Meeting of the Parliament 06 November 2025
Like others, I thank Paul Sweeney for securing the debate.
Just over two years ago, my father died of a terminal illness. It was a really hard time for my mother and for us as a family. We were fortunate: my father was in his own home, well off and able to have the care that he required. I find it almost impossible to imagine going through such circumstances when there is financial poverty in the family as well.
It has been said that the moral test of any society is how it
”treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in shadows of life,”
people who live with disability or long-term illness. Today, we have heard a sobering truth: that in Scotland, each year, more than 6,500 people living with a terminal illness die in poverty. That is not simply a number. That is mothers, fathers, grandparents, neighbours, friends and, sadly, sometimes children, whose final months are overshadowed not only by illness but by financial hardship and anxiety. Instead of dignity, too many experience cold homes, empty cupboards and mounting bills. For those who face the end of life, every moment should matter, yet poverty steals away that precious time and replaces it with fear, exhaustion and indignity.
I fully accept that the UK and Scottish Governments are trying to deal with those issues and that there are tireless campaigns on end-of-life poverty but, as we have heard from others, the dial is not moving and, in some communities in Edinburgh and the Lothians, things have become even worse. That is a shame, because it is not inevitable. Poverty at the end of life is a policy failure, not a personal one. Every person, no matter their circumstances, has equal dignity, worth and purpose. Our duty as parliamentarians is to care for one another, and especially for the most vulnerable.
Organisations such as Marie Curie have shown that there is a better way. Its research with Loughborough University has highlighted both the scale of the problem and, as Mr Doris pointed out, the practical steps that can be taken, including support from the Scottish Government, Social Security Scotland and local authorities to ensure the maximum uptake of disability benefits through a values-first approach that removes any stigma from receiving those benefits.
That is not simply a matter of numbers or budgets; it actually defines what sort of country we are and what sort of nation we want to be. I want to live, as I am sure we all do, in a Scotland that values life not based on productivity alone but on its inherent worth. Because I am human, I have inherent worth.
When someone reaches the end of their life, our collective responsibility is clear. We must deliver dignity and care without the burden of bureaucracy or delay. That is why I am so pleased that this Parliament was the first in the UK to introduce the six-month rule for social security benefits, which has made a big difference. I am also thankful for the work of the Marie Curie and St Columba’s hospices in this city.
Like others, I call on members to unite behind the simple moral goal that no one in Scotland should die in poverty. The true measure of a compassionate society is found in how it treats those who have the least, especially when they have the least time left.