Elena Whitham
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“More homes Scotland will help to drive forward the Government’s core priorities of eradicating child poverty and growing our economy. To do that, we must focus on building more social homes and maximising investment in Scotland’s housing sector generally. We have a very strong record in Scotland in that regard.”
“Elena Whitham: I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests—I am a member of Shelter Scotland’s committee. Given that far too many children live in temporary accommodation, more homes Scotland must be integral to ending homelessness, and its creation is most welcome.”
“To ask the Scottish Government whether addressing affordable housing need and tackling homelessness will be more homes Scotland’s core mission. (S6O- 05714) The Cabinet Secretary for Housing (Màiri McAllan): Increasing the supply of affordable homes is key to addressing housing need and critical to tackling homelessness.”
“I thank my colleague Brian Whittle for securing this excellent debate. I rise to speak about sport being a force for good with a mixture of pride, gratitude and a sense of coming full circle.”
“It has a proud history, a trophy-winning junior team that inspires huge local pride and a vocal but good- natured rivalry with its next-door neighbour, Auchinleck Talbot Football Club.”
“It means recognising that participation looks different at different stages of life, whether that is walking football, which is delivered in partnership with Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland and supports people to stay active and connected, or inclusive cycling opportunities for those with learning disabilities, which is developed alongside…”
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“Participants who continue with AA after release credit it with helping them to secure employment, rebuild family relationships and remain sober in the community. The same can be said when people are proactively linked into recovery communities once they have returned home. When I was a minister, I was privileged to visit the Glasgow drug and alcohol courts and watch them in action. I was mightily impressed by the problem-solving attitudes of those sheriffs and their shared desire to drive systems change. I also spoke to other sheriffs right across Scotland who shared the problem-solving ethos and a desire to understand what drives offending and what interventions, diversions and community justice disposals could deliver better outcomes. That attitude must become the default if we want to sever the link between alcohol and crime.”
“We need enforceable standards with clear lines of accountability so that those recommendations can be implemented and so that people do not continue to fall through the cracks. Planning for release should happen when someone arrives in custody, so that we can ensure that they have been linked with recovery services and support as well as housing and welfare provision well ahead of their release. We should also seek to maximise the role of recovery communities and Alcoholics Anonymous, which can help people to work through those issues. Reports suggest that, with consistent access to AA meetings, attendees have reduced cravings, stronger coping strategies and improved engagement with other rehabilitative programmes.”
“The Scottish Government is also working on a national service specification for alcohol and drugs. That represents an ideal opportunity to publish a clear specification for justice settings, as well as to develop standards for alcohol treatment and support at each stage of the justice system, which will help to embed treatment and recovery communities across the justice sector. Recent broader approaches to justice, such as Public Health Scotland’s health and justice programme strategy and the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023 demonstrate that there is a will to change, but the separation of powers and the independence of decision making between the organisations and bodies that are involved in the justice system can pose a challenge for the overall co-ordination of care and support.”
“The report says that, for alcohol brief interventions in justice settings, “delivery sits at about 29% in prison and 3% in police custody”. Those figures urgently need to rise. Those who are identified as needing support should be flagged so that their support needs are known throughout their journey in the criminal justice system. If fulsome information was provided on the standard prosecution report, that would also help to support the procurator fiscal when looking at suitability for diversion from prosecution. We know that referrals to drug and alcohol specialist treatment have fallen in Scottish prisons in recent years, and work is under way by Public Health Scotland to understand why that is the case. That is part of wider work on overall reductions in referrals to alcohol services in general.”
“they would take it.” The key recommendations from SHAAP that are outlined in the report are that, at each stage of a person’s interaction with the justice system, alcohol issues should be recognised, properly assessed and acted on, with key agencies having accountability. Accountability is key. In police custody centres, “There should be a standard in place for the identification and treatment of people with an alcohol use disorder ... for the police and NHS ... staff.” That would include referral to healthcare or addiction services, appropriate tools being used for alcohol use screening and appropriate actions being taken, including alcohol brief interventions or arrest referral for alcohol treatment and support.”
“However, the reality is that the 2019 Scottish prisoners survey showed that “only 22% of participants reported that they had been given the chance to receive treatment for an alcohol use disorder during their sentence.” The survey also revealed that “40% of prisoners involved reported being drunk at the time of their offence” and that nearly “one fifth ... of prisoners who took part in the survey were worried alcohol would be a problem ... when they got out.” Encouragingly, however, “Forty one percent of participants said that if they were offered help for their alcohol use disorder (both inside and outside of prison) ...”
