Paul Sweeney
Scottish Labour · Scotland
“The single point of contact pilots that we have embarked on are making a significant difference in ensuring that people get the ability to discuss their treatment anxieties and their support. We have invested £2.5 million to expand the reach of that programme across Scotland.”
“As a member of the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee, I welcome the news on the proposed legislation, which is very welcome. Indeed, it is something that has been long hoped for.”
“It is more precise than conventional radiotherapy, and the team behind the trial in England has begun the process of establishing it in Scotland.”
“I thank Mesothelioma UK for continuing to raise awareness each year through action mesothelioma day. On 3 July, the Scottish Government will proudly show our support by lighting up in blue St Andrew’s house and Victoria Quay in Edinburgh to get behind the go blue for meso campaign.”
“There is an awful lot to be recognised in terms of holding people to account, which has been a feature of this campaign over time. The Scottish Government confirms its commitment to continue to stand alongside those who are affected by mesothelioma, to ensure that they receive the compassionate care and treatment that they require at ever…”
“The fact that there are such abandoned factories and that the people who enter them—whether for urban exploration or whatever else—do not understand the risks that they are exposing themselves to is a difficulty that we must overcome.”
The complete record
Every one of 813 lines we hold for Paul Sweeney, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 15 of 17.
“I think that we can all agree that people of a young age in particular are at a point in their life where they should have positive years ahead. Even when people are 55, that should be a time for them to be excited about the next stage in life, but the condition can make the basics of life intolerable. Dr Chetcuti explained to me that he believes that, sadly, the lack of services for those patients means that many people live a life of poor quality or lose their life far sooner than they should. The reasons that people end up with the condition are complex but, essentially, ARBD is caused by a person regularly drinking or binge drinking much more alcohol than the recommended limits, which, over time, can, if untreated, cause irreparable damage to the brain.”
“My friend is making an excellent speech. Does she share my admiration for the work that is done by organisations such as Penumbra, which has a centre for ARBD in Possilpark in my area, and does she note the significance of social inequality in the incidence of ARBD? Substance use and misuse can often be a factor in self-medicating for bigger traumas, and in particular poverty-related traumas. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I can give you the time back for the interventions, Ms Mochan. Carol Mochan: I thank Paul Sweeney for his intervention; I absolutely will come on to that point. Those services are important and we should build on them, and the social deprivation element must be part of our discussions.”
“When we discuss nuclear power, we are often haunted by past generations of nuclear reactor technologies. Even the Hinkley Point C technology is not appropriate for Scotland. The European pressurised water reactor technology was described by Cambridge Professor Roulstone as a “cathedral within a cathedral”, or an overengineered system that is already obsolete. Technology has already evolved. New, cleaner and neater options are available today, which could be used to help to repower existing nuclear sites in Scotland, such as Torness and”
“The Government’s ideological opposition to new nuclear power stations is holding Scotland back from billions of pounds of potential investment and thousands of highly skilled jobs. It does not have to be an either/or—it is a false dichotomy. We can be a clean energy superpower through renewable technologies and new civil nuclear power working in concert. It is, after all, clear that intermittency is the fundamental challenge, particularly with wind turbine installations. Wind power technology is available only 25 per cent to 45 per cent of the time, while nuclear energy provides a 90 per cent stable base-load supply, which means that we are able to augment intermittency with a stable baseline. That is the fundamental reconciliation that is needed.”
“We now see the huge advantage that other countries have in stitching up the global supply chain for wind turbines. Our particularly harsh weather, extensive coastline and thousands of lochs mean that Scotland boasts a unique environment that is well suited to the installation of wind, hydroelectric and tidal power. I just wish that we were making more of the infrastructure that is required. That said, it is also irresponsible of the Government here in Scotland not to support a new generation of nuclear energy as part of the mix. Britain and Scotland were the world’s first civil generator of nuclear power, with Calder Hall and Chapelcross in the 1950s. Unfortunately, that industrial leadership was lost through a lack of planning and the break-up of our vertically integrated electricity generation and transmission system in the 1990s.”
