Hansard

I begin by welcoming the cabinet secretary to his new role and wishing him well. As we have already heard, Mr McKee has been handed what might become the defining task of this Government, which is tackling the £5 billion black hole in Scotland’s finances. As Murdo Fraser has just said, although the cabinet secretary insists that his role is not about cutting front-line services, time will certainly tell.

It is often said that voters are never wrong. As my colleague Willie Rennie said in his opening remarks of this parliamentary session, given the low turnout of voters and their rejection of some of the established parties, it is clear that people are pretty fed up. They are working hard and they are playing by the rules, yet things are simply not getting any better. Therefore, we are in urgent need of a change in approach.

Liberal Democrats were therefore encouraged by the First Minister’s comments at Prosper’s annual forum held last week. He was right to say that our planning system is broken and needs to “work better”. He was also right to say that we need to change how public services are delivered, starting

“from the needs of the citizen, of the business, of the community.”

However, I warn the cabinet secretary that he faces an uphill struggle to rebuild public confidence, particularly in rural Scotland. I agree with what Michael Marra said earlier. We must recognise that there has been almost 20 years of an SNP Government, and some contrition about what has not gone right or what has not been reformed would be welcome.

Too often under this SNP Government, the term “reform” has been code for ever-greater centralisation. The centralisation of the police led to the closure of the Inverness control room and the loss of local operators with detailed knowledge of our communities. The one-size-fits-all approach taken in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has left stations in north-west Sutherland, in effect, unavailable for years. There is also the long-term trend of concentrating specialist healthcare in the Highlands at an overstretched Raigmore hospital, or, worse, losing services altogether, not least vascular care—an issue that I know Edward Mountain of the Conservative Party raised in the previous session.

As I said in my first speech in the chamber last week, Liberal Democrats believe that the best decisions are made when local people are empowered to make them. I therefore welcome the intent shown in the empowering people, places and communities workstream, but I urge the Scottish Government to go further and give my constituents greater reassurances by using its rural renewal bill to put rural proofing into law.

Turning to the cabinet secretary’s commitment to making public services more efficient, I will use what I have left of my time to focus on one key area: social care, including delayed hospital discharge. It is quite astonishing that our NHS is losing £1.2 million a day because, on any given night, around 2,000 patients are stuck in hospital. Those are people who should be cared for in their communities at a fraction of the cost. If we are serious about tackling delayed discharge and reducing pressure on the NHS, the Scottish Government must deliver on its commitment to join up services.

In the Highlands, the end of life care together partnership, which is co-led by Highland Hospice, is a great example. I see Jenni Minto nodding in agreement. Between May 2023 and September 2024, people who accessed its helpline spent more than 4,000 fewer days in hospital, thereby generating savings of up to £3.8 million. Highland Hospice estimates that, with an investment of around £1 million a year, it could deliver that service right across the Highlands. That would be a compassionate choice. It would reduce delayed discharge, save money—which I know the cabinet secretary is looking to do—and ensure that more people receive the care that they want, where they want it, which is at home.

In closing, I commit the Scottish Liberal Democrats to holding the Government to account and working constructively where common ground can be found. However, we must be guided by the principle of empowering local communities, not by a one-size-fits-all approach.

I move amendment S7M-00309.1, to insert at end:

“notes concerns that previous reforms undertaken by the Scottish Government have led to the centralisation of public services, including through the creation of Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the proposed National Care Service; believes that the centralisation of services and the adoption of a one-size-fits-all approach have had a detrimental impact on rural Scotland, and further believes that any future public service reform should be guided by the principle of local decision-making, with communities empowered to shape the services on which they rely.”