Maurice Golden
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party · Scotland
“Large numbers of young people continue to be referred to child and adolescent mental health services, and the waiting times that they face illustrate the scale of demand that is put on the system. In NHS Tayside, there is only one facility: Dudhope young people’s unit, which admits an average of 20 young people per year.”
“Beat’s helplines, peer support groups and campaigns continue to provide essential help for people who are suffering from eating disorders, not least by giving people the opportunity to connect and share their experiences. Those services are only part of the picture.”
“I am pleased to speak in support of the motion recognising eating disorders awareness week 2026, as I have done in previous years, and I thank Elena Whitham for securing the debate.”
“Recent data from the 2024 Scottish health survey reveal that around 26 per cent of people aged 16 to 24 reported eating behaviours and feelings related to food that could be indicative of a possible eating disorder—the proportion was far higher than in older age groups.”
“We must ensure that no young person in Scotland feels alone in their struggle and that their communities in schools, workplaces and families are empowered to support them.”
“To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent changes to Scottish Qualifications Authority policy permitting internet-enabled devices, such as Chromebooks, in exams, what action it is taking to ensure that pupils who rely on speech-to-text as their normal way of working are not, in practice, prevented from using this technology durin…”
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“A refurbished cafe unit has sat empty for years, and an underpass that is used to access the south platform resembles a scene from “The Walking Dead”. That is not good enough. We need a total package to improve the usage of public transport. We also need to improve access by extending the Borders railway to Carlisle and by opening new stations in places including Winchburgh, Renfrew, Cove and Newtonhill. Likewise, let us put some life back into the railways by reopening stations and lines, such as Aberdeen’s links to the central belt, in order to serve more communities. Let us dual the main Highland line, and let us get that direct line from Perth to Edinburgh. Again, those things are about making travel easier and more accessible. Cleaner, more reliable and more affordable public transport does not just happen.”
“The advice that we received from our smart ticketing advisory board is that the increasing use of mobiles means that the idea of having everything on a card is probably more for the past, and that digital ticketing on phones with a common platform needs to be the way forward. Maurice Golden: I accept that, and I take the point on board, but some people will still require a card. Our train stations should be accessible and appealing to visit. The new Dundee station is a good example of that, but the nearby Broughty Ferry station has many issues to address. When the train arrives, only one door opens, which causes problems for everyone, but particularly for people with mobility needs. That causes delays, and subsequent connections in Dundee are missed.”
“I suggest to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport that charging the public more than £30 for a return fare between Scotland’s two largest cities is unlikely to help to improve those figures, particularly when it is extremely difficult to purchase a flexipass at Edinburgh Waverley station. However, if we want more people to travel via public transport, we have to make it both easy and accessible. That is not rocket science. In addition to keeping costs low, we should be doing sensible things, such as introducing smart travel cards that let passengers use all types of public transport with a single-access card. That would tick both boxes—easy and accessible. Fiona Hyslop: The member has raised an important point about integrated ticketing.”
“I will use my speech today to talk about the role of public transport in general, but first let me address the motion that is before us and the specific issue of train travel. I welcome the Greens’ motion. Quite rightly, it calls for public transport fares to be cheaper and more accessible, as well as for the introduction of integrated ticketing, which was promised more than a decade ago. A survey for The Herald found that almost half the public—46.4 per cent—thought that rail fares were too expensive, and that more than 40 per cent rarely travelled on ScotRail. The latest Transport Scotland figures show that the level of satisfaction with public transport in general, despite a modest rise last year, is still lower than it was pre-pandemic.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to improve the way the justice system handles crimes involving animals. (S6O-04361)”
“I know that the question was specifically about locations rather than festivals, but I think that bringing together public authorities to support the heritage and cultural scene is part of the answer to the challenges that they face, as are the additional funds that I hope Maurice Golden will vote for in next week’s budget process. Gaelic-medium Education (Support for Local Authorities) 4.”
