Our final item of business is a debate on motion S7M-00343, in the name of Marie McNair, on action mesothelioma day 2026. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament recognises Action Mesothelioma Day 2026, which will be marked on 3 July; understands that this is a national event held each year to raise awareness of mesothelioma and asbestos; notes that mesothelioma is a rare but aggressive form of cancer that is usually caused by exposure to asbestos, with tiny fibres getting into the lungs and damaging them over time; understands that over 2,700 people in the UK are diagnosed with the condition each year, including around 200 in Scotland; notes that the cancer most commonly occurs in the lining of the lung, but can also be found in the lining of both the abdomen and the heart, with symptoms including shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing and tiredness; recognises the importance of grass-roots activism to seek justice for victims, including the campaign, Cape Must Pay!, which calls for the former asbestos manufacturer Cape plc, which is now owned by Altrad, to donate £10 million to mesothelioma research; acknowledges with concern what it sees as the time bar injustice for mesothelioma victims and welcomes the Scottish Law Commission report, Report on Damages for Personal Injury; notes the calls for action to be taken to implement the report’s findings; welcomes the events taking place across the country and encourages everyone to “Go Blue for Meso” by joining or organising a Blue Light Walk to raise awareness or fundraise; applauds the longstanding and ongoing work of the Clydebank Asbestos Group, which has provided information and support to people with asbestos-related conditions for over 30 years, and hopes for a successful Action Mesothelioma Day 2026.
17:25
This is the fifth year that I have managed to secure a debate to mark mesothelioma day. My determination to secure truth and justice for asbestos victims and their families will never wane. I thank those members who have supported my motion and those who are speaking in today’s debate.
This is an issue that deserves cross-party support and, once again, that has been achieved. I also invite Parliament to welcome members of the Clydebank Asbestos Group and Asbestos Action (Tayside), and I make a special mention of Christine Sayer, my local hero from Clydebank Asbestos Group, who will be visiting the Parliament again on Saturday. For decades, those groups have stood beside individuals and families in their time of greatest need. They provide not only advice and support but a voice, ensuring that those affected are heard in this Parliament and beyond.
Since my debate last year, we have, sadly, lost two central figures in the fight for truth and justice: David Colraine, a founding member of the Clydebank Asbestos Group; and former MP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Tony Worthington, who passed away earlier this year. They were a real driving force behind the pursuit of truth and justice for asbestos victims—true giants whose legacy and impact have been felt throughout Clydebank and beyond. Unfortunately, every year, I have mentioned individuals we have lost. For them and for the many unheard victims of asbestos exposure we must see progress and secure justice.
Mesothelioma is a rare but devastating cancer that is mostly caused by exposure to asbestos. Across the United Kingdom, there are around 2,700 new cases each year, including more than 200 in Scotland. However, statistics alone cannot convey the reality of the disease. In my hometown of Clydebank, the issue is deeply personal. Clydebank has paid one of the heaviest prices anywhere in the United Kingdom for asbestos exposure. West Dunbartonshire has some of the highest mesothelioma mortality rates in the country: over a period of nearly 40 years, 295 men in the area died from mesothelioma when only 81 deaths would have been expected. That is one of the highest mortality rates anywhere in the UK. However, even those stark figures do not tell the whole story. Women in our area have also been significantly affected, with more than double the expected number of deaths having been recorded over the same period. Those are not abstract figures; they represent hundreds of families in one community who have lost loved ones.
Clydebank was once described as the mesothelioma capital of Europe. That is a title that no community would ever wish to hold, and it speaks directly to our industrial past: the shipbuilding, manufacturing and construction industries that built our nation at an enormous human cost. However, that cost was not inevitable. For decades, workers were exposed to asbestos fibres—often daily, often without protection, and too often without being advised of the risks. Evidence has since shown that companies were aware of the dangers long before meaningful protections were put in place. As campaigners have rightly said, that was not simply an accident of history; it was a profound failure to protect workers. I say in the strongest terms that knowingly exposing people to a deadly substance without adequate safeguards is not neglect; it is an abhorrent criminal act.
