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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“It is also worth reflecting that the SQA has announced more support for history teachers, including a direct inquiry point and an additional webinar on understanding standards, which SATH has broadly welcomed. I do not want to stop my engagement with the sector; I will continue it under the auspices of the president of SATH. I will be more than happy to update Ms Duncan-Glancy on that or on any other matters that may come to me in that regard. As I made clear in my response to Ms Dunbar, it is hugely important that history teachers have confidence in the qualifications body, but it is also a key reason for our needing education reform. Childcare (Island Communities) 2.”
“It is worth saying that not all history teachers deliver history at higher level, and not all history teachers are involved in the marking of history qualifications. Around 17 per cent of history teachers responded to the SATH survey. The issue that I raised at committee was the need for us to look objectively at any concerns raised in the independent report carried out by the SQA, and for history teachers to engage with the Government on that matter. I have done that. As I said in my response to Mr Ross, I have also made very clear, on the record, my continued keenness to engage with the history sector. I will engage directly with the president of SATH.”
“In the committee session with the SQA on 4 December, the cabinet secretary said: “I have not yet been presented with an evidence base to substantiate my instructing the chief examiner to lead an independent review.”—[Official Report, Education, Children and Young People Committee, 4 December 2024; c 79.] Why are the views of history teachers in Scotland, and the Scottish Association of the Teachers of History, not substantial enough for her to act? Jenny Gilruth: I thank the member for her interest in the matter. As I alluded to in my previous response, we had a substantial discussion of the issue at a meeting of the Education, Children and Young People Committee prior to Christmas.”
“The cabinet secretary will know that it is not just the Scottish Association of the Teachers of History that is furious. She has had correspondence, as I have, from a teacher who said: “There is a huge distrust between teachers and the SQA. They are a laughing stock.” Another teacher has said: “They’ve mucked up kids’ futures.” The fact that the cabinet secretary still will not launch or instruct an independent inquiry beggars belief.”
“My debate today is not just about improving travel times or building better transport stations; it is about the kind of country that we want Scotland to be in the 21st century: open, confident and prepared to lead. Let us champion connectivity as a national priority by uniting our urban and rural communities and forging new global links that allow our people to flourish. In doing so, we will honour our responsibility to foster growth, open doors of opportunity and showcase to the world the very best that Scotland has to offer. Let us send that clear message to the people of Scotland and the world, which is summed up well by paraphrasing the inspiring words of the MSP who reconvened this very Parliament: stop the world—Scotland is getting on. 12:56”
“Currently, it has only a supporting role, alongside its newest neighbour, but I think that we need a fresh vision for that iconic structure, whether it is as a dedicated route for electric and commercial vehicles, a venue for innovation or a catalyst for modern tourism. By transforming what might be deemed to be surplus into a valuable asset, we demonstrate the innovative thinking that keeps Scotland at the forefront of progress. My call to the Parliament is clear: we need to think bigger by investing strategically, sustainably and inclusively in our infrastructure. Let us realise that every airport upgrade, port improvement, rail link and road expansion is a promise to our people that we believe in them and in Scotland as a competitive force on the global stage.”
“By reimagining and revitalising those sites, we would again signal to the world that Scotland is open for business, whether by cargo ship or cruise liner. We must also urgently address our road network, particularly in the Highlands and in the south of Scotland. Too often, safety concerns and limited capacity on routes such as the A9 and the A96 hinder the flow of goods and people and create a barrier between our rural communities and the advantages of wider economic participation. Upgrading those critical corridors is not only a matter of economic convenience but about fairness, equity and the dignity of living in any part of Scotland without feeling disconnected or being overlooked. Then, there is the Forth road bridge—a structure that has immense potential.”
