Chamber and committees

Labour’s increase in employer national insurance contributions is not only damaging to the private and public sector, but a shameful and direct violation of an explicit manifesto promise. The Scottish National Party Government has tried to tout its budget this year as some sort of salvation for councils—it is not. The high council tax increases to which councils are having to resort proves that.

Cabinet secretary, are you at least willing to recognise the reality that the financial position that Scotland’s councils have been put in for 2025-26 is extremely challenging?

I am pleased to contribute to the debate and thank Carol Mochan for bringing it to the chamber.

This is an important opportunity to highlight an issue that does not receive the attention that it deserves. As we know, alcohol-related brain damage can have a devastating impact on individuals and their families. Despite that, the condition is still not well understood and is sometimes missed by health professionals. Alcohol Change UK has highlighted that the condition can lead to the double stigma of brain impairment and alcohol addiction, and the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland has said that alcohol-related brain damage often affects groups that are already marginalised in society. The motion is therefore right to speak about an holistic approach to tackling the issue. Part of the solution must be to challenge common perceptions about alcohol-related brain damage, and alcohol use disorder more generally. As the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland highlighted, there is often a perception that assessing and helping people with alcohol problems is a difficult and lengthy process.

Early detection is another important issue. As it stands, many cases of alcohol-related brain damage go undetected for years, with some clinicians misdiagnosing the condition as a mental health issue or dementia. Although improving awareness of the condition among clinicians is important, we have to be aware of the public’s ability to recognise the signs and symptoms of alcohol-related brain damage in friends, family members or even themselves, so that there are opportunities for diagnosis.

As the condition can affect each individual differently, specialist care centres are often the best approach. In my region, there is the NHS Forth Valley substance use service in Stirling and Clackmannanshire and, in Fife, there is the alcohol and drug partnership. Those vital services support individuals and social care partnerships, but many of them are struggling. They do not have the funding and budgets that are required to offer support to individuals.

It is disappointing that alcohol-related brain damage does not receive the coverage or attention that it needs. I hope that the debate gives us an opportunity to address that issue. Failure to tackle the condition will put a significant burden on health and social care across the country, and I hope that the minister will talk about that when she sums up. We have heard this evening about some of the problems that individuals in Scotland are having accessing services. We need to ensure that those who are suffering are given a support mechanism. I join members in asking the Scottish Government to consider an evidence-based solution, because that is what we need.

Scotland’s shocking history of drug deaths is a national shame and a national scandal. We cannot allow alcohol-related brain damage to go down the same route. We have heard tonight how many individuals have lost their lives because of the alcohol culture in our country. That has to stop, and the only way that it can stop is with an evidence-based solution across the country.

I am pleased to be able to contribute to this afternoon’s debate. I will support the amendment in the name of Murdo Fraser.

The motion mentions the importance of increasing investment in Scotland’s economy and it says that that investment is vital to improve public services, support a thriving economy and create jobs. There is no doubt that those are all worthy points, but the Scottish public should be surprised to find them at the beginning of a motion that was lodged by the high-tax, anti-business SNP Government. Although it wants to shout about the importance of investment in Scotland, it is hard to believe that it really means it.

The Government talks about investment in housing but, as we have heard, its rent cap policy harmed investment in that sector to the tune of £3 billion, and it will make many of the same mistakes with the Housing (Scotland) Bill.

The Government talks about investment in net zero. However, although it is willing to invest in alternative energy sources such as offshore wind, it has turned its back on nuclear energy—a decision that will cost Scotland billions in long-term investment. In reality, the SNP’s insistence on ignoring nuclear power will not only cost Scotland investment opportunities but make net zero harder and much more expensive to achieve.

The Scottish Government is right to talk about the importance of technology in financial services, yet its policies undermine that sector in Scotland. Although the fintech sector has enjoyed impressive growth in recent years, we are now seeing warnings that policies such as higher income tax are making it difficult for the sector to see sustained growth.

Scottish Financial Enterprise has said that its members are finding it harder and harder to attract and retain senior workers. In an SFE survey that received responses from 40 organisations that together employ more than 50,000 people in the financial services sector, 66 per cent of respondents knew of examples where Scotland’s business and tax environment was harming and having a negative impact on business decisions.

At the same time, leading headhunting companies have reported difficulties in attracting top talent to Scotland, particularly since the introduction of the advanced rate of income tax. The chief executive of SFE, Sandy Begbie, has highlighted that cutting taxes to at least the same rates as those in the rest of the UK could lead to greater investment and greater certainty in the Scottish economy. As Conservative members have said often in recent years, high tax does not support business or the economy. If the Scottish Government was serious about increasing investment in public services, it would be willing to listen to the proposals that are being made.