The legacy of asbestos is not confined to the past. It continues to affect people across the United Kingdom today. Around 5,000 people still die each year from asbestos-related disease, making it the single biggest cause of work-related death.
Asbestos is still present in the buildings around us. In Scotland alone, more than 1,700 schools are known to contain asbestos, and there have been cases of teachers—people with no connection to heavy industry—developing mesothelioma after exposure in their workplaces. That is why we need to see the phased removal of asbestos from public buildings, starting with our schools.
We must also address the issue of justice. I have campaigned hard on what I have described as the disgraceful three-year time bar, which has denied justice to some victims of asbestos-related disease. Under current law, an individual who is diagnosed with a relatively minor condition such as pleural plaques might have just three years in which to raise a claim, even though they might not go on to develop mesothelioma until decades later. The nature of asbestos-related disease makes that time limit totally unjust. It is welcome that the Scottish Law Commission recognised that issue and proposed reforms. I met the First Minister and other members of the Government to stress the urgent need to implement those reforms, and I want the earliest possible progress to be made on that.
Despite the scale of the challenge, people are showing resilience. Again and again, I have met individuals who, even in the face of a devastating diagnosis, choose to campaign not for themselves but for others. That selflessness speaks volumes about the strength of our communities. It also places a responsibility on all of us, because we cannot simply reflect on the issue; we must act. We must continue to raise awareness of mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease, we must support research so that we can improve treatment and outcomes, and we must ensure that compensation is fair and accessible by removing barriers such as the time bar. Critically, we must also prevent future exposure. That means properly managing asbestos where it remains and making progress towards its safe removal from public buildings, including our schools.
Mesothelioma is a disease that is rooted in our industrial history, but its impact is still being felt today in Clydebank, across Scotland and throughout the United Kingdom. It reminds us of the human cost of that history and of our responsibility to those who have been affected.
Unfortunately, mesothelioma is not just a disease of the past—far from it. In 2023 alone, 2,218 people in the UK died from it. That is a stark and sobering reminder that the disease continues to take lives every year. In communities such as mine, in Clydebank, that reality is not distant. It is still being felt, heard and lived. Families continue to face loss, people continue to receive a diagnosis and the risks that cause the harm of mesothelioma have not yet been fully removed from the world around us.
Therefore, this is not a closed chapter. We have a continuing responsibility to act where we know that the risk remains, to ensure justice where it has been denied and to prevent future generations from facing the same fate. The burden that is carried by communities such as Clydebank has been far too great for far too long. Although we cannot change what has happened, we can decide what happens next. The future of the issue, whether it remains a story of harm or becomes a turning point for action, is in our hands. Therefore, our purpose must be to recognise the scale of this legacy and our duty to address it so that, in the years to come, it can be said not only that we understood the consequences of asbestos, but that we chose to act decisively to bring them to an end.
17:34
I thank Marie McNair for her long-standing commitment to the cause of action on mesothelioma and for bringing this important debate to the chamber ahead of action mesothelioma day 2026.
I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak in the debate, as I have a close relative in England who was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma two years ago. I also represent the Bathgate constituency, which was home to a wide range of heavy industry, where asbestos use was endemic. It has also been at the forefront of securing justice, with landmark legal cases such as that relating to the Atlas steel foundry in the town of Armadale, in my constituency, helping to shape asbestos liability in Scotland.
At the point of my relative’s diagnosis, even family members who had heard of mesothelioma had little idea of what living with the illness would mean. As the cancer disproportionately affects communities where heavy industry was present and can have such a long latency period, raising awareness of mesothelioma will enable people with symptoms to present earlier and, in the case of diagnosis, will enable patients to be moved as soon as possible on to the best specialist care pathways, so that their quality of life can be maximised, which I am pleased to say was the case for my relative.
Although we are fortunate to have such a strong mesothelioma treatment infrastructure in Scotland, our industrial past and the historical prevalence of industries with heavy asbestos use mean that we also have a disproportionately high number of cases. That is why I commend all that the Scottish mesothelioma network is doing to improve patient care throughout Scotland.
