Humza Yousaf defends Jenny Gilruth over Tory claims

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Mark Ruskell of the Scottish Greens says St Andrews University has increased rent in halls by 8%, meaning some students are “at risk of being plunged into poverty” while the university “lines its own pockets”.

He asks if the FM agrees this is “completely unacceptable” and calls on the university to reverse the decision.

Humza Yousaf says it is a decision for the university but it is an important issue, with legislation brought in recently to ensure fair rents, although there “may be areas where we can go further”.

The FM agrees that higher education establishments should “absolutely be aware” of the responsibilities they have around students who are suffering amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Monica Lennon asks if the government will reintroduce the Social Care Staff Support Fund, or take other action to improve sick pay provision for social care workers.

This question comes from the Labour MSP in light of reports of a survey by GMB Scotland stating that 80% of social care workers in the private sector have considered quitting.

She says there are also wider warnings that the care sector is on the brink of collapse.

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The FM highlights the introduction of the Social Care Staff Support Fund in Scotland during the Covid pandemic while staff were under "extreme pressure" - but says it was a temporary measure.

Yousaf highlights the guarantee of £100m to uplift pay to £10.90.

There is also a commitment to reaching £12 per hour for adult care workers, he says.

Lennon points to reports of workers who "cannot afford to get sick" and asks whether the first minister will agree to meet with them. Yousaf says he will meet with trade unions.

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Liz Smith, of the Scottish Conservatives, raises the “widespread and serious concerns” among the business community about a widening tax differential with the rest of the UK and the effect this might have on Scottish productivity and growth.

She asks the FM if he can give a categorical assurance that he accepts and understands those concerns, and says future tax policy should be focused on making Scotland the most competitive part of the UK, rather than the highest taxed.

Humza Yousaf says he has never seen a conflict between growing the economy and having a progressive tax system, and “carefully balanced decisions” are informed by “robust analysis”.

The FM adds that if they listened to the Conservatives and gave more tax cuts to the wealthy, there would be less to spend on free higher education and the Scottish Child Payment.

It comes as the New Deal for Business group met for the first time this week.

Following up on sewage monitoring, Mercedes Villalba of Scottish Labour says there have been 14,000 sewage spills across the country, which have caused anger.

The MSP says Scottish Water pledged to introduce more than 1,000 storm drain monitors by the end of 2024.

"Can the first minister tell us today, exactly how many of these 1,000 he expects to be installed by the end of this year?"

Yousaf says Scottish Water is confident that those monitors will be in place by the end of 2024, clarifying the initial plan was to install them this summer and next year.

Yousaf goes on to say combined sewage overflows are a serious issue and are integral to ensure sewers don't back up and cause flooding across the country.

The FM pledges to send detail of the monitoring in Scotland to Cole-Hamilton.

He argues the water quality in Scotland is good, according to Sepa.

Cole-Hamilton says in England every single pipe is monitored and he asks "when on earth will we catch up?".

The Scottish Lib Dem leader tells the chamber the worst sewage dumping is in the FM's own Glasgow Pollock constituency and jokes is that why he moved to Broughty Ferry.

He asks if Yousaf will commit to legally binding targets that tackle sewage dumping in Scotland.

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The top story on the BBC website today is an apology issued by England's water firms for not "acting quickly enough" to tackle sewage spills.

The spills caused by sewage overflows are considered a necessary part of sewage systems and overflows take place in Scotland as well.

The lack of reported incidents in Scotland has led some to believe that sewage pollution is not as big an issue here as it is in England.

Although over 90% of sewage discharge points in England are monitored, Scottish Water are only required to monitor less than 3% according to a 2021 BBC Scotland report. So the true scale of how much water waste is discharged in Scotland is unknown.

• Read more
• Sewage spills: England's water firms issue apology

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Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton asks why only 4% of Scotland's sewage discharge points are monitored, compared with 91% in England.

The first minister replies that the approach taken in Scotland is more effective than England.

He expands to say 66% of Scotland's water bodies are in good ecological condition, compared to just 16% in England.

Mr Sarwar says that former health secretary Jeanne Freeman understood that grieving families needed answers and established the hospitals inquiry, whereas Mr Yousaf was “too weak” when he took over, lifted the board out of special measures and “empowered those people who failed”.

