Clare Adamson
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“That concludes the debate. I wish members, their staff and everyone else who works on the parliamentary campus a wonderful recess. Meeting closed at 18:10. This is a draft Official Report and is subject to correction between publication and archiving, which will take place no later than 35 working days after the date of the meeting.”
“I am reminded again of my discussion with the family of the man on licence in the community. They reported that there is a broken community payback system and that hours have been wasted by a poorly managed scheme.”
“Home detention as part of a wider set of tools to manage a prison population does work, yet the number of prisoners on home detention curfew is lower now than it was 10 years ago. Between 2016 and 2018, an average of 288 prisoners were on home detention at any one time; during the same period ending in 2025, the average number was 87.”
“I call on the Scottish Government to do what Pauline McNeill described clearly and take the action that is needed to clear the backlog in the justice system. We need to reduce the number of people who are held on remand.”
“He committed an act of violence and punishment is appropriate, but we agree with the Scottish Government that to assume prison is a panacea for all crime is to simplify the most complex of issues. As my colleague from across the chamber emphasised today, the aim of our justice system is twofold: to punish and to rehabilitate.”
“We now move to closing speeches. I call Yi-pee—sorry, Yi-pei—Chou Turvey to speak for up to four minutes. 15:50 Yi-pei Chou Turvey: Do not worry, Deputy Presiding Officer—Yi and pei are both pronounced like EE, the phone company, if that makes it easier to remember.”
The complete record
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“If that is not incompetence, I do not know what is. The current pressures in our hospitals are due in part to this Government’s failure to fix the problems in social care. More than 9,000 Scots are waiting on care assessments or packages. We know that there is a chronic shortage of support because we do not have the staff, but we do not have the staff because they are not treated with the respect that they deserve so they head for the exit door. Is it any wonder that many of them are going to work in retail, where they are often paid more and have less stress? Year after year, Labour has consistently argued for a minimum of £15 an hour with finance ministers Kate Forbes and John Swinney, who are both deaf to the plight of social care staff.”
“In fact, last year, the SNP quietly cut 1,500 nursing and midwifery jobs from the establishment records before any budget cuts had even begun. Posts were simply wiped out overnight. Since then, I have been contacted by paramedic graduates who have experienced the same problem, and by junior doctors who have been told that they will need to undertake their speciality training in Northern Ireland as there is nothing happening in Scotland. I have heard from graduate pharmacists, such as Abbie, who have been told that, due to a lack of funding, there will be no foundational training year for them in Scotland and that they will have to go to England if they want to continue. The Scottish Government is paying to train health and care staff for the benefit of every NHS in the UK except NHS Scotland.”
“Will Jackie Baillie give way? Jackie Baillie: I will not. I genuinely worry about what John Swinney will do next. Instead of taking any responsibility, the SNP hides behind the staff and repels every criticism as, somehow, the Opposition talking down the staff and suggesting that they are incapable. For the record, I note that it is not NHS staff or social care staff that are incapable—it is this SNP Government. I will give the Parliament a few examples. The Scottish Government spends around £60,000 for each student nurse to train at a Scottish university, when we take into account study and bursary costs. That is money well spent for such an important role. However, last year, almost 100 graduate paediatric and adult nurses were told that there were no jobs for them, despite staff shortages. Budget cuts meant vacancy freezes.”
“We know that Brexit just keeps giving us more bad news. The Deputy Presiding Officer: We move to the open debate. 17:36”
“It has been “noted that the introduction of these regulations, which required certifiable safety checks and labels on goods such as CDs, vinyl, T shirts, mugs and other merchandise exported to the EU and Northern Ireland, had not been foreseen by most people in the music business.” Ewan Robertson gave evidence to our committee on those areas and spoke of how much more difficult it is now for artists to tour and work in Europe. There is a litany of quotes that I could have brought to the chamber—for example, from Aldomak, the company that has saved the Scottish ice-cream nougat wafer. It previously traded frequently with Europe, but it gave evidence to our committee that it is no longer even trying to export to Europe. We also heard from our fishing industry about stock that was ruined.”
