Chamber and committees

Before I begin, I would like to declare an interest: I am chair of the Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council—ELREC.

The Charities (Regulation and Administration) (Scotland) Bill aims to update the current charity law in Scotland, and Scottish Labour welcomes this much-needed update. As many of my colleagues have already mentioned, the bill will pass more power into the hands of the Scottish charity regulator, OSCR. It will hold charities more accountable for the appointment of trustees and the publication of accounts, and it will increase transparency and accountability in charities by improving public access to information about the daily running of charities.

Those are, of course, welcome improvements, but a more in-depth review is still required. As part of my role as a member of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, I highlighted those issues to the then cabinet secretary, Shona Robison, who outlined that the implementation of the bill would help to guide a wider review of the charity sector in general. I hope that that is still the case.

I would like to highlight some key issues with the bill. The first concern is that the consultation and engagement process did not go far enough, and many thought that the engagement process was not well advertised.

Zero Tolerance Scotland and the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre are examples of organisations that did not have the capacity to interact with the consultation processes in 2019 and 2021. They have expressed the view that the latest and final consultation process was not advertised well enough for them to participate in it. As well as that, smaller charities and organisations were not given an opportunity to make a representation to the call for views. As its chair, I can confirm that ELREC was not made aware of any opportunity to participate in such consultations.

The Scottish Women’s Convention and Children’s Hospices Across Scotland also expressed concern about the publicity around engagement events. They said that it was not wide-reaching enough, and that not all third sector organisations had the opportunity to express their concerns and give feedback.

In addition, some charities felt that they had not had the chance to fully contribute to the bill and that its development was skewed towards the views of OSCR.

I sincerely hope that the wider review of the charity sector that has been promised will seek to avoid those issues.

With regard to smaller third sector organisations, I have been made aware of concerns about some of the bill provisions, specifically the provision on the publication of accounts and implementation of a register of trustees. We welcome the transparency and accountability that the bill will bring, but there is concern about whether it will disproportionately affect smaller third sector organisations.

Foundation Scotland has expressed concern that the administrative burden that will be placed on charities due to the provision may feel disproportionate for smaller charities. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland expressed concern that smaller charities and third sector organisations are also likely to feel daunted by the implementation of a register of trustees in complying with the requirements and securing disclosure exemptions on the grounds of safety and security.

If implementing the legislation looks as though it will place a greater burden on smaller charities—which were largely left out of the consultation process—I hope that an adjustment period can be introduced to assist the affected organisations. First and foremost, however, I hope that the Scottish Government will be able to provide assurances that the bill will not disproportionately affect smaller third sector organisations.

I thank Fiona Hyslop for bringing the motion to the chamber so that we can discuss this important issue. In January, I wrote to the chief executive of NHS Lothian to express the concerns of my constituents, who were worried about the lack of end-of-life care at their nearest hospital—St John’s hospital.

I also addressed the lack of GP surgeries in the area and the fact that the possible closure of St Michael’s would be catastrophic if no alternative palliative and respite care services were made available. Constituents were also concerned that that might lead to nurses retiring earlier, adding to the overall pressures on the NHS.

The original purpose of St Michael’s hospital was to provide a service for the local community, and that was thanks to the amazing dedication and commitment of the Friends of St Michael’s Hospital group. For so many of my constituents, St Michael’s hospital is not only vital for providing hospital and crucial end-of-life care but acts as a community hub, supporting families with loved ones who are being cared for at the hospital.

The SNP has been in power for the past 16 years, yet the state of the health and social care sector has deteriorated due to chronic underfunding and mismanagement. Local government and the integration joint board in West Lothian have been starved of resources and left between a rock and a hard place. St Michael’s hospital is just one example of the current crisis in health and social care in West Lothian.

Many members might be aware of the public meeting last evening about the privatisation of care homes in West Lothian. More than 200 local residents turned up to express their concerns about the future of social care in West Lothian and the local residents who rely so heavily on it. I attended the meeting on behalf of my Lothian Scottish Labour colleagues, and there was clear frustration and anger about the insufficient resources and funding for health and social care. That is a result of cuts, made by the Scottish Government, which are putting councils under pressure.

It is important that all Lothian MSPs meet together now to discuss how we can get extra resources and funding allocated to health and social care in West Lothian and in Lothian generally and how we can move forward and tackle this crisis. A cross-party approach to that is essential.

Once again, I thank my colleague Fiona Hyslop for bringing attention to the issue, and I look forward to meeting with my Lothian colleagues soon, to deal with the crisis in health and social care in West Lothian.

In a written submission for the conference on the future of Europe, the Scottish Government said:

“Scotland will maintain alignment where possible and practical with EU legislation, standards, policies and programmes.”

It also previously outlined plans to implement a Scottish education exchange programme that would replace the Erasmus programme. Since then, no progress has been made on that programme. Instead, the Scottish Government continues to deflect any questions about the Erasmus programme, and the Erasmus+ programme was mentioned only briefly in the ministerial statement, which shows how much of a priority it is for the Scottish Government. The Welsh Labour Government has now implemented a scheme that is intended to replace Erasmus that has lined up more than 5,000 exchange opportunities since September 2022.

There is no reason why—

—the Scottish Government cannot deliver a similar scheme for young people in Scotland. When will the minister stop hiding behind the arguments for independence and act to realign Scottish priorities with EU practice to provide Scottish students with a replacement for the Erasmus programme?

There is nothing relevant to the committee.

No. I have had quite a lot of cases of motorcycle theft. Can we ask how many of those who have committed that crime are waiting to go to court and how long the waiting time is? A lot of the time, the same person comes back and carries out the same act.

I apologise for coming in late. I was stuck in the car park.

I agree that the petitioner makes a lot of valid points, but I also agree with Alexander Stewart and Fergus Ewing that the petitioner needs to come up with some proposals on how she wants to see us proceed.

I do not have any.

I thank Sharon Dowey for bringing this important issue to the chamber.

Earlier this year, I visited Linlithgow palace and met some of the Historic Environment Scotland team who work there. They told me about the restoration and preservation work that had been undertaken on the palace. I learned of the unique history of the palace and the important work that Historic Environment Scotland was doing to keep that history alive. Our historic environment is on the front line of climate change and some of our historic sites need specialised restoration and repair work. During my visit to Linlithgow palace, I learned about the work that needs to take place there, which requires skilled labourers and stonemasons to carry out.

I agree with the statement in Sharon Dowey’s motion that the Scottish Government must do more to ensure that there is not a shortage of skilled labourers who are able to do the necessary work. A modern apprenticeship in stonemasonry must be funded and made more readily available. College and further education courses should be fully funded to enable them to teach these important skills. Providing skills to labourers who can help to restore our historic sites is crucial to ensuring that we can reopen some of them.