Chamber and committees

The minister must be concerned about not only the continued increase in response times, but the prediction that they are going to increase if current policies are continued. She must surely be considering, as one of the aspects of the review, whether any changes will bring down response times.

The new solar farm in Kilwinning, which was switched on in October, is the first of its kind in Scotland, being both owned and operated by a local authority. I commend the work of the previous Labour administration in North Ayrshire that pioneered the project, which will create enough energy to power 2,000 homes. The income that is generated by the solar farm will be used to fund local services and encourage the development of further local renewable energy projects. North Ayrshire Council is also set to deliver a second solar farm at Irvine.

Will the Scottish Government learn from the North Ayrshire experience? What more can be done to support councils in developing municipally owned energy sources?

I thank Maggie Chapman for securing this important debate on whether the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is fit for the future.

I welcome the focus on response times in several of the speeches. As we know, there has been a significant increase in response times under the Scottish National Party, which, of course, increases risks.

Maggie Chapman’s motion rightly highlights the challenges that the SFRS faces due to the climate emergency, including increased frequency and severity of flooding and wildfires. As a number of members have said, last year, we saw the risks posed by the climate emergency right on Parliament’s doorstep, with yet another wildfire engulfing Arthur’s Seat. This week alone, we have seen the impact of flooding on many communities across Scotland, but the Scottish Government has chosen not to support our firefighters so that they are properly equipped to respond to those challenges in future.

Since 2013, the SFRS resource budget has decreased by £58 million a year in real terms, and around 1,250 firefighter jobs have been lost. The resource increase that is offered in the Scottish Government’s budget, therefore, goes nowhere near far enough to reverse the damage that has been caused by more than a decade of cuts and job losses in the fire service. The proposed resource increase also falls short by more than £11 million of what the SFRS has set out as being required in order to recruit the new firefighters who will be needed over the next three years.

As Richard Leonard and a number of other members have said, the capital budget increase of less than £1.5 million is also completely inadequate, given the £818 million capital backlog that the SFRS faces.

A number of members have spoken about the conditions in some fire stations, including the lack of showering facilities. I recently highlighted to the Scottish Government that many fire stations in my West Scotland region are still in a state of disrepair. In the past six years, Greenock, Gourock and Port Glasgow stations have had to conduct essential repairs and maintenance amounting to more than £1 million due to the condition that they were in. Dreghorn fire station, which is the main fire station service in Irvine, was also found to be in poor condition. This is a Scotland-wide challenge and, given the Scottish Government’s failure to properly invest in tackling the capital backlog in this budget, I fear that those fire stations will continue not to be fit for purpose.

Some members have focused on the service delivery review, which could lead to the closure of 13 fire stations, the permanent withdrawal of 10 appliances and changes to fire cover, leading to increased response times as a result. I reiterate my call to the Scottish Government to commit to a debate in Government time so that Parliament can have its say on any proposals before they proceed.

With regard to the expansion of the firefighter role, I thank all members who have signed my recent motion calling on the Scottish Government to make progress on that issue, particularly in the light of the shared commitment of both the FBU and the SFRS. Members have highlighted the FBU’s DECON campaign, and I reiterate my calls for greater action from the Scottish Government to protect the health and safety of firefighters. I reiterate that there is a legal obligation on the Scottish Government and on the SFRS as an employer to provide a safe system of work to firefighters.

I conclude by placing on record my thanks to the firefighters and staff—there are around 7,600 of them—for the vital work that they do in keeping us safe.

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to promote the development of municipally owned energy sources. (S6O-05386)

I, too, thank Fulton MacGregor for securing the debate and for his work on the issue.

Like Christine Grahame, I did not know about the condition until I was contacted by constituents in the lead-up to the event before Christmas. It is surprising that so many of us knew so little about it. I pay tribute to my constituents who have shared their personal experiences with me, and I am glad that some of them have been able to join us in the public gallery this evening.

As other members have said, PKU is a rare lifelong metabolic disorder that, without strict dietary management, can lead to severe and irreversible neurological damage. As Rona Mackay said, it is estimated that around one in 8,000 people across Scotland are currently living with PKU.

The condition places a significant daily burden on individuals who have it and their families, given the need for constant monitoring of diet and the need to avoid the consumption of many everyday foods, such as bread. Those of us who spoke to people who are directly affected by the condition were astonished to learn about the impacts that it has and impressed by the amount of work that those people do in attempting to manage the condition.

Many children with PKU are more likely to suffer from issues with their attention levels and their ability to process information, which affects their educational attainment. As has already been said, many young people and adults with PKU are more likely to suffer from social isolation, poor mental health and physical health issues. Almost half of parents have had to reduce their working hours or to give up working altogether to provide the necessary dietary care to their children with PKU.

It is clear that the condition has an impact on many aspects of public policy, so it is important that there is higher awareness of it across the public sector. I would be grateful if the minister could outline what steps the Scottish Government is taking to improve support for individuals with PKU and their families to address those issues. I say to the minister that it is clear that it is not an issue that affects only her portfolio.

A concerning issue that came to light in the meetings that I had around the event in December related to people’s experience of how such matters are dealt with in Scotland and in England. They said that, when it comes to some of the medical care that is available, the situation is better down south. I would be grateful if the minister could respond on that issue when she winds up the debate.

We know that lifelong monitoring of PKU is also vital to safeguard health and reduce the risk of avoidable harms, yet the experience of many people who are living with PKU suggests that the current provision of care by the inherited metabolic disease service is inadequate. That point has been made by a number of constituents. There are stories of no face-to-face meetings being provided, years going by between appointments and individuals disengaging from care altogether due to a lack of regular specialist follow up. It would be helpful for the minister to respond to that in summing up.

We know that it is not only individuals with PKU who have been experiencing issues with the inherited metabolic disease services, with charities such as Genetic Alliance Scotland highlighting that similarly inadequate care is being provided to others with rare diseases. I look forward to the minister responding to some of my points, and I reiterate points that have been made by other members on the availability of specific medications that help those who can access to them.

My member’s bill—the Freedom of Information Reform (Scotland) Bill—includes a provision that public bodies must proactively publish information. The Scottish Information Commissioner has ruled that CalMac breached freedom of information rules by withholding information relating to severance payments and that there is a legitimate public interest in knowing how much senior executives are paid on exit from public bodies. Does the cabinet secretary agree with the aims of my bill, which would require bodies such as CalMac to proactively publish information such as the detail of severance payments for senior executives?

College Employers Scotland is set to impose a pay agreement on workers across colleges, despite failing to secure support from staff and trade unions in the sector. In a vote among GMB union members, 85 per cent chose to reject the proposed pay offer, which the union warns is a real-terms pay cut in disguise. With that sitting alongside a 7 per cent cut in staffing across the sector, is it not clear that Scotland’s college workers deserve both fair pay and security of employment from the Scottish Government?

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve pay in the college sector. (S6O-05349)

That is helpful. We will look at the example of East Dunbartonshire, because, as you know, violence in schools is a big issue in that area in particular.

The committee heard evidence that the provisions in part 4 that relate to the ability to remove a child from any domestic abuse education, might not be compliant with international obligations and the UNCRC. Was that raised with you at any point? Was it considered when you drafted the bill? Having gone through the member’s bill process, I know that such matters are often looked at. Will you respond to the suggestion that the provision might not be compliant?

When we took evidence, one issue that was raised was how domestic abuse programmes and education could potentially be very traumatic, particularly for children who have directly experienced domestic abuse. Did you consider that in the work that you did?