Pam Duncan-Glancy
Independent · Scotland
“I know that because I have been all the people I have described. They live in fear every single day, worrying about what new limit someone else will put on their life and what little power they will have to change it. They live every single day without choice at all.”
“It is the lack of support, and the lack of options, that makes me feel like I cannot go on. Disabled people do not have real choices in life. There will be countless disabled people in our constituencies tonight who have not had the choice to have a shower in weeks.”
“During the pandemic, my husband and I were so scared of other people’s power over our lives— lives that we could see others devaluing daily— that we wrote letters to each other making it clear that we wanted to be resuscitated.”
“From fighting to go to the same nursery as my sister to delaying university for two years because I could not get a care package, and from fighting to be allowed to travel on the same bus as my husband to fighting to get a bathroom adapted so that I could have a shower, absolutely everything that I have has been a fight.”
“The bill will not only put sick and disabled people at a risk that cannot be mitigated in one bill or by one policy, including the risk from coercion, but will serve to reinforce the internalised ableism that we live with every day of our lives, and legitimise the view that a life such as ours—a life of dependence and, often, pain—is not…”
“I, too, thank Liam McArthur for the way in which he has engaged on the bill and with me. Last week, we considered the specifics of what the bill would mean in real life. For 25 hours, we heard personal reflections and experiences as well as some of the difficulties in the detail.”
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“That is what we see with action such as the Labour Government’s new deal for working people, which delivers a real living wage for more than 200,000 of the lowest- paid Scots, or affordable public transport, housing support, ending problem debt and providing help and support for families across Scotland. That would change the direction of poverty in Scotland, and Scottish Labour is ready to deliver it.”
“As engines of skills, colleges have the potential to give people the tools that they need to get good work and to stay out of poverty in the longer term. However, as we also heard at the committee, the Government has created an impossible landscape for colleges, with the impact of a real-terms cut to the sector meaning that it could be very difficult for them to continue to provide such comprehensive support. Scotland’s children and young people deserve more than that. We need them to have a Government that will tackle poverty at its roots, look at the breadth of issues and policy levers that are available to it and use them.”
“Despite strong action in some areas, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities has— rightly—warned that, without appropriate policy development and resources for service delivery to support local authorities, “we are at risk of not making enough progress towards” our child poverty targets in Scotland. I turn to another area of education that I believe is not only mitigating the impacts of poverty but is the real route to addressing poverty in the long term: colleges. This morning, at the Education, Children and Young People Committee, we heard incredibly powerful testimony of students’ experience of poverty and about the great work that colleges in Scotland are doing to address that. Some are providing free food, help with transport and childcare and lots more.”
“The Government must also heed the calls of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, as mentioned in our amendment, and improve data collection on child poverty levels. Again, there are examples that the Government could draw on. A child poverty index has been created using data from His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and data on those entitled to clothing grants, free school meals and the education maintenance allowance to provide granular detail on rates of child poverty in catchment areas. That index is informing the targeting of breakfast club provision. Rolling that out across the country could be a huge help.”
“In local authorities across the country, as I have said, there are great examples of initiatives that help to address child poverty. In our job, we have the privilege of seeing many of those initiatives at first hand. Some councils, for example, are removing the need for young people to collect documentation or pay for a passport photo when applying for their national entitlement card, which allows them to access free bus travel. Instead of families having to pay for the required proof, councils are using school records to verify young people’s details, which simplifies and poverty- proofs application processes. The Government could look at rolling out that initiative across the country, and it could work with Young Scot to consider other ways to increase uptake and reduce costs for families.”
“I am sad to say that we see that in the education outcomes, too. The attainment gap between the most and least deprived areas of Scotland is once again widening in all areas, and, for highers, it is the widest that it has ever been. For care- experienced young people and disabled young people, it is unacceptably wide. It is a tragedy that children’s potential is being held back by their being in poverty or by their background, and the Government must take broader and further action to address that. That is why it is really disappointing that some of the things that the Scottish National Party said that it would do have not come to pass. It made promises to children that were incredibly important to their life chances, including the promise to roll out free school meals to primary 6 and primary 7 pupils.”
