Chamber and committees

I, too, extend my thanks to Marie McNair, the member for Clydebank and Milngavie, for securing this important members’ business debate during testicular cancer awareness month. I echo her commendation of the Cahonas Scotland charity, which is based in her constituency and has done so much to tackle stigma through good-humoured campaigning.

As has been mentioned, testicular cancer is the most common cancer among men in the UK aged between 15 and 45, and yet we know that there is still a real sense of stigma associated with the disease. That is partly understandable—it affects an intimate part of the body, and so for many men who already struggle to talk openly about health issues, the nature of the subject makes it a step too far. They either do not check for symptoms, ignore symptoms or simply put off seeking help until it is too late, and yet we know that, as with so many conditions, the first step to treatment and recovery is to ask for help and get a diagnosis.

If we are not willing to talk about testicular cancer and act on symptoms when they first present, lives will be lost that could have been saved. There is nothing strong or brave about suffering in silence—it is much stronger and braver to reach out and get the help that you need. Given that the survival rate for testicular cancer that is caught early is 95 per cent, the difference between silence and getting help is literally a matter of life or death. How many children are without parents, spouses without partners and parents without children, because embarrassment or procrastination meant that help was not sought out when needed?

I, too, thank Ms Dunbar for securing the debate. It is commendable that this is the second year in a row that she has done so, as this is a critical issue for our society. Often, the discourse in our country can focus on intergenerational inequality and unfairness, but focusing more on the opportunities that intergenerational working can bring is important, because amazing things are going on in this country. Ms Dunbar alluded to a lot of that in her speech, and it provoked a lot of thinking on my part about what goes on in my area.

I remember going to an event in Springburn academy—this was before I became a member of the Scottish Parliament—that was to do with an oral history project that intermediate-level pupils were involved in. As part of the project, the pupils spoke to older members of the community about their memories of Springburn. The history that the pupils recorded opened their eyes to the immense richness of the identity of those older members of the community and the pride that they had in their community. That was something that they had not previously discovered, and it was really special to witness.

At the event, when the pupils were presenting the findings of their project, having interviewed older members of the community, they referenced a proverb, which was along the lines of “When an old person dies, a library burns to the ground.” I thought that that was a really poetic way of capturing the point of how much we might miss as a society, particularly when we view with derision or with a lack of respect our older people and the immense amount of experience and wisdom that they can bring. It was remarkable to see the awareness of young people at the school reflecting on that.

It is a turn of phrase that has stuck with me. We often forget the immense amount of experience, particularly in working-class communities, that is not recorded or appreciated. The way in which the campaign has focused on promoting a grass-roots network is important. I commend its work and hope that it continues to grow from year to year. It has certainly grown from being a relatively local project to being a global phenomenon, and that is to be celebrated.

I also think of my recent attendance at a model railway exhibition in Glasgow, where I enjoyed the model railway exhibits, which were impressive. I also enjoyed seeing all the community model railway clubs, with young people and old people working together to build amazing historical and contemporary scenes from across Scotland, and the shared enthusiasm and joy of people coming together and celebrating that. That is another example of the richness in our country that can be overlooked or dismissed.

Things such as men’s sheds or community gardens are not prescribed by central Government or some central office; they happen organically in our communities. Those things are very special and we ought to celebrate them. So often, they are seen as being nice to have and easy to trim away from a Government budget line from year to year, but they are valuable and rich.

Such things are also essential to public health. We often talk about problems with mental health and wellbeing, or about isolation and loneliness, and how difficult it might be for a general practitioner to find a remedy for those things. It is not always about prescribing something; the remedy can be built into our communities. Mental ill-health and other problems might be a symptom of disconnect within our communities, which is more subtle and harder to diagnose.

That is where the ideal of social prescribing comes in. It is about building that richness into our communities. An introduction to a sports club or to a group such as the scouts, the Boys Brigade, the cadets or a model railway club is the essence of starting to build wellness, prosperity and happiness, which is an under-regarded and underappreciated factor in public policy in our society. If we can establish the tangible value of such organisations and the work that they do, and price it into Government policy, we will be well on the way to building a better network and system for intergenerational working across our country.

I again thank Jackie Dunbar for lodging the motion.

I thank my friend for giving way. He is making a very eloquent speech about our recent expedition.

One of the valuable things that we both took away from that visit was the richness of the interactions that we had with different stakeholders in Ukraine, including on the visit to the drone factory, when we discussed the opportunities for collaboration in engineering, and on our visit to the hospital, when we were able to learn about the Burn Care Alliance, which is a project that has been led by the young clinicians we met, and to discuss whether there are opportunities to develop those techniques with NHS and university practitioners.

Will the member take an intervention?

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app would not connect. I would have voted yes.

