Alex Cole-Hamilton
Scottish Liberal Democrats · Scotland
“I am sure that all members will join me in expressing solidarity with Scotland’s Muslim community after the brutal and unprovoked attacks on the streets of Edinburgh last weekend. That community’s response to those attacks has not been one of violence or revenge; it has been to make a plea for tolerance and understanding.”
“All told, more than 1,400 inmates have been let out of prison since the early release scheme began, and that is because our prisons are bursting at the seams. However, that is not a strategy and it will not protect the public.”
“Let that sink in, because the language of displacement and othering is the antithesis of the cohesion that Lord Offord speaks about so regularly. Liberals believe in reform—of course we do. The Whig Government in 1832— Amanda Bland: Will the member take an intervention? Alex Cole-Hamilton: I will give way to Amanda Bland.”
“This was an opportunity for Reform to prove everybody wrong and to pepper the chamber this afternoon with speeches that were measured in tone and full of bright ideas to fix the things that are wrong in Scotland. We have heard none of that today.”
“I welcome the minister’s remarks about the Edinburgh attacks. Does he recognise, as do members on these benches, that as well as expressing solidarity with the Muslim community of Scotland, we owe them a debt of gratitude that there was no call for activism and action on the streets of Scotland by the Muslim community?”
“That is why the Government is prioritising an economy with a strength that is felt by people, businesses and communities across Scotland. Scotland is a great place and, collectively, we are making it even greater.”
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“On a previous occasion when we debated a motion on culture, I spoke about how important the arts and the culture sector can be in supporting and unifying us during fractious and turbulent times—a theme that was captured very well in an eloquent speech by Maggie Chapman. Arts and culture provide a form of refuge, allowing us to shut out the outside world for a little while. They can also deliver a powerful message about the society that we live in or the society that we seek to be, making us think about different perspectives on issues. Theatres, museums and music venues can become a vital part of any community—a hub, and the beating heart of the community, be it urban or rural—and they can play an important role in our daily lives.”
“I very much welcome the motion before us today, which affords us a rare opportunity to debate something that seldom captures our attention in this chamber and far less captures Government time. The subject comes before us on an auspicious day for the Scottish culture sector, given the assurances that can now be made about the future of the old Royal high school building a few hundred yards from here, which has moved a step closer to becoming a new national centre for music, thanks to a £5 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Once considered a possible home for our reconvened Parliament, the building is now set to be filled with music, sound and activity—a far cry from the discordant clamour that we would have graced its walls with in the past 25 years if we had taken occupancy.”
“Indeed, research consistently shows that those who come here for economic reasons pay more in tax than they receive in benefits—and by a country mile. Immigration and the economy are fundamentally connected. A consequence of the hard Brexit that was imposed on us by the Conservative Government was the cutting off a source of labour for our farms, our care homes, our NHS, and our tourism and hospitality industry. Liberal Democrats are pragmatic and remorseless about building bridges and re-establishing our broken connections with our European friends and neighbours. Lorna Slater: Alex Cole-Hamilton mentioned reconnecting with Europe, but what about rejoining the European Union? What do you think the pathway is for Scotland to rejoin the European Union?”
“In fact, we need targeted measures to make that a reality, not only because of the positive contribution that immigrants make, but because all our demographic projections—we have already heard about some of them in the debate—suggest that Scotland’s population is in fundamental decline. We will see more deaths than births every year for the next 25 years. It is projected that there will be as many as 10,000 more by 2041. That is astonishing. Population growth is therefore essential, because it underpins future economic growth and the sustainability of our public services. Immigration is essential for maintaining that growth, but it is also essential for sustainability of services. We need people to move here to plug the gaps in the Scottish workforce and to contribute to the tax base.”
“I am grateful to the Government for bringing the debate to the chamber. I begin with a reflection on my interests, as Maggie Chapman did. I am a proud product of immigration—not from Africa, as she is, but from the Pacific north-west of Canada. I am very grateful for the life that my mother has made in this country and I know that she is still grateful for the welcome that she has been given. Liberal Democrats believe fundamentally that immigration makes our country stronger and more prosperous. Rather than demonising those who want to come here, we need to encourage immigration to Scotland.”