“This morning, new homelessness figures revealed that the number of children living in temporary accommodation in Scotland has hit record levels—up by 14 per cent in two years to 10,360. That is a national scandal. It means nothing to say that the Government’s mission is to end child poverty or to declare a housing emergency if it will not take the wide-ranging action that is needed to deal with them. Not only does that scandal leave children without a safe or secure home and living in poverty, but it hampers their education and their life chances. Staff see the impact of that in class every day. A recent NASUWT survey found that 70 per cent of teachers said that more pupils than ever are lacking energy and concentration, and 62 per cent reported that more pupils are coming to school hungry.”
“However, for too many still, the cost of going to school adds pressure that already-stretched family budgets cannot bear. Where there are costs for uniforms, food, resources, clubs and trips, barriers can be created and opportunities stifled. Staff in schools, colleges and universities feel compelled to do all that they can to mitigate the poverty that they see. A poll for the Educational Institute of Scotland has found that more than two thirds of teachers use their own money to buy classroom supplies and help their pupils. However, teachers, school staff and education in general cannot act alone—nor should they be expected to do so. That is why our amendment highlights broader aspects. One such example that I do not think we can avoid mentioning today is housing and the housing emergency.”
“I am pleased to open the debate on behalf of Scottish Labour. As I have said in the Parliament before, education is a great leveller and can determine a person’s life chances—however, so, too, can poverty, which is why no mission is more important than tackling it. Thirty thousand more children live in poverty now than when the Scottish National Party came to power in 2007. On that, it is fair to say, we are moving in the wrong direction. Across Scotland, in schools, colleges and universities, staff are working every day to do what they can to reduce household costs, boost family incomes and support children on lower incomes to learn, thrive and achieve their potential. The cabinet secretary has spoken fondly of some great examples this afternoon.”
“The Deputy Presiding Officer: There is a little bit of flexibility at this stage. Pam Duncan-Glancy: Thank you—yes, I will take the intervention from my colleague. Ross Greer: The member is absolutely correct to lay out the massive challenges facing Scotland’s teachers, and she clearly does not think that the additional £41 million in the budget is enough. Could she clarify how much above that amount the Labour Party asked for during budget negotiations? Pam Duncan-Glancy: If the member had listened to the other parts of my contribution, he would have understood that this is about a direction of travel and making sure that we fundamentally change direction in Scotland, rather than plugging holes and having the short-termism that this Government is used to, which leaves teachers, pupils and parents struggling.”
“The pupil-teacher ratio in secondary schools is now the highest that it has been in 20 years. Nearly 40 per cent of pupils have additional support needs, yet the situation for them is intolerable. Waits for child and adolescent mental health services leave children in distress and unable to attend school. Parents are left fighting for everything that their young person needs. In some localities, there are teacher shortages in key subjects. Nor does the budget address the fact that only 25 per cent of newly qualified teachers got permanent full-time jobs this year, leaving us in the ridiculous position of having gaps in the workforce and unemployed teachers. Ross Greer: Will the member take an intervention? Pam Duncan-Glancy: Is it possible to get some time back?”
“The Government has said that there is an increase in the budget for teacher numbers. However, we know that £145 million of that funding was brought in during Covid, and that it has stayed at that level since it was introduced in 2022-23. Councils are already using it for staff, and all that has happened this year is that the Government has added £41 million to recognise teacher pay rises and other costs that have risen since the funding was first introduced. This is not just about another broken manifesto promise of 3,500 more teachers; it is about this Government’s long-standing focus on rhetoric without reforming the reality for our constituents. The lack of reform in education, a plan to bring that about or contact with delivering in reality does not address the fact that teachers are still, on average, working 11 hours a week unpaid.”
