Hansard

Yes, I will. That work is an exemplar of best practice and the National Autistic Society is to be congratulated on it. I know that Elaine Smith has done much in the cross-party group on autistic spectrum disorder to help take that work forward.

Nora Radcliffe also talked about adaptations, which the committee heard a lot about. Often, it is not about spending a lot of money but about providing minor aids that can make a huge difference to whether people can participate in work. She also mentioned the importance of advocacy, which is a key issue.

The lack of flexibility in the benefit system and in recruitment practice needs to be addressed. The committee had concerns regarding the two-ticks scheme. Basically, we say that it is a tick-the-box exercise that it needs to be looked at. Nora Radcliffe used the word "flexibility" a few times earlier. Instead of talking about education, education, education, today we should be talking about flexibility, flexibility, flexibility. The need for flexibility came over loud and clear in evidence. We need to consider fragmentation, short-term funding and the lack of co-ordination between agencies.

Recommendation 10 says that the enterprise companies should refocus the work that they do in assisting disabled people into work. We also believe that more information should be given to employers to assist them in employing disabled people. We feel that the public sector in Scotland should set an example in the recruitment of disabled people.

I turn to further and higher education. Shiona Baird talked about the NEET group. Recommendation 37, which she mentioned, says that the needs of disabled people should be integral to the implementation of the NEET strategy. That is crucial. Many of us feel that the strategy should be focused on the students. We would like more soft indicators to be in place and the journey travelled to be measured, instead of the hard indicators that are currently used by Scottish Enterprise, in particular. We would like the careers guidance that is given to young disabled people in schools to be improved. We believe that Careers Scotland should fundamentally review the service that it provides to disabled people.

We also think that familiarisation visits to, and early starts at, colleges and universities would be beneficial. It is a big step to move from school to higher and further education, especially for disabled people, and we feel that such initiatives should be promoted, supported and encouraged. We would like the provision of key workers to be evaluated with a view to rolling out good practice, as that came out again and again in evidence.

We would like the Executive to reconsider funding and what is happening in SAAS. It came over again and again in evidence that pretendy courses should be eliminated. Some people feel that there is a revolving door into further and higher education, whereby they just go from one course to another. The committee feels that courses should have a benefit and should lead on to the next step, not just encourage the revolving door. We think that the teachability project is very good, and we hope that it will be continued and extended to colleges.

Marlyn Glen said that 20 per cent of Scotland's population is disabled. We should think about the importance of disabled people within our communities, in all walks of life, and to our economy. The disabled pound has been talked about. In recognising the rights of our citizens to participate and not face personal and social isolation, access to leisure is very important. We would therefore like the minister to consider the active schools co-ordinators. We believe that all local authorities should recruit an active schools co-ordinator; at the moment, only 50 per cent have one.

We believe that the number of disabled people who participate actively in our communities and in public life should be increased and that measures should be put in place to support disabled people in doing that. That is fundamental. Access to leisure can be just going to the pub with one's friends or whatever. One young lady in Wick told us that, after 5 o'clock at night, there was no public transport to enable people to get into Wick. She had a taxi pass, but she could not use it because there were no taxis that were suitable for her after 5 o'clock in the evening. There needs to be a joined-up approach. All that that young girl wanted to do was meet her friends and do all the things that we take for granted. Access to leisure is very important.

Elaine Smith talked about attitudes and raised the issues of attitudinal barriers and negative perceptions. The need for disability equality training and the citing of health and safety concerns as barriers to participation are big issues. That is why we have recommended that they should be taken on board and that we should co-ordinate a long-term, strategic campaign to tackle negative attitudes. Elaine Smith talked about positive role models.

Sandra White talked about access to transport, which was a theme throughout the committee's evidence taking. We welcomed all the examples that Jackie Baillie gave us from her constituency casework. I am sure that many of us agree with her and have had to deal with such cases as well.

I have run out of time, but I note that poverty was a theme running throughout the debate. We need to tackle all the issues, including work, further and higher education, leisure, attitudes, information and physical access. We need to look at all those issues.

In conclusion, I welcome the constructive debate that we have had on the committee's report this morning and the commitments that the Executive has given to look favourably on the report's recommendations.

As others have done, I emphasise the value to our inquiry of the input by disabled people. From the outset, the committee took the view that it was their inquiry and I am pleased that so many disabled people and organisations have been so vocal in their support for our recommendations.

Although this debate is the end of a lengthy and worthwhile process, I am sure that all members of the committee will agree that it marks the start of the next stage of our work in the area. It is now up to the Equal Opportunities Committee and its successors to monitor the implementation of the recommendations and to ensure that they make a real difference to disabled people in Scotland. Disabled people want to see action from the committee and it is our duty to ensure that that happens.

We know from our inquiry that disabled people look to us to make a difference to their lives as equal members of society. I hope that all members of the Parliament and Executive and all service providers will share our commitment to do all that we can in the years to come to match the words in the report with concrete, effective action. I thank everyone who has participated in this morning's debate and commend the report to Parliament.