My family knows from experience the massive difference that treatment by a specialist mesothelioma team makes not only to medical outcomes but to mental wellbeing and everyday quality of life. It is essential that everyone who is diagnosed with mesothelioma is able to benefit from specialist treatment wherever they are and whatever their background. To that end, the drive to foster co-operation between treatment hubs, as well as research institutions, is welcome.
It is also essential to ensure that patients everywhere are able to benefit from the latest treatments. Fantastic, innovative research on the condition is working to improve outcomes for mesothelioma patients. That includes the development of new, more effective therapies and better drug delivery techniques.
We must also acknowledge that we are able to have this debate due to generations of campaigners who have worked tirelessly for decades to raise awareness and achieve justice for those affected by asbestos-related disease. Those campaigners have also had to fight hard to hold companies in the asbestos industry to account. The industrial use of asbestos might be a thing of the past, but its legacy still hangs over many of the people who worked with it.
Every member will mark international workers memorial day in their constituencies to mourn those who have lost their lives and to fight for safer conditions for workers today. We must be guided by this message: remember the dead, but fight for the living. Those cannot be just words. The memory of historical injustice must drive our actions today, tomorrow and every day after, as future generations deserve to live without fear of asbestos-related illness. However, with patients generally contracting mesothelioma decades after exposure to asbestos, it will continue to be necessary to build the medical and support infrastructure that is needed to deal with it as well as with other complex and incurable conditions caused by asbestos.
I thank Marie McNair once again for bringing the matter to the chamber for debate. We must continue to raise awareness of this cancer and continue improving outcomes for those affected by a legacy that should never have been theirs to bear.
17:37
I congratulate Marie McNair on bringing the motion to the chamber for debate and on her consistent championing of the cause.
Asbestos was finally completely banned in 1999, the same year that the Parliament was established. Although it might therefore be tempting to associate it with industries of the past and 20century buildings, it remains a feature of life. Strikingly, the nature of mesothelioma is such that, because it makes itself known decades after the first interaction with asbestos, we might not even have reached the peak of case numbers.
Scotland’s history as a shipbuilding nation means that Scots have suffered disproportionately from asbestos-related illnesses such as mesothelioma. There are around 200 diagnoses in Scotland every year and the figure is not going down. Although shipbuilders and tradesmen might be the most affected, their wives and children might also have been exposed to asbestos dust, and, of course, all families are impacted by a loved one’s diagnosis.
The members of Clydebank Asbestos Group, some of whom are listening in the chamber, have done incredible work campaigning for the rights of those patients and their families to get compensation. Righting past wrongs is another reason why asbestos-related conditions are very much an issue today.
Cape Intermediate Holdings Ltd was one of the largest asbestos companies in the world but, when the dangers of asbestos first became apparent, it downplayed the risks and withheld its own data, putting profits before lives. Today, Cape is owned by the construction engineering company Altrad, which operates around the world, and its UK arm alone made a pre-tax profit of £37.3 million in the year to August 2025. Campaigners are calling for Altrad, on behalf of Cape, to donate a mere £10 million for much-needed research on mesothelioma, but, so far, their calls have gone unanswered.
The time bar, which Marie McNair was right to mention, means that someone who is diagnosed with an asbestos-related condition has only three years to claim compensation. In practice, that means that somebody who was diagnosed with asymptomatic conditions such as pleural plaques and developed mesothelioma, say, five years later would not be able to claim, even though both conditions were caused by asbestos. In 2024, the Scottish Law Commission recommended, helpfully, that the time bar be removed, but that was not legislated for in the previous parliamentary session. I hope that the Scottish Government will make such legislation an urgent priority in this parliamentary session.
There is also the fact that many public buildings might still contain asbestos, which becomes dangerous when it is disturbed. I understand that Scottish Borders Council faces a £2.5 million bill to remove asbestos from its schools. In that context, I wonder whether national support from the Scottish Government could be available to assist councils that are in that position.
