Chamber and committees

I congratulate the minister on his new position. This is international students week, but thousands of students across Scotland are still struggling through the housing crisis without help from the Scottish Government. In my members’ business debate last week, I addressed the huge number of houses that are mould infested and dangerous. Landlords and letting agents are refusing to deal with damp and mould, and it is again students who are suffering, as they cannot afford to live anywhere else. What is being done to hold landlords and letting agents to account for structural repairs and damp control in private rented accommodation?

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent report by the National Union of Students Scotland, which stated that more than a fifth of international students in Scotland have experienced homelessness during their studies. (S6T-01335)

I begin by thanking all those who signed the motion and all my colleagues who are present to speak on what is an important issue.

As members will be aware, in December 2020, two-year-old Awaab Ishak died from a respiratory condition that was caused by extensive mould in the housing in which he lived, in Rochdale, England. That tragedy is a stark warning of the danger that mould can cause when it is not dealt with properly. We must act now to stop preventable deaths such as Awaab’s from occurring in Scotland.

Unfortunately, too many Scottish residents live in dangerous housing. The charity Crisis found that 2 million British households on low incomes are living with poor conditions such as mould, damp and overcrowding. Scotland is particularly hard hit by that. The Scottish Government’s most recent house condition survey found that 40,000 homes in our nation fall below the tolerable standard, with one third of that figure being directly due to rising or penetrating damp. Given that, on average, there are two people per household, 80,000 Scottish residents are living in homes that their own Government considers to be unacceptable. For 27,000 of those, that is directly due to damp.

That brings me on to the experience of my constituents for whom the problem of damp and mould has become all too common. Sara Martin and Alistair Stuart live with their four children in a council house in Edinburgh. Two of the children have asthma, which has got worse, and another has developed a constant hacking cough as a result of damp and mould. Ms Martin has told me that she fears for her children because of their prolonged exposure to mould. At one point, she had to call an ambulance due to her son’s severe chest pains. The ambulance report cited mould as an environmental factor at the property.

Council repairs were undertaken at the property, but my constituents have reported that the work was simply cosmetic—it only covered up the mould, which came back just months later. Sara and Alistair have now had to leave the flat after dealing with the damp and mould for 10 years. Structural repairs to deal with the mould are still not finished.

Another of my constituents has been living in a mould-infested house for 16 months. The placement was supposed to be temporary accommodation, but she now has to live out of one bedroom with her 21-month-old son. She has spoken of the serious effect that the situation has had on her mental health. She believes that she cannot access the help that she needs until her difficult living situation is resolved. She feels helpless and that nothing is being done to move her into permanent or safe accommodation.

The negligent behaviour of private landlords is particularly to blame for the situation. Almost half of private sector rented homes in Scotland failed to meet the Scottish housing quality standards. The lack of regulation in the sector means that the worst landlords get away with providing poor-quality homes, and people on the lowest incomes live in them because they feel that they have no other option.

The experience of my constituents speaks for itself. I have heard from other constituents who have had to move out of their privately rented accommodation because of fears about the effects of damp and mould on their very young child. That was after repeated attempts to get the letting agent to do more than cosmetic repairs that simply covered up the mould instead of eradicating it.

Letting agents and private landlords must ensure that tenants are aware of the ways in which mould and damp occur and how to prevent them. Many tenements around Scotland have no place to dry clothes outdoors. That only makes the problem worse. More information needs to be made available to tenants to make them aware of the causes of mould and ways in which to treat and prevent it. In addition, landlords should not rent out houses or flats that need structural repairs to avoid mould forming.

Ultimately, housing providers should be held responsible for ensuring that the accommodation that they provide is clean and safe for every resident or tenant who moves in. The Scottish Government needs to do more to help them and to hold them accountable when crucial repair work is not done properly. How many trips to hospitals, long-term illnesses or deaths caused by damp housing will it take for the Scottish Government to take the issue seriously?

Too many of our citizens are living in dangerous accommodation, and landlords are getting away with doing nothing about it. We, as a Parliament, have to do more.

Wear a hat day is a flagship campaign of Brain Tumour Research. It forms an integral part of brain tumour awareness month and it is now in its 14th year. Over the years, it has raised more than £2 million.

I thank my colleague Emma Harper for bringing this important issue to the Parliament and for sharing her personal story. One of my aunties is in Turkey at the moment getting private treatment for a brain tumour. She is about 30 or 32 years old.

I commend the great work of fundraisers. Every penny raised means that more important research can be done, bringing us closer to a cure.

Historically, there has been significant underfunding of research into brain tumours. In the past 12 years, the charity Brain Tumour Research has provided funding in excess of £15 million to early-stage science. Since 2009, it has been doing tremendous work helping to develop the next generation of researchers through its centres of excellence and it has campaigned tirelessly to improve clinical outcomes for brain tumour patients. However, more support needs to be given. As my colleague Emma Harper’s motion mentions, brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer. However, the national investment in brain tumour research still represents just 1 per cent of brain tumour funding since records began in 2002.