“I share the aspirations that have been expressed across the chamber and agree that Scotland has huge potential to lead the way on the renewable future. It is unfortunate that we have been such a laggard up to this point, and it is frustrating that we have missed huge opportunities over the generations. I look, for example, at the contrast in the fortunes of Denmark’s Vestas and Scotland’s Howden. I will take that as one case study. Thirty- five years ago, in 1989—the very year that I was born—Scotland exited the manufacturing of wind turbines, and the works that built those pioneering wind turbines now lie derelict on the south side of Glasgow. That could have been a huge opportunity if we had persevered with more state investment in wind turbines at the early stage.”
“The First Minister rightly recognised the contribution that Scottish industry has made to the defence of Ukraine. To further bolster that effort, will he consider reconvening the aerospace, defence, marine and security industry leadership group, which has been dormant for some years, and appointing a ministerial co-chair? The First Minister: Work has been undertaken to reform the industry leadership groups. I think that there is engagement with the defence sector, but I had better check that point for Mr Sweeney. I know that there is ministerial interaction on all these questions.”
“A multitude of opportunities exists in Scotland, but the fundamental issue is how we can leverage investment for long-term value creation. I encourage the Government to look more broadly at other models and explore pockets of excellence where that can be achieved. I would hate to see us repeat the mistakes of half a century ago, when we overrelied on fluid capital investments from other countries that were not fully anchored here. We still have weaknesses in that regard. Some major firms that are not fully anchored in Scotland might be at risk of removal in any round of asset restructuring in those businesses. We must consider how we can approach that more effectively so that we do not see ourselves again having to react to corporate closures and then losing out. 16:44”
“The business is built as a workers’ co-operative, so it is not possible to sell shares in it to a speculative owner. Dick’s concept of ownership was rooted in the idea that the business would be anchored in this country and would be a high-value firm that would develop and grow its business here organically. He did not want it to disappear into General Electric, Philips or Siemens—he wanted to keep it as a Scottish business. Indeed, it is a huge success. It is more productive than its peer firms, does most of its work in exports, and has high levels of engagement with its staff, who are engaged in every aspect of the business’s decision making. It is a wonderful example of what we could do more of in Scotland, by emulating the Mondragon co-operative structures that are prevalent in Spain.”
“The Bank of England has spoken about the risks of private equity investment, in highlighting that the lack of risk management of private equity can present longer-term risks. A number of Scottish companies have been delisted from the FTSE and have gone private. We do not really know what the longer-term implications of that might be. We have also seen Scotland not fully exploiting opportunities from unicorn companies, which have ended up in foreign ownership. Those are strategic weaknesses that the Scottish Government needs to address. We need to consider other countries’ approaches to taking strategic equity investments and anchoring businesses to Scotland. A good example is Clansman Dynamics in East Kilbride, which is a high-end manufacturing company founded by Dick Philbrick in 1994.”
“One accidental beneficial investment that the Government made in recent years concerned Prestwick airport. Although, ostensibly, that was done to rescue the passenger terminal service there, it turned the area into what we might call the Farnborough of Scotland, in that it is now largely recognised for its aerospace cluster. State ownership of such real estate assets is beneficial in the longer run. I encourage the Government to seek to develop that rather than dispose of it. Several members made the fundamental point about there being insufficient investment. We need to find new ways of crowding that in, but we must do so in a way that does not introduce undue risks.”
“I do not condemn or criticise the cabinet secretary for her efforts in making a counter-proposal. However, it seems to me that the development agency should have been alive to the risks much earlier. It should have been able to work proactively with the firm to anchor that investment in Scotland if it had thought that the factory was at risk of closure in any restructuring round. That is just one example of many cases in which we could have been more proactive. The Scottish Enterprise account management service does a great job—I used to be an account manager there myself—but perhaps it is not engaging with firms at the right level of decision making to ensure that we are ahead of issues when they emerge. There are many other such examples.”
