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During the autumn, a golden eagle mysteriously vanished in the Borders and is now believed to have been shot. Named Merrick, she was part of the prestigious south of Scotland golden eagle project. I have visited the project and know about the time and dedication that are required to bring chicks to maturity and gradually introduce them to the wild. A satellite tag, blood and feathers were found where Merrick was last tracked—near Heriot, in my constituency—indicating that she was shot, bled badly and was killed, with her body and her tag removed. Police Scotland has worked with land managers, raptor workers and the public as part of the investigation, but can the minister advise whether any progress has been made in identifying the culprits?

I add that most gamekeepers and land managers are good folk and that it is the bad guys and women whom we want to get. If no progress has been made, what other steps can be taken, for example, through whistleblowing?

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My phone would not connect. I would have voted no.

I declare an interest as a regular user of the bypass to get to my constituency, which is what I was doing on Thursday night, when I got stuck on the bypass. Going east to west from Sheriffhall, the first slip road off is to Penicuik, and it took me more than an hour to get there. Has any consideration been given to opening up the central crash barrier temporarily, stopping the west to east traffic and allowing those going in the opposite direction who are stuck to turn around and get off the bypass?

I add that I certainly did not see any police during my time on that road.

That was a very interesting response.

On triage, I know that the cabinet secretary is aware of the distress brief intervention project, which is a triage service involving agencies including the police, the national health service and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. Vulnerable individuals are directed to the correct pathway to help them to deal with issues. I can advise members that the Scottish Borders was one of the first places where that has been rolled out. I am sure that the cabinet secretary welcomes the development of that project.

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had and will have with rural communities, such as residents and businesses in the Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale constituency, regarding the restrictions on the installation of wood-burning stoves. (S6O-03455)

I beg your pardon, Presiding Officer. I should know better.

I am glad that the minister reminded me that I had invited the minister to visit my constituency.

I refer to the letter of 16 May that the minister referred to, which responded to various concerns that I had. To quote it:

“I would like to reassure you that we have heard the concerns raised recently ... and we are taking these fully on board.”

It seems that, with fresh people in post in the Government, we may very well be doing that. Therefore, I again ask the minister to come round my constituency with me—that is a second invitation, which not many people get from me—to evidence the log piles that are stacked beside cottages in the villages. Logs are cheap and accessible locally. The minister can reach out and understand the impact that there would have been had wood-burning stoves been banned—I appreciate that it was not a complete ban—for usage in areas where they are essential.

Thank you very much, minister. I had forgotten that I had invited you—I am glad that you reminded me.

The First Minister referred to the Public Petitions Committee, which, in 2003, said:

“The proper way is to get a full public and independent inquiry ... We support the petition 100 per cent and will now refer it to the Health and Community Care Committee with our strongest recommendation that it support a full public inquiry.”—[Official Report, Public Petitions Committee, 18 March 2003; c 2994.]

I chaired the Health Committee in 2003. We tried to push for that but failed, and it took another 20 years, which is a disgrace.

Apologies are one thing; responsibility is another, but it is not enough. Does the First Minister agree that, where deliberate delay, obfuscation or downright cover-up is evident, prosecution should and must follow without delay, and does he agree that that would deliver even better justice for the victims and survivors?

Will the minister visit Galashiels in the heart of my constituency to see the significant measures that have been put in place on public transport by bus and train, as well as the improvements that have been made to pavements, to increase accessibility to tourist destinations, such as the great tapestry of Scotland, for people with mobility challenges? To my cost, I am learning about such challenges—temporarily, I hope.

I congratulate Clare Adamson on securing the debate, which is timeous during national no falls week.

I have entitled this speech “Ladder-related myths”, to which I will shortly come. Like the previous speaker, I have observed from my experience the different safety precautions that tradesmen who are working on my house take. For example, every so often, the house—in common with many—requires sprucing up by way of painting, not just doors and so on, but the rones and gutters. I have a two-storey cottage, and there is also the solid-roof conservatory with its doubled-glazed glass roof.

Previously, my regular painter, who is self-employed, dealt with those tasks with only ladders. Like a trapeze artist, he tippy-toed across the wooden spine of the conservatory while I watched anxiously, lest my very own Humpty-Dumpty fell through that glass roof. Maybe he, too, realised retrospectively that it was a bit foolhardy, or at least that he was too old for the ladder routine, so the next time that I called him, he put me on to a colleague, who insisted on scaffolding. I was relieved—it put another thousand pounds on the job, but I would rather that than somebody falling through the roof.

Over the next two weeks, I was entertained as fit young men swung about the scaffolding, and I knew that they, and my glass roof, would——in that order of importance—remain intact. In researching this speech—I did research it—I found a whole list of ladder-related myths. That is a phrase that I never thought that I would use in Parliament, but here are a few of those myths.

The first myth is that the HSE has banned the use of ladders on building sites. That is not the case. Ladders and stepladders can be a sensible and practical option. They can be used for work at height when the use of other work equipment is not justified because of the low risk or short duration: no more than 30 minutes at a time.

Myth 2 is that you need to be formally qualified before using a ladder at work. No, you do not—you need to be competent. That means that you have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to use a ladder properly for the work that you will carry out, or, if you are being trained, that you work under the supervision of someone who can perform the task competently.

Myth 3 is that you are working at height if you walk up and down a staircase at work—I do not give that much space. No, you are not—work at height does not include walking up and down a permanent staircase in a building.

Myth 4 is that you need to have two feet and one hand on a stepladder at all times when you are carrying out a task. That is not true either. When you need to have both hands free for a brief period to do a job using a stepladder, such as putting a box on a shelf, hanging wallpaper or installing a smoke detector on a ceiling, you need to maintain three points of contact at the working position. That is not just two feet and one hand; it can be two feet and your body.

Myth 5—the last myth—is that the HSE has banned the use of ladders to access scaffolds and that you will be fined if you ignore that ban. That is not true either. Ladders can be used for access as long as they are of the right type, a suitable grade of industrial ladder, in good condition and effectively secured to prevent movement.

There you go—those are five ladder-related myths.

Although I have treated the subject with something of a light touch, it is a very serious business, as my colleague Clare Adamson aptly described. As she indicated, the sensible use of ladders is important not only in the workplace but in people’s own homes, when they are using them by themselves.