The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-08901, in the name of Clare Adamson, on drowning prevention week 2023. The debate will be concluded without any question being posed.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament marks Drowning Prevention Week (DPW) 2023, which runs from 18 to 25 June; notes that the campaign, initiated by the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), aims to reduce the number of drowning and near-drowning incidents that occur in the UK every year by promoting the skills and knowledge that people need to be safe and have fun in the water; believes that DPW, now in its 10th year, is as crucial as ever, as it promotes water safety education; understands that, on average, 50 people accidentally drown in Scotland each year, and a further 29 people take their own lives in and around the country’s water ways; acknowledges that the DPW campaign encourages schools, clubs, leisure centres and communities to promote water safety education through events, lessons, games and activities, in a bid to make people more aware of the dangers of water; welcomes the provision of new educational resources from Water Safety Scotland, created by RoSPA, which include free water safety lessons for schools and practitioners and the first ever curriculum-aligned water safety resources; commends RLSS UK and partner agencies, such as Water Safety Scotland, for what it sees as their tireless campaigning to promote water safety, and wishes everyone involved in Drowning Prevention Week 2023 the very best in their efforts.
14:43
I thank colleagues who signed the motion to allow the debate to take place and those who have persevered to the bitter end to hear the debate.
It is an honour to open the final debate ahead of summer recess. Drowning prevention week took place last week but, due to parliamentary business, we were not able to hold the debate during the week itself. However, its message is every bit as crucial.
The purpose of the initiative, now in its 10th year, is to reduce the number of drownings and near drownings that occur in the United Kingdom every year by promoting the skills and knowledge that people need to be safe and have fun in the water. Thankfully, we have entered warmer months, and people are understandably excited about enjoying Scotland’s globally recognised coastlines and waterways, but it is imperative that we recognise the risks that come around water.
On average, 50 people accidentally drown in Scotland each year, and we know that that is comparatively a very high figure. Sadly, I am sure that we have seen recent stories about tragedies around water, which emphasise the importance of the messaging around drowning prevention week as we enter the summer months. Awareness raising is a critical aspect of that messaging, so, for posterity, and to get the message on the record yet again, I will provide some pertinent water safety advice.
Cold water shock is an involuntary response to the body being suddenly or unexpectedly immersed in water that has a temperature of less than 15°C, which can occur in summer in Scotland. Water Safety Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service advise that, if you unintentionally fall into water, you should not try to swim straight away. You should fight your instinct to swim or thrash about. You should try to remain calm and relaxed, and turn on to your back and adopt the starfish float position. Once you are floating, the initial effects of cold water shock will pass in about 90 seconds. You can then call for help and look for anything that you could use to help you to get out of the water. If you manage to get out of the water, please remember that there is a risk of hypothermia. Whenever people are exposed to severe cold water, the emergency services should be called.
Of course, that is what you should do in the event of getting into difficulty but, as with all accident prevention, the safest way to proceed is to be proactive and be prepared. If you are going to be in or around water, check the conditions, ensure that you are not alone, bring appropriate gear and follow the advice on any equipment that you might use. Heeding those tips could mean the difference between life and death.
Free information resources are provided by fantastic organisations such as the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Water Safety Scotland and the Royal Life Saving Society, which co-ordinates drowning prevention week. Indeed, RLSS’s “Water Safety Insight Report 2022” clearly shows that public awareness of risk and safety is lacking. RLSS analysis of 240 accidental drownings showed that 49 per cent of the people who lost their lives could swim, and that 73 per cent of fatalities occurred in the absence of professional supervision. That shows how much work we have to do.
Those safety resources often include vital advice that is aimed at individuals but, as legislators, we should examine the wider policy context. I am pleased to say that water safety policy—indeed, all safety policy—has found increased prominence on the Scottish political landscape. I believe that that is due in no small part to the dedicated campaigning of the members of the cross-party group on accident prevention and safety awareness, which I am privileged to convene.
The group has seen at first hand the impact that our members have had across the Parliament’s policy discussions. Water Safety Scotland, which was formed as a result of networking at the CPG, has conducted an interim review of Scotland’s drowning prevention strategy that shows that it has had tangible results. Its annual report shows that the number of water-based fatalities in Scotland decreased last year and that fewer people accidentally drowned. Last year, 96 water-related fatalities were recorded, 45 of which were considered to be accidental drownings. That decline is down to hard partnership working to raise awareness of water safety, but any death is a tragedy and we cannot rest on our laurels.
