/qresearch/ -  Q Research

Dough

https://pastebin.us/?5a94e9e236b1a491#J87SprPDxrTFyjna6KJPqNSgT7inWkcjLvKbx2KoMspw

>>22228102

Thanks baker anon……..please accept these 10 sausages in gratitude for all the bakering. In this time of hardship they were the cheapest as nobody wants to buy fartless cow products any more… and know that they are Bovaer fed cows and so at least there shouldn't be much from you in the way of, or in the war against cow flatulence. May providence be on your side as you will need to find a bear to exchange them. I've sent my best Caucasian Ovcharka to make sure there is a proper understanding twixt you and the bear.

If the bear is looking for pork sausages I'd suggest beating a hasty retreat, The dark forces have not yet found a partner rearing pigs and bovaer has not yet saturated our hogs. Save our hogs, save our hogs … and on, and on….into the night

May the tumbleweed go with you and light the way brother baker anon. As always God bless.

>>22228102

>>>22228054 Final Government Bloat, Waste, and Abuse Bun

SNP Government spent £17k sending Minister to New York while Shona Robison brutally cut services

The Scottish Government pleaded poverty in September and announced a crackdown on ministerial travel and recruitment freeze to save £500m, but found £17k to send Acting Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin to New York for Climate Week.

David Walker

20 DEC 2024

The Scottish Government have been accused of "wasting public money" after splurging £17k on sending a SNP Minister to New York for Climate Week - at the same time Shona Robison brutally cut services. Gillian Martin jetted out on the "overseas jolly" between September 21 and 24.

At the time the Scottish Daily Express asked whether this offered value for money considering the Finance Secretary had announced emergency spending curbs as she ran out of money. A crackdown on ministerial travel was announced, alongside a recruitment freeze and public health adverts being scrapped.

But Acting Net Zero Secretary Ms Martin still jetted out to the Big Apple with four officials, with another civil servant attending from the government's Washington International Office. She was not joined this time by the First Minister, with Humza Yousaf racking up a huge £70k bill when he went there with Mairi McAllan in 2023.

John Swinney didn't go because it was decided there was nothing in the programme which would have warranted him attending. The SNP have presided over an embarrassing year when it comes to the journey to Net Zero as it scrapped its "world-leading" climate targets after admitting it couldn't hit them.

Ms Martin's trip to New York cost the public purse £17,106.63, with the Minister herself forking out £1,666 for accommodation and £3,522 for flights. Her Private Secretary racked up a bill of £2,869.92, two government officials about £7,500 and her American colleague £2,438.

According to the report published on Friday on the government's website, Ms Martin used her time in America to "emphasise Scotland’s progress on climate action, emphasising in particular increased use of renewable energy and just transition." She also "met with Ministers from other states, regions and devolved governments."

Her junket to New York came just two weeks after Ms Robison announced £500m of spending cuts, with this including up to £60m of savings through the emergency spend controls which has targeted recruitment, overtime, ministerial travel and public advertisement. Peak rail fares also returned due to this.

Opposition parties blasted this spend while the SNP were insisting there was a financial crisis. Scottish Conservative shadow energy and net zero secretary Douglas Lumsden MSP told the Scottish Daily Express: “Hard-pressed Scots will be astonished that Gillian Martin splashed out thousands on a trip to New York while Shona Robison was playing the Grinch by cutting essential services.

“This is a classic example of the SNP wasting public money. Instead of indulging in an overseas jolly for climate week, Gillian Martin should have been focusing on rectifying her climate failures closer to home. It’s just common sense that SNP ministers should restrict the number and cost of their trips abroad when they are hiking taxes on hard working Scots and cutting public services.”

Scottish Lib Dem Climate emergency spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said: "I am not opposed to the Scottish Government being represented abroad but at a time when families are having to cut back on food and heating, ministers need to explain what taxpayers are getting out of such trips.

"SNP minister Mairi McAllan once claimed that world leaders approached the Scottish Government to ask for advice on climate change but when pressed she couldn't give a single example. Did Humza Yousaf's visit last year bring in foreign investment to help the development of Scottish renewables? Did it help Scottish firms to sell their products and expertise abroad? Did he learn how to stop his government repeatedly missing its emissions targets? These are the questions ministers must answer."

