“I think he should come and visit the current site to really see the need for the Eye Pavilion to be replaced as soon as possible.” Plans for a replacement eye hospital next to the Royal Infirmary at Little France were agreed in principle in 2018, but the government told NHS Lothian in December 2020 it would not fund the project, prompting a public outcry and cross-party calls for a rethink. During the election campaign, Nicola Sturgeon said the SNP would after all fund a replacement – and she repeated the pledge when she set out the government’s priorities in the Scottish Parliament.