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Thank you very much for the information that you have given, which is much appreciated. I wonder whether Dr Lamont or Dr Mathers can clarify something for the record. You have provided some information, but it would be useful to know the average waiting time and the longest waiting time. How long have the women who have been waiting the longest had to wait to be seen by the service?

Women are referred to the service, but we cannot be clear why they have not been seen yet—it is sometimes just a long process. Is that what you are saying?

Dr Lamont, do you have anything to add?

I hope that Marie McNair will know and recognise that I very much support a lot of what she has said about local community groups and organisations in relation to the cost of living crisis. Will she show support for local government in Scotland by agreeing that, to connect all that work, we need really strong and well-funded local government?

I have heard that we all agree across the chamber that tackling social isolation and loneliness must be a priority for Government and Parliament. It is welcome to see increased funding to directly address those issues, which I know that the minister cares a great deal about.

However, as my colleague Paul O’Kane mentioned, work to tackle social isolation and loneliness must be connected across sectors and must be aimed towards genuine long-term improvement rather than short-term fixes.

Ruth Maguire’s contribution on the difference between social isolation and loneliness was very good, and I thank her for that.

It is right that we highlight how loneliness in particular can impact anyone. Age Scotland highlighted that, and the quote is worth repeating:

“more than 100,000 older people in Scotland felt lonely all or most of the time, the equivalent of one older person on every street in Scotland.”

That is the stark reality for many people.

We know from research that feelings of loneliness are also common among young adults, as Willie Rennie told us in his contribution. That confirms that loneliness and social isolation are not unique to one group or age bracket; those feelings are felt widely across society, and it is therefore right that our approach to tackling those issues is broad in its focus.

Although it is important to note that the loneliness and social isolation issues that we face have existed for many years, we know that the pandemic exacerbated feelings of loneliness and social isolation across our country. It is crucial that we recognise that as a public health issue and approach it in that way.

I note with interest that the Government has not included in its motion deprivation as one of the key factors that contribute to loneliness. The Scottish household survey of 2020 highlighted that just more than a quarter of people in the least deprived areas reported feeling lonely some or all of the time; that figure was 44 per cent in the most deprived areas, which is a stark difference.

There is a clear link between loneliness and poverty, which the minister mentioned. I hope that she will consider that and speak about it in her closing remarks. People in our poorest communities feel that there are far fewer welcoming places and opportunities to meet new people and far fewer places in which people can meet up and socialise in those communities. That is simply the reality for many people in Scotland. It is a direct result of relentless cuts from a UK Government that has imposed austerity on towns and villages. However, the Scottish Government also has responsibility, and the cuts to council budgets year on year—and therefore cuts to the hearts of our communities—contribute. I would like some honesty about that.

Inequalities in Scotland hold back communities, limit potential and isolate individuals. The figures that I have read out should anger us, but they should not surprise us. They are the result of decisions taken by Governments, and we need to be honest if we are going to address them.

If we are serious about tackling loneliness and isolation, we need more than £3.8 million; we need a shift in focus and priorities that supports investment in tackling health inequalities and is based on tackling inequality and deprivation more widely. We need funding for local government that respects the role that local government plays in service delivery, and we need a focus on having the strongest public sector possible that is supported and complemented by other sectors, and not reliant on them.

As members have mentioned, the information in the Mental Health Foundation report that just less than 40 per cent of Scottish adults would not report feelings of loneliness is of significant concern. I think that another member mentioned that. Those figures are heart-breaking. Loneliness is a significant challenge that many Scots face, and we should not forget that some people will not raise the issue.

The importance of a preventative approach cannot be overestimated. Services must be connected, the public and the voluntary sector must work hand in hand, and we must invest in local communities, ensure that local provision exists for social activities, and reduce feelings of loneliness for anyone who needs mental health support.

I pay tribute to organisations that do a lot to support their communities day to day with very precarious funding. I think that the minister is aware that we need to address the sustainability of some of the very small groups that Christine Grahame mentioned.

Loneliness and social isolation are serious challenges that our population faces, and they can have devastating impacts on individuals, families and communities. The funding announced for tackling social isolation and loneliness is absolutely welcome, but we know that, in our most deprived communities in particular, those feelings are widely held because of a serious lack of investment in services due to cuts to councils and the lack of a joined-up approach across sectors to focus on service delivery. We also know that we need to monitor progress as we try to increase funding and develop policy change.

