Brian Whittle
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party · Scotland
“As Jamie Halcro Johnston said, roads, rail networks and ferries—we keep coming back to ferries—are key to keeping those communities where they are and stopping migration away from them. The chamber will welcome the fact that this— eventually—is my last speech in this parliamentary session.”
“Speaking as somebody who got his first mobile phone—a brick of a thing—at the age of 32, I find that quite astonishing. It is important that pupils have the opportunity to put their phones down in school, but also important is what happens outside school.”
“As always, I want to introduce a slightly different approach to the subject and so I will talk about how we should develop health policy. We must start from the position that services should be available to our communities no matter where they are, whether they are urban, rural or on islands.”
“It is interesting that the girls attitudes survey carried out by Girlguiding UK in 2025 found that girls are restricting their online activity in order to protect themselves, with more than a third of respondents reporting that they avoid using certain apps and platforms in order to protect themselves.”
“It is a pleasure to follow Beatrice Wishart, who, as we all know, has been a real champion for her communities in the time that she has spent here.”
“That was an interesting question from Mr Harvie, as the Scottish Greens have spent the majority of this session of Parliament demonising our farmers and food producers.”
The complete record
Every one of 750 lines we hold for Brian Whittle, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 10 of 15.
“Amendment 95 agreed to. Amendment 96 moved—[Màiri McAllan]. The Presiding Officer: The question is, that amendment 96 be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division.”
“For Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP) Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP) Allan, Alasdair (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP) Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire South) (SNP) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD) Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP) Dey, Graeme (Angus South) (SNP) Don-Innes, Natalie (Renfrewshire North and West) (SNP) Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP) Dornan, James (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP) Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Gougeon, Mairi (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP) Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (LD) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP) Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP) MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP) McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP) McMillan, Stuart (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP) McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Alba) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP) Roddick, Emma (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) [Proxy vote cast by Fulton MacGregor] Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (SNP) Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP) Todd, Maree (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP) Torrance, David (Kirkcaldy) (SNP) Tweed, Evelyn (Stirling) (SNP) Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) [Proxy vote cast by Willie Rennie] Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) Against Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Ind) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Lab) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Lab) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con) Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Lennon, Monica (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) [Proxy vote cast by Ross Greer] McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Russell, Davy (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab) Simpson, Graham (Central Scotland) (Reform) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con) Wells, Annie (Glasgow) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) The Deputy Presiding Officer: The result of the division is: For 61, Against 46, Abstentions 0.”
“Amendment 210 disagreed to. Amendment 211 not moved. Amendment 95 moved—[Màiri McAllan]. The Presiding Officer: The question is, that amendment 95 be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division.”
“For Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Ind) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Lab) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Lab) Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Lennon, Monica (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Alba) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Russell, Davy (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab) Simpson, Graham (Central Scotland) (Reform) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con) Wells, Annie (Glasgow) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) Against Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP) Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP) Allan, Alasdair (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP) Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire South) (SNP) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD) Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP) Dey, Graeme (Angus South) (SNP) Don-Innes, Natalie (Renfrewshire North and West) (SNP) Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP) Dornan, James (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP) Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Gougeon, Mairi (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP) Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (LD) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con) Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP) Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP) MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) [Proxy vote cast by Ross Greer] Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP) McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP) McMillan, Stuart (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP) McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP) Roddick, Emma (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) [Proxy vote cast by Fulton MacGregor] Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (SNP) Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP) Todd, Maree (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP) Torrance, David (Kirkcaldy) (SNP) Tweed, Evelyn (Stirling) (SNP) Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) [Proxy vote cast by Willie Rennie] Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division is: For 39, Against 69, Abstentions 0.”
“Amendment 94 agreed to. Amendment 209 not moved. Amendment 210 moved—[Edward Mountain]. The Presiding Officer: The question is, that amendment 210 be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division.”
