Chamber and committees

We talk a lot about helping to deliver the aims of the Promise. How does that align with what is being proposed for the work at Foxgrove? That work is in addition to the secure care pathway, and it is also delivering the outcomes of the Promise.

I will make a short comment. The regulations introduce a brand new facility for Scotland. It will be the only specialist adolescent in-patient service in Scotland, and I look forward to its progress. Because it is a completely new facility, I would be interested in the committee continuing to get further information by correspondence or face to face as the matter progresses so that we can inquire about operational issues and the facility’s effectiveness.

Conversely, if I want to get my shopping delivered to Ecclefechan fae Asda in Carlisle, there would be a price for delivery of the groceries, as well.

So, it doesnae make economic sense to shop across the border, especially since, as I have just said, the price of alcohol in Hawick is the same as the price in Berwick. I guess that debunking that booze-cruising myth is something that we should be doing.

Foxgrove is intended to be a medium-secure care facility. Is that right?

I have a final question. Foxgrove is aimed at young people between the ages of 12 and 18. We need to make sure that the care is age appropriate, so that we are not just transferring care from an adult facility and lifting and shifting to deliver and provide for young people. Will the care be targeted at the specific age of the young person?

I have a quick supplementary question. We went into lockdown on 23 March 2020, just two years after the policy was introduced. What effect did the pandemic have on your research and on alcohol consumption? Tara Shivaji mentioned women in response to Tess White’s question. I am interested in that area, too, but we have not talked about the pandemic. Did that have an impact on your research on alcohol consumption?

I know that there is a lot of work going on regarding sales, marketing and advertising. I am interested in following what is being done in Ireland and the evidence for segregating sales.

I want to pick up on what Clare said about cross-border purchasing, because there needs to be some myth busting and debunking of the idea that folk are driving fae Ecclefechan tae Carlisle to pick up whatever alcohol they want. If they did that, they would have to buy 33 bottles of vodka to save the five quid on petrol that it costs to go the 20 miles fae Ecclefechan tae Carlisle. Also, my understanding is that the price of alcohol is the same in Hawick and Berwick, so if you live in Coldstream you would be crossing the border to go for your shopping anyway. There are not the booze cruises that keep being touted.

I would be interested to hear about the research that is debunking the myths about cross-border purchases. Can you tell us about that?

Okay. Thank you.

So you would promote a bill that supports the establishment of equity for social care workers, equivalent to national health service workers. I suppose that that is what I am driving at. If we are able to demonstrate in the bill that care workers will be given parity, and if the national care service was able to deliver a pathway that increased the visibility of social care, which is the career choice of some people—you are absolutely right that it is predominantly women and that it is not always full-time work—that would be something that you would support.