Monica Lennon
Scottish Labour · Scotland
“The views of clinicians are important, but I was struck by the words of Rhona Baillie OBE—the chief executive of the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice—in a letter to all of us, and I hope that all MSPs have had a chance to read her words. Rhona is a supporter of change, with more than 40 years’ nursing experience.”
“Death is a universal experience, yet it remains a difficult subject. We all approach this debate with a profound desire to live. People who are asking us to support the bill would certainly rather live, but for many of them, that choice has been removed by a terminal diagnosis.”
“I also honour those who shared their most painful moments, so that others might not face a similar lack of choice. In a recent interview, I listened to Lorna Slater, who spoke movingly about her father’s beautiful death in Canada.”
“Assisted dying is not a replacement for palliative care—it is additional. Our views on how healthcare should be in the future must not be used as a cover to deny individual choice today. Whatever our own beliefs and preferences, our decision must be transparent and honest. Vote on this bill, not on one that does not exist.”
“The SNP went into the 2021 election promising universal free school meals for all primary pupils. When in government, the roll-out to all primary 1 to primary 7 children was promised by August 2022, but thousands of children are still waiting, years later.”
“Shirley-Anne Somerville: I am very proud of what the Scottish Government has delivered with the universal provision up to P6, our work to deliver based on Scottish child payment eligibility in P6 and P7, and the work of the pilots in our secondary schools.”
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“In many ways, they were the most difficult negotiations for the Greens in a decade. We were not the only party that the Government could rely on to get its budget over the line and we were no longer in Government, so we did not have that level of influence. Despite that, I can give a long list of achievements for people and the planet as a result of the Greens’ engagement in the budget, compared with the Labour Party, which got everything that it asked for out of the budget because it simply asked for nothing. I am proud that, as a result of the Scottish Greens’ constructive engagement with the Government and the agreement that we have come to, more children will be fed, the price of the bus will go down for many people across the country, our natural environment will be protected and jobs will be created.”
“At the start of discussions with the Government, we made it clear that the Greens could not vote for a budget that continued the council tax freeze. That freeze has ended and no cap has been brought in. It is for councils to make up their minds on that, as they have every right to do as local elected bodies. We said that we would need to see a real-terms increase in local council funding. That has also been delivered. We need substantial long-term reform to avoid the annual haggle over how much councils are funded by central Government. In European terms, we are a total outlier when it comes to the fact that the vast majority of municipal government funding is set by national Government. Scotland needs to get into the European mainstream on that. Those were not always easy negotiations.”
“That could not be more urgent, given that our planet hit 1.5 degrees of global warming just last month. It is also absolutely essential to Scotland’s economic future. In the most recent report on jobs and green energy, we saw that, in a single year, we have gone from 27,000 to 42,000 jobs. Craig Hoy talks about common sense, but I cannot think of a clearer example of common sense than investing in the sector of our economy that is literally protecting the future of life on this planet and creating thousands of high-quality, lasting jobs across the country. Our second red line was on the funding of local councils for essential local services such as schools, social care, libraries and waste collection.”
“That has been transformational, not just for our natural environment—one of the most depleted on the planet—but for local communities, where the funding has created jobs, especially across our rural communities. I have seen the impact of that on Arran, where the RV Coast Explorer, which is a research vessel particularly for use in Lamlash Bay’s no-take zone, was part funded through the nature restoration fund during my colleague Lorna Slater’s time as minister. That final package was not all that the Greens secured through the budget. Before that, we had set out our two key red lines. The first was on climate spending—that there should be no step back from the record amount of climate spending that the Greens delivered in our last year in Government.”
“That reflects the fact that bus journeys make up something in the region of three quarters of all public transport journeys in this country, although they often receive too little attention in this Parliament, especially given that transport is the one area in Scotland where emissions are still going up significantly. Shifting people on to public transport is key to tackling that, so reducing the cost of taking the bus is essential. The bus fare cap pilot will build on the success of free bus travel for young people under 22, which the cabinet secretary referred to a few weeks ago as one of the reasons why the bus network in Scotland has been able to stave off collapse. Concessionary travel for young people has been a huge success. We also secured a record amount of funding for Scotland’s nature restoration fund and associated projects.”
