Maggie Chapman
Scottish Green Party · Scotland
“Our prison system is not working. Like so many other institutions, including our national health service and our schools, prisons reflect the society that they serve. That society is deeply unfair and profoundly unequal. Schools struggle to help young people to learn and thrive, as too many children arrive in the classroom hungry.”
“Overall levels of crime are about half what they were in 1991. However, we have left prisons, just like our schools and NHS, to pick up the pieces of failures elsewhere in society.”
“Far too often, we take people who have already been failed by society and place them in institutions that fail them again—institutions that are increasingly unable to guarantee basic standards of welfare, dignity and human rights.”
“For those who have committed less serious crimes and are serving shorter sentences, it makes no sense at all to spend, as the motion states, £52,000 per year on prison, given that we know that, in many cases, prison will not help them to stop reoffending.”
“With greater use of effective alternatives to custody, and sentencing that follows the evidence, we will need fewer but better resourced prisons that can genuinely support rehabilitation and reintegration. That approach is working right now in other countries.”
“It is no surprise, then, that prisons often perform worse than alternatives when it comes to reducing reoffending and preventing future harm. Short sentences for non-violent crimes, in particular, for which there are the clearest alternatives, result in some of the highest rates of prisoners leaving prison and coming into conflict with th…”
The complete record
Every one of 814 lines we hold for Maggie Chapman, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 17 of 17.
“More and more people are being displaced by the climate crisis, and the fault is not their own. There is an opportunity now for the Scottish and UK Governments to work, together and with others, to build robust and fair responses, not only through mitigation and adaptation measures, but in compassionate and welcoming approaches. Finally, our Governments must show decency, humanity and justice to all who come here from elsewhere. Human rights are for all humans—not only for those with citizenship or with deep pockets. The cruel and vindictive condition of having no recourse to public funds has been a disastrous experiment.”
“I hope that we can replace with the dialogue of solidarity the rhetoric of hate that has, thanks to Conservative, Reform and even some Labour politicians, become mainstream. Our second responsibility is that we acknowledge the particular role of the United Kingdom in creating many of the conditions from which people now flee. That role is historical, but it is also contemporary, and Scotland cannot evade its share of collective shame. I again implore both Governments to recognise what has been done in Palestine and beyond, and to recognise that there are no pathways to safety for the children of Gaza. Children are also dying from climate injustice and its brutal blows on homes, crops, water sources, lives and livelihoods. We remembered that in Glasgow three years ago, but nothing has grown better since then.”
“They come not for adventure and exploration, but for survival, and not so much in search of a better life as in perhaps diminishing hope of a life that is liveable at all. We, and the Governments that represent us, have three layers of responsibility for migration. The first is that we abide by international law—in particular, our solemn commitment under the Geneva convention to grant asylum to those who are fleeing persecution. That would scarcely have needed a mention a few years ago. I hope with all my heart that we can return to that consensus, that we can undo the terrible damage that has been caused by the previous Westminster Government’s legislation and that we can dismantle the lies of the far right.”
“As well as Scotland’s needs and benefits, we should consider our responsibilities and how we should act as compassionate human beings. We must ask ourselves what we can and should do to open our borders to those who need a place to call home, whether that is on a temporary basis or a permanent basis. I came here as a student and from a position of relative privilege. I was fortunate enough to have some choice of where to pursue my studies and had support from my family to do so. Also, of course, my skin colour and mother tongue meant that I was not obviously an incomer. I will always recognise those facts and remember the warm welcome that I received. People are increasingly on the move across the world not out of choice, but because they have to move. They are forced from their homes by conflict, scarcity, loss and disaster.”
“As an immigrant into Scotland, I am proud to make the opening speech on behalf of the Scottish Greens in the debate, and to speak to our amendment. Much will rightly be said this afternoon about how migrants benefit Scotland’s economy, especially in agriculture; in tourism and hospitality; in our health and social care; in our education, from rural primary schools to university research departments; in our communities; and in our creative lives. The inventive, imaginative, passionate and compassionate Scotland that we know and love relies on people who were born here and on people who have come from across the world, having recognised something special about this place, or having come to love it and having made it their home.”