The Scottish Government has been approached for comment.

>>22228102

>>>22228054 Final Government Bloat, Waste, and Abuse Bun

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/scottish-governments-chief-civil-servant-34350586

Scottish Government's chief civil servant insists public cash wasn't wasted in SNP's attempt to protect Nicola Sturgeon in court

JP Marks, who is the SNP Executive's Permanent Secretary, insisted that it was right for the government to waste £148k on a court case it lost in seconds in a bid to protect Nicola Sturgeon's conduct during the Alex Salmond Inquiry.

David Walker

20 DEC 2024

Scotland's "impartial" top civil servant has backed the Scottish Government by insisting it didn't waste public money fighting an unwinnable court case. The SNP Executive was rebuked by Scotland's Information Commissioner for going ahead with a court case to block the release of a freedom of information request despite legal advice saying they were unlikely to win.

The battle between the government and the commissioner has cost taxpayer about £148,000 and ended up in an embarrassing defeat for SNP Ministers as judges took just seconds to decide against them. The row surrounds a refusal to publish evidence gathered about Nicola Sturgeon's conduct in the Alex Salmond inquiry.

Former Independent Adviser to the Ministerial Code James Hamilton probed her behaviour and found that it was up to MSPs to decide whether she misled them after she "forgot" to tell them about a meeting she had with Alex Salmond's Chief of Staff Geoff Aberdein where he told her about sexual misconduct allegations against him.

A freedom of information request was made for this evidence but was rejected as the government insisted it did not "hold" this. But this was ruled to be false by the Information Commissioner who took them to court and won in seconds. The documents have still not been released.

Legal advice was then published around this decision to appeal which found that lawyers warned SNP Ministers not too proceed, with one counsel saying the court was "more likely than not to refuse the appeal". But this was ignored and the embarrassing defeat happened in public.

Information Commissioner David Hamilton wrote to JP Marks, the Scottish Government's Permanent Secretary, and blasted them for wasting public money by appealing against the legal advice, misleading the public and publishing "factual inaccuracies." But in response, Mr Marks has claimed that there was nothing wrong with the approach.

The Herald reports that Mr Marks claimed that he had no problems with the actions of the secretive SNP. He said: "I am satisfied that the Scottish Government responded within the proper timeframe, that the decisions taken at each stage were informed by comprehensive and impartial advice, including from the King's Counsel and the Lord Advocate, and the case was handled consistent with ministers' obligations under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act

"As we discussed, and consistent with the legal advice published, I am satisfied that throughout ministers had a stateable case, seeking to test an important point of statutory interpretation. To support transparency and accountability, the response to the final decision was the subject of a parliamentary statement on 29 October."

The legal advice showed damning evidence that the government had ignored its own counsel, with the Director of Legal Services Ruaraidh Macniven personally urging ministers not to proceed with an appeal.

An email to the Lord Advocate sent on March 10, 2023, by an official whose name has been redacted states: "Sorry - just further to the emails below - Ruaraidh had been in touch to say that in his view this perhaps isn't a case where ministers should appeal, on the back of the further information provided and counsel's revised advice.

"He thinks we should wait for another case where there are better circumstances. He thinks our position appears counterintuitive given we did hold information on our servers and given there was apparently not strict separation between the roles. He would be minded not to encourage ministers to appeal in this case."

Responding to Mr Marks's letter, Mr Hamilton said: "I'm pleased that the Scottish Government has acknowledged my concerns. I look forward to working with the Scottish Government as it continues its FOI improvement journey."

>>22228102

>>>22228052 Final Ferry Failures Bun

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/bombshell-report-claims-calmac-ferry-34347384

Bombshell report claims CalMac ferry routes may not be value for money for Scots taxpayers

A report from UK Government watchdog Competition and Markets Authority warned that the Scottish Government could save money by selling off some CalMac ferry routes.

David Walker

19 DEC 2024

CalMac keeping hold of the majority of Scotland's island routes may not be value for money for Scots taxpayers, a business watchdog has warned. Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop announced earlier this year her intention to allow the government-operated quango to continue serving islanders on the west coast.

