Hansard

The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott) Con

The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-15198, in the name of Margaret McCulloch, on the Equal Opportunities Committee’s report on age and social...

Margaret McCulloch (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lab

This is a good time for us to talk about social isolation and loneliness. During the festive period, many people will have been alone and thinking about what...

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP) SNP

The member mentioned stigma, but she has also mentioned just how widespread the problem of isolation is. Does she agree that it is a very widespread problem,...

Margaret McCulloch Lab

Yes, I totally agree with the member on that. The problem is widespread across Scotland and covers all age groups. Ms McCrindle also said that the Food Trai...

Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) SNP

Does the member agree with me and other committee members that we should monitor whatever evidence is taken with regard to a future strategy?

Margaret McCulloch Lab

Yes, I totally agree with that. It is also important that the Equal Opportunities Committee continually keeps an eye on the situation later. Mapping is also...

The Minister for Local Government and Community Empowerment (Marco Biagi) SNP

I thank Margaret McCulloch and all the members of the Equal Opportunities Committee for their inquiry into age and social isolation. This is a great opportun...

Drew Smith (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab

Hear, hear.

Marco Biagi SNP

Indeed—and long may that remain so. On the ground, there has been a surge of willingness from third sector stakeholders to be involved and to share good pra...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Con

Many thanks. We are quite tight for time today. I call Jenny Marra. 15:06

Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab

I thank the committee very much for its inquiry and all the clerks and members for their work. I will start by picking up a strand that the minister threaded...

John Mason SNP

Does the member recognise the issue, which the committee addressed, of the difference between isolation and loneliness? Isolation can be measured to an exten...

Jenny Marra Lab

I absolutely agree with John Mason, who sat on the committee and heard the evidence. As I said to the minister, the Government has a role in supporting the n...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Con

Do so in your last 30 seconds.

Jenny Marra Lab

I am glad that Alex Neil has responded to the recommendations and put the focus on services and budgets. We need a commitment from the Government—I think tha...

Annabel Goldie (West Scotland) (Con) Con

All the razzmatazz of Christmas has come and gone. Some memories will fade, as with some presents, such as the jumper that gets lost at the back of the wardr...

Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) SNP

I hope that the member recognises that to be alone is not necessarily to be lonely. For a small minority of people, being alone is a choice that they prefer ...

Annabel Goldie Con

That point is well made and is acknowledged in the report. I return to the significance of the report. Age Scotland considers that the committee is the firs...

Christian Allard (North East Scotland) (SNP) SNP

I am delighted to have contributed to the Equal Opportunities Committee’s inquiry into age and social isolation as a full member of the committee, and I add ...

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (Lab) Lab

I accept John Mason’s point that social isolation is objective and loneliness is subjective, but we all realise that there is a big overlap between the two a...

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP) SNP

One of the first challenges that we had in the committee was to come up with a definition of isolation. Members can see in paragraphs 5 and 6 on page 1 some ...

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab) Lab

I hear what John Mason says about the appropriateness of people staying at home or going into care but does he agree that there is another group of people wh...

John Mason SNP

Johann Lamont raises a valid point because there may be some people in care homes who should be at home. There are also some at home who should be in care ho...

Jim Hume (South Scotland) (LD) LD

I thank the committee for its hard work and for the development of the report that we are discussing. On the one hand it is motivating that the Scottish Par...

Roderick Campbell (North East Fife) (SNP) SNP

As a non-member of the committee, I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate. Reading the record of the evidence-taking sessions, two points stru...

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith) Lab

Before I call the next speaker, I remind members who wish to contribute that they should press their request-to-speak buttons. 15:50

Jayne Baxter (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Lab

I was a member of the Equal Opportunities Committee when it undertook its inquiry into age and social isolation. I thought at the time that our work could po...

Linda Fabiani (East Kilbride) (SNP) SNP

I found both the Equal Opportunities Committee’s report and the Government’s response to it very interesting. Colleagues’ speeches today have shown just how ...

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab) Lab

I thank the committee for its report and I congratulate the convener, Margaret McCulloch, on outlining in her speech the detail of how the committee addresse...

Sandra White SNP

Does the member agree that more deep-end practice link workers and social prescribing, as recommended by the committee, would be one way of tackling what she...