I echo Marie McNair’s comments and pay my respects to two people. Tony Worthington, the former MP for Clydebank and Milngavie who passed away this year, campaigned tirelessly to bring this issue to the attention of decision makers at Westminster. He also fought for compensation on behalf of countless individual constituents. This year, we also lost David Colraine, who founded the Clydebank Asbestos Group with others in 1992. As a tribute to him noted, David was a man who did not just feel sad or angry about the injustice that he saw; he actually did something about it. We can all be inspired by David and support the work of the group that he helped to found.
17:42
I apologise for joining the debate slightly late.
I am speaking mainly on behalf of Julie MacDougall, but I have an interest in the matter because both of my grandfathers were miners and died of lung disease, although I did not know either of them, because they died so long ago. One died very young and the other died soon after he retired. I do not know whether they were diagnosed, but it seems likely that what we have been talking about today was a contributory factor.
However, I am here to speak on behalf of my colleague Julie MacDougall, who, unfortunately, has taken ill. I am sure that everyone will join me in hoping that she recovers quickly. She very much wanted to be here.
I would like to read something about Julie’s father, John MacDougall, whom some members would have known. He was a British Labour politician who served as MP for Glenrothes from 2005 until his death. He was first elected to the House of Commons in 2001, as the MP for Central Fife. In 2007, he was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and, due to his illness, his participation in the Parliament became fleeting, although he remained an MP until his death the following year. He had major surgery and had a lung removed before his death, and his illness was caused by working in the shipyards.
Julie MacDougall very much wanted to participate in this debate. I assure Marie McNair and other members that we are interested in co-operating with any move to take matters forward, and I thank her for securing the debate.
17:43
I welcome the opportunity to contribute to today’s debate, which marks action mesothelioma day 2026. I understand that it is a long-standing tradition to mark the date each year in the Scottish Parliament, so I thank Marie McNair for continuing the tradition and highlighting the issue, which she has truly made her own. I pay tribute to her long-standing dedication, commitment and leadership on this very important issue over many years.
As we have heard, action mesothelioma day provides us with an opportunity not only to raise awareness of the devastating disease but to renew our commitment to those who are living with its consequences and to the families who continue to suffer because of asbestos exposure. Around 2,700 people across the UK are diagnosed each year, including around 200 people in Scotland. I would like us to pause for a moment to reflect on that, and on the fact that, behind those figures, every one of those diagnoses is an individual, a family and a community whose lives have been changed for ever.
Last year’s action mesothelioma day debate highlighted that
“the face of mesothelioma is changing.”—[Official Report, 19 June 2025; c 31.]
While many people still associate asbestos-related disease with traditional heavy industries such as shipbuilding, construction and engineering, we are increasingly seeing cases among women, younger people and workers in occupations that were not historically considered high risk. Teachers, healthcare workers, clerical staff and others have developed mesothelioma following exposure that they neither expected nor understood at the time. That reality serves as a stark reminder that the legacy of asbestosis is far from over.
In that respect, I recognise the tremendous work of Action on Asbestos, formerly known as Clydebank Asbestos Group, which—as the name change suggests—is facing up to those new realities in the support, advice and advocacy that it continues to provide, and has been providing for more than three decades, for those who are affected by asbestos-related conditions. Its dedication has been invaluable to countless families, and it continues to be a powerful voice for justice and accountability.
I also pay tribute to the wider grass-roots campaigners who continue to fight for victims and their families. They include the Cape must pay campaign—which has been mentioned—that highlights the need for greater corporate responsibility and continues to call for meaningful investment in mesothelioma research. The campaign’s efforts demonstrate the importance of grass-roots activism in driving change and ensuring that those who are affected are not—are never—forgotten.
One issue that remains a significant concern is the injustice that has been created by the current time-bar arrangements affecting some mesothelioma victims. We have already heard a bit about that today. As was discussed in last year’s debate, there are circumstances in which individuals who have previously pursued claims relating to asymptomatic asbestos-related conditions may find themselves prevented from seeking further damages if they later develop mesothelioma, which is a terminal and life-threatening illness.
The Scottish Law Commission’s “Report on Damages for Personal Injury” recognised that problem and made clear recommendations to address it. I welcome that work, and the growing consensus that reform is needed to ensure that people are not denied justice because of a legal technicality. Should Marie McNair introduce legislation to address that issue, she will have my full support and, I would guess, the support of the entire Cabinet and Parliament. Those who are affected by mesothelioma deserve fairness, dignity and access to justice. We should work together across the Parliament to ensure that the law reflects those principles.
