Miles Briggs
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party · Scotland
“Angela Constance: It was always going to be the case that the old hospital would continue to be used while the new hospital was being built, which means that important investment is required in that regard.”
“The Sunday Mail reported on 26 April that ministers had failed to sign off on the business case for the new Monklands hospital prior to the election, so it is important that the cabinet secretary publishes the information that Scottish ministers knew during that period and that she explains why there was no statement to the Parliament bef…”
“I am happy to furnish Mr Briggs with further information about the process. When we deal with any full business case, it is important that that is thoroughly examined and scrutinised, out of respect for those who have compiled it.”
“The Nuclear Industry Association estimates that Scotland’s civil nuclear industry could have supported more than 10,000 jobs if the sector had experienced the same growth as has been evident south of the border, in England. The Scottish Government must reflect on the opportunities that the country will miss out on in years to come.”
“Whatever views members may hold on the nuclear power sector, there should be broad agreement that Torness has been one of the most significant economic and industrial assets that our country has ever had.”
“With the ongoing instability in the middle east and the consequent volatility of global gas prices, households and businesses are vulnerable to price shocks. New nuclear energy would put energy back in our own hands, protect us from fossil fuel price volatility and deliver much-needed energy security.”
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“That is why the Scottish Conservatives want common sense policies to be brought back to our classrooms and schools. It is why we are calling for action from ministers today to develop a set of national policies to help to deliver the positive changes that we all want to see and to restore our schools to safe and welcoming learning spaces. The key questions that teachers raised with me last night is why ministers have not commissioned any work to understand why children are exhibiting such negative behaviours and why schools are not being given the support that they need, increasingly, to address those problematic issues. Above all, teachers want ministers to be clear that they support them in saying that violence in our schools must end and that pupils and parents must be responsible for their actions.”
“Teachers, pupils and parents are crying out for ministers to take action and to provide leadership to turn the situation around. Today’s debate therefore presents an opportunity for a reset of our school environment, which I believe is needed. Many schools can be— and are—great learning environments for our young people, teachers and the wider community. However, it is concerning that, in too many cases and too many schools, the school environment is now becoming toxic, with students and teachers experiencing stress, bullying or other negative behaviours that impact on their mental health, wellbeing and ability to learn. Ministers have acknowledged the rise in the incidence of violence and abuse in our schools and the fact that many cases go unreported.”
“The need for action to restore positive learning environments, in which all young people and teachers are safe to learn or teach in a respected and supported setting, is a pressing issue and should be ministers’ number 1 priority. The Scottish Conservatives have led the debate on school discipline. In March last year, we secured a debate on ending violence in schools. As today’s motion states, we welcome the work that ministers have undertaken as a result of that debate, but we need to be honest that it is not delivering the change that we need in our classrooms and schools, and it is not being delivered at any pace. Unions have warned that there has been a failure of local authorities and Education Scotland to do anything significant to embed the national action plan on relationships and behaviour in schools.”
“Last night, I met teachers in Edinburgh at an event that was organised by the Edinburgh branch of the Educational Institute of Scotland to hear first hand about the pressures that teachers in the capital are facing in our classrooms. They spoke of emergency and crisis levels of violence and abuse, and they shared stories of teachers going off on sick leave due to stress and needing to go to accident and emergency departments for broken bones following violent incidents in their schools. Attacks on teachers and pupils in our schools are totally unacceptable and must stop. It is clear that there is cross-party concern and, I hope, cross-party consensus on the need for more action and leadership to address the on-going increase in cases of violence against pupils and teachers.”
“We in the Government should reflect on that. I was very clear in my update to Parliament in, I think, November 2023 that we wanted consistent and clear recording and reporting of incidents as and when they occur in our schools, because there is currently a level of reticence. The action plan sets out a range of different measures in that regard. The additional funding that I spoke to in my previous response for teacher numbers and for ASN specialists, including things such as behaviour, is fundamental to addressing the issues that Mr Briggs raises.”
“Teachers and unions have warned ministers that many more incidents of violence take place in our classrooms than are reported, because teachers do not have the time to report those incidents. The minister references the action plan, which had two key points—the lack of options for how to manage the behaviour of a small core group of pupils and the lack of alternative options and resources for pupils for whom mainstream education may not be appropriate. What in the budget will help to address those two things? Jenny Gilruth: I thank the member for his interest in the issue. He spoke about the time that teachers might take in reporting and recording incidents. I know from my experience that there is often a reticence among staff about reporting, because they are concerned about how their school might be perceived.”
“It was put to me that, if this was a drug, not a piece of technology, there would not be discrimination in different health boards, especially in NHS Lothian, in my region. I hope that ministers will take that on board. If the technology is to be provided, it must be provided on an equitable basis across our country. There is a lack of provision of the technology for my constituents in Lothian. In fact, it has been suggested to me that it is likely that only 30 adults will receive a pump in the next two years. The waiting list currently stands at 1,200, so we need action. I hope that the debate has presented the opportunity for ministers to hear our concerns, especially those of Lothian members, and that, in the minister’s summing-up speech, we will hear exactly what the Scottish Government intends to do. 17:58”
“However, it is about not just life expectancy but potential cost savings, because we know that diabetes can lead to additional accident and emergency department admissions, and blindness, and those of us who visit hospitals—I previously had the health portfolio—have talked to patients who have had amputations because of their type 1 diabetes. Therefore, we know that the issue will cost the NHS even more in the future. I hope that the debate has presented the opportunity for, as the Diabetes Scotland charity has called for, the Scottish Government to consider matching the actions that are being taken in England, where a five-year implementation plan has been funded and the roll-out of the closed- loop systems has been announced.”
