Chamber and committees

Will Stephen Kerr give way?

I, too, thank the committee, the clerks and the expert witnesses who helped in the creation of the report. I say an especially grateful thank you to everyone who shared their experiences of domestic abuse with the committee, whether through the call for views or as members of the Scottish Women’s Aid survivor reference group who spoke to the committee. It can take a lot to open up about that sort of experience, but doing so can, and does, help other victims of domestic abuse, both now and in the future.

I have never personally experienced any of the things that the report talks about, but that is down to luck, because no one sets out to find themselves in an abusive relationship. I know about such relationships from folk who are close to me, and I have heard from constituents who have been through that experience. They had nothing in common before their abusive relationships began, but they have a fair amount in common now.

When I was selected to speak in today’s debate, I reached out to some of the people I know to hear their thoughts, and I asked if they wanted me to read their words in the chamber. One told me that she did not have the words, but she then went on to list a range of barriers that she had hit when escaping from her ex-partner. What worries me is that a lot of what she told me about is not listed in the report, even though it is more than 100 pages long and contains many important recommendations.

Her experience was that her ex had gradually cut her off from her support network, doing that so slowly that it was not even noticeable. He tracked her phone and had sole access to their bank account. Any income, including child benefit, was in his name, and he kept hold of all the family’s important documents, including her driving licence and their children’s birth certificates. When she and her children got away, they left without identification, a bank account or money—they did not even have a phone that they could safely use. ID is required to access almost all the support that we make available, and a lot of it requires a bank account that money can be paid into—something that again needs ID to set up.

That family could not call the available helplines, and the place that she eventually managed to get away to was not in the city. She did not have a car, a bus pass, bus fares or a support network that she could reach out to and which could get her and her children to where the support was. Even when she got to where she was told to go, the support that she needed was not all in one place. Instead, she was expected to get from Marischal college to a police station in Bucksburn, which, for those who are not familiar with Aberdeen, is a four-mile journey—on foot.

She asked me to raise those points today and to talk about the baseline that is used when support is made available. Unfortunately, a lot has gone wrong for her, which is why such debates and reports are important in enabling us to fix what is not right for others in the future.

In my final few seconds, I will highlight the fantastic Grampian Women’s Aid, which does an amazing amount of work. It goes above and beyond for many women and literally offers those fleeing domestic abuse a lifeline. If you are a woman in the north-east who needs help, Grampian Women’s Aid will help you, so please do not be afraid to reach out.

Sorry, Presiding Officer—I am just following what was said to me.

I am equally sure that, should any of those targets be missed, whoever is in government will have their feet held firmly to the fire by whoever is in the chamber between now and 2045. The bill contains headline targets to halt biodiversity loss by 2030 and to achieve restoration and regeneration by 2045, and we need to ensure that we hit them.

I will not touch on the issues of environmental assessments, national parks and deer numbers too much, because they have already been addressed somewhat. All of that is in the bill, and those issues play a part in the wider picture. Instead, I will talk about Aberdeen, the future net zero capital of the world—I will say that in every debate in which I get a chance to.

A few folk are probably wondering how much biodiversity Aberdeen, as a city, has apart from what we, in Aberdeen, call scurries—that is, seagulls, which I fear some folk want to see added to the extinct species list. If we are going to make a case to the world that Aberdeen is the best place for net zero expertise and that our city is a leader in the fight against climate change, we need to show that theme running through the north-east. We should demonstrate the benefits of tackling the climate and biodiversity crises. Net zero is not just about how we generate energy; it is about warm homes, clean air and protecting our natural environment.

Some folk see Aberdeen as an industrial city—a city of granite, concrete and tarmac—but our city is now changing. We no longer have diesel fumes lingering over Union Street, and we now have wildflowers growing in Union Terrace Gardens. Those are small changes, but they are changes that people can see, and I hope that they will encourage others to follow suit. If enough small changes are made, they can—and will—add up to something pretty big.

The biodiversity crisis affects all of us, and we all, including those of us with more urban seats, have to play a part in tackling it. The best thing that we can do just now is get the bill moving forward. I look forward to seeing the bill move forward, pass and make a difference by improving our nation’s biodiversity. I look forward to seeing Scotland play its part in tackling the global challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. If everyone, everywhere, plays their part, we will have a better world. Save the world—Scotland still wants to get on.

