Hansard

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I congratulate you on your election, and all other members on theirs.

Like many new MSPs, I will begin by putting on record my thanks to my family, friends and supporters for helping to send me here. The responsibility to now represent everyone across Caithness, Sutherland and Ross is one that I take seriously. Over the past few years, people have shared with me their stories, their hopes and their worries—worries that all too often centre on the struggle to access healthcare close to home, particularly for women. It is therefore fitting that I will make my first speech in a debate on the NHS.

Before I make progress on that, however, I wish to pay tribute to my predecessors. John Buchan, the Scottish author, historian and statesman, viewed public service not merely as an administrative duty but as “the worthiest of ambition” and the highest, most honourable adventure. I am honoured to begin that adventure and to follow in the liberal traditions of Bob Maclennan, John Thurso, Charles Kennedy and the only other Liberal Democrat MSP to represent this remarkable constituency, Jamie Stone, whose public service is recognised on every doorstep. All of us have a shared common belief that the best decisions are made when local people are empowered to make them. That principle must guide how we reset this Parliament and our politics. The Liberal Democrats will work constructively with the Government and members from across the chamber to advance that cause.

I also pay tribute to Gail Ross, who is fondly remembered here, particularly as a strong advocate for rural proofing—an issue that I intend to champion in the years to come—and to Maree Todd, whom I congratulate on her return to Government. I thank her for her warm words to me and to my parents, who are in the public gallery this afternoon. I further put on record my thanks to the members sitting beside me, who paved my way to this Parliament. I thank Alex Cole-Hamilton and Willie Rennie for their boundless leadership, and my good friend and former boss here at Holyrood, Liam McArthur, for his many years of mentorship. It is a privilege to sit alongside them now as part of the largest Liberal Democrat group in nearly 20 years.

Caithness, Sutherland and Ross is Scotland’s largest constituency. It presents particular challenges, with sparsity of population, distance and severe winter weather all demanding a different approach to the delivery of services. Let me therefore be clear: what works in the central belt will not always work in the Highlands, particularly where healthcare is concerned. No issue speaks more to that sense of being forgotten and misunderstood than the downgrading of maternity services in Caithness. Surely all members can agree that it is not acceptable that mums-to-be in the far north must travel 100-plus miles in order to give birth in hospital in Inverness. Many families have shared their stories with me—the fear of battling through winter snow, the trauma when emergency transfer plans go wrong and the anxiety about whether they could ever face having another child under such circumstances.

The cabinet secretary, who I congratulate on her appointment, will be aware that the situation has attracted international attention, with the Caithness Health Action Team taking its case to the United Nations, following a report by the Scottish Human Rights Commission that found that mothers felt “unsafe” and “terrified”. The Caithness Health Action Team has led the campaign with real determination. I am pleased to put on record my thanks to Ron Gunn, Iain Gregory and Maria Aitken for their outstanding leadership.

The cabinet secretary will also be aware that, last November, the Parliament voted for a Liberal Democrat amendment that called for an independent review of maternity services in Caithness. That review must involve a chair who is independent of NHS Highland and the Scottish Government, as well as a real commitment to community-led engagement.

The cabinet secretary has confirmed that she will deliver a statement next week, which I welcome; however, I urge her today to provide my constituents with a clear commitment on those points and the recognition that they have waited for far too long.

On Friday, friends and family of the late Jim Wallace will meet in Dunblane to celebrate his life. Jim was an architect of devolution and a politician defined by his ability to build agreement and respect those with whom he disagreed. In his last contribution in the chamber, he said:

“At a time when politics can be so polarising, surely a common commitment to service, whatever our faith or creed, is something that can unite us.”—[Official Report, 29 October 2024; c 2.]

I hope that the Parliament will rise to the challenge that Jim set us. For my part, I commit to doing my very best.