Former Scottish National Party MSP for Falkirk West
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support local authorities, including Falkirk Council, to deliver vital services, including those aimed at reducing child poverty. (S6O-05661)
As others have done, I wish Shona Robison well as she departs the Parliament. It has been a real pleasure to serve in the Parliament with her over the past 27 years—I hope that that does not make her feel old—and she leaves with my very best wishes for the future. Local authorities have an important role to play in supporting the Government’s national work to tackle child...
I am grateful to the members who have lodged amendments in this group on coercion, which is one of the key risks that are associated with the bill. During the stage 1 debate, when we were debating coercion, it was asserted—as we have heard tonight—that there is no evidence that coercion takes place in other international jurisdictions in which legislation of this nature has been...
Given that coercive and controlling behaviour impacts on a range of aspects of our society, including on vulnerable individuals, I do not believe that it will not impact on vulnerable individuals when it comes to making decisions about assisted dying. I cannot speak for the academics who referred to what has happened in other jurisdictions or the evidence that they have from other...
There are issues about potential inequalities that are associated with the bill. Inequality is created when individuals cannot access the palliative care that they would like to have, because it is not available to them—if they had the financial means, they might be able to purchase it for themselves. That happens in our society at present. There are also issues of inequality in how aspects...
I will take Christine Grahame’s intervention, and then Brian Whittle’s. 20:45
I will take Brian Whittle’s intervention, and I will try to deal with both interventions at once.
I am grateful for Mr Whittle’s intervention, given that he has been a member of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee and considered the issues. On Christine Grahame’s point, training is one aspect, but I do not believe that the way in which the declaration phase is framed in the bill provides sufficient time and opportunity to deal with the issues thoroughly. It is...