“The SHAAP report calls for a system that truly integrates health and justice; that provides treatment options and community disposals instead of incarceration, where appropriate; and that offers support at every stage of an individual’s journey, from arrest to sentencing and beyond. That is not just a humane approach—it is an effective one. We know that addressing the root cause of problematic alcohol use through targeted interventions can reduce offending and lead to better outcomes for individuals and for society as a whole.”
“If we consider adverse childhood experiences and trauma, we find that 25 per cent of people in Scottish prisons are care experienced, 47 per cent have experienced physical abuse in childhood, and around a third lived with someone who was a problematic drinker during childhood. Inequality and disadvantage are pervasive in the justice system. I saw that over and over again when I worked in front-line homelessness services. If we think in resourcing terms, we find that the overall estimate for the yearly cost to public services of alcohol-specific and alcohol-related offences is between £462.5 million and £991.7 million, with a midpoint of £721.1 million. It is important to note that those figures have not been re-estimated since 2007-08 and that the true figure is likely to be much higher.”
“The number of people with alcohol use disorders in our Scottish justice system is disproportionately high compared with the figure for the population at large and, although we are working hard on our imprisonment rate, we still have the highest rate in western Europe. We know that 63 per cent of people in prison have an alcohol use disorder, with 31 per cent of those individuals possibly being alcohol dependent. The risk of death from alcohol causes is three times higher in men who have been in prison, and a staggering nine times higher for women who have been in prison, than it is for the rest of the general population.”
“Inequality is at the heart of the issue, and the human cost is staggering, but it goes wider than that—it impacts on all public services, and the cost to the public purse is considerable. Repeated interaction with the criminal justice system, driven and exacerbated by alcohol use, creates impacts that ripple through every area of life, such as repeated contact with police and courts, repeat periods of incarceration, repeat homelessness, social work interventions, loss of employment or employment opportunities and poor health that results in increased need for national health service interventions, including costly unscheduled care. I believe that the case for change that is set out in the report is clear.”
“I thank colleagues from across the Parliament for supporting my motion, which has enabled me to bring to the Parliament’s attention the recent report “Alcohol (In)justice—Position on people with an alcohol use disorder in the justice system” by Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems. I welcome representatives from SHAAP to the chamber. The play on words in the title of this critical report is in itself a lightning rod that we should all be coalescing around. Alcohol is a recurring feature in our justice system and the link between alcohol and crime is well understood. That, in turn, highlights the injustice that is faced by many when alcohol use disorder impacts on the individual, the family and their community.”
“To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the public and private sector to develop carbon literacy skills. (S6O-04272)”
“If you get into danger resulting in a rescue operation, you put the lives of emergency workers and volunteers at risk through your reckless actions, which is utterly unacceptable.”
“It is important that we do everything that we can to scrutinise and support employers, ensuring that they have the right information, pass on that information timeously to their employees and, of course, recognise that they have a duty of care. Part of our learning-the-lessons review of any major event is always to look at things such as civil contingencies, many of the powers for which lie at a very localised level. There are issues about how best we engage, educate and encourage, but we must also enforce where necessary, and there are various partners that have powers in and around that. Sometimes, it is not just employers who do not follow advice; it can be individuals who are, to all appearances, of sound mind. Whether you are an individual or an employer, if you do not follow advice, you do not put only yourself at risk.”
“My heart goes out to Mr Carmichael’s family, who are my constituents. What powers does the Scottish Government have to compel employers to act earlier to close businesses once a red weather warning has been announced, noting that such warnings are rare and are given when dangerous weather and threat to life are predicted? Angela Constance: Bearing in mind that employment law is reserved, I suggest that our powers are somewhat limited, although I absolutely do not want to get into a dispute that is in any way political or constitutional, given that the focus right now is on recovery and addressing the storm impacts that continue. Elena Whitham raises an important point, however, which was touched on by Claire Baker, too.”
“However, I am conscious that I am probably stepping beyond my scope there, and I may be entering the territory of the Minister for Parliamentary Business and other parliamentary authorities.”
“The member and others have highlighted that it can take time to introduce and pass primary legislation in the Parliament—that is not all within my gift, but I am committed to introducing such legislation as soon as possible. In the meantime, I am urgently considering whether there are ways to deliver the changes in the shorter term while we are developing the primary legislation. I want to leave no stone unturned and to check whether there are other opportunities to deliver on our aspirations more quickly. When the Criminal Justice Committee and I can get through the legislation that is currently on our books, I would certainly be up for doing a bill in year 5 of the session.”