“In 2024, the Republic of Ireland, as a small nation in Europe with a similar population, economy and cultural links to those of Scotland, enjoyed a significant budget surplus, at around 8 per cent of its gross national income. It is a small country in surplus, while we are dragged down by a £2.77 trillion debt. According to the centre for economic performance, Brexit has cost each household “£250 when only considering the impacts on food since December 2019 ... This aggregates up to £6.95bn overall for UK households.” Last week, the Musicians Union, having already acknowledged the impact of cabotage and visas on touring artists and musicians, had to issue guidance to artists on the general product safety regulations.”
“I am not speaking this evening as convener of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, but during the committee’s work on the impact of Brexit and its review of the trade and co-operation agreement, we have heard witness after witness tell of the detrimental impacts of Brexit. Sky News reported findings that “by 2035, the UK is anticipated to have three million fewer jobs, 32% lower investment, 5% lower exports and 16% lower imports, than it would have had if the UK had not left the EU.” Brexit is also a tale of two countries: it is certainly the best of times for Ireland and the worst of times for us.”
“Brexit has been a disaster for Scotland. It has made us poorer; it has diminished our international standing; and it has cut us off from the world’s largest economic market. It is a disaster that has denied people in Scotland a wealth of opportunity, rich cultural exchanges, academic collaboration and the right to work, study and live in 27 other nations. A generation of people in my Motherwell and Wishaw constituency have had rights that I enjoyed for most of my adult life ripped away from them against their expressed will. Brexit is manifestly harming our present and future.”
“The Office for Budget Responsibility has reported an estimate that Brexit will reduce the overall trade intensity of the UK economy by 15 per cent in the longer term. I understand that a study from the centre for economic performance at the London School of Economics found that, in 2022 alone, goods exports from the UK dropped by £27 billion as a result of Brexit. The Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply revealed that problems with supply chains and trade routes, exacerbated by Brexit, will see imports cost between 5 and 20 per cent more, fuelling a new cost of living crisis. Brexit continues to pose significant barriers to people coming to live and work in Scotland, including in our vital public services. Over 10 years ago, Scotland was told that the only way for us to stay in the EU was to remain part of the UK and vote no.”
“I do not have a fourth Brexiteer quote, as the young trainee could not access Erasmus+ and so was unable to take part this evening. The people in Scotland sensibly voted to remain in the EU. There was a majority vote for remain in every one of Scotland’s local authorities, but Scotland was removed from the EU against the democratic wishes of the Scottish people. Brexit has caused, and continues to cause, substantial harm to the Scottish and UK economies. Recently, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research think tank said that UK exports from the service sectors could be cut by up to 60 per cent. For Scotland, that would be equivalent to a £2.3 billion hit because of Brexit.”
“However, we now have fewer jobs; food prices at an all-time high; and less trade. Dominic Cummings had to concede that the figure of £350 million for the national health service that was plastered on a bus was a lie. Nigel Farage vowed to tear up the EU red tape holding Britain back. Well, our exporters now bemoan the new arrangements. The National Farmers Union Scotland told us that the trading relationship under “the TCA ... might be ... tariff free and quota free, but it is certainly not friction free.”—[Official Report, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, 7 March 2024; c 2.] Many small and medium-sized enterprises are simply giving up their EU market share because trying to navigate the new exporting regime is not worth the cost, time and project wastage.”
“This January marks five years since the United Kingdom left the European Union—five fraught and turbulent years for Scotland’s manufacturers, exporters, service providers, artists and musicians. Deputy Presiding Officer, “We announced that we would leave the European Union before we had a plan for growth outside the EU.” Those are not my words, but the words of Kemi Badenoch. For once—for what is probably the only time—I agree with her. However, I would argue that there was a lack of not only a plan for growth, but a plan, full stop. Nonetheless, it was nice to hear a rare bit of honesty from a Tory leader on Brexit. Let us hear from three more Brexiteers. Michael Gove opined: “The day after we vote to leave, we hold all the cards and we can choose the path we want”.”
“To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting people in Motherwell and Wishaw in accessing social security entitlements. (S6O- 04247)”
“His words are accessible and fun—and sometimes downright salacious—and they tell great stories that appeal to people of all ages and at all stages of life. Some of them have a depth that is seldom surpassed, to be frank, by the poems of the modern era.”
