Meeting of the Parliament 17 June 2014
I am often asked by some of the many young visitors to the Parliament what I think is the best thing the Parliament has delivered for the people of Scotland. I am sure that MSPs from across the Parliament give many answers to that but, for me, it is the 2007 decision to extend the education rights that are enjoyed by Scotland-domiciled students to the children of asylum seekers.
A Government press release from the time stated:
“Children of asylum families are to have the same access to full time further and higher education as Scottish children under plans announced today.”
The then education secretary, Fiona Hyslop, said that the changes would give
“asylum children who have spent at least three years in Scottish schools the same access as Scottish children to full time further and higher education”,
and that the Government would work with councils
“to implement HMIE recommendations on providing nursery places for 3 and 4 year-old children of asylum families.”
She also said:
“This government believes that regardless of where they come from and why any child living in Scotland should receive care, protection and education.
We recognise our responsibility for all children in Scotland”
and
“our obligations under the UN Convention on the rights of the child”.
I choose that commitment because it was important as it established Scotland as a country of compassion, of fairness and that takes its international obligations to asylum seekers and refugees very seriously indeed.
In the debate about independence, we often say that Scotland has a unique set of values, one that distinguishes our choices from those made elsewhere in the UK. No area more easily demonstrates that than immigration and asylum.
From those values, campaigns like the Glasgow girls’ flourished. That campaign against dawn raids was an inspiration to our country. Those young women took their protest to the door of the Home Office to say that dawn raids were not wanted and not expected in Scotland.
Our values have developed policies such as the Scottish guardianship service, which is highly important for unaccompanied young people, many of whom have been trafficked. It is held up as a model of excellence to the rest of the UK, as the BBC reported in 2013.
However, independence can make a huge change in the policy area. Evidence given to the European and External Relations Committee on 15 May, when we discussed independence, citizenship and immigration, is informative in the debate. Gary Christie of the Scottish Refugee Council said, talking about the proposals in the white paper:
“We welcomed the proposal in the white paper to create a separate asylum agency; it is what we suggested should happen if Scotland voted yes. The rationale behind the proposal was about creating specialism and expertise and trying to move away from the culture of disbelief in respect of which we would criticise quite a lot of Home Office decision making, to a culture of protection.”—[Official Report, European and External Relations Committee, 15 May 2014; c 2036.]
What a great ambition and what a damning indictment of the current UK settlement that that is how asylum seekers are treated in our country.
It was welcome that the minister mentioned that asylum seekers could contribute much more to our communities if some of the legislation that prevents them from working and taking a full part in our economy could be removed.
I was taught in my degree course by a refugee. I have fond memories of Dr Jose Menoz, who was a Chilean refugee. He was a fantastic lecturer and a world expert on data modelling and databases.
With great interest and pride, I read the reports last year about the Chileans giving thanks to Scotland for the welcome that they received when they came to this country. I read the stories of the Cowdenbeath miners band piping the refugees into the town—a town that had fundraised to help to bring the refugees from across the Atlantic to Scotland. The Chilean community gave thanks to Scotland for that warm welcome into the communities and for the homes.
That is the Scotland that I recognise. It is not one that is driven by Daily Mail or tabloid journalism, fear or some of the other damaging opinions that come from elsewhere in the UK. It is the Scotland to which we must all aspire.
Many members have mentioned Dungavel. People often sing Hamish Henderson’s “Freedom Come All Ye”, and I hope that Scotland will be a hoose where
“a’ the bairns o’ Adam”
will
“find breid, barley-bree and painted room.”