Highland Liberal Democrat MSP Andrew Baxter has criticised the Scottish Government for using parliamentary time for another independence debate while communities across the Highlands face concerns over wildfire resilience, healthcare and infrastructure.
MSPs will return to the chamber on Tuesday 22 September for a Scottish Government debate entitled Scotland’s Right to Decide.
Baxter argues ministers should instead be concentrating parliamentary time on practical issues affecting communities, including lessons from this year’s Cairngorms wildfire and the future structure of NHS services.
His intervention comes after he joined farmers, crofters, land managers and residents in Aviemore on Friday to discuss wildfire resilience and measures which could help communities prepare for future incidents.
Questions raised included whether firebreaks should become mandatory, whether trained local volunteers could support emergency services and whether firefighters have sufficient equipment and resources.
The Scottish Government is also pursuing major reforms to the NHS, including replacing the existing 14 territorial health boards with two strategic boards covering the east and west of mainland Scotland.
Ministers argue the changes would reduce duplication and create clearer responsibility within the health service, while Baxter has raised concerns about what greater centralisation could mean for Highland communities.
Baxter said:
“On Friday night I sat in a room in Aviemore with farmers, crofters and local people talking about what happens when the next wildfire comes over the hill.
“People were asking serious questions.
“Should we have mandatory firebreaks? Could properly trained local volunteers support our emergency services?
“Do our firefighters have the resources and equipment they need?
“These are questions that require answers and action.
“Yet when MSPs return to the chamber on Tuesday, the SNP Government has chosen to spend its parliamentary time debating independence.
“People across the Highlands are worried about the future of their health services.
“The Government wants to replace 14 territorial health boards with just two strategic boards, risking even greater centralisation.
“The A9 still needs to be dualled and our communities are still recovering from a devastating wildfire.
“These are the issues that affect people’s everyday lives and they should be the priority.”
The Scottish Government takes a different view of the constitutional question and has renewed its efforts to establish a mechanism through which another independence referendum could take place.
First Minister John Swinney wrote to Prime Minister Andy Burnham earlier this month seeking talks on establishing a legal route to another vote.
Tuesday’s debate will therefore bring that constitutional argument back to Holyrood, while Baxter wants greater attention placed on immediate Highland priorities.
He said:
“People elect us to Parliament expecting us to get things done.
“I would rather see ministers bring forward practical measures that Parliament can scrutinise and vote on than spend yet more parliamentary time rehearsing the same arguments about ripping apart the United Kingdom.”
