Emma Harper
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“I welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling child poverty and its investment through the whole family support third sector delivery fund. Will the cabinet secretary say more about how the delivery model will work alongside existing local partnerships?”
“Given the challenges that Christine Grahame outlined and the Scottish Government’s commitment to a just transition, how can the Government support investment in biofuels and anaerobic digestion to reduce reliance on heating oil and provide greener, more secure energy for rural industries such as those in Dumfries and Galloway and the Bord…”
“That is why there is so much emphasis placed in the action plan on whole family support. It is about giving support to families where and when they need it and delivering it in a way that is right for communities. I look forward to continuing to work with Emma Harper on how we can take that forward in the south of Scotland and elsewhere.”
“However, the barriers are not only physical, but also cultural: we heard consistent evidence of negative attitudes from boys, girls being sidelined in physical education and playgrounds being dominated by boys’ activities.”
“As a member of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, I had the privilege of contributing to our inquiry on female participation in sport and physical activity. What we heard was clear. Although the benefits of sport are universal, access to those benefits is not.”
“Her work has never been about making short-term headlines; it has been about achieving long-term change founded on compassion and justice. During this parliamentary session, Christine introduced her member’s bill, the Welfare of Dogs (Scotland) Bill, which strengthened protections for animals and built on years of advocacy on issues such…”
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“Let me be crystal clear: the Department for Work and Pensions knew that a huge cohort of 1950s-born women were unaware of changes to their pension, and it agreed internally that it should write to the women and that doing so would make a difference. Those were the conclusions of a thorough independent review by the ombudsman, and that is exactly why it ruled that there had been a clear case of maladministration. To try to rewrite or deny history is appalling. As many as 3.8 million women were given the news that their state pension age was going to increase from 60 to 66 just as they were about to retire, which was too late for them to do any proper financial planning. It is estimated that more than 300,000 women in Scotland were impacted by the WASPI pension scandal.”
“Appallingly, WASPI women have been told by the Prime Minister, the chancellor and the media—not to mention by numerous shameful Labour MPs—that they will not be compensated because most 1950s-born women “knew the state pension age was increasing”.—[Official Report, House of Commons, 17 December 2024; Vol 759, c 168.] That is entirely inaccurate. The statistic that is being bandied around is from a 2006 survey—that was 18 years ago—and refers to general awareness across the population about changes to the state pension age in the future. The survey did not ask whether people knew about the specific impact of changes to the state pension age on them, as individuals. To add further insult, only about 5 per cent of the survey respondents were 1950s-born WASPI women.”
“Following the UK Government’s shocking decision to ignore the ombudsman’s recommendations and refuse compensation, WASPI campaigners have simply redoubled their efforts. WASPI women are spreading information through their local networks, appearing in local and national media, staging protests and events and lobbying politicians. They are certainly not taking the decision lying down, as they should not. The message written on the placards outside the Parliament was clear: “No notice, no letter, no pension.” My colleagues and I will do all that we can to support those women’s efforts in the face of a two-faced Labour Government. It has now been 30 years since the Pensions Act 1995, when the events that we are discussing today were set in motion, which was before the Scottish Parliament even existed.”
“I normally start by saying that I am pleased to speak on a subject, but that is not really the case today. That is for many reasons, but none more than the complete injustice faced by WASPI women in Scotland and the rest of the UK at the hands of successive UK Tory and Labour Governments. I have met many WASPI women across Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders, and many of them have been scammed out of the pension that they ought to have by right and that they were led to believe that they would receive. I thank all of the WASPI women, including those in Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders, for their tenacity in standing up to the UK Government and continuing to campaign for justice. Like others, I welcome the WASPI women to the gallery today.”
“Last week, boards delivered more than 16,000 flu vaccinations, compared with 7,400 in the equivalent week in January 2024. Since 26 December, the First Minister has chaired a series of meetings with senior leaders across NHS Scotland to ensure not only that action was taken to make sure that people could easily access flu vaccines but that the system as a whole was working together in the face of significant pressures.”
“It is clear that there has been increased concern in recent weeks, not just in Scotland but across the United Kingdom, about the rising level of flu infections in all age groups. It is not too late to take a vaccine. Will the minister outline what work the Scottish Government and stakeholders are conducting to encourage an increased uptake of the flu vaccination? Jenni Minto: I agree with Emma Harper that we should be promoting vaccinations. Over December and January, our partners have been heavily promoting flu vaccination to eligible groups. Health boards are offering a mixture of drop-in clinics, where there is no need to book, and bookable appointments, so that people have maximum ease of access. Many citizens accessed flu vaccinations over the festive period, as boards expanded their clinic offerings to meet increased demand.”
