John Swinney’s Programme for Government speech

Presiding Officer,

Tomorrow will mark one year since I was honoured to be elected as the First Minister of this country that I love.

I spoke then of my ambition to create a vibrant economy in every part of our country, my determination to tackle the challenges faced by our beloved National Health Service, and my hope that we can come together as a Parliament, and as a country, to focus on solutions rather than allowing our disagreements to dominate.

Over the past year, amidst real challenges, amidst deep uncertainty on the global stage, progress has been made. In ways big and small, a corner is being turned. This is a government that is working hard and determined to get Scotland on track for success.

That progress has been evident in the way we do our business here in our Parliament. The fact that four parties were able to come together, to negotiate in good faith, and pass a budget that delivers record funding for our National Health Service, is testament to what is possible.

Today’s Programme for Government is presented in that same spirit. It contains many of the fruits of our budget process – with elements within it that are there only because of the co-operation of other parties.

But this is also a programme by an SNP government, a government that cares deeply about Scotland, a government that has total confidence in Scotland’s ability to rise to any challenge and to weather any storm.

Presiding Officer, before I turn to those elements that are in the Programme for Government, I want to talk about some measures that are not included.

With a year to go until the end of this parliament, there are clearly, limits on the amount of legislation we can present. This government – and I personally – remain entirely committed to tackling misogynistic abuse against women. Regrettably I do not believe there is sufficient parliamentary time to make progress through a standalone Bill which I would plan to bring forward at the start of the next Parliament. We will however take the action we can in this Parliament by adding sex as a protected characteristic to existing hate crimes legislation to protect women and girls and by taking further steps in our policy, to tackle unacceptable abuse of women and girls in our society.

Conversion Practices that seek to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity are harmful and abusive. Over this coming year, we will seek to work with the United Kingdom government to deliver a legislative ban across England, Wales and Scotland. But if agreement is not possible, we will publish legislation in the first year of the next parliamentary term. Members of the LGBTQI+ community should have no doubt that we will work with them to protect and to defend their rights.

Times are tough, presiding oofficer and times are changing, in ways that I know bring real anxiety to our citizens, real fear to many in our business community. But my promise to the people of Scotland is that amidst the uncertainty there is one thing they can be sure of: this is a government that will always seek to do what is best for Scotland. As First Minister, I will always put the needs and interests, the hopes and dreams of the people of Scotland first.

When I became First Minister a year ago, I heard loud and clear people’s concerns about the health of Scotland’s NHS.

They would tell me about their many positive experiences of high-quality care from the dedicated staff in the NHS, experiences of treatment and care that are, invariably, world class. But they also spoke of difficulties accessing that care. Waiting times that were unacceptable, adding to anxiety. Systems that they felt did not put patients first.

Presiding officer, there are many issues that compete on a daily basis for the attention of a First Minister, but what could be more important than our National Health Service?

So I am proud that the £30 million that we committed has not just delivered the 64,000 additional NHS appointments and procedures between April 2024 and the end of January 2025 that we promised, but over 40,000 more than planned. An extra 105,000 vital, additional appointments and procedures that are helping to reduce waiting lists and waiting times. We have met the children and adolescents’ mental health waiting time standards, with over 90 per cent now seen within 18 weeks of their referral.

More cancer patients are now treated faster. Compared with a decade ago, 16 per cent more patients receive care within the 31-day standard and 11 per cent more within the 62-day standard.

Statistics, yes, but behind each one a person who has received the sort of reliable and effective care from the National Health Service that they deserve.

Progress, yes, but with a very clear understanding that there is more, much more to do.

And that is why a renewed and stronger NHS is at the very heart of this Programme for Government.

Getting our NHS on track is about reform that is fundamentally patient-centred, it is about investment, and it’s about increasing productivity and capacity.

This approach makes it possible for us to deliver more than 150,000 extra appointments and procedures in 2025-26.  

The additional investment secured through the Scottish budget will enable us to expand specialist regional centres; technology will mean more efficient use of operating theatres. The result, a 50 per cent increase in the number of surgical procedures we can deliver compared with last year. 

There will be a renewed focus on cancer diagnosis and treatment, targeted investment so that health boards can clear backlogs and substantially improve waiting times.

Presiding officer, I could spend the whole statement just talking about the steps we are taking to access the National Health Service, but before moving on, I will highlight one other area that I know is of particular concern for many people.  

While many people’s experience of their GP is excellent, for many others there is deep frustration over the difficulty making appointments and what has been described as the 8am lottery.

This is of central importance to me. That is why we are acting to reduce pressure and increase capacity in the system, so that it is easier for people to get the care that they need, when they need it.

That includes in the year ahead a further expansion of Pharmacy First services – with pharmacies being the right first port of call for many ailments.  

But it also means the delivery of an extra 100,000 appointments in GP surgeries focused on key risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and smoking.  

