Hansard

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing) SNP

The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-09462, in the name of Jackie Baillie, on taking action on national health service waiting times. I ask me...

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Lab

There are 779,533 patients on waiting lists in Scotland. That is one in seven Scots, and it is the highest number of people waiting since records began. At t...

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD) LD

Will Jackie Baillie give way?

Jackie Baillie Lab

No, I do not have time. All those numbers are, of course, people whose lives are put on hold while they wait, often in pain, to get the medical care that th...

The Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care (Michael Matheson) SNP

Let me start by acknowledging the importance of this topic. I welcome the opportunity to highlight the progress that has been made by our NHS and, equally, t...

Jackie Baillie Lab

Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?

Michael Matheson SNP

Data on our 18-month out-patient target shows that the number of people waiting more than 78 weeks reduced by 48.5 per cent between June last year and March ...

Craig Hoy (South Scotland) (Con) Con

Will the member take an intervention?

Michael Matheson SNP

I will give way to Jackie Baillie, because she was first.

Jackie Baillie Lab

The cabinet secretary will of course realise that the targets that his predecessor set were to completely eradicate those waiting lists—he did not say, “Redu...

Michael Matheson SNP

As I have outlined, we are making steady progress and seeing capacity increase in our NHS in order to continue to reduce those waiting lists. All that work ...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

I call Sandesh Gulhane to speak to and move amendment S6M-09462.1 for up to four minutes. 15:03

Sandesh Gulhane (Glasgow) (Con) Con

I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests: I am a practising NHS general practitioner. Our heroic NHS staff have been failed by the ...

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD) LD

I am grateful to Jackie Baillie for securing time for this important debate. I would say that I am happy to speak in it, but that would be a lie. I mean, her...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

We move to the open debate and back-bench speeches of up to four minutes. 15:12

Carol Mochan (South Scotland) (Lab) Lab

I appreciate that the SNP has other things to be worried about this week, but Scottish Labour remains firmly focused on the priorities of Scottish people. Th...

Fulton MacGregor (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) SNP

Will the member take an intervention?

Carol Mochan Lab

I will not take an intervention, thank you. Members need to listen to this. They need to live with the decisions that they make in that regard. Like others,...

Fulton MacGregor (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) SNP

I welcome the debate. It is right that we look at the NHS. However, I sometimes think, when Labour brings these health issues to the chamber, that its membe...

Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Lab

Sixteen years ago.

Michael Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab

That was 16 years ago—what is happening now?

Fulton MacGregor SNP

Members are saying “16 years”, but that is—

Paul Sweeney (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab

Will the member give way?

Fulton MacGregor SNP

I will not be taking any interventions, because I have only four minutes—Labour should have picked a time when there was longer for debate. The key issue in...

Monica Lennon (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lab

Will the member take a brief intervention on that point?

Fulton MacGregor SNP

I cannot—I am sorry. That applies to the health service not only in Scotland but in Northern Ireland, Wales and England. The Labour motion completely fails ...

Daniel Johnson Lab

Will the member give way?

Fulton MacGregor SNP

No, I will not.

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

The member is about to conclude.

Fulton MacGregor SNP

The Scottish Government supported buy-outs of hospital car parks in Glasgow and Dundee last year and supported the ending of private finance initiative contr...