Hansard

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Christine Grahame) SNP

The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-16593, in the name of Christina McKelvie, on progressing towards a fairer Scotland for disabled people. T...

The Minister for Older People and Equalities (Christina McKelvie) SNP

It is my great pleasure to open this debate. I welcome the disabled people who join us in the public gallery, and I thank the British Sign Language interpret...

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Lab

Although I welcome the refreshed framework, does the minister acknowledge that it is quite late in the day and the majority of the recommendations in the key...

Christina McKelvie SNP

I know that Jackie Baillie has a commitment to this issue, but in my experience at the national involvement network the other day and at the framework launch...

Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Con) Con

I thank the minister and the Government for bringing this timely and important debate to the chamber this afternoon. It is fair to say that we have seen sig...

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD) LD

Sarah Newton, the UK Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work, resigned two weeks ago and has not been replaced. It emerged yesterday that Ther...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

I have some time in hand for interventions, so you will get your time back, Mr Balfour.

Jeremy Balfour Con

First, I put on record my appreciation for the good work that Sarah Newton did across the UK. In my meetings with her, she really understood what the disable...

Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lab

I thank the Presiding Officer and the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body for again making the Parliament an exemplar in the provision of access to people ...

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People (Shirley-Anne Somerville) SNP

I thank Mark Griffin for the opportunity to respond, because I will not close the debate. I believe that I will discuss the consultation with the Social Secu...

Mark Griffin Lab

I am happy to meet the cabinet secretary to discuss the wave 2 benefits; I am glad to have received that invitation. In the debate on social isolation, I as...

Andy Wightman (Lothian) (Green) Green

I, too, welcome this debate on progressing towards a fairer Scotland for disabled people, and I thank all the organisations that provided briefings. We say t...

The Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills (Jamie Hepburn) SNP

I readily concede that, for individuals, we cannot possibly move fast enough on the issue. In the lifetime of any person on the planet, 20 years is a long ti...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

Minister, I understand why you turned sideways to intervene, but I think that it could be quite hard for the BSL interpreters to interpret your comments when...

Andy Wightman Green

Two hundred years is out of the picture and an ambition of one tenth of that is, on one reading, good. I take the minister’s point: it is going to be difficu...

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD) LD

I thank the Government for making time for today’s debate and I thank the minister for the tone that she set at the top of the debate. The motion commands th...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

We come to the open debate and speeches of six minutes. We have a few minutes in hand for interventions. If a member intervenes, their request-to-speak butto...

George Adam (Paisley) (SNP) SNP

I am pleased to speak in the debate because it means so much to me. Disability is part of my life. I feel a fraud in saying that, because, as members know, i...

Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Lab

Will the member give way?

George Adam SNP

I will take an intervention—if Mr Lyle is still having a conversation.

Daniel Johnson Lab

I want to give the member the opportunity to recognise, first, that Mr Balfour is present and, secondly, that many people have disabilities that might not be...

George Adam SNP

I was speaking as the chief whip for the Scottish Government and about the SNP group, in particular. I was looking at the people I work with on a day-to-day ...

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Con) Con

I am pleased to speak in this important debate. We have already heard very interesting speeches from across the chamber, and different issues have been raise...

Daniel Johnson Lab

Did Mr Mundell find some of the conclusions of “Not included, not engaged, not involved: A report on the experiences of autistic children missing school” sho...

Oliver Mundell Con

I would probably go further than saying that I found those conclusions shocking; the situation that the report describes is a downright disgrace. Daniel Joh...

Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP) SNP

The Scottish Government, the Parliament and society must recognise the rich and valuable contribution that disabled people make to all aspects of public and ...

Jeremy Balfour Con

As Mr Gibson will be aware, from last week’s debate, disabled people have to renew their concessionary bus pass every three years. The constituent that he me...

Kenneth Gibson SNP

I refer Mr Balfour to the very detailed response that Michael Matheson, the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, gave him a week...

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Linda Fabiani) SNP

I give members notice that I might have to cut the length of the final speeches. I call Jackie Baillie, to be followed by Mark McDonald. 15:51

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Lab

That is clearly bad timing on my part, Presiding Officer, but I welcome the opportunity to take part in the debate. Judging from the briefings that we receiv...