“The Scottish Greens see all of those measures as steps towards universal free school meals from the early years to the end of high school because, in a country as rich as ours, there is no need for any child to sit in school hungry. That was not the only element of last week’s package that we agreed to. We also secured a year-long trial of a bus fare cap in one part of Scotland, which was a recommendation of the fair fares review. With respect to Government colleagues, they did not appear to intend to take that recommendation forward, but the trial will now happen.”
“The commitment in the budget to expand universal free school meals, particularly in relation to secondary schools, is welcome. Did the Green Party ask about the primary 6 and 7 roll-out, and was any commitment given about any action in the near future? Ross Greer: I am grateful to Monica Lennon for that intervention because the roll-out for primary 6 and 7 will, indeed, continue in the near future, and that was exactly what I was about to come on to. A key commitment in the package that we agreed to last week was the extension of free school meals to thousands more young people in S1 to S3. That builds on a previous budget agreement, which the Greens secured, that delivered universal free school meals for primary 4 and 5 pupils and the on-going roll-out to children in primary 6 and 7 who receive the Scottish child payment.”
“The NHS is haemorrhaging money because of the SNP’s failure to recruit and retain staff. In my final seconds, I will say a brief word about mental health and the children who are being let down. Not once has the Government met its CAMHS targets of 90 per cent of referrals being seen within 18 weeks. My constituent Karen McKeown from Bellshill lost her partner to suicide. That has affected her life and the lives of her children. She fights for reform and has a petition lodged in Parliament. I ask the Scottish Government when it will get real and respond to Karen McKeown and the many others like her who have had their lives destroyed because it is failing to listen and to act in the long-term interests of this country. The Deputy Presiding Officer: George Adam will be the last speaker in the open debate. 16:38”
“They are the people whom we have to get this right for. Scottish Labour has come to the chamber today with solutions. We have, rightly, proposed a 10- year workforce plan, because the SNP has failed to act in the long-term interests of the NHS and social care for too long. I see that in NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Forth Valley and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde—the health boards that I deal with day to day—and people have had enough. In NHS Lanarkshire, almost 79,000 nursing and midwifery days were lost to mental ill health. That shows the number of staff who are burned out. They are at breaking point. What about safe staffing levels? Apparently, we have legislation on that. When is it going to make a difference? The NHS in Scotland has spent at least £900 million on agency nursing staff and locum doctors since 2019.”
“However, if we come to the chamber only to help out the Government front bench and to pretend that everything is okay, we do a disservice to our constituents, who are scared and who have, sadly, seen their loved ones die because they waited for an ambulance that did not come, or because they had to be parked in a corridor or cared for in a cupboard. That is the reality. It is not a word that I use lightly, but the term that comes to mind is “permacrisis”. It is not winter pressure or a seasonal issue. It is the new normal for our NHS and for social care, but it does not need to be like that. To colleagues who want to spend their time describing waiting times and the performance of other health trusts and other Governments, I say that they should think about their own constituents and the reality that they experience.”
“We MSPs are not unique, but through our advice surgeries and casework, we know more than most people do about the challenges, pressures, delays and barriers that people experience, and about what it is like for people who are trying to access care and for their families and the workforce. We heard from Alex Cole- Hamilton the poignant example of his father, who has had a health scare and is anxiously waiting for results. Sadly, it is the case that all of us have such cases in our casework. Let us not sugar coat what is going on. There is a lot to celebrate in the NHS, and Gordon MacDonald gave us a good reminder of that.”
“I do not believe that any member of the Parliament has taken part in the debate to talk down the NHS— not at all. No one is denying that healthcare services beyond Scotland’s borders face challenges of their own. However, this is the Scottish Parliament. Our constituents sent us here to improve their lives and to make good decisions about their public services. It is evident from members’ speeches that we all care deeply about the NHS and about social care. Scottish Labour will always champion our health and social care workforce—that is why we secured this debate.”
“Today, on behalf of my constituents and my local Labour Party members who have asked me to speak up on the matter, I say that although no Government gets everything right, the UK Government is in entirely the wrong position on WASPI. My plea today is not to think again about what the women deserve but to recognise that the Government is getting it wrong and that it is not too late to act. Today, I will vote for the motion and for the Scottish Labour amendment. I hope that we will continue to use every opportunity to speak out and to call for action, because the UK Government must do the right thing.”
