Seòmar agus comataidhean

I thank David Torrance for bringing the motion to the chamber for debate, not only allowing us to pay tribute to the Kingdom Off Road Motorcycle Club and welcome those who are here today to represent it, but giving those of us across the country who are interested in these issues the chance to recognise that club in Fife and to consider how it could serve as an example of how to make a bigger difference.

The club is clearly a great example—because of the volunteer effort, the investment and the organisation that has gone into making it happen—of the difference that constructive youth work and strategic investment can make.

As I have said before in this chamber, when I was first elected as MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith in 2016, we faced significant issues with motorbike crime in the north of the capital city because stolen motorbikes were being brought there, driven dangerously and then burned out.

Operation Soteria by Police Scotland was activated to deal with that. Along with the stronger north initiative, the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, the council, the third sector, funding from the Robertson Trust and a youth work collaborative, it made a difference through diversion and intervention.

At that time, one of the projects that was looked at was in Fife. That shows that, even then, there was an understanding that what was being done in Fife was interesting because it was providing an alternative place for young people to learn about motorbiking in a safe way and to get the thrill of participating in that activity without engaging in criminality.

At the moment, in my constituency, the situation in the north of the city is not perfect, but it is not problematic in the way that it was. However, in Leith, as I have said in the chamber on several occasions in recent months, we have experienced issues with off-road vehicles—both two-wheeled and four-wheeled—being driven dangerously as part of a wider issue, with a very small minority of young people engaging in dangerous antisocial and criminal behaviour.

We can learn important lessons from the example that David Torrance has brought to the chamber. As Mr Torrance mentioned, this debate feeds into Bob Doris’s debate and other recent debates about how we not only better support the police but intervene in other ways to challenge this growing trend in communities in Scotland.

In some ways, it is a social media-driven trend. As I have said before, there is an element of organised crime in some incidents, but, along with some general crime trends that concern a very small minority of our youth, the situation has definitely got worse in the capital city and elsewhere in 2024.

In 2025, how do we undertake new initiatives collectively to improve the situation and make sure that it does not get worse? The working group proposal, which was discussed in previous debates and mentioned again today, is a good one. I would be interested to hear, not just in the minister’s response but as we go into the early quarters of 2025, what the Government will undertake to ensure that we have initiatives in all areas across the country that can make a difference by intervening, providing more positive destinations for young people, giving the police the resources and powers that they need, and putting public safety above everything else.

Although £90,000 is a lot of money, compared with, for example, the spending that would be needed if people ended up in the criminal justice system, it is not a large amount of money and could be a really important example of the Christie principle of engaging in preventative spend. What more preventative spend, such as the example that has been brought to the chamber today, can we have to make sure that we get on top of this issue in 2025?

It was interesting to get that update from the minister. Will she extend the same courtesy to other members who have expressed a significant interest in those issues, which are of significant concern to their constituents? I, for example, would very much want to attend such a meeting.

Not so long ago, in this chamber, we reflected on the situation in Afghanistan and the terrible and horrific circumstances for women and girls in that country. They are denied access to healthcare and education, they are repressed and they are denied their human rights. Afghanistan is a very different place to Scotland, but it serves as a warning from history—and the present—that things can regress. These 16 days, here in Scotland and internationally, are a chance for us to remember those who have suffered from violence against women and girls, to reflect on the situation that we are in and—for those of us who are men—to refocus on what more we can and should do.

In Scotland, we have made significant advancements with legislation, although I appreciate that there are calls for more to be done. There is also the Government’s commitment to introducing a law on misogyny, and there is collaboration across the UK to take more action on the difficulties in social media with regard to what it is doing in certain worrying instances to, as has been referenced, almost encourage toxic masculinity.

Further, there is the important work that is done in Scotland by our many stakeholders, through funding from the Government and the equally safe strategy. There are many projects and organisations that make a difference across the country and in our communities. In Edinburgh Northern and Leith, we have specific focused organisations such as Sikh Sanjog, Shakti Women’s Aid and Saheliya, and there are national bodies and initiatives such as Women’s Aid, which is with us this week in the garden lobby, as well as Aberlour Children’s Charity and the financially included project, which have been doing work in Parliament today—I was glad to meet them earlier to talk about the important work that they do around reducing coercive control and coerced debt.

There is also White Ribbon Scotland, which has engaged with many of us in Parliament in recent years. Next week in Parliament, I will host an event with it on persuading men and boys to take action on men’s violence against women and girls. I also mention Zero Tolerance, which has provided important information for us today and is doing great work, as others have said.

There is much to do. Many of the statistics have already been stated but, according to Zero Tolerance, only 19 per cent of girls and women feel completely safe in educational settings. In relation to misogyny and gendered attitudes in schools, it has found through its research that 83 per cent of schoolteachers are worried about the influence of online personalities and the negative effect that they are having on young boys and their behaviour.

We can look back to research even from 10 years ago about young people’s attitudes to violence against women and girls. The report that was produced in 2016, “Young People’s Attitudes to Violence Against Women: Report on Findings from the Young People in Scotland Survey 2014”, showed worrying trends even back then. We must get ahead of the prevention work and invest in prevention. That is what all the various organisations are asking us to do. That means taking initiative, and it means hard cash for the third sector organisations that make such a difference—sometimes an intangible difference. It also means leadership from all of us, as role models, parliamentarians and community leaders.

