Chamber and committees

I thank my colleague Ruth Maguire, whose motion brings this important issue to Parliament for debate today, and Jackie Dunbar for opening the debate. I welcome the opportunity to mark the day of the imprisoned writer, which is organised every year by the organisation PEN International. Since the day’s introduction, PEN has marked the date by calling for the release of imprisoned writers, advocating for better protection for journalists and fighting for justice for writers who have lost their liberty or their life. Across the world, writers, readers and free speech advocates are coming together to recognise those who are jailed for their work and to call for their release. Since its inception, 100 years ago, PEN International has worked tirelessly to draw attention to violations of writers’ rights and to support those who have been repressed and their families. The organisation believes that there are more incarcerated writers in the world today than at any time since world war two.

Every year, countless writers are harassed, persecuted, detained, or even killed for practising their profession. Others continue to work in the face of threats, intimidation or intrusive surveillance from state authorities. In a world marred by conflict and repression, where the threat of misinformation and disinformation is rife, it is more important than ever to appreciate and value the work of writers, who make extreme personal sacrifices to preserve and report the truth.

Last month, I joined several of my colleagues, including Ruth Maguire, who secured this debate, in becoming a godparent of political prisoners in Belarus. My godchild, Zhanna Volkava, is currently serving three years in prison for charges including insulting the President. My colleagues and I signed up to the project with the shared hope that it would bring further international attention to the human rights situation and the suppression of freedom of expression in Belarus, and that it would raise awareness of and support for other political prisoners, many of whom are journalists and writers.

The Belarusian chapter of PEN International operates from a base in Poland, after it was outlawed by the Belarusian Government in 2021, and it continues to monitor and support writers in the country who have faced persecution and imprisonment. I would like to take a moment to recognise just a few of those writers by name.

Ihar Karnei is a journalist, essayist and author of texts about cultural and historical heritage in Belarus. In July last year, Ihar was arrested at home and held in a pre-trial detention centre. This March, he was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for working with a so-called extremist formation. That formation was the Belarusian Association of Journalists, which is widely and internationally recognised as a human rights organisation.

Katsiaryna Andreeva is a journalist and co-author of a documentary book that was banned by Belarusian authorities. In 2020, she was detained after reporting on a memorial for the artist Raman Bandarenka, who is widely believed to have been killed by security forces. While in detention in 2022, she was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment on charges of state treason, which Amnesty International has called bogus. Her husband, journalist and co-author of the banned book, Ihar Ilyash, was arrested on 22 October last year. Last week, it became known that he is currently being held in a pre-trial detention centre on unknown charges, and there are deep concerns for his safety and wellbeing.

Ihar, Katsiaryna and Ihar have been imprisoned for exercising rights that many of us take for granted: to speak our mind, to attend peaceful demonstrations, to write and publish, and to speak truth to power. PEN Belarus continues to advocate for them and their families, and for all imprisoned writers and other political prisoners in Belarus, as other PEN chapters do for others across the world.

I welcome the opportunity to commend PEN’s work, as well as the work of other organisations that call for the protection of all writers who are at risk or under threat, and to celebrate the power and the courage of the written word across the world.

Can the cabinet secretary outline to Parliament the criteria for the use of the Government car service by ministers and cabinet secretaries?

Will the cabinet secretary set out what support the Scottish Government has already put in place for ASL?

Following on from Mr Sweeney’s questions, I note that, under the bill as introduced, the two doctors that sign off capacity could be two foundation year 2 doctors. In your opinion, would they have the level of training and expertise to be able to do that?

I thank our witnesses for their attendance; you have been very helpful to the committee in our on-going scrutiny of the bill. Please feel free to leave while the committee’s work continues.

The next item on our agenda is consideration of a negative instrument. The purpose of the instrument is to amend the regulations on the NHS superannuation and pension schemes in Scotland. The instrument introduces legislative changes to the schemes, including retirement flexibilities, amendments to abatement rules and final pay controls, changes to the 2015 regulations regarding inflation and other miscellaneous amendments. The policy note states that

“the instrument also introduces a new employer contribution rate from 1 April 2024 and reforms the employee contribution rates in the NHSPS(S) in two phases from 1 October 2023 and 1 October 2024.”

The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee considered the instrument at its meeting on 5 November 2024 and made no recommendations in relation to it. No motion to annul has been received. I know that Sandesh Gulhane wishes to make some comments. Before I pass over to him, I put it on record that I am a contributor to an NHS superannuation and pension scheme.

Thank you, Mr Gulhane. I take it that by “some staff” you are referring to medical staff?

I am mindful of the time, so I ask members and panel members to be concise with their questions and answers, please.

I see no objection to the committee writing to ministers and asking for relevant clarification on some of those issues. Are you content with that?

Thank you.

At our next meeting, on Tuesday 19 November, we will continue taking oral evidence as part of the committee’s stage 1 scrutiny of the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill. That concludes the public part of our meeting.