Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 18 January 2017
18 Jan 2017 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Health
Health inequality is Scotland’s greatest national scandal. People are dying in our country years before their time because they are poor and because they do not have a decent home or income or job to sustain them and support a fulfilling and healthy life.
Health inequality is the manifestation of social and economic inequality, but we will never resolve it or even begin to address the problems from a health perspective alone. We have to address income inequality, housing and support services, as well as the failure to redistribute wealth and power and the complete unwillingness to put money and resources into the communities that are in most need—but we heard not a word about any of that from Mr Whittle. Those are the key issues and the failures of public policy.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Christine Grahame)
SNP
I will move on to the next debate swiftly because we have practically no time in hand; it is on motion S5M-03440, in the name of Brian Whittle, on health. I ...
Brian Whittle (South Scotland) (Con)
Con
I am pleased to open this debate on the preventable health problems agenda, following on from the recent launch of the Scottish Conservatives’ consultation d...
Gil Paterson (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP)
SNP
What you just quoted is in relation to Tory austerity.
Brian Whittle
Con
I will treat that with the disdain that it deserves. Interruption Thank you. One of the key preventable conditions is poor mental health. However, I keep hea...
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
If we listen to public health experts across Scotland, the first thing that they will say to do to address health inequality is to address income inequality....
Brian Whittle
Con
I will come to that. Out in the garden at the nursery of my youngest, the children had their own vegetable patch in which they planted, tended and grew thei...
The Minister for Public Health and Sport (Aileen Campbell)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Brian Whittle
Con
Yes. I have enough time.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
The minister should be very brief, as the member is in his final minute.
Aileen Campbell
SNP
I think that there will probably be agreement across the chamber on much of what Brian Whittle has discussed and articulated and on prevention, but I still d...
Brian Whittle
Con
Food banks are an austerity problem, but people in Scotland are more likely to use food banks than people anywhere else in the UK. The Scottish National Part...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
No, minister—you cannot have another intervention.
Brian Whittle
Con
Sport is chronically underfunded in this country, and it is becoming more inaccessible as the basic cost of entry rises. If we continue in that direction, we...
The Minister for Public Health and Sport (Aileen Campbell)
SNP
The challenges that the motion points to are familiar to us all. We have an ageing population, our country is one in which people continue to have an unhealt...
Brian Whittle
Con
Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?
Aileen Campbell
SNP
Thank you for the promotion.
Brian Whittle
Con
We are talking about health inequality, and the Parliament has rightly done some fantastic work on smoking cessation, but will the minister recognise that 9 ...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
We have travelled a great distance on tobacco, and action has been taken across a number of Administrations, which has been supported by many different parti...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I call Colin Smyth to speak to and move amendment S5M-03440.1. You have five minutes. 16:37
Colin Smyth (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I declare an interest as a councillor in Dumfries and Galloway. When Labour created the NHS in 1948, life expectancy in Scotland was 64 years for men and 69...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
The member is in his last 20 seconds. Mr Smyth, you will have to wind up.
Colin Smyth
Lab
This Parliament has the power to make sure that we do not have to make those choices. We have the power to be progressive, and to say that, if we want decent...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
We are now moving to open debate. There is no spare time. Speeches are of a tight four minutes. 16:43
Jackson Carlaw (Eastwood) (Con)
Con
It is a pleasure to contribute again to a health debate. I want to make four specific and quite focused observations in relation to the preventative health a...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
You must stop, there, Mr Carlaw.
Jackson Carlaw
Con
—but that is how we must proceed. I support the motion in Brian Whittle’s name.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Thank you very much. 16:47
Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (SNP)
SNP
They say that people’s first step to recovery is their recognising that they have a problem, so I am thankful that the Conservatives have turned their attent...
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
Health inequality is Scotland’s greatest national scandal. People are dying in our country years before their time because they are poor and because they do ...