“Rather, we should strive together to ensure that all people in Scotland, regardless of their place of birth, have all their rights fulfilled, because human rights do not stop at our borders or on our beaches. I move amendment S6M-16034.1, to insert at end: “; remains committed to ensuring that all migrants in Scotland have all of their rights fulfilled; recognises the pervasive and increasingly hostile anti-migrant rhetoric from some politicians and media sources; believes that further action is required by both the UK and Scottish governments to support people displaced due to the climate crisis, and calls on the UK Government to remove the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) conditions that limit the support and services available to many, especially those seeking asylum.” 15:32”
“I was encouraged by the substantial consensus that supported our position and by the thoughtful and compassionate contributions of many members, but I was bitterly disappointed by the shameful response of some who sought to pretend that the needs and rights of people who are seeking asylum are somehow in opposition to those of elderly people who are facing the bleakness of winter. That is not true. In a world of deepening conflict and climate chaos, vulnerable and marginalised people stand in the same storm. We must cling to one another to survive, we must scan the horizon with wisdom and we must welcome our neighbours—new and old. We must not see migrants either as cogs in the economic machine or as burdens on the public purse.”
“It encourages exploitation and abuse, and it does not even succeed in its purported aim of saving public money. No Government that cares about reducing child poverty, violence against women, child exploitation or organised crime could justify the continuation of that scandalous measure. For a Government that is led by a former human rights lawyer, the position is utterly untenable. I therefore ask the Scottish Government to make urgent representations to its Westminster counterpart, and I implore Labour members in this Parliament to use whatever influence they have to make that vital change happen. Towards the end of last year, Scottish Greens held a debate about free bus travel for people who are seeking asylum.”
“Maggie Chapman’s amendment is very well pitched, as are her remarks about the conditions that are placed on asylum seekers—people who are seeking safe harbour in our country. Does she agree with the Liberal Democrats that we should change the conditions to allow, in particular, asylum seekers who have been here and waiting for more than three months to begin working? Many would do so with great enthusiasm, and would seek to repay the generosity that they have been shown. Maggie Chapman: Absolutely. Several parties in this Parliament have been begging the UK Government to reconsider that policy. It is cruel, it is vindictive and, like the no recourse to public funds policy that I am speaking of, it has no place in a compassionate society. The NRPF policy leaves people, especially children, destitute and desperate.”
“I remind the chamber that, before being elected to this Parliament, I worked for eight years for the children’s charity Aberlour Child Care Trust. To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet. (S6F-03675)”
“It is not one that I accept and we need to see improvement. That will happen by creating capacity, and that will come through the investment that is set out in the budget.”
“As I said in response to Jackie Baillie, Sandesh Gulhane and others, we need to make the investment that is in the proposed budget, which would allow for greater capacity in social care and primary care and thereby avoid people being admitted to hospital in the first place. That would also provide the capacity that would enable our accident and emergency departments to deal with patients and our Scottish Ambulance Service to convey patients. It is about dealing with hospital occupancy, length of stay and delayed discharge. We have prioritised spending in the budget to enable that to happen. I look forward to members of the Scottish Parliament from all parties supporting the budget so that we can provide for improvement of our services. I agree with Alex Cole-Hamilton: the situation with regard to our four-hour standard is not good enough.”
“I echo the words of the cabinet secretary and give thanks to all those who worked over the festive period. This morning, we learned that only 58.4 per cent of people who attended A and E departments in the last week of December were seen within the four-hour waiting time target. More than 3,000 people waited over eight hours to be seen. That is not just intolerable for the patients and staff in our emergency care departments; it is causing ambulances that are unable to discharge their patients to stack up outside, and it is causing delays to getting emergency care to people in our communities who urgently need it. People are dying as a result. Will the cabinet secretary finally instruct an inquiry into deaths that have been caused by the emergency care crisis? Neil Gray: I recognise the challenge that exists in the system.”
“Adults also commit antisocial behaviour. The minister will recall my exchanges here with the First Minister about the scourge of antisocial behaviour by adults driving high-performance vehicles around the village of South Queensferry, in my constituency. I am grateful to the First Minister for his engagement on that topic. He has assured me that we are making progress towards the establishment of a national task force oversight group, which is to be chaired by the minister, so will she update Parliament on progress towards that group? Siobhian Brown: I know that the member, Mr Doris and I will meet Police Scotland, Mr Fairlie and others. In the future, we will include other members in a working group to look into antisocial behaviour with off-road vehicles. Child Sexual Abuse 2.”