Chamber and committees

PE1942, on encouraging peer support programmes in public sector organisations, was lodged by Fiona MacRae. The petition calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to promote the use of peer support programmes such as trauma risk management, or TRIM, and sustaining resilience at work, or STRAW, in public sector workplaces to promote better mental health.

The petitioner has told us that use of the TRIM and STRAW processes could help to create psychological safety at work by encouraging employees to complete an incident report when they experience or witness behaviours that might affect employees’ mental health. She has also suggested that early intervention could help to reduce the number of employees experiencing mental health problems and contribute to a safer and more positive workplace culture.

In responding to the petition’s aims, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care has provided information on a range of actions that are being taken to promote mentally healthy workplaces, including a mental health transition and recovery plan, funding for a national trauma training programme, and the establishment of a peer recovery hub by the Scottish Recovery Network.

Do members have any suggestions or comments with regard to further action?

PE1943, which is on helping to prevent the destruction of greenfield sites by providing financial incentives for the remediation and reuse of brownfield sites, has been lodged by Victoria Mungall and calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to introduce financial support mechanisms that would enable local authorities to work alongside developers in bringing brownfield sites back into use, while discouraging developments on greenfield land.

Victoria Mungall tells us that brownfield sites can often be difficult and expensive to remediate due to contamination, unstable ground and other challenges. That results in greenfield sites being targeted for development, as they can be far less expensive for developers to build on. She also highlights that, in England, grants have been introduced that allow local authorities to contribute to the remediation of brownfield land.

In its response, the Scottish Government provides details of the vacant and derelict land investment programme, which was launched in March 2021. That £50 million fund is available on a competitive basis to all Scottish local authorities and to the Clyde Gateway urban regeneration company.

Members might be aware that the draft national planning framework 4 proposes an updated and expanded policy on vacant and derelict land that discourages development on greenfield land, unless no suitable brownfield alternatives are available.

Do members have any thoughts or comments?

PE1946, which was lodged by Sean Clerkin, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to use general taxation to pay for all charges for temporary accommodation for homeless people, including writing off the £33.3 million debt that is owed by homeless people to local authorities for temporary accommodation.

Sean Clerkin tells us that vulnerable homeless people, including working people,

“are being forced into serious debt.”

His recent submission highlights the increase in the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation over recent years and states that the situation will worsen given the cost of living crisis. He says that, without the action that is called for, the financial burden and further poverty will drive many people into physical and mental ill health.

The SPICe briefing that the committee received states that councils use different methods of calculating charges for temporary accommodation and that a Social Bite report found that there was wide variation in costs, which ranged from £65 to £400 per week. The Legal Services Agency published a report that noted

“varying levels of detail in local authority policies and varying regard for, and definition of, the affordability of temporary accommodation.”

The LSA recommends that, in the longer term, charging individuals for temporary accommodation should be prohibited.

The Scottish Government’s response highlighted its forthcoming housing bill, which will seek to prevent homelessness through principles of shared public responsibility, earlier intervention and increased housing choices for individuals. It has also established a temporary accommodation task and finish group, which will review charging practices and affordability concerns.

Do members have any suggestions or comments in relation to the petition?

Thank you, colleagues. That was very constructive. Thank you both for attending, minister and Ms Pacitti—I suspect that I got the pronunciation wrong the first time, in my confusion.

Mr Grant, can I come to you first? Would you like to comment on that?

I think that leads into your general question, Mr Torrance.

I wondered which pun, from a range of poor puns, you were going to reach for there, Mr Ewing.

I am happy for us to do that. Are members content with that approach?

Members indicated agreement.

I expect that it will be a relatively short evidence-taking session, because we are focusing on the issue in hand, so I thank you for your time.

I invite David Torrance to lead the questioning.

I am happy to accommodate that.

As there are no further suggestions, are members happy to keep the petition open and proceed on that basis? We can consider the petition afresh when we receive the submissions that we are now seeking.

Members indicated agreement.

PE1947, which was lodged by Alex O’Kane, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to address the disturbing culture of youth violence in Scotland. The petitioner highlights a culture of youth violence in Glasgow city centre, saying that children as young as 13 years old have been kicked unconscious and that such incidents have been videoed and circulated on social media. He also sent us a further submission to highlight a recent incident involving a young girl. He says that children should be safe on our streets and that young people

“need to learn about consequences and deterrents or they will simply become adults without fear of consequences and deterrents.”

The Scottish Government’s response outlines a number of on-going programmes and the work that is being undertaken with partner organisations such as the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit and Medics Against Violence. It also highlights a notable decrease in the number of young people frequenting Glasgow city centre and an associated decrease in antisocial behaviour and violence.

The Government states its plan to publish the first national violence prevention framework for Scotland, which seeks to refresh its approach to violence prevention and harm reduction. Its submission also notes that there was an 85 per cent reduction in the number of children and young people being prosecuted in courts between 2008 and 2020.

In view of the Scottish Government’s response and our own thoughts on this important petition, do members have any comments or suggestions?