The policy work in this area resulted in Water Safety Scotland launching, in April, new educational resources that include free water safety lessons for schools and practitioners. Those materials are the first-ever curriculum-aligned water safety resources. Scotland is the only nation in the United Kingdom to have water safety education embedded in the national curriculum. That is a welcome and important step.
Work is on-going nationally and locally. I am delighted to say that, in North and South Lanarkshire, we now have a partnership approach to water safety, or PAWS, group. My office recently contacted the group about Christopher’s saving lives campaign, the extraordinary campaign that was started by Duncan and Margaret Spiers following the death of their son, Christopher, by drowning. Thanks to their dedication, lifebelt ropes have been installed along the Clyde, which borders my beautiful constituency. Those unique colour-coded safety ropes are a simple but effective measure against vandalism or theft of crucial safety equipment. I whole-heartedly endorse their campaign and encourage local authorities to engage with it.
Finally, I will mention the drowning incident review—DIR—which has come from partnership working. It is a world first programme that aims to gather data and understand the contributory factors in incidents to help gain a better understanding of how to prevent further similar incidents. The DIR process can be used for fatal incidents in both inland and coastal waters and for near-miss incidents that are attended by emergency services or reported. The process, created by the SFRS and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, via Water Safety Scotland, has finished its pilot and evaluation phase. We recently heard about the group’s research at our cross-party group on accident prevention and safety awareness.
I urge everyone to be safe and to enjoy the water. I extend an invitation to everyone in communities across Scotland to attend Helix Park on 25 July for world drowning prevention day. It will be bigger and better than last year, when it was the biggest event in the country. It is a wonderful day for families to engage with water safety issues.
14:51
I am honoured to contribute to today’s important debate marking drowning prevention week 2023, and I welcome the member’s motion.
In recent weeks, we have been reminded of just how unpredictable and unforgiving the water can be—from the lives that were taken in the Titan submarine, including that of Suleman Dawood, a student at the University of Strathclyde, to the tragic drowning of Nicola Bulley after she accidentally fell into cold water. Those lives that have been lost serve as a tragic reminder of the importance of water safety.
The latest data from Water Safety Scotland shows that, in 2021, there was an increase in overall water-related fatalities in comparison to previous years. As a West Scotland MSP, I have some of the finest lochs and reservoirs in my region, including Loch Lomond, but with that comes a higher risk of drowning and accidental fatalities.
Last year, I met with people involved with the Loch Lomond Rescue Boat at Balloch. I heard about the life experiences of the highly trained volunteer crew which, at the time, responded to around 80 call-outs per year. When I got in touch with them recently, they wanted to draw my attention to what are known as walk-in tragedies, which account for a large proportion of drownings in Loch Lomond. Those are incidents where an individual walks in for a paddle on a gently sloping shore, which suddenly drops off steeply. The cold water shock combined with panic and an inability to swim can then result in rapid drowning. Those accidents occur quickly, and if there is no help nearly immediately, they may result in fatalities. However, chances of survival are increased by wearing flotation devices or holding on to a flotation device.
Education is key to reducing the number of deaths. I welcome Clare Adamson’s mention of all the great work that is being done on water safety and education in schools. For example, the ability to swim should be part of every school’s curriculum and all adults who cannot swim should be heavily encouraged to learn to do so. More than four in ten children leave primary school in Scotland unable to swim. I hope that the Scottish Government will prevent the closure of local swimming pools and the cancellation of free swimming lessons by ensuring that local authorities are sufficiently funded.
Secondly, the dangers of the water need to be more widely publicised, given that the significant number of walk-in drownings at Loch Lomond involve foreign visitors. Finally, I will touch on the need for members in the chamber to help local lifeboats to operate as effectively as possible. The Loch Lomond Rescue Boat charity has been trying to move its base for years so that it can reduce response times, but it is being held up by Scottish Enterprise. Administrative hold-ups are unacceptable when everyone agrees that water safety is a priority.
I am honoured to have contributed to today’s debate marking drowning prevention week. Volunteers work tirelessly patrolling Scotland’s waters, no doubt saving countless lives, but they cannot do the impossible, and it is the duty of members of the Scottish Parliament to help in every way that we can. We can do so by fighting for swimming pools to remain open and swimming lessons to remain accessible, and by supporting local lifeboats such as the Loch Lomond Rescue Boat to operate effectively in our respective areas.