However, she commissioned a report into the viability of the deal while delaying a final decision for another year to sort out "a number of complex issues." A number of ferry groups want the routes to be unbundled and sent out to public procurement due to unreliability issues which have plagued CalMac.

Public subsidies of £3.7bn would be utilised to run the services for another 10 years. Advice from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) was sought wirh the body recommending that a route-by-route assessment should be made about "whether any level of service could be commercially provided".

It also raised questions about whether taxpayers were getting value for money through the huge amount being given to CalMac and whether private operators could do the job cheaper. It advised SNP ministers to further explain and evidence whether keeping one bundle of routes ensures the taxpayer subsidy is "proportionate" and "limited to the minimum necessary".

The report urged Transport Scotland to explain and prove why an open competitive tender would not allow lifeline services to be operated at a cheaper cost to the taxpayer. This could include market testing with potential operators who might bid for the contract.

It read: "In our view, given the size of the subsidy, the assessment should better demonstrate that Transport Scotland considered a range of alternatives and explain, with appropriate evidence, why it concluded that they were not suitable to achieve the policy objective. This should include consideration of the potential for different models of delivery across some/all routes."

CalMac has argued that having the wide-ranging network, the biggest in the UK, enables ferries to be swapped between routes during disruption such as breakdowns. Its ageing fleet of vessels have been struggling to stay fit in recent years due to being over the age of retirement.

The CMA asked whether CalMac’s ferry leasing and maintenance costs, and the cost of buying new vessels by CMAL, were the “minimum necessary”. The report annoyed the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union who called on the Scottish Government to ignore the advice.

But the Scottish Conservatives said value for money was crucial. Transport spokesperson Sue Webber said: “Scotland’s ferry network has been run into the ground under the SNP. Islanders would assume that due diligence was carried out by Transport Scotland, and this report suggests otherwise.

“Taxpayers deserve good value for money and islanders need a reliable ferry service. If this award is just handed to CalMac, without proper due diligence, it will lead to perpetual disappointment for islanders, who will potentially be subjected to yet more cancellations and delays.”

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We welcome the the CMA’s conclusion that our subsidy assessment clearly describes and evidences our policy objective of ensuring the continued provision of lifeline ferry services to island and peninsula communities and our equity objectives of tackling the inequalities faced by these communities.

“We will consider carefully the improvements to the assessment suggested by the CMA. Minsters have been clear the network will continue to be operated as a whole network, and this remains the intent.”

>>22237868

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snp-ferry-fiasco-ship-glen-34351770

SNP ferry fiasco ship Glen Sannox could be removed from service just weeks after starting in latest embarrassment

SNP Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said it was 'very welcome news' that the Ferguson Marine ferry Glen Sannox would finally serve customers on Arran next month, but it will need to go back to the shipyard for repairs very soon afterwards.

David Walker

20 DEC 2024

The Scottish Government's Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop rejoiced on Friday when it was announced that the much-delayed Glen Sannox would finally come into service on January 13. She said this is "very welcome news, as this new vessel will support the people of Arran and wider ferry network."

But what she failed to mention is that the boat will need to removed from service quite soon afterwards in order to get a long-standing issue with its anchor fixed. During its sea trials, one anchor went down but failed to come up again, with a temporary fix installed to help with this.

Permanent work will need to be undertaken to fix this, with Ferguson Marine Interim Chief Executive John Petticrew confirming in a letter to MSPs that this needs to be done by February 2025. Glen Sannox will need to be taken out of service before this so that it can be repaired.

He said: 'We expect delivery of the items required to fix the anchor by February 2025. Following delivery of these materials, we will liaise with CalMac to agree a suitable time to complete the required fix to the anchor. Once a suitable date is agreed, the fix should take a matter of days to implement.

"We aren’t in a position to confirm any expected impact on Glen Sannox entering service, this will need to be reviewed with CalMac once we have the materials and have agreed with them a timescale for repair. We will provide the Committee with an interim update with further information and timescales after the materials have arrived and we have discussed with CalMac."

