Chamber and committees

That the Parliament recognises the important role that hospice care plays in improving the experience of palliative care for many across Scotland; commends the work of Hospice UK in supporting those with urgent care needs across the entire country; understands that £1.3 billion is spent annually on healthcare for people in the last year of their life in Scotland; notes that around 60,000 people die each year in Scotland, of whom an estimated 90% will need palliative care; acknowledges the urgent need for the national funding framework for hospice care to be fully implemented and for a credible delivery plan for palliative care to be introduced; understands that one of the key issues raised by Hospice UK is access to funding for their work, and believes that more support is required from the Scottish Government to ensure that high-quality end-of-life care is available to those who need it most.

That the Parliament congratulates the new Community First Responder group based in Dunfermline, a volunteer paramedic initiative whose members are trained by the Scottish Ambulance Service; understands that this group was formed to address a growing need in the local area for emergency medical care; recognises that eight new responders have been initiated to begin work helping the community, serving the areas of Dunfermline, Rosyth and Inverkeithing; acknowledges that their responsibility will be to get there before trained paramedics can attend the scene, which aims to reduce overall response time for those in crisis; thanks the local branch of the Scottish Ambulance Service for training them, and offers them congratulations for becoming certified, and wishes them the best in serving the local community in Fife.

That the Parliament understands the challenges surrounding access to breast cancer treatment in many parts of rural Scotland and the detrimental impact on wellbeing and support for patients; recognises that 102 people are diagnosed with breast cancer every week on average, with the projected number of women living with the condition reportedly set to rise from 81,000 in 2025 to 118,000 in 2045; further recognises that Breast Cancer Now estimates that this will cost the economy up to £2.1 billion over the coming years; notes that a Breast Cancer Now briefing reported that data specifically on metastatic breast cancer is not routinely collected or properly shared across NHS boards, leading to problems with patients accessing treatment in different parts of the country; calls on the Scottish Government to include within its next Cancer Action Plan a sustainable commitment to fund and administer the collection of metastatic breast cancer data to improve patient care, and believes that the Scottish Government must commit broadly to bring forward and fund a concrete plan for breast cancer services and ensure the best possible care and support for all those affected.

That the Parliament recognises what it sees as the important community service provided by Burntisland and Kinghorn Foodbank, which is entirely run by local volunteers; understands that 89 people have donated to the foodbank, enabling it to provide ongoing assistance to 40 families in the local area, with 21 regular volunteers helping to deliver its services; further understands that the foodbank distributes around 2,351 food parcels to an estimated 70 to 75 individuals each week; acknowledges that it has recently opened a second distribution hub in Kinghorn; commends Katie Cook and Ruth Duffin, co-chairs of the charity, for their dedicated service; calls on the Scottish Government to develop a more cohesive response to food poverty in Fife and across Scotland; wishes the charity well as it continues to be a vital source of support for families in the Burntisland and Kinghorn area who are struggling to put food on the table, and thanks all the volunteers and donors involved.

That the Parliament recognises the veterans of the British armed forces from Fife, both past and present, who have served their country; understands that data from the last census suggested that Fife has the highest overall number of veterans in all of Scotland, comprising 5.6% of the total population in the area; notes the importance of ensuring the welfare of the veteran community, with the census statistics also showing that 759 sets of households across Scotland housed a veteran who was either homeless or at serious risk of becoming homeless, and calls for the promises made in the Armed Forces Covenant to be fully upheld by local authorities to support the brave veterans of Fife who have made great sacrifices for the safety and security of the UK for many years.

As an amendment to S7M-01022, in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville (Eradicating Child Poverty, the Scottish Government’s Defining Mission), leave out from "recognises" to end, and insert "notes that, by the Scottish Government's own admission, child poverty is above its 2023-24 interim target of 18%, meaning that approximately 210,000 children are still living in poverty; expresses its disappointment that, despite the buzzwords and branding of its title, Bringing Hope, Building Futures, the Scottish Government's tackling child poverty delivery plan for 2026-2031 will not reach the 18% target until 2031; acknowledges that child poverty cannot be tackled in isolation, but rather by the totality of Scottish Government's policies; believes, that, in particular, the combination of Scottish Government policies on taxation and business regulation as well as lagging educational attainment have a detrimental impact on the economy and, as a result, the incomes and job opportunities for families, which undermine the positive impacts of policies designed to reduce child poverty, and calls on the Scottish Government to commission an independent review into whether its taxation, business regulation and education polices have led to the higher than expected levels of child poverty."

That the Parliament recognises the longstanding community service of the clothing shop, Scott’s of Cupar, which, it understands is sadly closing due to changes in the local market after being open at the same address since 1907; recognises that the shop has been deeply integrated within Fife’s textile industry and made quality products much treasured by the residents of Cupar and beyond; understands that the shop underwent a transition from general clothes selling to specialising in women’s clothing in the 1990s, being one of the only shops in the area to do so; commends the shop for raising over £50,000 for charity cumulatively over the many years that it has been open, which it achieved by hosting fashion events and coffee dates; wishes Claudine Weir, the owner, all the best in her future endeavours, and congratulates the entire family who helped run the business for over a century of steadfast service to Cupar.

That the Parliament recognises the group “Crafty Grannies”, based in Kirkcaldy, which is made up of roughly 20 people from the local area who, for 18 months, have been running an intergenerational community club focused on combatting social isolation; commends the fact that the group have contributed a huge amount to the local community, for example, by making 1,500 poppies to represent every name on the Kirkcaldy War Memorial, running knitting and crochet clubs for senior residents, cooking food for locals in need, and making handcrafted hearts for local funeral directors in cases where a young child has passed away; wishes the group well for their upcoming play “Inspirational Women” which tells the story of how the group was formed; celebrates their continued good work in the community and wishes the club and its members every possible success going forward.

That the Parliament recognises an urgent need to address the issue of malfunctioned or incorrectly stocked defibrillators across Scotland; understands that this can cause life-threatening danger to people using the machines who may do so believing they are in good order; notes that senior figures in the Scottish Ambulance Service have reportedly recommended improvement to registration and general maintenance of defibrillators; supports the ongoing campaign work the British Heart Foundation undertakes to raise awareness of this issue and calls on the Scottish Government to work with the relevant healthcare bodies, emergency services and charities in order to resolve it.

That the Parliament recognises the exceptional public service of Heather Stuart, who served as chief executive of OnFife for 14 years; notes OnFife’s role in promoting cultural activities, environmental conservation, literacy, historical preservation and various other social and community endeavours across Fife; acknowledges Heather’s significant contributions as OnFife’s chief executive, particularly in expanding the organisation's presence on the ground and improving its use of digital technology throughout her tenure; congratulates Heather on her new role at the Mount Stuart Trust on the Isle of Bute; wishes her well in her new endeavours, and offers full support to her successor at OnFife to further the organisation’s vital role across the region.