Keith Brown: .... Much of the unionists’ argument relies on convincing people in Scotland that we are uniquely different from every other country in the world and that we cannot manage those affairs. It is our job, and the job of the paper that has been produced by the Scottish Government, to give the contrary argument. We have a chance to make a different impact in the world—on defence, peacekeeping,...
Keith Brown: ...that we get a true comparison, or to consider what other countries are doing that is different and that we could learn from. There is no question but that the NHS has done an absolutely fantastic job. I just recounted an experience from the past couple of weeks, but there was an even better one in the midst of Covid, which I will quickly recount. A consultant saw somebody who I knew and...
Keith Brown: I thank Jeremy Balfour for taking the intervention and for taking the trouble to be brought to the chamber this afternoon to do his job. If he is concerned about public services, is he aware of the £40 billion that Kevin Stewart mentioned as having to be loaded on to make up for the Brexit deficit, and of the additional information that we have heard today that £2 billion will be added to...
Keith Brown: ...the convictions, and he finished his question with the demand that convictions be overturned. The example that he gave was a harrowing one. It involved Mary, who was wrongly suspended from her job in the Auchtermuchty post office, with a devastating impact on her family—her daughter Myra, in particular. He mentioned that Mary died before the Horizon scandal came to light and, as he said,...
Keith Brown: ...to continue to engage with Rock2Recovery to consider how it can help in relation to veterans who need that service. I also mention Wee County Veterans in my constituency, which does a fantastic job for veterans in Clackmannanshire. I will make a point in relation to housing, which was mentioned by Edward Mountain. I think that the member said that, when he left the forces, he got £500 and...
Keith Brown: ...play a crucial role in addressing the challenges of the future. World-leading technology solutions will be developed in those centres of excellence, transforming the local economy, tackling low job density through the creation of high-quality, skilled local jobs and strong regional supply chains and, at the same time, supporting community wealth building and the wellbeing economy. Stirling...
Keith Brown: .... There was not a word about Brexit or the pandemic. Everybody knows that the pandemic has altered people’s work patterns and commuting practices. During lockdown, many drivers sought other jobs and did not return. As I said, Brexit cut off access to another source of drivers. I have seen the shortage of drivers in my constituency leading to reductions in services on a couple of routes—
Keith Brown: ...point out that the Labour Party patently does not have a magic wand to fix bus services in Wales, and it does not have one—and it has not suggested one—for Scotland either. Of course it is the job of Opposition parties to oppose and to highlight where the Government might be going wrong, but they also have a duty to be honest with the public and to make suggestions if they think that...
Keith Brown: ...since 2009. Indeed, he was the first since the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was formed. I hope that it will be a very long time indeed before there is another, but of course the nature of the job is such that danger is ever present. Bill Kidd’s motion understandably acknowledges the crew at his local fire station at Knightswood, and I take the opportunity to mention the firefighters,...
Keith Brown: ...the very low unemployment rate—it is down at 3.1 per cent, which I cannot remember having been the case in my adult lifetime—too often in the past, former members of the armed forces who got a job were expected to be grateful for having a job, but the jobs that they get should be commensurate with the experience, abilities and skills that they have developed in their time in the armed...
Keith Brown: ...from the rest of the UK. That will include working with people who support the transition to civilian life to encourage individuals to make Scotland their home as they leave the military. New jobs that are emerging as a result of our transition to net zero will need new thinking, and we know that many existing jobs will require new and enhanced skill sets. The Scottish Government is...
Keith Brown: ...the Army, have often been in areas of multiple deprivation—I joined the armed forces from such an area. At the very start of the 13 years during which—at various points—I have been doing this job, senior people in the MOD and the armed forces were happy to say, “That’s how we found these people and that’s how we’ll leave them; we have no responsibility to help them in the...
Keith Brown: ...people’s experiences in the armed forces. We are still to work through the treasure trove of information that that will provide. I am well aware that, during the time that I have been doing this job, one unit was moved from Germany to Edinburgh to Northern Ireland within 18 months. The children of those families had to move with them and went into three different education systems, which...
Keith Brown: ...the bill for the following reasons. First, on the use of remand, although prison is obviously necessary for those who pose a risk to public safety, remand removes people from their homes, families, jobs and communities. We must remember that, at that time, those people have not been convicted of any crime—or, at least, of the crime that they have been accused of. As well as damaging...
Keith Brown: ...of remand. I also remind members of the deleterious effects of remand. Someone may not be guilty of the offence with which they have been charged, and there will be an impact on their family, their job prospects and their community. It is also worth bearing in mind that it costs nearly £40,000 a year to keep somebody in the prison service. Daniel Johnson and others made points about the...
Keith Brown: ...particular point about diversity, I meet regularly with Robin Iffla—who is someone I have known for a very long time and who is conducting the review—and with others from within the force whose job it is to ensure that the force becomes more diverse. We have a challenge, not only in recruiting people from ethnic minorities but in keeping them. That suggests that there is more to be...
Keith Brown: ...that we have in terms of the number of police officers and their pay. I remind the member that a starting constable in Scotland is paid £5,000 more than one in the rest of the UK. A superb job is being done by our police. I do not deny the pressures that Covid, the 26th United Nations climate change conference of the parties—COP26—or the royal funeral have brought to bear on them....
Keith Brown: ...of inflation, which has reduced our budget this year by £1.7 billion, and the hugely increased cost of wage settlements this year. Everyone recognises that those are huge pressures. It is our job to do as much as we can to mitigate the impacts on our vital public services, and I am sure that that is what the Deputy First Minister will do when he delivers the budget next week.
Keith Brown: ...and qualifications not being adequately understood and appreciated. We might hear something along the lines of, for example, a colour sergeant or a warrant officer who has come out and got a job as a truck driver and is told that they should feel grateful, even though that is not a real recognition of the experience, qualifications and abilities that they accumulated and displayed when...
Keith Brown: ...CWGC is still finding remains in France and I had privileged access to see where it takes them, along with other artefacts that are found, such as letters from loved ones. The CWGC does a fantastic job and it is a testament to its work that many countries around the world look to its example to see whether they can deliver a similar service—although hopefully we will never again have...