I am afraid that I am not going to need a generous six minutes, Presiding Officer.

I declare that I am the species champion for the sea trout.

One of my party’s favourite phrases is “Stop the world—Scotland wants to get on.” Fifty-eight years after that phrase was first spoken, although support for independence shows a healthy 10-point lead in the polls, the world is not in quite such a great place and is facing both climate and biodiversity crises. The bill is part of how Scotland will respond to those crises and how we will play our part in tackling global challenges across Scotland and in the communities that we represent. Basically, it is about how we think global and act local. Tackling the climate emergency is already a priority of our Scottish Government, but, increasingly, extreme weather is not just about sad polar bears up at the north pole; it is impacting on Scotland. We are seeing it in the likes of storm Arwen and “Hurricane Bawbag”, and we are also seeing it in floods and, for the first time in a very long time, water shortages in our country, where it often feels as though it just never stops raining.

Obviously, all of that is going to have an impact on our natural environment and, in turn, affect biodiversity across Scotland, even before we factor in the impact of what is happening in Scotland itself. Over time, agricultural activity, forestry, grazing—by farm animals and wild animals—peatland degradation, overfishing, invasive species and new building developments, whether for housing or for commercial uses, have all added to the strain that is being placed on our biodiversity. Scotland now ranks 212th out of 240 countries in the biodiversity intactness index, and 11 per cent of species in Scotland are at risk of extinction. That needs to change.

Today, I am pleased that it appears that we are going to come together as a Parliament and unite behind the principles that will enable us to improve the situation, so that we can have an ecosystem that is strong and stable. I am sure that, once we all agree that there should be targets for improving biodiversity, we can go back to fiercely debating exactly what those targets should be and how they should be measured and met.

I am sure that many amendments will be lodged at stage 2, Mr Carson, and I leave it to your committee—

I thank my friend and colleague Marie McNair for securing this evening’s debate on cholangiocarcinoma awareness, the motion for which recognises that October is liver cancer awareness month. Sadly, incidence of the condition seems to be increasing. However, it was not until my colleague submitted the motion that I realised that there is more than one type of liver cancer. I simply did not know that, which is why it is so important that members’ motions are debated in the chamber. As well as educating other MSPs, it serves to raise awareness among the public.

I had written down that, as the final speaker in the open debate, I was probably going to repeat facts, but the truth is that I will almost certainly repeat everything that everyone has already said. However, when it comes to a subject as important as folk’s health and raising awareness, I am not going to apologise for repeating such information, because it is no bad thing to do so.

Cholangiocarcinoma is also known as bile duct cancer, and it seems to be increasing across all age groups, not just among the over-60s. Still, like me, most folk have never heard of it, yet it has the worst survival rates of any cancer. With that in mind, and with this month being liver cancer awareness month, let us change that and get the message out.

Although cholangiocarcinoma, or bile duct cancer, is considered to be rare worldwide, it is the second most common primary liver cancer. It is not only difficult to diagnose accurately; it is difficult to diagnose early. By the time it is diagnosed, it is often too advanced for surgery, which is currently the only potential cure.

Why is it difficult to diagnose it early? The early symptoms of it are very vague. Nausea and appetite loss are two of the symptoms. Let us be honest. Whose first thought would be to go and get checked if those were their only symptoms? I know that my first thought would be that I had eaten something dodgy or had some sort of bug.

In later stages, the symptoms can include jaundice—the yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes—itchy skin, pale stools, dark-coloured urine, unintentional weight loss and abdominal pain. I urge folk to speak to their GP if they have any of those signs or are worried about any of the symptoms. Although it is unlikely that they will have bile duct cancer, it is best to get it checked.

I am aware that the Scottish Government is committed to raising awareness of possible cancer symptoms through its primary care cancer education platform, GatewayC, which provides tools to support early diagnosis efforts and decision making at the point of referral. I am also aware that the Scottish Government has recognised that significant work was needed to develop the necessary genomic testing. I would therefore appreciate it if the minister could give an update on the work that has been undertaken with that, if at all possible.

I thank Marie McNair for the debate this evening. I and others look forward to hearing the minister’s reply.

That is the total number of jobs or people.

I will leave it there, but I might have more questions later.

So that is—I am sorry; I am trying to do my maths quickly. How many applications did you reject?

It was voluntary only.