The original anchor breakdown is what delayed the ferry from being handed over as it was originally scheduled to be in service by the end of the year. It is one of two vessels being built at Ferguson Marine which are more than five years late and at least £300m over-budget.

Mr Petticrew blamed the anchor issue on wrong designs: "We checked the drawings and all the technical data that we had received, and those suggested that it should have worked. When we went down and did some measurements on vital parts, the measurements did not match the drawings that were provided.”

He later confirmed that, although it was the parts which did not match the drawing and having to replace the parts, it was a “design issue." His update to MSPs also did not have a completion date for the other ferry fiasco ship, the Glen Rosa. A "lessons learned" discussion will be held to help with the construction of the boat, and a full review of the delivery plan will be undertaken.

>>22238053

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………continued…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The latest completion date was September 2025 but it is unknown whether this will be met, and whether costs can be kept under the £150m already predicted. The total bill for both ferries is estimated to be around £380m, plus a £45m loan to keep the shipyard afloat, high above the £97m price tag agreed to start with.

Mr Petticrew wrote: "We are not yet able to provide a final date and cost to the Committee as various scenarios are currently being worked on with a view to presenting a revised plan to the Board for discussion and approval at the FMPG Board meeting taking place on 30th January 2025. If approved, we will update the Committee on both handover date and Forecasted Cost to Complete on 31st January 2025."

Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP said: “I hope that passengers will be able to see out the windows this time. After a fake launch, years of delays, a stream of excuses and a ship that’s millions of pounds overbudget, its good that Glen Sannox will finally take passengers but I imagine islanders will have their fingers crossed until they're actually onboard.

“Not a single minister has ever resigned over this saga. It’s a massive display of arrogance that has shown island communities where they sit on the SNP's list of priorities."

Holyrood Committee complain about letter

Mr Petticrew's letter to the Net Zero Committee wasn't fully welcomed by MSPs who had asked for further information about why former Ferguson Marine Chief Executive David Tydeman was fired. But this was not included as they were told they would get updated on January 31.

Committee Chairman Ed Mountain had asked shipyard chairman Jim Millar to clarify which inaccuracies he believes were given to the Committee Mr Tydeman. He wrote to Mr Petticrew about this: "On 26 November the Chair gave the Committee to understand that there had been inaccuracies in evidence given to this Committee by your predecessor, and that this has been a factor in the Board losing confidence in him and therefore (it is to be inferred) to his dismissal very shortly after his final evidence session with the Committee in February.

"You will understand why the Committee would consider it important to understand more about this, including what inaccurate matters the Committee was told, as well as why the Board had not written to the Committee to correct any inaccuracies.

"I do not consider it acceptable that the Committee should have to wait until 31 January to have the clarification it requested and I ask you and your FMPG colleagues to use what means you have at your disposal to contact the Chair, so that he may provide these answers before then."

>>22228102

>>>22228054 Final Government Bloat, Waste, and Abuse Bun

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snp-allowing-scotlands-nhs-crumble-34353223

The SNP are allowing Scotland's NHS to crumble as maintenance backlog hits 'staggering' £1.3bn

The Scottish Government have been accused of 'mismanaging' the NHS after allowing the maintenance backlog to grow to a huge £1.3bn, with all building projects already paused.

David Walker

21 DEC 2024

The SNP have been accused of letting Scotland's NHS crumble away as the maintenance backlog facing the health service now tops a "staggering" £1.3bn. Years of Nat mismanagement has been blamed for the poor standards at healthcare premises across the country.

A freedom of information response from the Scottish Tories found that there has been a rise of £200m since Audit Scotland's report from February about this issue. Despite the shoddy state of some hospitals, including Monklands, all new building projects were paused for two years due to budget pressures.

Numerous building safety incidents have been reported in the majority of health boards across the country. Water damage affecting an operating theatre in Fife caused a power outage in the middle of a patient's procedure in January, with external water damage meaning the theatre at Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline needed to shut.

Other incidents included a visitor at Wishaw General Hospital catching a television after it fell off the wall in September last year, and a near miss at University Hospital Hairmyres in July 2023 when a "heavy, sharp and metal" air vent came loose from its safety chain and plunged from the ceiling in "close proximity" of a patient.

