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Richard Leonard wishes to stick to the union on his soapbox—no matter what.

We could once again have international students, with opportunities for them to live and work here after studying. With independence and a return to being a member state of the EU, new visas would be introduced to support people to live and work here, including a live-in-Scotland visa, which would allow people to live and work here without employer sponsorship if they met certain criteria. A Scottish connections visa would give certain people immediate rights to live and work here if they had been in residence for five years and met other criteria. A work-in-Scotland visa would be a visa through employer sponsorship, with simplified rules to allow more employers to recruit from abroad. A family visa could remove the minimum income requirement that is currently in place for a UK family visa, making it easier for families to choose Scotland as a place to live; it would also help to reunite families who have been separated.

All in all, with what lies ahead, it is not good for our public services and our economy unless we have control of these matters. Migration is natural. It is in our DNA, and, broadly, it is a good thing. We Scots should know that. The Scottish diaspora worldwide is estimated to be between 28 million and 40 million people. Two years ago, one of my sons and his family became migrants, moving to a welcoming Canada—another family lost to Scotland. It is time for our country to do the same: let us regulate migration to Scotland, bring employment law here and welcome families and young people who will contribute so much to our economy and our services.

Anything to do with football is dangerous territory for me to involve myself in, but when I chaired the Health and Sport Committee many moons ago, there were concerns about representatives from premiership clubs going to young children’s football matches and promising them the earth—of course, they were discarded later on. Can you advise whether the situation in that regard has moved on, so that we do not have that happening to young boys and girls who may be let down?

People with type 2 diabetes are sometimes blamed for their condition, with people saying that it is a lifestyle issue. That is wrong. I know perfectly well that that is not the case, because a member of my family who is as fit as a fiddle and who has a handicap of 2 at golf was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I just want to put that on the record. There is a blame game attached, sometimes.

I, too, congratulate the member on securing the debate.

I take members back to a time when the only method to manage diabetes—indeed, it is still the case for too many—was the constant pricking of fingers to obtain a blood sample, checking it and then having to inject insulin to redress falling blood glucose levels. That had to be done not just once in the course of a day—a person’s type 1 diabetes dictated their daily life.

I have had colleagues, and I have family members, with type 1 diabetes who were once required to use that system. Often, it was only when they became aware that their levels were falling that they tested their glucose levels. If the level had gone too far, there was the danger of a hypo, with all the health problems that would follow. That was a particular worry for children with diabetes.

Today, there are very welcome technical devices—I am not good on technicalities, so I will tread warily. For example, there is the flash glucose monitor and there is the continuous glucose monitor, and there are hybrid variations thereof. With a CGM, as I understand it, a person’s latest sugar levels show up on their device or mobile phone automatically, transmitted by Bluetooth. With a flash glucose monitor, it is only when they wave or scan their device over the sensor—the little white button on their arm—that they get their sugar readings. I have seen that in operation with a family member, who has also added to it an automatic pump for insulin. That is what I mean by talking about hybrid variations.

Those systems have to be tailored to the individual; it is not simply a matter of the NHS handing over the devices. First, they must be clinically recommended, and then an individual must be taught how to use them and must feel confident in their use. However, it makes such a difference to everyday living, as I have observed with my family member. Managing diabetes becomes an everyday thing, without a constant and inhibiting concern about blood sugar levels. With experience and the right technical device, the technology takes care of itself. As I said, I have seen that with the experience of my family member, who has—as I explained—a hybrid flash device plus the automatic pump, which is very discreet. For parents and carers of children, it is a godsend. As members will appreciate, the technology can be accessed and monitored by a parent or carer, including overnight, when worries may grow.

Last year, the Scottish Government provided Scotland-wide funding of £8.8 million for the expansion of access to diabetes technologies to support the purchase of new kit, although that funding is not allocated directly to NHS boards but is, as I understand it, part of their overall support. I very much welcome the investment, not only—as others have mentioned—as preventative spend, but, more importantly, because it releases those who are living with diabetes from the worry and travail of the old methods.

I know that issues remain with the supply of pumps and associated technologies, as others have mentioned, so I will check again with NHS Borders the position for 2025, and I await the minister’s comments in her summing up. Enabling access to such technologies seems to be the right and decent thing to do for people with type 1 diabetes, and it will prevent more serious health issues in the mid to longer term.

On food waste and the responsibility of large businesses, although BOGOF—buy one, get one free—offers have largely been consigned to the bin, “buy one, get one half price” offers have not. Does the cabinet secretary agree that much of that food is not eaten and is thrown away? Would it not be better if businesses and supermarkets simply brought down the prices of single items, particularly for those who live alone, such as pensioners?

Will the First Minister take the opportunity to commend the responsible breeders and rescue centres that will not home dogs, puppies or kittens over the festive period? The disturbance, bright lights and noise are the last thing those animals need as an introduction to their new home.

Anyone who has concerns that puppies are being trafficked should report that to the police or the SSPCA. Anyone who sees a puppy being advertised online or is buying it out of the back of a van in a car park will have no idea where that puppy came from or the misery that brought its journey to an end.

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will encourage the public not to buy puppies or dogs during the festive period, in light of the reported possibility that these may be the product of irresponsible breeders, including illegal puppy farms. (S6F-03648)

As we know, we are talking about family farms that have been worked through the generations. It is not an ordinary job or business; it is a way of life. Many of those families will now be worried sick as to whether they can continue to the next generation. Does the minister agree that the irony is that, if the farms are taken over by individuals not to farm but to reduce their inheritance tax liability—to do a Jeremy Clarkson, if you like—that would help rich hobby farmers to the cost of real farmers? Does Sir Keir Starmer understand rural Scotland at all?

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the provision of support for children with additional support needs, what assessment it has made of any impact of the reported delays to ADHD assessments for children on their education. (S6O-04085)

I can advise the Parliament that Mr Sweeney took part in all the challenges while I watched from the sidelines and applauded his skill.