Chamber and committees

I again thank my constituent Lewis Condy, who brought this important issue to the Parliament’s attention and provided a considered response to the Scottish Government’s submission. This is a good example of positive citizen engagement with the Scottish Parliament. Lewis has, throughout, emphasised the importance of equality of access to swimming lessons. Inequality of access is a big problem, as has been highlighted repeatedly in the responses to the committee, and is a key failure in the current situation.

I thank all those who signed the petition and the organisations that responded to the committee’s request for more information. They have provided a wealth of evidence about the value of swimming lessons and the factors that influence the inequality of access to them.

I note the following points in the response from COSLA. The Scottish Government previously answered a written question in Parliament from me about swimming lessons and competency levels in primary school children, by saying that the information was not held centrally. I am concerned and disappointed to learn that COSLA confirms that not only is there no data to indicate the presence of swimming lessons across Scotland, there is no mechanism to collect such data. It also notes the variations in the provision of swimming lessons across the country, with the availability of facilities and the cost of lessons being significant factors that drive unequal access. Although extracurricular support of the active schools network is highlighted, only 21 local authorities offer swimming activity through the network, and it is not known how many children that reaches.

The response from Scottish Swimming confirms the initial concerns raised by the petitioner that

“over 40% of children leave primary school unable to swim in Scotland”

Furthermore, it notes that only 10.5 per cent of children in swimming lessons through its learn to swim framework come from the most deprived areas of Scotland, and that there is a

“direct correlation between a child’s socio-economic background and their opportunity to learn to swim.”

If we are serious about tackling inequality, we need a very different approach.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents notes that in England, despite swimming being a statutory part of the national curriculum, a significant number of children leave primary education without being able to swim. It highlights the known issue of equality of access, including that it is affected by a family’s affluence and location. ROSPA’s submission indicates that swimming lessons as a statutory requirement might not in itself be a panacea. Making swimming lessons mandatory without support for and from the organisations that would need to be involved in delivery may not have the desired effects, so a whole package of measures require consideration.

There is also evidence that is available through other sources in England and Wales that identifies particular barriers to accessing swimming regularly for some ethnic minority communities, which have proportionately fewer children who are able to swim and be confident in water safety.

From the responses to my constituent’s petition, we have seen that there is widespread support in the sector for doing more on that issue. The committee has heard that there is no statutory curriculum in Scotland. However, the Scottish Government has previously found means to mandate an inclusive education in other areas where it has deemed that necessary.

At its heart, this is a question of social justice as much as it is one of education. The committee has heard that there are significant social disparities in the provision of swimming lessons. We know that access to swimming lessons gives people a benefit to their safety around water and to their health, fitness and wellbeing. Resolving those disparities is a matter of equality of opportunity.

The issue has public support and clear support from the sectors involved and, if properly addressed, would provide significant benefit to society. Many points have been raised by the organisations involved in that area, and the committee might wish to put those points to the cabinet secretary for further comment.

I thank the committee for allowing me this opportunity to speak.

The Scottish Labour freedom of information request revealed that funding of £500,000 for care and repair services to provide the installation has helped barely 800 people. How many people have been supported so far—not at the end of the financial year—in Edinburgh, and can the cabinet secretary give an estimate of the number of households in Edinburgh who are still to comply with the regulations? Can the cabinet secretary ensure that funding will be given so that all low-income, disabled and pensioner households can comply?

I thank Stuart McMillan for bringing the issue to the chamber for debate. I very much appreciate that the motion acknowledges the growing number of people who believe that the teaching of history should include an honest representation of the more shameful aspects of Scotland’s past, such as its involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.

I should start by emphasising why it is so important to include that in the teaching of Scottish history. It is not an attempt to talk down the country, as some critics in the wider national media would have us believe. It has two clear constructive purposes: first, to allow students to understand the horrors of the past with a view to ensuring that they are never to be repeated; and secondly, to ensure that students develop a realistic appraisal of how far we have come as a nation and as a society, and how far we still have to go.