“To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on the effectiveness of the national planning framework 4 principles in creating sustainable places across Scotland that enhance human and environmental wellbeing. (S6F-03691)”
“Indeed, we have a moral responsibility to do so, because human rights do not stop at borders or beaches. My hope for the new year is that we can find a new co-operation between all levels of government—Holyrood, Westminster and councils—that we will see an end to the divisive rhetoric of the lowest common denominator and that, together, we can seed the ground upon which all our children will thrive, because poverty and inequality are bad for everyone. 16:45”
“That is also why the roll-out of universal free school meals really matters—for the families who do not get them now but need them, on whose wellbeing the burden of public debt is an insupportable burden, but also for those children who qualify now for free school meals but for whom the pain of stigma is as sharp as the pain of hunger. Promises to children matter; we should not discard those promises when they are inconvenient. Let us not forget those children who are too often forgotten: those whose families are branded with the cruelty of no recourse to public funds. We must ensure that local authorities and organisations that support migrant families, including those seeking asylum, have the resources that they need to help those who are threatened with utter destitution.”
“Robust rent controls are essential tools in dismantling child poverty, and I say to the Scottish Government, “Do not let the landlord lobby persuade you not to use them.” The approach that I mentioned also means easing the financial burdens of ordinary life—the costs that accumulate day by day, weighing increasingly heavily on the family budget, the parents’ sleep and the children’s diminishing happiness. That is why, although it might seem trivial to privileged car owners, a £2 cap on bus fares, which the Scottish Greens are calling for, can mean the difference between accessible transport and impossible choices—the difference between saying yes to that job, course or kids’ activity and saying sorry, but, again, the answer is no.”
“It is no good giving with one hand what we take away with the other. We need a systemic and holistic approach. That means, fundamentally, making sure that families have a safe, secure and healthy home to live in and that they can stay there for as long as they need to. The work on affordable housing is very welcome but, again, it does not yet go far enough. Families will continue to live in private rented accommodation, and they must be protected from unconscionable rent rises. If the Scottish Government is serious about child poverty—and I believe that its intentions are serious—it must reconsider its Housing (Scotland) Bill amendments.”
“Finding and keeping good work— work that is secure, with decent pay and conditions, and that aligns with the responsibilities of family life—is difficult for all parents, but especially for single mothers. Combating child poverty means recognising those difficulties and properly funding organisations and projects that provide expert support. The First Minister and others have spoken about the wide range of social security mechanisms that we use in Scotland. It is my hope that there will be progress on the minimum income guarantee, on the path to a universal basic income, this year. However, as other members have highlighted, we need more than just social security. We need policies and measures that address every aspect of family life and every source of strain on the family budget.”
“However, it will not come soon enough for the families who need help now, and that is why more action is needed, as highlighted by many members this afternoon and by organisations such as Save the Children, Barnardo’s, the Poverty Alliance and others. Children in Scotland need targeted support, and the Scottish Greens are proud of our role in making the Scottish child payment the transformational measure that it is so widely recognised as being. That payment must be increased to £40 per week as soon as possible, as those organisations and others are calling for. Child poverty is family poverty—and, overwhelmingly, the poverty of women, as Carol Mochan highlighted. The End Child Poverty coalition points out that families in poverty need holistic support that is financial but also practical and emotional.”
“Every day that the UK Labour Government fails to act represents a stain on the Labour Party’s history, a betrayal of its founding principles and a callous act of treachery towards the children of the UK and the families who struggle to keep them safe. Therefore, it is entirely right that the Scottish Government, faced with such brutality, should act to mitigate the two-child limit and protect the children of Scotland from this cruel and unusual punishment simply for being the third child, or later, to be born in a family. This is essential, life- saving work, which the Scottish Greens support with whole hearts and urgent endeavour.”
“I am pleased to close this afternoon’s debate on this important issue on behalf of the Scottish Greens. As we have heard, the draft budget includes important provisions that are intended to help the thousands of children in poverty across Scotland. However, cold and hungry children cannot wait. They cannot wait for Rachel Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer to decide that their self-imposed fiscal conditions have been met, that their friends in the City of London are comfortable enough or that their focus groups and spin doctors are edging towards common decency. The evil—I do not use that word lightly—two- child limit must be abolished now, with immediate effect, not at some hypothetical point in a theoretical future.”