As action mesothelioma day approaches, on 3 July, I encourage people across Scotland to get involved in the events that are taking place in communities throughout the country, whether by participating in a blue-light walk, supporting fundraising efforts or simply helping to raise awareness. Everyone can play a part in supporting those who are affected and remembering those whom we have lost.
I once again thank Marie McNair for securing the debate, and I pay tribute to all those campaigners, organisations, families and individuals who continue to fight for justice.
Finally, I note that it is fitting that we are able to have such a constructive and consensual debate as we approach the end of the parliamentary term. I wish all my colleagues across the chamber, parliamentary staff and everyone who is watching the debate a great summer, and at least one more football match. I look forward to us all returning refreshed, revitalised and ready to rock.
17:49
I thank Marie McNair for bringing this important debate to the chamber and I welcome action mesothelioma day 2026, which will be marked on 3 July.
I am pleased, in the years that I have been in Parliament, to have played my part in joining Marie McNair and other members to raise awareness of this cruel condition and to call for further research and for the condition to be properly understood as an industrial injury.
As the motion highlights, it is important to recognise the role of grass-roots activism in seeking justice for victims. It is often grass-roots campaigns that really turn the dial on these issues, and it is great to welcome those people to the public gallery again this year.
I support the Cape must pay campaign, which calls on the former asbestos manufacturer Cape plc, now Altrad, to donate £10 million to mesothelioma research. As my colleague Jackie Baillie said, that is a small amount to expect. Such companies and the state owe a great deal to individuals, families and communities. We need that research to be done and compensation to be delivered for what is fundamentally a class-based issue.
At this point, it seems totally appropriate to pay tribute to my former colleague and comrade Richard Leonard. Richard, as members might know, spoke in the annual debate on this topic. He was—and, I am sure, will continue to be—an avid campaigner for the right to justice for those affected by mesothelioma and the right to health and safety for the next generation of the workforce. Those who were members during the previous session of Parliament will know not only that Richard Leonard was a passionate and committed campaigner but that his speeches were also very passionate—as passionate as his beliefs. I thank him for his time in the Parliament, for his guidance and for his commitment to economic justice. I will miss Richard in the chamber, particularly during debates on this subject—we always sat up here, at the back, together. He often mentioned socialists and campaigners who influenced his beliefs and work, and I now do the same by thanking him for his guidance and influence on the work that I have undertaken as an activist and now as an MSP.
As Richard Leonard and others have said, mesothelioma is not a historical disease. In fact, we know that the number of sufferers is increasing. The reality for the people in my area is that the industrial work of the early part of the last century, right up until the mid-1980s and into the 1990s—mainly mining, in my area—exposed men, in particular, to asbestos. However, as others have mentioned, secondary exposure through washing clothes and so on, which was often undertaken by women, also presented a massive risk, which those companies really wanted us to ignore.
The time delay in the progression of the disease means that many of my constituents continue to be affected by what happened during that period, and they are also affected by the ongoing issues around asbestos and how we should deal with it, which members have brought to our attention today.
Industrial conditions such as those that my constituents were exposed to show what the approach of big business and the insurance giants has been. We, in this place, must be clear that people are worth more than this and that working-class people—those men and women who built and maintained our country—must be compensated for the impact on their lives and for loss of life due to the nature of thei work. I agree that the Scottish Law Commission’s report on damages for personal injury, which was published in December 2024, must be actioned. I call on all lawmakers to support that call and, of course, on the Government to make it a priority in this parliamentary session.
I fear that we have a lot more work to do as we keep fighting for proper compensation and, importantly, for proper health and safety in workplaces. We must ensure that the rights of workers are at the centre of all that we do and that the generations who come after us have much better work-related health.
17:53
I, too, thank Marie McNair for securing the debate and bringing this important motion to the chamber today.
