Chamber and committees

Queens Quay in my constituency, where my office is located, has the first 100 per cent carbon-free district heating system in the UK. The system, which heats council buildings, West College Scotland, Clydebank leisure centre and a new care home, is a great example of innovative delivery of carbon-free energy. What emphasis will be put on the expansion of that scheme and other major heat network projects to help to deliver more green energy to homes and businesses?

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment set out in its programme for government 2023-24, whether it will provide more details of how it plans to increase the number of people earning the real living wage. (S6O-02753)

An effective real living wage policy represents a very welcome attack on poverty pay, and more must be done to assist people on low pay. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me and the Scottish Trades Union Congress that the full devolution of employment powers would allow Scotland to do much more, such as ending zero-hours contracts and fire-and-rehire practices?

A recent “Building a New Scotland” paper sets out the Scottish Government’s proposals for a humane and principled migration policy after independence. The United Kingdom’s hostile environment policies came into effect under former Prime Minister David Cameron. This week, he is back in Cabinet, unelected and unaccountable. Does the minister agree that the sooner Scotland can introduce our own migration policy that treats migrants with respect, the better it will be?

To ask the Scottish Government how it is assessing feedback to the “Building a New Scotland” series of papers. (S6O-02712)

I am grateful to my colleague Willie Coffey for securing this important debate on pancreatic cancer awareness month. The issue is, I know, close to his heart, as he lost his mother to this horrific disease.

Since being elected in 2021, I have spoken in two previous debates on pancreatic cancer awareness month, which were brought to the chamber by my colleague Clare Adamson MSP. It is an issue that I will always feel is incredibly important to talk about; we are fortunate to have this platform as elected members, so we must use it to raise awareness and fight for better survival rates.

This horrible disease has, sadly, taken too many of my constituents, and I will pay tribute to them later in my speech. Pancreatic awareness month is so important, and I take this opportunity to thank all the charities that do so much to raise awareness throughout the month and, indeed, all year round.

Pancreatic cancer deserves much more attention than the one month of the year that it is given. It is one of the deadliest of all common cancers, with a five-year survival rate of 7.3 per cent; there are more than 900 new pancreatic cancer cases in Scotland and 10,500 in the UK each year; and unfortunately, only 10 per cent of patients are diagnosed in time for life-saving surgery. According to Pancreatic Cancer Action Scotland, patients will visit their GPs an average of four times before being diagnosed. That is really worrying. As we know, early detection saves lives, and GPs play such an important role in that respect.

If the cancer is not detected and left to spread, it can often be too late for any form of treatment. That is why we need to do more—not just this month, but every month—to increase awareness of the symptoms among the public and GPs. Some of the signs and symptoms that might indicate pancreatic cancer have already been mentioned, but they include jaundice, upper abdominal pain or discomfort, mid-back pain, pale and foul smelling stools, loss of appetite, indigestion, nausea and vomiting, a new onset of diabetes, fatigue, changes in bowel habits and unexplained weight loss without trying. Improving awareness of the symptoms can and will save lives.

The issue is incredibly upsetting, and looking at the figures can be a very bleak experience, but it is also important that we highlight the positive news, because we must have hope. After all, if we do not have hope, what have we got? It is therefore inspiring to hear that Pancreatic Cancer UK has, this year, funded a new clinical study to develop a breath test that could detect pancreatic cancer early enough to save thousands of lives every year. The research, which is being conducted by a team at Imperial College London led by Professor George Hanna, involves studying people with early pancreatic cancer symptoms, which are often mistaken for other less serious health conditions, and what happens if they are rapidly referred for scans and life-saving treatment.

If the study is successful, it could make the biggest difference to pancreatic cancer survival rates in 50 years. It would give GPs, who are the first port of call for many health concerns, the tools to make such a difference. It would be a breakthrough, so I hope that the team are really successful, and I wish them well.

I pay tribute to my constituents who have lost their lives, because of pancreatic cancer. Helen, Donald, Billy and Christine will be forever missed but never forgotten. Their memory lives on, and their families are resolute in their determination to find a cure for the disease. In their memory, I will continue to do everything that I can to raise awareness of this terrible disease and to fight for more research in order to increase survival rates. We can and must do more.

Over the past 15 years, the cashback for communities programme has played a crucial role in the lives of countless young people and communities across Scotland. I welcome the fact that, over the next three years, phase 6 of the programme is expected to reach around 34,000 young people. In East Dunbartonshire, which part of my constituency is in, more than £1 million has been spent on more than 40,000 activities from 2008 until now. In West Dunbartonshire, approximately £2.5 million has been spent on 44,000 activities.

