Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 04 February 2016
04 Feb 2016 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Alcohol (Licensing, Public Health and Criminal Justice) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
It is with great regret that I rise to close the debate on behalf of the Labour Party. As Jackson Carlaw powerfully put it, alcohol continues to be one of the biggest challenges facing not only this country but every family in it. It affects my family, the family of every member in the chamber—I am sure that it affects your family, Presiding Officer—and every family in Scotland. I agree with most of what Jackson Carlaw said in his speech: it is extremely disappointing that there has not, over the past five years, been more focus on alcohol from this Government.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith)
Lab
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-14673, in the name of Richard Simpson, on the Alcohol (Licensing, Public Health and Criminal Justice) (Sc...
Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
I am pleased to open the stage 1 debate on my Alcohol (Licensing, Public Health and Criminal Justice) (Scotland) Bill, although I regret the brevity of the t...
Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab)
Lab
I want to begin with some verse—a risky business, I suppose. “Oh, thou demon Drink, thou fell destroyer; Thou curse of society, and its greatest annoyer. ...
The Minister for Public Health (Maureen Watt)
SNP
As members are aware, the Scottish Government does not support the bill progressing to stage 2, and I note from its stage 1 report that the majority of the H...
Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Can the minister clarify for Parliament when she expects her group of experts to report, and when will the proposals that will be drawn up on the back of tha...
Maureen Watt
SNP
The conference was held in October or November last year, and we set up the network of experts in the field. They will feed in to the next part of the framew...
Graeme Pearson (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I speak on behalf of the Scottish Labour Party and in support of the Alcohol (Licensing, Public Health and Criminal Justice) (Scotland) Bill at stage 1. I ac...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
You must close, please.
Graeme Pearson
Lab
I would like to think that, by the end of the debate—short as it is—there will be support for the general principles of the bill at stage 1 so that it can be...
Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
I commend Richard Simpson for the tenacity that he has shown over almost four years since he lodged a draft proposal for a member’s bill to prevent and tackl...
Christian Allard (North East Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
As I am not a member of the Health and Sport Committee, members may be surprised to see me speaking. I would like to put it on the record that the deputy con...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
We now move to closing speeches. 17:51
Jackson Carlaw (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
Presiding Officer, there has been a 300 per cent increase in alcohol-related liver disease mortality over the last 30 years and over 35,000 alcohol-related s...
Christian Allard
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Jackson Carlaw
Con
No, I will not. We have a difficulty because we do not doubt Richard Simpson’s commitment over a great period—as he said, he was motivated to introduce the ...
Christian Allard
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
The member is closing.
Jackson Carlaw
Con
Attitudes have to change, and it will take more than I have heard from the Government so far during this session of Parliament to make that happen. 17:55
Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
It is with great regret that I rise to close the debate on behalf of the Labour Party. As Jackson Carlaw powerfully put it, alcohol continues to be one of th...
Christian Allard
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Jenny Marra
Lab
No—I will not at the moment, thank you. It seems that the Government has placed all its eggs in one basket, looking for a big-hit public health policy and t...
Maureen Watt
SNP
I am grateful to parliamentary colleagues for their contributions to what has been an interesting, if short, debate. Members have complained about how short ...
Jenny Marra
Lab
Will the minister give way?
Maureen Watt
SNP
Not at the moment. We are doing lots. On the inequalities issue that Graeme Pearson highlighted, I note that the ratio for alcohol-related mortality rates b...
Dr Simpson
Lab
I do not deny the progress that has been made since 2001—indeed, I will refer to that when I sum up—but I have a major concern about the budget, in which the...
Maureen Watt
SNP
The member will be aware that some health boards were not passing on the justice-related money to the ADPs. We know that health boards can make up that fundi...
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
You need to start to wind up, minister.
Maureen Watt
SNP
We know about the pilot projects in Newcastle and in Fife. We are concerned that the widespread use of container marking would be disproportionate and we are...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
You really need to wind up, minister.
Maureen Watt
SNP
—and everybody should go and look at what Aberdeen has managed to do. It used to be a place where people would not go for a night out, and now it is very muc...