“The Government has made much of the fact that the draft budget sets out to maintain teacher numbers, but, regarding how the budget will be delivered in reality, it shows no awareness of the reality in schools, in other public services and in local communities that are crying out for support. Emma Roddick: I hear the member say that she is unhappy with the budget that has been presented, but could she give us a bit more detail on that? I am unclear about what Scottish Labour was demanding in exchange for supporting the budget, and I think that a lot of people outside Parliament are unclear about that, too. Pam Duncan-Glancy: I am just one minute into my six-minute speech, so I have five more minutes to explain exactly why we do not think that the budget changes the direction of travel or delivers for young people across Scotland.”
“There is no change of direction, and there are few areas that show that more clearly than in education, where I fear that the lack of vision and the lack of a different approach will deny young people the opportunities that they deserve. The SNP’s failure to change direction from short-term solutions, reacting in the moment, or to properly plan for delivery on the ground, will leave teachers overworked, with too few staff to support pupils with additional support needs and local authorities expected to perform budgetary miracles, and, ultimately, that will hold Scotland’s pupils back.”
“The SNP Government’s budget is set to pass today, with support from the Scottish Greens and the Scottish Liberal Democrats. It is crucial that the record £5.2 billion of funding delivered by the UK Labour Government reaches front-line services, so we will not stand in the way of it being passed. However, it is fair to say that the budget will not deliver the transformation that is needed, because the reality is that the SNP continues to take short- term decisions, reacting to events rather than making fundamental changes, disrupting services at short notice and restricting progress towards better, longer-term outcomes for people.”
“That might be because they are not, for good reason, able to move for those posts. Since 2014, the number of permanent posts has remained relatively stable, at approximately 80 per cent. I accept that there is a challenge here, and I am keen to work with local authority partners on how we resolve it. Pam Duncan-Glancy will recognise the additionality that the Government has provided in the budget, which will go some way towards giving local authorities certainty to create more permanent posts, and I look forward to working with them on the assurance group that I mentioned in my earlier response to the previous question.”
“Jenny Gilruth: I thank Pam Duncan-Glancy for her interest in the matter. The workforce planning is informed by modelling by our universities, which give advice to the Government and local authorities. That is undertaken every year at the national level. It is also worth recounting that, in 2023, we reduced the numbers in teacher training. I have on my desk advice to that end for the next financial year. I am not going to give that confirmation today in the Parliament, but it is important that we train the right number of teachers. The other thing to be mindful of is that some teachers opt to take supply roles, and we need to be mindful of the choice that is inherent in that. For example, some teachers want to stay in the central belt, where there are fewer permanent posts than there might be in other parts of the country.”
“The reality is that teachers are being left somewhat in limbo. I have said much about that in the Parliament, so I will not repeat it. However, I will explain what teachers are saying. One has said that they are now “stuck on supply and have lost hope of ever getting another temp contract”. Another, with five to eight years of experience, has said: “I have worked in 3 councils in Scotland and have never had anything more than a Fixed Term Contract ... In this session 24/25 I didn’t get anything until the 3rd week of the term” and “I would love to have a bit of security, even just for a year again so I can save some money”. Those are the experiences of teachers who are working in supply today. Will the cabinet secretary now admit that workforce planning in education is not working? What will she do to turn that around?”
“They are not being treated quickly enough and, when they are treated—often in a state of infirmity—they cannot get out of the system to an appropriate destination fast enough. Those inefficiencies are at the heart of what is going wrong. The flow through the system is not optimised, and none of us should be satisfied with that situation. Indeed, some of the propagandistic speeches that we heard from the Government back benches do an ill service to the constituents whom those members represent. Constituents who were listening to some of those bombastic claims will be bewildered by the arrogance. Even if the healthcare system in Scotland were the best in the world, we should not be satisfied with that, because in any human system there is always scope for improvement. That is what our constituents want to see.”
“I support the contribution that the member is making. Does he agree that it is also really concerning that I have constituents who have paid in excess of £700 for private care just to get assessments and diagnoses for their children and young people, so that they can finally access the support and care that they need? Paul Sweeney: My colleague Ms Duncan- Glancy makes a key point. We have heard it all across Scotland. Surely every member here has received correspondence from constituents about such problems, whereby people cannot get access to the healthcare system through the front door. When they get into the system, they are not getting a speedy referral to where they need to be within it.”