That we have had the chance to debate the topic today is welcome. I hope that the minister will consider the points that I and other members across the chamber have raised. It is important that we stop widespread social isolation and loneliness and tackle their root causes in our communities.

We know from National Records of Scotland and Alcohol Focus Scotland that alcohol-specific death rates in Scotland’s most deprived areas are more than five times higher than they are in the least deprived areas. With hospital stays linked to alcohol, we see rates that are six times higher in our most deprived communities than in our most affluent. There is a clear need for improved access to alcohol-related support services in our most deprived areas, which are being badly let down by the Government.

The alcohol-related and wider health inequalities that exist in our country are both deep and divisive. The First Minister’s predecessor did little to address them. How can the country have any confidence that he will do any better?

Like many others we have heard from today, I am very enthusiastic about the possibilities that will become available to us with increased investment in the space industry. I join colleagues in encouraging even further investment across Scotland to push our economy forward and bring much-needed jobs to our country. They would be the kind of technical, varied, skilled and well-paid jobs that we need to see more of. It is heartening to come here to discuss job creation instead of yet more people suffering the threat of job loss or precarious and unreliable work.

To be ready for this growing industry, however, we have to increase the number of young people studying STEM subjects, as Audrey Nicoll said in the previous speech. Having STEM subjects at school is really important, as is the ability to carry them forward all the way to relevant degrees and qualifications. That is about how we structure education and the link to understanding all the learning styles and learning options that are, or should be, available to young people and other people throughout their lives.

I have met fantastic apprentices at flourishing businesses such as Spirit AeroSystems in Prestwick, which is training young people in intricate and technical jobs that can sustain them for life. It is an example of supported learning taking place in a work environment, and it came across as an excellent way for the apprentices to learn.

There has to be co-operation among schools, universities, businesses and Government, as we have heard, to achieve this over the long term, for generations to come. I am glad that the minister seems to have the mindset to ensure that that is what we will seek to happen.

I would like to see a much higher proportion of young women studying STEM subjects, which we know continue to be dominated by men. When I spoke to the young apprentices, they spoke about how hard it was to make the decision to go into this field. The issue is not just how to develop relevant skills among young women but how to retain women in these professions as they advance through their careers. We definitely need to work on that. Too many young women do not see engineering and this kind of development work as an environment that they can continue in throughout their lives. It feels a bit closed to them, and that definitely needs to change.

The proposed Mangata Networks development will be of great benefit for Prestwick and the surrounding area in my region of South Scotland, as other members have spoken about. Fears about the long-term sustainability of Prestwick airport have been growing for some time, and the proposed development provides great news for an area with a long and proud history in the aviation and aeronautics industry. It is a wonderful development for the community as a whole, which is full of people who have worked in this kind of industry. I am sure that the spaceport and the industries that pop up around it will be firmly welcomed by everybody in South Scotland.

Increased investment like that will also be a fantastic benefit to our world-leading university sector, which is training the scientists, data analysts and engineers of the future right on the doorstep of the proposed plans for the space industry and at pioneering institutions across Scotland, as we have heard from other members about their regions. This is an opportunity for us to be on the cutting edge and it is very exciting.

Foremost, however, I see this as a brilliant opportunity to bring well-paid, highly skilled jobs with proper trade union representation to the area, and a wonderful chance for future generations to get in on the ground floor in the exciting development of the spaceport and all its surrounding industries. I must stress the importance of those being good trade union jobs—that is so important.

Union representation leads to the long-term sustainability of industry across Scotland; it does not detract from it. Workers who feel represented stay in their jobs and drive innovation. Workers who feel short changed and undervalued go elsewhere, so it is important that we make sure that these jobs come from an industry that welcomes that role of the trade union movement. I will be making that point very clearly to the businesses and investors in the space industry in my region and ensuring that the Government sticks to its promises in that regard—about work and the importance of representation.