“For Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP) Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP) Allan, Alasdair (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP) Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire South) (SNP) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Lab) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP) Dey, Graeme (Angus South) (SNP) Don-Innes, Natalie (Renfrewshire North and West) (SNP) Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP) Dornan, James (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP) Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Lab) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Gougeon, Mairi (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP) Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (LD) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP) Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Lennon, Monica (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP) MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) [Proxy vote cast by Ross Greer] Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP) McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP) McMillan, Stuart (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP) McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP) Roddick, Emma (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Russell, Davy (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab) Simpson, Graham (Central Scotland) (Reform) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) [Proxy vote cast by Fulton MacGregor] Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (SNP) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP) Todd, Maree (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP) Torrance, David (Kirkcaldy) (SNP) Tweed, Evelyn (Stirling) (SNP) Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) [Proxy vote cast by Willie Rennie] Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) Against Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Ind) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con) Wells, Annie (Glasgow) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division is: For 83, Against 24, Abstentions 0.”
“Amendment 208 disagreed to. Amendment 94 moved—[Maggie Chapman]. The Presiding Officer: The question is, that amendment 94 be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division.”
“For Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Ind) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Lab) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Lab) Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con) Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Lennon, Monica (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Alba) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Russell, Davy (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab) Simpson, Graham (Central Scotland) (Reform) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con) Wells, Annie (Glasgow) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) Against Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP) Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP) Allan, Alasdair (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP) Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire South) (SNP) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD) Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP) Dey, Graeme (Angus South) (SNP) Don-Innes, Natalie (Renfrewshire North and West) (SNP) Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP) Dornan, James (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP) Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Gougeon, Mairi (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP) Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (LD) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP) Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP) MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) [Proxy vote cast by Ross Greer] Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP) McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP) McMillan, Stuart (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP) McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP) Roddick, Emma (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) [Proxy vote cast by Fulton MacGregor] Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (SNP) Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP) Todd, Maree (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP) Torrance, David (Kirkcaldy) (SNP) Tweed, Evelyn (Stirling) (SNP) Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) [Proxy vote cast by Willie Rennie] Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division is: For 41, Against 67, Abstentions 0.”
“Amendment 207 disagreed to. Amendment 208 moved—[Edward Mountain]. The Presiding Officer: The question is, that amendment 208 be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. The app would not connect. I would have voted yes. The Presiding Officer: Thank you, Mr Whittle. We will ensure that that is recorded. For Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Ind) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Lab) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Lab) Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con) Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Lennon, Monica (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Alba) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Russell, Davy (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab) Simpson, Graham (Central Scotland) (Reform) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con) Wells, Annie (Glasgow) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) Against Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP) Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP) Allan, Alasdair (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP) Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire South) (SNP) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD) Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP) Dey, Graeme (Angus South) (SNP) Don-Innes, Natalie (Renfrewshire North and West) (SNP) Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP) Dornan, James (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP) Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Gougeon, Mairi (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP) Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP) Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP) MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) [Proxy vote cast by Ross Greer] Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP) McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP) McMillan, Stuart (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP) McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP) Roddick, Emma (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) [Proxy vote cast by Fulton MacGregor] Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (SNP) Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP) Todd, Maree (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP) Torrance, David (Kirkcaldy) (SNP) Tweed, Evelyn (Stirling) (SNP) Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) [Proxy vote cast by Willie Rennie] Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division is: For 40, Against 66, Abstentions 0.”
“As far as emergency care is concerned, there are very clear pathways to such care in place to support the communities in Skye, and that provision is on-going.”
“I think that basic healthcare should be the same, regardless of the locality. Emergency care— whether that is accident and emergency care, care to deal with events such as strokes and heart attacks, or maternity care—is required with a level of urgency. Does the minister recognise that, as long as health boards are forced to centralise services to balance budgets, rural communities such as those in the Highlands and Islands will keep having local healthcare pulled away from them, which degrades care and puts lives at risk? Neil Gray: I know that Mr Whittle will not have wanted to do this, but he has conflated urgent care and emergency care. Today, we are talking about urgent care, particularly in the out-of-hours period, and accessibility to that in Portree, which has been maintained.”
