Chamber and committees

I commend Monica Lennon for securing the debate and bringing an important issue to the Parliament.

Every member in the chamber recognises the pain and suffering that the historical practice of forced adoption has caused to many women and children throughout Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. I add my voice to those of my colleagues and express my deepest sympathy to every person who has been impacted by those events for the anguish that they have felt.

Behind each figure that is mentioned in the motion is a young woman who found herself unexpectedly pregnant and was hidden away from society and told to give up her child because she was unmarried. The women behind those figures were told that by organisations that they trusted. Some were told that it was for the best, some were berated and it was even suggested to some that they were unsuitable mothers. Others were told that it was for their own self-respect that they should hand over their newborn baby to a married couple who could look after the child better, as they had stability. There was no support, and there was very little sympathy. It was a matter of having the child adopted or finding a way to fend for themselves.

In preparation for the debate, I read stories about women who had had their child taken from them. I could not believe the stories that I read. Women pretended to be married to keep their child, and women tried to hide their babies. Others sought refuge with a charity before their child was taken from them. The policy was horrific, and I can only imagine how those women must have felt losing the child whom they loved.

Since 1975, many brave women have put their head above the parapet to talk about their experience and how they lost a child, not due to an illness or sad circumstance but simply because they had fallen pregnant at a young age. One of the many stories that I read was that of Marion McMillan, who is rightly campaigning for the Government to investigate historical forced adoption in Scotland and issue a formal apology. It is disappointing that, after six years of hard work and effort, Marion and others are still waiting for their apology. Although we all accept that society has come a long way since then and that attitudes towards younger parents have changed, for the women who were told to give up their child, the pain and suffering live on.

Many women who were affected are now in their 70s or 80s, and time is of the essence. As Monica Lennon said, some women have sadly passed away without hearing the apology. We know that an apology will not rectify the life-changing events that young mothers experienced, but it could go some way to acknowledging the wrongdoing and how they were failed by organisations, Governments and society.

The devastating consequences for the mothers and their adopted children are clear. The mothers often talk about how they feel guilty, how they are ashamed and how they grieve, as many do not know whether their child is still alive. The adopted children have also suffered. Those who are reunited with their mothers can feel rejected and can struggle to reconnect and bond, as they spent the majority of their life living with an adopted family and not their biological parent. In truth, those people were severely let down by society. That is why the Scottish Conservatives agree that an inquiry should take place regarding the practice of adoption in Scotland, and that a formal apology should be issued as soon as possible to acknowledge any wrongdoing.

I also strongly agree with the wording of Monica Lennon’s motion in relation to the support that must be offered to families who were impacted by historical forced adoption. As I mentioned, women have been campaigning for an apology for more than six years. In 2013, Australia became the first country in the world to apologise for its history of forced adoptions. We can no longer drag our heels on this important issue. We need to follow Australia’s example and ensure that we provide the women and children who have been impacted with a heartfelt and appropriate apology.

I support the motion that has been brought before the Parliament. MSPs have a duty to start an inquiry soon and to ensure that those who were impacted receive the outcome and the justice that they deserve.

I wrote to the First Minister yesterday with a final plea on behalf of parents and guardians for them to be able to attend nursery and school graduations and sports days. Parents are understandably frustrated by the growing number of inconsistencies in the Covid restrictions. Will the First Minister consider the suggestions in my letter, such as outdoor-only events, so that parents can attend those important occasions?

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support and improve child mental health services. (S6O-00018)

I have a question on a more specific point. When will the Scottish Government deliver its manifesto commitment to introduce a national transitions strategy to improve outcomes for children and young people experiencing mental ill health in their transition to adulthood?

I welcome you to your role, Presiding Officer.

Before I summarise the debate on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives, I congratulate all members who made their first speech in the chamber today. I was in the hot seat last week and can relate to the nerves and excitement that they might have felt when entering the chamber this afternoon.

