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Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 14 July 2025
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Displaying 876 contributions

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Meeting of the Parliament

Scottish Connections Framework

Meeting date: 23 May 2023

Foysol Choudhury

We welcome the Scottish connections framework and the picture that it paints of Scotland as a global nation. However, the UK and Scottish Governments should work together to maximise the opportunities that the diaspora network can bring. Much more could be achieved if the Scottish and UK Governments worked together to promote Scotland internationally. The failure of the Tories and the SNP to find common ground on anything to do with Scotland could hinder the impact and reach of our international efforts.

Meeting of the Parliament

Scottish Connections Framework

Meeting date: 23 May 2023

Foysol Choudhury

I thank Martin Whitfield for the intervention.

The framework commits the Scottish Government to working with the UK and other devolved Governments to utilise the UK’s full diplomatic footprint to achieve its aims.

Meeting of the Parliament

Scottish Connections Framework

Meeting date: 23 May 2023

Foysol Choudhury

I agree and, as I said, withdrawing from such programmes can damage relationships.

An estimated 15,000 participants from Wales will take part in the Taith scheme by the end of August 2026. The Scottish Government must implement an international educational exchange programme now to ensure that Scotland stays visible and connected in terms of education.

My colleague Maurice Golden spoke about how the framework will encourage people around the world to consider Scotland as an area to visit, and it highlights the importance of our historical sites in teaching visitors and tourists. He rightly pointed out that the closure of so many such sites in Scotland should not hinder our tourism sector.

As my colleague Neil Bibby pointed out, Scotland must seek to improve our international air links to continue to promote Scotland and its heritage sites. Our airports are our link to the world. Proper investment into and the promotion of our international airports will encourage people to choose Scotland as a travel and holiday destination. This month, Glasgow airport is still running at only 86 per cent of its pre-Covid capacity, which leaves Scotland’s largest city with poor connections to international destinations and economic hubs. The Scottish Government should maximise the potential of our airports through direct flights to ensure a sustainable aviation industry in Scotland.

We welcome the publication of the document, and we wish for every success for the framework. We welcome the Scottish and UK Governments’ co-operation in achieving its success.

16:38  

Meeting of the Parliament

Scottish Connections Framework

Meeting date: 23 May 2023

Foysol Choudhury

Much can be done rather than just talking about independence and moving away from the United Kingdom.

Meeting of the Parliament

Scottish Connections Framework

Meeting date: 23 May 2023

Foysol Choudhury

I will continue. I have a lot to get through.

A UK Labour Government would ensure that it used all means to help boost Scotland’s international standing to create jobs and opportunities at home and abroad. I hope that the Scottish Government sticks to its commitment to work with all Governments in the UK to make that happen.

As my colleague Neil Bibby mentioned, the Scottish Government’s commitment to direct the National Records of Scotland to prioritise the development of online and digital resources is welcome. It will allow many of the Scottish diaspora to trace their ancestry and connections to Scotland.

Scotland is rich in history and culture. Christine Grahame rightly pointed out that culture is one of Scotland’s greatest exports. We have a lot to offer the world in shortbread, whisky, the Gaelic and Scots languages, medicine and much more. My colleague Daniel Johnson spoke about how important all those contributions are to the world.

He also spoke about the still-present evidence of Scotland’s key role in the transatlantic slave trade in our street names and monuments. As the framework outlines, we cannot and must not whitewash Scottish history. I welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to deliberately reach out to historically marginalised communities and groups and work with economic institutions to better understand our role in their history. It is long overdue.

My colleague Neil Bibby already stressed that Scotland’s role in global history is not one of absolute goodness. It is important that we focus on addressing Scotland’s role in slavery and colonialism at home as well as abroad. Educating people about the legacy of Scotland’s colonial past will help us to overcome the racism and xenophobia that, unfortunately, still exist in our society.