“The new court could be trauma informed, but I do not believe that we need legislation for a trauma-informed court—it could be done now, although the bill talks of “trauma- informed practice” throughout. Having a stand-alone court in the bill has created many problems that the Government has had to go back and fix. One of the substantial issues that it had to fix was on rights of audience, which is not an insignificant matter and proved to be quite a serious omission from the bill as drafted. The Government did not consider who would represent whom—for example, senior advocates who represent people in the High Court would not necessarily be in the sexual offences court. However, the Government has now corrected that, and we have to hope that it has got that right and that there are no gaps. My proposal would not require to fix that at all.”
“The High Court is a peripatetic court, so it could extend the number of locations that it uses if it so wished—it has previously done so. As with the proposed sexual offences court, there would be judges and counsel dedicated to dealing with sexual offences. It is important to note that the figures show that High Court judges already deal with a high number of rape and sexual offences cases, so they are specialists in what they do to some degree. However, rape cases will no longer be heard in the High Court as a result of the Government’s proposals but will be heard in the new sexual offences court. I am sure that the Government will say that the new court will have the same sentencing powers, but let us be clear: it is not the High Court. The highest court will still be the High Court of Justiciary, which currently operates.”
“The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has said to the Criminal Justice Committee that the only realistic opportunity is to create a stand-alone court, but it is not the only option. My amendments deal with what I believe would be a more sensible option. I do not intend to move amendments 110 and 111, because they just set out different ways of doing the same thing as amendment 109. Amendment 109, along with most of the amendments that run from 112 to 160, would allow the High Court to make the sexual offences court a division within the High Court. There would also be a sexual offences division within the sheriff court. I understand that we would have the same number of courts, because the High Court uses nine locations and there are 38 sheriff courts.”
“Amendment 53 disagreed to. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Group 16 is entitled “Sexual Offences Court: establishment”. Amendment 109, in the name of Pauline McNeill, is grouped with amendments 110 to 113, 116 to 122, 124 to 126, 128 to 146 and 158 to 160. Pauline McNeill: I will speak to amendment 109 and also to amendments 110 to 113, 116 to 121, 125 and 126, which are all consequential amendments. I will not go through them all. The amendments relate to the creation of a sexual offences court. We all acknowledge the growth in the volume of sexual offence cases. The last time that we were notified, 69 per cent of cases in the High Court involved sexual offences.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app froze. I would have voted yes. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Thank you, Mr Whittle. Your vote will be recorded. For Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab) Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab) Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Lab) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Lab) Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Lennon, Monica (Central Scotland) (Lab) Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) [Proxy vote cast by Michael Marra] Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Alba) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Russell, Davy (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab) Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow) (Lab) Simpson, Graham (Central Scotland) (Reform) Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con) Wells, Annie (Glasgow) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) Against Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP) Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP) Allan, Alasdair (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP) Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire South) (SNP) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green) Coffey, Willie (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP) Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD) Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP) Dey, Graeme (Angus South) (SNP) Don-Innes, Natalie (Renfrewshire North and West) (SNP) Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP) Dornan, James (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP) Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) Gibson, Kenneth (Cunninghame North) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Gougeon, Mairi (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP) Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (LD) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP) Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green) Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP) Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP) Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP) Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP) MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) [Proxy vote cast by Ross Greer] Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP) McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP) McMillan, Stuart (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP) McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP) Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP) Roddick, Emma (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP) Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (SNP) Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP) Thomson, Michelle (Falkirk East) (SNP) Todd, Maree (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP) Torrance, David (Kirkcaldy) (SNP) Tweed, Evelyn (Stirling) (SNP) Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) [Proxy vote cast by Willie Rennie] Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) The Deputy Presiding Officer: The result of the division is: For 42, Against 69, Abstentions 0.”
“Neil Gray: I recognise the question from Brian Whittle, but there are 48,909.6 whole-time equivalent qualified nurses and midwives working in NHS Scotland. That is a 2.7 per cent increase over the past year and a 13 per cent increase in the past decade. As I have already stated to Carol Mochan, the UCAS data does not cover all routes into university for those subjects, with part-time, Open University and most postgraduate courses not using the UCAS platform. On the vacancy rates, there is increased investment and increased activity to bring down waiting times, and I expect an increased number of places to be available for recruitment. I encourage our boards to ensure that they are utilising the talent that exists here in Scotland among nurses and midwives.”