“We need to learn the right lessons from our engagement with inward investment over the past half century. It is encouraging that the Government has a mind towards how we can deepen the value chain in Scotland. I encourage it to further its ambition in that regard. Investments that the Government has made in recent years can be characterised as reacting to crisis rather than being proactive in nature. I think of the example of McVitie’s, which was a Scottish company founded in Edinburgh and Glasgow and which ultimately became foreign owned by a Turkish company. A couple of years ago, it decided to withdraw the last remnant of that Scottish company from the country in which it had been founded, at the cost of nearly 500 jobs in a poor part of Glasgow.”
“The inquiry committee wanted labour to be released from the heavy industries and reinvested in light industry, which would be developed largely through inward investment. That was the first time that Scotland went in earnest for an explicit policy on inward investment, which at that time usually came from US multinational firms. Employment in US multinationals in Scotland peaked in 1974, when it stood at 92,000 employees. Of course, we know the longer-term story of silicon glen. It did not represent sticky investment; it was what the economist Turok described as dependent, and not developmental, investment. As we know, it led to a litany of firms closing throughout the 1990s, and a large reduction in Scotland’s industrial base in that decade.”
“This has been a very interesting debate, which takes me back to my days at university, when I had the privilege to be taught economic history by a noted member of the Scottish National Party, Dr Duncan Ross. Over the past century, the Scottish economy has faced long-term challenges. Fundamentally, it has been characterised by underinvestment, which has been and remains a chronic issue. I think back to an essay that I wrote on the Toothill report of 1961, which was commissioned by the Scottish Council for Development and Industry. The inquiry was run by John Toothill, who, at the time, was the managing director of Ferranti. That was a watershed moment for the Scottish economy, because the inquiry’s recommendations led to a realisation that Scotland’s faltering heavy industries should not be reinvested in.”
“I move, That the Parliament agrees that increasing the level of investment in the Scottish economy is critical to delivering on the Scottish Government’s priorities of improving public services, supporting a thriving economy, tackling the climate emergency, and eradicating child poverty; recognises that the Scottish Government’s programme of public investment, particularly in the priority areas of net zero, housing and infrastructure, is vital for leveraging private investment across the Scottish economy, to stimulate growth in key sectors, improve productivity and create jobs; welcomes the annual EY survey, which shows that Scotland is outpacing the UK as a whole when it comes to securing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects, and three Scottish cities ranked in the UK’s top 10 locations for FDI outside of London, and believes that Scotland’s strengths and expertise in areas such as technology, financial services, food and drink, tourism and the energy transition make Scotland the ideal place to invest and deliver projects that bring wider benefits to the Scottish economy.”
“Early signs from the UK Government are encouraging. We need to build on that and make co-operation systematic, and we need to do that quickly. We will play our part, and we look to the UK Government to do likewise. In conclusion, there is much to be done if we are to meet the investment challenge for the benefit of the health and wellbeing of our people and planet. We have a plan, and although success never comes overnight, we are beginning to make a difference. I would welcome colleagues across the chamber joining us so that we can, as I have said, answer any questions that they might have. More than that, I ask them to amplify the opportunities for Scotland and to attract the investment that is needed to make them a reality.”
“The Deputy First Minister might note that other countries have a model by which they take strategic equity investments in key firms to secure them for the long term. Is the Government considering developing such a model? Kate Forbes: We look to our enterprise agencies and the bank to invest in high-growth- potential companies in the most appropriate way. A range of options is available to them, but, in short, we would generally work through arms such as the enterprise agencies and the bank to do something like that. I have outlined what we are trying to do, but it requires close and effective collaboration with the UK Government, especially on regulatory issues, where many of the levers lie, and strong partnerships with bodies such as the National Wealth Fund, Great British Energy and the Office for Investment.”
“Will the First Minister ask the health secretary to meet me and Liam Robertson so that we can ensure that he has access to Produodopa as soon as possible?”