This year, primary care, including GPs, is receiving a bigger share of new NHS funding, and we are committed to not only increasing GP numbers but protecting Scotland’s advantage which means substantially more GPs per head in Scotland compared to elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

Presiding officer, members across the chamber will know that, alongside the NHS, our constituents are also deeply exercised by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. We have experienced a decade and more of financial insecurity, higher prices and squeezed real incomes. Life feels substantially tougher for very many of those that we serve.

The economy means jobs, growth and investment, and I will talk about all of these elements.  

But above all, the economy is about people’s quality of life, it is about their own household budget, their ability to pay the bills.  

This Scottish government will always do what it can to deliver the best deal for the people of Scotland. In concrete terms that means a commitment to keep Council Tax bills – already over 30 per cent lower on average in Scotland than in England – substantially lower than elsewhere in the UK.

Water bills – already 20 per cent lower than in England – will remain lower, as will income tax for the majority of workers in Scotland.  

Prescriptions will continue to be free here in Scotland.

Eye appointments, free. 

Bus travel for young, disabled and older people in Scotland – free.  

Scotland will continue to pay no tuition fees.   

Parents will continue to benefit from a package of early learning and childcare worth more than £6000 for every eligible child.  

Free school meals, which save the average family £400 per child per year, will be expanded, and more breakfast clubs introduced.  

Together, this is my cost-of-living guarantee. A package that year on year delivers savings for the people of Scotland, a package that exists nowhere else in the United Kingdom.  

And, Presiding Officer, it is a package of cost-of-living support that we are always looking to enhance where we can.  

That is why we took the decision in the budget to restore a winter fuel payment for Scottish pensioners, with the poorest receiving the most. Those payments will be made this year.   

And it is why we are committed to doing even more.

Last year, in the face of severe budget pressures, we took the difficult decision to end the peak fares pilot on our railways.

But now, given the work that we have done to get Scotland’s finances in a stronger position, and hearing also the calls from commuters, from climate activists and from the business community, I can confirm that, from the 1st of September this year, peak rail fares in Scotland will be scrapped for good.  

A decision that will put more money in people’s pockets and mean less CO2 is pumped into our skies.   

Once again, tens of thousands of Scots saving money.  

Once again, a better deal for people because they live in Scotland.  

Better for Scots because there is a government that always strives for what is best for Scotland.  

Alongside the cost-of-living pressures – the consequence of a series of body blows from austerity and Brexit to the spike in inflation and energy costs that followed Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine – new threats are emerging that have the potential to cause extensive damage to the Scottish economy.  

Tariffs will impact directly on many Scottish exporters to the United States, while a US recession and a global trade war, will have effects direct and indirect on almost every sector of our economy. 

Presiding officer, this Programme for Government has been published earlier than usual, in part because it allows a clear year of delivery on the NHS and other public services, delivery in those areas that matter in the day-to-day lives of our citizens. But it is also being published now because of the scale of the looming economic challenge that we face.   

For the sake of Scottish jobs, for the sake of protecting people’s quality of life, we are taking new steps, accelerating action, to ensure Scotland’s economy is better placed to ride the economic storms.  

Members will see the detailed and extensive section on the economy in the Programme for Government document, with action on planning reform, skills, housing investment, support for our rural economy including our vital food and drink sector, promotion of Scotland the brand and more. But I want to highlight three particular initiatives designed to respond directly and specifically to the challenges we now face.  

First, working with Scottish Development International across their 34 international offices, we will deliver a new 6-point Export Plan, to enable Scottish exporters to diversify and to grow markets. This includes:  

• more support for SME’s to participate in trade missions in both established and emerging markets; 
• additional grant funding to help companies unlock specific, targeted international growth; and, 
• bespoke support in key sectors – technology, life sciences, renewables and hydrogen – to maximise international opportunities.

Second, to enable emerging Scottish companies to grow, we will create a new Proof of Concept fund, with a focus on supporting the commercialisation of research projects with significant economic potential. We will deliver an improved Ecosystem fund to further enhance Scotland’s already effective start-up environment, including action to transform the number of women who start and scale up businesses.

We must not forget, even amidst the gathering clouds, that Scotland is an innovative nation, and that opportunities exist which can deliver real and significant benefits now and in the future. This government will prepare for the challenges but we also seek to position Scotland to make the most of the many and significant economic opportunities that still exist.   

Third, we will deepen our commitment to a just transition and an industrial future for Scotland. As members will be aware, the Deputy First Minister is actively engaging with potential investors to ensure a green industrial future for the Grangemouth site. A key element in the success of this work is the development of carbon capture in Scotland, which is why it is now vital that the UK government provides support not only to carbon capture projects in England, but also to the Acorn project in Scotland’s northeast.

The Scottish Government has previously committed up to £80 million to make this happen if the UK Government, in turn, made the commitments necessary for the project to progress. Given the importance of this project for the Scottish economy, given its place at the very heart of the green reindustrialisation that is my ambition, and I trust the ambition of all parties in this chamber, my government is now willing, as part of a wider package of investment in industrial transformation, to remove that cap and increase the amount of Scottish funding that is available to make Acorn a reality should the project be given the go ahead by the United Kingdom Government. 