“Stephen Kerr: Well, I am with Neil Bibby, because I, too, grew up with the surrounding sound of Burns—in particular at this time of year— in primary school and in the junior years of secondary school, and, to be frank, I think that that is an important part of ensuring that our heritage is preserved and lives on. Those are important questions, but they are probably for another day. This debate is probably not the setting for them, because in this week of Burns night, we should be extolling the virtues of our national bard. Burns was a figure of national and international importance. His poetry and ideas transcend culture and talk to us through the ages; his words are a window into our own history, and into world history, at that particular phase of his life in the late 18th century.”
“[Made a request to intervene.] Stephen Kerr: I give way to Clare Adamson, wherever she is. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I call Clare Adamson, who joins us remotely. Clare Adamson: My microphone is not coming on, Deputy Presiding Officer. The Deputy Presiding Officer: You are with us now, Ms Adamson. Clare Adamson: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer—it took a time to come on there. I thank Stephen Kerr for taking an intervention, but I remind him that at the time that the prescribed list of Scots texts was put in place, both the Conservatives and Labour were against that move. The idea was that pupils would do at least one Scots text, but would not be limited to one. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I can give you the time back for the intervention, Mr Kerr.”
“To our guests in the public gallery, I say that I am so sorry that I cannot be with you today, but in two years we might join you for your next congress. For now, welcome, enjoy our hospitality and Edinburgh, and haste ye back. 17:25”
“It looks for financial support for small and medium-sized fairground businesses, and it promotes co-operation between member countries and creates a common voice for the fairground industry. It promotes friendly co- operation and international understanding, and it safeguards the industry in promoting all European fairgrounds. We know how seriously the European Union takes culture and intangible cultural heritage. What celebration of a town’s heritage—holidays, dance, music and language—is not supported by the showmen and showwomen of Europe? They are key to our traditional local fairs and celebrations, and they bring colour and joy to children and adults alike. Their heritage is our heritage—the heritage of Europe—and we must continue to value, support and celebrate their contributions.”
“We know that Brexit has impacted on Scotland’s long-standing links with Europe, and that is why it is so important that we embrace every opportunity to reach out in friendship, trade and exchange to our counterparts across Europe. We know that tradition and heritage can be fragile and need our active protection. The European Showmen’s Union is a European organisation that advocates for the fairground industry and its workers. It is a member of the European federation for the education of children of boatmen, showmen, circus families and professional travellers. It supports many calls to reduce bureaucracy and support fairground businesses. It advocates in the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of Europe.”
“On that evening in 2020, I was honoured to receive honorary membership of the Scottish Showmen’s Guild—Deputy Presiding Officer, I declare that interest for the record. It has been my pleasure to work with the Showmen’s Guild and with Alex James Colquhoun on heritage funding and his ambitions to support the mental health of the guild’s members, particularly following the effects and impact of Covid, which David Torrance outlined. Members on all sides of the chamber are, no doubt, familiar with my interest in culture and tradition and my love of our Scots language and music. I am able to embrace that love through my role as convener of the Parliament’s Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee.”
“I thank my friend David Torrance, as convener of the Scottish Showmen’s Guild cross- party group, for bringing this important debate to the chamber. I associate myself with his comments regarding his sentiments towards, and recognition of, the Showmen’s Guild. I am a very proud member of the Scottish Showmen’s Guild CPG. I say hello to my friends in the gallery and to the representatives from across Europe from the European Showmen’s Union. I offer my sincere apologies and, indeed, regret that I cannot join you this evening due to unforeseen circumstances. Having attended a reception for the 130th anniversary of the Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain and Northern Ireland under the leadership of my colleague Richard Lyle, I know what a great celebration and party I am missing, but I will be with you all in spirit.”
“We also accept that the work in relation to preparedness needs to go beyond the boundaries of Government, and we will continue to engage with the third sector and others in ensuring our preparedness for a further risk.”
“I thank the Deputy First Minister for her statement. Along with other members in the chamber, I acknowledge the comments that have been made about the people who lost their lives during Covid. Scotland’s response to the pandemic included the third sector in many ways. As the Government has, in its statement, already committed to the significant improvements in pandemic preparedness in social care and health, what help will be given to ensure that our third sector, too, can rise to those demands? Kate Forbes: Clare Adamson is right to acknowledge the work of the third sector not only during the pandemic but in response to a number of the inequalities that were exacerbated then. I referenced their importance in my statement.”
