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The prevalence of respiratory issues such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in my South Scotland region causes concern. We know about the inequalities in the most deprived communities and that those communities are disproportionately affected. Mark Ruskell’s question leads me to ask whether we should look to carry out analysis of the inequalities impact of silica air pollution on our communities.

As a South Scotland MSP, I am no stranger to the harsh realities faced by those accessing services in rural areas. I speak to constituents from across the region, and the issues that we discuss match those found in the Government’s own research, with people mentioning transport, travel costs and access to GPs and other services, along with depopulation and a lack of economic opportunity.

The pressing issues that we are discussing today are unique and diverse and any action taken to address them must be flexible and responsive. It is usually my colleague Rhoda Grant who speaks in rural debates, and I know that she has really appreciated the support from Mairi Gougeon and Jim Fairlie and their work in committee. I pass on the very best wishes of the Labour group.

We all agree that living in a remote or rural community should not limit access to basic and specialist care, nor should it limit opportunities. We know that the housing crisis is acute, that depopulation and demographic change are very real in rural communities and that transport and connectivity issues are raised with every member in the chamber. Access to services can be limited, economic instability often affects rural communities in a heightened way and the cost of living is much greater for those living in them.

As everyone has said, the next Parliament must work together to rebuild trust with rural communities and businesses, and it must redouble efforts to co-design a rural strategy with communities and to put the future of rural and island areas on a more secure footing. The next Government must work with those communities to ensure that legislation is implemented and monitored to enable delivery.

Given that much of my time in my five years in the Parliament has been focused on health, it would be remiss of me not to raise the subject again in the context of rural and remote communities. This parliamentary session ends as it began, with a Government that has really let down the patients and staff in our rural and island health services. Indeed, we have heard repeatedly of a healthcare system that underdelivers and underperforms for our rural communities.

Our universal healthcare system has become a bit of a postcode lottery, with rural health inequalities continuing to be exacerbated by decisions that do not always work for those communities. General practitioners are difficult to get in rural areas; waiting times are increasing; and the level of delayed discharge is high.

Rural areas bear the brunt of the failure to match up services, and distances can make things difficult. In the next parliamentary session, there really needs to be cross-portfolio working, with links made between transport, economy and the cost of living. In my region, there are difficult stories to tell about maternity and alcohol services, but I want to raise in particular the issues of training and support for staff to stay in rural areas, because those are cross-portfolio matters. We must work with trade unions, professional bodies, training providers and NHS boards to get flexible training opportunities, delivery and recruitment in place. One particular area that I have mentioned is apprenticeships, and I hope that we can do more work on that in the next parliamentary session.

I hope that the Parliament can pass on as a legacy the requirement for cross-portfolio working when it comes to rural issues, and I hope that we see that happen in the next session of the Parliament.

14:06

I thank the minister for that helpful answer. I understand that advice and guidance are regularly updated. Does the Scottish Government know of any further research that is being carried out on co-sleeping? How can we ensure that Scotland stays up to date with the latest research and guidance?

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recent findings by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service that 29 babies have died as a result of co-sleeping in Scotland in the past two years. (S6T-02970)

Recommended guidance is that the safest place for a baby to sleep is in their own separate cot. However, it is important that women are supported to make informed decisions about co-sleeping, particularly in the early stages of a newborn’s life, when parents and carers may be tired and lack sleep and rest. Does the Government believe that current advice and support are sufficiently publicised in a way that is helping women to make informed choices about that?

Of course I will take an intervention.

I see that Joe FitzPatrick has picked up Christine Grahame’s excellent technology skills.

Many of the cases that I hear about are from constituents raising concerns that someone who has already been to court and had an order against them banning them from having a dog or pet still has an animal. I also hear about cruelty to wildlife, but often the concern is that the authorities might already be aware of the incident. The debate is important, because sentencing, legislation and the way in which the guidance is delivered must be updated. That is the point that Christine Grahame is trying to make, and that is certainly the case in my experience. The Parliament has done really good work on the issue, but we need to build on that. I look forward to the minister giving us some insight into that.

That links to the messages that I want to give about members’ business debates. I want to raise the profile of members’ business debates. Some in the Parliament suggest that they are not to be prioritised, because we have busy diaries. However, I put on record that I have certainly learned much from members’ business debates over my five years in Parliament. They have helped me with facts on many important issues and to understand the views of members from across the chamber, which definitely helps with the cross-party approach and the ability to work together. Members’ business debates have also given me confidence in other debates, because we perhaps feel more comfortable about intervening during them.