Audit Scotland warned earlier this year that that NHS Scotland's maintenance backlog included issues with fire safety testing, leaking pipes, and "inadequate precautions to manage built environment infection risks to patients". The Scottish Government is investing a record £16.2m in the NHS next year.

Scottish Tory Shadow Health Secretary Dr Sandesh Gulhane said that the new scale of the repairs, £1.3bn, are a "damning indictment” as to how the SNP have “shamefully neglected” Scotland's health service for over 17 years. He says that successive SNP health secretaries have allowed “crucial” healthcare services to fall into a state of disrepair and that they have no plan to tackle the backlog.

Dr Gulhane added that the money which will be needed to deal with these “eye-watering” maintenance costs would be better spent on tackling record NHS backlogs and worsening A&E waiting times. He said: "The maintenance backlog costs facing Scotland’s NHS have hit staggering levels.

“In the space of a few months, this bill has escalated by over £200 million on the SNP’s watch. These figures are a damning indictment of how the (?nationalists have shamefully neglected our health service over the past 17 years. Successive SNP health secretaries have had their eye off the ball and allowed crucial health care services to fall into a total state of disrepair which ultimately impacts patients and staff, as well as health boards' budgets.

“In light of these figures, it is little wonder independent auditors think the SNP have no vision for our NHS when they can’t even support its basic upkeep.

“The eye-watering sum of money that is going to be needed to tackle these maintenance costs only takes more money away from the frontline where the SNP are overseeing record waiting lists and worsening A&E waiting times. Neil Gray needs to accept his current approach is not working and change it before these costs spiral completely out of control.”

The Scottish Government has been approached for comment.

>>22228102

>>>22228054 Final Government Bloat, Waste, and Abuse Bun

>>22238090

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snp-blood-hands-thousands-die-34367848

SNP has blood on its hands as thousands die waiting for treatment at crisis-hit A&E departments

The figure was described as 'shocking' by Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane who called on Neil Gray to make battling the crisis his top priority

Douglas Dickie

24 DEC 2024

Thousands of Scots have died waiting for treatment at Scotland's crisis-hit A&E departments, according to new figures. Over 2,000 people perished using the Royal College of Medicine’s standard mortality ratio which calculates that one in every 72 patients who experience a wait of 8-12 hours in A&E after being admitted will die.

The Scottish Tories say this means 2,181 deaths can be attributed to waiting too long in A&E. The calculation is based on the 226,328 patients who waited more than eight hours in the emergency room for treatment in 2024.

Meanwhile, Labour claimed that 147,223 Scots had waited more than eight hours to be seen in A&E and then be admitted, transferred or discharged over the period January to October this year – with the party calculating this would equate to as many as 2,045 excess deaths. It comes after official statistics from Public Health Scotland showed just under three out of five patients (59.7%) in A&E were seen and subsequently admitted, transferred or discharged within the target time of four hours in the week ending December 8.

Scottish Conservative health spokesperson Dr Sandesh Gulhane said the SNP had created a “permanent crisis” in accident and emergency departments. The Tory MSP, who is also a GP, called it a “damning indictment of the SNP’s mismanagement of Scotland’s NHS over the last 17 years”.

Dr Gulhane added: “It is shocking that these excessive delays at A&E are estimated to have resulted in over 2,100 deaths since last Christmas and my thoughts are with those who have lost a loved one. The SNP are presiding over a permanent crisis in A&E departments and successive SNP health secretaries have failed to get a grip of increasingly appalling waiting times.”

Demanding action from Health Secretary Neil Gray, Dr Gulhane said: “This disgracefully high number of excess deaths must show Neil Gray that he must change his current approach. He needs to urgently ensure that money invested in the health service is getting to the front line rather than being wasted on bureaucracy and middle managers.”

Scottish Labour health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: “For all the stories of exhausting and anxious waits in Scotland’s emergency departments, there are those who never lived to tell the tale.” She added: “The SNP’s negligence is doing more than causing frustration — they are gambling with Scots’ lives.

