Chamber and committees

Good morning.

I will ask a question on what you have just said, but I also have another question. Are we using the spaces that we have in schools? You have mentioned the Filmhouse’s difficulties and that you always find it difficult to attract people from ethnic minority backgrounds. Are they adequately informed? Do they know where they can perform or participate?

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I am not sure whether my vote has been registered. My app is not refreshing.

I, too, congratulate the minister on her new role.

At the end of last year, the Scottish Government’s budget predicted a fourfold increase in commercial revenue for Historic Environment Scotland. However, at the beginning of this year, 60 Historic Environment Scotland sites remained closed or partially closed to the public. Can the minister advise how Historic Environment Scotland’s revenue will rise as predicted if so many of the sites remain closed throughout the summer?

My casework is currently inundated with constituents experiencing housing issues. Families are stuck on waiting lists for permanent homes. Individuals are stuck in unsuitable temporary accommodation, living with damp, mould, mice and rats. Students are presenting as homeless because they cannot find affordable accommodation where they study. With the appointment of a specific housing minister, it appears that the Scottish Government is beginning to take this homelessness and housing crisis seriously.

Scotland is experiencing a housing emergency, with a record number of children trapped in temporary accommodation. As of September 2022, 9,130 children were reported to be living in temporary accommodation, which is an increase of more than 100 per cent on the figure a decade ago. The number of families presenting as homeless has also increased massively, with 40 per cent more households in temporary accommodation than was the case in 2014.

The City of Edinburgh Council alone is facing a £65 million bill for tackling homelessness. Local authorities across Scotland will also be buckling under the weight of the overflowing housing sector. No local authority was able to meet its rapid rehousing aims within the projected five years. Without allocated resources from the Scottish Government, local authorities will continue to fall short of their housing aims.

The temporary accommodation task and finish group has made distinct recommendations about how to begin to solve the homelessness crisis, and the Scottish Government must take significant action now to address those recommendations. If it does not act now and provide resources to meaningfully implement the recommendations, they will not be worth the paper that they are written on.

Homelessness can affect any group. It is not just families that are suffering in the current housing crisis. Yesterday, I asked the Scottish Government what its response was to a recent report by NUS Scotland that said that a fifth of international students in Scotland had experienced homelessness during their studies. The report found that international students were almost twice as likely to find themselves homeless as home students were. That is unacceptable, and the Scottish Government must act now to ensure that international students are welcomed into Scotland and looked after during their studies.

In January this year, I hosted a student housing round-table event to address problems that students are having in sourcing accommodation. I was told a similar story of students being unable to source accommodation, with many having to sleep on friends’ couches or to source accommodation far outside the city that they were studying in.

The Scottish Government must also do more to hold universities accountable for the housing needs of their students. Further investment in overpriced purpose-built student accommodation will not solve the problem. The Scottish Government must act now to begin solving the multitude of problems in Scotland’s housing sector.

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)

NUS Scotland’s study also found that 29 per cent of international students have considered leaving their course because of financial difficulties, and, shockingly, that 49 per cent skipped meals due to their financial circumstances.

In January, I hosted a round-table event on student housing in the Parliament, where many international students told me that they have faced racism from private landlords when looking for affordable housing. If they cannot secure a United Kingdom-based guarantor, purpose-built student accommodation is the only option for many of them. Such accommodation often has associated difficulties, including term length, and it is far too expensive for most students to afford. Will the minister agree to meet me to discuss the housing situation of international students in Scotland?

In closing this afternoon’s debate on behalf of Scottish Labour, I reaffirm our opposition to what is an abhorrent bill. The UK Government’s Illegal Migration Bill paints a picture of irresponsible refugees who seem to delight in travelling to the UK in dangerous small boats. That is simply not the case. Actually, the bill could achieve the opposite of ensuring the safe passage of asylum seekers across the Channel, by forcing many vulnerable asylum seekers into the hands of human traffickers and criminal gangs.

Many of my colleagues have already addressed today the dehumanising and immoral proposals in the bill. As the cabinet secretary’s motion addresses, there are deep concerns that the bill is not consistent with the European convention on human rights. The Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, cannot even guarantee that the bill does not break international human rights law. As my colleague Paul O’Kane addressed, the UK Government should be focusing on creating more safe and legal routes for people seeking asylum, instead of vilifying those who arrive via alternative means.

As many members mentioned, the right to seek asylum is a universal human right that is enshrined in the refugee convention. It is a right that all those who enter and live in the UK should have access to. The bill takes that right away from some of the most vulnerable people in Scotland.

The UK Government’s bill has received widespread criticism from numerous third sector and international organisations. All condemn the immoral and unreasonable proposals in the bill. Amnesty International UK has predicted that the bill is expected to reach into various devolved areas of competence—most worryingly, those involving child protection and anti-trafficking legislation. The anti-trafficking provisions in the bill are incompatible with the anti-trafficking obligations under article 4 of the European convention on human rights and article 12 of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.

The scope of the duties requires the involvement of Scottish ministers, Police Scotland and the Lord Advocate. The bill will not only directly impact those people and their commitments in Scotland, but specifically undermine the protections contained in the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015. The Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland has advised that the bill gives the Home Secretary the power to disapply existing statutory duties in Scotland owed to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.

As my colleague Kaukab Stewart mentioned, local authorities in Scotland have a responsibility to provide children in need with support and accommodation, regardless of their current immigration status. The Scottish Refugee Council has advised that the bill removes the right of survivors of trafficking or modern slavery to seek asylum in this country when entering by what the UK Government has termed “illegal means”. It also removes their right to safety, assistance and recovery and the prospect of temporary leave to remain.

My colleague Donald Cameron said that we should not be debating this issue, as it is a matter that is reserved to the UK Government. However, as I have addressed, the bill will have ramifications in Scotland that are likely to overwhelm many of Scotland’s sectors. The number of asylum seekers who will need pro bono assistance is expected to be very high, which has the potential to overwhelm Scotland’s legal aid services. That is not to mention the impact that the bill could have on Dungavel immigration removal centre, which is the only immigration detention centre in Scotland and currently has the capacity to detain 130 men and 12 women. Although legal professionals are monitoring the situation, they suspect that the consequences of the bill will very likely overwhelm the centre and the neighbouring community.

If provisions are not put in place to support the centre, it is likely that we will see asylum seekers being shipped elsewhere in the UK, with little regard to personal or family ties.

The bill not only contains immoral and inhuman plans that will endanger thousands of vulnerable people trying to seek asylum here in the UK; it seeks to shut the door on those who have entered the country as victims of human trafficking, who will receive no compassion or protection from the UK as a result. It will also directly impact a number of devolved areas of competence. It is likely to contradict commitments made by the Scottish Parliament and have a serious impact on sectors here in Scotland. We should remain committed to the international agreements by which the UK is bound. I hope that Scotland will remain committed, and welcoming to those entering this country, seeking asylum.

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?

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.