“My constituent Liam Robertson has Parkinson’s, which is slowly taking away his independence and his quality of life. The disease is no longer responding to his prescribed medication. However, his consultant has advised that a treatment called Produodopa could be successful in slowing his deterioration. When I wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, I was told that the decision on whether to prescribe that life-altering treatment is up to individual health boards. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has told me that it will have to wait until care home applications are restored for the drug to be prescribed to my constituent. It is critical that we break that impasse and get Mr Robertson the vital treatment that he needs.”
“Another area of concern in that constituency is the number of homes left empty over the long term. In particular, there is concern about a tenement block at 272 Saracen Street that has been empty for more than 20 years. Will the minister undertake to write to the empty homes team at Glasgow City Council to encourage it to expedite the compulsory purchase of the building and its conversion into affordable or social housing without delay? Paul McLennan: I met Glasgow City Council to discuss empty homes yesterday. I am happy to make the commitment that Paul Sweeney asked for and to take that forward with him. Scottish Police Pension 1987 Scheme 8.”
“Will the cabinet secretary give way? Fiona Hyslop: I have limited time. The 2025-26 transport budget focuses on that, but it also focuses on funding actions that will help to cut carbon emissions. Decisions on how much is needed to support rail travel are carefully calibrated—we need to balance the necessary revenue contribution from passengers, which equates to around 35 per cent of train operator costs, against the already significant level of public investment that is required from the transport resource budget to operate ScotRail. I am very mindful of the costs to rail passengers and am seeking to keep fares affordable and accessible. That is why the increase in rail fares in Scotland from April will be only 3.8 per cent, which is below the United Kingdom Labour Government’s increase of 4.6 per cent.”
“Now, 35 years on from the end of the cold war, is the time not to weaken our defence industry—the logical end point of the Green motion—but to strengthen our defence capabilities and industrial base. Although the Scottish Government should ensure that there is no link between Scottish Enterprise grant funding and defence exports to Israel and other states that are suspected of war crimes, Scottish Enterprise should absolutely be playing its part in bolstering our aerospace, defence, maritime and security industries, which support thousands of jobs and underpin our sovereign defence capability. 15:42”
“Before Christmas, I visited Govan shipyard—I note that it is in the constituency of the Rt Hon member for Glasgow Pollok—for the steel-cutting ceremony of HMS Sheffield. I encourage members to visit the Glasgow shipyards and see the work that they are undertaking for the Royal Navy. That work is critical to our national security in an increasingly volatile geopolitical environment. As the Prime Minister said yesterday, “European countries must do more for their own defence” in the face of increasing aggression from Russia and other expansionist regimes, which have scant regard for national sovereignty or international rules of co-operation to preserve peace.”
“It will guarantee a thriving shipbuilding industry in this country for years to come. Crucially, the applied shipbuilding academy will bolster national capabilities and support the continued growth of the largest manufacturing industry in Glasgow and in the west of Scotland, which supports more than 3,200 jobs. The shipyards in Govan and Scotstoun in Glasgow have operated since 1864 and 1906 respectively. In that time, they have never exported any naval ships to the state of Israel. Green members should be careful not to demonise shipyard workers in an industry that is synonymous with Glasgow and critical to our national security. As the member for Eastwood mentioned, the abuse of apprentice shipbuilding workers outside the Parliament last year was shameful.”
“They support highly skilled, well-paid and unionised advanced manufacturing jobs and they have a central role in our national defence and the collective defence of the NATO alliance. All the state aid that is in question today has supported projects that do just that. The state-of-the-art applied shipbuilding academy at Scotstoun in Glasgow, for example, received a grant of £360,000 from Scottish Enterprise. That new facility will allow apprentices to gain hands-on experience with mock-up ships, as well as giving them access to cutting-edge STEM innovation labs. The shipbuilding academy is intended not only to be an asset of BAE Systems—a company that I worked for—but to be a facility that will be open to the entire shipbuilding industry in Scotland and to its wider supply chain.”
