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.”
The complete record
Every one of 814 lines we hold for Alex Cole-Hamilton, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 8 of 17.
“For Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab) Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Ind) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Lab) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab) Gulhane, Sandesh (Glasgow) (Con) Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Lennon, Monica (Central Scotland) (Lab) Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) [Proxy vote cast by Michael Marra] Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Russell, Davy (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab) Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab) Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab) Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab) 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) Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con) Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP) Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP) Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) 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) Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con) Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (Ind) Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP) Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (Con) FitzPatrick, Joe (Dundee City West) (SNP) Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Gibson, Kenneth (Cunninghame North) (SNP) Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con) Gougeon, Mairi (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP) Gray, Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (LD) Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green) Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) 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) Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con) Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con) Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP) Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con) MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP) MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green) [Proxy vote cast by Patrick Harvie] Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP) McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) 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) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) 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) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) [Proxy vote cast by Maggie Chapman] Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP) Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP) [Proxy vote cast by Fulton MacGregor] Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) 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) Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con) Wells, Annie (Glasgow) (Con) White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con) Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division is: For 21, Against 99, Abstentions 0.”
“Amendment 201 disagreed to. Amendment 309 moved—[Rhoda Grant]. The Presiding Officer: The question is, that amendment 309 be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No. The Presiding Officer: There will be a division. The vote is closed. Keith Brown: On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I would have voted no. The Presiding Officer: Thank you, Mr Brown. We will ensure that that is recorded.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app froze. I, too, would have voted yes. The Presiding Officer: Thank you, Mr Cole- Hamilton. We will ensure that that is recorded. For Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con) 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) Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (Ind) Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (Con) Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con) Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con) Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con) Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (LD) Gulhane, Sandesh (Glasgow) (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) McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD) McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD) Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (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) Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD) 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) Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP) 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) (Ind) Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab) Coffey, Willie (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP) 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) FitzPatrick, Joe (Dundee City West) (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) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) 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) Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP) Lennon, Monica (Central Scotland) (Lab) Leonard, Richard (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 Patrick Harvie] Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP) Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP) Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab) Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP) Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind) Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP) 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) McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab) Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP) Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab) Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab) [Proxy vote cast by Michael Marra] 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) Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green) [Proxy vote cast by Maggie Chapman] 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) Thomson, Michelle (Falkirk East) (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) Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP) The Presiding Officer: The result of the division is: For 33, Against 86, Abstentions 0.”
“That is why it is so important that, in addition, work is being done to expand hospital at home services to support people in their own homes for longer, including for people who have such an acuity of need that it is a challenge to meet their social care needs. I look forward to the discussion that we are about to have in 15 minutes, when we can discuss more of these issues, as we do regularly. The Presiding Officer: That concludes topical question time. I apologise to those members I was unable to fit in. Financial Considerations When Leaving an Abusive Relationship”
“Neil Gray: I share Alex Cole-Hamilton’s assessment of some of the challenges that are being faced around the delays that are being suffered by people who need to use the Ambulance Service and, indeed, by people in accident and emergency. There is an issue with flow through the system, which is why we are bolstering general practice through the investment that we are making there to support more people in primary care. That is also why we have invested record levels in social care, going beyond our previous commitments to invest in social care to the tune of £2.2 billion. I recognise that there is significant demand on social care.”
“The stacking of ambulances outside our A and E departments and the long, protracted waits inside A and E are not a result of a deficiency in emergency care. Instead, they are a result of the fact that, on any given night in Scotland, 2,000 Scots are stuck in hospital who are well enough to go home but too frail to do so without either a care bed or a care package to receive them into the community. That is because this Government has failed on social care. Does the cabinet secretary recognise that the situation in our communities is getting worse, particularly in the Highlands, which is seeing care homes close? Will he instruct an urgent inquiry into all preventable deaths caused as a result of the crisis in emergency care?”
