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Depression and suicide rates for farmers are among the highest of any occupation. Tragically, those figures are growing and the situation is getting worse. What steps will the Scottish Government take to not only halt but reverse that trend?

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding actions to tackle mental health problems amongst farmers and crofters. (S6O-02199)

NHS Forth Valley continues to struggle, even under special measures. Complaints are going up and performance targets are falling short. Between April 2022 and January 2023, 1,704 complaints were received, which is an increase of 30 per cent compared with the same period the year before. Patients are clearly still not receiving the care that they deserve. What further action can be taken to ensure that the upturn in complaints is rectified as a matter of urgency?

To ask the Scottish Government which victims groups it has consulted with on its proposed Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill. (S6O-02193)

I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer.

The bill is a victims bill in name only. My colleague Jamie Greene has proposed a true victims law that would put the interests of victims at the heart of the justice system. In particular, it promises to implement Michelle’s law, which would prevent criminals, when they are released on licence, from entering the local areas of victims. That measure was promised by Humza Yousaf when he was the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, but it does not appear in the bill. Why not?

The problems that are associated with poor mental health have become a regular part of the wider public health debate, and rightly so. The loneliness that the pandemic created in many groups, which today’s motion speaks about, is well documented. As such, I welcome the time that has been set aside today to debate the risks of social isolation and loneliness, and how we should best tackle those as we go forward.

As my party’s shadow spokesperson for older people, I will begin by speaking about the particular challenges that loneliness poses for that group. Loneliness is an issue that affects the lives and wellbeing of thousands of older people across Scotland. Research by Age Scotland found that nearly 220,000 people aged over 50 in Scotland feel lonely either all or most of the time. Perhaps the most telling statistic is that, in every street, there is one person of pensionable age who feels chronically lonely at all times. That is quite a damning statistic.

We know how much loneliness can damage older people’s quality of life. There is clear evidence that loneliness in older people increases their risk of other conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, anxiety and depression. However, there are also links to dementia in the older generation. Research from Harvard has highlighted that lonely people aged between 60 and 79 are three times more likely to develop dementia than those in other situations.

Although loneliness can restrict individuals from improving their health, there is a real need to address it when it comes to physical and mental health. In Scotland, there is a significant gap between healthy life expectancy and total life expectancy—a difference of nearly 20 years for women and 16 for men. As declining physical health makes it more difficult to create and maintain relationships, loneliness can often have consequences for health conditions that people develop. That means that individuals need to access healthcare but, if there are delays in access, that can also cause many issues for them, as it can play an important role in tackling loneliness and isolation.

There is a clear link between older people living longer lives and living healthier lives. If they do not have connection and there is a break in individuals’ support and care, it has an impact on their wellbeing. There is no question but that the record waiting times in the national health service are an issue for everyone in Government. Older people in particular are suffering and do not have the guarantee that their support will be available. We need to ensure that it becomes a reality.

Scotland has a new Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care. I suggest that we need to focus on the NHS recovery part of his remit. We need to talk about the recovery because that approach will support many older people. It is time to scrap the previous NHS recovery plan and put in place a new one that will take control and tackle some of the situations that we find ourselves in.

Community groups also play an important part in the support networks that are available to older people. They are a great way of combating loneliness. I pay tribute to the many organisations that work tirelessly in that sector, are leading it and do much to combat loneliness for many individuals. However, long-term social isolation is becoming a major issue. The work that community groups and the Government are doing identifies needs, but there are still gaps and they require to be filled. In fact, it is estimated that around 200,000 older people in Scotland rely on some form of social group or club for company.

That is why I welcome the additional funding that the minister spoke about and that the Scottish Government is providing. There is no doubt that more needs to be put into that sector because it requires support. The funding will keep the doors open for many organisations. By doing that, it supports many individuals in our communities. We know that many community groups are struggling financially. They have told us time and again that more is required because, as the population ages, they need more and more. Age Scotland has told us that more than 30 community groups are struggling at present. As we have heard, the cost of living crisis has an impact on whether those organisations can maintain and sustain their work and become sustainable for the future.