“None of us here can adequately understand the grief that the families are shouldering, but all of us must understand that it could happen to us and our families at any time. I recognise that it can take time for legislation to be developed, consulted on and dealt with in the Parliament but, given the urgency and the immediate needs of families who are faced with circumstances and tragedies such as those that we heard about from Pauline McNeill, can the cabinet secretary provide a timescale for introducing legislation on swift and universal legal aid for families for fatal accident inquiries? Angela Constance: I am absolutely committed to making changes in the legal aid system to ensure that legal aid is free and non-means-tested in relation to deaths in custody.”
“I am happy to detail some of the funding that we are providing, which, since 2020, has included £65 million for local authorities to fund community-based mental health and wellbeing support services for children, young people and, crucially, their families. That investment will continue. I will provide details in writing of the number of families who have benefited from that investment. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I thank colleagues for accommodating so many portfolio questions. 14:51 Meeting suspended. 14:51 On resuming— Safety in Schools”
“It is important to recognise the unwavering support and dedication of families with neurodivergent children. I am part of such a family and can attest to the extreme challenges that you face in seeking to secure access to diagnosis and support. Can the minister please provide an update on what further intended actions the Scottish Government is taking, both in the 2025-26 budget and in the longer term, to best support families of neurodivergent young people in alleviating the difficulties that they face? Maree Todd: I recognise the work that Elena Whitham has done on that issue, and I want to reassure all families that it is an absolute priority for the Government.”
“The economic impact assessments have identified agriculture and semi- processed food as the losing sectors in the Australia and New Zealand trade deals. The Conservatives celebrated those deals. The previous UK Government also took the decision to reduce our seven-year European Union common agricultural policy budgets to yearly allocations from His Majesty’s Treasury. That lack of financial certainty and the fact that new trade barriers with the EU far outweigh the expected gains from other trade agreements again demonstrates that Scotland’s trade and interests would have been best served by remaining in the EU. Arran Ferry Service Relocation 2.”
“I share the concerns expressed in the member’s question. Will the minister explain how the cumulative impact of trade deals that deliver nothing to the primary producer, together with the uncertainty about future levels of funding and the potential threats to Scotland’s future support schemes posed by the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 1998 and the Subsidy Control Act 2022—all of which was presided over by Douglas Ross’s party and which he supported—have exacerbated the very issues that Douglas Ross brings to the chamber today? Jim Fairlie: I absolutely accept Elena Whitham’s point. The initial post-Brexit trade deals that the previous United Kingdom Government agreed have not benefited Scottish agriculture in any way, shape or form.”
“That is why Education Scotland is working with organisations, including Tech She Can and Code Club, to promote careers in computing science to girls. We have also invested £840,000 in Scottish Teachers Advancing Computer Science to support excellence in the teaching of computing science and the promotion of the subject to pupils and parents.”
“Noting that fantastic achievement, does the minister agree that it is vital that continued support is provided to equip our young girls with those much-needed skills to engage, nurture and inspire them to enter the field of computer sciences, providing them with the skills that Scotland’s technology sector and wider economy will fundamentally depend on? Graeme Dey: I do. I am encouraged that, in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of girls undertaking computing science courses, not least because closing the equity gap in participation in STEM is crucial and central to our vision for an equal Scotland. However, there is more to do if we are to reach the position that we all want to be in.”
“We have provided more than £1.2 million this financial year alone to organisations that are supporting high-quality delivery of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in schools and helping to develop STEM subjects, such as computing science, as attractive and relevant subject choices. Elena Whitham: I know that the minister will be aware of Education Scotland’s wonderful cyberfirst girls competition, designed to help girls enter the world of cyber technology and security, in which Girvan academy in my constituency recently made the shortlist of 10 finalists.”
“To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress being made to improve the learning outcomes of pupils to prepare them for careers in the technology sector. (S6O-04175) The Minister for Higher and Further Education; and Minister for Veterans (Graeme Dey): Work to improve the sciences curriculum as part of the curriculum improvement cycle is now under way, with work on technology starting in early 2025. That is being led by Education Scotland as part of a planned, systematic approach to curriculum improvement that will support high-quality teaching, learning and progression across all curricular areas.”