“The UK Labour Government has delivered a record Budget settlement for Scotland but it’s up to the SNP to ensure it goes on frontline services so that every patient has an equal chance of getting the treatment they need.” Mr Gray said: “Scotland’s core A&E departments have been the best performing in the UK for the last eight years, however, health services everywhere face huge pressure following the pandemic – and ours is no exception. The number of deaths from all causes in all locations, however, is lower than we would expect to see based on historic trends, according to National Records of Scotland.”

He also said: “Our draft 2025/26 Scottish Budget provides record funding of £21 billion for health and social care, if approved by the Scottish Parliament, with NHS boards receiving an additional £2 billion to deliver key frontline services like A&E.

“We will ensure that all A&E departments have a frailty service linked to home care services for older people and will expand the Hospital at Home programme by 600 beds, relieving pressures on urgent care.”

>>22228102

>>>22228054 Final Government Bloat, Waste, and Abuse Bun

>>22238151

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snps-chronic-mismanagement-blamed-patients-34376155

SNP's 'chronic mismanagement' blamed as patients wait four HOURS for NHS 24 call to be answered

The average wait for a call to NHS 24 to be answered has nearly doubled in 2024 as John Swinney was forced to ask people to seek help online

Douglas Dickie

26 DEC 2024

The SNP's "chronic mismanagement" of Scotland's health service has been blamed after it emerged some patients waited four HOURS for calls to NHS 24 to be answered. Freedom of information data obtained by the Scottish Conservatives showed one patient waited for four hours, four minutes and 24 seconds in September this year – including time spent in the virtual queue.

Another caller in July faced a wait of four hours and 30 seconds. In 2023, the average wait to speak to an operator was around 12 minutes but this had risen to 21 minutes by the end of October this year.

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: "The SNP’s neglect of our health service over the last 17 years means waiting times to be connected to NHS 24 are skyrocketing. Chronic mismanagement from successive SNP health secretaries means average waiting times for those desperate for help have now hit over 20 minutes.

"One shocking case saw a Scot having to hang on for over four hours, while over 100,000 patients abandoned their calls altogether. The increase in waiting times for NHS 24 is mirrored across our health service under the SNP.

"A&E waiting times are worsening by the day, delayed discharge figures have reached an all-time high, and cancer waiting time targets have not been met for over a decade. Neil Gray must focus on fixing the systemic issues in our health service so more funding can be spent on the front line where it will make the most difference to patients."

The figures are an embarrassment for First Minister John Swinney who visited an NHS 24 call centre in Dundee on Monday, seeing its preparations for the busy festive period. He encouraged Scots to seek help online of they could rather than call NHS 24.

In a statement, NHS 24 said: "From August 2023 onwards patients on some pathways have the option of joining a virtual queue, where the patient can hang up and will receive a call from NHS 24 when their place in the respective queue has reached a call taker. For discontinued calls NHS 24 would point out that a proportion of callers are encouraged to seek assistance elsewhere given that 111 is not the most appropriate service for them at that time."

The Scottish Government said NHS 24 has an online service as well as the phone line. Health Secretary Mr Gray said: "There are several NHS 24 digital options that offer clinically assured health advice, and callers have the option to use the NHS 24 callback service during busier periods.

"NHS 24 is committed to improving call waiting times, especially during peak periods when demand is high. We continue to support and invest in the service, which now has a record number of call handlers to support with inevitable increases in demand over the winter period."

>>22228102

>>>22228054 Final Government Bloat, Waste, and Abuse Bun

>>22238151

>>22238196

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/2024-record-year-bed-blocking-34380012

2024 to be a record year for bed blocking as 4.6 MILLION days lost in last decade thanks to SNP incompetence

The equivalent of 1,800 YEARS were lost last year to people taking up hospital beds despite being physically able to leave

Douglas Dickie

27 DEC 2024

2024 looks set to be a record year for bed blocking in Scotland as the sheer scale of SNP failure is laid bare. New research suggests more than 4.6 million 'bed days' have been lost to delayed discharge over the past decade.