“However, my dentist constituent said that he suggested 20 years ago that a mobile dental hub model should have been created for rural dental services in the area. I will not pursue maternity issues, because Finlay Carson has covered those. I invited Mr Carson and Colin Smyth to join me at a pre- arranged meeting with the minister, because I wanted us to have a cross-party and apolitical approach. The minister met us last November. Engagement is happening. The final area that I want to mention is delayed discharges. I know that the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Neil Gray, is all over the issue with NHS Dumfries and Galloway. There are challenges with rural care packages and delayed discharges, but more than 90 per cent of all hospital discharges now happen without delay. 17:55”
“NHS Dumfries and Galloway has experienced a high number of deregistrations of dental practices. Minister Jenni Minto is well aware of that: she has been paying attention and has taken loads of questions in the chamber about it. We know that many people are now paying for private treatment and others have no dentist at all. Just last week, I met a constituent who is a retired dentist whose practice had focused on paediatrics and the prevention of dental caries. He welcomed the fact that the baby box now contains a toothbrush, which helps to prepare babies for the feeling of having a toothbrush in their mouth. That is another good news story. I know that the Minister for Public Health and Sport is working with NHS Dumfries and Galloway on dentistry.”
“I have a background as an operating room nurse and was previously a clinical educator for NHS Dumfries and Galloway, so I know that such surgeries are complex as far as anaesthesia and the required technique and skills are concerned. Only three or four hip or knee surgeries can be done in a day. I welcome the fact that we now have national treatment centres that can focus on addressing those issues. Some work is being taken forward. NHS Dumfries and Galloway has successfully recruited nurses from Uganda. As part of embedding them into the work environment, it provided them with support on the Scots language and phrases, so that they would ken when somebody said, for example, that they had a sair heid or that their lugs hurt. That is really positive.”
“A prevalent issue was the lack of housing in remote and rural areas, not only for full-time workers but for people who have been assigned placements as part of their training in more remote and rural areas. I have been raising these challenges in the Parliament for the past eight years: cancer pathways; maternity services in Wigtownshire; the recruitment and retention of health and social care staff; addressing delayed discharges; and ensuring that our local social care system is able to cope with increasing high demand. I have also been working with former GPs Dr Gordon Baird and Dr Angela Armstrong to raise rural Wigtownshire healthcare issues here in the Parliament. I will touch briefly on some of those challenges. With an older population, there are more hip and knee replacements and more cataract surgery.”
“I thank Tim Eagle for securing the debate. It has been a popular subject, which has enabled members to talk about issues in their own rural areas. I managed to write some additional notes as previous speakers were making their contributions. At the end of last year, just before recess, the Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee published its report on remote and rural healthcare in Scotland. The committee made recommendations on education and training; staff recruitment and retention; the current design and delivery of services; primary care; multidisciplinary and team working; and the importance of the third sector. It was good to hear Christine Grahame mention those aspects, too.”
“The Government has demonstrated its commitment to dualling the A9, and progress is being made. I again thank the members of the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee and its clerks for undertaking the inquiry, as well as the witnesses who provided evidence, and I look forward to the cabinet secretary’s response.”
“It is of paramount importance that we consider the safety of our roads. One life lost on Scotland’s roads is one too many. It is welcome that the Scottish Government is committed to achieving safer road travel in Scotland, now and in the future. The Government does not accept that road casualties are inevitable, and it is vital that we continue to work to bring overall casualty numbers down. It is important that we do that on all our roads, including the A9. Improvements are long overdue, and it would be remiss of me not to again call on the cabinet secretary to progress at pace the recommendations in the strategic transport projects review 2 on the main arterial routes in the south-west and on how we can progress at pace the A9 improvement work.”
“People are not familiar with driving on a road that is a single lane in some places and a dual carriageway in others. I am sure that many people who visit the Highlands have gasped when they have tried to cross the road or even when they have tried to drive north or south. The report says that the dualling of the A9 is expected to improve safety, which is crucial. It is forecast that there will be fewer fatalities and fewer casualties with serious injuries every year. Driver stress and accidents will be reduced, as will journey times for emergency vehicles, which will increase the survival chances of people who need urgent emergency care. Those benefits will be transformative for a route that serves 35 per cent of our landmass and carries cargo that accounts for around 10 per cent of Scotland’s gross domestic product.”
