Tory MSP Miles Briggs says no one can be in any doubt that since the treatment time guarantee was introduced, patients and families have been let down.

He highlights it is mental health awareness week and points to a year long waiting time for CAMHS in Lothian.

Patients are beyond wanting apologies, Mr Briggs says, "they want action".

The Tory MSP also highlights waiting times for cancer and he says it signals a service under severe strain.

He says the Scottish government has been given an extra £2bn from Barnett consequentials.

Ms Freeman insists the government is working on guidance for patients around waiting for treatment.

The health secretary tells the chamber that since the introduction of the treatment time guarantee around nine out of ten patients have been treated within 12 weeks, that's over 1.7 million patients.

She says she is determined to see an improvement in addressing all waiting times.

The minister cites investment of £26.7m since October, out of the £850m, to attain a reduction in waiting times.

A further £70m was announced last month, she tells the chamber.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman says long waits are unacceptable and improving waiting times is one of three key priorities for her.

She offers an unreserved apology to anyone experiencing or who had experienced a delay in the health system.

The health secretary highlights the waiting times improvement plan published last year, backed by financial investment, to tackle the issue.

While we build capacity, health boards must make sure they are advising patients of their likely wait and reasons for delay she adds.

A revised charter on patient rights and responsibilities will be laid before parliament before summer recess and applicable by autumn.

Mr Cole-Hamilton calls for the empowerment of patients by furnishing them with all the information about their treatment.

"They just want people to be straight with them, they want doctors to be straight with them, they want politicians to be straight with them.

"We just can't go on like this giving people that element of false hope."

He asks that the government explains to people why their treatment has been set back and to apologise for the discomfort they face.

Lisa Summers
BBC Scotland Health Correspondent

Image source, bbc

While trying to decipher the often overwhelming mass of data on waiting times in the NHS, it can be easy to forget that behind each statistic is a person living with the pain and anxiety of waiting.

For BBC Scotland's Disclosure series, I went to meet some of those Living on the NHS List.

Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton begins on a consensual note by thanking the health secretary for meeting with him to discuss the issues raised in his motion.

The treatment times guarantee is illegally broken over 200 times a day, Mr Cole-Hamilton tells the chamber.

There is no sanction for this, no minister has ever resigned and there are no fines he says.

The MSP insists it is legally binding in name only while the human cost builds.

The Lib Dem tells the chamber about his constituent Jane Ross who had to wait six months for an appointment for a bladder issue, then another year on top of that for treatment.

It took 36 weeks for Jane to get the operation she needed, he says, citing the case as one of the hardest he has ever had to deal with.

Image source, PA

Scotland's health secretary has pledged that key NHS waiting times will be met within the next three years.

Speaking as she set out a new improvement plan, Jeane Freeman admitted that some patients were still having to wait too long for treatment.

A legal requirement for all patients to start treatment within twelve weeks has never been met.

And waiting times for cancer patients hit a six-year high earlier last year, according to official figures.

Opposition parties said Ms Freeman's improvement plan was an admission that the government had failed to deliver on its promises to patients.

The Scottish government's main current targets are for:

• 100% of inpatients and day cases to start treatment within the 12-week Treatment Time Guarantee
• 95% of outpatients to wait less than 12 weeks to be seen
• 95% of patients for cancer treatment to be seen within the 62-day

Performance is currently well below these targets - with the figures standing at 74.6%, external, 75.1%, external and 84.6%, external respectively in the three months to June 2018.

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton will now lead a debate on the treatement time guarantee.

Mr Cole-Hamilton will point out the legally-binding 12-week treatment time guarantee has been broken at least 190,000 times since its introduction.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Tory MSP Donald Cameron says residents on Dunoon are wondering whether RET would be applied to their ferry link.

Mr Wheelhouse says the Scottish government's intention is to "take that forward positively".

Labour MSP Rhoda Grant asks whether the government has considered indemnifying private operators prior to receiving reassurance from the commission.

The minister says he has not looked at the specific proposal but reiterates that the government wants to see movement on RET as soon as possible.

Image source, bbc

Islands Minister Paul Wheelhouse says the government is engaging with the European Commission following a state aid complaint about plans to reduce fairs to the Northern Isles.

"We remain committed to exploring all avenues of reducing fares to Orkney and Shetland."

Image source, bbc

Mr McArthur calls on the government to commit to persuading the Commission to come to a ruling.

Mr Wheelhouse insists he continues to engage with the Commission urging a quick resolution to the complaint.

Image source, Dave Gray

Last year the P&J reported Mr McArthur had voiced concerns at the lack of urgency the Scottish government has shown in introducing a Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) on Orkney ferry routes.

The initiative, which was rolled out to services in the Hebrides a decade ago, was due to be delivered to the northern isle routes by the end of June.

Fresh delays have been encountered as a complaint has been made to the European Commission in regards to the Scottish government’s plans to reduce ferry fares to Orkney.

In a written letter to the Orkney MSP, minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, Paul Wheelhouse informed Mr McArthur that the Scottish government remains committed to introducing RET to Orkney and Shetland, despite only being able to reduce fares for passengers travelling to and from Shetland by 20%.

Read more of the Press and Journal's article here., external

Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur asks when road equivalent tariff will be fully introduced on Orkney and Shetland ferry routes.

Image source, bbc/Mark F Gibson/PA

Read the full list of questions here., external

SNP MSP Richard Lyle asks if the minister agrees it is "scandalous" that farmers don't have certainty and clarity about their workforce.

"It is an absolute scandal, Mr Lyle is quite right, "Mr Ewing replies.

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing says the Scottish government shares NFU Scotland's concerns about accepts to suitable workers.

The UK government's migration proposals "do not meet Scotland's needs", he argues.

We will continue to monitor the situation to assess employment needs across the rural economy but the best solution would be to devolve migration powers Mr Ewing insists.

Image source, bbc

A shortage of fruit pickers combined with the summer heat wave has led to tonnes of strawberries and raspberries being left to rot, farmers have warned.

Scotland's fruit farms largely depend on seasonal workers from central and eastern Europe to pick their harvest.

But their numbers have fallen in recent years, with farmers fearing the problem will get worse after Brexit.

They want the UK government to replace the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme, which was scrapped in 2014.

Read more here.

Labour MSP David Stewart asks the Scottish government what action it plans to take in light of the Scottish Affairs Committee's evidence session on seasonal agricultural workers.

Image source, Getty Images

Read all the questions here., external