Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 06 January 2016
06 Jan 2016 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Age and Social Isolation
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 wardrobe, but other images will stick with us. Like Jenny Marra, I found poignant the television advert that features an elderly man on the moon who is alone in the festive period. A young child sees him and sends him a telescope so that he can share in the young child’s Christmas. Ultimately, that is an image of someone who is isolated and alone.
Professor Mima Cattan defines social isolation as
“an objective, measurable state of having minimal contact with other people, such as family, friends or the wider community.”
That is a chilling definition that should trouble everyone in the Parliament.
It is our duty in the Parliament to always have an eye on how we can go one step further. Can we go further than the child in the TV advert? The Equal Opportunities Committee has already gone one step further and it is an impressive step. I thank my committee colleagues, our excellent clerks and all the other participants for contributing to such a useful and powerful report.
In the same item of business
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...