He says Kimberley Darroch, whose daughter Milly Main died at the QEUH in 2017, says the board are “making the family’s lives hell” and quotes Louise Slorance, who says families have “been lied to and bullied to protect the reputation of Scotland’s flagship hospital”.

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The FM says the government will do “everything in its power” to hold the health board to account.

He adds the government has already brought forward measures to improve transparency to make sure families get answers – the so-called “duty of candour” – while in his time as health secretary he also encouraged whistleblowers to come forward where staff feel it is necessary.

Humza Yousaf says it is important not to prejudice an inquiry that is taking place and wait for the outcome.

But the FM says the government is not waiting for it to finish and is already taking remedial action to improve some areas.

It is his understanding, he says, that a number of the recommendations have been accepted and work is well under way to implement them.

Mr Yousaf adds his thoughts remain with the families impacted and the government will continue to engage with the health board to make sure recommendations are taken forward.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar raises the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, saying it will be three years next month since the inquiry was announced.

He reminds us that two children died because of infections contracted at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow, there were “serious failings” at Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board and that Louise Slorance, whose husband Andrew died, was kept in the dark because of a cover-up.

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Mr Sarwar says no-one has been held responsible and this week the health board “shamefully refused” to accept many of the conclusions of the oversight board and questioned the basis for the independent review.

He asks why should people who refused to accept the board's findings be trusted to run Scotland’s largest health board?

The Scottish Tory leader continues to refer to FOI emails which he says shows Gilruth thought her decision would "not land well".

However Yousaf insists Ross is making serious accusations without any evidence, hoping some of the "mud he is throwing" sticks.

The FM accuses the Scottish Tory leader of being selective in which e-mails he is reading out, arguing the decision affected parts of Scotland beyond Fife.

Ross says the decision of the former transport minister did not help passengers and the FM can "cut out all that rubbish about standing up for passengers".

He argues this appears to be a serious breach of the ministerial code and "this looks like a clear-cut sackable offence" and he calls for an urgent investigation.

Yousaf pledges to look at the accusations being made.

The FM says it is crucial that when decisions like this are made that there is engagement with communities.

Yousaf insists his government always carries out this engagement.

He says Gilruth was not convinced that everything was being done to minimise disruption and he says he thinks her decision was right.

"The needs of passengers should always be front and centre when such decisions are made."

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Ross goes through some of the pages of a freedom of information (FOI) request that he has seen, which he says Jenny Gilruth pushed for changes that would lead to six weeks of disruption.

The Scottish Tory leader says ScotRail advised 9,000 more customers would be disrupted by Gilruth's proposals.

He argues that Gilruth's decision appears to have cost the taxpayer £1m and went against the advice she had received from ScotRail, Network Rail and Transport Scotland.

Humza Yousaf replies that Douglas Ross is making very serious accusations indeed and if the ministerial code has been broken it will be investigated appropriately.

The first minister adds he does not believe the way Ross has characterised the situation is correct.

He says the decision was taken in the correct way.

"Of course I will investigate the issue further."

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The Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross says the Daily Mail says Jenny Gilruth may have broken the ministerial code by delaying railway works when she was transport minister.

Ross says Gilruth changed plans which would have affected rail in her constituency.

He says the minister appears to have forced a change to give preferential treatment to her constituents, at a higher cost and causing more disruption.

Ross asks the FM if he thinks this is acceptable.

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Here are the big stories making headlines in Scotland this week.

This morning a man pled guilty to abducting a primary school girl while dressed as a woman before sexually assaulting her.

A request to search the home of Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon took two weeks to be granted and took place after the SNP leadership contest ended.

The construction of a second ferry at Ferguson shipyard will go ahead despite findings of a review that it would be cheaper to build elsewhere.

And unemployment in Scotland remained lower in the first months of the year compared to the UK as a whole. Read more here.

At FMQs we know there will be questions on sewage discharge points, dangerous cladding on buildings, income taxes and social care work conditions.

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Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of first minister's questions.

We'll bring you updates and background information as opposition party leaders try to turn up the heat on Humza Yousaf.

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