“Under the SNP, there is a healthcare system that is more resilient, more compassionate and more determined than ever to serve the people of Scotland. 16:34”
“Will the member take an intervention? The Deputy Presiding Officer: The member is about to conclude. Gordon MacDonald: Let us take stock of where we are in Scotland’s NHS. We have record health spending, the best-paid NHS staff in the UK, the highest number of qualified nurses and midwives in the UK, the highest number of GPs in the UK and the best A and E services. Ninety-five per cent of people are registered for NHS dental care, which is the highest percentage in the UK. We have free prescriptions, 96 per cent of all hospital discharges happen without delay and hospital at home services have been expanded, thereby ensuring that older Scots get the care that they need at home. Yes, there are challenges, but there has been progress.”
“Ultimately, public services are failing on the SNP’s watch, and our constituents are paying the price. With record funding of £5.2 billion delivered by the UK Labour Government, this SNP Government is out of excuses. Only Scottish Labour can turn the dial on public services and set a new direction for Scotland. In 2026, the public will remember that. 16:13”
“In its report on local government finances, published this morning, the Accounts Commission said that there is further evidence that the SNP Government is failing to invest in public service and reverse decline. We know from experience that it is social care and people who are furthest from equality who bear the brunt. The last public service that I will talk about in the time that I have is transport, where there is a proposed cut to the network infrastructure budget for rail services. Accessible rail travel for all is still a long way away. Despite a Scottish Government review of transport infrastructure in 2022 suggesting that the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport in my region should proceed with plans for the improved transport system, no progress has yet been made.”
“The reality is that, for the young person and their family, that need is not moderate. These are not moderate, but life-changing, impacts, and the SNP Government cannot continue to ignore lived experience and pretend that public services are fine. On housing, since 2023, the Scottish Government and 13 local authorities across Scotland have declared a housing emergency, including in the Glasgow region, which I represent. Glasgow City Council’s draft local housing strategy says that the equivalent of 10 applicants were waiting for every home let during the previous 12 months. With rising demand and limited supply, the situation has only worsened. I am pleased that the SNP budget, following pressure from the Labour Party and numerous organisations, has reversed the £200 million cut to the housing budget, but the damage is already done.”
“I have to say that it is also not one that frailty teams at the front door of the NHS will help with, if there are no paths to the care that my constituents need. Let me turn to the significant issues with another crucial public service, CAMHS, where waiting times, particularly attention deficit hyperactivity disorder assessment times, are causing huge distress, and are further proof that the SNP is presiding over a failing health service. I hear daily about the real-life impacts that those delays have on school attendance, on levels of disruptive behaviour and on already-struggling families . I have cases of young people who have been waiting from as far back as March 2023 because they are considered low or moderate need. Where is the preventative approach here?”
“As a result of this, my constituent was advised in an automated message from her specialist rheumatology nurse that they would take 36 hours to respond, only to eventually be advised that she should phone an ambulance, when she was then told that it would mean a wait of between 19 and 25 hours for it to arrive. When they eventually secured an appointment with his wife’s GP, they were redirected to the immediate assessment unit at the Queen Elizabeth university hospital in Glasgow. Nearly 48 hours after calling for specialist help, my constituent’s wife was eventually admitted to a rheumatology ward, which was where she needed to be in the first place. That was an extremely stressful and upsetting experience for both of my constituents—and, as we know, it is not by any stretch of the imagination a unique experience.”
“It is not just education that the SNP has left struggling; its failure to address the ongoing crises in the NHS and social care are yet more examples of managed decline. As will be the case with others, my inbox is inundated with messages from people who have contacted my office because they are desperate to access the care that they need. One constituent, at the end of their tether, got in touch to raise concerns about the poor, incoherent and unco-ordinated care that was received by his wife, who has long-term chronic conditions and lives in constant pain—not because of a lack of passion and dedication in the work of staff, who are doing an incredible job against SNP failure, but instead because of the SNP’s failure to modernise the NHS for the future.”
