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Donate to our crowdfunderPatricia Ferguson: Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?
Patricia Ferguson: I absolutely accept that there will be issues of rurality that come into play, but where in the report does it show us where issues of deprivation come into play? Surely it is harder to do things in more deprived areas that have more young people than it is in areas without those issues.
Patricia Ferguson: 10. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Board. (S4O-03335)
Patricia Ferguson: As the cabinet secretary is aware, patients in north and north-east Glasgow and beyond who require chemotherapy more often than not have to make their way to the Beatson centre to receive such treatment. The journey is often not very easy, particularly when taken by public transport, and is an additional difficulty for people who perhaps are already unwell. Has the cabinet secretary discussed...
Patricia Ferguson: Although it has been quite a long time in gestation, I very much welcome “Time to Shine: Scotland's Youth Arts Strategy for ages 0 to 25”. I believe that the strategy is good, but I wonder whether it goes far enough and whether it adequately reflects the ambition and dynamism that Scotland's young people so often demonstrate and which the young contributors to the consultation clearly...
Patricia Ferguson: The point that I made was that they did not rate much of a mention. They are mentioned once, and that point is not really developed and followed up. All that I was saying is that I would like that to be much more integrated into the strategy. I appreciate that the strategy is only just kicking off, but that needs to be developed, and all those institutions need to be involved.
Patricia Ferguson: This has been a very interesting and, I think, a very good debate. I have very much enjoyed listening to colleagues’ speeches, particularly when they have discussed matters in their own areas. One of the beauties of the Parliament is that we get to share that kind of information. We get to hear about other people’s enthusiasms—and sometimes complaints. It has been really interesting...
Patricia Ferguson: I agree. It is a difficult judgment call and it is hard to get the balance right. We all have to stop and consider what is happening out there. I was interested in some of the points that Clare Adamson made. She is absolutely right that peer support is important. Young people benefit from their friends and relatives telling them that they did well. We all like to be told that, even if, for...
Patricia Ferguson: I thank Mr Gibson for that. I was coming to his speech next anyway, because I think that he might have misunderstood my reference to Fèisean nan Gàidheal. I have nothing but praise for Fèisean nan Gàidheal, but on top of all the things that Mr Gibson listed—and he was right to list them—it has helped to continue that interest in our traditional instruments, language and music, and it...
Patricia Ferguson: 4. To ask the Scottish Government when it will implement the recommendations of Lord Cullen’s “Review of Fatal Accident Inquiry Legislation”. (S4O-03199)
Patricia Ferguson: I am sure that the cabinet secretary will join me in marking the fact that the families of those who lost their lives in the Stockline explosion are preparing to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the disaster on Sunday. Does he not think that we owe it to families who have been bereaved by workplace accidents to have in place the best possible fatal accident inquiry system? Will the...
Patricia Ferguson: The First Minister’s trip to Bruges, to which Ms McKelvie has just referred, has borne fruit somewhat earlier than he might have expected, in that he now has advice that his Government is perfectly entitled to implement a living wage through public sector contracts. Therefore, will he now instruct his members to back Scottish Labour’s amendments to the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill...
Patricia Ferguson: 8. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address low life-expectancy rates in Glasgow. (S4O-03153)
Patricia Ferguson: As the minister is aware, life expectancy for men in Glasgow is about 7.5 years less than for those in East Dunbartonshire, whereas for women there is a difference of some 4.9 years. Those are average figures; for some areas of Glasgow, the gap would be even greater. Can the minister advise what additional help will be given to general practitioners who work in the so-called deep-end...
Patricia Ferguson: 5. To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with Glasgow City Council concerning the future of the site of the Red Road flats following the demolition of the existing buildings. (S4F-02035)
Patricia Ferguson: I thank the First Minister for his answer. Does he agree that suitable alternative accommodation should be found for the asylum seekers who are living there as quickly as possible, and that all agencies in the city and the Scottish Government should now work collaboratively with the local community to prioritise dynamic and innovative regeneration of the 22-acre Red Road site, following...
Patricia Ferguson: I offer my congratulations to Stuart McMillan on securing the debate. The subject is of particular concern to the communities that I represent as well as to those in Inverclyde, so I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak this evening. The statistics show that the proliferation of bookmakers and the impact of fixed-odds betting terminals are endemic in poorer communities—Stuart...
Patricia Ferguson: This is, of course, the first debate in the Parliament since the sad death of Margo MacDonald, and as such it is the first of many debates in which we will not have the benefit of Margo’s distinctive and always interesting contributions. Her take on Europe and all things European was unique and made for an interesting evidence session at the European and External Relations Committee a...
Patricia Ferguson: I am happy to take an intervention from Mr Stevenson.
Patricia Ferguson: I gently point out to Mr Stevenson that, in actual fact, the UK is the only state in these islands that has signed the treaties of the EU. If we divorce ourselves from the rest of the UK, we divorce ourselves from the signatory to those treaties.