I start by stressing how important it is that we continue to raise awareness of mesothelioma. I do not have a family member who contracted the disease, but I saw a poster for an exhibition of portraits of people who had suffered from it. I thought it was such an astounding poster that I got in touch with Asbestos Action in Dundee and said, “I’m really sorry, but I didn’t manage to make it to that exhibition. Can I come and talk to you?” When I met the asbestos campaigners in Dundee, they were very quick to highlight the excellent work that Marie McNair has undertaken in the Parliament to raise awareness of the associated conditions and to advocate on behalf of those affected.
A few different charities work diligently across Scotland to support those living with conditions contracted due to exposure to asbestos. We have heard a lot today about the Clydebank Asbestos Group, but I want to focus on Asbestos Action in Dundee, a charity that supports those across the whole of the east coast who are living with asbestos-related diseases, including pleural plaques, asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Diane from Asbestos Action is in the public gallery today, and I hope that she will excuse me for sharing some details and praise for its work. It is a really small team of four people, and they do a huge amount of work to raise funding to keep the charity going. The support that Diane and her team provide is incredibly important to the men and women up and down the east coast of Scotland who find themselves suddenly diagnosed with asbestos-related conditions. They have supported hundreds of clients across Tayside over the past few years, almost half of whom live in Dundee. They also say that, wherever you call them from, you will get a home visit; whether you are in Inverness or Dumfries, they will come and see you.
Often, Asbestos Action staff are dealing with people who are terminally ill. They and their families may have discovered the severity of the condition only very recently. The staff turn up, sit with people, listen to the stories of those affected, help them to trace their work histories, and support their families both before and after the illness has taken its toll. Many who do that work have personal experience from their own families. They stand with those affected, and their families, at the hardest and most traumatic of times. It is emotionally demanding, but vital, work.
One testimonial about Asbestos Action that I read really stuck with me, and I want to share it today. It simply said:
“Pass on my thanks for all the hard work undertook on behalf of my father. He was a very proud man and if he’s looking down would be delighted to know how much this ‘legacy’ has helped his daughters, and in particular, his granddaughter”
When you or your family members find themselves a victim of an asbestos-related condition, it is groups such as Asbestos Action that step in to offer support and ensure that you and your family will get the advice that they need.
I will also take a moment to highlight the new generation of victims of this disease. Many of the new cases coming forward are women who did not work in industry but who were teachers, health workers and office workers. We have heard some stories today, and it can be very difficult for them to pinpoint precisely where they would have been exposed to asbestos. It could have been in any of the offices, schools, healthcare settings or homes that they worked in. Such locations are less easy to identify than the large industrial sites, and the women may not have worked directly with asbestos, but they worked in buildings where asbestos is still present.
However, any application for industrial injuries disablement benefit requires a person to identify exactly where and when they were exposed to asbestos, which creates an additional barrier for those women in seeking some form of compensation. We know from the statistics that the percentage of men getting some form of settlement is much higher than the percentage of women. If someone cannot identify the source site of exposure, or prove the link, their only route is to apply for a PWC1 lump-sum payment. However, that also requires those women to sign away any future claims they might have in future civil cases. More needs to be done to support this new generation who are finding themselves affected by asbestos in a different landscape. Many of those affected are currently missing out on relevant benefits and support, and the complexities involved are preventing them from getting the support that they need. Groups such as Asbestos Action are doing all that they can to raise awareness of those difficulties.
I hope that today’s debate will raise further awareness of the issues affecting those who are living with the condition, and I will do all that I can to support Marie McNair in any work that she takes forward in the Parliament to remove the time bar and get those people the justice that they deserve.
I invite the minister to close the debate.
17:58
I thank my colleague Marie McNair for bringing this debate to the chamber, which she has now done for a fifth year. I also thank all members—both those who spoke and those who were not able to speak today—for their presence and thoughtful contributions. As Carol Mochan mentioned, it is also worth recognising members who previously contributed to these debates but who are not with us in this session of Parliament, including Richard Leonard, Bill Kidd and Jackson Carlaw. We are in a new session, but the fact that members who are no longer with us in the chamber have also spoken about the issue reflects the fact that it is not a new one. The issue of mesothelioma has not gone away, and it is now on all of us in this Parliament to continue the fight for truth and justice that so many have begun. In that light, I welcome the campaigners in the public gallery today, who have dedicated their lives to that fight.