“Audiences are returning, but, in many cases, they are still down on pre-Covid levels. On-going cost of living issues mean that it is difficult for many people to make the choice to support the arts. Striking the balance between raising revenues, supporting artists and maintaining cultural output that is accessible across different communities is a critical challenge for the future. That becomes more acute when we look at— The Deputy Presiding Officer: Ms Adamson, you need to conclude. Clare Adamson: I am sorry. I will conclude by saying that Labour’s tax on jobs is not helping the situation for many of our cultural organisations. 16:21”
“In last week’s debate on the national performance framework, we saw that, in this Parliament, we can be quite siloed ourselves. Emma Harper: On the rural issue, a lot of members have talked about Glasgow and Edinburgh, which are in the central belt. As a keen Burnsian, does Clare Adamson welcome the fact that the Big Burns Supper is going ahead this year? Next week, we have entertainment such as Eddi Reader, Wet Wet Wet and an underwater Burns supper. Clare Adamson: Yes, I absolutely welcome that, and I hope to get down to the area to visit to see some of the events. It is important that we consider how siloed we can be in our thinking. If we are to really embrace the wellbeing economy, we must look at culture and its role in relation to rural issues, health issues, social security issues and housing issues, as we build communities.”
“Organisations across the culture sector have warmly welcomed the Scottish Government’s proposed £34 million increase to front-line culture funding. The difference with funding elsewhere in the UK has also been highlighted by colleagues. Fiona Sturgeon Shay of the Federation of Scottish Theatre and of Culture Counts spoke of developing the culture sector for the “common good”. She was especially encouraged by the allocation of an additional £20 million to Creative Scotland’s multiyear programme funding, which has been mentioned again as being an important development in Scotland’s culture sector. We also heard from Adrian Turpin of the Wigtown Festival Company, who echoed those sentiments but also talked about the difficulty in accessing culture in rural areas. We have to consider that in more detail.”
“Without those threads, it would be a much duller and more boring tartan. They inspire us, and we are inextricably bound by culture internationally and here in Scotland. There are many great inequities in the world, but culture can be a great leveller. There are many people who struggle to access it, and we must focus on equity of access and ensuring that as many people as possible can participate in our culture. Last week, we took evidence from stakeholders, including Creative Scotland, National Galleries of Scotland, Wigtown Festival Company, the Federation of Scottish Theatre and Culture Counts. Those organisations are at the forefront of Scotland’s culture and are considering the impact of the proposed Scottish budget.”
“They challenge us and they are the custodians of our culture. I am speaking as the MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, but I am also the convener of the Culture, Europe and External Affairs Committee, and I am very conscious that we are in the middle of taking our evidence on the budget and have not yet reached a conclusion. I will try to be factual about what we have learned so far. I, too, think that we must also consider the pandemic. Some of my colleagues have mentioned that, but few of us could have imagined lockdown without reading a book, a poem, watching TV, honing or learning a new craft, listening to music or even picking up an instrument, perhaps for the first time. An artistic endeavour is a lifeblood. Music and culture run through our communities like a vibrant thread in their representative tartans.”
“However, we can move forward with confidence that the organisation that is delivering that on behalf of the Scottish Government is meeting the requirements of the sector. At that time, I was also introduced for the first time to the 7:84 Theatre Company, which was named after the statistic that 7 per cent of the population owned 84 per cent of the wealth. In 2003, Oxfam estimated that 1 per cent of the population owned 70 per cent of the wealth. In that intervening time, we have seen much wealth and much growth, but fewer people seeing the benefit of that. That speaks to the challenge of where we are in our arts sector. When budgets are squeezed and situations are difficult, things become even more difficult if the wealth of the nation is so inequitable. Scotland’s artists innovate and entertain us.”
“I am just old enough to have seen the release of Bill Forsyth’s film “That Sinking Feeling” in 1979. I well remember being struck by the Glasgow humour and the Scottish attitude in it. In the final few frames, one of the protagonists is standing there, trying to flog off some sinks, which are piled in front of him, and someone from the Arts Council walks up and offers him a grant. That is much in Bill Forsyth’s usual style, and he was poking fun at the controversy at the time with the then Arts Council of Great Britain. I bring that up by way of demonstrating that arts funding, and who gets funding and who does not get funding, has always been a controversial and difficult thing.”