“The figures that we have before us follow the reports that I highlighted last week, which show that the number of nursing and midwifery vacancies has risen by 60 per cent in just six months. Those figures were preceded by numerous others, all pointing to the same issue. Scotland’s national health service is not attracting or retaining the staff that it needs in order to care for patients properly or to clear backlogs. That reminds me of when my daughter applied to do midwifery less than 10 years ago. She was one of 43 who were accepted. There were 440 places. Nurses now have to go through clearing to fill those places. Does the cabinet secretary recognise that there is a serious problem here? How do they intend to ensure that we will make the NHS in Scotland a more attractive place to work?”
“To ask the First Minister what urgent steps the Scottish Government is taking in response to reports that nursing and midwifery vacancies have risen by 60 per cent in six months. (S6F-04284)”
“In October, we will bring in regulations in relation to healthy food options, and specifically on high fat, salt and sugar. There is also the legislation on minimum unit pricing for alcohol. We are working closely with the UK Government to ensure that the gambling levy funding is allocated specifically to support people with gambling issues, which can also impact on their health. This Government is ensuring that we take a health in all policies approach to improving people’s health because, if we do not have healthy people, we do not have healthy businesses or a healthy Scotland. That is what I am working towards. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I ask for more brevity in responses. Question 2 was not lodged. ADHD Assessments (Children) 3.”
“In April, the Scottish Fiscal Commission published its “Fiscal Sustainability Report”, which raised concerns about the pressures that ill health will place on future Scottish budgets. It said that, if population health improved relative to the rest of the United Kingdom, fiscal pressure could be eased, but it would rise if population health worsened. Given that healthy life expectancy has been falling since 2014 to 2016, is the minister concerned that we might be on a path to the worst health scenario projection? Jenni Minto: I recognise the amount of work that Brian Whittle does in the area of preventative health activity. The Scottish Government has looked at tobacco and vaping and is working with the United Kingdom Government on a bill that will try to reduce people’s reliance on tobacco and vaping.”
“Outdoor residential learning is the absolute epitome of preventative spend and perhaps one of the best ways of investing in our children’s experiential learning. Surely, all our children and young people deserve the opportunity to have their own brontosaurus story. 17:58”
“We can confidently assert that the challenges of residential courses demonstrate to young people learning skills such as planning, budgeting, leadership, team development, resilience, confidence and managing difficult and real-life situations. That sounds like middle management to me, and we can pay a fortune to attain those skills. I strongly advocate that, if we are to properly tackle health inequality and the attainment gap, we need to ensure that inequality in access to residential outdoor experiential learning is tackled. My concern is that, like sporting activity, experiential learning is more and more becoming a personal learning and development tool for those who have, to the exclusion of those who have not.”
“I do not necessarily advocate that children and young people should follow our lead in some of our behaviour, but they should have the opportunity to access learning in a variety of ways and create their own great memories from school. Changing the venue and experience can change people’s thought process. Not every pupil is at their best when learning in a classroom; when we expand the horizons of learning, bring learning to life and connect with real environments, new opportunities open up for them and their futures. If we offer only a narrow educational path, we will cater only for those for whom that pathway works. Some elements of education and personal development that are crucial in the classroom are far better learned outside the classroom.”
“Every time I think about that, I picture the primordial earth with all the ingredients of life waiting to be energised, then, all of a sudden—boom!—a brontosaurus. Every time that I think about that, it makes me laugh out loud. Deputy Presiding Officer, you might think that that is a bit of a strangled route to an educational benefit, but the point is that that is a shared experience that I remember. Every time that I meet a friend from back then, it always comes up. Yes, we learned what we were supposed to learn in a real, live environment, but we also learned about interaction, camaraderie and making lifelong memories.”