“Prior to my election to Parliament, I worked as an account manager at Scottish Enterprise, and I agree that Scottish Enterprise should carry out appropriate due diligence checks so that we can be sure that state aid is not used to facilitate defence sales to states that are suspected of committing war crimes. The process should be reviewed to minimise the risk that products that are manufactured in and exported from Scotland might be used in breaches of the law of armed conflict. We should also consider the products that the UK Ministry of Defence and UK defence contractors import from Israel. We should look to reduce those imports in favour of strengthening our domestic industrial base. The motion that is before us fails to acknowledge the importance of the aerospace, defence, maritime and security industries in Scotland.”
“I have been moved by the thoughtful contributions by members on all sides of the chamber. I, too, pay tribute to all the people who have been needlessly killed in the tragedy of war, which intensified in Israel and Palestine after the horrific pogrom of 7 October 2023, and in the brutal and disproportionate campaign of retaliation against the Palestinian people that amounts to collective punishment. It was welcome that the British Government suspended the processing of arms export licences to Israel in September last year. It is also important that, at all levels of government, we uphold our international obligations.”
“They have received assurance that the situation has already improved and that staff numbers are higher and staff experience and training are of a higher quality than they were in the period that the programme covers. I will, of course, seek further assurance that that is the case. The purpose of the internal review, the external review and the commissioning of the visits by the two organisations concerned, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland, is to give me, everyone in the chamber and the public confidence that changes have occurred.”
“Does the minister agree that there must be an urgent review of permanent staffing levels and training at Skye house and other child and adolescent mental health facilities, so that patients and their families can be reassured that such abuses will never happen again? Maree Todd: First, I agree with the member that the care and treatment of young people that was described in the programme is completely and wholly unacceptable. As I said in my statement, when our most vulnerable and unwell young people come forward and ask for help with their mental health, we owe them the highest standard of care and compassion. I can assure the member that, since we heard about the programme, officials have been in regular engagement with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on the issues.”
“I thank the minister for her statement. I am sure that all members will share the minister’s shock and disgust at the allegations about the behaviour of staff at the Skye house child and adolescent psychiatric ward at Stobhill hospital in my region of Glasgow. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has previously claimed that the staff lacked experience in in- patient units and the complexities of the young people being cared for in Skye house. The health board has also previously indicated that there are staffing issues at Skye house. That is clearly an unacceptable consequence of chronic understaffing and an overreliance on a casualised agency nursing workforce. It will be difficult to improve the culture of mental health nursing at Skye house and similar facilities until that fundamental cause is addressed.”
“Amendment disagreed to. The Presiding Officer: The next question is, that motion S6M-16511, in the name of Kate Forbes, on protecting the powers of the Scottish Parliament, be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division. The vote is closed.”
“For Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Lab) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Lennon, Monica (Central Scotland) (Lab) Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow) (Lab) Smyth, Colin (South Scotland) (Lab) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) Against Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP) Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP) Allan, Alasdair (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP) Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire South) (SNP) Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Con) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP) Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Carlaw, Jackson (Eastwood) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) Coffey, Willie (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP) Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP) Dey, Graeme (Angus South) (SNP) Don-Innes, Natalie (Renfrewshire North and West) (SNP) Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP) Dornan, James (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (Con) FitzPatrick, Joe (Dundee City West) (SNP) Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Gibson, Kenneth (Cunninghame North) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con) Gougeon, Mairi (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP) Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (Con) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con) Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) [Proxy vote cast by Rona Mackay] Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) [Proxy vote cast by Jamie Hepburn] McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP) McKelvie, Christina (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (SNP) [Proxy vote cast by Jamie Hepburn] McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP) McMillan, Stuart (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP) McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Alba) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP) Roddick, Emma (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Simpson, Graham (Central Scotland) (Con) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (SNP) Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP) Thomson, Michelle (Falkirk East) (SNP) Todd, Maree (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP) Torrance, David (Kirkcaldy) (SNP) Tweed, Evelyn (Stirling) (SNP) Wells, Annie (Glasgow) (Con) Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division on amendment S6M-16511.1, in the name of Neil Bibby, is: For 23, Against 97, Abstentions 0.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app would not connect. I would have voted—[Inaudible.] The Presiding Officer: Would you mind saying that again, Mr Sweeney? We did not quite catch it here. Paul Sweeney: Apologies, Presiding Officer. My app would not connect. I would have voted yes. The Presiding Officer: Thank you. We will ensure that that is recorded.”
