Seòmar agus comataidhean

I, too, refer to the report, which says:

“The framework is also designed to ensure that the needs of people with learning disabilities and their families drive the local commissioning strategy”.

That is quite official language. For all the families who are on the front line, what—in plain speak—does that mean and how will it be achieved?

It is fatal to turn around and look at me, because I will intervene.

I invite the minister to liaise with the Minister for Transport to pursue integrated ticketing for trains, buses and local attractions. I am going to bang on about that until something happens. While he and his Cabinet colleagues are at it, I invite them to trial that across the Borders to see how good it is.

It goes without saying—although I will say it—that businesses that depend directly on tourists, or indirectly, as suppliers or through tourist footfall, have had a tough time over the past two years. Thank goodness for Government support here and through the UK furlough scheme, which let at least some of those businesses keep ticking.

Covid also had an upside, as folk travelled close to home rather than take flight—literally. Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale boast much to attract, from the National Mining Museum in Newtongrange to the small independent museum in Melrose, the Trimontium, which narrates the story of the nearby Roman settlement and the spread of the Romans across Scotland—they even reached the Isle of Skye; I do not know whether they reached Orkney, but I will check that out for you, Presiding Officer.

Then there is Abbotsford, the eclectic home of Sir Walter Scott, also near Melrose. Incidentally, in the armoury there, the shield for the Scott family is on the wall right next to the family shield for the Grahame family—and that is Grahame with an E; members can read into that what they like.

Galashiels is now the location of the great tapestry of Scotland and—something that I like a bit better—a wonderful statue of the charismatic Robert Coltart, who devised Coulter’s candy and the famous jingle,

“Ally bally, ally bally bee”,

which I think was the first advertising jingle ever to be developed. I think that that is more interesting.

Most of those attractions can be reached by travelling along the Borders railway. This is where I repeat my call for integrated ticketing for train journeys and bus day tickets, with discounted entry to tourist attractions.

For someone of an energetic frame of mind, there is ample scope to cycle many of the dedicated routes or to have a go at mountain biking on the trails at Innerleithen and Glentress, which have been mentioned—although they are only partially open just now, due to storm damage. Borders Buses lets people know—literally, as it says on the buses, “The bus you can take your bike on”—that they can take their bikes when they travel.

For the hyperactive, the Pentland hills are there for the taking, although—mind—people should treat them thar hills and the livestock with respect.

For someone who likes people gazing, taking a seat outside a local pub or hotel on Peebles High Street or Penicuik precinct and taking their time over a glass of wine or coffee—or perhaps both—will get them going.

At this time of year, someone who wants to admire rhododendrons and azaleas—that is my gig—should take a ramble through Dawyck or Kailzie gardens. After that, they could pamper themselves and deal with their aches and pains at nearby, award-winning Stobo castle.

That was my little tour of the tourist attractions in the Borders. My constituency is a hidden gem, a stone’s throw—or a short bus or train journey—from here, our capital city. I invite all members to visit some of the attractions that I mentioned, to see for themselves. I especially invite the minister, because I want to educate him about the benefits of the Borders and Midlothian.

My hope is that the staycations of recent months become a habit. Whether we are talking about a day out or a weekend away, all the wee local shops, businesses, hotels, pubs and B and Bs benefit. With this week’s weather, what more could we ask? Sunburn is not good for our skin, we will not lose our luggage and we will be doing our bit for the local economy.

The First Minister will be aware of the serious adverse events review and subsequent NHS Lothian action plan that was published recently following the death of my constituent Amanda Cox on 10 December 2018 shortly after the birth of her son, Murray, when she became disorientated but it took seven hours to find her in a stairwell, dying from a brain haemorrhage.

Does the First Minister agree that, although the recommendations in the action plan for better hospital closed-circuit television, better signage and the observation of headaches in pregnant women—it is disgraceful that such recommendations need to be made—came more than three years too late for my constituents, every national health service board in Scotland should not only be aware of them but act on them so that nothing similar happens again? That would give the family some very slight comfort after that dreadful tragedy.

Indeed—there is a role for the Scottish Sentencing Council.