“Last week, during the debate on the environment in schools, the Government made much of its task forces and strategies, but no comprehensive plan for the workforce and education has been delivered. Despite the cabinet secretary listing various inputs in relation to education in his speech this afternoon, teachers are overworked, pupils are unsupported, parents are sidelined and opportunities have narrowed. Long waits and gaps in the provision of child and adolescent mental health services, educational psychology and speech and language therapy mean that our young people are held back further. The cabinet secretary also mentioned colleges, which are institutions that have a proven track record in lifting people out of poverty. Yet, rather than support them, the SNP has managed their decline and stifled opportunity in the process.”
“Not one public service is better now than it was when it came to office, and no number of speeches can convince people that it can turn things around now if it could not do so in the past 18 years. This year’s budget settlement is the best in the history of devolution, with £5.2 billion having been delivered by the UK Labour Government. The SNP Government has an opportunity to properly invest to improve public services and deliver a new direction for the people of Scotland, but it appears that it is yet again unwilling to use the resource that it has to do so. Members are well versed on my concerns around education, but the detrimental impact that failing public services are having on our young people is clearer now than ever.”
“I welcome the opportunity to discuss the importance of investing in public services. My involvement in politics was motivated by a belief in public service, including: education, which levelled the playing field for me; social care, which ensured that I could lead an ordinary life with freedom, choice, dignity and control; and a health service that looked after me when I was in hospital for six months, 250 miles away from my family, where staff were my carers, doctors and nurses but also family and friends. Public services have played a vital role in my life, and I will fight for them every single day. That is why I am deeply worried about the direction that public services are going in on this SNP Government’s watch.”
“I move, That the Parliament welcomes the investment in Scotland’s public services through the draft Scottish Budget 2025-26; notes that £21.7 billion for health and social care investment and over £15 billion in funding for local authorities is being provided; calls on the UK Government to fully fund the additional cost of its increase in employer national insurance contributions, noting the significant impacts on public services, including social care, if it does not fund it in full; notes the importance of the public service reform programme to drive future financial sustainability, and celebrates the key role that the Scottish public service workforce plays in delivering these services across Scotland. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I call Craig Hoy to speak to and move amendment S6M-16237.2. 15:18”
“I am proud that Scotland’s nurses, teachers and public sector workers are paid more than those in the rest of the UK. I thank each and every one of them for the significant contribution that they make to society in Scotland. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Cabinet secretary, you will need to conclude and move the motion. Neil Gray: High-quality, sustainable public services are crucial in progressing our ambitions of eradicating child poverty, growing the economy and tackling the climate emergency. The Government remains wholly committed to delivering that now and in the future.”
“Recognising the importance of public sector reform, we are also introducing greater flexibility in how our key services can be delivered locally to better support the families who need them most. We will work with local government and community partners to redesign systems so that they are integrated, locally responsive and focused on improving lives. The Government is delivering key funding to support investment in our public services through the 2025-26 budget. As I conclude, I wish to emphasise and acknowledge the valued contribution of Scotland’s public sector workforce, which forms the true backbone of our society. Our hard-working public sector workers deliver our essential services all across Scotland with dedication, dignity and compassion every day.”
“We will see the Scottish Government and COSLA working together to restore teacher numbers to, and maintain them at, 2023 levels, to freeze learning hours and to make meaningful progress on reducing teacher class contact time. In addition, we will continue our investment of £1 billion in the Scottish attainment challenge over this parliamentary session to support closing the poverty-related attainment gap. At this stage, I declare an interest in that my wife is a primary school teacher. On justice, the 2025-26 Scottish budget will invest almost £4.2 billion across the justice system. On transport, we will continue our strong focus on sustainable transport, which is central to the 2025-26 Scottish budget, by investing nearly £2.9 billion in public transport infrastructure and green initiatives.”