“Stobhill hospital has half of all the child and adolescent mental health beds in the country. It is of national importance, and I welcome the direct oversight that the minister has indicated. In the documentary, serious allegations were made regarding the routine overuse of intramuscular injections as a way of managing at- risk children. In one case, a young person was restrained 27 times and forcibly injected 37 times in the space of just one month. Will the minister investigate that specific allegation and establish how typical such practice is? Maree Todd: Absolutely. I assure Paul Sweeney that we will look at all the issues that were raised in the programme and seek assurances that there is improvement and that the highest quality of practice is being conducted in our in-patient services.”
“I absolutely recognise the crucial role that community-based housing associations have played and will continue to play in promoting community wealth building. I am happy to engage with the member on that.”
“The minister did not mention social housing in his statement. It is important to note that this year marks half a century of community-based housing associations in Scotland. Just last year, one of the first of those, Reidvale Housing Association, had to fight off a takeover. Will the minister reflect on how we can strengthen the role of community-based housing associations as generators and agents of community wealth building in Scotland, perhaps by making amendments to the Housing (Scotland) Bill? Tom Arthur: Mr Sweeney makes an excellent point. I had a very constructive exchange on that during a visit in recent years to New Gorbals Housing Association. I think that my schedule includes some engagements to mark that 50th anniversary this year.”
“On the issue of workers being expected to travel in such conditions, some essential workers will, unfortunately, be required to support the emergency response. Paul Sweeney will know that the issue is part of employment legislation. I know that his party does not want this Parliament to have responsibility for employment legislation, but his request could be usefully pursued with the UK Government. The Deputy Presiding Officer: That concludes portfolio questions. There will be a brief pause to allow those on the front benches to change places, before we move to the next item of business. Post-school Education and Skills Funding Body Landscape”
“One of the United Kingdom’s largest food distributors, Bidfood, chose to ignore the warning of danger to life during storm Éowyn and told its workers that it would be a normal working day. Does the cabinet secretary agree that that was completely unacceptable, and will she review the legislative obligations to ensure that companies such as Bidfood ensure their workers’ safety in red weather warning situations, and are held to account if they do not do so? Fiona Hyslop: I have seen those reports and think that that action was unacceptable. Workers and others were put in jeopardy, and overturned heavy goods vehicles prevented energy companies from getting to the very people whom we heard about in the previous question.”
“I encourage the minister to consider how we can apply to public service modernisation a bit of entrepreneurialism in the spirit of our Victorian forebears, so that we can renew the public library system, secure the legacy of those great Victorian buildings, and use them for a new social purpose. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I am conscious of the number of speakers who still want to speak in the debate, so I am minded to accept a motion without notice under rule 8.14.3, to extend the debate by up to 30 minutes. I invite Mark Ruskell to move the motion without notice. Motion moved, That, under Rule 8.14.3, the debate be extended by up to 30 minutes.—[Mark Ruskell] Motion agreed to. 17:58”
“Even as we hold vast amounts of information in the palms of our hands today, with smartphones and internet connection, our public libraries remain an essential public service that provide free access to technology, education and social connection. That is particularly true in an intergenerational sense, given that older people in particular can be socially and digitally excluded. We know from Age Scotland and others how important the provision of libraries is in that regard. As we have heard about this evening, we also need to recognise the threat that libraries across Scotland face. Numerous libraries in Glasgow, including Maryhill, Whiteinch and the Couper institute, have faced closures as recently as 2021. Securing their future has been an on-going campaign.”
“As I said, Carnegie said: “a library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people.” We should be in agreement with him on that, at least, even if we do not necessarily agree with his model of capitalism. Of course, the public library system in Glasgow culminated in the creation of what is probably the most famous library in Scotland: the Mitchell library, which, surmounted by its magnificent bronze dome and the figure of Minerva, the Roman god of wisdom above it, dominates the M8 that runs through the city. That figure is still the symbol of what the public library system in Scotland means today; it is about imparting wisdom to the people of this country.”