Last year, I put forward 16 actions that members of the Scottish Parliament could take over the course of the year between each of the 16 days of activism. I would encourage colleagues, particularly male colleagues, to take those 16 actions. One of the key ways in which we can make a difference is by being proactive in our communities. Rather than just engaging in campaigns such as “Don’t be that guy,” as great a campaign as it is, we should say, “Here’s how you can be a good guy,” or “Here’s how you can be a better guy.” We are not all perfect, but all young people and all individuals can make a difference.

Here and more widely, we are in a struggle to influence young men’s views and behaviour, and how they are formed and shaped. The more that men can do to encourage healthy masculinity and to be active in our communities and online, the bigger difference we can make in trying to improve the situation before the next 16 days of activism.

As has been said, this year, we have experienced some very dangerous, harmful and disruptive antisocial behaviour in Edinburgh, undertaken in the main by a very small minority of young people. I would be grateful if the cabinet secretary would engage with Police Scotland partners and MSPs in 2025 to consider any further ways that we can address that together.

As the local constituency MSP, I passionately believe in the significant potential for the development of Granton waterfront to help tackle Edinburgh’s housing challenges, to transform the northern part of our capital city for the common good and to deliver economic growth, new opportunities and multiple positive benefits for existing communities in the area and for our country more broadly. That is why I have worked constructively to highlight all of that to ministers.

I am therefore delighted and grateful that the finance secretary has committed to working with the City of Edinburgh Council to deliver 800 more affordable homes. Can she say more about the Scottish Government’s commitment to the development of Granton waterfront as a strategic site and the positive impact that that will deliver for the people of northern Edinburgh and Scotland as a whole?

Does Douglas Ross agree that, because of the change in employment legislation, the hospitality industry will need—rightly—to pay higher wages, which, although it is for a good reason, will put additional pressure on the margins around which the businesses have to navigate?

I pay tribute to Craig Hoy, and to the cross-party group on beer and pubs and the stakeholders who have supported it in its work.

I do not know that I could choose just one pub in Edinburgh Northern and Leith, but I can give members plenty of recommendations. There is a plethora of wonderful pubs and bars in my constituency, which I will say more about shortly.

With regard to the Goblin Ha’, I have very fond memories of doing a charity walk 20 years ago from Edinburgh to London, and spending some time in Gifford on day 2, so I wish those who are involved with saving the Goblin all the best—from memory, it is a great place.

Like every other member in the chamber, I recognise the importance of pubs, bars and breweries for our communities, not just by their being there but through what they do locally. I will say more in a minute about the breweries’ engagement in that regard.

The points that have been raised about employment are important. The figure of 65,000 jobs across the country was quoted. Every one of those jobs is not just about the economic activity for that individual or the GVA that is produced, or the vibrancy that the business brings to the community. For many of the people in the beer and pub industry, it is a career, and an important area of expertise. In my view, it should be valued more highly in the UK in the way that it is on the continent, for example, where working in hospitality, as a bartender or in a restaurant, has more prestige. Those jobs can be very skilled and knowledgeable, and we should value those skills and that knowledge.

Equally, for a lot of people, the work can be transient, and that is an important aspect of our economy and our workforce. I think back in my own career to the time that I spent working behind a bar, and how many skills from that time I bring to this job. My interpersonal skills were developed in that trade, and I learned about teamwork, productivity and practical working systems. All those things can be learned while working in the hospitality industry, and we should not underestimate the effect that that has on individuals.

The motion rightly states that

“pubs and breweries provide”

a range of benefits,

“including preventing social exclusion, boosting tourism, supporting local festivals, music, arts and sport, and acting as a catalyst for local events and charity fundraising”.

In Edinburgh Northern and Leith, which I have the privilege of representing, that is absolutely the case. It applies not only to specific pubs and bars but to the five bigger breweries—there are some micro breweries, too—run by Pilot Beer, Cold Town Beer, Campervan Brewery, Newbarns Brewery and Moonwake Beer Co. All those breweries undertake excellent collaborations with local festivals, and some of them have created festivals, too. They also engage with charities, either by supporting or collaborating with them or through some of their sales going to charity. On Friday, I was at Campervan’s taproom at an event that it was holding to raise money for the local Citadel Youth Centre, which I mentioned in Parliament last week.

That is evidence of the real collaboration that these organisations create and engage in. The importance of that engagement should not be underestimated in respect of the Scottish hospitality sector’s impact in urban and rural Scotland, and what it brings for both locals and visitors.

Smaller breweries, pubs and bars are important in helping local small to medium-sized enterprises to grow. When people talk about and perceive the alcohol industry in Scotland, in its widest sense, they often think about the big companies but, actually, so many of the businesses working in the sector are small. That is why we need to be very careful when we think about regulation and policy.

I commend the work of the CPG and look forward to hearing the minister’s response.