“I, too, thank my friend and colleague Liz Smith for the debate and for her relentless work in developing her member’s bill on the promotion of universally available outdoor learning. I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak again on one of my favourite topics. I will share some of my outdoor learning experiences. At Glaisnock house, during a weekend away to study for O-level geology, we studied the Lugar sill, igneous intrusions and sedimentary rock in the Lugar mine. We learned about limestone pavements, clints and grikes. During a discussion about fossils, when the lecturer asked us what we thought the first living thing on earth was, a student put up her hand and confidently declared that it would have been a brontosaurus.”
“Maree Todd: I emphasise again that there is not a binary choice between the Thistle safer drug consumption facility, which is definitely saving lives and has already saved lives, and alternative treatment approaches. We need to invest in all the approaches—the multiplicity of approaches. The drug death challenge and the crisis that we are in are complex. We need a multitude of answers and responses to them, and the Thistle is merely one of those. As I said in my answer to Mr Whittle’s colleague Annie Wells, the Thistle facility is funded as an additional resource. That ensures that it does not reduce or replace investment in any other local community recovery pathways.”
“I was speaking to representatives of third sector organisations in East Ayrshire, who stated that the way in which drug death statistics are compiled means that the actual figures will be much worse. Those organisations are the ones that are most likely to interact with the most vulnerable people long before statutory services do. They continually tell me that they are being starved of resources and that too many people are falling through the cracks. What research has the Scottish Government undertaken to establish what impact the £7 million investment in the Thistle centre would have had if that money had been invested in the third sector, instead of asking those organisations to operate on ever-decreasing budgets?”
“We are working with the UK Government on what it is doing in relation to the hydrogen allocation round support that it provides, which is absolutely vital. We are concentrating on the innovation side of things, which involves supporting companies. As far as I am concerned, we need to aim as high as we can on the production of hydrogen. There is a great market for it in Germany, in particular, but there is also a great need for it in decarbonising Scotland’s industrial complexes. Many jobs will come with that if we aim high.”
“The 2020 Scottish hydrogen assessment suggested that Scotland could deliver up to 126TW of hydrogen energy per year by 2045, with up to 96TW of hydrogen being available for export to Europe and the rest of the UK in the most ambitious scenario. However, the most recent Climate Change Committee carbon budget reduced that forecast to 60TW in 2040. Does the minister think that that reduction in budget is a result of not being able to properly connect suppliers and offtakers? Gillian Martin: I am trying to piece together the parts of that question. Brian Whittle mentioned the Climate Change Committee’s estimate. The Climate Change Committee does not fund any hydrogen projects—it is up to Governments to do that.”
“As Kenny Gibson alluded to, kidney disease in particular remains largely absent from national planning in Scotland, despite being identified in the long-term conditions framework consultation as a major gap. In conclusion—having got about halfway through what I wanted to say—I thank Kenny Gibson again, and I thank Kidney Care UK for its briefing. We need to consider how we prevent the disease in the first instance, because the cost to the national health service and the cost to the individual is high. 17:45”
“As every member in the chamber will know, having heard me speak about this before, we should be looking at how we prevent conditions such as obesity in the first place, rather than having to treat them once they occur. Prevention, detection and lifestyle advice are all really important. CKD is also a major risk factor in developing cardiovascular disease, and it can be made worse by CVD. We recognise the importance of the integrated approach to comorbid chronic disease. However, there is significant concern that a single long-term condition framework risks oversimplifying the complexities of long-term conditions, which often have significantly different clinical pathways, with different specialisms and different impacts on patients’ lives.”
“Both the prevalence of CKD and its cost to the NHS are expected to increase significantly in the next decade. There are a lot of comorbidities associated with CKD. One issue that I discussed with the organisations earlier today was the impact that a diagnosis of CKD will have on someone’s mental health. One in three people with CKD experience depression, which worsens health outcomes and adds to the pressures on the mental health system. Kidney Care UK, through its free counselling service, hears daily from people who are undergoing those challenges, but there is very limited support available to patients on the NHS. Obesity is linked to a higher risk of CKD. As we well know, obesity levels in Scotland are at a record high and are rising, and that needs to be tackled.”