“One way of providing resilience to Dundee Heritage Trust, and heritage sites more generally, is to boost visitor numbers. In that regard, will the Scottish Government explore a visitor incentive scheme for Tayside, as well as share best practice on interactive displays and exhibitions from iconic venues ranging from the national museum of Scotland to smaller venues? Angus Robertson: I am open to any suggestions of the kind that Maurice Golden has made. Indeed, I welcome them very much, and I would be grateful if he could forward to me any further thoughts. There is also the potential for integrated travel with visitor opportunities and the work that we are doing with festivals.”
“We have been down that road before, when I forced the Scottish National Party to promise a ban on shock collars. It has not delivered that ban, although I believe that ministers should be reporting on the matter in the coming weeks and, in my view, that will be a better opportunity to take forward an evidence- based case for a ban that can stick. I close with a final plea to the Scottish Government. The provisions in the bill can help to improve dog welfare, but only if they are properly communicated to the public. Ministers must provide proper resources to ensure that that happens. 17:36”
“I also lodged amendments to strengthen the contents of the code, with more precise language on dog breeds and types, as not all types are registered breeds, and I proposed the requirement for buyers to check that the dog has been microchipped, and for that to be included in the bill’s proposed certificate. I thank members who supported my amendments. On electric shock collars, as members know, I have long campaigned for those cruel devices to be banned, so I am sympathetic to the Greens’ amendment on that. However, it was lodged at a very late stage in a bill that was never intended to accommodate it, and without proper stakeholder consultation. That is why, ultimately, there was a real risk that the amendment would not deliver what it was intended to deliver, or that it would have unintended consequences.”
“On the supply side, the Scottish SPCA is doing tremendous work to disrupt that £13 million-a-year trade, and we can help it by addressing the demand side—educating the public and encouraging them on best practice. That is what the bill seeks to do through a new code of practice on acquiring and transferring dogs. The questions that it poses will be a way to make sellers consider their legal obligations and prospective dog owners think about the responsibility that they are taking on, such as whether they can provide for a dog and how it will fit into their lives. I want the code to work, which is why I lodged amendments to improve it, such as widening the pool of people that ministers should consult before drawing it up.”
“I congratulate Christine Grahame on the bill and on its reaching stage 3. It means that we have the opportunity to encourage more responsible pet ownership and to tackle the illegal puppy trade. Ultimately, it is the demand for dogs that gives unscrupulous breeders, dealers and smugglers the chance to exploit the public—especially since the indicators point to much of the public being dangerously unaware of what to look out for. For example, according to the Kennel Club’s research, more than a quarter of potential dog owners spend less than a day researching their decision to get a dog. Meanwhile, the “PDSA Animal Wellbeing Report 2023” shows that less than half of dog owners are aware that puppies should be seen alongside their mother.”
“That seems to be a more effective way to implement an effective ban, but I recognise that, as a discussion point, amendments 17 and 18 are an extremely useful mechanism in the debate.”
“In 2018, I brought to Parliament a debate that led the Scottish Government to announce a ban on electric shock collars and commission an independent report from the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission on the impact that such collars have on dogs. In April 2023, the commission’s final report recognised that electric shock collars have the potential to cause animals pain and distress, and that maintaining the current position presents an “unacceptable risk” to dogs’ welfare. In 2020, the Scottish National Party was defeated in a parliamentary vote that was brought by the Scottish Conservatives on ensuring that the Scottish Government reviews the position and produces a report on the banning of electric shock collars before 1 April 2025. That report will be released shortly, and I hope that it will lead to a ban.”
“Amendments 5 and 6 consider the breed and, crucially, type of dog, as there is lots of confusion over breeds—for example, much has been made of the banning of the XL bully breed, but no such breed exists. I have included the word “type”, so that all dogs are covered. The amendments are relatively minor. Ross Greer’s amendments make up the substantive part of the group. We should support amendment 16, as it aims to ensure that “the acquirer is committed to training the dog in a safe and healthy manner which ensures the welfare of the dog.” That amendment could cover the points made in the subsequent amendments 17 and 18. I agree with Ross Greer’s sentiment around electric shock collars and indeed other harmful devices, but we need to consider the context.”
