Chamber and committees

I have been contacted by constituents who are past the six-month guidance date for their Covid-19 booster vaccination and are concerned about the waning efficacy of their primary vaccine doses. Has the Scottish Government received advice from clinical advisers on the efficacy of the primary vaccine protection, and what reassurance can be given to those who are awaiting booster appointments? I remind members that I am part of NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s vaccine team.

What will be the impact of the COP26 agreement on remote and rural communities? What support will be available to enable those involved in the agricultural industries to reduce carbon emissions—particularly those in the dairy sector, which is an important industry for the south-west of Scotland?

I welcome the opportunity to lead this debate to raise awareness of world COPD day tomorrow, 18 November. This year, the theme is “Healthy Lungs—Never More Important”. As the founder, and now the co-convener, of the cross-party group on lung health, I, along with my co-convener, Alexander Stewart, and the deputy convener, Mark Ruskell, who apologises for not being able to speak in the chamber this evening, thank members on all sides of the chamber who have supported my motion.

I also thank the Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation Partnership and Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland for providing briefings and for the important work that they do every day. In addition, I highlight that my colleague Patricia Gibson MP will represent the Scottish National Party in a world COPD day debate in Westminster Hall tomorrow.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a progressive and long-term lung condition without a cure. It is an umbrella term that is used to describe several lung conditions, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. One of the best descriptions of how COPD feels is that it is like trying to breathe through a wee straw repeatedly—that is awfie difficult to do. COPD constricts the flow of oxygen into the lungs and its circulation, and it causes breathlessness, tiredness and coughing. The condition often causes poor mental health and depression, and it can lead to a person feeling lonely and isolated.

At every stage and at every age, there is an opportunity to prevent or treat COPD. Improvements in treatment are vital, as there are 300 million cases of COPD around the world and the disease is the third biggest cause of death globally. Exposure to tobacco smoke and other inhaled toxic particles and gases are the main COPD risk factors. Treatments for COPD include inhalers, tablets and—for a small number of people—surgery or a lung transplant.

Pulmonary rehabilitation is also effective and can prevent an exacerbation of COPD. That typically leads to a hospital stay of between four and eight days, which can cost the Scottish national health service an estimated £3,000 per person per stay.

The Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation Partnership has just published a report entitled “Failing on the fundamentals—Insights from those living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) around the UK”. The organisation surveyed 8,000 people from all four nations of the United Kingdom who have a diagnosis of COPD and asked them whether they felt that they were receiving care based on the five principles of COPD care. Those principles include offering assistance with smoking cessation, offering pneumococcal and flu vaccination, offering access to pulmonary rehabilitation, providing a personalised self-management plan and optimising treatment for comorbidities. The majority of the respondents to the survey conveyed that they were not receiving those five fundamentals of COPD care.

It is worth highlighting that, of the respondents, only 652—8.1 per cent of the total—were resident in Scotland. That number seems low, so it might be an interesting opportunity for the Scottish Government to pursue a wider survey or audit of Scottish residents with COPD.

The survey has highlighted that improvements in COPD prevention and care are required, especially given that many people with poor lung health shielded during the first lockdown and the fact that winter, when those with COPD are at higher risk of infection, is fast approaching.

In Scotland, a wide range of action is being taken to better support those who are living with COPD. The “Respiratory Care Action Plan: 2021-2026”, which is being led by Dr Tom Fardon from NHS Tayside, sets out the Scottish Government’s vision for driving improvement in the prevention, diagnosis, care, treatment and support of people living with respiratory conditions. In summer 2021, an implementation programme was initiated to roll out, in partnership with the respiratory community, the commitments that are outlined in the plan.

The conditions that are covered in the plan—asthma, COPD, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiectasis and obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome—make up the majority of the workload of respiratory physicians in Scotland. Although each condition presents its own challenges, there are common problems. The plan encourages new and innovative approaches and is intended to share best practice to promote a whole-system approach to respiratory care. That work is welcome, and I look forward to seeing it continue to progress.

Dumfries and Galloway, in my South Scotland region, has a higher prevalence of COPD than any other part of Scotland. Across Dumfries and Galloway, 4,600 people are living with COPD—that is three in every 100 people, in comparison with the Scottish average of 1.8 in every 100. In addition, Stranraer is an unexplained hotspot for COPD, and researchers from the border and regions airways training hub—BREATH—project, which was funded by €7.7 million of Interreg funding, are examining possible factors including air quality, ozone levels, genetic links, social deprivation and the agriculture and industry in the area.

Prior to the debate, I received an update from Professor John Lockhart on the work of the BREATH project. I am pleased that it has recommenced school visits, most recently visiting Girvan academy. The project recently awarded a BREATH challenge certificate to Moffat academy and to Belmont primary school in Stranraer. The award is provided to young people for the education that they receive on the importance of maintaining good respiratory health. I am joining the team for a visit to Douglas Ewart high school in Newton Stewart in the new year, and I thank Dr John Lockhart and the team for their research.

There have been calls for the creation of a COPD centre of excellence in Stranraer. Although I understand the reasons for that, it would require co-operation and collaboration with NHS Dumfries and Galloway, and leadership, clinicians and a multidisciplinary team would all need to be in place. Consideration might be given to a wider approach that would cover other conditions that require the input of a respiratory team—perhaps a Scotland-wide digital centre for lung health excellence, or a lung health hub. That would allow for learning from, and engagement with, Scottish NHS experts more widely.