“In 2023, 45 per cent of those people were sitting at stages 3 to 5, with kidney function of less than 60 per cent. We can talk about prevention, as I often do in the chamber. CKD currently costs Scotland’s economy more than £0.5 billion per year, and Kidney Research UK suggests that, without significant Government intervention, that could rise to more than £1 billion by 2033. The total annual economic impact of kidney disease in the UK is £7 billion, costing the NHS £6.4 billion, which is about 3.2 per cent of the overall NHS budget. Employment rates among people on dialysis are low, sitting at 26 per cent. It is projected that between 2022 and 2032, CKD in the UK will result in something like 8.1 million missed work days in people diagnosed with CKD, and 11.9 million work days missed by carers of people with CKD.”
“I thank my colleague Kenny Gibson for bringing the debate to the chamber. I also thank the organisations with which I have engaged fairly regularly—I met Kidney Care UK today, in fact, and I have met Kidney Research UK. NHS Ayrshire and Arran has been very helpful, as have the British Heart Foundation and Obesity Action Scotland. The statistics for chronic kidney disease are stark. More than 600,000 people in Scotland are living with CKD, which is more than 10 per cent of the population. Much of that—as Kenny Gibson stated—is underdiagnosed. It will not surprise members to hear that poverty and health inequalities disproportionately affect people with CKD; we hear the same across many conditions. I heard today from Kidney Care UK’s advocacy and support teams about those who come to the organisation for advice and grants.”
“Neither the Israeli Government nor Hamas can claim to be innocent victims, but their choices have created many among their citizens. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I remind members that back-bench speeches are up to four minutes. 16:25”
“Because of its actions, we can safely surmise that it cares little for the Palestinian people. Maggie Chapman: Will the member take an intervention? The Deputy Presiding Officer: The member is concluding. Brian Whittle: My question is: where is the UN in all this? It cannot be outwith its ability to ensure that supplies get to where they are needed. It has shown itself to be toothless and useless. Netanyahu is not Israel, and Hamas is not Palestine. Both of the civilian populations have spoken out against their respective leaders. I do not excuse the actions that have been taken, nor do I condone the choices that have been made, but there can be no lasting peace until both sides are willing to face up to the consequences of their actions and accept that neither side has a monopoly on the moral high ground.”
“After all, the safety of a country and its people is the first duty of any government. In acknowledging Israel’s right to attempt to retrieve its citizens and supporting its right to defend itself, the world asked for restraint. We asked for the Israeli Government to protect the innocent. Netanyahu has pursued a war that in no way protects the citizens of Gaza. Hamas may have committed the most brutal of atrocities, but one atrocity does not justify another. Netanyahu must be held to account. However, as I raised with the First Minister, what I cannot get my head around is why supplies are not getting through to the people who desperately need them. There is no shortage, after all. Both sides might blame each other, but there is no doubt in my mind that Hamas is intercepting supplies where it can and is diverting them.”
“The 251 hostages were taken by Hamas as bargaining chips and human shields against every humanitarian law we might wish to mention. We must never lose sight of that, and under no circumstances can Hamas in any way profit from their actions or fail to be held to account—nor can the Houthis, Hezbollah or the Iranian Government, for that matter. They have all stated categorically that they wish the purging of all Israelis—the very definition of genocide. Ivan McKee: We all share the member’s reflections on the events of 7 October—the First Minister has been very clear about that in his statement—but does Brian Whittle believe that they justify genocide by the Israeli Government? Brian Whittle: Ivan McKee pre-empted what I was about to say. The world was outraged at that atrocity, and most people supported Israel’s right to defend itself.”
“In such conflicts, it is always the civilians who bear the brunt of politicians and religious leaders’ misplaced ideology. On 7 October 2023, Hamas fighters launched their assault on Israel, indiscriminately killing 1,200 Israelis in the most brutal and sickening ways. I was on a call with other MSPs, some of whom are in the chamber today, when we were unexpectedly shown footage from the body cams taken from the terrorists. I know that I was not the only one who was unprepared for the level of brutality that had been heaped upon the most innocent of people, and I cannot ever unsee it. What about the footage of those terrorists beating and abusing that young German woman—the only woman, incidentally, seen in all that coverage? She died the most horrendous death.”