Scotland has the potential to lead the United Kingdom in many sectors, but it will be able to do that only if the SNP Government is willing to unlock that potential. It talks about Scotland being a leading destination for investment, but it is time that it backed up that rhetoric with actions. That means introducing commonsense policies that will attract investment and send a message that Scotland is somewhere that truly values success and talent. That success and talent will lead to the economic growth, investment and prosperity that we want. However, the SNP Government does little about that.

I support the amendment in the name of Murdo Fraser.

I agree with the member that revaluation is the first step in that direction. I hope that that can be looked at.

I referred to the gaps in funding. The Scottish Government claims that the budget should help councils. In reality, the lack of flexibility means that council tax is the only lever left for councils to use to deal with that. It is disappointing to see many councils using that lever, but taxpayers can understand the concerns that councils have, given what they need to do. Councils have spent a decade in this situation.

On that issue, SNP ministers would do well to listen to the Scottish Parliament information centre—our internal research centre—which said:

“the Scottish Government could find itself being blamed just as much as the councils themselves”

for the tax hikes. That SPICe report talks about how local government funding has fallen as a percentage of Scottish Government spending since 2016. In other words, council funding has not kept pace with total Government spend. Although the Government claims to value local government and the important contributions that it makes to communities, and it claims to stand up for that, in reality, its actions do not speak to those claims.

An improved long-term relationship needs to develop and evolve between central and local government in Scotland. The Verity house agreement brought them together to take steps to build a relationship. Although there has been some progress, such as on a small reduction in ring-fenced funding, many councils are still concerned that the agreement will have few benefits for them in the long term.

The agreement was supposed to support “shared priorities”. We want there to be “shared priorities”, “mutual trust” and “Improved engagement”. In reality, none of that has really happened. A huge amount of information is still required and there is still no trust between national and local government in Scotland. That must be looked at as a priority.

More than 18 months on from that agreement, there is still a huge amount to be done to fix that relationship. It is clear that local government cannot continue being treated as such a low priority by this SNP Government. Councils are making difficult decisions to get their budgets over the line and many of them are running out of flexibility within those budgets to manage that process. If Scotland continues with the review, it is important that there is a deal for local government. I hope that the new relationship will acknowledge just how important our councils are to communities in Scotland. They want to be treated with the respect that they deserve. They have a huge amount of work to do in supporting our communities, constituencies and regions, but that can be done only if there is a relationship between the Scottish Government and councils.

I am pleased to speak on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives in the debate on this year’s local government finance order. The motion before us today is necessary in order to allocate funding to each of Scotland’s 32 councils. The Scottish Conservatives will not oppose the motion.

However, it is important that this parliamentary time is used to highlight the current state of local government finances and the fact that councils are experiencing pressures from several different directions. A recent report from the Accounts Commission made for concerning reading. More than a third of councils made unplanned use of their reserves in 2023-24 to manage budget pressures, and more than half of councils do not have in place a long-term financial plan.

Councils are also facing pressure from the increase in employer national insurance contributions as a result of the UK Government’s tax grab. We welcome the additional £144 million of funding to address that, which was announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government earlier this month. However, COSLA has warned that that still leaves a gap of £96 million, which councils will have to find from their own budgets. Discussions with the UK Government on that issue continue, and the Scottish Government should stand ready to pass on any additional funding that the UK Government at Westminster makes available.

More generally, it is clear from engagement with local government that many councils have difficult decisions to make. In many cases, those will involve reducing or cutting important local services. I trust that, if the minister has engaged with councils throughout the budget process, he will be fully aware of all that.

As the weeks roll by, councils will finalise and set their budgets for the coming year. Some of them have agreed council tax increases that are higher than 10 per cent. In my region, there will be an increase of 9 per cent in Stirling and of 9.5 per cent in Perth and Kinross; the increase is as much as 13 per cent in Clackmannanshire.

The proposed development in Stirling would create one of the largest film studio campuses in Scotland, which would be a game changer for film and television productions. What is the Scottish Government doing to ensure that the project becomes a reality and has the potential to filter down to the wider supply chain, paving the way for a major economic benefit throughout the region?

I thank Fergus Ewing for that intervention—he makes a valid point. We are aware that—as that radio programme highlighted—a number of schools are finding that girls are now not using their facilities because of what may happen in those facilities, and that that is having an effect on them when it comes to eating. The Government should look at that, and I whole-heartedly agree with Fergus Ewing’s comments in his intervention.

As I said, eating disorders are underreported, which may be due to people feeling that their GP may not know how to help them with what is happening. We have heard this evening about the charity Beat and the work that it does, which I whole-heartedly support. We know that eating disorders, which come in many forms, such as anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder, as well as lesser-known conditions, are often misunderstood, mislabelled or even undiagnosed.