We have also heard about the gaps that appear within the market. The third sector, our council support services and the Government are working together, but there are areas that still require more support. Therefore, I would welcome assurances from the Scottish Government and the minister that protecting those community groups will be a priority going forward because it is one of the biggest ways of managing the strategy for tackling loneliness and isolation.

I acknowledge that the Government has given general assurances but, as I said in Christine Grahame’s recent members’ business debate, when the First Minister set out his priorities for the Scottish Government, he did not make any specific mention of that. It was a gap.

I have heard what the minister has said today, but I still believe that the First Minister should be looking at our ageing population and thinking about what we can do. We have talked about crossovers between portfolios, which does happen, but there should be some real priorities from the Scottish Government with regard to where we see that sitting.

As my amendment points out, it is important that the Scottish Government studies what is happening to our older population, but also that it acknowledges that loneliness and isolation also affect younger people. We have talked about loneliness in all parts of our society and it is important that we do that. For example, research from the Higher Education Policy Institute has found that one in four students are lonely either most or all of the time. That figure should set alarm bells ringing for us that young people who are students are in that situation.

In 2018, £20 million of funding was put in place for around 80 counsellor positions at Scottish colleges. I welcomed that, but the Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee found that the targeted counselling funding was not getting to all the individuals that it should. The removal of that funding means that some colleges are no longer able to fund some of that counselling, which becomes a major issue when they are trying to do that.

It is time that the Scottish Government listened to the calls from Mental Health Foundation Scotland and Colleges Scotland, and from the 21 college principals who I believe wrote to the Government and co-signed a letter about the issue and the problems that they see coming down the track when dealing with younger individuals.

If the funding is necessary, it should be provided. We know that colleges and universities are well placed to address mental health issues among their students, but they need support to ensure that that takes place. The motion talks about tackling loneliness and isolation as a shared responsibility. I believe that we need to share that responsibility because it brings together the whole idea of what we are trying to achieve.

It is no secret that the years of the pandemic were particularly damaging to many individuals, both young and old, but the younger people found it quite phenomenal. Research by the Mental Health Foundation Scotland has found that 50 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds experienced what is known as “lockdown loneliness”. They spent their time at home not doing things. Yes, there was social media, but that does not always support them to move forward.

The pandemic had a massive impact and it should be highlighted that individuals are still struggling with its effects. We talk about 200,000 people in Scotland who are suffering through long Covid, which has had a massive impact on individuals’ wellbeing. Many of those individuals are finding themselves cut off from society because of its impact. We have talked about having dedicated, specialist services to help those suffering from long Covid and that needs to be addressed. The social isolation that many of those individuals experience will increase because we do not have that facility, so we must not become complacent.

I have already spoken about the battle to ensure that responsibility is shared and that the Government plays its part, along with the voluntary and third sectors, because all of that will help to ensure that we are all doing the best that we can. Going forward, the job of the Government must be to further raise awareness of the dangers of loneliness and isolation in young people and in older people. My amendment talks about the introduction of a national awareness campaign on the issue. If today’s debate should demonstrate anything, it is that that kind of campaign is needed more than ever and needed today.

I know that a lot of good work is going on and I acknowledge that, but there are still gaps in the process and areas that we should take on board. We should use the voluntary sector and the third sector because they are experts in the field. The Government should take that on board as well. I know that the Government supports a number of organisations and that they support the Government, but much more could be done. We can also learn from people in other locations about how they have tackled some of the problems, because we are all suffering in very much the same way.

I look forward to hearing the debate and acknowledge the work that the Scottish Government is doing, but I will still hold it to account with regard to the way that it goes forward and the things that it does.

