Chamber and committees

I apologise to members, as I will have to leave the debate early.

I am privileged to speak for my party in this important debate, and I am grateful to the cabinet secretary for securing parliamentary time for it. In recent days, we have been served with a grim reminder of the horrors of war and the horrendous toll that it takes on all those who are caught up in it, none more so than those who serve on the front line. As we look on in horror at the events in Ukraine, we see the actions of those who stand in defiance of the outrageous and barbaric actions of the Putin regime. No one could argue anything other than that those who are holding the line are exhibiting a staggering degree of heroism and sacrifice that is common to veterans the world over.

As a Quaker, I find the idea of armed conflict very difficult. I am repelled by it. However, one can hate war with every fibre of one’s being but still give thanks for the service and sacrifice of those who fight it. Those positions are not mutually exclusive. We are incredibly fortunate that thousands of our servicemen and women step forward in times of crisis so that the rest of us do not have to. Today, it is absolutely right that we recognise that bravery and honour their sacrifice.

My office has been in touch with the veterans mental health charity Combat Stress, which shared with me the compelling story of a veteran who served 12 years in the RAF. I would like to share his experience with members. He wrote:

“My problems started once I’d retired. I don’t want to talk about all I saw and what I went through in Northern Ireland but it’s definitely what caused my mental health issues. My wife saw that I was struggling to sleep, having nightmares and flashbacks. Loud noises really bothered me, so I avoided going into town as I had flashbacks of going out on patrol. I was always hyper aware of my surroundings. My mind felt locked ready to protect and defend. Everything came to a head when one day I was out and I heard a car backfiring, I just ran, I was crying, in a total panic. Luckily a policeman realised I was a veteran, understood my panic and got me home. I knew I needed help.”

Sadly, it is not uncommon for some service personnel who left the armed forces many years ago to still be struggling to adjust to civilian life. They are still fighting the wars that the world has long since left behind, and all too often they do not know where to turn. The invisible scars that they bear can have a knock-on effect on their family relationships and employment. As we have heard in the debate, the incidence of homelessness and drug misuse among our veteran population is disproportionately high. Veterans sometimes face delays in accessing mental health treatment as a result of stigma or gaps in provision.

I am thankful to the many great organisations such as Combat Stress, Poppyscotland and Help for Heroes for stepping in to fill the void that has, sadly, been left by the Scottish Government in this area. I will give one example. Over the past 12 months, Combat Stress has carried out nearly 5,000 appointments with 526 veterans across Scotland. As wonderful as the work of our veterans mental health charities is, they are still reeling from two years of the pandemic and the massive impact that that has had on their ability to raise funds.

It is not the third sector alone that should be providing the support that our veterans so sorely deserve—the state has a duty, too. It is, after all, the state that sends servicemen and women into harm’s way, and it is the duty of the state to care for them on their way home and when they return. I am sure that we can all agree on that. It is vital that national health service boards, health and social care partnerships, local authorities and the third sector are appropriately supported to enable them to meet the needs of all veterans.

I am pleased that the “Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Action Plan” has been published, and that—as I understand it—veterans charities were given the opportunity to help shape it. Nevertheless, during the debate, I have received texts from a veteran who is angry at what he has heard. Although the cabinet secretary’s words are warm, we are still being outstripped by England. Last year, NHS England began the roll-out of Op Courage, its new scheme for supporting veterans’ mental health, which fast tracks veterans into mental health support. It would be very helpful to understand whether the Scottish Government has looked at that approach and at what aspects it can emulate up here, or whether it will simply adopt Op Courage in Scotland right now, because such a scheme is needed.

All veterans should be able to access the same high standard of support, no matter where they are based, and any wait for access must end immediately. In the documentary “Thank You For Your Service”, army psychologist General Loree Sutton said:

“We were not allowed to speak of the unseen wounds of war. We were not allowed to prepare for them.”

Our veterans deserve the utmost respect and acknowledgement for the sacrifices that they have made while carrying out their duty in the service of this country. It is now our duty to ensure that they are given all the support and care that they need, so that there is the prospect that those unseen wounds might, in some way, begin to heal.

A freedom of information request last week revealed that 300 Afghani refugees are still languishing in hotels and bridging accommodation. We need to be ready for what is coming. We hope that the UK Government will waive the visa requirement so that more Ukrainians can reach here. We have also witnessed a tremendous outpouring of support from the Scottish people, who are saying, “Open our borders and we will open our homes”.

First, will the cabinet secretary urgently refresh the new Scots strategy, which is due to expire this year? Secondly, will he make sure that funding is available to local authorities to house Ukrainian refugees? Thirdly, will he make it easier for Scottish people who are willing to give their own accommodation to Ukrainian refugees to do so?

I am grateful for that reply.