I join with my Scottish Labour colleagues and all members across the chamber in celebrating the investment opportunities in the space sector and encouraging others to look at Scotland and, in particular, my region of South Scotland. It is a place where the space sector can make advancements, flourish and be an excellent place for people to work and for communities to be involved in the process.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app did not appear to connect. I would have voted no.

I thank Stephanie Callaghan for bringing this important debate to the chamber. On behalf of Scottish Labour, I, too, welcome world autism acceptance week and all the work in Scotland that is linked to world autism month, which is happening throughout April.

We know that autistic and other neurodivergent people often find themselves excluded from life opportunities and unable to access the support to which they are entitled. Until 2022, the focus of this time of year was world autism awareness. The move to focus on acceptance occurred as a result of the belief that, although, thanks to the campaigning of many people, there was an increased awareness, that was not accompanied by the better understanding of autism that Stephanie Callaghan talked about, or the systemic change that promotes inclusion and acceptance in the long term—those elements are an important part of the work that needs to be done. That is a fair point, and it is worth repeating that we need to think about what changes we can make in society to promote inclusion and that long-term acceptance.

In my life before coming to this place—there was life before this place—I was lucky to meet and work with many people with autism. In that role, I saw at first hand some of the barriers that people and their families face, but I stress that I also saw solutions and the potential avenues that are available to support people with autism and their families.

I thank the National Autistic Society for its very helpful briefing. We know that many autistic people and families face barriers to acceptance and supports in a wide range of everyday settings. People have spoken about school settings that do not have adequate facilities to support autistic learners. In social care, supports are often not forthcoming until a person is in crisis, which is totally the wrong thing for people with autism. It would be remiss of me not to say that the crisis in social care is hugely affecting the support that is available for people with autism and, if we address that crisis, that will help. Providing such support is a professional role, and we should see it as that.

As I have heard many times from families, advocacy services are really important so that people do not reach the crisis point that causes so many problems. As we heard, accommodation affects people with autism, and many people are trapped in the wrong settings, which does not help them. With regard to healthcare, we have heard from members that people have challenges in getting their diagnosis and, perhaps because of that, the help and understanding that they need within health services.

It is really important to me that there are meaningful opportunities in the job market and in other areas, so we must equip employers to support people. In addition, we must understand what happens as people get older, so we need research to look at that.

As people know, for me, a fairer society is one that prioritises health and, in the chamber, we often talk about that. Physical, mental, social and economic health are all crucial aspects that we want for ourselves, so we want them for other people as well.

I am aware of time, but another interesting point is that we estimate that about 56,000 people in Scotland are living with autism, but an additional number of people need support. There are around 700,000 people for whom autism and/or a learning disability is part of their daily life, and those complexities would be helped if we had better understanding.

In my concluding remarks, I will talk about the learning disability, autism and neurodiversity bill and the creation of a commissioner. I was lucky enough to visit a group in Catrine in Ayrshire, in my region, where there is a very compassionate group of staff. They spoke to me about how worth while that work would be and how important it is to get in there. I ask the minister to give us some idea of a timeframe for that work, as that would be very helpful for people who are living with autism.

That must be addressed in an intergenerational way. I hope that all your “LOLs” are in the right place.

Evidence suggests that we can sometimes live in silos in Scotland today, but the development of intergenerational space gives us a chance to grow together and to feel safe to share experiences and events. That is known to help with learning, loneliness and physical and mental health, which are all really important. We know that health inequalities exist from birth and that they continue to negatively impact people throughout their lives and can determine outcomes in later life. If we believe that intergenerational policies will benefit people and communities of all ages, we must acknowledge that and build intergenerational space and activity with health inequalities at the core of that policy development.

We must be honest about policy development. The motion

“notes the calls on the Scottish Government, local authorities and all other relevant bodies to prioritise intergenerational work and develop policies and initiatives that promote intergenerational collaboration and understanding, across a vast range of policy areas, including health and social care, early years and education, and community planning.”

That describes work across the portfolios, but the reality is that we need to fund local government to allow those things to happen. Local government is key to the development of all those policies and if we truly believe in that work we will fight to retain local government funding.

I am short of time, so I conclude by thanking everybody for contributing to the debate. There is a lot to be done. We need to challenge some of the decisions that are made and some of the inaction, but I believe that we can make it happen if we look at the issue with some urgency.