“I have said in this chamber before that, when we take away the issues that we create to divide us, such as colour, creed, religion and sexual orientation, people the world over are the same. We want the same basic things—to have a happy childhood, to spend time with friends, to get a good education, to be immersed in our community, to make a decent living, to meet somebody, to have a family and to live in peace without fear—and we all grieve loss. However, it is those proposing to exert power, ideology and control who create division, hatred and violence. Today we are debating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza—and it is a humanitarian crisis—but in recent times, we could have been talking about atrocities in Rwanda, Mariupol, Srebrenica, Aleppo, Bosnia, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Afghanistan.”
“That illustrates that it is, in certain circumstances, unsafe for people even to access aid that is managing to reach them. We need safe and humanitarian routes to get that aid there. It is close at hand, but it needs safety to get there.”
“In an earlier answer, I heard the First Minister discuss the amount of aid that sits waiting on the border, within touching distance of those civilians who need it. Does he share my dismay at the inability of the UN and the international community to collaborate to deliver such vital supplies to the population of Gaza who so desperately need it? The First Minister: With respect, I do not think that that is the problem. The organisations that I have spoken to have given me a very clear outline of the arrangements that they have in place, and they have a track record of delivering aid. What is necessary is a safe pathway to do so. There are people who are being killed when they are going to get aid at some of the existing aid arrangements.”
“The work within the population health framework, along with the other work that my colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care is taking forward, is very much targeted at how we join up economic activity with health-related support to get those individuals back into work. The work that the Deputy First Minister is taking forward—which I outlined—in conjunction with Public Health Scotland and private sector employers is also very much in that space.”
“A large proportion of those who are economically inactive are inactive because of ill health, and Scotland has a particularly poor record in that regard. When will the Scottish Government develop strategies along the preventative health agenda to prevent people from falling into ill health in the first place? Ivan McKee: The data shows that economic inactivity in Scotland is 21.9 per cent, which shows a 1.4 per cent reduction since last year, so that number is moving in the right direction. It is worth pointing out that there are a range of reasons for economic inactivity, including in relation to students—as Kenny Gibson pointed out—and individuals who have retired or who are caring for family members at home. Around a third of that figure is due to ill health.”
“With regard to the workforce, we previously commissioned the national autism implementation team and NHS Education for Scotland to provide professional learning and development to a range of practitioners at a range of levels to increase awareness across those levels. I hope that that clarifies some of the points that Mr Whittle raised. Finally, the data on CAMHS is clearly presented on the Public Health Scotland website, so I refute Mr Whittle’s point about that.”
“It is also why we are taking forward the work with the task force and the additional in-year funding that I have set out today. We want to support our local partners—health boards and children’s services partners—to ensure that the right support is available in the right place. That is absolutely vital. On the question about data, I touched on that issue in my statement. I recognise that we do not currently have a national data set on waiting lists for neurodevelopmental diagnosis. That is why we are committed to continuing to work with health boards and local authorities to assess and understand the data that is available and its applicability to improving outcomes for young people and children in our communities.”
“Tom Arthur: The first thing that I want to say is that I do not view the rise in visibility and demand as catastrophic—I do not think that that is what Brian Whittle intended to say. Neurodivergent people have always been with us, whether as our friends, in our family or in our communities, but they now have more of a voice. They are being heard, and we are working to provide the support that they require. That is important. Over the past five to 10 years, we have had a significant increase in demand. Consequently, our systems must respond to that. That is why we brought forward the specification and the review of the specification, and it is why we supported the pilot areas and the tests of change—we wanted to learn.”
“I understand that not everyone will need or want a diagnosis, but, given the increase in demand, what is the Scottish Government doing to ensure that there are staff to diagnose such conditions in order to give children access to the support that they need, where eligibility for support requires a diagnosis? In situations in which a diagnosis is not wanted, what is the Scottish Government doing to better support children by providing them with an outlet through community activity? In 2023-24, the Scottish National Party pledged £55 million for neurodevelopmental conditions services, yet it did not include dedicated funding for such services in this year’s budget.”