Seòmar agus comataidhean

I am privileged to have in my constituency Glencorse barracks, in Penicuik, which is the home of 2 Scots, the second battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, and across the road and up the hill at Milton Bridge there are Army family homes. I have visited both, and I know that the support of families is essential in sustaining the morale of those who are serving. However, partners and families need support, too, and I agree with Willie Rennie on the special circumstances for the children as they move often from place to place.

The first, obvious observation to make is that the term “veterans” embraces many different people, as Jamie Greene mentioned. There are those who have had a short service career; those who were long serving; those who have been on the front line in places of conflict, in combat or peacekeeping, and those who have not; those who live alone; those who live with parents or partners; those with parental responsibilities; those who have suffered life-changing injuries; and those with combat stress—and that list is not exhaustive. One size therefore does not fit all, but there are common experiences.

Our servicemen and women face particular challenges as they re-enter the civilian community. They have lived and worked in a culture of conformity, structure, obedience and rank; of service tours taking them away from family, partners and friends for months on end; of access to housing and health services being provided; and of a guaranteed income. That contrasts starkly with life in a civilian community—being at home in the world of the civilian in which decisions and choices have to be made that, perhaps, were previously made for them. Now they are at home most of the time. They have to make their own health provision, find work and fit in. The comradeship that came with the job may be distant, and they may have to make new social ties.

Often, that is hard not just for them but for their family. A household will have run without them for months on end. Their partner will have made all the day-to-day decisions, so, even when they are on leave, there have to be adjustments all round—which is also true for any children. They have to fit back into a domestic household that functioned well without them. If they have returned from some horror overseas, that must also be factored in.

Funding to provide routes to adjustment helps, as does all the person-to-person support. I note that, from 2021 to 2023, £750,000 was put into supporting work on health, wellbeing and quality of life that was expanded to include all veterans over 60 instead of 65.

I will focus on health, including the Scottish Government’s commitment to better supporting access to and engagement with primary healthcare providers by veterans and their families. The general practice armed forces and veterans recognition scheme opened to GPs across Scotland in November 2023, providing easily accessible training materials. The scheme’s aim was to raise awareness among general practice teams of some of the unique health challenges that veterans and armed forces families face as a result of military service. It is therefore disappointing to learn of the issues with uptake.

I said “unique”. That is a reference not simply to PTSD but to challenges that might seem mundane but are equally important. For example, on discharge, a home has to be found. We have heard of the difficulties of homelessness and GP registration, and the importance of the MOD ensuring prompt transfer of medical records for the veteran and their family,

Mental wellbeing was referenced by the minister. For some, the transition simply does not work. There can be marriage and relationship break-ups, with all the fallout that can be predicted. Some turn to alcohol and, indeed, drugs, which might lead in time to homelessness, criminal activity and even imprisonment.

That brings me to the withdrawal of NHS Lothian’s financial support for Veterans First Point, to the tune of £200,000 or thereabouts. The Scottish Government remains committed to its 40 per cent share. I already raised the matter in an intervention, and I note the meeting that is to take place next week with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and the Minister for Veterans.

As the minister knows, Veterans First Point Lothian is a bespoke service that has been jointly funded by the Scottish Government and NHS Lothian as a one-stop shop, offering support, advice and mental health care for veterans. It is a multi-award-winning service that has provided support, including peer support, to more than 2,500 veterans over the past 15 years.

Notwithstanding that meeting, I have written to the MOD to say that, if NHS Lothian remains intransigent about removing the funding, the MOD should step in. It is only £200,000, for goodness’ sake. After all that those men have done in serving to protect us, that is peanuts.

In the light of what the minister says, does he share my disappointment that NHS Lothian is withdrawing its funding—a paltry £200,000 or thereabouts—to support the vital service that is provided by Veterans First Point Lothian? I know that the Scottish Government is still chipping in, but that funding was money well spent. Does the minister share my concerns about that?

I note in the budget the reference to additional ASN teachers, which I welcome, and I acknowledge what the minister said in her answer with regard to ADHD. However, given the admitted delays for children, would she consider, with her health colleague, establishing a list of qualified private ADHD assessors whose diagnosis might be accepted by national health service practitioners, in order to facilitate shared care agreements across Scotland and assist in children’s educational provision? ADHD is a wide spectrum and the needs of each child will be different.

I listed them in my first response. Before departure, the international relations office actively confers with delegates on how the visit will be publicised—for example, asking members to sign off any social media content and whether to tag them personally. It also offers robust comms and support for committees.

As I said in my first reply, what support there is really depends on the nature of the visit. If some extraordinary support needs to be provided by the SPCB, that would be considered.

Regarding communications, the IRO, ahead of external visits, will discuss any proactive or reactive comms that may be required; I am aware that sometimes bad publicity that is undeserved is conferred on some of those visits.

I thank all members who signed my motion, which allowed the debate to proceed.

We all know that young people inhabit an increasingly complex world and that Covid lockdowns have had a profound effect on their growth and development, as well as on their hopes and fears for the future. Ever easier access to drugs and alcohol has led to increased experimentation, which is starting at younger and younger ages. As that is coupled with often unrestricted access to the internet and the pressures of social media, youth wellbeing is probably at an all-time low.

As the world around us becomes more polarised, young people need safe spaces to socialise, meet new people and hear new perspectives to challenge and be challenged on their views and behaviour. That is where youth work can be a powerful force for good in the lives of our young people and communities.