I move amendment S6M-08758.1, to insert at end:

“, and calls on the Scottish Government to ensure that its strategy for tackling isolation focusses on increasing awareness of loneliness, particularly among young people and older people, connecting communities, implementing a national awareness campaign on loneliness and isolation, and supporting innovation.”

The debate serves as an important reminder of the responsibility of all Governments to spend public money as effectively as possible. Today’s motion is right to speak about the waste and failed financial interventions that we have seen over the past 16 years of Government.

We have heard in the debate about the hundreds of millions of pounds that have been wasted on two ferries that have yet to see active service. Indeed, the final cost of those ferries is not yet known and continues to rise.

I have spoken before about the SNP’s failure to properly use the financial levers that it holds, such as its powers over income tax. The SNP’s amendment proudly talks about Scotland having the

“most progressive income tax system in the UK”.

However, the truth is that the SNP’s decision to hike taxes again for 2023-24 means that Scots are paying massively in additional taxes, thanks to higher rates and lower thresholds. As analysis by the Scottish Fiscal Commission shows, that will result in just £325 million in additional revenue, due to slower earnings and employment growth here than in the rest of the United Kingdom.

My colleague Liz Smith challenged the First Minister on that issue last week, and was told that “detailed analysis” is carried out on all tax-related decisions. When it comes to justifying those tax policies, which ultimately risk slowing growth and lowering total tax revenue, it is not at all clear what that “detailed analysis” looks like.

That is just the latest example of this Government failing to be truly transparent when it comes to its finances. Other financial blunders include, from memory, the £30 million overspend on last year’s census. That was not the first time that the SNP’s insistence on doing things differently has ended up costing the Scottish taxpayer money.

Examples of all kinds of financial mismanagement can be found in every year that this Government has been in power. This Government’s mismanagement of public money is far from a thing of the past—it is very much on-going.

Despite many stakeholders opposing its plans, the SNP is still pushing forward with its national care service. That will cost an additional £1.6 billion at the worst possible time. That funding would be far better spent on overstretched local care services—they need that money and they need it now.

Although we heard that plans such as that have been kicked further down the road, it is still the case that the SNP will not scrap plans and wastes money continually.

It is perhaps no surprise that the SNP has come to the chamber and attempted to paint a very different picture of the Government’s record on Scotland’s finances. The main issue, and the main thrust of its amendment, appears to be that there is nothing to see here—absolutely nothing. However, as today’s motion set out, the truth is far less convincing.

Holding the financial levers of power is a tremendous opportunity for any government. It is high time that the Green-SNP Government recognised that and started taking its responsibilities much more seriously for the people of Scotland.

Deputy Presiding Officer, I apologise to you, the minister and members for not being able to stay for the whole debate, as I have another event to attend this evening on behalf of the Parliament.

I congratulate Christine Grahame on securing this members’ business debate. As my party’s shadow minister for older people, I am delighted to have the opportunity to participate in it.

As we know, global intergenerational week runs for the whole week until Sunday. From its humble beginnings, the event has grown to international level in only four years, such is the importance of the campaign’s aims to inspire individuals, as well as groups, organisations and local and national Government. The aims will help us to fully embrace intergenerational practice, and they are aims that I very much commend.

The goal is to connect people of different generations in mutually beneficial activities, many of which have already been mentioned by Christine Grahame. The campaign is also an opportunity to celebrate good practice, ideas, moments and opportunities that are local to us, in which different age groups come together in friendship and fellowship.

I am encouraged that the organiser, Generations Working Together, is asking everybody to host an intergenerational mix-and-mingle event during global intergenerational week 2023. With a flexible format, the charity is keen to bring people of different generations together in exciting, creative and beneficial ways. Events can be registered and uploaded on the website.

Generations Working Together’s annual conference this year was held on the same day as international women’s day. For that event, it published a booklet to celebrate and show the invaluable work and efforts of women in advancing the intergenerational movement, for which they should be commended. With a large number of stories and features, Generations Working Together’s excellent work showcased the endeavours of women in that regard.