14:55
I congratulate Clare Adamson on securing the debate and on her long-standing commitment to the issue.
In my constituency, we have many inland waterways, which historically powered local industries. In the Borders, the River Tweed and Gala Water turned the looms in the knitting and weaving sheds; in Penicuik, the River Esk powered the paper mill; and the reservoirs in the Pentlands keep the water on tap in the city.
Those industries are long gone, but the rivers and waterways flow on, put to other uses, often leisure. However, they are not always benign and are often more lethal in the sleepy summer months. Like reservoirs, the river waters can be bitterly cold when the sun blazes on.
Four people died from accidents in water in the Scottish Borders in 2021, including 15-year-old Ellice Murray from Kelso, who died while kayaking with her dad and brother in the River Tweed, and 19-year-old Jack Reid, who died after getting into difficulty in the River Tweed near Innerleithen.
No water fatalities were reported in 2022 in the Scottish Borders. Following the tragic deaths in 2021, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service ran a water safety initiative centred around the River Tweed to educate the public. Flyers giving advice on water safety were posted at more than 40 locally known areas for swimming and other water-based activities. A water safety event was held at the River Tweed in Kelso, where water rescue teams performed live rescue scenarios in front of the public, highlighting the importance of their actions should they get into difficulty in the water and, in addition, what they can do to help others, including how to deploy lifebelts.
Another aid is learning to swim and to swim safely. I am pleased to say that the new Galashiels academy will have a swimming pool, as will the replacement Beeslack secondary school in Penicuik. Both Peebles and Penicuik high schools already have access to swimming pools nearby.
However, learning to swim is only one of the safety measures to take for prevention. As I have indicated, inland waters in particular can be pretty risky. I speak from experience, as I had to instil water safety into my two young sons at the earliest of ages. We lived in a cottage in Minnigaff, in Galloway, where the sunny back garden ran down to meet two rivers: the Penkiln and, beyond that, the River Cree. Beyond that was the lade that had powered a mill.
I knew that to forbid my sons from going near the rivers would make them even more attractive, so, day in, day out, we walked along the banks with Roostie, our Irish setter, to observe the rivers in their seasonal moods. With their friends, they would play in the Penkiln in the summer holidays, building a dam to make a pool large enough to swim in. I dipped my toe in, so I can testify that the water was icy cold—incidentally, good for cooling an evening libation of chardonnay. The boys were immune to the temperature. Over the summer months, the river would run so low that the dorsal fins of the trout would rise above the water mark.
So it was, on a hot summer’s day while I was pottering about in the kitchen, that Angus, my eldest son, came running in to tell me that the Penkiln was in spate. I looked down the garden, but, because of the banking, I could not see the river below, and I quickly dismissed what he had said. Above, the sky was a blistering blue, with not a cloud to be seen. However, something niggled me, so I changed tack, took to my heels and ran down the garden and, sure enough, although the Cree beyond was hardly moving save for the floating river weeds, the Penkiln was a muddy torrent. A sudden and distant thunderstorm in the hills was all it took to sweep away their dam and tear lumps out of the river bank. Any child who was unaware of the things of the river could have been caught up in it, with little chance of survival. I hope that, in part, it was my lessons that paid off.
Thank you, Ms Grahame. I am not sure that chardonnay is seen as a key water safety aid.
15:00
I thank Clare Adamson for securing the debate and for her helpful reminder of what people should do if they get into difficulty.
Drowning prevention week is particularly important to me as the MSP for Dumbarton, which has an extensive coastline and, of course, I have Loch Lomond and the River Leven in my constituency. I also represent Argyll and Bute, which has the second highest number of fatalities from drowning in Scotland, after the Highlands.
Sadly, Scotland has the highest rate of accidental drowning of all UK nations. Water Safety Scotland reports that 62 per cent of accidental fatalities happen in inland waters, such as those in my constituency. In 2020, Ava Gray, a 12-year-old girl from Alexandria, tragically drowned when she slipped in the River Leven. She was a much loved and talented dancer with a bright future ahead of her, and her death was nothing short of devastating to her family and friends.
Less than a year after the loss of Ava, Connor, a 16-year-old boy, died while playing with friends in the loch near Balloch country park. The following day, Edina, who was 29 years old, Rana, who was just nine, and Mohammad, aged 39, died in the water off Pulpit Rock near Ardlui. We know that each death is utterly heart breaking, and I place on the record again my condolences to the families who have lost a loved one through a water-based fatality.