“Once again, I point to the fact that, where people have managed to come together—whether for the Afghan cohort, Syrian refugees or Ukrainians—there are demonstrations of how that can work, but it takes all levels of Government to do that. I am disappointed by the way that the announcement has been handled, but there is now the opportunity for the UK Government to work with the Scottish Government and others to make the correct decisions, as we go forward, on the use of Cameron barracks and on the policy in general. The Presiding Officer: Thank you. That concludes the urgent question. My apologies to those members whom I was unable to call. Land Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 15:53”
“Shirley-Anne Somerville: The context that Mr Cole-Hamilton provided is important. Compassion and common sense are not too much to ask for in relation to a policy that deals with asylum seekers and people who are fleeing war and persecution. There is a requirement for us to ensure that suitable accommodation is provided. That is a requirement for the UK Government and the Home Office, but in the Scottish Government and, I am sure, on the part of councils right across Scotland, there is a willingness to work with the UK Government on it; indeed, we recognise our responsibilities in that regard. The UK Government is responsible for accommodation for asylum seekers, but there are devolved services involved.”
“The lack of notice to, or involvement of, elected representatives at all levels in Inverness is unforgivable. Had they been consulted, they would have told the UK Government that it is simply moving asylum seekers from one kind of unsuitable and costly accommodation to another. Compassion must guide our approach, but so, too, must common sense. Inverness is a welcoming town, but the centrality of the barracks will give rise to the same concerns—particularly about the impact on local services—that are leading the Government to end the use of asylum hotels in the first place. Does the cabinet secretary agree that alternative space must be found and that, with urgency, the UK Government should recruit 2,000 new casework officers to clear down those asylum claims?”
“For those reasons, the Liberal Democrats will support the bill’s general principles at decision time. Every life lost to addiction is one too many. We cannot afford to let the conversation pass us by and close the book on legislative change for the rest of this parliamentary session. Therefore, we will support the bill at decision time. The Deputy Presiding Officer: We move to the open debate. 15:50”
“That includes providing access to a safe, warm and stable home; ensuring that they have a trajectory and purpose in life, through education, training or employment; and understanding, at every stage, the trauma that underpins the decisions that they have taken up to this point. I do not believe that the concerns about staffing or capacity are good enough reason to reject the bill. It is up to the Scottish Government to work with parliamentarians to say that, if it is the will of Parliament—and I believe that it should be the will of Parliament—we will make a funding envelope around the bill that accommodates the needs of the services that now exist for harm reduction and stabilisation, but that also offers the crucial right to recovery and rehabilitation that Douglas Ross has rightly put in his bill.”
“In every measure that we deploy—whether it is a right to rehab, stabilisation or harm reduction in the corridors of the Thistle or in centres like it, which I hope will be rolled out across the country—we have to recognise that trauma-informed practices are key to not just helping people to conquer their addictions at that moment in time, but to addressing and resolving the underlying trauma that led them to that space in the first place. We need to wrap around a range of additional services, once people are stabilised, to help them to conquer problems in their lives that are unrelated to substance use but that underpin that use in the first place.”
“I look forward to working with the member in charge, if Parliament passes the bill at stage 1 today, to get it to a place where we can answer those criticisms and, by so doing, respond to the committee’s reflections on the financial memorandum and the deficiencies that it sees therein, of which we heard from Clare Haughey. The bill might be far from perfect, and I am not entirely convinced that it provides all the answers to this crisis—in fact, I know that it does not. We need to recognise that, often, substance use is a response to unresolved childhood trauma.”
“I have had discussions on the issue with Douglas Ross—I am grateful for his time—and I believe that he supports an expansion of that funding envelope so that we can accommodate both types of services, because they should not be mutually exclusive. I am also concerned that, at current workforce levels, we do not have enough people working in addiction services to make the bill’s proposals a reality. That does not mean that we should not try. It does not mean that we should not seek to expand that workforce, because whatever Parliament decides this afternoon, we should expand the number of people who join addiction services and help others to stabilise their lives and get clean of substances. That statement of intent for the bill is powerful, but, without that capacity, it is, potentially, not realistic.”
“Too many people who are seeking help are still turned away, told to wait and sometimes simply lost in the system. The bill creates a legal right for people who are diagnosed with addiction to receive a treatment determination and to begin treatment within three weeks. I have concerns about bringing in a guarantee to be covered by the funding envelope that we currently provide for drug and alcohol services in this country. I am concerned that such a legal imperative will lead to alcohol and drug partnerships, social care partnerships and health boards diverting resources away from crucial trauma-informed and harm reduction services in order to meet that guarantee. However, that need not be the end of the story.”
