Chamber and committees

Thank you, everyone, and welcome. I will begin by asking the first question.

As I said, I thank the witnesses for their written submissions. There is a lot of evidence for us to look through in the papers. A common theme throughout the submissions is that an in-depth analysis of the impact of the pandemic on the Scottish labour market specifically has been difficult, given the lack of available Scotland-specific data. What could the Scottish Government do to improve the amount of available data on the Scottish labour market specifically?

Would any members or witnesses like to make any final comments?

Welcome to the 23rd meeting in 2022 of the COVID-19 Recovery Committee. Today we begin our inquiry on the impact of the pandemic on the Scottish labour market.

I welcome our witnesses to the meeting. Dr Hannah Randolph is an economic and policy analyst at the Fraser of Allander Institute. Joining us in person is Professor Steve Fothergill, who is from the centre for regional economic and social research at Sheffield Hallam University and the national director of the Industrial Communities Alliance. Tony Wilson is director of the Institute for Employment Studies. David Freeman is the head of labour market and households at the Office for National Statistics. Louise Murphy is an economist for the Resolution Foundation.

Thank you for giving us your time this morning and for your written submissions. We estimate that the session will run up to 10:30. Each member should have approximately 14 minutes to speak to the panel and ask their question.

I ask those who are present to please catch my eye if they would like to come in at any point. If the witnesses who are attending remotely would like to respond to an issue that is being discussed, please type “R” in the chat box and we will bring you in. I am keen to ensure that everyone gets an opportunity to speak. I apologise in advance: if time runs away from us too much, I might have to interrupt members or witnesses in the interests of brevity.

I invite the witnesses to introduce themselves briefly.

That is helpful. I will bring in David Freeman.

We were having a bit of difficulty with the sound there—there was a bit of interference with Dr Randolph’s microphone.

Prestwick was one of the few airports in the world to make a profit during the pandemic, and it has played a major part in cargo distribution across the United Kingdom. With the Brexit chaos and the backlog of cargo at Heathrow, it was actually quicker to send cargo to Prestwick and then down to London than it was to get it out of Heathrow. Prestwick airport is also an integral part of the aerospace industry, which currently supports more than 4,000 jobs locally. Does the minister agree that the continual Conservative criticism in the chamber of Prestwick airport is bizarre?

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update on Prestwick airport’s contribution to the South Ayrshire economy. (S6O-01487)

I thank every member who has supported the motion. This is such an important issue that affects so many women, so I really look forward to hearing contributions from members from all sides of the chamber.

“Menopause”, “the change of life” and “being a woman of a certain age” are just some of the terms that are used to describe a time of life that happens to every woman, regardless of race, colour, social status or background. A total of 51 per cent of Scotland’s population are women, and will go through it. Although some are lucky enough to breeze through it, others have negative experiences.

In general, menopause happens between the ages of 45 and 55, when periods stop as a result of hormone levels dropping. The phase before that is called perimenopause, when women might experience night sweats, hot flashes, joint pain, migraines and trouble sleeping. Those are just some of the physical symptoms; we can add to them mental fog, anxiety, panic attacks and depression.

Historically, the menopause and, indeed, the perimenopause have rarely been talked about. The subject was mentioned with embarrassment, in hushed tones, and was most certainly never discussed in public or around men: it was taboo. That has left women with questions—sometimes with no answers—such as, “What are the symptoms?”, “How do I know if I am going through the menopause?” and “Where can I get help?”

That has been the case until now. The conversation has started, which has been branded “the Davina effect”, as celebrities and women in the public eye such as Davina McCall have been sharing their experiences of menopause symptoms and treatments. Davina and others like her, including Penny Lancaster, Carol Vorderman and our own First Minister, have become increasingly willing to share their stories. Some are part of a wider menopause movement down south and are challenging the notion that women should just shut up, put up and carry on.

The conversation for me starts on a very personal note, as I recently started menopause treatment. To be honest, I investigated it only after having discussions with colleagues. I am 51 and I believe that I have been perimenopausal for several years without even knowing it. About four years ago, I started to get pain in my lower back. It would wake me up at night, and every morning, when I got up, I was totally crippled. As the day went on, things got better, but the pain always returned at night. I went to the doctor—I even had a magnetic resonance imaging scan, but everything came back clear. I just put it down to getting older, and I learned to live with the pain.