On balance, members’ business is a really important part of the parliamentary system. I thank Christine Grahame for bringing this debate to the chamber today. Sometimes, in this setting, such issues can grab the attention of ministers. We can use this process in the Parliament to get an issue further up the agenda and into different areas.

Thirdly, I thank Christine Grahame for taking part in many members’ business debates in the chamber and for raising many important points about animal welfare and other issues. It has been a great pleasure to spend so many evenings with her, and I wish her well on her next adventure, which I am sure will include more fighting for the rights of our beloved animals and more debates between Labour and the Scottish National Party. Thank you, Christine Grahame.

11:14

I thank Christine Grahame for bringing this important debate to the chamber. I want to speak in the debate for three reasons: first, because it is on a very important issue; secondly, because it is a members’ business debate and I like to speak in those; and, thirdly, because I want to thank Christine Grahame for bringing the debate to the chamber and for spending time in members’ debates in the five years for which I have been in Parliament.

Animal welfare is important to me personally, but not just to me. A study by the SPCA on public opinion on animal welfare found that 91 per cent of people across the United Kingdom recognise the value of animal welfare education. Welfare was ranked as the third most important issue for people when speaking about animals, and 34 per cent of people surveyed were worried about wildlife. The case for action is overwhelming. The figures send a clear message that the public care deeply about animal welfare and expect action. That action must include legislation. The study’s report is a call to action on sentencing, monitoring and enforcement of disqualification orders.

I congratulate Finlay Carson’s daughter and all the team, and I am sure that everyone would join me in doing so.

I thank Brian Whittle for bringing this debate to the chamber. Brian has been a brilliant champion of sport in this Parliament and, like other members, I appreciate all the work that he has done.

I pay tribute to my colleague Alex Rowley, who has given his last speech in Parliament. It is great to speak in the same debate. He has worked hard on many issues during his time here, raising matters from constituents and always offering to work across the chamber to ensure the best outcome for Scotland. I wish him well in his retirement. The Labour group will miss him and we will be poorer without his contributions.

During my time in Parliament, it has been a pleasure to meet numerous sporting organisations that do important work to promote the health, wellbeing and social benefits of sport. Recently, I had the pleasure of engaging with Netball Scotland, which does fantastic work to educate people on the reasons why sport, such as netball, matters. Netball is predominantly a sport for women. It has very passionate volunteers and seeks to bring together community and club level sport. The national team, known as the Scottish Thistles, represents Scotland across the world and is truly an inspiration to women and young girls across the country.

Last year, I nominated the Scottish Thistles captain, Emily Nicholl, to speak at time for reflection in Parliament. She highlighted netball’s power

“to shape lives, build resilience and inspire ambition”.—[Official Report, 2 December 2025; c 1.]

The Scottish Thistles are a great group of motivated, disciplined and educated women, and I wish them the best of luck as they compete in the Commonwealth games this summer.

Throughout the parliamentary session, as others have said, the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee has done a great deal of work to understand barriers in sport, particularly in relation to participation, access and inequality. We know that access is not always equitable. Poverty and cost are significant barriers to access and participation. When considering sport and activity as a force for good, we need to be serious about addressing these barriers and recognise that, in some cases, those who would benefit the most from sport and activity are often those who are least likely to be able to access it. I hope that, in the next session of Parliament, further work will be carried out to promote potential solutions to break down those barriers.

Finally, I will reflect on the impacts of cuts to local services. The diving pool in the Citadel leisure centre in South Ayrshire is in my South Scotland region. It is the last remaining diving pool in the west of Scotland, with many people attending every week. However, the council’s recent decision to cut the programme means that, if divers want to continue, they will need to travel long distances to the east coast. That goes back to the point that other members made. What ends up being cut, and what are the unseen consequences of that? Sport should be about all the different types of sport, and people should have access to them in their communities whenever possible. The diving club is just one example of the many cuts that local authorities are having to make due to long-term underfunding. Those cuts have an impact on overall health and wellbeing. If we want to recognise the benefits of grass-roots sport and exercise, which goes beyond just health and wellbeing, we must consider how such services can be better protected, as they are often the first thing to be cut.

10:39

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how its budget 2026-27 delivers fair funding for health and social care services across the country, including in South Scotland. (S6O-05660)