“I have talked many times about my experience in my journey to Parliament through organisations that provided addiction services, not least to babies who were born addicted to substances and have to go through withdrawal in their first days of life. I was proud of the Liberal Democrat influence on the Scottish budget that allowed an increase in the budget for Aberlour Children’s Charity for its provision of services for babies experiencing neonatal abstinence syndrome. The bill’s aim is to give everybody the right to timely person-centred treatment. We should all be able to get behind that. I do not understand why people are fixated on the gravity of where the bill is now, as opposed to where we could get it to. That is why we are not going to give up on it today.”
“I fundamentally believe, as Liberals do, that harm reduction is something that we need to have everywhere. We do not. We have called for the Thistle pilot to be expanded across the country, not least to our metropolitan areas, but also to those areas of rurality where harm reduction is so badly needed. Rehab has its place, too, however, and people deserve a right to rehab. Therefore we will support the bill, because we cannot turn our backs or close the book on the last opportunity in this session of Parliament to make meaningful change in this area, before a new Government, potentially, is sworn in next spring. We owe it to every family who has lost a loved one to addiction to explore every possible solution, because this is a crisis and a scandal that can blight every part of life’s journey.”
“I congratulate Douglas Ross, not least on the work that he and his staff have done alongside the non-Government bills unit, but also on the work that he has done across the chamber to bring us to a space where the Liberal Democrats will offer our cautious support for the principles of the bill at stage 1. This is the last opportunity before this Parliament rises for the election for us to use our legislative framework to deal with one of the worst crises in our public services and way of life. I listened with interest to what I thought was a compelling speech from the minister, who very bravely took us through some personal examples of addiction in her family, for which I commend her. However, I fundamentally disagree that rehabilitation and harm reduction are in any way mutually exclusive.”
“I make a plea to members across the chamber: support the bill and give us time to improve it, so that we can have a bill that we, in Parliament, and people across Scotland can rally behind. I am exceptionally proud and genuinely honoured to move the motion in my name. I move, That the Parliament agrees to the general principles of the Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill. 15:04”
“Some stakeholders have reservations about the bill and some whole-heartedly support it, but they would all like to work together to improve it if we can get it through stage 1 today. However, we must get past stage 1 to do that. As MSPs consider their votes this afternoon, I ask them to think about the optics of shutting down the debate on a bill that seeks to tackle our national shame of drug and alcohol deaths. Exactly one week ago today, the Parliament agreed to the general principles of the Dog Theft (Scotland) Bill at stage 1. Surely we do not want to find ourselves in a situation in which the Parliament is more interested in debating pets being stolen than in people dying, but that will be the outcome if members vote down my bill tonight.”
“There are areas that I had not even thought about until I was questioned about them as part of the committee’s scrutiny, in relation to which it became clear that the bill could and should be improved. We have the opportunity to do that. A number of points would have to be addressed—although, in some cases, that would involve quite significant amendments, in others, it would require only limited amendments—in order to get the bill through. We must look at those areas. I hope that I have shown throughout the bill process—I sat through every committee session on the bill, and I have tried to engage with members across Parliament—that I am willing to work with and listen to people inside and outside the Parliament to make the bill better and to get it right.”
“The Government knows that what the committee said is true, because it has told us so publicly and in meetings. That is why we need to pass the bill. I reiterate that the bill was developed and drafted by people with lived experience. They know what the problems are and they know what the solutions are, and my bill is one of them. I had intended to go through a number of issues with the committee’s report, but I have already taken up quite a lot of time. I was open with the committee—I said to the convener and the members of the committee, to whom I am grateful for the work that they did, “We can work together to amend elements of the bill.” That is what our parliamentary process is about. We should look at areas of concern. I hold my hands up: the bill is not perfect.”
“I was disappointed that a majority of the committee felt unable to support the general principles of the bill, but I know from my experience on the Education, Children and Young People Committee that some Scottish National Party members voted against the general principles of a bill that that committee considered but were then able to abstain in the stage 1 vote in Parliament. I hope that Government members will consider that today. The committee was right to recognise in its report “the strength of evidence it has seen and heard throughout its Stage1 scrutiny of this Bill of a high level of dissatisfaction with current availability of and access to support services for those experiencing harm from drug or alcohol misuse.” That is it. The committee has heard that evidence.”