“[Made a request to intervene.] Neil Gray: I am sorry—I am struggling for time. I cannot take Pam Duncan-Glancy’s intervention. Overall, the Scottish Government will invest more than £1 billion in high-quality funded ELC next year. The budget also invests in our schools, teachers and support staff. It includes £186.5 million for local authorities to maintain teacher numbers and £29 million of additionality for additional support needs, including funding to support the recruitment and retention of the ASN workforce. That funding is part of a wider package and deal that has been agreed with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities that is predicated on trust.”
“That is hugely important when we look at attendance rates and supporting the children with the greatest needs. I hope that Pam Duncan- Glancy will reconsider her party’s position on supporting the Scottish Government’s budget, which provides that additionality for some of those young people.”
“I engage regularly with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. On CAMHS, it is worth putting on the record that we have record numbers of staff providing more varied mental health support and services to a larger number of people than ever before. Our national performance against the 18-week CAMHS standard is the best performance ever reported since the standard was introduced, in 2014. That being said, CAMHS is at the more challenging end of the system. Pam Duncan- Glancy raises an important point about early intervention. She will also recognise the additionality of £16 million in funding that the Scottish Government provides to local authorities for mental health counselling in schools. In this year’s draft budget, there will also be £29 million of extra investment for additional support needs.”
“Yesterday, in Glasgow, I met young people from Includem to hear from them about this issue. As the cabinet secretary will know, the issues that lead to absence from school are complex. However, what came up time and again is the lack of whole-family support and early preventative action, including through access to crucial public services such as child and adolescent mental health services. Like the cabinet secretary, I am sure that we have multiple cases of children waiting for months without any support, and often not attending school. What conversations is the cabinet secretary having with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and other colleagues to address the wider issues that families face that lead to absence from school? Jenny Gilruth: The member raises a hugely important point.”
“Shirley-Anne Somerville: Clearly, the IT systems of local government and the DWP are a matter for those organisations, but Social Security Scotland continually reviews how its processes can be developed. We are engaging with the DWP, which is investigating the situation and working quickly to resolve any issues, and updated guidance has been issued to local authorities on the matter that Ms Duncan-Glancy has raised. In the meantime, I recommend that clients who are experiencing problems or have any concerns should contact the DWP or their local authority, which can investigate their case and correct any issues. “Economic Impacts of Short-term Lets in Scotland” 5.”
“It appears that the same thing is happening with council tax and through Social Security Scotland. On transfer to universal credit, some carer support payment claimants are being hit with immediate demands for payment of full council tax. My constituent was sent a bill of £350, which had to be paid in short order. Staff and managers are aware of the issue, but they are only able to do a manual workaround. What can the cabinet secretary do to urgently update the information technology systems of local government, Social Security Scotland and the DWP to remove that unacceptable burden from people who receive benefits and staff who work in the system?”
“Ross Greer—up to four minutes, please. 15:09”
“I move amendment S6M-16170.2, to leave out from “the disparity” to end and insert: “that the GMB union has described the environment in schools as a ‘national emergency’, and that reports from NASUWT state that teachers in Scotland ‘fear for their safety’; further notes the concerns raised by teaching unions, such as EIS, that teachers are working, on average, 11 hours per week unpaid; is concerned about the evidence of the impact of violence, particularly on women and girls, in schools; believes that this situation is not sustainable; considers that adequate staffing is required to create a safe environment in schools, and calls on the Scottish Government to publish a comprehensive plan to address gaps in the teaching and school staff workforce, as voted for by the Parliament on 15 May 2024; believes that long waits and gaps in the provision of public services, such as child and adolescent mental health services, educational psychology and speech and language therapy, have a detrimental impact on the school environment, and particularly children with additional support needs; welcomes the Equally Safe delivery plan, which gives direction to the Equally Safe at School programme; supports the finding in the Education, Children and Young People Committee’s report on additional support for learning that the Scottish Government and the Scottish Futures Trust should work with local authorities ‘to ensure that schools are designed as accessible and welcoming environments for all’, and believes that this should include classroom design as well as the availability of single-sex, accessible and Changing Places toilets, and calls on ministers to consider the growing body of evidence suggesting that ‘over-exposure’ to social media can result in pupils experiencing limited concentration, isolation and poor mental health, and to bring forward a national policy on how best to address this in Scotland.” The Deputy Presiding Officer: I apologise, but I am afraid that we have no time in hand.”