The Scottish Government has proudly supported action mesothelioma day and has contributed to members’ business debates on the subject for several years. As the new Minister for Community Care, I am honoured to lend my voice to the much-needed awareness raising on mesothelioma and on the good work that is being done by people across Scotland.
As everyone has said, mesothelioma is a devastating disease that continues to affect individuals, families and communities across Scotland. It is a devastating and long-lasting part of our post-industrial legacy, not only in Clydebank and along the Clyde, as we have heard, but in different parts of the central belt and everywhere where there has been some degree of heavy industry. As others have mentioned, the issue has not gone away, due to the presence of asbestos in some buildings across Scotland. Therefore, awareness raising is vital in improving earlier diagnosis, helping people to access the care and support that they need and supporting new innovations in research and treatment.
It is well known that asbestos exposure is a major contributing factor in the development of mesothelioma. As well as seeking to prevent exposure to asbestos, the use of which, as Jackie Baillie mentioned, has been banned in the UK since 1999, and ensuring that appropriate medical care is available for those who are affected by asbestos exposure, the Scottish Government remains committed to protecting individuals’ rights to compensation. As many members have mentioned, the current law on limitation, which sets time limits for raising court proceedings, can create difficulties for people with mesothelioma. Through absolutely no fault of their own, they might find themselves unable to raise a case within the required timescales, which, in effect, denies them access to a legal remedy.
The Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament have a strong record of supporting those who have been exposed to asbestos, whether through negligence or breach of a statutory duty. I am therefore pleased to be able to confirm that the Scottish Government intends to introduce a bill that will give effect to the Scottish Law Commission’s recommendations for reform of the law of limitation in relation to certain asbestos-related conditions. [Applause.]
I know that Marie McNair is among those who have campaigned for such a change and had asked the First Minister to include such a bill in the programme for the first year of this parliamentary session, so I am very pleased to be able to confirm that we will do so.
I am delighted to hear it. I welcome today’s announcement on the time bar issue, which I know will be well received by asbestos sufferers and campaigners. Does the minister accept that, on this issue, justice delayed is justice denied? Can she tell us how quickly the Government will proceed with the bill?
I hope to be able to introduce the bill by the end of the year, but the member will appreciate that parliamentary timescales prevent me from giving a specific date at the moment. She is correct in saying that justice delayed is justice denied. I hope that all members, as well as the campaigners, will welcome the commitment to a bill and that Parliament will be able to support it on a cross-party basis, because, as we have heard, the issue affects people across our country. There is no party-political point to be made on that front—mesothelioma affects people regardless.
I want to acknowledge some of members’ contributions. Several members—including, in particular, Heather Anderson—mentioned the barriers to compensation for women. That issue is worth further consideration, because, in many cases, it is difficult to prove where that harm has come from. We will need to give further thought to that.
Jackie Baillie mentioned the case of Scottish Borders Council schools. As she will understand, I will not make a financial commitment in that regard today, but the point has been noted, and I will give thought to that.
As a member of the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee, I welcome the news on the proposed legislation, which is very welcome. Indeed, it is something that has been long hoped for.
Does the minister share my concern about the fact that the former Cape Marinite factory in Springburn has been in a state of chronic dereliction and abandonment for 12 years, with the result that the young people who frequently trespass on the site expose themselves to a legacy of asbestos contamination? Will she commit to working with me and Glasgow City Council to resolve the long-term dereliction of that huge industrial facility in Springburn with a view to the site undergoing some sort of regeneration?
Paul Sweeney makes a very good point, because the issue is wrapped up in our post-industrial legacy. The fact that there are such abandoned factories and that the people who enter them—whether for urban exploration or whatever else—do not understand the risks that they are exposing themselves to is a difficulty that we must overcome.
