Hansard

I am often asked which achievement I am most proud of from my time in Parliament. When I look back over my time here, one of the things that comes to mind is the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019, as we managed to secure a provision that any new developments over a certain size must include a changing places toilet. That amendment guaranteed that any new public space must be accessible to all, and gave people with profound disabilities the comfort of being able to toilet with dignity. It is regrettable, however, that some developments are dragging their feet on fulfilling that requirement.

For example, I recently visited the Edinburgh futures institute at Quartermile, which was set up by the University of Edinburgh. Despite significant engagement, it still has no plans to install a changing places toilet. I hope that it will see the error of its stance, and very quickly prioritise making the facility accessible to all.

Changing places toilets are not a luxury or a nice optional extra—they are an absolute necessity in order for many people to be able to participate in society. They bring not only help to the disabled but economic benefit to those that have such facilities in place. They are often the difference between a disabled person being able to go out or having to stay in.

I highlight amazing organisations such as PAMIS—Promoting a More Inclusive Society—which works tirelessly to promote changing places and to inform the public about the benefits and whereabouts of those facilities. Without that organisation, I do not think that we would have made nearly as much progress as we have done.

Turning to the motion, I am sure that members will be aware of a promise that was made by the then First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, in 2021. A £10 million fund specifically for the installation of changing places was to be created, following the lead of the United Kingdom Government. That money would make a real difference to the lives of disabled people, as has happened in England, where all the money has already been distributed. Unfortunately, however, no money has materialised in Scotland—it has been flushed away.

After three years of leading disabled people on, the Scottish Government finally admitted what many had suspected for years—that it had no intention of distributing the money. For three years, organisations, developers, charities and others were waiting for the much-needed funds that would allow them to put in changing places—and all of a sudden, that money was gone.

It is well known that the Scottish Government is very good at making big announcements and very poor at delivery. Even for the Scottish Government, however, this was a devastating betrayal. We should make no mistake about it—we are not talking about a lot of money. It represents a tiny fraction of the budget, but it would make a huge difference to disabled people across Scotland. However, the Scottish National Party Government took the decision to punish disabled people. Yesterday, in the human rights debate, we heard about what a good record the Government has, but of all the cuts that it could have made, it decided that disabled people had had it too good for too long.

However, there was then a glimpse of hope. At a recent meeting of the cross-party group on changing places toilets, we invited the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport to come and explain to MSPs, the third sector and other stakeholders and individuals why it had cut the funding, and what the SNP was going to do to make that disgrace right. We were encouraged that Maree Todd told us that we should wait for the budget, and that the Government was going to commit money for changing places.

We were perhaps not expecting that the whole £10 million would be reinstated, but we thought that some money would be better than nothing. However, I listened very carefully to the statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government last week; I scanned the budget documents; and I asked the Scottish Parliament information centre to do the research, and none of us could find a single mention of changing places toilets in the budget.

I accept that I, or SPICe, may have missed something. I would therefore like the minister to intervene at this point to tell members, and the disability stakeholders to whom she has spoken in recent weeks, what money is earmarked in this year’s budget.