For too long, brain tumours have been low on the list of priorities. As a result, patients and families are let down. For change to happen, there needs to be a strategic plan with joined-up thinking across the pathways of discovery, translational and clinical research. Government departments must start working together.

It is crucial for scientists in Scotland to be able to access further funding, including National Institute for Health and Care Research funding, to do their vital work. We must ensure that adequate research is being done to make advancements in brain tumour treatments. More investment in the treatment of brain tumours is urgently needed so that treatments can be developed and accelerated and the capacity of our medical research can be expanded.

I will say a few words about the importance of the horizon Europe programme for brain tumour research and the wider research community. The UK Government recently published an independent review of the country’s research and development landscape, which concluded that the horizon Europe association was essential. The review recommended that relationships with European Union partners be protected, maintained and expanded.

The free exchange of researchers, ideas and data with our closest research-intensive neighbours is vital for UK-wide research, development and innovation. It is vital that Scotland and the whole of the UK have full access to horizon Europe, which is the world’s largest collaborative research programme. If we have that, we can take great steps towards finding a cure for brain tumours.

To ask the Scottish Government when it next plans to meet with all parties involved in the proposed Winchburgh train station development. (S6O-02086)

Winchburgh has been promoted as a commuter town for the city of Edinburgh, and it is forecast to have a population of 13,000 within the next eight years. A train station with a direct link to Edinburgh would provide a public transport link for Winchburgh’s growing population. Currently, with only the possibility of a motorway exit, residents have no choice but to commute by car. A train station in Winchburgh would directly contribute to the Scottish Government’s net zero targets and would improve traffic conditions in Edinburgh. Will the minister advise why the Scottish Government has not taken advantage of the opportunity to meet net zero targets and give residents the opportunity to opt out of private transport?

Poverty-driven health inequalities are preventing people with diabetes from accessing technological advances in treatment of their condition. That has been highlighted by Diabetes Scotland’s “Diabetes tech can’t wait” campaign. The technology has the potential to change and, indeed, to save the lives of people with type 1 diabetes. It can also reduce serious complications and reduce the strain on the national health service. Will the minister advise me what action the Government will take to tackle the inequalities of access to hybrid closed-loop diabetes technology that relate to socioeconomic background?

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to recent reported analysis by Health Equals, which shows that poverty-driven health inequalities are reducing life expectancy among people who live in the most deprived areas. (S6T-01294)

As co-convener of the cross-party group on improving Scotland’s health, and as a member of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, I am well aware of the disparities in health in Scotland. In 2018, a study showed that a boy born in Muirhouse had a life expectancy 13 years less than that of a boy born in neighbouring Cramond. Analysis from The Health Foundation reported that average life expectancy in Scotland has reduced by 4.4 years since 2013. In addition, drug-related deaths have increased and are 18 times higher in the most deprived areas than they are in the least deprived ones.

Will the minister confirm what steps the Scottish Government has taken to address those health inequalities and the specific health conditions that disproportionately affect people from the most deprived areas?

I thank my colleague Pauline McNeill for highlighting this issue in the chamber.

The motion highlights the important service that taxi drivers provide to the transport sector. They offer a means of transport to those who are unable to take public transport, as well as a safe route home for those thousands of people who are not comfortable with using public transport either on their own or late at night. They also provide a means of transport to those who are physically unable to take buses, trains or trams and in places where public transport is not easily accessible.

I also echo the words of the motion in emphasising the support that Scotland’s taxi services provide to the hospitality and events sector. As shadow minister for culture, I, too, recognise the important role that taxi drivers play in revitalising the culture sector in Glasgow and Edinburgh after what have been a difficult few years for the industry. Lots of industries felt the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, but such unprecedented times forced many taxi drivers to give up the profession entirely. Throughout the pandemic, taxi drivers struggled with severely reduced passenger numbers and restrictions that made it very difficult for them to work full time. They did not receive enough support from the Scottish Government and, as many taxi drivers are self-employed, they were forced to find other means of income. The fact that many did not return to the profession after the pandemic has further exacerbated the shortage of taxi drivers in cities across Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s move towards low-emission zones will further exacerbate the challenges faced by taxi drivers and make their jobs even more difficult. It is clear that not enough is being done to support them through this transition, and the Scottish Government needs to reinforce the value of taxi drivers and do more to support their important job.

As I have already mentioned, taxi drivers provide a safe route home for those who cannot travel on public transport or who feel unsafe when walking home alone—something that I highlighted in my speech on international women’s day.

Taxi drivers often provide this vital service while dealing with a massive amount of unruly, aggressive and intoxicated passengers. Many of my constituents who are taxi drivers have told me of the difficulty of having to deal with stressful and complicated situations by themselves, because many are self-employed. More should be done to ensure that taxi drivers are met with the same level of respect as any other public service provider. The Scottish Government must facilitate action to support taxi drivers and their valuable contribution to the night-time economy and the culture industry.