I also did not feel like myself. I was not the person that I used to be and did not have the energy that I once had; I felt that I was always in a constant low. I put it down to age and dismissed it as perhaps being down to the stress of being in politics—we all know how stressful it can be, at times. A few months ago, however, I made an appointment at my local surgery to discuss treatment for menopause. I was lucky that my general practitioner recognised the symptoms straight away, and a treatment plan was put in place. It is still early days for me, but the first thing that I noticed, after one night, was that my night pain had improved instantly. I only wish that I had known more about the symptoms and had asked for help sooner.

It is worth stressing that hormone replacement therapy is not the answer for everybody—-there is no one-size-fits-all solution for menopause. Since that diagnosis, I have heard from many women who have experienced the same symptoms as I did. Such symptoms are often never recorded—they are simply put down to age and are pushed aside. Those women were struggling through each day—miserable, anxious and in pain, thinking that they had dementia or arthritis. They believed “This is just my lot.”

Last weekend, I spoke at a local ladies event in Prestwick, where menopause was definitely a hot topic of the day. One lady, who is a local dentist, told me that she had gone to a doctor and was “diagnosed” with “stress”. After persevering, she found out that it was not stress, and she was put on HRT for menopause. However, I highlight her story because when she renewed her income protection insurance, her premium went up because of the misdiagnosis of her symptoms as being a result of stress. That should not be happening.

In August last year, we welcomed the publication of “Women’s Health Plan: A plan for 2021-2024”, which outlined ambitious and bold plans to improve health and reduce inequalities for women in Scotland. That is great, and the plan is so important.

I will tell members a personal story about a flippant remark that I heard many years ago from a doctor in Australia, and which haunted me for a long time. When I was 27, I was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries. I remember being told by the doctor, in a really dismissive way, “You’re probably not going to have any kids.” I questioned that—I said, “What do you mean, I won’t have any kids?” He said, “Well, are you planning on having kids? Do you even have a boyfriend? If not, you’d better hurry up.” I did have a boyfriend at the time, but that dismissive attitude had a huge impact on me for years afterwards, because I thought that I was never going to have children. Thank God the diagnosis was wrong, and I went on to have my three children, which was always part of my plan.

That happened a long time ago, but it shows how such important women’s health issues were so misunderstood and were just not seen as a priority. In the “Women’s Health Plan”, a priority for menopause is to ensure that there is

“access to specialist ... services for advice and support on the diagnosis and management of menopause”.

In October last year, the Scottish Government launched the NHS Inform menopause information platform to bust myths and highlight symptoms and the treatment and support that are in place. More than a year later, there is a specialist service for menopause in each mainland health board.

It would be remiss of me, as an employer, to ignore the issue of menopause in the workplace, especially given that the majority of my staff are women between the ages of 45 and 55. Around 320,000 women in Scotland are of that age, which is working age for many of them. I recently attended the launch event of “Let’s talk about menopause”, which was hosted by NHS Ayrshire and Arran at University hospital Crosshouse. The board is one of the largest employers in the area, and is actively putting in place menopause support for its staff. Half the board’s staff are women over 45. As we know, that is the age at which, for the vast majority of women, menopause symptoms manifest themselves and can last for up to 12 years.

Finally, I urge women to act—to seek help, advice and treatment. I also remind employers to show compassion and understanding towards those women. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to menopause—what works for me might not work for someone else, and my symptoms might not be like theirs. That is why we need a meaningful dialogue, and when menopause awareness month comes around, we can discuss, and keep on highlighting, all the issues.

The main message that I hope members take from the debate is that it is good to talk about menopause to friends and family and in the workplace, and it is good to seek professional help, because help is out there. The genie is out of the bottle, and it is time that we women of a certain age told our stories.

It is obvious that we must do everything that we can to make displaced Ukrainians feel secure and supported—not only upon their arrival, but in the longer term. What plans have been made for people who are at the end of their time with private hosts?

What impact are policies such as the two-child cap, the benefit cap, the five-week wait and the lower universal credit payments for parents under 25 having on people who face challenges with debt?