Chamber and committees

There were no concerns about either of those schemes?

Okay, thank you.

My question has already been answered really well. Minister, I congratulate you on your new position and welcome you to the role. The question why the young persons scheme is not subject to a payment cap has already been asked, and you have answered it. Could that be considered in future?

With regard to establishing that review body, have you had any discussions with the Scottish Government about ESS taking on that role? Are you actively considering what expertise and resource would be needed to fulfil that role, should you take it on?

It is right that we scrutinise the progress of work at the yard. I was delighted to visit it a few weeks ago to see at first hand the progress that is being made. What should unite us all is a determination to secure a future for Scotland’s commercial shipbuilding industry. Can the cabinet secretary provide any further information about the steps that are being taken to ensure that the yard is competitive and in shape to compete for future contracts?

I congratulate my friend and colleague Emma Harper on securing a debate on this very important subject, and I commend Elena Whitham for her very moving personal contribution.

It is very welcome that, during eating disorders awareness week 2024, we have this dedicated time in the chamber to speak at length about it. This year, in particular, when the theme is avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, or ARFID, raising awareness is absolutely key. That includes awareness that ARFID is real and not just in your head, and awareness that if you have any sort of eating disorder, there is help out there for you.

When, ahead of the debate, I searched for “ARFID” and “eating disorders awareness week”, I was particularly pleased to see that the first thing on Google was not a result—it was just the line:

“Help is available”,

and underneath that, it said:

“Speak with someone today. Beat Eating Disorders.”

Following that, there was a range of helplines, along with other contact information. That sends a message to folk. I hope that it gets to those who need to see it, because those helplines and the Beat website are some of the best places that people can look to get help.

If members go to Beat’s website, they will see—among so much helpful information, details of where to get support, training resources and much more—a section entitled “Your Stories”.

One of those stories, “Frankie’s Story”, outlines exactly why this year’s theme of ARFID is so important. I will share some of Frankie’s story. Frankie says:

“I didn’t realise I even had an eating disorder until I discovered the ARFID page on Beat’s website. I’d felt so scared of food for a long time and yet, because I wasn’t worried about my weight, neither me nor anyone else could pinpoint why I had felt like this. It had been suggested I had PTSD or OCD, but nothing quite explained the way I felt about food. When I finally found out about ARFID, you might think a diagnosis would’ve scared me more. But the truth is, I had a name for what I was feeling, and I found out that it’s actually really common.

My eating disorder means that I’m scared of eating in case I’m ill and doesn’t relate at all to my body image physically. It was really hard when I had this diagnosis (later by a professional too) but at least with my diagnosis I could now put it into words and share my experiences with people in my family.”

Frankie goes on to say:

“Living with an eating disorder is really tough. It makes everyday harder and over-thinking comes into play at all times. I’m still in the process of recovering and whilst I’m so thankful for everyone who has helped me over the years, I also want to say well done to me”.

I finish up on a similar note to Frankie’s. Well done to Frankie for their progress and for openly talking about their ARFID to help to raise awareness. Well done also to Beat for all the excellent work that it is doing across Scotland to support folk and raise awareness.

To anyone who is worried about an eating disorder, whatever it is—whether it is ARFID, anorexia, bulimia, stress eating or something else, or you are just not quite sure—well done for recognising that. Please consider the offers of help that are available from Beat and elsewhere, which can support you on your journey to overcoming the condition.

To ask the Scottish Government, in the light of recent Office for National Statistics data, what assessment it has made of the impact on Scotland’s public finances of the United Kingdom entering a recession in 2023. (S6O-03147)

It is clear that economically illiterate Westminster policies, including Brexit, austerity cuts and cutting labour force migration in key industries, have set the UK on the path to long-term decline. It is vital that future action is taken to support families who are facing financial pressures at this difficult time. We know that most of the powers to tackle poverty and the cost of living remain reserved. Will the minister update me on the Scottish Government’s engagement with the UK Government on the steps that the UK Government should take in the upcoming UK budget to support families who are facing pressures?

Can the cabinet secretary reassure former patients who arrange an individual clinical case review that they will be treated with the utmost dignity and respect under the review process?

At a meeting that took place earlier this month, Aberdeen City Council considered a report entitled “Culture Delivery and Funding Review”, which included analysis of Creative Scotland’s grant awards to Aberdeen in comparison to other Scottish cities. What is the cabinet secretary’s response to that report?