The aggression that has been demonstrated by the Russian regime in recent days asks us, once again, searching questions about our energy security. Fifteen years ago, Alex Salmond thundered that Scotland would become the “Saudi Arabia of renewables”. A few weeks ago, the First Minister boasted of a “truly historic” opportunity for renewables jobs. Now, the new owner of the Burntisland Fabrications site, InfraStrata plc, has secured work, but cannot find Scottish workers. There are not enough trained workers among the colossal wind farms of the Forth estuary to build even eight turbine jackets. Instead, the new owner has had to recruit dozens of workers from abroad, because the Scottish National Party has failed to train enough skilled workers here. Not only are most of the wind farms being built in the far east, but the work that we have won is not being built by workers from Scotland. Does that not show that the SNP’s renewables policy is all wind and no jobs?

I rise to offer the solidarity of Scottish Liberal Democrats with the people of Ukraine.

We awoke this morning to a much darker world. A few hours ago, for the first time this century, a land war has begun in continental Europe and we have no idea how it will end. The Russian regime has violated the sovereignty of a democratic state, broken international law and threatened the very fabric of peace and security in our world. It is very likely that the invasion will lead to a catastrophic and wholly needless loss of human life. It will displace thousands of Ukrainians, and we must be ready to help.

The city of Kyiv is twinned with the city of Edinburgh. That relationship has to mean something, so we must be prepared to offer all those who are fleeing that conflict safe harbour in the villages and towns of Scotland. Today, the Parliament and all parties in it speak with one voice. We utterly condemn the expansionist aggression of the Russian regime and stand in total solidarity with the people of Ukraine. [Applause.]

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet. (S6F-00832)

I rise to offer the Government motion this afternoon the unconditional support of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. I am very grateful to the First Minister for making time for the debate.

Today, the world is a little darker, the outlook a little bleaker and our understanding of the future a little less certain. It is at moments such as this that this chamber and Parliament are at their best, when we speak with one voice in solidarity with a sovereign people who are fighting for their lives, and in condemnation of the expansionist aggression of a hostile power led by a dictator—in this case, a power that has already perpetrated the first ever use of chemical weapons on British soil.

Today, we join Parliaments around the world in expressing outrage and sharing our commitment to democracy, sovereignty and the rule of law.

As on every day in this place, we have the immense privilege and the sovereign duty to speak on behalf of the Scottish people. As part of that duty, we must now condemn the Russian aggression in the strongest possible terms and say with our shared voice that we stand firmly on the side of the Ukrainian people and against the actions of Vladimir Putin, backed by his hosts of oligarch puppets.

As I dropped my daughter off at school this morning, we stopped to watch her classmates playing in the snow. I was brought up short by the stark contrast of that scene with the threat that hangs over the head of every Ukrainian child on this day. How fortunate we are to live in a country where the parents of my daughter’s classmates do not have to wake up to the sound of air raid sirens and fear the threat of bombardment, as parents in Kyiv did this morning.

As we watch events unfold in Ukraine over the coming hours and days, let us remember that many of the thousands of innocent citizens who are endangered are children. Edinburgh, as we have heard, is twinned with Kyiv. Now, in their hour of need, that relationship must stand for something: we in Scotland must prepare to offer Ukrainians fleeing their homes safe harbour in the villages and towns of Scotland.

By violating the territorial sovereignty of a democratic state, the Russian regime has broken the international laws that have prevented multinational conflict on the continent of Europe since world war two. There is nothing trivial about the situation and nothing legitimate about it. It cannot be justified. It is a grave threat to the safety of the people of Ukraine and to the international order on which the peace of our world depends.

This week, the Russian President described Ukraine as an American colony run by a “puppet regime”. Let us be abundantly clear in this place—in this democracy—that Ukraine is a sovereign democracy with a Government legitimately elected by the Ukrainian people. With his actions today, we should be in no doubt that Putin and his gangsters are holding us all in contempt. They are treating all that we value most—liberty, democracy and the rule of international law—as if they were immaterial rules in some playground game; rules that in Putin’s mind do not apply to him.

The Conservative Government at Westminster must now hobble Russian financial interests in the UK. Such aggression will not be matched by the confiscation of a football tournament final. This week, my colleague at Westminster Layla Moran MP used parliamentary privilege to read out the names of 35 Russian oligarchs listed by Alexei Navalny as being linked to the dangerous Russian regime. We believe that it is time for the UK Government to look closely at that list. Immediate action must be taken to freeze and begin to seize the assets of anyone who is found to be one of Putin’s enablers, and then to expel them from this country. It is also more vital than ever that we do all that we can to push back against the flow of Russian disinformation, so we should all commit to not participating in broadcasts by Russia Today or any other Russian state broadcasters.

I close by recognising that there will be millions of Russians who greet today’s news with the same horror that we all do. We must recognise them, because they do not enjoy the same rights as us to demonstrate that horror freely. For 20 years, they have been denied freedom of press, freedom of expression and even the most fundamental human rights, especially in the LGBTI community. Today, let us stand in solidarity with them, too.