It is salient to mention that eating disorders do not affect only the person who has the condition. Friends and family often become carers, with many feeling helpless and heartbroken as they watch their loved one struggle with the disorder.

Eating disorders are one of the largest mental health challenges of our time. Such disorders are about so much more than just food—image, social media and many other issues are in the mix. They can also be a coping mechanism for broader and more complicated issues that have progressed. Beat, which was formerly known as the Eating Disorders Association, does extremely strong and positive work in that regard, and its national helpline encourages and empowers people to seek support and advice.

As we have heard, ensuring that individuals get support for their illness is vitally important. Beat also supports family and friends to ensure that they are equipped with the skills to look after their loved ones. In addition, Beat advocates to increase knowledge of eating disorders among healthcare staff and other relevant professionals.

When people have the courage to come forward, it is important that they get the right help in the right place at the right time. I hope that the minister’s summing-up speech will provide the Scottish Government with an opportunity to indicate the position that it is taking, not least as we need to see much more focus on the issue brought to the fore at a national level. We all want to ensure that every individual who has such an issue is supported, and that they and their families can support one another together and live free of eating disorders.

I am pleased to contribute to this members’ business debate, and I thank Emma Harper for bringing it to the chamber. As we know from the motion, this year’s eating disorders awareness week, which runs until 2 March, is already under way. The theme this year is that eating disorders can affect anybody. I welcome that theme. I feel that it is vital that the great many misconceptions about eating disorders are challenged as vigorously as possible, especially as public misunderstanding and stigma can often prevent people from reaching out for help. Help is available, but we need to make sure that it is provided across all areas and that there is not a postcode lottery, which does happen from time to time.

Not only can eating disorders affect anyone, but it is often the case that they affect those individuals whom we would not expect to be affected. We are currently seeing many younger people being affected, as a result of portrayals and images of what they should or might look like. We know that, at present, around 1.25 million people in the UK are living with an eating disorder, which equates to more than one in 50 people in Scotland. However, the real number is probably much higher, because many cases go unreported.

I am pleased to be able to contribute to this afternoon’s important debate, and I thank Elena Whitham for bringing it to the chamber.

How alcohol use disorders interact with the Scottish justice system is still not very well understood. Elena Whitham’s motion lays out the key statistics, including the fact that nearly two thirds of people in prison have an alcohol use disorder. However, this issue goes beyond mere numbers. Far too much of the current legislation on the problem focuses entirely on alcohol use in prisons. In reality, alcohol use disorders affect individuals who are at all stages of the justice system. That includes during initial police contact, in custody centres and court settings and during liaison and diversion and throughcare.

It is clear that the current approach to alcohol and drug use is not working in prison settings. At His Majesty’s Prison Glenochil in Clackmannanshire in my region, 35 inmates were found to be under the influence of drugs on Christmas day. Although prison staff reportedly seized the articles that were causing the problem, the indication is that the issue is far reaching, so it is only fair that drugs and alcohol be considered when we are dealing with situations in our prisons.

The Scottish Prison Service was forced to introduce a policy to deal with influences on individuals as a result of that incident, but it is only one example of the disruption that can be caused in prisons and to the wider system. The Scottish prison healthcare network previously published guidance on the misuse of drugs in prisons and in custody settings; unfortunately, that guidance is no longer in use, and our prisons are often worse off as result.

As members from across the chamber will agree, further action is needed to tackle the attitude to alcohol in the wider justice system. Today’s motion mentions the solutions that are being created to support individuals who require treatment in the justice system, but it is disappointing that some approaches are not being considered. More guidance might need to be ascertained from the cabinet secretary in that respect, and I look forward to hearing about that in her summing up.

The Scottish Government is in the process of creating a national service specification for alcohol and drugs services, following the publication of UK-wide alcohol treatment guidelines. That could provide an opportunity to ensure that effective standards are in place in the justice system as a whole. I hope that, in summing up, the cabinet secretary will give an update on the Scottish Government’s progress on that, because it is a complex issue that requires bold solutions.

We have heard about the number of individuals—men, in particular—who were drunk during their offending, about the number of women who have suffered as a result of alcohol-related domestic abuse and violence and about the number of individuals in our custody and our systems who are suffering. That should have an impact on what we do.

I hope that, in tackling the issue, the Scottish Government will follow the advice and evidence from other areas on how to manage it. The justice system needs to be equipped to support hard-working staff with the tools that they need to do their job effectively, to support themselves and to support those going through the justice system.

As Carol Mochan mentioned, the number of such deaths is at a 15-year high. Even with minimum unit pricing having been introduced seven years ago, it is clear that we still have an emergency and that individuals are slipping through the net. What do we need to do with regard to treatment and rehabilitation for individuals? The report found that individuals said that they would accept support in custody, but it does not seem to be being provided.