Margaret Curran: I welcome the debate, because it concerns an appropriately vigorous area of Government intervention. We have already seen many significant achievements in housing. The Social Inclusion, Housing and Voluntary Sector Committee, of which I am convener, intends to be closely engaged in that process. I am sure that we will scrutinise with vigour the Executive's work, as much from a shared...
Margaret Curran: Does Tommy Sheridan oppose community ownership?
Margaret Curran: He opposes it every single time that it is mentioned.
Margaret Curran: Is Linda Fabiani opposed to the principle of right to buy?
Margaret Curran: rose—
Margaret Curran: Will the member give way?
Margaret Curran: One of the problems with Tommy Sheridan's approach is that the greatest clamour for enforcement comes from deprived communities and from the people who live with the situation daily. This Parliament has a duty to listen to those people above all others when they tell us not to legalise cannabis and to retain enforcement policies. They support the Executive's balanced proposals, as I do. I...
Margaret Curran: With every due respect, Margo, I am very short of time and I do not think that these issues have been raised. Our inquiry will listen to individuals who misuse drugs, families that have struggled to overcome the problem and communities that have suffered disproportionately and are desperately searching for the means to resist being overwhelmed by a culture of collusion and defeat. In our...
Margaret Curran: I have to get on, Margo. We should be aware of the resilience, courage and determination that exists throughout Scotland, and which presents us with a real opportunity. We should not be defeatist. We can and must develop strategies and services that address the root causes of drug misuse and assist those individuals, families and communities in finding the routes out of their situation that...
Margaret Curran: Will the minister give way?
Margaret Curran: I am sorry to interrupt, but I have a question on procurators fiscal before the minister moves on. Is it possible to find out how many reports were submitted to the procurator's office over the past year, how many were not pursued and what the reasons were for non-pursual? That information relates to how we can start to address the issue of convictions.
Margaret Curran: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to further the strategy on drugs and, in particular, what role the Drug Action Teams will play.
Margaret Curran: To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to tackle social and economic inequality in Glasgow and reduce the gap between poverty levels in Glasgow and other parts of Scotland.
Margaret Curran: To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to monitor the disposal of natural waste, particularly at landfill sites close to residential areas.
Margaret Curran: Are you encouraging interventions, George? Today's debate is clearly very significant, not only for the Parliament but throughout the country. It is a welcome opportunity to provide clarity, realism and reassurance. Forces of hysteria have stoked up a distasteful campaign, but we must listen to the voices of genuine concern. I share Annabel Goldie's sense of the significance of the debate,...
Margaret Curran: Phil, I may as well, as—
Margaret Curran: Mr Gallie, research published in 1997 reported that 82 per cent of teachers feel that section 28 needs to be clarified and that 44 per cent have difficulty meeting the needs of gay young people because of their concern about the section. The guidelines are clearly not appropriate. Section 28 legitimises the targeting of one section of the population. We cannot have the message in schools that...
Margaret Curran: I do not particularly want to get into a debate about "EastEnders" and I am not saying that homosexual story lines should be banished from soap operas, but as a concerned parent I do not want my children's discussion of homosexuality to focus only on soap operas; I want them to discuss it in school as well. I say to Mr Monteith that we have to live in the world as it is and not as we hope it...
Margaret Curran: To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to publish and implement the recommendations of the report of the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland.
Margaret Curran: To ask the Scottish Executive what new measures are being introduced to address school exclusions.