“I am on my final lap in this Parliament, as I will be leaving it in a few months’ time, but I will tell anyone who has the honour of being elected here that that group is one that they should focus on, embrace and support, because those individuals can take an idea, put it into words in draft legislation, help with scrutiny, do all the hard work and the heavy lifting and, in some cases, allow us to put our hopes and aspirations into law. I am very grateful to the three of them. [Applause.] The details of the bill are known, and I will not reiterate them, but I want to talk about the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s scrutiny.”
“I also thank the press for its backing for the campaign, including The Times, in today’s edition of which I explained why MSPs should rally behind the bill, and the Sunday Post, which, at the weekend, gave us a clear picture of what is at stake. My final thanks in my opening remarks go to members of the non-Government bills unit, who are sitting at the back of the chamber: Neil Stewart, Roz Thomson and Alison Fraser. I have said this in relation to other non-Government bills.”
“I spoke to them at the beginning of the process, and I had to speak to more of them at the end of the process, because there are now more parties represented in the Parliament. I am grateful to everyone who has engaged during the process. I am grateful to the committees that considered my bill—the Finance and Public Administration Committee, the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee and the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. I thank everyone who engaged with those committees and with my consultation on the bill. I thank Elliot Roy, who supported me through the early stages of the bill, and Jamie Carter. I thank Aris Wilson, in my office, who did a lot of the work to get people round the table so that I could speak to them.”
“I also want to thank the people who have helped the bill to get to this stage. Annemarie Ward and Stevie Wishart are the architects of the bill. They were living and breathing it long before I picked up the parliamentary reins to take it through Holyrood. They are the most knowledgeable and articulate advocates for the bill and for getting people the help and support that they need when they need it. If the bill passes stage 1 today, it will be because of the work of Stevie and Annemarie, and I will forever be grateful to them for what they have done. I also thank all the party leaders and ministers. I have spoken to the Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy and Sport, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, and representatives of every party.”
“Does Douglas Ross recognise that treatment for drug addiction and chaotic lifestyle factors is often about more than only rehabilitation? It is about harm reduction and stabilisation. Comprehensive, trauma-informed recovery work needs to go alongside that. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Mr Ross, I can give you the time back for that intervention. Douglas Ross: Thank you. I agree with Alex Cole-Hamilton’s point, and I am grateful to him for the way in which he has approached the bill. I know that he needs to be convinced on some aspects of it, but he is willing to get behind it to allow further debate and support. I go back to the point that we are voting on the general principles today. We are not voting on implementation issues that may be a cause for concern; it is only about whether we want to support the general principles.”
“All the while, people are still shivering in the shadow of turbines, unable to heat their homes. Will the Scottish Government listen to the Liberal Democrats, to Highland Council and to Shetland Islands Council and will it change those rules to cut energy bills for local people?”
“I entirely associate myself with the First Minister’s remarks about progress towards peace in the Middle East. I also take a moment to offer the sincere thanks of the Scottish Liberal Democrats for the life and work of Sir Menzies Campbell, who was lost to us last week. Ming was a titan of British politics who commanded respect in the Parliament in which he served and in homes across this country. He was a mentor and friend to many in my party and we miss him. I offer condolences to his family at this difficult time. [Applause.] When companies generate renewable energy, they are expected to give money back to the local community, but the amount of cash that we are talking about is pitiful, because the rules have not changed in more than a decade.”
“Jenny Gilruth: In my response to Mr Harvie, I talked about some of the support that we provide, such as funding to the TIE campaign and to LGBT Youth Scotland. I engage directly with our teaching trade unions, and, over the past few months since the Supreme Court’s ruling I have engaged on that issue in particular and how it is impacting on staff in our schools and their engagement with pupils. I will continue to engage in that way with our professional associations and to listen to views from their members about how we might be able to strengthen that support and look at further considerations in that regard. The member has raised a very important point.”
“Whatever one’s point of view on these matters, everyone can recognise that it is harder to be trans in Scotland than it used to be. When trans pupils go to school, they want to be clear about what is expected of them, and they want to know that their anonymity will be protected—if they want it to be—and that teachers, staff and other pupils are there to support them. When it comes to teachers, I have no doubt that they will want to know that the conversations and plans that the guidance suggests that they carry out will be done in the most sensitive manner possible. In that spirit, what further assistance and assurance can the cabinet secretary provide to trans pupils and teachers in navigating these issues?”
