Hansard

I declare an interest as a director of a company that is developing technology for the healthcare sector. I receive no remuneration for that position.

It is a privilege to speak in the chamber for the first time—unexpected though that may have been a short few weeks ago. Indeed, my competitor in running for the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley constituency, Willie Coffey—I use the term “running” loosely—has suggested in the chamber that I got in via the vagaries of the voting system. I assure him that whether I got in through the back door, front door, side door or skylight, I am here. [Applause.] He has five years to get used to my dulcet tones.

I thank the people who voted for me—nearly doubling our share of the vote in the constituency—and those who voted otherwise but nonetheless took the time to speak to me. Sometimes they attempted to point out the error of my ways, but they were always courteous and good humoured. That is important, because if we listen only to those who agree with us, we get a polarised view of the world.

Getting to this spot has been an interesting journey. I was an international athlete for 13 years. To those members who have mentioned it, I say thank you for remembering. Those who said, “I do not remember you but my dad said that you were not bad,” have made a happy man feel old.

Presiding Officer and fellow athletes, my passion lies in the firm belief that education is the solution to health and welfare issues—not only academic education but also coaching in sports, the arts, drama and any activity that can engage, enthuse and engender passion in our youngsters.

It has been stated in this chamber that the greatest inequality is inequality of opportunity, and I whole-heartedly agree with that. However, we have not done particularly well at addressing that. When we compare state education and private education, what is the difference? It is most certainly not the quality of the teachers; it is, quite simply, the access to opportunity. Sport and activity are the norm in the private school sector—that is borne out by the fact that a third of the 2012 Olympic team was made up from the 7 per cent of our population who are privately educated and that the Scottish schools sports championships are fast becoming the bastion of private education.

From the mid-1980s, when sport in state schools was decimated, there has been a steady decline in the physical literacy of our children. That has had a worrying effect on the health of our nation. Our farmers produce the highest quality food in the world, yet we are the unhealthiest nation in Europe and the unhealthiest small country in the world. That suggests that our home-grown produce is not making its way to the Scottish table.

Some 10 per cent of the Scottish NHS budget is spent on the treatment of type 2 diabetes, a disease that is predominantly linked to inactivity and obesity. One in four accident and emergency cases are drink and drugs-related, and we are all aware of how stretched our A and E staff are. Further, there has been a 10 per cent increase in child tooth extractions in just four years. Those issues are preventable yet they cost the Scottish NHS billions of pounds. We are all so focused on financing the NHS that we have missed the fact that there is a serious financial benefit in tackling preventable disease. As a leading Glasgow diabetes consultant said to me,

“We are sleepwalking into an economic health nightmare.”

The preventable disease epidemic is the greatest threat to our most treasured institution, the NHS. Those were not my words; the warning was from front-line healthcare professionals.

Kids nowadays are accused of laziness—of always playing computer games on phones and tablets and watching DVDs. I challenge that. Who is giving them those things and what are we offering as an alternative? In my experience, if they get the chance, kids want to participate.

We need a progressive physical literacy programme, alongside the academic one, that goes from pre-school active play into primary school active games and on to secondary school sport. We all agree that increasing children’s access to nursery education is a good thing, so can we agree to lay the foundations for an active, healthy lifestyle? If a child wants to participate in out-of-school activity, they need to go home first and then go somewhere else. That makes no sense, because most of the facilities are in schools. With a bit of innovation and thought, we can reintroduce extracurricular opportunities across the country for children, irrespective of background or personal circumstance.

To do that, we need agreement and co-operation across the chamber. The task will take a generation—yes, a generation—which means that although it is for this chamber to set the path, others will reap the rewards of the decisions. However, in the words of Harry Truman:

“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”

If we choose to open up choices to our children and allow them opportunities to find their passion—if we stoke their enthusiasm and engender self-belief, self-motivation, self-awareness and a drive towards achievement, whatever they decide that achievement will be—they will seek to make better lifestyle choices.

The importance of self-awareness cannot be overstated. If we help them to achieve that, no matter what discipline they are involved in, it will have a profound effect across all other aspects of their lives and across society. However, if we choose to ignore the issue, the situation will continue to deteriorate, with the result that health inequality will increase and the attainment gap that we want to eliminate will widen.

I will finish with words from a great hero of mine, whom we sadly lost a few days ago. Muhammad Ali said:

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”

This chamber must be bold and must make the changes that are required to open up opportunities for our kids and to make Scotland a healthier and happier place for them to flourish in. [Applause.]