Chamber and committees

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.

The Muirhouse millennium centre in my region is facing financial difficulty. Several meetings have been held to address the centre management’s concern about the lack of future core funding, which could mean the risk of closure. When community centres are not funded property, it is not only the centre that loses out; the families depending on them for support and help, particularly during the cost of living crisis, are left without a lifeline. Will the First Minister increase funding to local authorities to ensure that they have the necessary funds to support essential community centres such as the Muirhouse millennium centre?

Yesterday, it was reported that councillors in Edinburgh will be asked to approve a £2.4 million cut to teaching assistant posts. In an industry that is already struggling with the retention and recruitment of staff, that news is deeply concerning.

Can the cabinet secretary tell us what action will be taken to protect pupil support and classroom assistants’ jobs, given the vital role that they play in children’s educational and social development?

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to increase the recruitment of pupil support assistants, including ensuring that they receive fair pay. (S6O-01858)

Thank you, Presiding Officer, for the opportunity to speak on this important issue. My casework is inundated with constituents experiencing housing issues, whether caused by them being on lists waiting for permanent family homes to be offered, in unsuitable temporary accommodation, or suffering the effect of mould and damp in social housing.

I am very concerned that the allocation for housing in the Scottish Government’s proposed 2023-24 budget will only make the housing crisis worse. We need to address the problems head on. If funding is not allocated to the housing budget for the building of new homes, the Scottish Government will be hard pushed to reach its own affordable housing targets. Further cuts to local government also mean that councils cannot attempt to tackle this housing crisis. The creation of new homes is crucial to solving the catastrophe that is currently unfolding in our housing sector.

The reduction in housing investment can be attributed directly to the UK Government’s disastrous mini-budget, and the steep rise in interest rates that came as a result. Scottish Labour supports a rent freeze and eviction ban to help tenants during the cost of living crisis. We recognise that that is not a long-term solution to the housing crisis, but ending restrictions on rent and evictions would only exacerbate the crisis, with an estimated 14,250 households experiencing homelessness in 2021.

Shockingly, an estimated 13,000 children might not sleep in their own homes tonight. New housing must be built to try and tackle this evolving problem, and the Scottish Government must increase funding to local authorities in its 2023-24 budget to deliver vital homelessness services.

City of Edinburgh Council alone is facing a £65 million bill to tackle homelessness. Local authorities across Scotland will also be buckling under the weight of the overflowing housing sector. New and existing homes must be brought up to standard to ensure that they are energy efficient and that tenants are protected from mould and damp. I recently raised that issue in a motion before Parliament, and I am very worried that, without action, housing across Scotland will be putting our constituents in danger.

Damp housing disproportionately affects those living in poverty, and the cost of living crisis has forced people to avoid heating their homes. That has simply made the problem worse. New homes need to be provided, and we need to ensure that they are energy efficient, insulated and, most importantly, affordable for those who need them most. That must be a priority for the Scottish Government—otherwise, the housing crisis cannot be resolved.