THIS week, the Scottish Government unveiled its Programme for Government.
The Scottish Government recognises it must work with others to deliver on its plans. We all have a part to play in delivering change , whether in government or not. We all have responsibility to ensure reform delivers for those we serve.
The First Minister made his speech on Tuesday afternoon, where he set out the main themes – themes we all agree upon.
We will act to eradicate child poverty. We will make Scotland the best place to do business. We will tackle the climate and nature crises. We will improve Scotland’s public services.
These issues all impact on my constituents in East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs.
The First Minister stated we must undertake radical and widespread public service reform, putting the individual at the heart of the changes we make.
He was correct and we can all agree that all public services need to make a decisive shift to prevention and early intervention.
This is about removing barriers to progress and making sure that every pound of investment is focused on frontline delivery. This is about achieving consensus in the chamber, our trade unions, other stakeholders and of course our constituents.
The focus must be about the needs of our citizens rather than that of existing structures and systems.
The First Minister stated in his speech that we are faced with the reality that some of our councils are too small to be strategic and some are too big to be local.
East Lothian is the fasting-growing area in Scotland, with our population due to increase by around a third.
Opportunities for economic growth of course need to be supported by Scottish Government; I will continue to ensure we maximise these opportunities in East Lothian,
Our regions need strengthened and empowered to maximise growth opportunities. The First Minister stated that a three-month period of intense engagement with our local government partners was starting about a new structure for local government in Scotland. I will engage thoroughly with my local council on this issue .
The FM stated the starting point is that changes must not create another layer of administration or a new group of politicians.
He also stated that reform must mean stronger and more strategic regions with the powers, the permission and the flexibility they need to drive economic growth and investment in all parts of Scotland so that we can, in turn, improve people’s lives in all parts of Scotland.
Reform to social care must also be part of engagement over these next three months.
For the NHS itself, the First Minister stated more joined-up delivery to improve patient access to care and to reduce inequality for some patients due to health board boundaries are key, replacing the current 14 territorial boards with two strategic health boards.
This will be the most significant structural reform of our NHS in the devolution era. This will enable us to deliver the additional capacity to ensure, by the end of 2031, that no one waits more than 26 weeks for the treatment they need.
Again, I will work very closely with NHS Lothian colleagues over the next three months.
This is a radical Programme for Government; we all have our part to play in ensuring public sector reform.
I also welcome the announcements on how we tackle violence against women; this is an issue that requires action, as well as culture change by all men in Scotland.
I also welcome the announcements around the major projects office encouraging investment with a focus on housing and energy.
Alongside a Scottish High Growth Unit working with business, this can accelerate delivery of the right support for high-potential businesses so they can grow to scale in Scotland and, just as importantly, stay in Scotland.
I will engage with stakeholders on these issues in the next few months.
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