One such youth work organisation, Tweeddale Youth Action—which I will call TYA—has just celebrated 25 years of working with Tweeddale’s young people. Through its committed talented staff team, led by localities manager Dave Hodson, the organisation delivers a fantastic range of youth work services and opportunities for young people in Peebles, Innerleithen and the surrounding areas.

Its activities include drop-ins, which provide casual and commitment-free access to young people and give them the confidence to come in to see what TYA is all about. The drop-ins, which are held on Mondays and Thursdays in Innerleithen and on Wednesdays and Fridays in Peebles, are crucial in beginning to build those essential trusting relationships, which, for some young people, might be the only positive adult relationships that they experience. A variety of activities are on offer, including the usual—table tennis and pool—as well as access to free food at the youth club, which continues to be important to young people who attend. Many of our young people are hungry and, for some, TYA helps to fill a poverty gap, particularly during school holidays.

There is the bike punks project. TYA continues to develop its facilities at Innerleithen, with the workshop being put to great use to provide learning opportunities to weld and repair bicycles under the bike punks brand. With Innerleithen being a centre of excellence in the mountain biking industry, the project continues to grow. That is definitely an area where TYA wants to expand in the future in order to teach skills that local employers need and value, particularly as the Tweed valley becomes increasingly well known for cycling.

We move on to more punks—food punks. There have been exciting developments in Peebles, where the food punks project, led by Stuart Clink, has opened a fast-food pizza shop on the High Street. The project pizza training academy and pizzeria is an ambitious and challenging project that is not without risk, but TYA feels that the rewards are justified to allow young people to develop skills that can be used in the hospitality industry through exposure to real-life catering, real people and real business, because nothing beats learning on the job. In a supportive environment, the experience helps the young people who are involved to achieve and exceed their goals. In time, it is hoped that the skills that are learned in the shop will lead to formal qualifications for all those who are being trained by the talented food punks team.

The shop on Peebles High Street comes after years of the food punks project delivering a wide array of outside and event catering, with different food offerings and very little repetition. In itself, that has been great, but it did not allow for the repetition that helps to consolidate young people’s skills. Project pizza has helped to narrow the focus and, more importantly, it has provided a platform to teach and help young people to refine their skills.

TYA takes young people out and about—making friends, strengthening existing friendships, breaking down barriers and being open to new ideas and experiences, which can make a huge difference to a young person’s outlook. Through TYA’s Easter, summer and Christmas holiday programmes and trips away, the staff continue to see increased confidence, self-esteem and aspirations among the young people, as well as reduced anxiety, loneliness and isolation. That is just as a result of going on trips, including to theme parks, beaches, art galleries and museums, city trips to Edinburgh and Glasgow and attending the Youth Beatz music festival.

It is not rocket science; it is hands-on and practical. It is about belonging, having an identity and seeing that there is reason to be optimistic and hopeful for the future. If young people do not get that through positive experience, they might find it through other means that are not good for them.

The Borders-wide stepping stones project is another example. TYA continues to provide one-to-one support through that very successful programme, which targets individuals who require additional help to achieve their full potential. It is a partnership youth work project with YouthBorders that is aimed at improving the emotional wellbeing and life chances of young people aged 10 to 18. The project works alongside schools, social work and other youth and community-based organisations to ensure that support is focused on those who need it most.

Comments from young people who have taken part in stepping stones show that it increased their ability to express their point of view with other people, that they know where to go to access trusted information to make informed choices, that their confidence increased and that they consider the potential risks before making choices about where to go and what to do.

All that is done by TYA under the guidance and presence of the excellent Dave Hodson. I say to Dave and the team, well done, and I look forward to visiting you soon—I think that it is in my diary for 13 December.

While I am on my feet, I suggest to the minister that he visits some of the projects that I have mentioned, because they are just good.

Since September, the head of security has visited the chamber regularly to observe the period between the end of First Minister’s questions and the commencement of members’ business, to understand how the movement of visitors is handled by security staff. Initial findings have shown that the changeover has been swift—within four minutes—and that those visiting were able to access the chamber for the start of members’ business. The changeover is, however, being kept under review.

I very much sympathise with the member’s point. The matter was raised at the corporate body this morning, and we are looking into it.

What has come out of the debate is how essential youth work is in helping children who might take the wrong route in life and, if we are being honest about it, the fact that it is not just individual young people who benefit but society. May I ask that youth work is made a priority across the education, health and justice portfolios? I say that because the issue is relevant to all those portfolios and, as well as creating positive lives for young people, so much could be saved in those portfolios. I want youth work to be higher on the Cabinet’s agenda.

Where members are officially representing the Parliament at external engagements, full support is provided by Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body staff to assist with planning and delivering the engagement. That includes making logistical arrangements, providing briefings, accompanying members to engagements and providing communications support. The exact nature of the support will vary, depending on the nature of the engagement.

It is reported that the rise in national insurance contributions for employers will overwhelm the finances of charities such as the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which will face an estimated increased cost of £400,000 per annum—that is twice the cost of feeding all the animals in its care. I declare an interest as an SSPCA member. Have there been any discussions with the UK Government on the financial damage to the charitable sector in Scotland? Organisations such as the SSPCA cannot pass those costs on to anybody, so they must cut what they deliver.