“To ask the Scottish Government for what reason patients across Scotland will reportedly not be able to fully access the new MyCare NHS app until 2030. (S6T-02701)”
“In a similar vein, we argued for the move-on period to be 56 days as a matter of permanency, but the UK Government has gone for 28 days. Any measures that get people through a system that fits the needs of Scotland sound good.”
“Kaukab Stewart: I thank Alex Cole-Hamilton for the question and for taking the opportunity to highlight one of the Liberal Democrat policy areas. The UK immigration white paper set out policy intentions that aim to reduce the levels of net migration to the UK. However, our demographic evidence makes it clear that Scotland’s population growth and its working-age population growth rely wholly on sustained positive net migration to Scotland continuing. The UK immigration system is focused on sectoral approaches, but we have argued for visa routes that are differentiated by geography rather than sector or work status, such as the rural visa pilot or the Scottish visa. Although our Scottish graduate visa proposal looked to extend the duration of the visa for two or three years for graduates in Scotland, the UK Government opted to reduce it.”
“I remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests, having been a host for Ukraine for nine months under the homes for Ukraine scheme. I welcome the tone of the minister’s statement, particularly her remarks about the fact that we have a proud tradition of offering safe harbour to people through our asylum system. However, does she recognise that there is a crisis in the asylum backlog because of processing times, which was caused in large part—and deliberately—by the last Conservative Government, and does she agree with Liberal Democrat plans to activate the Civil Contingencies Act 1998, so that we can double the number of caseworkers processing asylum claims and start up Nightingale-style processing centres in order to reduce the number of claims in only six months?”
“I understand that, which is why we have been working with NHS Highland and NHS 24 to ensure that the urgent out-of-hours care that is in place for every other part of the community is also provided on”
“Neil Gray: I am sure that Mr Cole-Hamilton recognises that urgent care services tend not to be drop-in services. He should also be aware that, following the situation last summer, there is now an intercom service at the door of that hospital and that patients will not be turned away. However, in line with normal security provisions for staff, and as is evident elsewhere, the right process is for patients to contact NHS 24 in the first instance to ensure that their needs can be best met and that they are directed to the best services. That is what is in place in every other part of the country. I recognise the concerns that have been raised with me regarding NHS 24 and the knowledge that its staff have of the local system, and I have reflected back to it my experience as an islander.”
“Colleagues will remember that I raised this subject at First Minister’s question time when there was very nearly a tragic incident on the doorstep of Portree hospital last year. The cabinet secretary says that most of the recommendations made by the independent review have been met, but people on Skye still face the possibility of finding the doors of Portree hospital locked during a moment of crisis and some will still be forced into a two- hour round trip to Broadford. Given the tragic incidents of last year and the continued confusion around urgent care, when will people living on the north end of Skye be able to walk into Portree hospital without first having to phone NHS 24 and with the confidence that qualified staff will be there to treat them?”
“Motion agreed to, That the Parliament expresses its profound sadness at the death of George Reid; extends its deepest sympathy and sincere condolences to his family and friends; appreciates the many years of public service that he gave as an MP, MSP, Presiding Officer, and Lord Lieutenant; recognises the substantial contribution that he made to the establishment of the Scottish Parliament and the securing of its place in the life of the nation, and acknowledges his humanitarian work over many decades and the high regard in which he was held by colleagues across the world. The Presiding Officer: I will suspend the meeting briefly before we move to the next item of business. 14:24 Meeting suspended. 14:26 On resuming— Portfolio Question Time Education and Skills”
“On behalf of my party, I extend our profound condolences to his wife, Dee, to his daughter Morag and her family and to all those who mourn him today. [Applause.] The Presiding Officer: The question is, that motion S6M-18531, in the name of John Swinney, on a motion of condolence, be agreed to.”
