Chamber and committees

Can the data that is being used to calculate these figures be considered comprehensive when there is only a single reference month when analysing the financial pressure on low-income households?

My constituent Lewis Condy lodged petition PE1891, which sought to make swimming lessons a statutory requirement in the primary school curriculum. It was very disappointing that that petition was closed in January 2023, and now potential swimming pool closures present further obstacles to providing crucial swimming lessons to children across Scotland.

Swimming pools are vital community hubs for the population of Scotland. They provide crucial water safety skills, each week teaching more than 100,000 children the essential life skill of learning how to swim.

Swimming pools also act as part of Scotland’s natural health service by safeguarding the mental and physical wellbeing of people of all ages and abilities, saving the national health service an essential £357 million every year. Will the minister support swimming pool operators to keep those vital community hubs open to provide what is an essential service?

The MS Ambition and the MS Victoria are temporary homes to thousands of Ukrainian refugees. The lease on those boats will soon come to an end and those on the boats will need to be rehoused in suitable accommodation. Many individuals on those boats have formed communities and begun to put down roots where they have been docked. What action is being taken to ensure the safe and suitable rehousing of every individual who is currently residing on those boats?

As other members have done, I express a warm welcome to the Ukrainian consul, who joins us in Parliament.

Today, the Parliament has come together to stand in solidarity with Ukraine. I echo my colleagues’ dismay over the innocent lives that have been lost in the unjustified war, as well as their appreciation of the courage and resolve that the people of Ukraine have shown. Over the past year of this illegal war, we have witnessed barbaric aggression, and Putin has made it clear in the past few days that there is no end on the horizon.

We must remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine. As my colleagues have highlighted, we must continue to provide defensive military support to Ukraine and continue to increase economic and diplomatic pressure. As Sarah Boyack noted, sanctions are still crucial to putting pressure on the Russian regime.

We must make it clear that Scotland will continue to support diplomatic means to end the war. Putin must feel the cost of the continued aggression against a sovereign nation. Still, we must remember the goal of de-escalation. The Russian regime’s aggression began this war; we must support any diplomatic means possible to end it.

Solidarity means commitment to Ukraine. We must remember that our efforts are first and foremost for the innocent people affected by Putin’s war in Ukraine. Continued support must be given to those who have been, and continue to be, displaced by the war. As Sarah Boyack rightly said, we must take measures to ensure the safety of all refugees in Scotland and ensure that they are protected against forces, such as people traffickers, that might abuse the crisis.

Ukrainian people must have a safe home here in Scotland. I express my thanks to the minister, Neil Gray, for keeping us all updated on the Scottish Government’s efforts to house displaced Ukrainians. I note the minister’s comments about local authorities working with the Scottish Government on plans for the long-term housing and resettlement of Ukrainian refugees.

The local authority in Edinburgh has previously approached me on the topic of support from the Scottish Government. I hope that the Scottish Government can continue to work in partnership with local authorities to show solidarity with Ukraine by housing as many Ukrainian people as possible.

As my colleague Donald Cameron mentioned, we need to be prepared with a long-term strategy to house Ukrainian refugees and support their integration into our society. Both the MS Ambition in Glasgow and the MS Victoria here in Edinburgh are set to disembark in the coming months. They are currently home to around 2,200 Ukrainian refugees. Neither Glasgow nor Edinburgh has the spare housing capacity to accommodate them, so there are fears that they will have to be housed elsewhere.

Many of those individuals have spent almost a year living on those ships. They have built relationships, communities and lives in Glasgow and Edinburgh. It is possible that with the Ukraine longer-term resettlement fund, those individuals might now be further displaced to an unknown place in Scotland. A long-term housing strategy for those individuals is essential—one that provides support to protect the mental health of Ukrainian refugees who have been through trauma that most of us can only imagine.

They need to be able to put down roots, their children need to go to school, and they should be able to build a life here and call Scotland their home for as long as they need to. We would welcome a long-term strategy for the thousands of refugees who are likely to remain in Scotland for at least the next year, and we should be prepared to house them for much longer if Putin’s war continues.

That is how we can continue to show solidarity and support to Ukraine, one year on from the beginning of the war.

To ask the Scottish Government what additional funding it will provide to local authorities in response to reported concerns about swimming pool closures. (S6O-01926)

I thank Russell Findlay for bringing to the chamber a debate on this important topic.

Through supporting victims, we are able to give their voices a platform while developing deeper learning about their experiences and the lives of those who are affected by crime. Victim Support Scotland seeks to undertake fantastic work. However, my constituents have reported that the organisation is overworked and very difficult to get in contact with when it is needed most .

In order to ensure that victims of crime are supported and their voices are heard, we must ensure that there is a place for them in the criminal justice system. That system requires improvements if it is to meet the specific needs of every victim and ensure that justice is served. It is vital that our justice system is anchored in sensitivity to the multiplicity of needs of the victims who will pass through it and that respect is shown to each and every individual.

The Parliament will be aware of the previous cases of unlawful organ retention in the national health service over 20 years ago. My constituent Lydia Reid has been fighting for justice for her son Gary Paton since he died in 1975. Ms Reid has long believed that Gary was a victim of unlawful organ retention and that he was not buried in 1975 as she was led to believe. She recently received the outcome of the Crown Office investigation into her son’s death and burial, which she vehemently disagrees with. She wishes to bury Gary as soon as possible. However, due to a legal system that will give families back their loved one’s belongings only once they say that they will not appeal verdicts, Ms Reid was almost forced to choose between justice and being able to bury her son before she was given a concession.

I have heard from constituents who feel that they have faced hostility and misogyny when reporting domestic abuse. They felt that they were dismissed rather than receiving the care and justice that they deserved. I have also heard from constituents whose additional support needs were not considered when they were involved with the police and judicial system, so they were, in effect, shut out of the justice process due to inaccessibility.

Why do we have a justice system that opts for a one-size-fits-all approach? Every victim experiences crime differently, whether that be because of their gender, age, race, identity or socioeconomic status. Every situation surrounding crime happens and evolves differently. To fully understand victims and survivors and support them through that system, we must have a flexible system that takes every victim’s needs into consideration. Only then can we hope to fully champion the rights of all crime victims. I hope that we can achieve improvements in the criminal justice system in time for victims awareness week 2024.

Convener, I want to add to the question that you asked. Will any increases reflect household bills? A lot of families are being hit by high gas and electricity bills.

Thank you. I have no other questions on this theme.

Good morning. I have just a short question. What data and evidence were collected prior to the decision to increase the Scottish child payment?

Thank you very much.