Chamber and committees

Let me make a bit more progress.

Her situation is not unique—carers, older people and disabled people are all facing similar struggles. The Scottish Government should use its record budget settlement from the Labour Government to ensure that no one is left behind. However, we should be clear that these solutions, although welcome, do not deal with the root cause, which is that the cost of energy in Scotland and the UK is the highest in Europe. In the long term, that is not sustainable for families and it is not sustainable for businesses.

I used to be involved in catering and I frequently speak with those in the restaurant industry who have had to close or downsize due to rising bills. That costs jobs and it costs the economy. We need to decouple ourselves from an unstable international energy market that leaves the welfare of Scots at the whim of Putin. The establishment and operation of GB Energy cannot come soon enough in that regard. GB Energy will deliver the energy independence that we need by investing in clean energy, which will lower emissions, create jobs and tackle the climate crisis. GB Energy will also invest in new and emerging technologies such as tidal energy and floating offshore wind, cementing Scotland as a global leader in the sector.

The retrofitting and upgrading of homes needs to be accelerated, as 44 per cent of Scottish homes have an energy performance certificate rating of less than C and, according to the Energy Saving Trust, increasing their EPC rating from D to C would save households up to 15 per cent on their bills. However, the Scottish Government has cut the energy efficiency and decarbonisation budget in real terms and the heat in buildings bill is stuck in limbo one year after the consultation was closed. If we do not lower energy costs and make buildings more energy efficient in the long term, Governments will be forced to continue firefighting by providing support to consumers when energy bills rise.

In this area, there is considerable overlap between devolved and reserved responsibilities. If we are to upgrade our energy grid and deliver for families in the long term, therefore, we need positive collaboration between the UK and Scottish Governments. I welcome the actions that have been announced by the Labour Government, including the warm home discount scheme and action to tackle energy debt. If we are to beat the problem permanently, however, we have to move to clean energy and bring down prices.

The First Minister will know that last Friday was the beginning of Ramadan, which is a time of reflection, peace and hope for Muslims in Scotland and worldwide. However, Muslim communities across the UK and Scotland are now facing hatred at a higher level than ever. The UK Labour Government has convened a working group on Islamophobia, which will create a definition of it. Will the Scottish Government adopt that definition? When will we see real progress on the implementation of the recommendations from the inquiry into Islamophobia from the cross-party group on tackling Islamophobia?

I begin by thanking those who took part in the people’s panel on drug deaths and the cross-committee work on the issue. With a problem as complex and wide ranging as this, it is key that there is cross-portfolio collaboration.

The first sentence of the people’s panel collective statement is a damning assessment of the current situation. It reads:

“The panel strongly believe that the same conversations keep happening, with the same actions being agreed but not enough has been implemented.”

That is right; indeed, some of the panel’s recommendations were made in 2022 by the national task force. The time for talk should be over.

Regardless of that, some of the recommendations are welcome, and I want to discuss two of them. First, on recommendation 17, which is on giving

“continued support for people in recovery ... following referral to services”,

I want to highlight the Midlothian aftercare group as a positive example. It supports graduates from the Lothians and Edinburgh abstinence programme for as long as they need it.

The Scottish Government’s response to the report states that continued support is part of medication assisted treatment—or MAT—standard 5. Although the standard has been implemented in most alcohol and drug partnerships, we need to ensure that its spirit is being followed. The Public Health Scotland review of MAT standard 5 uses the retention of cases for more than six months as a benchmark. Given that we know that addiction can be a lifelong battle and that crisis can derail recovery, we should consider how to ensure that graduates of rehabilitation receive support over a longer timeframe.

I also welcome recommendation 15, which recommends a move away from a zero-tolerance approach. When I met people from the North Edinburgh Drug and Alcohol Centre, I heard about the impact of its high-tolerance, holistic approach not only in treating addiction and improving wellbeing, but in saving money for other public services.

Individuals with complex needs can sometimes be labelled as “non-compliant” or “treatment resistant”. Services must meet the needs of individuals so that they can retain them in the long term, and moving away from a zero-tolerance approach is a step towards that.

I know that the minister will talk about funding, but members will have seen the news about the £450 million gap in funding for integration joint boards, and they will also be aware of the financial situation that councils face. Those organisations will be looking to make savings in their funding for alcohol and drug partnerships and services, and we must be clear that there should be no cuts to drug and alcohol services by proxy.

I repeat the people’s panel’s remarks on the actions that need to be implemented. Much has been done and much has been said, but it will be meaningless if the level of deaths remains high and the organisations that prevent drug deaths are not properly supported.

To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on how the Scottish Government is working to tackle Islamophobia in Scotland, in light of reports that anti-Muslim hate incidents across the United Kingdom reached record levels in 2024. (S6F-03871)

We should keep the petition open and write to the Scottish Government to ask whether conditions that could be the result of Covid-19 vaccination side effects are being monitored in order to assess whether those with such illnesses are presenting differently.

I am sure that, like me, colleagues are getting emails from people who have long Covid. Can we invite the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to come before us and give evidence?

In 2019, the High Court of Bangladesh conferred legal personhood on the Turag River and, by extension, all rivers in Bangladesh. In the light of that, and in the light of what Mr Sweeney has said, I think that we should keep the petition open. It would be good to write to the Glasgow city region to seek its views on the actions that are called for in the petition and to get information on the work that is being done to deliver the Clyde mission.

I was thinking about the time that we have left.

Can we also write to Police Scotland? If the evidence shows that they have the wrong address, should the person not be given a chance to explain that before the arrest has been made, because that is totally unfair?

I think that we should write to the minister.