Hansard

This Parliament and this country have a strong track record of promoting social inclusion, diversity and equality of opportunity. The European convention on human rights has been woven into the very fabric of devolution, having been given real legal force by the Scotland Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998.

We all aspire to become a better and more inclusive nation. From education to employment and every other aspect of life, we want people with learning disabilities to be just as included as everyone else in society. Last week’s debate on disabled people in politics reminded us that we still have some way to go if we are to meet those aspirations—so, too, does the on-going debate about welfare reform—but we are making progress and attitudes are changing. As the minister says in his foreword to the new strategy, people with learning disabilities themselves believe that they are more accepted and valued in their communities.

With the strategy, we must build on the good work that has been done since devolution and bring the Parliament closer to meeting the aspirations that we share for people with learning disabilities.

The first years of this Parliament saw “The same as you?” published. It was the first major policy review looking at learning disabilities, and it was a comprehensive, well-received document. Crucially, it approached the issues faced by people with learning disabilities as rights-based issues. That is acknowledged in both the current document and in the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability’s evaluation of the original strategy. Let me be clear: a rights-based approach was right then and it is right now, and a continuation of that approach is to be welcomed across the chamber.

The other instance of welcome continuity is in the scope of the strategy, which covers the whole lifespan of the individual. For the 16,000 school-age children and young people with learning disabilities, the 26,000 adults with learning disabilities and the adults who may no longer self-define as disabled, the strategy must be there from birth to old age. For people of all ages and from every generation, the ambitions and the policies that are set out in the document must reflect and speak to the needs, hopes and rights of that diverse group.

The fundamentals behind the strategy are sound. However, as Rachel Le Noan from Down’s Syndrome Scotland said in The Scotsman just the other week, the devil is in the detail. Specifically, it is in the implementation. How will the objectives that are set out in what is undoubtedly a substantive document be turned into a reality by the Scottish Government, public bodies, local authorities and the third sector?

I recognise that the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the NHS, the third sector and others have been partners in the development of the strategy. Their on-going partnership is absolutely critical as we take this agenda forward. However, we cannot ignore the context in which the strategy has been developed and in which it must now be implemented. Every one of those partners faces huge pressures on their budgets.

There are wider changes, too, including the implementation of self-directed support, the integration of health and social care, and welfare reform. The background to the new strategy is therefore different from the background to the original one. Some of those changes will prove to be positive, while others—such as the welfare cuts—will not, but I hope that we all agree that, as we consider each of the 50-plus recommendations that have been made, we must be mindful of the pace of reform and ensure that we do not lose sight of the individual person or their rights.

My final point is about the strategy’s welcome focus on the health of people with learning disabilities. People with learning disabilities are more than 20 times more likely to suffer from epilepsy and are more likely to experience illnesses that may require hospitalisation, following which they may experience delayed discharge. People with Down’s syndrome are particularly susceptible to hypothyroidism as they get older. The needs of people with learning disabilities can be complex and diverse, and those who may not be able to articulate their health complaints face added challenges.

Therefore, I stress how important it is that the NHS understands learning disabilities. It is also important that independent advocacy is provided to help people with learning disabilities in their interaction with public services. Even in these tough times, we should aim to develop a more person-centred service for that section of the population through understanding and communication.

The needs of people with learning disabilities are multifaceted and the inequalities that they face are rarely one dimensional. The strategy sets out a number of ways in which we can address those needs, build on the rights-based approach that has informed so much of the work in this area since devolution, and improve the quality of life of tens of thousands of people with learning disabilities all across Scotland.