Chamber and committees

Are you looking at the correct paper?

You are way ahead of us.

Our next item of business is consideration of two items of correspondence that the committee has received. The details are in paper 4. Do members wish to comment on the suggested course of action on those items?

I will start with the letter from NHS Scotland on medical prescriptions for prisoners on their release. Does anyone wish to comment on that? Are we happy with that? There is a helpful outline of the situation in NHS Scotland with specific reference to access to medication. I note that, at the end of the letter that we received from Caroline Lamb, she has undertaken to

“ask Health Boards to work with the Scottish Prison Service to consider the issues raised by the Committee and the Wise Group and identify any practical actions that could help ensure people leaving prison can access prescriptions.”

Are members happy to note the information in the letter and to await a further update?

Members indicated agreement.

Okay—we will note that point.

If members have nothing to raise on the letter from Police Scotland, I will bring the public part of the meeting to a close. The next meeting will be on Wednesday 14 December, when we will start our oral evidence taking on the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill. We move now into private session.

Thank you very much indeed, cabinet secretary. I open it up to questions from questions. If anyone has any questions, they should indicate as much now.

I call Jamie Greene.

As the cabinet secretary has outlined in several replies—which the Tories do not seem to want to hear—police officer numbers in Scotland remain well above officer numbers in England, where the Tories are in charge. Would he agree that the fact that Scotland has the most officers per capita, significantly higher pay ranges for officers, and high levels of investment shows that policing is a clear priority for the Government?

I apologise for my late arrival in the chamber.

I thank Jackie Dunbar for lodging the motion recognising #iwill week 2022, which is an opportunity to recognise the important role of youth volunteering, campaigning and mentoring in communities, neighbourhoods, towns and families.

As she has outlined, #iwill has grown over the years and #iwill Scotland, supported by YouthLink Scotland, brings together more than 100 youth organisations from across the country and supports a wide range of work and initiatives that enable young people to drive social change. They include celebration of international volunteers day, the work of the Scottish Youth Parliament on a variety of issues to ensure that young people’s rights are upheld, and work to support young carers and young adult carers by ensuring that they can participate in a survey to find out about the pressures that they face and the support that they need.

I am delighted to see that there is a focus on disability. I have been working closely with an inspiring young constituent who is passionate about driving forward disability rights through important issues such as relaxed theatre performances and quiet times in shopping centres for young people who are living with autism. I thank her very much for her commitment and drive on that issue.

I am old enough—sadly—to have had the privilege of doing my own bit with young people, and I spent many years as a volunteer with the Aberdeen open awards centre supporting the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme and as a child protection officer for Aberdeen Grammar Rugby. Those were very different roles with one thing in common: they helped children and young people to reach their potential, to step out of their comfort zones, to build confidence and resilience and just to have fun in a safe space.

My son was a scout for many years, and now, as an adult, he looks back on the experiences and opportunities that the scouts gave him in team building, problem solving, being pushed out of his comfort zone, cooking and even dealing with homesickness. I have absolutely no doubt that all that made him the person he is today.

Not all children and young people are given the opportunities that they deserve. Many find themselves facing circumstances, experiences or environments that are difficult and challenging to navigate. It is therefore imperative that barriers and obstacles be removed so that they can achieve their potential and have good and fulfilling lives.

The focus and support that #iwill provides in that effort is pivotal. I was pleased to note that the key themes that were explored in #iwill week 2022 included working together on what we need to learn about working across sectors, how young people can shape a place, how we can create genuinely enabling environments for young people, and the role of funders in all of that. Those are important themes and questions, and they are ones that all of us, collectively, must be invested in answering in our respective roles. I very much hope that the outcomes of that week of celebration of and focus on young people provide the #iwill movement with a platform to take forward its work right across Scotland.

I again thank Jackie Dunbar for bringing the debate to Parliament. I want to end with a few words that I often used to remind my family of how valued they were: “What you are looking for is already in you. You are already everything you need to be.” Let us never forget that.

On the member’s point about the production of renewable energy, by the same token, it would be very difficult and would take us considerable time to increase North Sea oil and gas production, because that does not happen overnight. I am not sure that it is totally accurate to say that we want to stop production. My understanding is that we are seeking a gradual decline.

It hardly seems to be a year since Glasgow played host to the COP26 climate conference and welcomed world leaders, environmentalists, young people and many others who were invested in protecting our climate and our planet. In April, the IPCC warned that is “now or never” to limit global warming.

The successes at COP26 included the signing of the Glasgow climate pact and the development of the Paris agreement rule book to provide guidance on how the Paris agreement is delivered.

Twelve months on, Egypt has just hosted COP27 in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Against the difficult backdrop of an unprecedented cost of living and energy crisis and Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, COP27 restated the global commitment to tackling climate change. The progress included a focus on food security for the first time, which highlighted the importance of safeguarding food supply. Only this morning, the National Farmers Union stated that the UK is walking into a food supply crisis under a perfect storm of low yields, supply challenges and soaring energy costs bearing down on farmers across the UK. There was a renewed focus on finance, and on mobilising private finance as a key aspect of global action. However, the most important breakthrough focused on climate impacts. It was recognised that climate change is already adversely affecting many countries and threatens increasing damage and destruction with every additional increment of warming.

Many have seen COP27 as the COP that will go down in history as the UN climate change conference in which the breakthrough loss and damage fund was agreed. As the First Minister outlined in her speech at a loss and damage panel:

“the nations that suffer the worst loss and damage ... continue to be ... those nations that have done least—in some cases, virtually nothing—to cause the problem of climate change in the first place.”

The loss and damage fund will assist climate-vulnerable countries to address impacts that cannot be or have not been adapted to. That important breakthrough demonstrates real progress, but it is only the beginning of a difficult process. Key agreements are still needed on which countries will contribute to the fund, how much each country will pay, and which countries will be able to benefit.

COP27 made it clear that discussions on support must run parallel with dialogue on how to mitigate the impact of, and protect against, climate change through adaptations. Therefore, there is much work to do.

The Climate Change Committee report entitled “COP27: Key outcomes and next steps for the UK” sets out the economic damage, such as destruction of property, and the non-economic damage, such as loss of cultural heritage, that are already affecting communities, ecosystems and businesses. There have been the devastating floods in Pakistan and Nigeria and the drought-induced famines in Somalia. Who could not avoid the intense heatwaves in Europe in the summer? Those are all testament to the impact that is already bearing down on all of us.

What can a small nation such as Scotland realistically achieve in the context of a global climate crisis? I am delighted that Scotland was the first nation to pledge financial support to address loss and damage, and I am aware that Scotland saw huge interest in our renewable sector at COP27.

Do I have time to take an intervention, Presiding Officer?