Above all, let us say to our brothers and sisters in the sister city of Kyiv, “We hold you in our hearts, we stand with you and we will not abandon you.”

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the teaching unions. (S6O-00773)

Last October, the Educational Institute of Scotland estimated that as many as one in 10 teachers in Scotland were on short-term contracts. The teaching profession is absolutely vital to this country and our recovery from Covid, and that is no way to treat it. The cabinet secretary has been asked several times exactly how many teachers are on those short-term contracts and what her Government intends to do about it, but she has been unable to tell us. Is she any wiser today?

I am glad that you called Paul O’Kane before me, Presiding Officer. That was an excellent contribution. I am particularly grateful to him for quoting the words of Harvey Milk.

I welcome Christina McKelvie back to her place. It is great to see her and to have her sparkle back in the chamber.

I thank Karen Adam for bringing this important debate to the chamber, and for her moving account of growing up with gay parents. It was a beautiful account of how far we have come, and I thank her for it.

I also thank the many organisations that have contributed briefings today for the work that they do right across the board. In particular, I thank them for the work that they do with LGBT young people to help them find themselves and their place.

In his iconic novel, “Giovanni’s Room”, gay author James Baldwin makes a powerful statement about love:

“love him and let him love you. Do you think anything else under heaven really matters?”

At the time, his words resonated with millions of people who felt that their love was invalid because of the gender of the person whom they loved.

It has been a long march towards LGBT equality in Scotland, and although we have come far, there is still work to be done. We have heard lots about that this evening. I am sure that everyone feels and knows that they are valid and accepted, no matter who they are or how they love, but that does not happen everywhere.

LGBT history month rightly reminds us of some of the key moments on that road to equality. Gay people in Scotland long lived under the shadow of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885, which made male sex a criminal offence carrying a two-year prison sentence. That was not fully overturned in Scotland until 1981. In 1988, as we have heard several times already, section 28—or section 2A—was introduced to prevent teachers from even talking about LGBT+ issues in schools. That caused many vital support groups to close as a result, with local authorities fearing that they might be in breach of the law if they allowed them to continue. As we have heard, we only got rid of section 28 in 2000.

We have been on quite a journey towards rights for LGBT people in this country. As a nation, we are now, rightly, proud to hold the mantle as

“the best country in Europe for LGBTI equality”.

One of my proudest moments during my time in Parliament was when I sat alongside Christina McKelvie on the Equalities and Human Rights Committee in the previous session. We stewarded through Parliament a bill that would extend a formal apology from the state to all gay men, who had long had to bear the stain of a criminal record for being intimate with the person whom they loved—a crime that is no longer an offence.

Although we have come a long way and we should, rightly, be proud, we must not forget what is still to be done. LGBT people still face a number of barriers. They pop up right across our society, from healthcare to education. Some of those barriers are blatant; some are more subtle. However, they all cause damage and harm to people on a daily basis and they need to be addressed. That is why my party recommends that steps should be taken to help healthcare professionals and social care workers to recognise LGBT-specific issues, particularly around trans health, and how those need to be addressed. It is also time for us to redouble our efforts on LGBT-inclusive education.

The final frontier of LGBT equality is in trans rights. In the coming months, Parliament will debate GRA reform. It is right that we use that opportunity to hear evidence, reflect and scrutinise the legislation that passes through the chamber, but the GRA does need to be reformed. It is harming people every day. We must ensure that we improve laws so that they will better support trans people to live their lives free from discrimination.

I end with a quote from Anthony Venn-Brown, a survivor of conversion therapy, which members across the chamber have called to be banned.

“The richness, beauty and depths of love can only be fully experienced in a climate of complete openness, honesty and vulnerability.”

Although I am proud, as a Liberal Democrat, to be a liberal, it is my heartfelt belief that everyone should be empowered to be who they truly are, fully, and to love who they love, freely.

I am grateful that the minister and the Government are taking that seriously.

In particular, people have got in touch with me about being unable to arrange appointments for their children. Many children across Scotland have not had a check-up in years. Of course, that is in part down to the pandemic, but there is also an issue of availability. It is particularly worrying that children will not receive attention during such an important growth period in their lives, when expert eyes are needed the most.

When the Government first came to power, it used child dental health as a metric for poverty in the national indicators. However, Scottish patients, instead of being provided with the care that they deserve, are instead being told to look for private care. As that is simply out of the question for so many families, yet another barrier is being placed before those who are struggling the most with the cost of living.

According to the most recent data, only 55 per cent of children from the most deprived areas of Scotland were able to get an appointment, in comparison with 73 per cent in the least deprived areas. That is a health inequality. Dentists in Scotland have warned us that such disparity will contribute towards a healthcare inequality gap in which disease and long-term problems will become more and more commonplace among the most disadvantaged. That simply does not cut it. The issue is not just dental check-ups; mouth cancer can be missed if people do not attend those important screening appointments. There are many groups—