“Looking to the future, the committee is not confident that the funding is in place to ensure completion by 2035. It calls on the Government to be clear with its future funding plans and the timescales for those plans and to ensure that those funding plans can be scrutinised. 15:27”
“The Deputy Presiding Officer: Interventions will need to be slightly briefer, although we have a bit of time in hand. I will give you the time back, Mr Golden. Maurice Golden: The cabinet secretary will be aware that I sat on the Parliamentary Bureau— Fiona Hyslop: So did I. Maurice Golden: —and I am aware of the voting on that issue. The bureau is where the Scottish National Party could back the establishment of a specific committee or, as part of the bureau process, could consider the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee covering such a large portfolio. That would help—that is the fundamental point of the committee’s report. The committee also came to the conclusion that the Government’s failure to reach agreement on programme funding was a significant factor contributing to the delays that we are now experiencing.”
“I answer questions and I respond. I have given statements and will continue to do so. I report to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee. It would be wrong for the Government to tell Parliament what to do in carrying out its scrutiny and accountability responsibilities. I, and anyone else related to this issue, will absolutely respond and be accountable to the relevant committee. Having been the deputy convener of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee under the convenership of Edward Mountain, I know that it is a very strong committee, and I am happy to report to it unless the committee and Parliament decide otherwise. It is for the Parliament and not the Government to decide whom the Government is accountable to. That is how Parliament works.”
“Whether the Scottish Government is willing to accept it or not, the reality is that either hanging on to the 2025 timeline for so long was an attempt at deceit or the revised and moveable 2035 timeline is an attempt to deceive. Which is it? Of course, it could be both. The Government has acted in bad faith for too long, and we can have no more deceit. We need an evidence-based and transparent timeline, and we need parliamentary scrutiny. The committee was clear that the Government had evaded scrutiny in the past. In reading the Government’s response to the committee, it appears that the Government is trying to water down the role of parliamentary scrutiny and has dodged the question of establishing a committee that could oversee the dualling of the A9 and other major projects. Fiona Hyslop: I am already accountable to Parliament.”
“It was 8 February, 2023—less than two years ago—when the Scottish Government came clean and said that the 2025 completion date was no longer achievable. There is a massive disconnect between saying less than two years ago that it would not be complete by 2025 and now saying that it will not be completed until 2035. During the past couple of days, Transport Scotland has doubled down on that and has said that the 2035 timeline cannot be accelerated, effectively claiming that any attempts to accelerate the project might slow it down further. That seems like a staggering and bizarre claim, but if it is the case, it points to the degree to which the Scottish Government deceived the public by keeping up the pretence—until two years ago—that the project could be completed this year.”
“I have reviewed the Government’s written response to the committee’s report and, unfortunately, it is far from clear about the degree to which it is willing to accept and learn from the failings of the past. When we look at those failings, we see that the Government’s approach to transparency has been seriously lacking and that it has contributed significantly to the current state of the project. When ex-First Minister Nicola Sturgeon accepted that, she said to the committee: “I would ask myself whether we were as candid as we should have been with ourselves, as well as with the public, about just how challenging it would always have been to meet the target”—[Official Report, Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee, 29 May 2024; c7-8.] When we consider transparency, we have to look at the timeline.”
“However, the communities that live nearby and rely on the A9 do not have to deal with driving on that road a couple of times a year; for some, it is a daily experience, and it is taking its toll on those communities—emotionally and economically, and tragically, with far too many people seriously injured or worse as a result of road traffic incidents. The reality is that the communities have been badly let down by the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland in their handling of the A9 dualling. That is why the findings of the inquiry are important. The communities deserve answers, and we owe it to them and to all future users of the A9 to learn from the failures of the past and to ensure that the project now moves forward. If the Scottish Government can do that, it can begin to rebuild the public’s trust.”
