Chamber and committees

Some important points have been made about the future of apprenticeships. I know that the minister has paid a lot of attention to the cross-party group on construction, but in the week before recess, serious concerns were raised about the future of plumbers, electricians, decorators and other trades. Concerns were raised that apprentices might not get jobs after their apprenticeships end. Those are important points. Perhaps the minister, who is listening, would engage with the group urgently, because there are genuine concerns out there.

I am sorry, Presiding Officer—my throat has been struggling all day, so I will keep this brief. I join colleagues in paying tribute to Ruth Maguire, and I thank her not only for lodging the motion and making the debate possible, but for speaking about something that is deeply personal to her. Those of us who know Ruth know that she is a modest person who is feeling uncomfortable about doing that, but we thank her for putting herself, and her pain and experience, out there. I know that her family, friends and loved ones, who will be listening and watching, will be feeling very proud of her, and we are all glad that she is back in the Parliament.

I was struck by something that Ruth said in her interview with The Sunday Post. She said,

“I didn’t have time to have cancer”,

which stopped me in my tracks on the Sunday morning when I read it. That is a theme in today’s debate, and it was a theme at the recent event that took place in Parliament. I was not able to attend that event because of a funeral, but I chair the cross-party group on women’s health, at which we heard from another woman about her experience and her reality. The issue of not having the time came up again there, because, as women, we so often put ourselves at the back of the queue. We are juggling work and childcare and caring responsibilities, and so much more, so we all have to get real about the issue of time. Life is short, and it is precious, and we have to look after ourselves, so I am glad that Ruth made that point in her interview.

Another woman whom I want to speak about in my brief remarks is Emma Keyes, who is a constituent of mine. Emma is a young mum—she is now 31, and she has three children. She is a very busy and energetic young woman, and those of us who have met her are inspired by her. I know that the minister has previously given her time to meet with Emma, so I remind her that Emma has not gone away. She is a survivor, and she is very much fighting to make sure, as other members have said, that we get there by not simply talking about an elimination strategy but really picking up the pace on cervical cancer.

Emma wants to remind the Parliament and the Government of her story. She says:

“After being diagnosed with cervical cancer and understanding that this is a preventable cancer, it sickens me that other women have to go through this. If we get the right testing implemented, that increases uptake and fewer women will have to hear those dreaded words, ‘You have cervical cancer’. Fewer women will have to face harsh treatments resulting in fertility loss”,

which was Emma’s experience.

She goes on to say:

“HPV home testing kits give us a better chance to treat a pre-cancerous stage as opposed to this horrible cancer diagnosis for a younger age group. If we can increase the uptake with HPV home testing, as has been shown in the trials, then why would not we roll this out sooner? This will literally save women’s lives and take away the many barriers that come along with smear testing.”

That is what Emma has to say. Like other members, therefore, I am really keen to hear from the minister about where we have got to following the trials in Dumfries and Galloway, how we can speed up the process and how we can ensure that, whether in Parliament, in Government or in our own lives, we make the time to treat this issue seriously and use all the tools at our disposal to eliminate cervical cancer.

I want to pick up those themes around inequality and the need for flexibility. We hear a lot from women who have real trouble having the conversation with their employer or manager to get time off work. What discussions is the minister having with employers and trade unions about how we can remind people of fair work principles, to ensure that, in particular, women who are in precarious and low-paid work do not face additional barriers, which is the reality for many people in our communities?

At the moment, are the wrong people round the table, or are people missing from the table?

Good morning. I think that we all agree that we want to move at pace towards a circular economy, so I welcome the clarification that we have had this morning.

Liam Kerr covered much of this but, in your opening remarks, you talked about SEPA needing a flexible and proportionate set of tools. I listened carefully to your exchange with Liam Kerr. When it comes to the order, what discussions has the Government had with SEPA about how it intends to use the tools in practice? When the word “flexibility” is used, that can often mean uncertainty for businesses, especially when there is a scale, as there is here, of what can be considered non-compliance. How much discretion will SEPA have in making assessments?

That is helpful. Thank you.

We will come to funding questions later. David, I will ask you the same question about the relationship with Serco NorthLink, CMAL and Transport Scotland.

Thank you.

Yes—I said that I might have further questions on funding. Are both of you able to outline how much it would cost to renew your authorities’ ferry fleets and the timeframe in which that would need to happen to maintain a reasonable level of service?

I put the same point to you, Councillor Lyall.