Chamber and committees

I do not disagree with a lot of what has been said by various people on the budget so far, but I am a bit confused, as the budget is now settled for this year. I am not disputing what has been said, but is this a pre-emptive strike for the next round of negotiations? We are where we are with this budget, so I am a wee bit confused by some of the stuff that members are saying.

My big concern is about body-worn cameras. I am not good with graphs and things like that, but I found the response from Police Scotland quite confusing. As Jamie Greene said, it would be good to know exactly whether the situation is due to budget or operational reasons, and why it is presented in the way that it is. We were talking about the introduction of body-worn cameras five or six years ago, and I understood then that it was close to happening, but it still has not happened.

Would it be possible to slot in somewhere a wee evidence session with somebody who knows about the matter, whether it is the SPA, or whoever the person leading on it would be? Rather than letters going back and forth, it would be better if we could just sit and talk to them and ask questions. I would prefer that, anyway.

I want to put on record that I think that the committee is doing really good work on the whole. On the issue that Russell Findlay mentioned and the cases to which he referred, have we as a committee had an exchange with the police, not on the wider issue of mental health but specifically on suicide?

I do not know the answer to some of the questions that Russell has raised—I might have missed the correspondence or whatever. Obviously, the wider mental health issues are incredibly important and we have been doing a lot of work on them, but it would be good for us as a committee to home in on the suicide issue.

I know that it is hard to separate them, but suicide should be seen as a stand-alone issue. Wider mental health issues are incredibly important, as I said, but suicide is very specific and should be dealt with that way.

To ask the Scottish Government what its strategy is for protecting autistic women from sexual violence. (S6O-02142)

A recent report revealed that 90 per cent of autistic women are victims of sex attacks, but very few of those are reported to the police. The Scottish Women’s Autism Network has teamed up with Police Scotland to raise awareness and create strategies to help that situation. Does the minister believe that an early diagnosis of their condition would help women to cope and might prevent them from becoming victims in the first place?

Thank you, convener. I have nothing to declare.

I am pleased to be speaking in this debate for global intergenerational week and thank my colleague Christine Grahame for bringing it to the chamber. I, too, welcome the new ministers to the front bench.

There has never been more need for intergenerational working. During the pandemic, we saw in practice just how effective generations working together can be, with young people at the forefront of helping older people in their community.

Intergenerational week first took place in 2020 as a local campaign by St Monica Trust. Following its success, it grew into a national campaign in 2021, before it went on to become the global campaign that it is now. The campaign is led by Generations Working Together, which is an intergenerational charity that is based—I am happy to say—in Scotland. Eight countries—including America, Spain, Australia and Sweden—take part alongside partners from every nation in the United Kingdom.

More than 150 organisations have registered their support for global intergenerational week and that number continues to grow. It is through intergenerational practice that younger and older generations are able to come together and learn from each other. I was very close to my gran and I carry her influence and wisdom with me every day. One of the highlights for my late father-in-law, who died at the age of 99, was when local schoolchildren came to visit his care home. That and the regular therapy dog cheered everyone up.

I attended the first intergenerational meeting in my constituency of Strathkelvin and Bearsden in 2020, and was impressed by the passion and commitment of everyone, young and old.

One example of intergenerational practice could be the older generation and local communities helping to teach younger generations how to cook. We adults sometimes take that skill for granted as cooking is often learned from older generations in families and passed down as the foundation for a better quality of life.

As we heard from Christine Grahame and Carol Mochan, sharing skills can help both generations, the young and the not so young. Today, passing on information technology skills is a great way of bringing generations together. I know that I have enlisted the help of my son and grandchildren on many occasions.

Crucially, intergenerational practice is one way in which we can help to fight the growing epidemic of loneliness in our communities. It is estimated that around 500,000 older people can go five or even six days without speaking to or seeing anyone at all, and the number of people over the age of 50 who are experiencing loneliness is set to reach 2 million by 2025-26. That is a 49 per cent increase on the 2016-17 figures. I am sure that we all agree that that needs to change.

East Dunbartonshire Voluntary Action, which is a fantastic organisation that is based in Kirkintilloch, runs a highly successful befriending service, which has proved to be a lifeline to young and old. One older resident loved to watch horror movies but had no one to share her interest, so she was matched up with a young volunteer who shared her love of the genre and once a week they watched a movie of their choice—a perfect example of intergenerational success.

I am pleased that the Scottish Government is committed to tackling loneliness and isolation across all generations in Scotland. Generations Working Together is a national charity and the centre of excellence in intergenerational training that delivers training to communities. It is crucial that no one in any community in Scotland feels isolated or lonely. That is not the society that we want for our wonderful nation.

I strongly encourage all members to encourage intergenerational practice across their constituencies and regions, and to raise further awareness of global intergenerational work in the areas of Scotland they represent. It is important that we have a Scotland where individuals and communities are more connected, and that everyone has the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships regardless of age, status, circumstances or identity.

That is reassuring. Thank you. Do you want to say anything, minister?

I have a brief question. What assessment has been made of young people with learning difficulties, to whom the age threshold perhaps does not apply? Would that be down to an individual assessment?