Swinney quizzed on housing, Trump and the NHS during First Minister Question
By Morgan Whyte and Iona Hannah
First Minister Questions (FMQs) take place on a Thursday at noon every week, this week John Swinney was asked a multitude of questions from across the Scottish government. The highlights include: The results of the US election and what that means for the future of Scotland’s relationship with the US; The SNP’s plan for this years (2024-25) budget.
Anas Sarwar, Leader of the Scottish Labour, came to FMQs with a long list of statistics showing the National Health Service’s failure to treat the people of Scotland effectively.
He said: “Almost 9000 Scots waited over 24 hours in A&E waiting for treatment that's more than in 2023, almost 200 Scots waited two days in A&E.”
He called for the Scottish Government to come up with a real plan to save the NHS and said Scotland is facing a “deadly crisis which is week after week ignored by the First Minister”.
Swinney responded by saying that a new direction isn’t needed and instead maintained investment is what’s required.
Swinney said: “The SNP’s government has gone beyond the Barnett Formula’s initial budget for healthcare.”
He then apologised to all those who were forced to wait in A&E for such long periods of time.
Sarwar rebuts by criticising the SNP’s leadership and expenditure, stating Labour’s current manifesto includes multiple changes planned to stretch the NHS budget. For example, they plan to cut bureaucracy, create teams to clear backlogs and invest in new technology.
It's stated there are many problems with the NHS which have only gotten more severe since the pandemic. NHS staff are facing burnout, many families are forced to go private when they can't afford to do so putting themselves in debt and forcing them to remortgage their homes.
Sarwar said: “This Government has the money and the power to sort the deadly legacy left by the SNP, so when are we getting our NHS back?”
Mark Griffin, Labour MSP asked: “What plans does this government have to combat the predicted increase of families living in temporary accommodation in the central belt by 2040?”
He then adds, 2000 children in Glasgow live in unsuitable temporary accommodation and 4000 more households in Edinburgh are predicted to be placed in the same situation.
To which Swinney responds that an additional investment of £14 billion has been given to local authorities to combat this issue.
Patrick Harvey from the Green party started his question with listing his grievances with Donald Trump, he said: “He’s a misogynist, a climate denier and a fraudster.”
Then when addressing Swinney, Patrick Harvey said: "What social and cultural ties does the first minister really think will benefit from a relationship with such a man?
“What has the first minister done so far to reach out to the marginalised and vulnerable people whose lives are most directly threatened by a second Trump term?”
Swinney said that even though he and Trump have many differences he “cannot deny the existence of cultural links between Scotland and the United States”. Swinney ends his answer saying he wants to “maintain good relationships between Scotland and the United States” and the “concerns of people who feel marginalised in our society, who feel under threat, are questions and concerns that I wrestle with every single day”.
Harvey also brings to attention that a new fossil fuel power plant is being considered. Swinney then explained that he is unable to comment as it is a “live application”.
Meghan Gallacher of the Scottish Conservative party questioned Swinney on the current housing crisis, she said: “This government has had 17 years to fix the problem, but they've failed.
“A quarter of households with children, have spent a year or more in temporary accommodation and nearly 8 thousand households were not offered temporary accommodation.”
Swinney admitted that Scotland has a housing emergency, however he also came to his own defence claiming they’ve “built more houses per head of population than the rest of the United Kingdom.”
Before the FMQs concluded Swinney adds that the SNP will “focus on delivering for the people of Scotland”.