I will mention some of the excellent speeches. It is an honour to be able to call Pam Gosal, the first Indian woman to be elected to the Scottish Parliament, not only my colleague but my friend. Her speech not only gives our young people hope but inspires those who have been told that they cannot do something that they can. There is no wrong path.

Kaukab Stewart also made history by making her first speech today. Although our views on the constitution might differ, I look forward to debating and working with her over the next five years.

Martin Whitfield talked about the impact that Covid will have on our young people. The passionate delivery of his speech brought home that there will be a looming lost Covid generation if we do not act now. I was one of those young people before I entered the world of politics, and it is a breath of fresh air to hear that politicians will listen to the views of our young people.

My friend Sue Webber has already made her mark on the Scottish Parliament through robust questioning and by holding the Government to account. I know that she will do her friend Kath proud, as she does those who she represents as a councillor and, now, as an MSP for Lothian.

I also congratulate Jackie Dunbar and Jim Fairlie on their excellent speeches.

We need action, not words, from the SNP-led Scottish Government. When Nicola Sturgeon stood in this chamber and made the promise that education would be her Government’s number 1 priority, many people believed her. Today, the cabinet secretary reiterated the commitment that the Scottish Government made back in 2015 to ensure that our young people have the best start in life, which is something that we can all unite behind. However, we are now 14 years down the line, and Scotland’s education standards and performance have either regressed or stayed stagnant.

I appreciate that the cabinet secretary has inherited more than a decade of failures. However, it is simply not good enough to state that the Scottish Government will seek to make improvements when it comes to education. Although I am a new MSP, my colleagues have heard those promises before, and this Government has never delivered.

We can all agree that our young people have been detrimentally impacted by the pandemic, and have had to adapt to learning outside of the classroom. We commend the extraordinary work done by university, college, school, nursery and childcare staff over the past year to maintain education and childcare. However, that is not enough. As we move into the recovery phase, we need to show our young people and those who work in the education sector that we know how to deliver on the promises that are made in this Parliament—and that they will be delivered.

Although the pandemic has come with its own unique set of education-related challenges, which the Scottish Government has had to navigate, there is no escaping the fact that our education system was in a shambolic state before lockdown began in March last year. Let us take a look at the Scottish Government’s record over the past 14 years. There are now 1,700 fewer teachers than there were in 2007—the same year that the SNP formed its first Administration. We have yet to see smaller class sizes for primary 1 to 3, which was a 2007 manifesto promise by the SNP. It is yet to be fully implemented—and, by the looks of things, the Government has stopped trying.

Our education standards have declined because of SNP mismanagement. As my colleague pointed out earlier, the international PISA study shows that Scotland’s education system has gone backwards. We are no longer recognised as a world leader in education. What happened to the Government’s ambition to make sure that our young people receive the best possible education?

Then there is the issue of subject choice for our young people. Under the SNP, subject choice has narrowed, which means that there are fewer opportunities when our young people leave school. Our young people cannot afford another five years of SNP mismanagement of education on top of the additional pressures that they already face because of the pandemic.

Although I welcome the expansion of the 1,140 hours announced in the cabinet secretary’s statement, local authorities are still struggling to meet the initial 1,140 roll-out plan. Local councils need that support, and I urge the cabinet secretary, if she can, to make a further statement on that today. I declare an interest as a councillor.

I also ask the minister to address those issues in his closing speech, and, in particular, to outline how the Scottish Government intends to fix those historical education failures.

This week’s ministerial statement on the 2021 exam process did not provide any reassurance that the Scottish Government will turn the whole debacle around. As we have witnessed over recent days, many young people, parents, guardians and teachers have expressed concerns over the number of assessments that school pupils have undertaken over the past few weeks—and that is despite the former cabinet secretary, John Swinney, announcing that there will be no exams this year, citing concerns around fairness.

Despite that announcement, over the past few weeks we have witnessed exam papers being leaked online, pupils sitting tests with little to no warning, and young people having to gamble on their grades and sit assessments in exam conditions, with the SQA guidance stating that the grades will be determined by assessment evidence.

