Chamber and committees

It is about the current set of divisions.

I pay tribute to my colleague Marie McNair for securing today’s important debate. In Parliament, we—understandably—devote a lot of time to discussing women’s health issues, so I really welcome the opportunity to speak in a debate with a male focus, on testicular cancer.

As we have heard, testicular cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United Kingdom aged 15 to 45. A total of 2,400 men in the UK are diagnosed each year. In Scotland, 175 men were diagnosed with testicular cancer between October 2022 and September 2023. That represents a decrease from October 2021 to September 2022, when 183 men were diagnosed, but an increase from October 2022 to September 2021, when 161 were diagnosed.

Although more than six men are diagnosed each day across the UK, it is important to note that survival rates have risen every year since the 1970s. When testicular cancer is detected in its early stages, it is 96 per cent curable—the outlook is one of the best among all cancers. According to Cancer Research UK, around 95 out of 100 men survive their cancer for one year or more after they are diagnosed; around 95 out of 100 will survive their cancer for five years or more after diagnosis; and around 90 out of hundred men will survive their cancer for 10 years or more after diagnosis.

However, men should not allow those survival figures to act as a deterrent to regular checking, nor should they become complacent. While nearly all men survive testicular cancer, if the cancer has spread, the rate of survival for five years or more can reduce to 65 per cent, so checking is incredibly important.

The most common symptom is a lump or swelling in a testicle, or a dull ache, pain or heaviness in the scrotum. Usually, those symptoms are caused by nothing more than injury or infection. However, if you notice any of these signs or a combination of them, do not leave it to chance—speak to your general practitioner to make sure.

I, too, take the time to congratulate Cahonas Scotland—which is based in Marie McNair’s constituency, as we heard from her—on the work that it does to raise awareness of testicular cancer. As Scotland’s only dedicated testicular cancer charity, it has a range of resources to raise awareness, offer advice and support men through their cancer journey. On its website, men can input their mobile number and the charity will text them a monthly self-check reminder at no cost to them. Alternatively, men can sign up for the monthly newsletter for updates, also with a self-check reminder.

As is the case with so many men’s issues, men are often too uncomfortable to talk about testicular cancer and its prevention. That is why when men are brave enough to go public with a diagnosis, it can save lives by bringing renewed attention and focus to the disease.

Members across the chamber may remember, or be aware of, the former Celtic player Alan Stubbs, who was diagnosed with, and survived, testicular cancer twice. Although his cancer was initially detected through a post-match drugs test, he has been a strong advocate of men checking their testicles regularly for signs of disease. I am in no doubt that the increased awareness of testicular cancer as a result of people such as Alan Stubbs going public has helped men across the UK and saved their lives.

I will in one second. First, I just want to clarify something about Alan Stubbs. It was a hormone that was picked up in that drugs test—it was not about any substances that he should not have had in his body.

In response to Mr Carson, I say that I certainly hope so. Obviously, not being a bloke in the pub, I am not privy to a lot of those conversations, but as the mother of three sons, I would certainly encourage them to talk about their health and to do checks regularly.

We have heard about Cahonas Scotland’s “Check yer bawballs” campaign at Christmas, which has ensured that men get talking about testicular cancer and has, more importantly, got them checking.

In closing, I thank Marie McNair again for securing today’s debate, and I pay tribute to charities such as Cahonas Scotland and Cancer Research UK.

The past decade or so has been very challenging for the economy of Scotland and the UK. We have had the self-inflicted wound that is Brexit, which the new Labour UK Government is fully signed up to; the Covid-19 pandemic, which understandably caused much of our economy to shut down; and, more recently, the cost of living crisis, which has impacted consumer spending and confidence and which was caused at least in part by the Tory party’s disastrous mini-budget. All those things have created huge economic stress, which translates into real difficulties in people’s lives.

