Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 03 December 2025
03 Dec 2025 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Bereavement Support and Awareness
I thank Elena Whitham for bringing a debate on this subject to the chamber, and I express to her my admiration for the way in which she insists that we tackle subjects that are extremely difficult to raise, all the time.
As Elena Whitham indicated, bereavement comes along in very different forms and, more importantly, there are different ways in which we deal with it. Inevitably, as we get older, we lose people. There is a circle of life, as she indicated. We usually lose our grandparents first, and older members of our family, and eventually our parents. However, as we age, it is likely that we will lose people—people whom we feel that we should not lose.
I am sorry, Deputy Presiding Officer.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-18847, in the name of Elena Whitham, on bereavement support and awareness. The debate ...
Elena Whitham (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP)
SNP
I thank the colleagues from across the chamber who signed my motion, securing today’s important debate. Every person in this room will have experienced loss,...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
We move to the open debate. 17:30
Brian Whittle (South Scotland) (Con)
Con
I thank Elena Whitham for bringing a debate on this subject to the chamber, and I express to her my admiration for the way in which she insists that we tackl...
Clare Adamson (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)
SNP
Would the member take an intervention?
Brian Whittle
Con
Please.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
I call Clare Adamson.
Clare Adamson
SNP
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I had not intended to speak this evening, but listening to Elena Whitham made me think of an organisation in my constitu...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
Thank you. I call Brian Whittle.
Brian Whittle
Con
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. It is more than 12 years since we lost Todd Bennett—one of the great indestructibles. I still have his number on my pho...
Paul McLennan (East Lothian) (SNP)
SNP
On that point, I have a meeting coming up with Sands, too, and I have also had the pleasure of engaging with the Held In Our Hearts charity, which works with...
Brian Whittle
Con
I thank the member very much for his intervention. The role of Sands is incredibly important—there is funding through the Scottish Government, and Sands is l...
Christine Grahame (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP)
SNP
I congratulate my colleague on securing this debate on what can be a taboo issue: grief and bereavement, which are two sides of the same coin. Grief can be ...
Carol Mochan (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I, too, thank Elena Whitham for bringing this important debate to the chamber. As the motion says, and as other members have noted in their contributions, be...
The Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing (Tom Arthur)
SNP
I thank Elena Whitham for securing this debate on the important issue of bereavement, which will affect everyone at some point in their lives and commands ou...
Christine Grahame
SNP
I agree with what the minister has said about the loss of a baby or a child, and I am pleased to say that we now recognise that there is a lot of grief attac...
Tom Arthur
SNP
Christine Grahame makes an important point, which is fully recognised and considered as part of the Government’s policies. For most parents who have suffere...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
That concludes the debate. Meeting closed at 17:53.