“It was interesting to listen to some of the stories, because one of my good friends from school had type 1 diabetes. We worked in a pub together, and I was just thinking of the way in which she went about her working life in the pub. I was in the kitchen with her at the time, and she would test and grab a drink and then go back to work. The technology that we now have can transform lives. I welcome Emma Harper’s advocacy—she is living proof of the technology’s use, and we should all want our constituents to have access to it. It is estimated that the technology can add another 10 years to people’s life expectancy.”
“The Government has said that it wants the technology to be made available—I have several letters from ministers that say just that—but those of us who attend NHS Lothian briefings know that that is not the case. The financial situation that the health board faces, with a projected shortfall of £133 million, means that it has looked for cost savings in this area—now, only pregnant women and children will be able to access the technology. We need that to change, and I hope that ministers are acutely aware of the situation in Lothian and the need for that issue to be addressed. In its diabetes improvement plan, which was published in February 2021, the Government said that it was committed to providing the technologies to improve the quality of life for people living with type 1 diabetes.”
“I thank my Lothian colleague and friend Foysol Choudhury for securing the debate this evening. It is an important debate, and I welcome and support the campaigning that he has been doing on the issue for some time. For those of us who are lucky enough to represent Lothian and constituencies that are covered by NHS Lothian, this is an important issue, and I hope that the minister will hear my call for action this evening. I welcome the constituents who are in the chamber with us. The service levels that are being provided in Lothian are falling way below what any of us would expect, and that has to be addressed by ministers. I have spoken to many constituents who have now given up on the idea that the technology will be available to them in their lifetimes—other members have raised that issue— and that has to change.”
“The Scottish Government is not making the progress that it promised. Indeed, the situation for young people in education, health and housing is often getting worse for the most vulnerable children in our society. I support the amendment in the name of my colleague Russell Findlay. 16:00”
“The time that children are waiting to access healthcare needs to be reviewed, and we need the health secretary to come to Parliament to make a statement specifically on that issue. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has put forward a number of key suggestions and recommendations, which I think can be taken forward by Government. I hope and ask that ministers review the current waiting times scandal. I believe that there is still cross-party consensus on working towards eradicating child poverty in Scotland. However, as Russell Findlay stated, over the past 18 years, SNP ministers have been good at creating processes. Our education system, housing sector and health services are full of them. Ministers have not been good at delivering on outcomes, so we need the Parliament to focus on those outcomes.”
“That is really important, because it is not always the main issue that springs to mind when we are debating child poverty. However, post- pandemic, access to healthcare for children is an issue that is becoming more and more concerning, because there are poor outcomes similar to those that we are seeing for adults. Last March, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health published its report “Worried and waiting: A review of paediatric waiting times in Scotland 2024”. It demonstrated deeply concerning increases in waiting times for children who are accessing care. The percentage of children in Scotland who are waiting more than 12 weeks for medical care increased by 49.8 per cent, and the total number of paediatric waits currently sits at 10,512, which is a 114 per cent increase.”
“However, we need to look towards a presumption against placing families with children in temporary accommodation, because many temporary accommodation facilities are inappropriate. I have raised the issue previously with the Minister for Housing, and I hope that, with COSLA, ministers will look towards amendments around that issue. It is clear that, for many children, being placed in temporary accommodation is the end of their journey to a safe home. We need to make sure that that changes, and I hope that the Government will look towards lodging an amendment to the Housing (Scotland) Bill on that issue. The final issue that I will raise with ministers is access to healthcare. The First Minister did not mention it in his speech, but Willie Rennie touched on it.”
“I hope that the cabinet secretary, in her closing speech, will outline to Parliament when that policy will be delivered and whether it will be delivered by the end of this parliamentary session. I have consistently raised the issue of children being stuck in temporary accommodation because of the homelessness crisis in the capital. Over Christmas recess, those of us who represent Edinburgh have seen how live and challenging that issue remains. If ending child poverty is genuinely a cross-Government priority, housing needs to be placed at the heart of that. The number of children living in temporary accommodation has reached more than 16,000. The First Minister listed a number of housing policies in his speech, and I welcome them.”
“That has to change, and that is why I have been impressed with the Little Free Library movement that has been building in recent years, and by the free libraries for children that have started to pop up outside schools in Edinburgh, such as the one outside Craiglockhart primary school. There is an opportunity to provide young people, regardless of their background, with access to free books. I hope that we can engage with ministers to see how that work can be taken forward and developed across the country, so that we can provide free books across the country and outside every primary school. As other members have already mentioned today, there remains an issue with regard to the free school meals policy. In its briefing for the debate, Barnardo’s stated that it has not had clarification on the delivery of universal free school meals.”
“That figure does not take into account the record levels of absenteeism in Scottish schools. Although there have been marginal improvements in trends, it is concerning that programme for international student assessment— PISA—data analysis suggests a decline in education performance, especially in maths and sciences. What can we do to address child literacy rates? I have spoken to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills about the fact that we need a renewed focus on reading within the curriculum for excellence. One in 10 children in our country do not have access to books at home.”
“Paul O’Kane started by saying that he felt that he had been listening to the First Minister since he was in secondary school. To be quite frank, I feel that I have been listening to him since primary school. I wish members a happy new year and I thank the organisations that provided useful briefings ahead of today’s debate. In the time that I have today, I will highlight three areas where opportunities to tackle child poverty are being missed. I hope to bring positive solutions to the chamber this afternoon. The first area is child literacy levels. One in four Scottish pupils are still not achieving the literacy levels that are expected at their age. The post- pandemic levels of literacy are still a major concern, so it is clear that we need a change in approach.”