Brexit, Covid and the cost of living crisis have also been a toxic mix for businesses the length and breadth of the country, and they will rightly be wondering when they will get a break. Unfortunately, due to a combination of external factors, it does not look like that will be any time soon. According to the respected Fraser of Allander Institute, the beginning of 2025 has seen growing unease as firms prepare for rising costs and escalating geopolitical tension, most notably as a result of the introduction of trade tariffs by US President Donald Trump.

The talk of tariffs can seem abstract, particularly given that they are being introduced on the other side of the pond and reciprocated in countries such as China, but they will have an impact on communities across Scotland. I have had the pleasure of visiting many manufacturing businesses in my constituency that export to the EU and the US, and I have heard countless times how Brexit has made doing business all the more difficult—it has cut profit margins or impacted on their ability to grow their workforce and operations. There are companies that provide highly skilled and well-paid jobs in my constituency, and the impact of tariffs on them, like the impact of Brexit, will be very real indeed.

We know that, post-Brexit, many businesses sought closer working relationships with companies and consumers in the US, and the President has now imposed harsh tariffs on them. Although I deeply disagree with many of President Trump’s policies, the US is a highly important market for Scotland, and the Scottish Government continues to support a positive transatlantic trading environment that boosts Scottish industries.

Additionally, weeks of tough talk on trade from the White House have caused market volatility across the world, with the US tariffs sending the cost of UK borrowing skyrocketing. That, in turn, has led to fears that further UK tax rises could be on the cards. It is absolutely right that the Scottish Government is working with key partners in the business community and trade unions to map out the actions that are required in Scotland and, indeed, the UK as a whole, to respond to those emerging economic challenges and ensure that the needs of the devolved nations are at the heart of UK decision making.

Those tariff challenges are being imposed on Scottish industry externally, but we need to do what we can to respond to them and to protect Scotland’s interests. As the First Minister said in his Bute house press conference earlier this month:

“There is a need to challenge ourselves on policy to make sure the policy interventions that we take are commensurate with the scale of the challenges that we now face.”

I look forward to hearing more from the Scottish Government as the discussions with industry bodies and trade unions proceed, particularly as the programme for government is to be published next week.

Crucially, given that most of the relevant powers are reserved, we need the UK Government to take action to minimise the potential harms that are being caused by the current volatile economic situation. If Scotland’s extraordinary economic potential is to be achieved, we need a fundamental rebalancing of the UK economy, including removing the self-imposed economic straitjacket of the chancellor’s fiscal rules, working more closely with the EU and reversing the increase in employer national insurance contributions, which are a tax on jobs that is stifling growth.

The Fraser of Allander Institute’s most recent Scottish business monitor survey shows that 94 per cent of firms expect cost pressures to increase in the first half of 2025, with three in four businesses highlighting national insurance changes as a significant concern. In my constituency, I have heard from businesses across almost every sector, from childcare facilities and general practitioner surgeries to service sector companies and manufacturing businesses, that are deeply worried about the tax hike. The reality is that the national insurance increases are still to fully bite businesses, so the economic outlook could potentially worsen as tax bills start to land.

The UK Labour Government’s intervention with British Steel in Scunthorpe is welcome, as members across the chamber have said. However, we need the same urgency for Grangemouth, which is sorely lacking from the Westminster establishment, as has been evidenced today. UK industrial interventions cannot stop at the border. The UK Government needs to get serious about protecting key Scottish industries, whether that is at Grangemouth, through the Acorn carbon capture and storage project or through wider industrial projects. As part of that, the UK Government must develop an industrial strategy for the whole of the UK, working with the Scottish Government as it does so.

As the First Minister said in his Bute house press conference earlier this month, independence is “a way around” the “damaging” impact of Brexit on the country’s finances and trade. Until Scotland has the full powers of an independent nation in the EU, we need to work with the UK Government, which must use its powers to spread opportunities for investment, employment and prosperity equitably across the UK. The people of Scotland, and businesses in Scotland, deserve no less.