“That is why we must take a broader view of the issue. It is also why we support the committee’s finding that we need to design school buildings that are accessible and welcoming environments. The Deputy Presiding Officer: You need to close. Pam Duncan-Glancy: We believe that that includes classroom design, and the availability of single-sex, accessible, gender-neutral and changing places toilets, because no one can learn if they cannot access a private, safe and accessible toilet.”
“There is also growing prevalence of communication needs among children, with 6,000 waiting for speech and language therapy and 53 per cent of those waiting more than 18 weeks. We have to address all that if we are serious about the school environment. That means finding ways to support joint working between education and the national health service, so that things such as speech and language therapy are positioned closer to education services and to the child. All that can have a detrimental impact on the school environment, and MSYPs echoed that this morning, saying that we have faced years of real- terms cuts to the NHS, cuts to youth work and cuts to community services. We are seeing the degradation of community services all round, and we are left with the inevitable result that education needs to pick up the slack.”
“We cannot address violence in schools in isolation from those issues. That is why we urgently need the Government to publish the comprehensive workforce plan that will address gaps in the teaching and school staff workforce, which Parliament voted for last May. John Mason: Will the member give way? Pam Duncan-Glancy: Will I get my time back, Deputy Presiding Officer? The Deputy Presiding Officer: No. Pam Duncan-Glancy: I am sorry, but I am unable to take the intervention. The Government must also address long waits and gaps in provision of key public services, including child and adolescent mental health services, educational psychology and speech and language therapy. Nearly one in six children and young people who needed treatment waited more than four months for help.”
“I also urge the cabinet secretary to consider that in the context of the growing body of evidence that highlights the role of phones in the problem. There is evidence that overexposure to social media can influence attitudes as well as resulting in people experiencing limited concentration, isolation and poor mental health. Young people also said this morning that when we discuss violence and its impact, we also have to consider the wider context, which our amendment seeks to do. Without addressing the systemic and structural issues that schools face, classrooms will continue to be like pressure cookers, with overworked staff and unsupported pupils. The Educational Institute of Scotland has said that teachers are working on average 11 hours extra per week unpaid, and they are still waiting for reduced contact time.”
“They also heard that body shaming is common, that rape jokes are minimised and that some girls do not want to eat in school due to sexualised comments being made by boys. Other girls do not want to go to school at all. That all affects girls’ mental health and attention span. The focus groups all indicated what members of the Scottish Youth Parliament backed up at the Education, Children and Young People Committee this morning—that social media can be unsafe places, with content from popular figures, memes and videos normalising misogyny, anti-LGBT prejudice, racism and violence. Young people told the committee this morning that they want more support on the issue at school, so I encourage the minister and the cabinet secretary to look at the Mind Yer Time campaign, as a start.”
“The issue that we are discussing is far wider than all that, but we cannot address it without also considering the workforce and the need for strong public services around young people. The motion and other amendment do not include that detail, so I will set out why I believe that it is crucial. Cases of violence against pupils and staff and disruption in schools have escalated, which is unacceptable. It is worrying that it looks as though the lowest-paid staff, and women and girls, face the brunt of it. GMB data suggests that women workers are more often subjected to incidents involving violence, and Time for Inclusive Education focus groups have heard from girls that misogyny, homophobia and racism are “rife”.”
“I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests. We have returned to the issue many times, but the situation persists. NASUWT has said that teachers fear for their safety and the GMB has called the situation a “national emergency”, so our focusing on it today is crucial. We welcome the publication of the joint national action plan, echo calls for ministers to bring forward an update and urge the Government to review the reporting and publication of data on the issue. We also welcome the mobile phones guidance, but more is needed, including on the impact of phones and social media on violence against women and girls. I look forward to hearing more about the task force, but we need more than just a task force—we need action in schools and across communities.”