Chamber and committees

I start by thanking members for supporting my motion for debate today. I also want to invite members to attend the photo call that will take place on the garden lobby steps at 1.35, following the debate. I hope that members will be able to join us.

I think that we would all agree that one of the greatest honours that come with being an MSP is the opportunity that it presents to meet remarkable people. One such person is Jen Hardy, and I am delighted that she has joined us today in the public gallery, alongside Ian Pirrie, the new chief executive officer of Cancer Card.

I first met Jen Hardy in March 2018, when she successfully campaigned alongside women with incurable breast cancer and the Breast Cancer Now charity to help to deliver access to the secondary breast cancer drug Perjeta. I am pleased that the cabinet secretary said that those discussions continue, and I note that, yesterday, he engaged with the continuing campaigning work of Breast Cancer Now.

Jen was diagnosed with stage 4 incurable breast cancer on 18 October 2017, after having a CT scan to find out the cause of her paralysed vocal cord. While searching for cancer support, she noticed that there was no single place or online resource that listed the hundreds of different support services, support providers, information channels and free experiences that are available to people living with cancer, and their families.

It was that realisation that prompted Jen, who has an information technology background, to work to establish Cancer Card in order to create a single online point of access for anyone who is affected by cancer so that they can find the help and support that they need. Cancer Card, which was launched in May 2022, provides a detailed index of support services that are available, helping individuals navigate what can often be a complicated and complex world of cancer.

It is hard to believe that something like Cancer Card did not exist until now. I know that it is incredibly hard to have the difficult conversations with someone living with cancer about their treatment journey and, indeed, to ask the many personal questions that a wife, husband, mother, father, sister, brother, daughter, son or friend might want to ask. That is where Cancer Card is so wonderful: it recognises the questions and support that are involved in reaching more than just the person living with cancer but their families, friends, employers and professionals. It is available any time of day or night, when questions might be asked or answers or support might be sought. It also acts as a directory of key contacts for all United Kingdom cancer charities and support services.

One in two of us will develop cancer in our lifetimes. Over the past six years, in my time as co-chair of the Scottish Parliament’s cross-party group on cancer—alongside Jackie Baillie—one of the regular requests of many clinicians, charities and groups has been for access to the support services to be improved and made more readily available. That is what Cancer Card offers.

The significant impact of a cancer diagnosis on an individual’s life is immense, with the potential to render them feeling lost, frustrated, fatigued, isolated or financially disadvantaged when trying to obtain information of a non-medical but nonetheless essential nature. At a time when people living with cancer, and their families, need the most support, it can often be difficult to find the right information at the right time for the right person.

Cancer Card seeks to address that through the online support hub, where those affected by cancer find invaluable insights from the Cancer Card community and access to local and national cancer support charities and services, including financial help, exercise classes, counselling and local support networks. The advanced search and filtering options allow users to create a bespoke search based on their individual needs. That is very important. I ask those who have not had the opportunity to see cancercard.org.uk for themselves to visit it, please.

I pay tribute to and thank all the charities and organisations that provide information, help and advice to people and families living with cancer. We owe those organisations a huge debt of gratitude. The difference that they make to people’s lives, including those living with cancer, is significant across our country.

I believe that Cancer Card can and will elevate cancer support charities and services and help to promote their invaluable offering. There is no cost to users or charities for the services that are listed. That presents a great opportunity for local groups to highlight what is available in different localities across Scotland.

The Scottish Government is currently undertaking work on the new cancer strategy, which I welcome. That presents an opportunity to reset and reconsider how support and advice are provided in Scotland and across the United Kingdom, and especially to reconsider how, during and following the pandemic, access has shifted online. I hope that the new strategy can embrace Cancer Card and that the fresh new approach can provide the information and advice services that people living with cancer and their families and friends so desperately need and want to access.

I thank members for allowing this debate to take place, and I look forward to hearing the contributions to it.

Given the system and how you plan, what work has been done specifically with regard to funeral support payment? Forty per cent of eligible people are not applying for that payment.

Thank you. Does anyone else want to come in?

That is helpful. Thank you.

I cannot remember who gave us this evidence, but last week we heard about an information technology platform on which the data would be hosted. That might present an opportunity for data to be shared and accessed across the UK and Scottish Governments, with all local authorities being able to share it.

On potential benefits, would you agree that planning data would benefit from being processed at a Great Britain level, and that the data could be compatible?

Good morning, panel, and thank you for joining us. I have a couple of questions on barriers to disabled people seeking office and what happens when they gain elected office.

I am sure that you are both aware of the quite high-profile case in Edinburgh of a newly elected disabled member who highlighted the lack of support, accessibility and, to be honest, basic workplace health and safety advice that were provided. What conversations have taken place in COSLA to ensure that that changes? I do not think that it is acceptable that the situation arose in the first place.

Following on from that, what positive impact has the access to elected office fund made?

My final question is on the fact that the vast majority of councillors in Scotland represent a political party and come through a party political network. What more can be done? My party established the Women2Win campaign, for example, which has provided the peer support network that was missing. Are there also lessons from other political parties that could help to turn the situation around?

That is very helpful. As you say, we have a framework here in Parliament, which is available. I imagined that local authorities would be following that as well, so I am disappointed to hear that that has not been the case.

On the issue of member support groups, which you touched on, do you see different services being provided depending on the size of councils and the numbers of councillors who are being supported? Given that each council sets different rules and has different systems in place to support elected members, are national standards needed? Some of my Conservative colleagues who have joined councils have been surprised by the lack of secretarial support in some areas, whereas in other councils they have been very pleased with what has been provided. Does that need to be pursued?

Good morning, and thank you for joining us this morning.

I want to talk in more detail about the culture within councils, and specifically to look at the past five or six months when we have had new councillors in place. Do you have any information about training being provided and councils making their newly elected members feel welcome and part of the organisation? Obviously, we have councils with very different numbers of elected members. Do you have evidence about the introductory phase for new councillors?

Thank you. There might be something to learn from the Scottish Parliament. The Presiding Officer might not agree with me in relation to the chamber, but there is probably learning from our code of conduct that could be applied to other people who are in elected office.

There was a concerning story in the Edinburgh Evening News after the last election about a newly elected disabled member of the City of Edinburgh Council. No assessment of her needs was done. I hope that newly elected members coming to Parliament feel that assessment is made of whether they have additional needs. Is that something that you have had feedback on from newly elected members?

Good morning, minister, and good morning to your officials, too. In the limited time that we have had to take evidence from planning stakeholders in Scotland on the matter, we have heard that they are unclear about the term “planning data”. What do you think planning data is, and do you think that that demonstrates that there are gaps in data in our planning system in Scotland?