“On a recent visit to Hampden, I was absolutely delighted to meet representatives from the St Mirren FC Charitable Foundation to learn about the extra time project and to hear directly from them about the powerful impact that their work is having on their community. It was so clear from speaking to them that they knew their community well—they almost knew the children’s names— and it was really powerful to hear about the impact that that programme is having on the community. Those are examples of projects and programmes that have been recognised by national and international partners as best practice, with a reach that goes far beyond the traditional sporting boundaries.”
“This year, we saw a doubling of the investment in extra time, which is an out-of-school childcare programme, run in partnership with the SFA, that will bolster the provision of after-school and holiday club activities for children of primary school age across Scotland. The partnership was launched with the Scottish Government last year and was designed to increase the availability of childcare services while encouraging children to engage in sport and physical activity. By giving thousands of children each week access to sport and other activities outwith normal hours, the £4 million of funding, divided across the 31 participating football clubs and trusts, will help parents and carers to find employment and training opportunities.”
“The changing room for women, which was launched recently, is a 12-month pilot programme in partnership with the Hibernian Community Foundation and Big Hearts Community Trust. Football fans in training is one of Europe’s most successful health intervention programmes. It was created by the University of Glasgow, is supported and funded by the Scottish Government and has been proven to have a positive, long-term impact on health and wellbeing. The programme has been running for more than 13 years and is the SPFL Trust’s flagship health and wellbeing programme, with almost 8,000 people having taken part in that time.”
“Does the minister also recognise the work of Motherwell Football Club Community Trust in that aspect and the support that the football team has given to suicide prevention, particularly in my area? I declare an interest as a member of the Well Society and as someone who has been around to see her team win the Scottish cup. Maree Todd: I could not agree more. Football clubs are doing powerful work through the length and breadth of the country and the changing room is a perfect example. It is a 12-week programme that uses football to bring men together to tackle mental ill-health. The extra time programme gives people the opportunity to talk in more depth about their mental wellbeing and to come together to explore areas of particular challenge or concern.”
“The Deputy Presiding Officer: I call Edward Mountain to speak on behalf of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee. 15:45”
“However, we heard that, in some respects, although the metrics have been developed and the indicators are there, what is not being considered is whether the performance— which is key to this—is being achieved. Again, I thank those who took part in our work and contributed to it. We would like to see more clarity on the indicators, and a consultation of the wider community on what indicators would be best to inform the national objectives. The Scottish International Development Alliance told the committee that “There is currently a framework and an element of scrutiny, but all that is scrutinised is what we actually want to measure, not whether we have achieved it.”—[Official Report, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, 16 May 2024; c 48.] That gets to the core of what the committee’s concerns are.”
“The Scottish Council on Global Affairs said that soft power, in international relations terms, is about how we will ensure a shared understanding across Government in the interests of policy coherence— Sorry, I have moved to the wrong page of my speech notes. I will just need to continue where I was. The Scottish Council on Global Affairs had raised concerns about international relations and how soft power was perceived. The ambitions of the policy are broad. We want to be seen as an open, connected and positive contributing country, to be regarded as vibrant and modern, to have positive international relations and to influence exchanging networks. We also want to recognise the international connectedness of people and the obligations that flow from that. Those are very important ambitions.”
“We heard evidence that the national outcomes do not always inform policy spending. There could be a disconnect in the vision of the NPF and decision making. We also heard evidence that public bodies are reporting after the event rather than using the national outcomes to inform the process and decision making. I note from the work of the Finance and Public Administration Committee that that chimes with its key findings too. We asked the Scottish Government for examples of where the national outcomes have informed policy and spending decisions. I now turn to the idea of policy coherence, which was a recurring theme from our 2022 report on Scotland’s international work.”
“As the convener of the committee, I am delighted to speak to our report on this topic. I begin by thanking those members who took part in the inquiry during the past year, which focused on the response to the review of outcomes and indicators relating to the Scottish Government’s international work. As always, I also thank the committee clerks for their support. I also to thank the witnesses who took time to give evidence to the committee. We had experts from Quebec, the Basque Country, Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the Scottish Council on Global Affairs. I will highlight three aspects of our report, which are the link between the national performance framework and decision making, the importance of policy coherence and the matter of what is being measured.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what support is available from the Office of the Public Guardian for people accessing the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service. (S6O-04163)”