One of the organisations that received funding was Includem, which is a Scottish charity that works with young people and families. In 2020, it was granted cashback funding for a three-year project to provide an early intervention service in West Dunbartonshire for children and young people who were felt to be at risk of offending. A recent report by Matter of Focus discussed its findings after three years. Some of the figures that were reported by the young people speak for themselves. The report said that 91 per cent of children and young people moving on from the project reported increased confidence, 94 per cent said that they felt more resilient and 89 per cent felt that they had maintained or improved their attendance in school.

That is valuable in helping us to understand the impact, but to add to that, here is a rather powerful statement from a police representative from year 1 of the programme. They stated:

“The majority of young people who have been referred are no longer coming to my attention for negative things. That is where the pattern of behaviour that they were displaying previously, in my professional experience, would have suggested the risk of escalation.”

As an MSP covering part of West Dunbartonshire, I know that fire setting continues to be an on-going issue.

The issue was brought to the attention of Includem, and to tackle it the charity set up meetings between young people, their Includem worker and the fire service. The young people gained a new understanding of the potential seriousness of fire raising, the consequences of their actions and what that could mean for their future. The workers observed that those involved in the work appeared to stop fire setting, which is hugely significant and very welcome.

The impact of cashback extends well beyond the individuals that it supports; it extends to their families, too. Evidence from the project in West Dunbartonshire has helped parents and carers to be in a better place for supporting children in their care. However, it does not stop there; it also extends to the wider community. One of the most compelling aspects of cashback is that it allows communities to get involved in the change that they want to see. Includem’s fire-setting project was a key example of responding to something that local residents were concerned about. For the families of young people who have been involved in fire raising, that will contribute to reduced pressure and worry, and, overall, it contributes to a safer community in West Dunbartonshire. That is just one case study among the vast amount of positive work that is being done, but it illustrates the success of the programme.

The Scottish Government’s cashback programme shows the power of effective governance, and it understands the importance of investing in our vulnerable young people. It underlines the Scottish Government's commitment to support young people to live full, healthy lives and to address some of the underlying causes of crime. Young people are the future of our country, so cashback is not only an investment in our local community but an investment in our future.

Will the member take an intervention?

I thank the member for his intervention. I am not quite sure what the figure is, but I think that it is only 500.

Again, many of my constituents will agree that the base has done nothing to make us feel safer; instead, it has made us feel more on edge. Obviously, these weapons are wrong, statistically, morally and financially; they cost billions of pounds, and that money would be much better spent on healthcare, education, housing, welfare and building a better future for our children. It puts the debate about the level of social security in a different context.

Critics might argue that a Europe free of nuclear weapons undermines our security, but the reality is quite the opposite. They do nothing to keep us safe in the current geopolitical landscape; in fact, it is more likely that they put us at risk. When we debate having nuclear weapons in Scotland and across Europe, I think that we must all remember the scale of damage that they can cause. We know that their existence is something that we can unite against. Indeed, it was a proud moment when, by an overwhelming majority in 2015, the Parliament united in opposition to Trident renewal.

Not only would an independent Scotland be a way of seeing nuclear weapons removed from our country, it would be a significant boost towards removing these weapons of mass destruction from the rest of the UK. It is clear that rehousing nuclear weapons elsewhere would be a significant challenge—hopefully, it will prove impossible. By advocating for disarmament in our own country, we send a strong message that we must work collectively to achieve a nuclear weapons-free Europe and world.

A nuclear weapons-free Europe is about the protection of humanity and the provision of a safer world for our children. At its core, it represents a dedication to peace, co-operation and a world in which dialogue prevails over destruction. That is a world that we should all want to live in.

I congratulate my colleague Bill Kidd on securing this important debate on a nuclear weapons-free Europe, and I thank him for his commitment to the issue and his work as the convener of the cross-party group on nuclear disarmament.

As has been mentioned, Bill will be one of the main speakers at Saturday’s festival of survival. The event will bring together many campaigners for peace and focus on the twin threats of climate destruction and nuclear annihilation. I wish it every success and thank the organisers for their endeavour. In doing so, I also pay tribute to the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and all others who oppose nuclear weapons across the world.

I am sure that many of us in the chamber and across Scotland saw the global blockbuster “Oppenheimer” over the summer. The film, which was utterly harrowing, brought greater awareness to younger generations of the sheer destruction and death caused in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, it was able to illustrate only some of the horror—the reality was far more gruesome than can be depicted in film.

What was important, though, is that the film drew people’s attention to the real and present danger of nuclear weapons. Scottish CND estimates that there are 13,000 nuclear weapons in the world; their power is even more destructive, and their use will be more catastrophic than ever. That is why we must be passionate about achieving a nuclear-free Scotland, first and foremost in a Europe where nuclear weapons are a thing of the past.

Scotland’s nuclear weapons base at Faslane is only 40 minutes’ drive from my constituency, and I am sure that many of my constituents will agree that it has done nothing to make us feel safer. Instead, it has made us feel more on edge.