Chamber and committees

The recent visit by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport to the south-west to hear from the campaigns seeking upgrades to the A75 and A77 was welcome. How will the cabinet secretary continue to ensure that the south-west gets the infrastructure and investment that it needs, including, if possible, support for the Kirkcudbright bridge, and engage with stakeholders across Dumfries and Galloway to fully maximise the economic potential of the south-west, as the Scottish Government has done through its hugely welcome funding for the Stranraer Millennium Centre? I invite the minister or the Deputy First Minister to come and see the difference that the funding has made for the community.

I agree with Tim Eagle’s expressing of concern about the UK Labour Government’s attitude to our fishing industry. I fear that Scotland’s fleet will again be hammered as a result of deals done by Whitehall behind closed doors. However, the only reason that those negotiations are happening at all is that Mr Eagle’s former leader at Westminster gambled Scotland’s fisheries and every other sector in our economy on a one-armed bandit Brexit referendum, only to lose and then swan off into the sunset, while his successors carried out the act of dragging Scotland out of Europe against our democratic will. They also did a Brexit deal with the European Union that ended nearly five decades of international co-operation.

Boris Johnson’s trade and co-operation agreement means that a quarter of the existing EU fishing quota in UK and Scottish waters will transfer to the UK in a period of just over five years. To put it another way, which I am sure that the Tories will squeal about from sedentary positions, despite the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and the Tories’ mantra of taking back control and all their hot air and yitterin on and bletherin aboot the benefits of Brexit—we must pay heed to the fact that not all fishers wanted Brexit; as I understand it, inshore fishers were pretty much opposed to it—the EU fleet will retain 75 per cent of its quota in UK and Scottish waters, while the UK Government has zero say on the common fisheries policy. In addition, from next year, the UK Government will have to negotiate fresh access and share of quota agreements with the EU every year. Westminster is desperately trying to avoid having to do annual negotiations and is instead setting up multiyear agreements.

The Tories have got what they wanted—the Brexit that they hold so dear. Mr Eagle comes to the chamber and tries to hoodwink skippers in the fishing industry into believing that his party is on their side. Was the common fisheries policy perfect? Of course not. One of Scotland’s major barriers to fairness under the CFP was the complete inertia and apathy shown by the UK Government every time quotas and take rates were up for negotiation.

I welcome the member’s suggestion that Scotland would have its own voice at the table and would be able to negotiate for itself as a normal independent country.

We know that the CFP wasnae perfect, and we know that one of the barriers under the CFP was the UK Government’s complete inertia; I have just covered that. That did not affect only Scottish fishermen—just ask the former skippers of Grimsby and the Humber, who were sold out by the UK Government decades ago, or the fishermen of Cornwall, who have seen the supply chains to their most profitable markets in France and Spain torn asunder by Brexit and the Tory omnishambles that was set in train by Boris Johnson.

I recommend that members read the Politico article headlined, “How Brexit Betrayed the UK Fishing Industry”. I will give a flavour of what it says about how supportive Tim Eagle’s colleagues were of our fishermen:

“When Johnson cited a rise in the numbers of Dover sole UK trawlers could catch, fishermen pointed out this meant little to the Scottish industry, given the species are primarily found in southern UK waters. ‘He wasn’t across the details,’ said an attendee ... ‘He just could not comprehend that we weren’t happy.’”

We are talking about a UK Tory Prime Minister who could not comprehend the needs of a Scottish industry and Scottish workers. I am shocked.

The Scottish fishing industry deserves this Parliament’s support. It is time for Labour to be honest about the damage that the hard Brexit has done and to stand up for Scottish fishing. Of course, the SNP will do the very same.

I welcome the figures from last month that showed that the national standard on waiting times for children and young people accessing mental health services has been met. The cabinet secretary just gave a comprehensive answer about the work that is going on. How will the Government continue to ensure that progress continues for children and young people across Scotland, including in Dumfries and Galloway?

I have another wee question on what you said about reporting. Do you think that it would be too much to require annual reporting when that data can already be pulled out?

Good morning to the minister and Mr Wilson. I am interested in a couple of questions around the annual reporting and review requirements. Section 4 of the bill is entitled “Annual reports by Scottish Ministers”. I am interested to know what your views are on the responsibilities of ministers with regard to annual reporting on, and review of, the bill if it is enacted.

