David Green has delivered  his first speech at Holyrood.

All our seven newbies have now done so. Every single one of them made me cry, David more than any of them.

Not just because he is the best of people and I’ve known him for pretty much half his life (which is a tiny proportion of mine), but because he represents where I spent my teenage years and, much further south, where my husband’s family comes from. His constituency is massive, stretching from John O’Groats in the north, almost to Skye in the west.

I’ve driven the long, long road from Wick to Inverness many, many times. It’s a good bit shorter, with the Dornoch Bridge, than it used to be, but it is still a very, very long way. Even in the Summer when it’s pretty much light till well gone 11pm, it’s long. In the Winter when it’s dark at the back of 3 and the wind and the ice and the snow are doing their thing, it’s terrifying. Also, there’s a lot of rural Caithness and northern Sutherland that is very much further away than that.

I say this because a succession of SNP health ministers have done nothing to reverse the downgrading of maternity services which means that mums have to traverse that road to give birth. Now when I was in labour, I had to drive 15 or so miles on a relatively straightforward road to have my baby. And that was not a fun experience, I can assure you. So David’s commitment to fight for a full maternity unit in Caithness means something to me.

Watch his speech here.

The text is below:

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer.

My congratulations to you on your election, and to all other Members on theirs.

Like many new MSPs, I begin by putting on record my thanks to my family, friends and supporters for helping to send me here.

The responsibility to now represent everyone across Caithness, Sutherland and Ross is one I take seriously.

Over the last few years, people have shared with me their stories, their hopes, and their worries.

Worries that all too often centre on the struggle to access healthcare close to home, particularly for women.

It is therefore fitting that I use my first speech to address the future of the NHS.

Before I do, Deputy Presiding Officer, I wish to pay tribute to my predecessors.

John Buchan, the Scottish author, historian, and statesman, viewed public service not merely as an administrative duty, but as “the worthiest of ambition” and the highest, most honorable adventure.

I am honoured to begin that adventure and follow in the liberal traditions of Bob Maclennan, John Thurso, Charles Kennedy and the only other Liberal Democrat MSP to represent this remarkable constituency, Jamie Stone, whose public service is recognised on every doorstep.

All of us have shared a common belief that the best decisions are made when local people are empowered to make them.

That principle must guide how we reset this Parliament and our politics, and Liberal Democrats will work constructively with both the Government and opposition Members to advance that cause.

I also pay tribute to Gail Ross – fondly remembered as a strong advocate for rural proofing, an issue I intend to champion in the years ahead – and Maree Todd who I congratulate on her return to government.

Deputy Presiding Officer, I will further put on record my thanks to the Members sitting beside me who paved my way to this Parliament.

To Alex Cole-Hamilton and Willie Rennie, for their boundless leadership; and to my good friend and former boss here at Holyrood, Liam McArthur, for his years of mentorship.

It is now a privilege to sit alongside them as part of the largest Liberal Democrat group in nearly 20 years.

Caithness, Sutherland and Ross is Scotland’s largest constituency. It presents particular challenges: sparsity of population, distance, and severe winter weather all demanding a different approach to the delivery of services.

Let me therefore be clear: what works in the Central Belt will not always work in the Highlands – particularly where healthcare is concerned.

Deputy Presiding Officer, no issue – no issue – speaks more to that sense of being forgotten and misunderstood than the downgrading of maternity services in Caithness.

Surely all Members can agree that it isn’t acceptable that mums-to-be in Caithness have to travel 100-mile journeys in order to give birth at hospital in Inverness.

Many families have shared their stories with me – the fear of battling through winter snow, the trauma when emergency transfer plans go wrong, and the anxiety about whether they could ever face having another child under such circumstances.

The Cabinet Secretary – who I congratulate on her appointment – will be aware that the situation has attracted international attention, with Caithness Health Action Team taking their case to the UN following a report by the Scottish Human Rights Commission which found that mothers felt “unsafe” and “terrified”.

Caithness Health Action Team has led this campaign with determination, and I am pleased to be able to put on record my thanks to Ron Gunn, Iain Gregory, and Maria Aitken for their outstanding leadership.

The Cabinet Secretary will also be aware that last November this Parliament voted for a Liberal Democrat amendment calling for an independent review of maternity services in Caithness.

That must mean a chair independent of both NHS Highland and the Scottish Government and a commitment to community-led engagement.

The Cabinet Secretary has confirmed to me that she will deliver a statement to Parliament next week, and I welcome that.

However, I urge her today to provide my constituents with a clear commitment on those points and the reassurance they have waited far too long to receive.

Deputy Presiding Officer, I will finish with this.

On Friday, friends and family of the late Jim Wallace will meet in Dunblane to celebrate his life.

Jim was an architect of devolution and a politician defined by his ability to build agreement and to respect those with whom he disagreed.

In his last contribution to this chamber, he said this: “At a time when politics can be so polarising, surely a common commitment to service, whatever our faith or creed, is something that can unite us.”

I hope this Parliament will rise to the challenge that Jim has set us.

For my part, I commit to doing my very best.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings. You can find her on Bluesky at caronmlindsay.bsky.social