Due to the SQA’s and the Scottish Government’s handling of the 2021 exams process, many young people fear for their mental health. A pupil in my region, who has spoken to her local newspaper, said:

“These exams are putting extreme pressure on us and pushing many to breaking point.”

She also said:

“Some of us are getting four or five assessments per day, without any study leave so it’s enormous pressure.”

Those are real concerns from our young people and, by the sounds of it, they are sitting exams in all but name.

During their contributions, my colleagues Brian Whittle and Sue Webber mentioned the importance of dealing with mental health waiting times for young people. It is shocking that more than 2,000 children are now waiting more than a year before getting the help and support that they need. Teachers are rightly concerned about those waiting times, and I share the concerns that my colleagues mentioned today.

It is clear that the Scottish Government has not learned from the mistakes that it made in relation to the exam process last year. I agree with my colleague Oliver Mundell that the SQA should be scrapped and replaced by a new body that is fair and robust in order to ensure that pupils obtain the grades that they deserve.

There is a way forward. Opposition parties could come together to restore our education system. We all know that the Scottish Government has a 100-day recovery plan, but given the failures that have been mentioned by me and my colleagues, and others around the chamber, it will take longer to rectify many of the issues. As I said earlier, we need actions, not words.

My colleagues mentioned that the Scottish Conservatives have plans to restore Scotland’s education standards. We would work alongside the Scottish Government to get those plans implemented to help to improve standards and to ensure that our young people receive the education that they deserve. For example, we would invest £120 million to catch up on schooling that has been lost as a result of the pandemic, to make sure that no young person is left behind; we would launch a national tutoring programme to coincide with that investment, to ensure that our young people realise their potential; and we would commit £1 billion to closing the attainment gap by creating a new system to identify deprivation in schools and provide extra support to those who need it. We cannot allow that gap to remain. It is to our shame that it still exists and that one in four children across Scotland are living in poverty.

Our young people deserve a collaborative approach from all corners, across the political divide, to ensure that we change the current system, but we will support the Government only if it focuses 100 per cent on the job. We do not want to see a repeat of last year, when the Government delayed the publication of the OECD report in favour of debating a bill on referenda. We do not want to see the Government, after only 100 days of the parliamentary session, start its new campaign to separate Scotland from the rest of our United Kingdom. If the Government makes such a commitment on education today, it will have our support in dealing with issues pre and post pandemic.

It is now up to the SNP to prove that it will prioritise our young people. As I have said throughout my speech, actions speak louder than words. Only time will tell whether the SNP favours education over separation.

The cabinet secretary has claimed that teachers are able to exercise their professional judgment in producing estimated grades for pupils. That contradicts the SQA website, which states:

“Our key message to learners is that your grades will be judged by your teachers ... based on your assessment evidence”.

Who has provided the right advice: the cabinet secretary or the SQA?

I congratulate the Presiding Officer on her new role.

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government plans to implement a national moratorium on incinerators, such as the proposal at Overwood Farm site near Stonehouse, in light of the reported detrimental impact that incinerators could have on Scotland’s bid to tackle the climate emergency. (S6F-00027)

I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests, as I am a councillor in North Lanarkshire.

Residents of Stonehouse and surrounding areas feel let down because, for the second time, they have had to fight against a proposal for the building of an incinerator in their area. What will the Scottish Government do to reassure my constituents that, should South Lanarkshire Council oppose the planning application, the Scottish Government would not overrule that local decision were it to be brought before the Government reporter?

From working at home to transforming the relationships that we have with family and friends, Covid-19 has changed our lives. In my first speech to the Scottish Parliament, I put on record my thanks to each and every front-line worker who has made sacrifices in order to keep us safe and our country moving during the most difficult of times. I also take the opportunity to thank those who helped with my election campaign and voted for me in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency and for the Scottish Conservatives on the peach ballot paper to stop a Scottish National Party majority.