There are also stories of people who are adults now but who, in their childhood, messed around in sites with asbestos in it, utterly unaware of the harm that they were exposing themselves to. We need to consider that. The owners of such sites and buildings have a particular responsibility to ensure that they are secure and safe and that they are not being negligent and exposing people to risk. I encourage anybody who is aware of buildings with an owner who can be held to account to ensure that that is done. There is an awful lot to be recognised in terms of holding people to account, which has been a feature of this campaign over time.
The Scottish Government confirms its commitment to continue to stand alongside those who are affected by mesothelioma, to ensure that they receive the compassionate care and treatment that they require at every stage of their journey. That cannot be achieved through our NHS alone, so I extend my thanks to the third sector, community and social care, industry and other partners who are working collaboratively to improve the outcomes for those who are affected by mesothelioma. In particular, I extend my sincere thanks to all organisations that offer invaluable help and support to anybody affected by mesothelioma and other asbestos-related conditions. I thank Mesothelioma UK for continuing to raise awareness each year through action mesothelioma day. On 3 July, the Scottish Government will proudly show our support by lighting up in blue St Andrew’s house and Victoria Quay in Edinburgh to get behind the go blue for meso campaign. I encourage others who have the ability to do so to light up their buildings or to show their support by dressing in blue.
I give special thanks to the Clydebank Asbestos Group, which has provided support to those affected for more than 30 years, and I want to mention the work of the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce, which also supports people affected by mesothelioma. Heather Anderson mentioned Asbestos Action’s campaigners in Dundee and Tayside. Pauline Stafford mentioned the Scottish Mesothelioma Network. I was glad to hear Colm Merrick mention Action on Asbestos, which is based in my Glasgow Central constituency and has done a great deal of work on this campaign and in providing support to people. Other members mentioned the Cape must pay campaign; I agree that £10 million towards clinical research and trials seems to be a small price for such a company to pay, and I welcome the campaign’s contribution in that respect.
Clinical trials are being carried out to develop new and effective approaches to the treatment of mesothelioma. They are vital in finding novel ways to treat and detect cancers early. We know that there can be a significant delay between asbestos exposure and symptoms of cancer. I am heartened to hear that several mesothelioma studies have taken place across Scotland, and I understand that four such studies are currently active and open to recruitment.
The Scottish Government’s chief scientific officer aims to support and increase the level of high-quality research that is conducted in Scotland and has funded research into mesothelioma treatments. A new clinical trial called HIT-Meso—hemithoracic irradiation with proton therapy in malignant pleural mesothelioma—is assessing the use of proton beam therapy for patients with unilateral malignant pleural mesothelioma. Those patients currently face limited treatment options, and proton beam therapy has shown promise in treating other thoracic cancers. It is more precise than conventional radiotherapy, and the team behind the trial in England has begun the process of establishing it in Scotland.
Although that trial and others that are open to recruitment show promise for people who are diagnosed with mesothelioma, I recognise the devastating impact that a diagnosis can have on the wider families and communities that are living with mesothelioma. A diagnosis has a far-reaching impact, and that can be particularly true for cancers that are not commonplace, leaving individuals feeling isolated and alone at a distressing time.
The Scottish Government’s 10-year cancer strategy sets out a clear ambition that every person with cancer is at the heart of decisions about their care and is supported in what matters most to them when they need it. The single point of contact pilots that we have embarked on are making a significant difference in ensuring that people get the ability to discuss their treatment anxieties and their support. We have invested £2.5 million to expand the reach of that programme across Scotland.
We continue to work in partnership with Macmillan through the transforming cancer care partnership programme, which is worth more than £27 million and provides patients with a specialist key support worker to offer emotional, financial and practical support to people with cancer. I encourage people to go to that service if they need support.
As members from across the chamber have said, this debate is not about the past, as the issue is very much in the present. However, we honour all those who have passed and are not here to watch today’s debate. Tony Worthington, David Colraine and John MacDougall were all mentioned as campaigners on this issue who are not here today. We honour their memory by ensuring that we get justice and truth for them and for everyone who is affected by mesothelioma.
I extend my thanks to everybody for their contributions and to all who are involved in improving outcomes for people with mesothelioma.
That concludes the debate. I wish members, their staff and everyone else who works on the parliamentary campus a wonderful recess.
Meeting closed at 18:10.
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