In the light of the Vale of Leven hospital inquiry, which was chaired by Lord MacLean, I asked Shona Robison at the Health and Sport Committee on 24 February 2015 whether an independent audit of the new hospital had, in fact, been carried out. After some pressing, she said:

“If it has not taken place, it will. We will check that.”—[Official Report, Health and Sport Committee, 24 February 2015; c 32.]

A week later, Shona Robison did a complete U-turn. The result? No independent audit of the hospital took place before it opened its doors to staff and patients. Does the cabinet secretary understand that the failure to carry out an expert, independent investigation cost lives?