“that it is a privilege to help her.” Although his sizeable donation of £100,000 set in motion Glasgow’s public library system, which saw the creation of 15 public libraries across the city, it was still a requirement for the corporation of the city to finance the operation of those libraries and, indeed, to fill them with books; there was a co-dependency there. The libraries were also built with great municipal ambition in mind. Inverness architect James Rhind was successful in winning the competition to design seven of them; to this day, those libraries are magnificent exemplars of Edwardian baroque architecture. I am sure that the minister is familiar with the Dennistoun library, which was one of Rhind’s great achievements.”
“To quote him: “A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people—it’s a never-failing spring in the desert.” In 1901, Mr Carnegie wrote to Glasgow’s lord provost Samuel Chisholm, describing how he and his family had sailed from the Clyde bound for New York a half-century before and that he wished to donate money so that Glasgow could build new free libraries for Glaswegians. In that letter, he said: “Glasgow has done so much in municipal affairs to educate other cities and to help herself ...”
“We saw that reflected in the growth of municipal socialism in cities such as Glasgow, with the private bill of 1898 to establish the city’s first public library system. Perhaps it was, in a way, the first public-private partnership, because there were significant acts of philanthropy around that time as well. We heard earlier about the Dunfermline-born steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who, despite his chequered history in regards to workers’ rights, approved funding for 2,509 libraries across Britain and the United States in the early 20th century.”
“I, too, congratulate Mr Ruskell, the member for Mid Scotland and Fife, on securing the debate on an issue that affects all our communities. After all, libraries are so much more than places that people just go to borrow a book, although that is an important core service. They are central to building communities and inspiring generations. In the history of the public library system in Scotland, its immense expansion in the late 19th century was truly a remarkable social achievement. In 1885, only 5 per cent of Scots had access to a public library. That grew to almost universal provision by 1920. In the wake of the Education Act 1872, expanding primary education from five to 13 years drove demand for public libraries across Scotland.”
“I share Paul Sweeney’s concern that we have not got full implementation, and I set out in my statement that we still have more work to do. We continue to work with local alcohol and drug partnerships and health boards to ensure that that is happening. However, I see from not only alcohol and drug partnerships but Public Health Scotland’s benchmarking report that we are making demonstrable progress that we can build upon. I will keep working with health boards, as well as with alcohol and drug partnerships, to ensure that that progress is maintained.”
“The Government must properly support health boards to implement all the MAT standards. I am worried that the national mission on drugs will likely fail, given that we are now one year away from its end date and yet drug deaths in Scotland remain the highest in Europe, if not the developed world. What is the cabinet secretary doing day to day to drive full implementation of the MAT standards across every territorial health board, being cognisant of emerging risks such as the rise of synthetic opioids? Neil Gray: I am absolutely cognisant of the rise in synthetic opioids and the linked action around the roll-out of naloxone. The naloxone programme in Scotland is so important here. The action that we are taking is showing demonstrable progress on the implementation of the MAT standards.”
“Scotland’s drug deaths crisis is a national emergency. Lives are being unnecessarily lost every day across the country, and we must not forget that every one of those deaths is a preventable tragedy. Although the 10 per cent reduction in drug deaths from the previous quarter is a potential sign of progress, we know that there can be seasonal variations. It is frustrating that the minister would come to Parliament and tell us yet again that the MAT standards are not fully implemented, despite the fact that the national mission on drugs, which was launched four years ago, is now approaching its final year. Interventions such as the official overdose prevention pilot in the east end of Glasgow will save lives—I had the opportunity to visit the centre recently—but they are not a silver bullet.”
“We see that as encouraging developers to focus on the land that has been identified in local development plans, that have been made through the process that we have outlined, to make sure that developments are plan led and that not as many applications are made outside the plan. I am happy to engage with the member on opportunities for us to further develop the plan-led system, to give more of the clarity that he describes. NHS Fife (Infrastructure Investment Pipeline) 4.”