Ava Gray’s family, Leanne Rae and Jamie Gillies, have campaigned tirelessly for better water safety since her death in 2020, and I pay tribute to them for doing so. It has not always been the easiest thing for them to do. Her aunt Jamie said:
“Ava went into the water right beside a life ring behind a locked gate. It would have saved her life, I have no doubt about that.”
The calls for action from Leanne and Jamie have not gone unanswered. There are now accessible life rings in several locations near the water. Recently, pupils at secondary schools in West Dunbartonshire, who all knew Ava well, were given safety lessons to raise awareness of the dangers of swimming in open water. Those potentially life-saving lessons can and should be rolled out across the country.
In addition, on the shores of Loch Lomond at Balloch park and along the River Leven, 25 additional public rescue equipment stations and location signs have been installed since 2021. Those safety devices were funded by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service but, in truth, successive budget cuts have left the service struggling. Furthermore, the cuts have resulted in proposals to remove Polmadie fire station’s dedicated rescue boat crew, meaning the loss of 24-hour rescue boat crew cover for the River Clyde and surrounding areas.
Even with the Polmadie station boat crew in hand at full capacity, there are issues for Loch Lomond, because the emergency response time for getting a boat there is too long. That is why the efforts of the Loch Lomond rescue boat crew are so important. They work so hard for the area, and I am grateful to them for all of their work. It is a charity and is run and staffed entirely by volunteers, and it is already facing a busy summer, having had seven call-outs in a month, which is quite significant.
As we have heard, the rescue boat does a truly incredible job, but it is not right that it should be the main, if not the only, resource, given that the loch is 39km long. That is a significant area to cover, and I have long believed that the fire service needs to place a rescue boat at Loch Lomond, but I recognise its important support for the Loch Lomond rescue boat.
Education and knowledge of the dangers of open water are hugely important, but more lives will be lost if we do not have the necessary investment in safety equipment, rescue boats and staff. As we go into July and August, the months with the most accidental drowning fatalities, we need to educate the population to swim safely in open waters, and we need to have sufficient safety measures in place should anyone get into trouble.
15:04
I thank Clare Adamson for bringing this hugely important and often tragic subject to the chamber for debate after drowning awareness week.
I will focus my brief remarks on the Christopher’s saving lives campaign. I met Christopher Spiers just once, not long before his tragic drowning in the Clyde in 2016 at the age of 28. He was a young man with a bright future. I cannot commend highly enough the work of his parents, Duncan and Margaret Spiers, constituents of mine whom I have watched, encouraged and supported over those long years as they have, as best they can, turned that tragedy into something positive. They are grabbing the opportunity to take forward this inspirational campaign and are working hard with councils, parliamentarians, the Government and others right across the country to take forward concrete steps and measures to help to reduce the number of tragic drowning accidents that occur in Scotland every year.
Some successes have been achieved. In memory of Christopher, they have designed and managed to get funding for colour-coded ropes, which have been installed in the Clyde in Glasgow, and 10 savings of deaths have been attributed to that measure. Ten families would otherwise be going through the tragic experience of Duncan and Margaret.
They have also had measures installed on Loch Lomond and warning signs installed in parks in Glasgow—at Alexandra park and at the ponds in Springburn park. They are following up work with Scottish Canals to install measures along the canal in Glasgow and beyond. They have aspirations to expand all that work further afield across Scotland.
I know that Duncan and Margaret have met Scottish Government ministers, and I encourage the minister to give some clear indication of further engagement with Duncan and Margaret on their campaign to roll out those ropes and other signs and safety measures across other parts of Scotland.
I also encourage the minister to provide counselling support for families who, like Duncan and Margaret, have been tragically affected by drowning, to help them to overcome that tragic experience. As Duncan and Margaret described, they want to put together a hard-hitting video on the vandalism of ropes and lifebelts, which unfortunately often occurs and can have tragic consequences if those things are not in place when they are needed. All those measures are practical and can be taken forward.
I pay tribute to Duncan and Margaret. They are an example of people who did not ask to be in their position, obviously, but who have done everything that they can over many years, often outwith their comfort zone. They push very hard and relentlessly to deliver what they can, because they are driven to make the campaign a success as best they can. They are largely self-funded, which I know is a huge ask, so there is work to be done to help them with fundraising so that they can continue to roll out the campaign. I would like to hear the minister set out specific measures that could be taken to help their campaign as part of wider drowning prevention work across Scotland.
