I welcome the cabinet secretary’s statement and thank him for an advance copy. I also thank the many staff in our NHS and social care services who support us all year round.

I, too, will raise the report from National Records of Scotland that revealed that 24,427 people died in Scotland last winter. That is a staggering 11 per cent jump on the previous year’s figure and is the highest number of winter deaths in more than 30 years. At the same time, the delayed discharge figures last winter were the highest that they have ever been, which will have affected the mortality rate.

Does the cabinet secretary acknowledge that the Scottish Government failed to deliver a comprehensive winter plan last year, which resulted in a last-minute scramble to roll out additional support in January? Given that the delayed discharge figure was sitting at 1,700 in August, if we assume that his plan will work, what does he expect that number to be in January?