I am honoured to be here as a newly elected MSP for Central Scotland. I pay tribute to Margaret Mitchell and Alison Harris for their service as they step down from their roles in front-line politics.

To ensure that Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom recover as quickly and efficiently as possible, we must find a way to build back better together. That means that people and jobs must be at the heart of every decision that is made in the chamber, and not just in the first 100 days of the new parliamentary session.

As a councillor in Motherwell, I have witnessed at first hand the incredible efforts made by local community groups during the pandemic. Although many have suffered losses due to the spread of Covid-19, the help and support shown by others make me proud to be Scottish and British. It is pride in my community that drives me as a person, and that is why I decided to enter the world of politics. I know that we are not out of the woods yet, but I hope that the community spirit shown during the lockdown period will continue as we move into a post-pandemic world.

For me, politics is about community. Growing up in North Lanarkshire, I witnessed decades of SNP and Labour politicians who were never able to improve life expectancy, create positive destinations for our young people or make a lasting impact where I lived. To put it bluntly, most politicians in my area were invisible. That is why I joined the Scottish Conservatives. That was not just because I believe that Scotland’s place is within the United Kingdom but because I believe that elected members should be there to help their community and champion decisions being made locally.

My gran and papa were also passionate about helping their community. They both stood as Conservative candidates in local elections, and I thank them to this day for encouraging me to get involved in politics. Although they are no longer with me, I hope that I can do them and my family proud as I start my new adventure as an MSP.

One of my key priorities during the election campaign was rebuilding Scotland. Today, I would like to focus on the recovery phase.

We know that the spread of the new variants will always be a real concern, but we must now focus our efforts on job creation and economic recovery. We know that an economic crisis is looming due to the strain on our country’s finances because of the pandemic. As the Scottish Fiscal Commission has stated, our economy may not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024 at the earliest. Plans must therefore be put in place now to protect and grow our nation. We cannot afford to end up with a lost Covid generation, with young people missing out on educational opportunities, university and college graduates unable to find work, businesses unable to reopen, and people unable to train in a new skill set if they have been made redundant.

For those issues to be addressed, we need a Scottish Government that is solely focused on Scotland’s recovery as we rebuild from the pandemic.

If the SNP is serious about Scotland’s recovery, it will take another referendum off the table and focus on what matters to the people of Scotland.

As we know, the economy will be key to securing the best possible recovery plan for Scotland. We need to see businesses back on their feet as soon as possible, as well as the Government looking to the future to create jobs. In our manifesto, the Scottish Conservatives pledged a skill grant every year for training and skills development, which is aimed at those who are unemployed or facing redundancy. We need the SNP Scottish Government to back our plans to implement a rebuilding road map, so that we can reopen our economy sooner and protect jobs and businesses from the looming economic crisis.

My party has also called for unlimited apprenticeships for Scotland’s young people—a policy that I am passionate about. Although I am pushing 30 and soon will no longer be able to call myself a young person, as shadow minister for children and young people, I want to ensure that no one leaves school without good job opportunities.

When I left Brannock high school, I did not have a clear career path, and it was a really daunting experience. Although I went on to study politics at university, there was no support network in place, especially for a school that was located in an area of high deprivation. I believe that it is our responsibility as MSPs to make sure that we implement policies to provide young people with the tools that they need to succeed in life. We need to build a future where our young people do not need to worry about their mental health and where they feel confident in themselves to go out and achieve, regardless of their postcode or which field they choose to enter.

It is those innovative ideas from the Scottish Conservatives that will help regrow our economy as we emerge from the pandemic. I look forward to supporting the bills that my party will bring forward that will show that we have Scotland’s interests at heart.

For Scotland to recover fully, we need a Government that is 100 per cent focused on rebuilding Scotland. Our country is still deeply divided from past referendums, and we must use this time to pull our country back together. I therefore call on the SNP to put Scotland’s recovery first, so as to rebuild a country that is free of the constitutional arguments that have divided it for far too long.

took the oath.