The motion refers to the impact on owners, which, we can infer, should have an impact on sentences. However, to the best of my knowledge, the existing victim impact statements do not alter the weight of evidence, nor the value of any reports commissioned by the court, nor usually the sentence, although—and this is unusual—they may do so in the matter of serious crime, for example rape.

To give an example, two burglaries in an empty domestic property may have different impacts on different people, even though the events are identical. The burglar sneaks in through an unlocked door, lifts a computer and leaves. One householder in that situation is upset but angry, having left the door unlocked; another feels totally insecure in their home and violated by someone uninvited having been there. It would be difficult to argue that, all things being equal other than the impact on the householders, the penalties should be different. What is without contention is that data on dog thefts, both reported and prosecuted, and with outcomes, should be collected. That is an important move forward, and things should be changed in that respect.

Accepting, as I do, that animals are sentient beings and not things is another complication. Can we really argue that the theft of a dog should be equated to the abduction of a child? I do not have answers to such questions, but they have to be addressed. Legislation is tricky stuff, as we all know, and I have touched on just some of the difficulties, but I reassure Maurice Golden that I support his proposal. I will see his bill when it is introduced, and I hope that it functions properly, but we all know that issues such as those that I have mentioned must be addressed to make legislation that is sound and functional.

I thank Maurice Golden for securing the debate, which I welcome. I acknowledge that the theft of dogs is on the rise, although we know that actual figures—for the reasons that he has given—are not available; I will come to that later.

Sometimes guilt, and certainly heartbreak, ensues when you have a much-loved pet stolen. You will not know what has happened to the dog, or anything about its future or how it has reacted to being removed from its home—all those things I appreciate. In my day, when my family had the companionship and affection of Roostie, our Irish setter and much-loved member of the family, she would sometimes go missing, but thankfully she had always simply wandered off. We soon found her, usually on the river bank at the bottom of the garden, or she trotted home herself.

We would have been distraught if she had been stolen. Even then, dog theft was virtually unknown. We are now in a different world, with demand outstripping supply and the high value, in monetary terms, that is put on dogs.

That is where I start. We are much more informed now and know that all animals are sentient beings—although, as pet owners, we have always known that, certainly of our dogs, with their individuality and personalities. They are indeed one of the family.

Now to the detail, where the devil always lies. I note that although Roddy Dunlop, who is dean of the Faculty of Advocates and a dog owner himself, appreciates the motivations behind Maurice Golden’s proposed bill, he considers that the offence is already covered by the common law on theft and that, although well intended, a separate offence, presumably with a maximum sentence of five years, would reduce the existing available sentencing range. Roddy Dunlop’s view is that, if sentences are not currently suitable, the independent Scottish Sentencing Council has the role of setting sentencing guidelines and ensuring consistency across the courts—taking into account other issues that the member has raised. I am not supporting that point; I am just raising it, together with other matters.

Accused, but not guilty I plead.

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to the United Kingdom Government regarding reducing VAT on fuel to help mitigate increases in the cost of living for households in Scotland. (S6O-00873)

I have a suggestion for the cabinet secretary to take to that meeting. Without disclosing my workings—I will not give members the headache that I gave myself—I have calculated that if we take fuel costs at £1.63 per litre at the pump, a 50-litre tank costs nearly £82. Of that, nearly £29 is fuel duty, with a further £13 or so in VAT, which is levied on the raw cost plus the fuel duty, doubling the pump price. That is £42 in tax that goes straight to the Treasury.

Does the cabinet secretary agree that the elephant in the room is fuel duty and that, in these extreme times, it would not be a bad idea for the Treasury to waive fuel duty for a period? That would save our public services—the national health service, the police and so on—from inflationary fuel costs, it would reduce transport costs, which are inflating fuel prices, and it would reduce our increasing energy bills, both commercial and domestic.

I note the proposal for welcome hubs and, if necessary, temporary accommodation. I suggest that the Scottish Government could start by using premises that are in its ownership for welcome hubs and accommodation. For example, in Edinburgh, we have Holyrood palace a stone’s throw from the Parliament. It is, I understand, owned by the Scottish Government, has lots of space—more than 200 rooms—and is largely underoccupied.

I do not know whether the member is aware that one of the horrors that are associated with microchipping is that, often, the criminals will remove the microchip from the animals that they steal, sometimes in dreadful ways.