Emma Roddick
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“Knowing all that I know about the high rate of comorbidity of ADHD and hypermobility, it did not come as a surprise when I was told in January this year that my mental health diagnosis, which came with a great deal of difficulty, stigma and, as it turns out, the wrong treatment over years and years, was misdiagnosed neurodivergence.”
“It might be that no one beyond the person’s GP is needed to manage the post-diagnosis situation. All that might be needed is guided self-management and the awareness of what their diagnosis is, which will give them the necessary confidence to ask for adjustments at school or the workplace.”
“A child with ADHD who can be managed with some changes to their school day should just have those changes made. Not dealing with those people creates urgent cases that never needed to become urgent.”
“I can now access the right people and I can read about my condition, not a label. What I cannot do is get help from the NHS. I have been advised to go private, which is something I hate seeing in a letter that is headed “NHS”.”
“I congratulate and thank Helen McDade for securing this important debate. I am glad to see that there are cross-party contributions this evening.”
“When someone feels like they do not fit in and they do not know why, they can start to resent the world and their peers, who think that the person is difficult and unfriendly instead of just quiet and busy thinking about 12 things at once.”
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“It is important to note that the SHRC’s accurate description of the issue—from sofa surfing to living in temporary caravans— demonstrates to everyone that, although the issue might be hidden, it is not invisible and it is possible for us to see and react to it. I have always tried to be very careful about how I speak about homelessness and to promote a reduction in stigma, because that stigma is real, unfair and pervasive. Having been in that situation in the Highlands, I know the dangers that come alongside it. It is not only about not having the security of going to sleep with a roof over your head, walls around you and a lock on the door; housing insecurity opens you up to a very dangerous underground culture.”
“I recognise much of what is described in the report—-I could have perhaps written 12 different speeches on it—and I know how valuable the evidence on access and transport to healthcare, availability of food and general quality of life is. I will focus largely on what I think is the most severe human rights issue that the report explores. Although homelessness exists across Scotland, it does so differently in different communities. In Skye, we are more likely to see young people being homeless at home, whereas, in Inverness, people might be stuck for long periods in unsuitable accommodation. If people in rural and island communities know that no social housing is available anywhere near them, they might not register as homeless, because they believe that there is no point. All that hidden homelessness deserves full attention.”
“First, I thank Rhoda Grant for securing this important debate. I was glad to support her motion. Secondly, I thank the Scottish Human Rights Commission for undertaking the work. Although I strongly believe that organisations that seek to represent the views of all Scotland must come to the Highlands and Islands, that is not usually what happens, so it was very welcome to see such thorough and interested engagement across the region ahead of the debate. It is right that the resulting report gets aired in the Parliament and that we get a chance to hear the Government’s response to the many issues that it raises. The report covers issues that the people who are contributing to the debate regularly raise in the Parliament.”
“To ask the Scottish Government whether it prioritised funding for affordable housing when drafting its budget for 2025-26. (S6O-04193) [Interruption.] The Deputy Presiding Officer: I apologise. I saw that the ministers on the front bench were already assembled; I did not realise that they wanted to shift seats. I call the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government to answer question 1.”
“She points at a very important example, which I alluded to in my statement, which is that many communities, particularly those in islands authorities, did not receive any payments in previous years. That is the difference that we have made. For example, communities in Orkney and Shetland are receiving the benefit that they would not have received under the previous scheme. However, I will respond to the member in writing once this year’s payments are fully completed to give her that information and, I hope, reassurance about how we are delivering across the Highlands and”
“Having spent the past week at home in the Highlands, I know just how harsh the cold is that many of my constituents are facing right now. I am glad that the Scottish Government continues to deliver different winter heating payments to them, despite the Labour Government’s inexplicable decision to remove funding from pensioners across the Highlands and Islands this winter. Can the cabinet secretary share what the uptake has been like for the different Scottish winter heating payments in the Highlands and Islands region? Shirley-Anne Somerville: The best way to respond to that is perhaps to repeat what I said to Mr Balfour: within five weeks, once the final payment session is through, I will be able to give Emma Roddick the full picture of what is happening in the Highlands and Islands region.”
“To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its assessment of the potential impact of the United Kingdom Government’s decision to increase employer national insurance contributions on the culture sector. (S6O-04155)”