15:08
I thank Clare Adamson for securing the debate on this serious and vital issue. I commend the many organisations that do so much to promote awareness of water safety and provide practical help and training, which give someone who gets into difficulty a better chance of recovering and avoiding a tragedy.
I remember that, when I was a kid many years ago, part of the school curriculum was being taught how to swim in the local swimming pool; it was uptown baths at the time. I must admit that I hated it; the swimming pool was freezing cold and the water made my eyes sting, but I learned how to swim, which is such a valuable life lesson.
To be honest, I have never been someone who enjoys swimming, but I know that I can swim if I need to. That gave me the confidence to go out on boats on holiday—always with a life jacket, I must add—and enjoy the fun that water sports can bring, if done safely and carefully.
When I started researching for today’s debate, I was surprised to learn that many of our schoolchildren are not learning to swim. For example, 25 per cent of children leave primary school are unable to swim. That in itself does not tell us the whole picture; I would imagine that the number will be a lot higher in our more deprived areas.
As more of our public swimming pools are closing, more people will be turning to private pools and gyms to learn to swim. I must admit that I was lucky enough to join my local private gym, and both my children learned to swim there, but what about those who cannot afford the £150+ a month for a family membership? Those children are missing out on a life skill that everyone should have.
Yesterday, Olympic swimmer Duncan Scott wrote to the First Minister in protest at the closure of public swimming pools, telling him that pools boost health, fitness and safety. I completely agree. This devolved Government often talks about early intervention and prevention but, when it comes to health and wellbeing, it is all talk. Is it any wonder that our nation is becoming more unhealthy when these vital local facilities are closing? That will also place a much greater burden on our national health service in the future.
Bucksburn swimming pool in Aberdeen, where I represent, has recently closed its doors. It was an absolutely shocking decision by the local authority, which the local community is now taking it to court over, as it fights to have the pool—the only one in the area that can be accessed by people with disabilities—reopened.
This is not a party-political point, because it relates to a Tory-led council in the Borders and a Scottish National Party-led council in Midlothian. As I said in my speech, I commend both of those councils for making pools an integral part when they commission new schools and replacements, if there is not one there already.
I completely agree with that, but I am seeing pools up and down the country closing. That is the point that Duncan Scott made to the First Minister, and I would like to hear from the First Minister what the Scottish Government will do about that. It is not enough for it simply to pin the blame on local authorities that are seeing their budgets squeezed. If it values and cares about water safety, it needs to fund those local pools correctly.
There is a potential lifeline. The UK Government announced additional funding for swimming pools in March—£60 million of new money that would have helped our public pools to stay open. Of course, the UK Government could not give that direct to local government, as that would have been against the devolution agreement, and the money went to the Scottish Government instead. As far as I am aware, not one penny of that cash for swimming pools has been passed to local authorities to help keep pools open.
The Scottish Government has no excuses for pools closing. It was given the money, but shamefully decided not to pass it on. No doubt we will hear warm words from the minister saying that they are doing everything that they can to reduce the number of people drowning, but that is all that it will be: warm words. If the Scottish Government is serious about reducing the number of deaths, it needs to support more children, from all backgrounds, to learn to swim. Therefore, it needs to stop the tide of public swimming pools closing. For that to happen, it needs to do the right thing and pass on the Barnett consequentials that were given to local authorities by the UK Government to save our swimming pools.
15:13
I thank my colleague Clare Adamson for bringing this really important debate to the chamber. I cannot think of a better one to end the session on as we go into what we are all hoping could be a warm summer.
I will speak about a couple of areas that I have been doing some work on over the past year. The first area is outdoor swimming, or dooking. People can call it what they want but, especially after the pandemic, there cannot be a member in this chamber who does not have a thriving group of dookers or wild swimmers in their community, as people have found the joys of outdoor swimming. And why not? The benefits that people are experiencing from the activity are, in some cases, extremely significant. There are lots of reports on that and there is science behind it.
A few months back, I had the pleasure of hosting an event with Dr Mark Harper from the University of Bristol, whose research into cold-water immersion and health conditions such as arthritis and mental health issues is groundbreaking. That is why organisations such as the fabulous Lanarkshire Counselling and CBT Centre in Coatbridge offer courses in safe cold-water immersion.
