Chamber
Plenary, 04 Mar 2009
04 Mar 2009 · S3 · Plenary
Item of business
Louis Braille Bicentenary
Like other members, I pay tribute to Robert Brown not just for securing this debate and making a fine speech at the start of it, but for the work that he does as the convener of the cross-party group on visual impairment and in relation to macular degeneration and related issues. He is to be commended for his work in all of those areas.
This has been a short but helpful debate; being new to my job, I found it informative. I invite Mary Scanlon to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing about some of the points she made, as I am sure that the cabinet secretary would be interested to hear about the experiences that people are having. We want to be absolutely sure that we are providing the maximum quality and range of services for people with any kind of sight impairment.
Mary Scanlon mentioned that there are 20,000 blind people in Scotland. In total, 180,000 people in Scotland are blind or visually impaired. We must try to maximise the quality and range of services that are available to those people. I take Mary Scanlon's criticisms on board, but recent developments in the health service such as the provision of free eye examinations will, in time, contribute to the prevention of some cases of blindness and enable us to treat certain kinds of blindness before it is too late. The Government and I are keen to do that.
I am particularly interested in stem cell research as a means of providing solutions not just to blindness but to some of the wider health problems that we face. I requested as part of my briefing for today's debate a note on current developments in stem cell research and on the contribution it can make to tackling the problem of blindness. Scotland is leading the way on stem cell research in that area. Along with Scottish Enterprise and the UK Stem Cell Foundation, the chief scientist office in the Scottish Government is co-funding a grant application to examine the development of safe and effective corneal stem cell transplantation. That is a welcome development. I hope that we are successful in getting funding for the project, because it could help us to make substantial progress towards preventing blindness. More important for many people, we are close to getting a cure for certain types of blindness. We want to play a part in ensuring that that becomes possible.
The project for which the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and the UK Stem Cell Foundation are seeking funding has the potential to restore sight in some people. Recent press coverage has highlighted some of the astonishing advances that have been made in medical treatment based on stem cell technology. Last week I read in the Daily Express about a lady who started to lose her sight in her 20s. As a result of stem cell technology, she has received an implant in one eye, in which she has already regained 70 per cent sight. The Government and I are keen to pursue progress in that area, as it offers the solution to the problem and is part and parcel of our wider strategy, along with the provision of Braille services.
We also fund the communication aids for language and learning—CALL—centre at the University of Edinburgh, which Robert Brown is aware of. The centre provides specialist advice, expertise and training in technology for people in schools throughout Scotland who work with children who have speech, communication and/or writing difficulties. CALL is working with Learning and Teaching Scotland to produce an online database of adapted curriculum materials. We are encouraging that development. The Scottish books for all database will be available to all schools via glow—the Scottish schools intranet—or Scran and will allow teachers to obtain adapted curriculum materials and make them available to any pupil in Scotland.
I am glad to say that we also support the Royal Blind School, which has grant funding of more than £5 million from 2008 to 2010 as a grant-aided special school in Scotland. The school teaches Braille to pupils who are not print users. It has up-to-date technology: there are computers in each classroom, and special programmes and peripherals mean that all pupils gain skills. Pupils are provided with any equipment—such as large-print materials, computers and sloping boards—that is necessary for them to access the curriculum.
This has been a short but helpful debate; being new to my job, I found it informative. I invite Mary Scanlon to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing about some of the points she made, as I am sure that the cabinet secretary would be interested to hear about the experiences that people are having. We want to be absolutely sure that we are providing the maximum quality and range of services for people with any kind of sight impairment.
Mary Scanlon mentioned that there are 20,000 blind people in Scotland. In total, 180,000 people in Scotland are blind or visually impaired. We must try to maximise the quality and range of services that are available to those people. I take Mary Scanlon's criticisms on board, but recent developments in the health service such as the provision of free eye examinations will, in time, contribute to the prevention of some cases of blindness and enable us to treat certain kinds of blindness before it is too late. The Government and I are keen to do that.
I am particularly interested in stem cell research as a means of providing solutions not just to blindness but to some of the wider health problems that we face. I requested as part of my briefing for today's debate a note on current developments in stem cell research and on the contribution it can make to tackling the problem of blindness. Scotland is leading the way on stem cell research in that area. Along with Scottish Enterprise and the UK Stem Cell Foundation, the chief scientist office in the Scottish Government is co-funding a grant application to examine the development of safe and effective corneal stem cell transplantation. That is a welcome development. I hope that we are successful in getting funding for the project, because it could help us to make substantial progress towards preventing blindness. More important for many people, we are close to getting a cure for certain types of blindness. We want to play a part in ensuring that that becomes possible.
The project for which the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and the UK Stem Cell Foundation are seeking funding has the potential to restore sight in some people. Recent press coverage has highlighted some of the astonishing advances that have been made in medical treatment based on stem cell technology. Last week I read in the Daily Express about a lady who started to lose her sight in her 20s. As a result of stem cell technology, she has received an implant in one eye, in which she has already regained 70 per cent sight. The Government and I are keen to pursue progress in that area, as it offers the solution to the problem and is part and parcel of our wider strategy, along with the provision of Braille services.
We also fund the communication aids for language and learning—CALL—centre at the University of Edinburgh, which Robert Brown is aware of. The centre provides specialist advice, expertise and training in technology for people in schools throughout Scotland who work with children who have speech, communication and/or writing difficulties. CALL is working with Learning and Teaching Scotland to produce an online database of adapted curriculum materials. We are encouraging that development. The Scottish books for all database will be available to all schools via glow—the Scottish schools intranet—or Scran and will allow teachers to obtain adapted curriculum materials and make them available to any pupil in Scotland.
I am glad to say that we also support the Royal Blind School, which has grant funding of more than £5 million from 2008 to 2010 as a grant-aided special school in Scotland. The school teaches Braille to pupils who are not print users. It has up-to-date technology: there are computers in each classroom, and special programmes and peripherals mean that all pupils gain skills. Pupils are provided with any equipment—such as large-print materials, computers and sloping boards—that is necessary for them to access the curriculum.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Trish Godman):
Lab
The final item of business is a members' business debate on motion S3M-3371, in the name of Robert Brown, on the bicentenary of the birth of Louis Braille. T...
Motion debated,
That the Parliament celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille, inventor of the unique communication system for blind people that has bee...
Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD):
LD
I have come somewhat breathless to the chamber, as there was a slight deficiency when the text of my speech was printed out. It is not inappropriate to start...
Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
As a vice-convener of the cross-party group on visual impairment, I congratulate its convener, Robert Brown, on securing the debate. The motion and the debat...
James Kelly (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab):
Lab
I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate. I congratulate Robert Brown on his motion to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille's birth. It i...
Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con):
Con
I, too, congratulate Robert Brown on securing the debate on the bicentenary of Louis Braille and commend him on his commitment to the issue. Indeed, I commen...
The Minister for Housing and Communities (Alex Neil):
SNP
Like other members, I pay tribute to Robert Brown not just for securing this debate and making a fine speech at the start of it, but for the work that he doe...
Mary Scanlon:
Con
I hear what the minister says about the Royal Blind School, but is there provision for children to learn Braille in each local authority in Scotland?
Alex Neil:
SNP
I do not think that there is universal provision but, through Learning and Teaching Scotland, we are trying to make more provision not only for Braille but f...
Meeting closed at 17:33.