for primary care show us, if they are collected at all? If you can get that information for us as a result of your meeting next week, it will be helpful, because it will give us a bigger picture of th...

Alex Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) SNP Committee

Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Going back to the data issue in relation to the health service and the disparity in accident and emergency data collection, I note that there is probably far more activity around dog injuries in the primary care sector, and particularly at GP surgeries, than there is at A and ...

Alex Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) SNP Committee

Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

I thank Daniel Johnson and the cabinet secretary for their supportive comments in relation to amendment 112 and consequential amendment 104A. As we all know, survivors of abuse in care have campaigned with dedication and perseverance to access justice—Inaudible.—and redress. ...

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Committee

Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee 18 March 2021

18 Mar 2021 · S5 · Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee

Item of business

Covid-19 (Tracking the Implications for Scotland’s Public Finances)

Neil, Alex SNP Airdrie and Shotts Watch on SPTV

I think that my questions have been covered, convener.

In the same item of business

The Convener Lab

Under agenda item 3, the committee will take evidence on tracking the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic for Scotland’s public finances. I welcome our wit...

Colin Beattie SNP

I have one or two questions about contingency planning. I hope that we will be coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic in the near future. Managing our way out o...

The Convener Lab

Can Liz Ditchburn answer that question or tell us who is best placed to answer it?

Liz Ditchburn (Scottish Government)

Yes. The question is very much about money, so it would be good to hear from Andrew Watson on how we are building in medium-term financial planning in order ...

Andrew Watson (Scottish Government)

I am happy to start on that question. I think that it relates to the current financial year but, as Liz Ditchburn said, we are very much looking ahead to the...

Colin Beattie SNP

It does to an extent, but I am still a little unclear as to what the actual financial contingency planning process is. You mentioned one or two areas, but wh...

Andrew Watson

I am happy to start on that, but I might bring in my colleagues. Richard McCallum might want to comment on how the health service is preparing for some of th...

Richard McCallum (Scottish Government)

From a health portfolio perspective, we are looking at the issue through three lenses. First, there is the underlying position that health boards and integr...

Colin Beattie SNP

Have you broken down the financial risk and so forth for each major component area in the budget?

Richard McCallum

We have done that for health. We have looked at areas such as social care, the vaccination programme, test and protect, the NHS and the recovery that will be...

Andrew Watson

We have a detailed process of monthly forecasting across Scottish Government budgets. Clearly, the emerging impacts of Covid will be part of that. To give so...

Liz Ditchburn

I was thinking that, in the way that Richard McCallum talked about health, I would offer the example of how we think about the issue with respect to the econ...

Colin Beattie SNP

Do you take into consideration the impact of different funding and spending scenarios on the national performance framework outcomes?

Liz Ditchburn

Absolutely—that is one of the things that is always being tracked. Andrew Watson might want to give more detail about how that falls into longer-term budgeti...

Andrew Watson

I was going to make a similar point to the one that Liz Ditchburn made about the emerging evidence of the unequal impact of Covid on society and the outcomes...

Colin Beattie SNP

Thank you. Back to you, convener.

The Convener Lab

Alex Neil, please. Oh—he is not there. Graham Simpson, please.

Graham Simpson Con

Right, I will step into Alex’s shoes. I will move in a slightly different direction and ask about the framework for investment in private companies. As you w...

Liz Ditchburn

I will come to all the points that Mr Simpson raised but, by way of context, it is important to say that there are a lot things that we do in investing in th...

Graham Simpson Con

My question was, “Do you have a set of principles?” I think that you are saying that the answer is yes, but we have not seen them. Are they going to be publi...

Liz Ditchburn

They will be integrated into the SPFM. We are finalising the process of developing them, but I can talk to you in broad-brush terms about what they are. I do...

The Convener Lab

Graham, does that answer your question?

Graham Simpson Con

I guess so. I suppose that it is encouraging that that is being worked on, so I will wait to see the final details. My final question is related to that. Hav...

Liz Ditchburn

Over the course of the pandemic, we have been doing work with Scottish Enterprise, which also informed some of the work on the pivotal enterprise resilience ...

Bill Bowman Con

I want to move on to the subject of whole public sector accounts. I hope that somebody is familiar with that and can give us an answer. At the end of session...

Jackie McAllister (Scottish Government)

I will take that question. The permanent secretary wrote to the committee on 19 February to reiterate our commitment to whole public sector accounts—we are s...

Bill Bowman Con

I thank you for that. However, the situation has been going on since 2015. I appreciate that, if someone is a chief financial officer and someone else comes ...

Jackie McAllister

Clearly, an important factor is that the information is timely. We would need to look at the value of producing information for years that are quite some dis...

Bill Bowman Con

That does not give me much comfort, to be honest, but I do not put that down to you. The Auditor General has also made the point that, given that the Covid ...

Jackie McAllister

Thank you for that comment. I will definitely pick that up with Audit Scotland and explore it further. Although it would be helpful if the whole public sect...