However, with increased popularity comes increased risks. I do not think that the strategy can just be to tell people not to do something. Folk will not respond to that, particularly when they find that an activity brings extreme benefits to their health. I do not think that we just say no in Scotland. I have never found that from the Government or from other organisations, but there is clearly a balance to strike between promoting an outdoor activity that has benefits and safety around water, which I have found is a source of tension for many agencies and organisations that are involved in swimming. Everybody wants to find that balance. There are lots of ways that we can do that and I, too, welcome the sterling work of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Scottish Water in trying to strike that balance and ensure that people follow proper advice.
As other members have said, there is also another obvious way of making our water safer: to ensure that swimming lessons are available in swimming pools across the country to a good standard. Many people who have drowned could swim, but a significant proportion of them could not. I have been doing a bit of work with Scottish Swimming on that. On 29 March, I hosted a parliamentary event that was aimed at saving our pools. Scottish swimming pools are under threat of closure as we have heard from other members today. Inflationary energy costs are the main problem; perhaps Douglas Lumsden could speak to his colleagues down south about that.
Fulton MacGregor’s party often talks about how the UK Government should be doing more. Would he not agree that, in this instance, it has done more? It has given money to the Scottish Government but that money has not been passed on to the swimming pools.
I thank the member for that intervention. As I understand it, it is not as simple and straightforward as that, and this is not an area in which we want to play cheap political games. The Scottish Government is committed to swimming pools but, as I was saying, inflationary energy costs combined with ageing venues and staff shortages have led to a crisis in the leisure sector. Never has the need been greater to highlight the importance of swimming pools for safety, health and communities.
I know that Scottish Swimming strongly believes that swimming pools are vital community hubs for the population of Scotland not only as water safety classrooms that teach more than 100,000 children the essential life skill of swimming each week but as part of the nation’s health service, improving the mental and physical wellbeing of people of all ages and abilities, which in turn saves the NHS millions every year.
Scottish Swimming has submitted a public petition to Parliament. It has already received 8,664 signatures, and I hope to get a member’s business debate on the subject in the new term. I know that the issue sits with local authorities but, to go back to what I said to Douglas Lumsden, we all—the two national Governments and local authorities—need to pull together to make sure that pools are safe and that young people have access to them.
I have asked questions in Parliament about making swimming lessons statutory and, although it does not seem like something that could happen just now, I am pleased with the Scottish Government’s response and strategy, which means that, through investment from sportscotland, four pilot projects are evaluating how we can take that forward. As I have said, more and more people are entering the water for leisure purposes, so it is vital that swimming is again regarded as a life skill and not just a hobby.
I want to end by paying tribute to local 16-year-olds Emily Deas and Lauren Campbell who, in December last year, saved a man’s life when he fell through the ice into the Monkland canal in Coatbridge while retrieving his dog. For that, they received commendations from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the Royal Life Saving Society UK, Water Safety Scotland and North Lanarkshire Council in March, and I add my commendation here in the Scottish Parliament. That incident illustrated the dangers of water and the importance of water safety strategies.
Again, I thank Clare Adamson for bringing the issue to the chamber.
15:19
I congratulate the member for Motherwell and Wishaw on bringing her motion to the chamber for debate, albeit that this member’s business debate is being held a week after drowning prevention week because of unnecessary constraints on parliamentary business. Nonetheless, it is an essential and important topic for debate ahead of the summer recess.
In my area of Glasgow, there are major risks associated with the River Clyde. It might well be a famous waterway that has produced great industrial benefits for the city, but it presents a murkier and darker side beneath its waters. Decades of neglect and a lack of dredging by the privatised port authority have resulted in a river that is dangerous and in some instances deadly.
Drowning prevention week, which was last week, is an essential awareness-raising initiative that aims to educate people about water safety and drowning prevention, draw attention to the dangers of open water and equip people of all ages with the essential skills and knowledge to stay safe in and around water.
Many members—including Ms Gosal, Mr Lumsden and the member for Coatbridge and Chryston—have made points about the provision of swimming lessons in schools and access to municipal swimming baths. It is essential that we look at securing that capacity. Cases have been mentioned that highlight the costs of running swimming pools as regards heating and so on. We need to get on the front foot with capital investment to introduce district heating networks and find innovative ways of ensuring that those facilities are sustainable for the future.
Does the member share my concern that a potential economic divide is appearing in that regard? We have people who can afford swimming lessons and can go to private pools, but there are no public pools left for everyone else.