“It is very clear that the decision that the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions announced on 17 December is not the right decision. The motion is clear that the women should be “suitably compensated”. The text of the motion also references a motion that our local authority, South Lanarkshire Council, passed in November. I make those points to show that there is widespread support for the WASPI campaigners. We have to step aside. There is much that we can debate in the chamber about what the UK Government is getting wrong, what the Scottish Government is getting wrong and what we would all like to see all parties do better on. However, on this one issue we can come together.”
“I follow the contributions of Labour colleagues including Katy Clark, who, as colleagues know, is heavily involved in the cross-party group on WASPI and can speak from experience about development of Labour policy in the past. We have knowledge and insight that we can lean into. In the debate last week, my colleagues Carol Mochan and Mercedes Villalba made excellent comments. I hope that I am putting across the fact that this is very much a live debate and discussion within the Labour Party. That is why my local Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Labour Party organised an emergency meeting on 6 January—the day when most people were returning to work after the Christmas and new year break. At that meeting, an emergency motion was agreed to.”
“We have heard some really good contributions from colleagues in the chamber today. We heard a frank but fair speech from my colleague, Beatrice Wishart, who spoke in the recent members’ business debate in support of the WASPI women. To Beatrice Wishart and other colleagues who are wondering, it is not just Labour women who are furious and frustrated. Labour men are, too, among our members and supporters. We are not here to get a pat on the back for speaking with our colleagues today, but to show that party democracy is as important as the democracy of the country. It is good that we have space in our Parliament today to come together to debate the issues. No one is saying that it is easy to find a way to get the compensation in place, but we have to act fairly and act fast.”
“Although an apology from the UK Labour Government is really welcome, it is not enough and it is not good enough. It is undeniable that the Labour Government has been handed a tough inheritance after 14 years of Tory chaos, but 1950s-born women are not to blame for the constraints on public finances, and the UK Government is not powerless to act. The purpose of today’s debate is not to explain or justify why the WASPI women should be compensated. Those arguments have been won, but this is a moment for the Scottish Parliament to unite, and that is what we are doing today. Everything that I have heard today tells me that we are united. After decision time today, when, I hope, we will speak with one voice, UK ministers must play their part. They must listen, reconsider and work with us towards a just outcome for the women.”
“Presiding Officer, I am grateful to you for calling me to speak. I did not know that I was going to get six minutes, so I might not take up all of that time. It was important for me to put on the record my support for the WASPI women, because it really matters to my constituents in central Scotland, to WASPI women across Scotland and the UK, and to the people in all our constituencies and regions. I will add my words of welcome to the WASPI campaigners who are in the public gallery. I am sorry that they have to continue the battle. It is an understatement to say that it is disappointing that the debate is necessary, but here we are. We are here because women who are affected by state pension inequality deserve justice, and no one today has argued against that. There can be no justice without fair compensation.”
“Here, in Scotland, we understand that our older people are a diversely experienced and highly valued part of our society. Over the past few years, energy prices have been one of the highest drivers when it comes to fuel poverty, with increases in fuel prices having the largest impact on the change in fuel poverty rates in Scotland between 2019 and 2022. However, one of the first policy announcements of the new Labour Government was the scrapping of the universal winter fuel payment, many recipients of which were probably WASPI women. It is becoming increasingly clear just how little the UK Government regards the issues faced by the older generation as something to take action and deliver on.”
“What women did not expect was for a Labour UK Government to make the situation more difficult for them. Surely the first new UK Government in 14 years should aim to learn from the mistakes of the past—and, in the case of the WASPI women, ensure that the mistakes are rectified as soon as possible, with any future changes to state pension age being clearly and thoroughly communicated—yet we have more of the same excuses, a failure to take responsibility for the harm that has been caused and a failure to act. The WASPI women deserve so much better than that. While the UK Government continues to fail the WASPI women and our older people, the Scottish Government is continuing to ensure that they are being provided with the support that they are entitled to.”
“I support the cabinet secretary’s remarks so far. I hope that she is right that the Parliament will speak with one voice today. Will she give an update on discussions between the Scottish Government and the UK Government on the matter? Shirley-Anne Somerville: Certainly. There have been numerous letters and debating points that we have discussed with the UK Government. I stand ready to send yet another letter to the UK Government after today’s debate. I hope to be able to say that we have voted unanimously to support the WASPI women. However, it is up to Ms Lennon’s party and others to come to that conclusion at decision time. The women have already fought an uphill battle on pension savings equality. That injustice mirrors other pension injustices such as the wider pension gap that I mentioned.”