“The Scottish Government anticipates that nearly 50 per cent of the A9 between Perth and Inverness will be operating as dual carriageway by the end of 2030 and that that will rise to 85 per cent by the end of 2033 and 100 per cent by the end of 2035. I am sure that campaigners will welcome the progress that has been made. The former cabinet secretary Fergus Ewing brought up the subject of frameworks for contracts, and it was interesting to hear his comments on that. It is clear that the dualling of the A9 will sustain and improve the quality of life of people in rural Perthshire, the Highlands and beyond. Emma Roddick gave a good description of the challenges that drivers on the A9 face. I have been that position, too, although not very often.”
“I wanted to speak in today’s debate partly because many of the issues that have been uncovered in the committee’s inquiry into the dualling of the A9 are mirrored elsewhere. The A9 and all our roads must be safe, reliable and resilient. Members have described their experience of driving along the A9 and encountering specific hotspots—or not-spots, even—such as the Dunkeld junction. The magnitude of the investment that is required and the complexities that are involved in upgrading infrastructure on such a scale in the current financial environment have been and will continue to be considerable. However, that is a challenge that the Scottish Government is committed to meeting. The cabinet secretary has described in detail the status of the contracts that are under procurement and those that are about to be procured.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate. I thank members of the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee and its clerks for producing the report, and I join members in congratulating campaigners, including the petitioner, Laura Hansler, on their tenacity in seeking improvements to and the dualling of the A9, which is a critical route. As other members have done, I welcome Laura to the chamber. Members will undoubtedly be aware that, in relation to the South Scotland region, I have championed the need for significant improvements to the main arterial routes in the south-west—the A75 and the A77. Those roads connect Scotland with Northern Ireland, Ireland, England and wider Europe. I know how much commitment, dedication and work it takes to champion road improvements.”
“Kate Forbes: The public hearings of the UK Covid-19 inquiry covering vaccines and therapeutics are currently live, so it would not be appropriate for me to comment on evidence that has been presented there. However, we have conducted evaluation studies of our vaccination and testing programme and, in January 2024, we transferred operational oversight for vaccines to Public Health Scotland to ensure that roles and responsibilities are clear and understood in the event of future emergencies. That is one example of the changes that we have made. One significant lesson learned from the pandemic in relation to vaccines concerned the availability of a workforce to administer them. I thank all those who participated in distributing vaccines. Our vaccine teams are now larger than they were pre-pandemic.”
“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of nurses and other healthcare professionals across Scotland administered crucial vaccines to the wider population. I remind members that, as a nurse, I was part of Dumfries and Galloway’s vaccine team during that time. The vaccine programme was one of the most pivotal moments in tackling the pandemic, reducing harms and deaths, enabling a return to a certain level of normality and reuniting friends and family by enabling safe socialisation. Will the Deputy First Minister speak to what lessons the Scottish Government has learned on the medical response to the pandemic, particularly through the vaccine and testing programme, and how those will enable better planning and pandemic preparedness in the future?”
“When new festivals emerge, such as Music at the Multiverse, in a bid to replace those that have been lost, they really struggle to get support from Government agencies. The cultural offering in Scotland is about more than big international festivals. That needs to be reflected when it comes to Government support for a sector that makes a significant difference to communities in every part of Scotland and, in particular, helps people to participate and make a big difference to the area in which they live. 16:15”
“We also need to better recognise the wider role of culture in delivering the wellbeing economy— preventing social isolation, improving mental health and regenerating communities—by better ring-fencing funding streams for that participation. There must also be more regional equity in the allocation of funding. Festivals and events play a hugely important part in my region of Dumfries and Galloway, but in recent years we have lost many major festivals, including the Wickerman festival, the Electric Fields festival and the Doonhame festival. Next week, the Big Burns Supper will return, but it will do so in a much reduced format, having been cancelled last year as a direct result of the Scottish Government’s decision to axe the winter festival funding.”
“Will the member take an intervention? Colin Smyth: I do not think that I have any extra time. The Deputy Presiding Officer: There is no extra time. It is up to the member whether to take interventions or not. Colin Smyth: I would love to take the intervention, but unfortunately I do not have extra time. However, I appreciate that Emma Harper also co-hosted that event. She will have heard the speaker from Ireland who talked about the fact that Ireland has a specific additional funding stream for participation in community-based practice. To be fair, we have that for sport in Scotland, but we do not have it for culture and arts.”