“By the time that he laid down the mace that sits before you, Presiding Officer, this Parliament was not just complete as a building; it was established in the minds of the Scottish people as the beating heart of the nation’s democracy. Sir George was a man of principle, who was never afraid to speak truth plainly. As the First Minister rightly mentioned, his speech on the Iraq war, which was informed by his years of humanitarian service, was one of the finest that I have ever heard in the chamber, and I found such common cause with the words that he spoke that day. Sir George was knighted in 2012 for his service to public life, but the honour that mattered most to him, as exemplified by his life’s work, was the chance to serve his community, his country and the cause of humanity.”
“In the Red Cross, he found not just a vocation but a calling. Working in places of conflict and of catastrophe, he brought humanity and hope where both were in short supply. He would later say that it was in that work that he did “far more good than at any other time in” his life. In politics, George made his mark twice: first at Westminster, and then here in Holyrood. As Presiding Officer in the years between 2003 and 2007, he took the chair—as we have heard several times this afternoon—at a very difficult time for the fledgling Parliament. The Holyrood project was mired in delay and controversy, but Sir George always brought order, authority and dignity. He was determined—as he said—to move in and move on, and he succeeded.”
“It is a tremendous privilege to pay tribute to Sir George Reid on behalf of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. His passing marks the loss of one of the most substantial figures in the life of the Parliament and the life of Scotland. I met George only a handful of times, and only fleetingly, but I was always in awe of him and he was always generous with that time. I saw, from the outside, what this chamber meant to Sir George and, over time, what he would come to mean to the chamber. He was a man of great intellect, deep compassion and integrity. From those roots in Tullibody, he never lost his pride in Clackmannanshire. He never forgot where he came from or what was behind him, but he was always looking forward and outward—a profound internationalist. As we have heard, his career in journalism led him to the very heart of global events.”
“The Scottish Government’s ferry fiasco is a national embarrassment. It has cost us a fortune, but no Scottish National Party minister has ever had the decency to resign. Scottish Liberal Democrats have been arguing for years that islanders and coastal communities deserve compensation for the colossal disruption to their lives. Now, the Scottish Government has belatedly set up a scheme, but far too many are excluded from it. Why do businesses on Mull, Iona, Coll, Tiree, Islay and Jura all get absolutely nothing?”
“The Deputy Presiding Officer: We are now beyond our 20 minutes, and there are still eight members who want to ask a question. I will get them all in, as we have a bit of time over the course of the afternoon. However, the questions— and, in particular, the responses—will need to be more brief.”
“Maree Todd: I thank the member for his interest in this area, and I am grateful to the Liberal Democrats for working with us to deliver the investment in Aberlour and in Glasgow, and for supporting our budget, which delivers real change on the ground. On the issue of making drug-checking facilities available at festivals, there is a specific barrier to that being done, as the UK Home Office is wedded to the idea of those services being available only to people who are dependent on drugs. I seek support from across the chamber to shift the view on that issue. I am really concerned about the threat to people who call themselves recreational drug users, who are buying drugs on an illegal market that may not be what they think they are and which could well contain synthetic opioids. If an opioid-naive person takes those, that is catastrophic.”
“I associate myself with Paul Sweeney’s remarks on the sad passing of Peter Krykant, who was a friend to many in the chamber. We are talking about 85 people a month who are dying in Scotland’s drug death emergencies— the figures are the worst in Europe. It is why Liberal Democrats put the issue at the heart of our budget negotiations last year, with extra money now going to services such as recovery services for women and their babies. I was glad to hear the minister talk about work towards long-overdue drug-checking pilots. In speaking with Home Office ministers, will she also consider rolling the pilots out to festivals and concerts? We know that, as has happened in my constituency, they have been blighted by this tragedy, too.”
“The international fund for middle east peace, which my party supports, is one way to bring together communities across the divide.”
“That means pressing for an immediate ceasefire, ensuring that aid flows freely and using every diplomatic lever that we have to secure the unconditional release of the remaining Israeli hostages. It also means Britain going further than the Prime Minister’s limited plan. We must end arms sales to Israel and apply targeted sanctions against members of the Israeli Cabinet who are responsible for violations of international law. At the same time, we must work with international partners to identify and support democratic leaders of Palestine and to prepare for swift elections that can unite Gaza and the West Bank under one legitimate representative Government. Only then can a Palestinian state be stable and enduring. We must invest in that peace.”