Chamber and committees

We have an unprecedented number of migrants coming into the country and we can judge whether our measures have been successful. These people are being exploited by human traffickers and gangs, so we need to put in place measures now, and we can judge their effectiveness in the future.

In Iran, where the Government has engaged in attempts to use violence against its own citizens, the UK Government has also sanctioned many of the people who are responsible for authorising those unacceptable acts of repression.

Focusing on human rights should be a principle that unites this chamber.

I agree with Stephen Kerr. I, too, am disappointed that the SNP has chosen to politicise the issue, and the Scottish Conservative amendment makes clear our disappointment. Through its constitutional blame games, the SNP has already managed to land the taxpayer with a bill of almost £200,000, due to legal fees that are related to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill, which it knew was outside the Scottish Parliament’s remit. Conservative members will take no lessons from the SNP, which has in the past been guilty of playing cynical games and politicising the issue.

In conclusion, as we prepare to mark international human rights day, with an eye to the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Conservative members reaffirm our commitment to supporting the UK and our allies in defending human rights across the globe. The senseless and brutal war in Ukraine has issued a stark reminder to us all that we can never take for granted human rights that have been so hard fought for. It is more important than ever that we play a leading role in defending them.

I will ask one more question about the people who did not respond. What else do you think could be done? What was the biggest factor, if there were big factors, that people said was the reason why they did not want to respond, other than the fact that they did not get elected and so did not want to be bothered?

Good morning. I am interested in the types of Scottish welfare fund cases that are being reviewed. For example, what are the most common reasons why a review comes to you? We have heard that there are relatively high uphold rates for community care grants and self-isolation support grants. Does that imply that local authorities are making mistakes or rushing their assessments of the welfare fund applications?

I am happy with that, convener. Thank you.

No worries.

Good morning, panel. I was going to ask a question about people who did not respond and what you did, but you have kind of answered it by saying that you were using returning officers, the Electoral Commission and so on.

How confident are statisticians that the sample of candidates who responded is representative of the overall candidate population? Given that the report concludes that it is also not possible to draw firm conclusions regarding representativeness of candidates, how useful is the survey as an evidence source for policy makers?

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made, in the last six months, in removing dangerous cladding from buildings. (S6O-01634)

I was recently contacted by a group of residents in Glasgow who were astonished to discover that they had been presented with remedial bills running into tens of thousands of pounds due to flammable material being found in the cladding on their buildings. If those charges are not met, many of those residents will face extremely difficult choices and could possibly lose their homes.

After turning to their local MSP in Glasgow, they were told that the Scottish Government has no money to help them. What action is the Scottish Government taking now to support such residents and will the cabinet secretary join me in meeting that group of constituents to discuss financial support in more detail?

This has been said many times before, but I will keep on saying it until meaningful action is taken: Scotland is experiencing a drug deaths crisis. For many people in communities such as mine in Springburn, families continue to be devastated by drugs and are left to suffer in grief.

It is true that, in broader society, stigma exists, which might in part explain why some people do not seek the help that they need, and I agree with the Government’s emphasis on the point that stigma creates unnecessary barriers for some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

On Monday, I attended the launch of FAVOR UK’s one-year report, “Blueprint to Save Lives”. I was struck by the staff’s passion, dedication and, frankly, deep frustration over how little progress has been made in supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our society. The launch at Bluevale Community Club marked one year since Douglas Ross and the First Minister met at the same location in Glasgow, attending a meeting alongside charities, experts, and people with lived experience of drug addiction.

Following the First Minister’s admission that her Government had taken its eye off the ball, that meeting was supposed to signal a turning point in combating the drug deaths crisis in Scotland. However, it is abundantly clear from Monday’s launch that front-line experts believe that the SNP Government continues to fall short in supporting people in their road to recovery from drugs.

There has been a very modest reduction in the number of fatalities recorded last year. That, of course, has to be recognised, but let us be crystal clear that progress remains painfully slow. The figures do not lie: Scotland still has by far the worst drug deaths record in Europe with, tragically, 1,330 Scots losing their lives to drugs in 2021. Each person behind those statistics is someone’s mum, dad, son, daughter or friend.

As I touched on, FAVOR UK’s report states that the current treatment system is broken, with almost no progress having been made in reversing the crisis that has engulfed communities across Glasgow and Scotland. Despite the Government’s promise of new funding, significant shortcomings in the current framework include the fact that some of the most vulnerable people have been left in limbo, cast adrift in the system and waiting years for their treatment programmes to begin.

I strongly encourage MSPs from across the chamber to read FAVOR UK’s report, which is available on its website, to get a sense of the significant obstacles that vulnerable people face in accessing the vital treatment that, to be blunt, they need to survive.

As I have said repeatedly, I recognise that there is no silver bullet that will end the drug deaths crisis in Scotland. To that end, I agree with the Government that meaningful action to tackle stigma will be important in encouraging people to seek the treatment that they need. However, that treatment must be readily available to access in the first place.

Given the hurdles that individuals must jump to get the treatment that they need, I have repeatedly called on the Scottish Government to back Douglas Ross’s proposed right to addiction recovery bill. A key strength of that bill is that it has not been developed in a vacuum; it has been developed in conjunction with charities and front-line experts, with many of those individuals having direct lived experience and truly understanding the impact of stigma on seeking treatment. They have contributed to the development of the bill at every stage of the process so far and I sincerely thank them for their input.

The insight and expertise of organisations such as FAVOR UK and SISCO—Sustainable Interventions Supporting Change Outside—is invaluable, because they understand what it takes to guide someone to success in their recovery from substance abuse. It is no wonder that the bill received overwhelming support at the consultation stage.

The right to addiction recovery bill would guarantee access to treatment for everyone who needs it. Front-line experts, and those with lived experience, have been clear that providing reliable pathways to treatment, including rehabilitation services, is crucial in saving lives. The proposed law would provide a statutory right for individuals to access addiction treatment and recovery services, including the community-based residential rehab that experts have stressed is so important.

The bill has the backing of front-line experts and has generated widespread support. I hope that the minister and the SNP Government will back it when it comes to Parliament early in the new year. Following years of presiding over the drug deaths crisis, ministers should understand better than most that a radical solution is required to end that shameful record and ultimately to save lives.

We are done with warm words, and we are done with platitudes and lip service. As those in FAVOR UK say, “You talk, we die.” The crisis has been allowed to worsen for far too long. I urge members to back Sue Webber’s amendment and to back the right to addiction recovery bill when it comes to Parliament.