The year 2023/24 had the highest number of days where hospital beds were occupied by someone who was physically fit to leave with 666,190 - the equivalent of over 1,800 YEARS. Up until October this year, 422,229 days had already been lost, according to analysis by campaign group Scotland in Union.

In total, 4,606,266 bed days have been attributed to delayed discharge patients in the past nine years, according to the Public Health Scotland data. Alastair Cameron, chair of Scotland in Union, said: "The Scottish Government has made repeated pledges to tackle delayed discharge, but things are only getting worse.

"Everyone knows it has long been a problem for Scotland’s NHS, and people will be shocked to see the sheer scale of it. It’s appalling that millions of bed days have been taken up while patients wait on hospital trolleys and others struggle to get an appointment at all.

"This is the consequence of a nationalist government being more worried about its narrow constitutional agenda than about fixing the things which matter to Scots today." Instances of bed-blocking have been growing steadily since 2016/17, when the figure was 399,315, with the exception of 2020/21 when the Covid pandemic forced hospitals into a quick turnover.

It plunged to 358,426 that year but by 2022/23 ,the figure was already well above pre-Covid levels. A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: "Most people are able to leave hospital with no delays – currently over 96% of all hospital discharges happen without delay – but reducing delayed discharges further is a priority for the Scottish Government.

"Our Budget for 2025-26 will invest £200 million to reduce waiting list backlogs, improve capacity and remove barriers which keep some patients in hospital longer than necessary. We also want to expand Hospital at Home to treat 150,000 more patients, deliver additional support for GPs and invest in new hospitals at Belford and Monklands."

>>22228102

>>22237719

>crackdown on ministerial travel

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/great-snp-christmas-getaway-ministers-34297312

The great SNP Christmas getaway! Ministers fled Holyrood in fleet of chauffeur-driven limos

As Scots faced traffic jams and train meltdown ahead of the Christmas break in 2023, Scottish Government Ministers were ferried home in style by the taxpayer-funded car service

Ben Borland

26 DEC 2024

The Christmas getaway saw more than 30 million cars take to the roads last year as the AA issued an "amber traffic warning" for "lengthy jams". Motorists were even advised to take chocolate bars to keep their energy levels up.

Rail services were disrupted across the UK by Network Rail engineering works, while buses and taxi ranks were jam-packed with people heading home from work for a well-earned festive break.

For SNP Ministers, however, 'driving home for Christmas' was no trouble at all thanks to their fleet of taxpayer-funded chauffeur-driven cars. The Holyrood exodus came within hours of MSPs breaking up for two weeks after First Minister's Questions.

At least 15 Nat ministers and Cabinet Secretaries took a government car directly from the Scottish Parliament to a "personal address" on Thursday, December 21 last year. No details have been published for Humza Yousaf, who was then First Minister.

Finance Secretary and Deputy First Minister Shona Robison

Public finance minister Tom Arthur

Local government minister Joe Fitzpatrick

Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon

External Affairs and Culture Secretary Angus Robertson

Culture and Europe minister Christina McKelvie

Health Secretary Michael Matheson

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville

Housing minister Paul McLennan

Net Zero Secretary Mairi McAllan

Transport minister Fiona Hyslop

Wellbeing Economy and Fair Work Secretary Neil Gray

Energy minister Gillian Martin

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth

Victims minister Siobhian Brown

None of them made any stops on the way home. Only Elena Whitham, who was then minister for drugs and alcohol policy, used the car for ministerial business on her way home for Christmas.

She went to Abbeycare Scotland, an addiction treatment centre in Erskine, Renfrewshire, to attend a Christmas carol service. All other engagements on December 21 were meetings or video conferences, mostly conducted at Holyrood.

Only Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie, who was then zero carbon buildings minister, used public transport to get home. He used his ScotRail Flexi Pass to travel from Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Queen Street.

A similar exodus will have taken place from the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, December 19 after the final First Minister's Questions of 2024. However, the ministerial car journeys for December will only be published well into next year.

According to the most recent update, the Government Car Service has 31 vehicles including 17 plug-in hybrids and 14 fully electric cars. There are 13 Kias, nine Teslas and four Volvos, all purchased within the past five years.