As Martin Whitfield and Willie Rennie said, one crucial way in which Scotland could be better promoted in the international arena is through an international student exchange programme. The UK’s withdrawal from the Erasmus programme meant the loss of opportunity for thousands of Scottish students to travel and study abroad. The opportunity was also lost for the thousands of international students who would have wanted to visit and study in Scotland. If the Scottish Government is serious in its ambition to

“build a more vibrant, visible and connected Scottish community around the world”,

it must replace the Erasmus scheme. The Welsh Labour Government has already implemented the Taith scheme to replace Erasmus, with funding of £65 million over five years.

Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 18 May 2023

Foysol Choudhury

Outside Parliament today, there is a construction and traditional skills demonstration, with young people from the industry delivering mini master classes to school pupils. I spoke with students who emphasised the importance of industry-based courses at colleges and universities across Scotland. They highlighted how important skills-based labour courses are to our heritage sector and how positively they can contribute to industry recruitment overall. Can the minister advise how the withdrawal of funding to universities and colleges is expected to impact on those essential industry-based courses?

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee

Continued Petitions

Meeting date: 17 May 2023

Foysol Choudhury

As has been said, any death results in a sad time for the family. Do families have an opt-out option? For example, in some faith communities, people want the burial to take place as soon as possible. As the witnesses said in answer to the convener’s questions, there is a shortage of professionals, so people might have to wait a very long time. What value is given to those families? How much information is given to them when organs are removed from the body?

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee

Continued Petitions

Meeting date: 17 May 2023

Foysol Choudhury

It does, but the situation is never clear, because every case is different, as you have said. Most of the time, the family feel that they are not getting the information that they should be getting. There should also be an opt-out option. It is not clear whether the family is allowed to say that they do not want to go through all that difficulty.

Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 17 May 2023

Foysol Choudhury

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the culture and arts sector hard. Cherished and well-respected arts venues such as the Filmhouse in Edinburgh have been forced to close. Other venues such as Leith theatre are in disrepair due to a lack of support and funding. What funding can be allocated to such struggling venues to avoid Scotland’s valued arts venues closing for good?

Meeting of the Parliament

Mental Health Crisis

Meeting date: 17 May 2023

Foysol Choudhury

Scotland’s mental health crisis has reached breaking point. Currently, more than 30,000 people are on a waiting list for mental health support; mental health-related calls to NHS 24 are seven times higher now than in 2019; and, in the past two years, more than 4,000 patients have waited over a year before they have even been allocated their first appointment. That is unacceptable.

Covid-19 and the cost of living crisis have placed mental health at the forefront of the political agenda, as they have caused the Scottish population to experience amplified feelings of anxiety. The theme of this year’s mental health awareness week is anxiety. Children and young people studying at universities and colleges can often feel overwhelmed by stress and anxiety.

Research by the Mental Health Foundation last year found that 64 per cent of college students in Scotland had low mental wellbeing and 55 per cent had hidden their mental health problems due to shame. However, students in Scotland are not able to access the help and support that they desperately need. If young people cannot rely on the NHS for it, they must have alternative routes for seeking counselling and advice on mental health issues.

Universities and colleges are places where young people can seek help and advice. Counselling services at universities and colleges provide students with extra support at a time in their lives when stress and anxiety can seriously impact their mental health. Counsellors at our universities do a tremendous and essential job by supporting staff and students to find solutions to their problems, yet many are now facing uncertainty about their jobs and the future of counselling services at universities and colleges, because funding from the Scottish Government will end in July. Up to 80 counselling jobs in higher and further education across Scotland are set to be cut if additional funding is not allocated.

University or college can be a stressful and challenging environment for many young adults, and the Covid pandemic has only exacerbated that. Counsellors at universities and colleges do vital work to reduce stress and anxiety and improve mental health. Their work massively reduces the pressure on NHS services at a time when the NHS is already outsourcing children’s mental health services to reduce waiting times.

The Scottish Government must allocate continued funding now to save the 80 counselling jobs across Scottish universities and colleges. That vital service must continue to be available to all students who need that little bit of extra support. During this mental health awareness week, the Scottish Government should make a commitment to students across Scotland that support at university and college will continue to be there for those who need it.

16:38