If any changes are to be made to the data that is required under the reporting requirement, do you have thoughts on whether further regulations would be made through an affirmative instrument? Do you have any opinions about how changes to data gathering might need to be legislated for?

Many members across the chamber recognise the serious threats that rural crime poses to the communities that we represent. Will the minister outline how the Scottish Government is delivering on its commitment to continue to work with Police Scotland and the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime in order to develop and implement strategies to combat those who perpetrate rural crime, such as equipment theft?

I congratulate ma guid freend—and, if I can yaise a Doric word, ma guid quine—Jackie Dunbar on securing this debate on global intergenerational week, which runs from 24 April to 31 April this year.

This is the second time that Ms Dunbar has led a debate on the issue, and she has aptly covered many important aspects of intergenerational working and the wider global movement, which is now in its sixth year.

The meaning of “intergenerational” has changed hugely over our lifetimes—indeed, we might say that it has changed across successive generations. The days of three or four generations of a single family living on the same street or in the same district and engaging with and learning from one another are almost entirely at an end. Mobility—social and physical—has gradually eroded that way of life, and we need to re-engage to assist generations to work together.

The point of generations working together is to leverage the diverse experiences and perspectives of each generation, fostering a richer learning and growth environment for everyone involved.

I remember participating as a relatively new MSP in a previous members’ business debate on intergenerational issues, which was led by Christine Grahame MSP, who is sitting across the aisle from me. It inspired me, and Christine Grahame inspired me. Indeed, it was obvious that she had captured my interest, as one of the first actions that I pursued following the debate was to find out what intergenerational engagement work was taking place in Dumfries and Galloway, which is part of my South Scotland region.

There is, indeed, intergenerational work taking place in Dumfries and Galloway. For example, Kerry Little from Mallory Nurseries in Dumfries takes pre-school children to the older persons day centre at Cumberland Street for intergenerational engagement. Intergenerational working might sound quite lofty—it is a bit of a mouthful—but what takes place at the day centre was quite simple to achieve. The wee ones were guided to play and interact with the older adults, and there was much mirth and joy.

The home page of the Generations Working Together website states:

“Together, let’s celebrate the power of connection. Relationships between older and younger people are not just ‘nice’ but essential.”

The website is full of information about events, workshops and activities, as well as online training. In addition, there is a global intergenerational week promotional video. It is worth watching, as it outlines the benefits, including mentoring, and notes the positive effect of confidence building and the reduction of isolation and loneliness among participants.

I note that this year’s theme is intergenerational learning, and that the aim is to highlight the findings of the World Health Organization’s “Global Report on Ageism”. As Jackie Dunbar’s motion states, the report

“outlines the negative impact of ageism on society and recommends education as a key strategy”

to address that.

I have my intergenerational guide with me. I will make sure that I read it later and pay attention to what it says.

Last September, I presented the welcome address at an intergenerational workshop at the Dumfries & Galloway Carers Centre. There were many attendees from third sector organisations.

I am pleased to inform members about some of the excellent work that is going on in D&G. Just this morning, I read that children at the Johnston Nursery in Kirkcudbright participated in an intergenerational event. The nursery is collaborating with Meeting Centres Scotland to create an intergenerational and dementia-friendly meeting space in the nursery. I note that the children took the lead on a brilliantly relevant bridge-building challenge. The challenge, which was to build a bridge strong enough for a toy car to cross, was reported as

“an enjoyable and inclusive activity that fostered teamwork.”

In addition, the Galloway Action Team charity in Stranraer is delivering intergenerational work, responding to local people’s needs and building the skills of the volunteers, supporting them to continue to integrate with locals.

Today’s debate is a good way of raising awareness of what generations working together means, conveying the positives six years on from the first global intergenerational week and valuing the importance of intergenerational working.

It is essential that we strike the right balance between our net zero obligations and ensuring energy affordability, particularly in communities with older, colder homes in rural areas such as Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders. Will the minister say a bit more about how the Scottish Government is engaging with stakeholders and local communities, including rural ones, to ensure that the balance is struck?