I absolutely agree with that concern. Swimming is the most democratic sport in Scotland—it has the highest level of participation and the greatest class and gender balance. It is a very good way for people not only to keep fit, but to learn an essential life skill. In that context, it makes total sense for the Government to look at swimming pool provision more closely. We have looked at that issue in the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee.
Around 90 per cent of sport funding in Scotland is channelled through local authorities, but they are under a lot of financial pressure. We need to look in particular at capital-intensive facilities such as swimming pools and ensure that we modernise them so that the running costs do not become excessive and they can be maintained as viable public assets. As Douglas Lumsden said, the consequences for inequality are considerable in relation to access to sports facilities such as swimming pools, which can also be used to learn a critical life-saving skill. It is appalling to think that a lack of opportunity in that respect could ultimately result in someone’s death, but we need to be cognisant of that.
I echo the tributes that the member for Glasgow Provan and the member for Motherwell and Wishaw paid to the Spiers family and their courageous campaign in memory of their son, Christopher, who was lost to the river Clyde in 2016, at just 28 years old. Their campaign has involved not just raising awareness, but pursuing innovation in order to introduce practical interventions in our public realm to save lives.
In particular, it has been incredible to see the co-design of the innovative floating safety rope with Ibex Marina Ropes. The support from that company has been fantastic. I recently met Duncan Spiers, Christopher’s dad, and it was interesting to hear him say that the workers at the factory have a photograph of Christopher up to inspire them with the knowledge that their work saves lives. The rope has the colours yellow, to be seen; orange, for suicide prevention; and purple, which was Christopher’s colour. That simple measure, which was introduced following the family’s campaign, is estimated to have saved the lives of more than 10 people who have fallen into the Clyde. The family should be incredibly proud of that achievement.
The reality is, however, that we need more than just improved safety equipment; we need dedicated, 24-hour search and rescue on the river Clyde. I was concerned to be contacted recently by firefighters who informed me that proposed cuts by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service mean that that 24-hour rescue provision on the Clyde is now at risk. If the proposal is rubber stamped, it will see Polmadie’s dedicated rescue boat crew removed from the station and replaced with a dual-crewed approach. Consequently, in addition to the potential loss of 15 jobs, we would lose that dedicated boat crew because it would have to cover the fire engine and the boat as well.
Given that the crew has conducted 22 rescues in the past year alone, I call on the First Minister to intervene with the SFRS in order to stop that cut and ensure that capacity is maintained on the river. I hope that the minister will echo that call today and ensure that she engages across Government to protect that vital life-saving measure on the Clyde. We cannot have a retreat in the capacity to save lives because of Government cuts when we know that that capacity makes a positive difference—it is not acceptable.
15:24
I thank Clare Adamson for lodging the motion to draw attention to drowning prevention week 2023, which helps to raise awareness of how people can stay safe in and around water and what to do in an emergency. In her speech, she highlighted some of the stark figures on drowning. With summer and the school holidays upon us, it is timely to raise the profile of water safety and remind people of the steps that they can take to keep themselves and others safe in and around water and what to do in an emergency.
The Scottish Government is committed to continuing to work closely with all relevant organisations to explore opportunities to collaborate and help to reduce incidents. We particularly want to raise awareness among those who are most at risk. Water Safety Scotland is a key partner in that work, and I thank the water safety partners for their strategic approach, their work and their commitment to making our waters safer.
We recognise that, given the extent, nature and appeal of our seas, lochs and rivers, water safety will always be a challenge and a priority. It is important to be aware that 90 per cent of standing freshwater in the UK is in Scotland, which has more than 27,000 lochs and more than 120,000km of rivers and streams. Mainland Scotland has 9,910km of coastline, which increases to some 16,500km if we include many of our islands, which make up 52 per cent of the UK coastline. However, it is not just the extent of our waters that poses a challenge, but their nature. Sudden changes in depth, which Pam Gosal mentioned; deceptively cold temperatures; and hidden currents can all mean that even good swimmers can get into difficulty very quickly.
Activities in and around water are enjoyed safely and responsibly by the majority of people. However, in Scotland, we have an average of 92 water-related fatalities per year, of which around 50 are accidental drowning fatalities. The latest figures from the water incident database indicate that, in 2022, accidental drowning fatalities decreased in Scotland in comparison with 2021, which was a particularly difficult year. Those figures highlight the crucial collaborative work that our water safety partners are doing to help to reduce the risk of drowning in Scotland, and their commitment to achieve the aim in “Scotland’s Drowning Prevention Strategy 2018-2026” to
“Reduce accidental drowning ... by 50 per cent by 2026”.