Will the cabinet secretary advise what engagement the Scottish Government has had with the EHRC on the UK Supreme Court ruling, and when it will next meet the EHRC to discuss the matter further?

I pay tribute to my colleague Marie McNair for securing today’s important debate. In Parliament, we—understandably—devote a lot of time to discussing women’s health issues, so I really welcome the opportunity to speak in a debate with a male focus, on testicular cancer.

As we have heard, testicular cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United Kingdom aged 15 to 45. A total of 2,400 men in the UK are diagnosed each year. In Scotland, 175 men were diagnosed with testicular cancer between October 2022 and September 2023. That represents a decrease from October 2021 to September 2022, when 183 men were diagnosed, but an increase from October 2022 to September 2021, when 161 were diagnosed.

Although more than six men are diagnosed each day across the UK, it is important to note that survival rates have risen every year since the 1970s. When testicular cancer is detected in its early stages, it is 96 per cent curable—the outlook is one of the best among all cancers. According to Cancer Research UK, around 95 out of 100 men survive their cancer for one year or more after they are diagnosed; around 95 out of 100 will survive their cancer for five years or more after diagnosis; and around 90 out of hundred men will survive their cancer for 10 years or more after diagnosis.

However, men should not allow those survival figures to act as a deterrent to regular checking, nor should they become complacent. While nearly all men survive testicular cancer, if the cancer has spread, the rate of survival for five years or more can reduce to 65 per cent, so checking is incredibly important.

The most common symptom is a lump or swelling in a testicle, or a dull ache, pain or heaviness in the scrotum. Usually, those symptoms are caused by nothing more than injury or infection. However, if you notice any of these signs or a combination of them, do not leave it to chance—speak to your general practitioner to make sure.

I, too, take the time to congratulate Cahonas Scotland—which is based in Marie McNair’s constituency, as we heard from her—on the work that it does to raise awareness of testicular cancer. As Scotland’s only dedicated testicular cancer charity, it has a range of resources to raise awareness, offer advice and support men through their cancer journey. On its website, men can input their mobile number and the charity will text them a monthly self-check reminder at no cost to them. Alternatively, men can sign up for the monthly newsletter for updates, also with a self-check reminder.

As is the case with so many men’s issues, men are often too uncomfortable to talk about testicular cancer and its prevention. That is why when men are brave enough to go public with a diagnosis, it can save lives by bringing renewed attention and focus to the disease.

Members across the chamber may remember, or be aware of, the former Celtic player Alan Stubbs, who was diagnosed with, and survived, testicular cancer twice. Although his cancer was initially detected through a post-match drugs test, he has been a strong advocate of men checking their testicles regularly for signs of disease. I am in no doubt that the increased awareness of testicular cancer as a result of people such as Alan Stubbs going public has helped men across the UK and saved their lives.

I thank the minister for that answer. It is reassuring that childhood vaccination rates remain high in Scotland, particularly as we know that the perceived minor illness that those vaccinations protect against can cause disabilities or even fatalities. However, misinformation and conspiracy theories in relation to vaccinations, often fuelled by social media, have become all too commonplace. Can the minister advise what the Scottish Government is doing to tackle the issue and ensure that parents and carers have the correct factual information that they require to protect children’s health?

I remind members that I hold a national health service contract with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the uptake of childhood immunisations in NHS Lanarkshire. (S6O-04563)

I think that it was Gina Wilson—or it might have been you, commissioner—who said that children’s rights have been put at the heart of Government. You have also talked about children’s rights-based budgets. As it stands, the budget for 2025-26 is £1.78 million, which has increased by 20 per cent since 2022-23.

If you have achieved all that, why do we still need a children’s commissioner? You will be aware that another committee in Parliament—the SPCB Supported Bodies Landscape Review Committee—is scrutinising all the commissioners in Scotland, of which we have many more compared with countries with a similar population. I am keen to learn why we still need you, if you have achieved so much.