“I ask the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health to continue to work on implementing the diabetes improvement plan and to work with health boards to ensure that all those who can benefit from diabetes tech have the opportunity to do so. 17:33”
“Using the tech minimises manual interventions, simplifies decision making and eases the burden of the mental workload; in fact, it has been described as absolutely transformative in the self-management of diabetes. However, as we have just heard, the tech is not equally available across Scotland, and I note what Mr Choudhury said about the specific challenges faced in Lothian. Indeed, we have heard about that at the CPG and at the recent diabetes event that I hosted in Parliament. We know that there are many complex reasons for the disparities in availability, but there is no doubt that funding plays a part. I am aware of the work of Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Scottish Health Technologies Group and its recommendations for the closed-loop system, and I highlight again the SIGN guidelines.”
“It is valid to reflect on the burden of having to make any number of extra decisions. Managing diabetes for optimal blood glucose control requires decisions to be made on managing blood glucose levels and on dietary intake; working out how many carbs and how much protein and fat are on your plate; deciding whether the carbs are low or high glycaemic index carbs and how exercise will interfere with glucose levels; and ensuring that you have back-up or replacement supplies in the car, at home or in the office in case the pump cannula becomes dislodged or is even pulled out. Just as we were sitting down for the debate, my continuous glucose monitor alerted me that the cannula needed changed. That means my blood glucose will not be monitored for the next hour, until I get up to the office.”
“Ensuring that people with type 1 diabetes have access to the right technologies to manage their condition is a priority in the Scottish Government’s “Diabetes Improvement Plan: Diabetes Care in Scotland—Commitments for 2021-2026”, and I welcome that. We know that demand for closed- loop systems and for the artificial pancreas is increasing, and many people with type 1 diabetes are expected to benefit from those systems in the future. The motion mentions that people who live with type 1 diabetes make an extra 180 decisions every day, and I read the same information in a Stanford Medicine blog post, which focused on avoiding hypoglycaemic seizures during sleep. That is a particular issue in paediatrics, which is why the technology to help parents monitor their weans’ blood glucose overnight is fantastic.”
“There are already 33,452 people in Scotland who are living with type 1 diabetes, along with the physical and mental health problems that are caused by the demands of managing diabetes daily, coping with diabetes-related complications and worrying about future complications. Diabetes-related complications place a substantial burden on the NHS in the UK. As Mr Choudhury has mentioned, the UK spends about £10 million annually on diabetes, 80 per cent of which is spent on treating complications. I have raised that point many times at the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee in the current session of Parliament, and I did so at the Health and Sport Committee in the previous session.”
“Members might think that I would be a total expert in managing my own blood glucose, counting carbohydrates, managing exercise and doing all the balancing that is needed, but I am not. The work environment that we have in the Parliament doesnae make it easy. Diabetes is relentless; it is part of life 24/7, and there is no opportunity to take the day off without facing some consequences. At this point, I want to thank my diabetes team in NHS Dumfries and Galloway for their support—and especially for their non- judgmental support. That lack of judgment is vital. However, this isnae a “woe is me” debate.”
“I congratulate Foysol Choudhury on securing this debate on diabetes tech. I thank Diabetes Scotland and the Insulin Pump Awareness Group—IPAG Scotland—for their briefings ahead of the debate and for all the work that they do to support people and families living with diabetes. I remind members that I am a type 1 diabetic and use a hybrid closed-loop system myself. I was diagnosed on my 12th birthday, which was not yesterday. Two of my sisters and my mum have type 1 diabetes, too. I got my first pump 25 years ago, when I lived and worked in Los Angeles, which is where Medtronic pumps are manufactured. Given my professional background as a nurse, I joined the cross-party group on diabetes in 2015, before I was even elected to this place, and I am now co-convener of the group along with Paul O’Kane.”
“That is the right thing to do for oneself in order to avoid critical illness—we heard from Sandesh Gulhane about how serious influenza is—but it is also important for our health and social care services. Social care services in particular have been impacted by staff absences because of flu. That is partly why I encourage anyone who is eligible for vaccination to take every possible step to ensure that they utilise that opportunity before 31 March. The Presiding Officer: That concludes the ministerial statement. There will be a moment or two for members on the front benches to organise themselves for the next item of business. Child Poverty”
“We know that one of the best ways to reduce the risk of flu and other viruses is for people to take steps to protect themselves. The cabinet secretary has already mentioned uptake of vaccines. I remind members that my previous role was as a clinical educator in NHS Dumfries and Galloway. What further public health messaging will the Scottish Government utilise to re-emphasise how people can keep themselves safe from flu and other viruses? I am thinking about infection control and prevention measures, as well. Neil Gray: Again, I refer Emma Harper and colleagues to the work that has been provided by Public Health Scotland, as well as that which is provided by the Government through the right care, right place guidance and the important messaging about people utilising the opportunity to get a vaccination.”