I am very aware of the devastating impact that drowning has had on friends and family, and I will continue to use my role as Minister for Victims and Community Safety, as my predecessors did before me, to make it a priority to help to reduce the numbers of drowning incidents in Scotland.
In response to terrible tragedies in Scotland’s waterways during the summer of 2021, the Scottish Government brought together key water safety organisations to collaboratively develop an action plan that promoted and aimed to improve partnership working, intelligence gathering and sharing, awareness raising, skills training and responses to incidents.
The water safety action plan, which complements the important work of Water Safety Scotland, outlines the key initiatives to improve education, data, local area water safety planning and incident reviews. The co-designed action plan was published in March 2022, and the annual review and update on progress a year on was published last week, on Wednesday 21 June. That is now on the Scottish Government website. The key highlights include the fact that the membership of Water Safety Scotland has increased to 56 organisations, which are now working collaboratively to actively take forward water safety initiatives.
Water Safety Scotland’s innovative drowning incident review procedure was launched earlier this year. The review, which has been endorsed by all the front-line rescue organisations, means that, for the first time, partners are working together to review fatal drownings and gather relevant data and intelligence that will help to develop measures to prevent future incidents and identify high-risk locations. That pioneering work has been recognised as a world first and it has attracted attention from Administrations in countries as far away as New Zealand.
Age-appropriate educational resources have also been developed for each level from the ages of three to 18. That initiative, which has been completed jointly with Education Scotland and Water Safety Scotland, is the first of its kind in the UK, and it provides teachers with simple and effective tools to help to educate children on how to keep themselves and others safe around water.
Will the minister take an intervention?
I will come to the member’s point in a moment.
There is a particular emphasis on the dangers of cold water shock and the importance of how to float to live. With summer upon us, and people wanting to enjoy the good weather, it is important to remind the public to stay safe and follow the three-part water safety code:
“Stop and Think, Spot the Dangers; Stay Together, Stay Close; and In an Emergency, Call 999.”
I will reflect on some of the contributions from members, starting with Douglas Lumsden. I have been advised that the Barnett consequentials to which he referred have been added to the local authority funding block. [Siobhian Brown has corrected this contribution. See end of report.] The Scottish Government is working with sportscotland, local authorities, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and Scottish Swimming to understand the challenges that are currently faced with regard to swimming pools and leisure facilities. Although it is important to know how to swim—
Will the minister give way?
I will.
It is interesting that you say that it has already—
I ask you to speak through the chair, please.
Sorry, Presiding Officer.
It is interesting that the minister said that that money has already been allocated, because John Swinney had to correct the record at the end of May, having intervened on me. He admitted that it was actually new money and not part of any money that had already been allocated. Is the minister sure that what she said—that the money has been allocated—is correct? That is not what the former Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy seemed to say in his response to me.
I can give you the time back for the intervention, minister.
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer.
I said that the Barnett consequentials have been added to the local authority block and we are currently engaging on how we can work with swimming pools—
Will the minister give way?
No—I am moving on to other members’ contributions.
I turn to Ivan McKee and Clare Adamson, who mentioned the inspirational campaign by Duncan and Margaret Spiers in memory of Christopher. I had the honour of meeting Duncan several weeks ago to find out about their work, and I look forward to working together with the campaign and writing to all local authorities on Duncan’s behalf to see what further work can be done.
Christine Grahame gave her personal account of the dangers of rivers. I echo the condolences that Jackie Baillie expressed to the families who have lost people to drowning, and I also echo her tribute to all the great work that has been done at Loch Lomond with the rescue boat.
To finish, I express my sincere thanks to all the partners that are involved, and particularly Water Safety Scotland, for driving this important work forward. Their continued efforts to work collaboratively, providing time and resource, are greatly appreciated and they are making a real difference. I very much look forward to meeting many of the water safety partners when I attend the upcoming water safety open day at Helix Park on 25 July to support United Nations world drowning prevention day.
With that, I close the last debate of the term.
Thank you, minister. That is probably my job, but it does indeed conclude the debate.
I congratulate members on making it through to the final item of business. I wish everyone a happy, restful and—of course—safe summer recess, and I close this meeting of Parliament.
Meeting closed at 15:33.Previous
Action Mesothelioma Day 2023Next
Correction