Meeting of the Parliament 04 March 2026 [Draft]
I recognise the constructive approach that the Liberal Democrats took to engagement with the Scottish Government during the budget process with regard to social care. As I touched on in my response to Mr Rowley, we are engaging with providers, those who work directly in social care and trade unions on an on-going basis. A key element of that will be the progress that we make towards achieving sectoral bargaining.
Mr Rennie highlighted the distinction between those who work in the NHS and those who work elsewhere, which reflects the existing structures. I recognise that most members of this Parliament opposed the creation of a national care service, so the arrangements that prevail and that are currently in place mean that such decisions are taken locally. However, the work on sectoral bargaining can help significantly to address the valid points that Mr Rennie has raised.