Those provisions are more than welcome. This week, bus fares in Glasgow have increased. An adult day ticket now costs £5.90 and the cost of a single ticket has risen to £3.10. For too long, Glaswegians have paid the highest bus fares of any British city for an unreliable and fragmented service, while Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds are powering ahead with bus franchising. It is a huge opportunity for Greater Glasgow to take back control of its bus system. The next transport commissioner for Scotland will convene the panel that will decide whether the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport can establish that bus franchise. Does the minister agree that the next commissioner must not stand in the way of bus franchising, which has overwhelming democratic political support? Will he ensure that the regional transport partnership, SPT, is fully resourced for that purpose?

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will accelerate the full implementation of bus franchising powers in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019. (S6O-04531)

I add my condolences to the family and friends of our colleague Christina McKelvie. She was a kind person and a cheerful and helpful minister who often went out of her way to assist colleagues in resolving many issues that they were dealing with in their constituencies.

Earlier this week, families and patients who attend the Notre Dame children’s centre in Glasgow were shocked by the announced closure of the centre, which provides invaluable treatment for children who have experienced trauma through abuse, neglect or bereavement. The centre’s closure is unacceptable, and it is linked directly to the proposal by the integration joint board in Glasgow to cut psychological trauma services by 22 per cent. Will the First Minister please give families and patients who are affected the reassurance that the Government will intervene in that case and will not allow such a devastating cut to mental health services to take place?

It is a privilege to participate in this members’ business debate, and I congratulate my colleague, Ms Smith, on securing it. She did a fine job of adumbrating the illustrious and gallant history of one of Scotland’s famous line infantry regiments. It pains me to say that, as a Glaswegian and as someone with a close association to the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Glasgow.

It is, however, welcome that, even under the new regime of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, the Black Watch, or 3 SCOTS, and the Royal Highland Fusiliers, or 2 SCOTS, are the only two line infantry battalions in the Royal Regiment of Scotland to retain their pipes and drums, which is perhaps a sad indication of the decline of the line infantry in Scotland in recent years. Nonetheless, it is a tangible thread through the illustrious history of the regiment. In the Edinburgh military tattoo, more often than not, it is the Black Watch and the Royal Highland Fusiliers that keep the residual traditions of those cap badges alive.

Ms Smith outlined the great gamut of the Black Watch’s history up to this tercentenary. In recent years, the Black Watch has not been without its challenges. There have been a number of tragic losses in recent operations. Many young people lost their lives in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. I think back to just over 20 years ago, to the very fraught period of the deployment to camp Dogwood in central Iraq, in the so-called triangle of death, where, sadly, three members of the battalion lost their lives—Sergeant Stuart Gray, who was 31 years old, Private Paul Lowe, who was 19 years old, and Private Scott McArdle, who was 22 years old.

I am struck by the youth of many of the young soldiers who put themselves in harm’s way for the interests of our country. There are many others, including one of my own friends, Private Robert Hetherington, who was in the reserves with 7 SCOTS—the 7th battalion—and who sadly lost his life in Afghanistan on 30 April 2013. It seems strange, now that it is so long ago, but the loss of such a close friend is a very real and visceral memory.

Such real losses are felt keenly by all members of a regimental family. That is why it is such a close-knit organisation. I commend the members of the Black Watch Association for carrying on the fine traditions of the regiment, particularly through the regimental museum, which is a fine establishment in Perth.

Ms Smith also mentioned the battalion’s role in the handover of Hong Kong in 1997. Funnily enough, I realised that the commanding officer in my company, Major Nick Ord, carried the Queen’s colour out of Hong Kong on that parade. I found out very late in the day that he had done that early in his career, as a young officer in the Black Watch. He was a fine officer and a brilliant mentor to me as a young soldier, as a reservist in 6 SCOTS in the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The traditions and spirit of the Black Watch carry on today through the Royal Regiment of Scotland, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary in this month next year.

As we look back over the traditions, the ethos and the great history of the Black Watch, we see that 14 Victoria crosses and many other awards for gallantry have been awarded over its three centuries, and that it has been involved in every major conflict in which this country has been engaged. We also note the gallantry of young men from Forfar, Angus, Dundee and Perthshire in their contribution to this country’s martial traditions. That is important and worthy of commemoration today.

The late President John F Kennedy, on meeting the regiment on the lawn of the White House, asked for the motto of the regiment, and the commanding officer said that it was “Nemo me impune lacessit”—no one strikes me with impunity. The President rather jokingly remarked that that is probably a good motto for the rest of us. Indeed, it is probably a good motto in the combat and back and forth of politics.

The Black Watch is a fine regiment with a great tradition, which is carried on today as part of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. As we look towards the next era for the line infantry in Scotland, let us hope that we can continue to support the efforts to build the regiment and to maintain its traditions.

The member is making an excellent speech about the value of our Army cadet forces, in particular those that are affiliated with the Black Watch. Would she also recognise the important contribution that the Army reserve forces make in the area, in particular as they maintain the traditional regimental footprint through the 51st Highland 7th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, which has succeeded to the custodianship of the Queen’s Barracks in Perth?