“As a member of the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee, I thank all those who have participated in the inquiry and those who have supported the committee in its work, as well as the petitioner, Laura Hansler. I also recognise and pay tribute to all those who have tragically lost their lives on the A9 during the preceding years and decades. I drive on the A9, which is north of Perth, maybe a couple of times a year. When driving that road, there is always a slight sense of unease. There is a feeling that is not experienced on other roads. Almost without fail, you will see something; it may be a car pulling across the carriageway with barely enough time or a tight overtaking manoeuvre. There will always be something that makes you take a deep intake of breath.”
“We want the energy strategy to be fit for purpose, and we are working and have been working very hard on it. We are taking into account all the consultation responses, and the strategy will be published shortly. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I can squeeze in question 8 if I get brief questions and brief answers to match. Energy Efficiency Area-based Grants (Reallocation of Unused Funds) 8.”
“It has been two years since the Scottish Government unveiled its draft energy strategy and just transition plan. Russell Borthwick, the chief executive of Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said: “We’ve been promised numerous times since that the final version would be published but we are still waiting, strategy-less.” The Scottish Government is asleep at the wheel, so when will the final strategy be published? Gillian Martin: As I have said in many answers to similar questions from Conservative members, reserved policy in the area has been a shifting landscape, which has had an impact on some of our responses in our draft energy strategy. We are taking the time to look at that and, as the First Minister mentioned at First Minister’s question time, issues relating to the court cases, which have had an impact.”
“Those figures are not confined to veterans in the justice system, but the point remains that homelessness and mental ill health are both serious issues in Scotland, and any programme that has the potential to tackle an aspect of those problems must be explored. No one is pretending that any one initiative has all the answers, but where we have evidence that something is making a real and positive difference to veterans’ lives, we owe it to them to take it seriously. 17:28”
“Of those, as we have heard, 76 per cent reported progress being made towards “a crime-free life”. That is an impressive result in anyone’s book, and I believe that it demonstrates the validity of Op NOVA’s strategy. Let us also consider the wider impact of that approach. A staggering 97 per cent “reported progress in at least one outcome area”; 82 per cent reported an improvement in their mental health; and 78 per cent reported an improvement with accommodation. In Scotland, 900 homelessness applications were made in the past financial year, and for those who were assessed, the key support issue was mental health.”
“I also note that the Op NOVA service delivers its support in prisons without putting additional pressure on prison staff—in fact, many of the caseworkers are key trained. Op NOVA is not just a signposting service that takes down some details and pushes the veterans on to others—it offers a personalised approach that is unique to each veteran and is taken forward by experienced support staff. That is a powerful combination that we would do well to replicate in Scotland. That brings me to another aspect of the service that I want to highlight: its results. In the 14 months of its operation in England, Op NOVA was active across all police and probation regions and was being rolled out to more than 100 prisons from April last year. In total, it engaged with almost 1,500 veterans.”
“I expect that the minister will have listened to that case closely, because, as I know from my role as convener of the cross-party group on the armed forces and veterans community, he is a strong supporter of our veterans. With that in mind, I will highlight some specific aspects of the Op NOVA service as it operates in England. The first aspect concerns how the service interacts with individuals. Within 48 hours of a referral, an individual is assigned a caseworker, who then draws up a support plan that is tailored to that veteran’s specific needs. The caseworkers themselves all have experience of working with the justice system and have relationships with key partners such as the police, prisons, the NHS and accommodation services.”
“I thank Meghan Gallacher for securing the debate and giving us the chance to explore this serious issue. We all want to see our veterans successfully adjust to life after they leave the armed forces, and many do so, but sadly some face a number of complex and challenging issues that make that transition difficult, such as homelessness, unemployment and mental health impacts. Unfortunately, a minority will also come into contact with the justice system, which can only add to the difficulties that they face in establishing stable lives for themselves. The question, then, is how we better support those veterans during their experience with the justice system so that, in the long run, they can move away from it. We have heard from my colleague Meghan Gallacher a persuasive case for introducing Op NOVA in Scotland.”