Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 23 November 2023
23 Nov 2023 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I am pleased to be speaking on behalf of the Education, Children and Young People Committee. First, I thank the member in charge for introducing the bill, which has given us the opportunity to discuss both at committee and, importantly, here in the chamber today the important issue of how to improve the opportunities for disabled children and young people as they grow up.
I thank colleagues for their detailed consideration of the bill and all the people and organisations who provided evidence, either in person or by responding to our call for views. ARC Scotland helped us to organise informative, informal sessions involving young disabled people called divergent influencers, a group of parents and carers of disabled and young people and a group of practitioners who are involved in improving the experiences of young people as they make the vital transition to young adult life.
I also thank the pupils at Buchanan high school, which is an additional support needs secondary school in Coatbridge, who hosted an extremely informative visit and told us about their preparations for leaving the school that year. Speaking to all those pupils was invaluable and it gave us a great insight into the issues that children and young people are facing.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-11381, in the name of Pam Duncan-Glancy, on the Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulth...
Pam Duncan-Glancy (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. “Thank God for that; now I can be your mum again.” Those were my mum’s words when we heard that my transition to adult...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I call Sue Webber to speak on behalf of the Education, Children and Young People Committee. 15:23
Sue Webber (Lothian) (Con)
Con
I am pleased to be speaking on behalf of the Education, Children and Young People Committee. First, I thank the member in charge for introducing the bill, wh...
Stephen Kerr (Central Scotland) (Con)
Con
I was one of the members who had the privilege of being on that visit. Does Sue Webber agree that what was outstanding from that visit was the quality of the...
Sue Webber
Con
I agree. We have found many times that the people who are having an impact and making positive changes to disabled people as they transition into adulthood a...
Pam Duncan-Glancy
Lab
Can the member set out whether the committee has had confirmation of when the strategy will be published?
Sue Webber
Con
I have not yet had that detail. Perhaps the Government can make that clear in its contributions during the debate. Make no mistake, we intend to return to t...
Pam Duncan-Glancy
Lab
Ms Webber will remember that, in recognition of that fact, I said in the committee that I could amend the bill at stage 2 to take the part about diagnosis ou...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I can give Ms Webber a wee bit of time back.
Sue Webber
Con
The inability to define that formed part of the crux of the challenges that we faced regarding the accuracy of the financial memorandum. We know now—and we a...
The Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise (Natalie Don)
SNP
I thank Pam Duncan-Glancy for the spotlight that her bill has shone on transitions to adulthood for disabled people and for setting out her personal experien...
Stephen Kerr
Con
If the strategy is to be published by the end of next year, when, in the minister’s estimation, will there be a change in young people’s life experience as t...
Natalie Don
SNP
We are already taking action now, through the statement of intent. We are listening to feedback and encouraging further action. As I said, the strategy, whic...
Pam Duncan-Glancy
Lab
I thank the minister for clarifying the publication date for the strategy. However, I still think that it is too late, and I echo the concerns of my colleagu...
Natalie Don
SNP
I will come on to much of that later in my speech. If Pam Duncan-Glancy is happy for me to do so, I will set that out as I go along. I absolutely want things...
Pam Duncan-Glancy
Lab
The definition of who will be covered by the bill is the same as that proposed by the Government in its strategy.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I can give the minister a bit of time back for interventions.
Natalie Don
SNP
Thank you, Presiding Officer. With apologies to Pam Duncan-Glancy, as I said earlier, I will come on to those points. For now, I am just laying out my conce...
Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
I have come late to the bill, consideration of which was well in train by the time I joined the Education, Children and Young People Committee right before t...
Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
It is a great pleasure to open the debate on the Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill on behalf of Scottish Labour. ...
Stephen Kerr
Con
I agree with everyone who has spoken about the bill’s laudable aims, but the question is how it will actually change the experience of the young people who a...
Martin Whitfield
Lab
The Scottish Government would be required to have a strategy to explain. It would have to appoint a minister to take responsibility, and local authorities wo...
Liam Kerr
Con
Will the member give way?
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I can allow time for the intervention, if the member wishes to take it.
Martin Whitfield
Lab
Let me finish this. My apologies. The parent said: “strangely enough, this was where he successfully graduated with a 2:1”. If we fail our disabled young ...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
When I first became a member of Parliament for Dunfermline, I met the parents involved in something called the Diamond Association. They were the most feroci...
Pam Duncan-Glancy
Lab
Does the member agree that it is a shame that the first commitment that we had from the Government on the issue was in 2016, and we are still waiting?
Willie Rennie
LD
That is one of the reasons why I am conflicted about the bill. I understand: legislation is permanent—it is there on the statute book and it creates a compul...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
We move to the open debate. I remind members that speeches are to be of up to six minutes, please. 16:00