“That is not a minor detail; it is a strategy that will allow for a seamless modern experience in order to attract new generations of public transport commuters. If we want residents and visitors alike to choose our public transport, we must meet them increasingly where they live. That is, as we know, on their smartphones. We must make every journey as frictionless as possible. Scotland’s ports also hold immense untapped potential and serve as natural gateways to maintain maritime trade and tourism. I refer to Leith, Gourock, Rosyth, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen. Cruise passengers can be a valuable resource for local economies if they are well managed. Enhancing port infrastructure could catalyse new business opportunities and create job growth in urban centres and remote coastal areas.”
“I agree whole-heartedly with Ash Regan’s comments about the connectivity of Glasgow airport. Does she agree that work involving the Glasgow metro going as far out as Glasgow airport and taking in the Queen Elizabeth university hospital must be done at a much faster pace, so that we get connectivity across the city? Ash Regan: The member makes a good point. Meanwhile, the west Fife rail link has the potential to revitalise local communities and amplify the region’s economic prospects while creating a back-up line between Dunfermline and Glasgow. We also live in a world that is increasingly driven by digital convenience. It is crucial that we integrate our rail networks with modern technologies such as Apple Wallet and Google Wallet.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to taxi drivers in Glasgow to help them comply with the low-emission zone. (S6O-04177)”
“The attainment gap at higher exam level is now the biggest that it has ever been, which contributes to an ever-widening opportunity gap in later life. Teachers are key to all of that. They do not just educate; they care, they support and they nurture. They help young people to flourish, regardless of background, and they give them the tools to stay out of poverty by equipping them to harness the opportunities that Scotland has to offer. However, instead of the promised increase in teacher numbers, the SNP Government has overseen a reduction. Now, it does not say that it will increase teacher numbers at all—it says only that it will maintain them. With a workforce that is on its knees and no workforce plan, it is not clear how the Government will even do that.”
“Supporting schools, colleges and universities, those who learn there and the staff who work there in turn supports opportunities for children and young people and, in so doing, helps to tackle child poverty at the root, spreading opportunity for all. Today, far too many in Scotland are missing out and there is an opportunity gap. Education can be the great leveller and it can open up opportunity, but it cannot do that when staff are overworked and burning out, when teaching is a precarious job and when the 40 per cent of pupils who have additional support needs are not having those needs met. I fail to see how less than £1 million of additional funding per local authority can change those outcomes. Time and time again, the most disadvantaged children and young people bear the biggest burden.”
“To truly lift people out of poverty, the Government would have to take transformative action across all public services—including housing, mental health care, employability and education—but the draft budget does not do that and does not offer the new direction that is needed. Nowhere is that clearer than in education. I have said before in this chamber and elsewhere and I will say again that education is a great leveller. It is, as Nelson Mandela said, “the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, and that includes our own world. Child poverty impacts education—we see that in the yawning attainment gap—but education can impact child poverty, too.”
“Despite the rhetoric and what I believe to be truly good intentions, the SNP Government has failed to lift children out of poverty. It has failed to deliver on key promises on child poverty and, despite receiving the largest settlement that any Scottish Government has received in the history of devolution, it has failed to take the opportunity to deliver a budget that will truly deliver better outcomes for the people of Scotland. It has slashed the affordable housing budget and the fuel insecurity fund. It could have committed to new employability programmes and given families the support that they need to boost their incomes. It says that it will end the two-child cap, but the funding that it has budgeted for that is insufficient to deliver what it says that it will do.”
“Deputy Presiding Officer, I wish you, everyone in the chamber and all those watching a happy new year. I am pleased to speak in this debate on behalf of the Scottish Labour Party. Child poverty must be a national mission, not just for the Scottish Government but for all governments at all levels, because it holds people back, makes people ill and stifles opportunity. As we start 2025, 30,000 more children are living in poverty than was the case when the SNP came to power in 2007. All across Scotland, children are paying the price for 14 years of Tory failure and 17 years of SNP failure. Last year, the Poverty and Inequality Commission published a report that laid bare the fact that the SNP’s progress on tackling child poverty has been “slow or not evident at all”.”