I, too, begin by paying tribute to Christine Grahame for bringing this important issue to the chamber, and I send my congratulations to Tweeddale Youth Action. I am grateful that the motion talks about the range of services that youth work provides—the diverse initiatives, the employment opportunities and the training that is available—and the fact that the organisations that provide all of that are often led by volunteers, although they also have dedicated staff and trustees who play such an important role. I am also grateful that the motion recognises the contribution that youth work makes across Scotland in improving outcomes for young people, and that is what I want to speak to.

First, we have the organisations that are involved all across the country, such as the scouts, the girl guides, the Boys Brigade and the YMCA. Those are all having an impact in my constituency at a local level through the different groups across Edinburgh Northern and Leith. However, as the motion emphasises, and as others have highlighted, there are also a number of specific organisations that are based in or operate in our constituencies—or, often, both—and I want to raise awareness about and commend some of the groups in my constituency.

The Citadel Youth Centre, which is run by Willie and Ryan and the rest of the team, has been making a huge difference to the communities of Leith for many years by providing a range of services, collaborations and support. I note the difference that Bryan made at Pilmeny Youth Centre, and I also mention Robbie at Street Soccer Scotland and its collaborations with organisations such as Leith Athletic Football Club and Hibernian Community Foundation, which also make a big difference in themselves.

Venture Scotland, which is based in Edinburgh Northern and Leith but provides services to a range of young people across the east of Scotland, takes people to places in rural Scotland where they would otherwise not necessarily go—including the Borders—to see the beauty of those areas and experience things that they would not otherwise be able to engage in.

Many will be aware of the Spartans Community Foundation in north Edinburgh, which has an innovative and pioneering football club that uses more than just the power of football to make a huge difference in Edinburgh’s most deprived communities. For decades, Kenny and his team have been making a substantial impact.

The Granton Youth centre, Civil Service Strollers FC and a range of other organisations in north Edinburgh are engaged across the board in opportunities for young people.

Last but not least, I want to raise awareness of a small organisation in north Edinburgh. It was previously called FACENorth, and is now called Midnight and Beyond. The difference that it makes is symbolic of the intervention that youth work can provide: positive benefits for the youngsters who are involved, with a wider impact on society, community and the public purse.

People are well aware of the youth crime issues that we face in Edinburgh. They are serious and should be further up the agenda. I have already spoken about that in the chamber, and will say more in the period ahead. People are also aware of the issues that that has created in the east of Edinburgh, particularly around bonfire night—those have been well documented. A number of years ago, we in north Edinburgh faced very similar issues to those that have been happening in the east. However, Midnight and Beyond has been working for two years with the groups of young people who were previously involved in fireworks night issues in north Edinburgh—and, for two years, because of that engagement, investment and support, we have not seen the same issues in north Edinburgh that we see in east Edinburgh on bonfire night. That is because of the collaboration between youth work organisations—in particular, Midnight and Beyond, but others as well—and the council and Police Scotland.

I end on that point, because it gets to the heart of what we celebrate and emphasise today. With minimal investment in youth work services, we can make a transformative difference for the people who benefit from them, and we can reduce negative consequences in the community and the cost to the public purse by making that worthy investment.

I know that we will hear from the minister in a minute about how the Scottish Government has invested significantly in youth work. However, if there is more that we can do, particularly in areas where there is challenge, we should think about the difference that we can make.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I was not able to connect. I would have voted no.

Like many colleagues, I feel no enthusiasm for speaking in the debate. It is not a situation that any of us wanted to be in. There have been some powerful and meaningful contributions from across the chamber, many of which have touched on the long-term issues that have led to the situation across the UK, not just in Scotland.

Others have also talked about the facts, and the situations that are facing people who are in our prisons, both staff and those who are serving sentences. Overcrowding has consequences. It affects the safety of those who are working in our prisons and those who are serving a sentence. Any member who has had people come to see them from those two different perspectives—people who have relatives in prison, and people who work in, or are connected to people who work in, prison—will understand just how challenging, difficult and dangerous the situation is, so it is clear that action is needed.

The short-term situation that we face is that the increasingly complex nature of the prison population has created additional pressures. The commendable action that has been taken to tackle organised crime has meant that there are now more people in our prisons who are serving long sentences, and that has an effect on capacity. The fact that we have an older population—as other members have said—creates additional pressure, as does the challenge of the backlog in the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service as a result of the Covid pandemic. Those are the realities that we all face in representing the people of Scotland.

It is necessary, therefore, to address the overcrowding issue in the short term, and the bill seeks to do that in good faith. At a general level, we need to consider two main points. The first relates to victims. One of the worst things that can happen to anyone is to be a victim, or to have someone close to them be a victim, of organised crime. Anyone who has been a representative in Parliament and has served people who have been victims of crime, or who has been a victim of crime themselves, will know how devastating and negative the effects of that can be. It seems obvious to say that.

It is absolutely right, therefore, that we focus on victims not only throughout the bill process but thereafter. The Government has spoken about the victim notification scheme, but I think that it would be helpful for the rest of today’s debate, and in the stages ahead, if the cabinet secretary could say more on that and seek to reassure those victims further with regard to how there will be proactive awareness raising of the notification scheme.