Hansard

I give my sincere thanks to all the members who have contributed so thoughtfully to today’s debate. I also thank Jeremy Balfour for bringing the motion to the Parliament.

The strength of feeling across the Parliament shows just how deeply we value the lived experience of disabled people and the vital role that it plays in strengthening our democracy. The motion before us underscores that point clearly by recognising that lived experience is essential to effective scrutiny and better legislation.

As members have referred to, the Scottish Parliament recently hosted its second disability summit, which I was delighted to take part in. The themes that we heard about—representation, participation and accountability—speak directly to today’s debate. The summit reinforced that lived experience must continue to guide scrutiny and policy making across the Parliament.

Jeremy Balfour took time to acknowledge the progress that has been made, and he was right to point out that we have more to do. I pay tribute to Mr Balfour’s relentless campaigning for disabled people’s rights. Emma Harper also exemplified the value of lived experience in shaping good policy development.

Lived experience is essential evidence that is rooted in the disability rights movement’s principle of nothing about us without us. I have had the pleasure of seeing the Purple Poncho Players, who exemplify that principle through music and art, showing us how essential it is. When such evidence is systematically gathered, and gathered ethically, it strengthens committee scrutiny, improves policy design and, ultimately, enhances the quality of our laws.

That direction of travel is clear across the Parliament and it is embedded in the Scottish Government’s approach to disability equality. Our disability equality plan was developed with disabled people’s organisations, Inclusion Scotland, Glasgow Disability Alliance and Disability Equality Scotland. Disabled people’s voices shaped the work from the start. The first phase of the plan focuses on the priorities that the DPOs identified, which were supporting disabled household finances, enabling full participation in communities and national life and improving mental health.

To underpin that, our recent budget set out a £3.5 million multiyear funding commitment to disability equality, providing certainty for disabled people’s organisations and disabled leaders. That will build and strengthen capacity across the DPO sector and among disabled people, leading to improved participation and inclusion in communities and national life.

Members will also be aware that, on 3 February 2026, we held the Cabinet takeover. That was the first of its kind in the United Kingdom, so it was a landmark moment that placed directly at the Cabinet table the lived experience of disabled people as equal partners. It did not simply gather views; it brought disabled people into the centre of Government decision making.

Jeremy Balfour has referenced, and the motion highlights, the important reality of the fact that only 5 per cent of current MSPs declare a disability, compared with—according to my figures—24 per cent of Scotland’s population. That disparity absolutely matters. Representation shapes the discussions that we have—as it has done today—along with the priorities that we set and the solutions that we design. Democracy is at its strongest when it reflects the full diversity of the nations that it serves. Alexander Stewart, Emma Harper and Carol Mochan acknowledged that.

As many members have highlighted, too many barriers still exist, whether those are structural, financial, attitudinal or practical. Those barriers discourage or prevent disabled people and others with protected characteristics from putting themselves forward for elected office.

Recognising those barriers is the first step to dismantling them. The access to elected office fund is an important part of that work. In the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, it supported 14 disabled candidates. In the 2022 local elections, 46 people received support and 22 of those were elected. That demonstrates clearly what is possible when barriers are removed. That progress is worth acknowledging, and it underscores why initiatives must continue to grow.

Many disabled people belong to other underrepresented communities, and that intersectionality matters. We will keep listening to and working with those with experiences that cut across race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion and belief, so that our actions reflect the whole person, not just one part of their identity.

The responsibility for change is shared by us all across Parliament, political parties and communities. Of course, language matters, as Pam Duncan-Glancy and Emma Roddick have highlighted very effectively, reminding us all to be mindful of being respectful and not to add to the stigma that can, often, still attach.

The debate has reaffirmed a simple truth: democracy works best when everyone can fully participate in it. We have made progress, but we absolutely have more to do. With the multiyear commitment and the momentum from the Cabinet takeover and the second disability summit, we will support more disabled people to participate, lead and be represented across Scotland’s public life.