Nicola Sturgeon was quizzed on hospital waiting times and on shipbuilding jobs at First Minister’s Questions.

Douglas Ross, Scottish Conservative leader challenged the First Minister on the health service and said some of what is happening now in accident and emergency departments is as a result of challenges that went unmet before the pandemic.

He said: “Nicola Sturgeon is hiding behind Covid, but it is not all down to the pandemic. Since 2015, more than 850,000 people have waited longer than the four-hour target time at A & E. Why has that happened? From 2015 to 2020, the number of staffed acute beds in Scotland has dropped by more than 2,500.”

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He added: “We are short of hospital beds. We are short of front-line staff. We are short of leadership from the Government.

“The First Minister is once again hiding behind Covid and, as we have heard today, deflecting attention to the rest of the United Kingdom. Is it not the case that the pandemic has completely exposed her Government’s poor record on running Scotland’s NHS?

“Is it not the case that the crisis that has spiralled during the past few weeks has shown how ministers are constantly behind the curve? Is it not time that the First Minister and her health secretary finally got a grip of events?”

Nicola Sturgeon said repeatedly that the waiting times at A&E were not good enough. However she added it was the best performing A and E anywhere in the UK. And she said that the number of A&E consultants had increased by 242%

The First Minister said: “I have two points to make about the pandemic. First, anybody who stands up in the chamber and tries to pretend that the pandemic has not had an extremely significant impact on all of this is insulting people’s intelligence and lacking any credibility.

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“Secondly, in the midst of a global pandemic, it is important that Governments respond to circumstances, that they adapt and that they are flexible. That is what this Government has done and will continue to do. I make no apologies for making sure that, when there is a need, we provide extra funding and take new initiatives to help the health service cope with an unprecedented set of circumstances.”

Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour leader said the SNP was protecting jobs in Asia and eastern Europe but not in Scotland.

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He raised the contracts for new ferries going out to tender but not to the Scottish Government owned Ferguson’s yard.

He said: “Instead, the contract will be awarded to a shipyard in Poland, Romania or Turkey. I applaud the Scottish Government for protecting shipbuilding jobs, but it is a pity that none of those jobs is in Scotland”

Sarwar added: “Can the First Minister explain to us all how it is that a Scottish yard that supports Scottish jobs, and which is owned by the Scottish Government, failed to even make the shortlist to build Scotland’s ferries?”

She defended the Scottish Governments record on shipbuilding and said the Port Glasgow yard was only open because of government action.

She said: “Let us not lose sight of the fact that the Scottish Government has protected shipbuilding jobs here in Scotland. Without its intervention, Ferguson’s would not still be open and operational, and there are hundreds of people who are currently employed at Ferguson’s who would not be employed there. That is the protection of shipbuilding jobs that this Government has delivered.”