Meeting of the Parliament 05 March 2026 [Draft]
I am pleased to speak in this afternoon’s debate, and I thank Jeremy Balfour for bringing the issue to the chamber.
The motion for today’s debate speaks to the simple but important principle that lived experience can strengthen our democracy. Although statistics and political theory are no doubt important for making policy, they cannot be the only things that influence how the Parliament decides on law. Legislation must also be informed by the experiences of those who the decisions affect. That is why we support having politicians who have a variety of life experiences, as that can improve the choices that they make.
We should also support the inclusion of groups who are underrepresented in politics, which is why initiatives such as the Parliament’s disability summit are so important, as the motion highlights. The summit demonstrates clearly how the political debate improves when underrepresented groups, including disabled people, are fully involved in the wider political debate. Jeremy Balfour’s motion says that disabled people are underrepresented in Scottish politics, which is a trend that is also happening in the United Kingdom, across Europe and in the United States.
A study in 2024 found that disabled people in the UK and the US feel better represented by disabled candidates. That was driven partly by a sense of shared identity but also by a feeling that they are better represented by candidates who share their disability. The study also highlighted evidence that non-disabled people also see disabled political candidates as bringing
a range of traits and skills to the table”,
which is important partly because disabled candidates offer different life experiences, as we know. That reminds us of the need to tackle the remaining barriers that discourage and prevent disabled people from participating in politics, as that should help to unlock the potential that many individuals can offer to the political system.
That work includes programmes such as the access to elected office fund, which is run by Inclusion Scotland. That should go alongside continued efforts to tackle other inequalities that disabled people face in their day-to-day lives. For example, we know that the number of disabled people in employment has increased over the past decade, but it is still very small when compared with the number of non-disabled people in employment. For groups across society, tackling one form of inequality often means tackling other forms alongside that.
Members across the chamber agree that the Parliament should fully reflect Scotland and what Scotland represents. That means that we must be committed to removing unnecessary barriers to inclusion, and if we truly want to be inclusive, that must include our political system. Those barriers include disabled people and many other demographics who remain underrepresented in politics as a whole. Lived experience should not sit on the margins of discussion. It should be recognised as part of the effective scrutiny that proper law making requires.
Promoting inclusion and ensuring that there is diversity across political issues and across the political divide is vital. The Parliament should be grounded in the realisation that it affects everyday lives across Scotland.