Meeting_of_the_Parliament (2)

FMQs 25-01-24:  Humza Yousaf says there's "no doubt" about the need for a new eye hospital to replace Edinburgh's current Eye Pavilion

Transcript

00:00 It is over three years since SNP ministers cancelled the new Eye Pavilion hospital replacement

00:09 in Edinburgh, a decision that the former First Minister agreed to U-turn on during the 2021

00:14 Holyrood election, pledging to build the new hospital during this session of Parliament.

00:18 Will the First Minister keep that pledge to patients in Edinburgh and the south-east of

00:22 Scotland?

00:23 There is no doubting that the Eye Pavilion hospital needs to be built. We need to replace

00:28 the current infrastructure. There is no doubting that that has to be done across any political

00:33 party.

00:34 I go back to the point that I made to the member's colleagues. We are having to take

00:39 forward capital spending projects in the face of high inflation in terms of construction

00:44 costs, but there is a 10 per cent cut to our capital budget over the next five years. That

00:50 is being done and imposed on Scotland by the Conservatives.

00:55 Miles Briggs has every right to ask us about the progress that we are making. I hope that

00:59 he will use any influence that he has with the UK Government to tell it to reverse that

01:03 capital cut, which is having such significant impacts on our budget and on health infrastructure

01:08 right up and down the country.