In raising awareness of world COPD day, I want to highlight that COPD is often a hidden disability. Yesterday, at a meeting of the cross-party group on lung health, we heard from Julie McLeod of the Breathe Easy Clackmannanshire Community Group. Julie has COPD and is quite breathless sometimes, but she was told by someone that she did not look disabled. COPD is quite disabling for many people who are diagnosed with it.

Much work is already under way. I again welcome the work of the respiratory care action plan team, and I look forward to seeing their progress. I look forward to hearing contributions from other members ahead of tomorrow’s world COPD day, and I thank the Presiding Officer for allowing me to speak this evening.

I welcome the fact that Annan, in Dumfries and Galloway, has been selected for the climate action towns programme, which will empower communities to engage in collective climate action, taking account of the unique challenges and opportunities that each town faces.

Given the flooding that Annan experienced just last week, which washed away two of the town’s footbridges in unprecedented levels of water, will the Deputy First Minister give further detail on how the climate action towns programme will work to tackle the global climate emergency?

Does Rachael Hamilton agree that the UK negotiated on the principle of leaving the EU and not actually working for the fishing industry?

As the minister said, my Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021 came into force last Thursday. The act strengthens the penalties available for those who allow out-of-control dogs to worry or attack livestock, and it extends the power of the police and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to investigate such offences. Has any guidance been produced for police officers and vets on the investigation and enforcement of those offences?

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting Police Scotland to implement and enforce legislation on the control of dogs. (S6O-00337)

The majority of fish stocks that are of interest to Scottish fishermen are found across international boundaries. There are significant differences between the four UK nations and it is important to tailor fishing to our Scottish circumstances.

Brexit has seriously damaged the Scottish fishing sector. People in Scotland did not vote for the UK’s hard Brexit and chaotic fisheries policy. I welcome, in contrast, Scotland’s commitment to upholding its international reputation as a good global citizen. The Scottish Government has repeatedly demonstrated Scotland’s commitment to the European family of nations, which reflects the will of Scottish voters.

The UK Government’s isolationism in acting as a sovereign coastal state undermines those efforts, and Scotland continues to pay the price for Tory Brexit. The UK Government has sold out Scotland’s fishing sector. Industry experts predict that the UK fishing industry will make an eye-watering loss of £300 million by 2026 as a result of the UK Government’s disastrous Brexit deal. That is despite Boris Johnson’s promise of a sea of opportunity for Scotland’s fishermen.

The Prime Minister’s sea of opportunity was supposed to benefit us to the tune of £148 million by 2026 if we voted to leave the EU, but the former DEFRA official and fisheries negotiator Gary Taylor has estimated that fishing firms face losses of £64 million per year. Those grave predictions have prompted the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations to ask the UK Government to urgently publish an analysis of the cost of its disastrous Brexit. The NFFO’s chief executive officer, Barrie Deas, has said that

“there are ... few winners and ... many losers”

in the fishing industry as a result of Brexit.

It is welcome that the Scottish Government is not taking such an approach for Scotland’s fishing sector; instead, the Scottish Government’s negotiation strategy and priorities are influenced by high-quality science and take into account wider policy objectives, including socioeconomic implications. The cabinet secretary highlighted the 12-point action plan in the future fisheries management strategy. The negotiating approach is underpinned by a set of guiding principles that will remain consistent each year and is in line with the need to progress towards good environmental status.

The Scottish Government will conduct negotiations on a principled, rather than positional, basis and will comply fully with a range of international conventions and obligations, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. That will allow for sustainably managed stocks and the use of total allowable catches when appropriate, including consideration of the introduction of TACs for current non-quota species.

I want such an approach in Scotland, as opposed to the shambolic ideological stance that the UK Government has taken. The UK Government negotiated in principle just by leaving the EU and not by working for the industry. Brexit has already had a huge impact across my South Scotland region, and it has hit Dumfries and Galloway fishermen particularly hard. In December 2020, many boats—including ones that operate out of Kirkcudbright and Garlieston harbours in D and G—were tied to shore, as businesses became unviable and almost went out of business completely. That was all because, on 31 December 2020, new information technology systems, as well as regulatory, welfare and customs checks, came into force for Scottish seafood exporters going to Europe, despite calls for a six-month transition period to trial new systems and checks. The UK Government refused that, to the Scottish fishing sector’s utter disbelief.

In preparation for today’s debate, I obtained a direct quote from a local fish-processing business, which said:

“Although things have stabilised slightly, uncertainty still remains a huge concern because we don’t know where we’ll be in 12 months.”

I welcome the approach that the Scottish Government is taking to the negotiations and, in response to Ms Rachael Hamilton’s comments, I look forward to Scotland being a normal independent coastal state that can choose our own path and make our own decisions.

Yes. I am interested in the best start plan and I know that we have problems with maternity services on my patch.

The bill was laid on 7 October and will be scrutinised by the Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee. However, given that nutritious diet and access to healthy food are integral to our public health agenda, this committee is interested in it, too. How will the Government work to ensure that public health priorities are integral to the bill?