A proper teaching of those aspects of our history gives context to the on-going struggle for racial justice, both here and around the world. Scottish history lessons must also find a place for the voice of Joseph Knight, a former slave and domestic servant whose successful court case in Edinburgh in 1777 was founded on the principle that

“No man is ... the property of another”.

Our history lessons must also find a place for the voices of the Quaker women in Edinburgh who spoke up against slavery, supporting abolitionist Frederick Douglass in his speaking tour in the 1840s and carving his campaign message on the side of Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood park, not so far from where the Scottish Parliament sits today.

Changing our approach will allow students to understand why that struggle proceeds at different speeds from one place to another; to see how its legacy affects people of different backgrounds and experiences in different ways; and, perhaps most importantly, to understand how the moves towards racial justice, from abolition onwards, have strengthened us. We are better off as a society when everybody’s human dignity is respected.

I highlight and applaud the measures that were recently implemented in Wales that seek to ensure a good grounding in black, Asian and minority ethnic studies for every student. That encompasses the study of history, identity and culture. The history component includes teaching on the involvement of Wales in slavery and colonialism. Although there are differences in the educational frameworks between our respective countries, I do not see any reason why Scotland could not aspire to that kind of approach.

I believe that we should move towards that and that the teaching of Scottish history would be more comprehensive and inclusive for it. I know that that view is shared by colleagues across the chamber. I would welcome an assurance from the minister, in concluding the debate, that we can all work together on taking forward those issues.

Delayed discharge continues to affect many of my Lothian constituents due to care staff shortages. One 82-year-old man from Kirkliston has been stuck in hospital for almost three months now as there is a lack of available care homes that take residents who are local authority funded. As we witness the surge of Covid cases, how will the Scottish Government solve the staff shortages and increase funded places so that social care packages can be delivered for my constituents in Lothian?

I have a question for Judith Paterson. If we accept that there will be no change until there has been a safe and secure transition, does the review of adequacy and eligibility need to wait until after that too, or could the Government start to review those things now so that the new system could be switched on straight after the safe and secure transition?

I have a small question. Have you had any communication from the Scottish Government on the process for making amendments? Does the panel accept the Scottish Government’s argument that changes to eligibility should be left to the independent review?

The fight against climate change must always be our priority in supporting the global recovery. In April, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees released data showing that 21.5 million people have been displaced by climate change-related disasters since 2010. It pointed out that

“in addition to sudden disasters, climate change is a complex cause of food and water shortages, as well as difficulties in accessing natural resources.”

Statistics show that there could be a rise of more than 200,000 in the number of displaced people in the years to come. Those people and refugees are doubly hit by Covid-19 outbreaks, with limited access to healthcare and vaccination.

What steps is the Scottish Government taking to prevent further tragedies and to support refugees who are in need?

Cabinet secretary, a large number of my constituents have contacted me to say that they have still not received their Covid-19 booster shot, despite being over 75 years of age. There is also a clear lack of availability of appointments in my region, with many people also unable to book online for their flu shot.

Many of my constituents in the Lothians want to celebrate Christmas with their families safely. What extra provision is the Scottish Government making to ensure that everyone who is entitled to a shot gets a shot, especially those people in rural areas?

I thank the minister for advance sight of her statement. More access to funding is crucial for small and community-based organisations, as countless bodies are still struggling to recover from the impact of Covid-19. Many small community organisations still face barriers to unlocking their full potential as the driving force of our culture sector. The complexities and delays in the application process prevent them from planning and being sure of the financial support that they desperately need. Events such as Edinburgh Diwali and the Eid celebrations that are organised by smaller organisations and visited by hundreds of people, including the minister, are still struggling. How will the Government ensure that small organisations can gain access to crucial funding to enable them to recover and that they will not have to wait until a week before their events start to learn whether funding is secured?