Meeting of the Parliament 18 March 2026 [Draft]
First, I thank Willie Rennie for his kind remarks, although his talking about a couple of decades made me feel rather old.
Willie Rennie raises a very important point, and there is clearly a need for us to look at the funding for palliative care, because the Parliament was of one voice last night. The First Minister has already indicated that it will be looked at. Many in the palliative care sector hold very deeply and powerfully to their independence when it comes to what they provide, so we need to bear that in mind when we look at the future funding of palliative care. I suspect that the issue will no doubt find its way into manifesto developments, but it will also be a key priority for the Parliament when it reconvenes in the next session.