The conference opened with a speech from the then Minister for Equalities and Older People. She announced a £3.8 million fund to support community groups to bring people and communities together to tackle loneliness and social isolation. Although, at the time, Generations Working Together described the announcement as a

“strong indication to the value which the Scottish Government places in building communities through intergenerational activities”,

which was to be commended, it is disappointing that, only days later, in the reshuffle, that highly competent minister took up a new role. The portfolio has been handed to another member, but it has been merged into a multiple-faceted ministerial role. As I have said, I acknowledge that someone is still looking after the portfolio, but it has been included in a new, extended ministerial role, which is not to its benefit. That instantly diluted the focus on older people, with their concerns being put on the back burner. If nothing else, it certainly calls into question where the Scottish Government’s focus lies when it comes to the ageing population.

Christine Grahame’s motion

“recognises the view that there is an urgent need for Scotland to become an intergenerational nation”.

However, the latest reshuffle exposes that there are issues when it comes to loneliness and isolation. We know from studies that the impact of loneliness on the mortality of individuals is similar to that from having around 15 cigarettes a day.

I very much hope that the will set out in the motion will continue to be maintained in the ranks of the Scottish Government, because it is important. Older people matter—our communities and our constituencies are dependent on them. I hope that the success of intergenerational working continues to be a priority for the Scottish Government.

I am grateful for the opportunity to close the debate on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives. I will be supporting the amendment in the name of Liam Kerr.

There is no doubt that every party in Parliament views the climate emergency as having the importance that it deserves. How we achieve a truly just transition over the coming years and decades is an issue on which there is far more disagreement.

There are several areas of the Government’s net zero plans on which we still require to see more detail. When it comes to the just transition, perhaps the biggest of those areas is skills. In its December 2022 report, the Climate Change Committee stated that the ability to shape our workforce to meet the skills demands of the just transition will be one of the biggest factors in our ability to deliver net zero.

The Government’s motion is right to talk about the importance of a highly skilled workforce and of reskilling and attracting new talent to Scotland. The Government’s “Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan 2020-2025” does, at least, attempt to set out how that might be achieved. At this stage, the plan is not yet fit to tackle the huge skills challenges that are just over the horizon, some of which we have heard about in the debate.

Let us take the UK offshore energy sector workforce as an example. Around 20 per cent of that workforce is currently involved in the low-carbon energy sector. By 2030, that is projected to increase to about 65 per cent of the total offshore workforce, despite the fact that the total workforce is expected to increase from 160,000 to 200,000 over the same period. As around half of that workforce will be based in Scotland, it is clear that reskilling and retraining will need to take place on a large scale. The onus is therefore on the SNP Government to engage with the energy skills alliance as it continues to advise on what skills the sector will need in the long term.

We also know that there are thousands of jobs in sectors including construction and transport for which reskilling will be required. The construction industry has warned that it still lacks confidence and needs more time to fully invest in its workforce.

For the transport sector, the climate emergency skills action plan acknowledges that some of the required retraining will be in baseline skills and can be made available through colleges. After years of underinvestment, the college sector now requires further support to perform the key role that is being asked of it. It does not currently have the ability to do so, given the detrimental things that have happened to it in the past.

Those are just some of the outstanding issues that need to be dealt with in order for a just transition to take place.

I will talk about some of the contributions that we have heard in the debate. My colleague Liam Kerr spoke about green jobs and the ability to deliver them, but as he said, the Government must be able to set out what it will provide. We all want there to be green jobs: we see the benefit of them. We also know that we are behind the curve when it comes to producing them. Work with our oil and gas sector will be only one way of ensuring a just transition, but we need to work with that industry, because if we do not the just transition will not be achieved.

To ask the Scottish Government how many affordable homes it has delivered in the past year. (S6O-02116)