I know that many in this chamber share my concern that Scotland is little more than an afterthought to a UK government that is willing to invest in a supercomputer in the southeast of England, weeks after cancelling the supercomputer for Edinburgh. A UK government that moved heaven and earth to save Scunthorpe but will not do the same for Grangemouth. Perhaps with swift action from the UK Government to support Acorn, which in turn will help us deliver the future that Grangemouth deserves, the Prime Minister will do the right thing by Grangemouth.

Presiding officer, working to deliver a stronger NHS, giving the people of Scotland the best cost-of-living support of any part of the UK, and action to protect Scotland’s economy and maximise our economic potential in the face of global challenges, this is a government with what is best for Scotland at its heart.  

Since becoming First Minister last year, I have sought to focus government efforts on four central priorities.   

We seek a wealthier Scotland, higher standards of living for the people of Scotland, with action to grow Scotland’s economy.

A fairer Scotland, with Scotland’s growing wealth shared more fairly so that we can remove the scourge of child poverty in our land.  

A greener Scotland, with action to maximize the benefits felt by the people of Scotland from our renewable energy wealth, benefits in terms of lower bills and well-paid jobs, and action to reduce emissions and protect and restore our stunning natural environment.  

And we seek public services that meet, and indeed exceed, the expectations of the people of Scotland. Have no doubt, many already do. But where action is needed to reform and renew, this government will take it.   

Progress for Scotland underpins each of our priorities and is at the heart of everything we will do.   

I want a Scotland that we can be proud of, a Scotland that is the best it can possibly be. 

That ambition is what gets me up every single morning.  

And, at the very heart of that, is the eradication of child poverty. 

Last year, when I presented my Programme for Government, I referred to the eradication of child poverty as the moral compass of my government.  It remains so. It will until there is no single child left in poverty in Scotland.   

It is also, I said, the greatest investment in our country’s future that we can possibly make. 

And in these times of cost-of-living pressures, that investment becomes ever more important, for these things disproportionately hurt our society’s poorest.   

That is why, over the course of this Parliament, we increased the Scottish Child Payment from the original proposal that was put to us of a £5 payment to £27.15 and created a broader package of family payments which can be worth roughly £25,000 by age 16.  

Our policies are making a difference. On average, the lowest income households with children are estimated to be £2,600 a year better off this year as result of Scottish Government policies. By 2029-30 it is expected to grow to an average of £3,700.

The proportion of children living in relative poverty has reached its lowest level since 2014-15, and Scotland is making deeper, quicker progress here than in the rest of the UK.

And while the Joseph Rowntree Foundation predicts child poverty will rise in other parts of the UK by 2029, policies such as our Scottish Child Payment, and our commitment to end the cruel two-child limit, “are behind Scotland bucking the trend”.

But if we want to truly eradicate child poverty in Scotland, we must go further, and I recognise that. We are taking the steps to lift the two-child limit and remain on track to deliver this measure to lift more children out of poverty next April.

It is also about making sure that public services are more joined up in their response, more family- and person-centred, so that vulnerable families receive the focused help they need rather than simply the help that is available.  

And, in the coming year, we will consult on, develop, and publish a Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan for 2026-31 – outlining the actions we will take with our partners for low-income families across Scotland to keep us on the journey to meet our poverty reduction targets for 2030. I can assure members that this will focus on reducing household costs, boosting incomes through social security, and helping more people into fair and sustainable jobs. All of which play a central part in tackling not only the symptoms but the root causes of poverty in our society.  

Presiding officer,  

There is always much more that we are doing than can be mentioned in a short parliamentary statement. 

I would encourage members, and their constituents, to read the Programme for Government with care.  

They will see our ongoing commitment to achieving net zero by 2045. Action to maximize the environmental and economic benefits from our vast renewable energy wealth. Steps to decarbonise heating and further decarbonise our transport network.  

To give just one example, I am proud that we have achieved our target of installing 6,000 public charge points for electric vehicles – 2 years ahead of schedule. But more is needed, which is why, in the year ahead, we will introduce a new rural and island EV infrastructure grant, supporting our commitment to approximately 24,000 additional public electric vehicle charge points by 2030.  

They will notice the priority we are giving to the ABCs of education, with action in partnership with local government, parents, carers, pupils and schools, to raise attainment and address problems of attendance, to tackle head on behavioural challenges in our classrooms and reform the curriculum so that young Scots are fully equipped to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of this new age.  

There is action to help regenerate our town centres.  

Investment in thousands of new homes.  

Record funding for the culture sector.  

New protections for renters.  

Expansion of dental provision.  

A focus on additional support needs in our schools and much, much more.  

Presiding officer, it is a Programme for Government, but also a programme for a better Scotland.   

A programme for a stronger NHS, for a more resilient Scotland, for a wealthier Scotland.  

Centred on delivery, providing hope, it is a programme that seeks what is best for Scotland, a Programme for Government that gets our nation on track for success.