Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) Tuesday 1 December 2020 Session 5 © Parliamentary copyright. Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Information on the Scottish Parliament’s copyright policy can be found on the website - www.parliament.scot or by contacting Public Information on 0131 348 5000 Tuesday 1 December 2020 CONTENTS Col. TIME FOR REFLECTION ....................................................................................................................................... 1 BUSINESS MOTION ............................................................................................................................................. 3 Motion moved—[Graeme Dey]—and agreed to. TOPICAL QUESTION TIME ................................................................................................................................... 4 School Christmas Holidays ........................................................................................................................... 4 Burntisland Fabrications Ltd ......................................................................................................................... 7 COVID-19 ........................................................................................................................................................ 11 Statement—[First Minister]. The First Minister (Nicola Sturgeon) ........................................................................................................... 11 VALUING THE THIRD SECTOR ........................................................................................................................... 29 Motion moved—[Ruth Maguire]. Amendment moved—[Rachael Hamilton]. Ruth Maguire (Cunninghame South) (SNP) ............................................................................................... 29 Rachael Hamilton (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) ................................................................. 32 The Minister for Older People and Equalities (Christina McKelvie) ........................................................... 35 Pauline McNeill (Glasgow) (Lab) ................................................................................................................ 38 Beatrice Wishart (Shetland Islands) (LD) ................................................................................................... 40 Fulton MacGregor (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) ................................................................................ 41 Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Con) .................................................................................................................. 43 Annabelle Ewing (Cowdenbeath) (SNP) .................................................................................................... 44 James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) ..................................................................................................................... 46 Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) ..................................................................................... 48 Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) ...................................................................................................... 50 Alison Harris (Central Scotland) (Con) ....................................................................................................... 52 George Adam (Paisley) (SNP) ................................................................................................................... 53 David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) ............................................................................................. 55 Alexander Stewart (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) ...................................................................................... 56 The Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government (Aileen Campbell) ................................. 58 Mary Fee (West Scotland) (Lab) ................................................................................................................ 60 MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE .............................................................................................. 64 Motion moved—[Johann Lamont]. Johann Lamont (Glasgow) (Lab) ................................................................................................................ 64 The Minister for Mental Health (Clare Haughey) ........................................................................................ 68 Brian Whittle (South Scotland) (Con) ......................................................................................................... 71 Mary Fee (West Scotland) (Lab) ................................................................................................................ 74 Beatrice Wishart (Shetland Islands) (LD) ................................................................................................... 76 David Torrance (Kirkcaldy) (SNP) .............................................................................................................. 78 Tom Mason (North East Scotland) (Con) ................................................................................................... 81 Pauline McNeill (Glasgow) (Lab) ................................................................................................................ 83 Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) ....................................................................................................... 84 Maurice Corry (West Scotland) (Con) ........................................................................................................ 86 Monica Lennon (Central Scotland) (Lab) ................................................................................................... 88 Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Con) ........................................................................................................ 90 Clare Haughey ............................................................................................................................................ 93 Gail Ross (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP) .................................................................................. 96 DECISION TIME .............................................................................................................................................. 100 CARERS (SUPPORT AFTER BEREAVEMENT) .................................................................................................... 101 Motion debated—[Mark Griffin]. Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab)........................................................................................................ 101 Tom Arthur (Renfrewshire South) (SNP) .................................................................................................. 103 Brian Whittle (South Scotland) (Con) ....................................................................................................... 105 James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab) ................................................................................................................... 106 Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Con) ................................................................................................................ 107 The Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People (Shirley-Anne Somerville) ........................ 108 1 1 DECEMBER 2020 2 committed to new actions that we can undertake Scottish Parliament with confidence. It is an invitation to be creative— and even innovative—for the whole community, Tuesday 1 December 2020 such that through the pain of the present pandemic, we might become a renewed society [The Presiding Officer opened the meeting at that enables us to experience a new community 14:00] spirit. In the light of this time for reflection, what one Time for Reflection thing is your spirit responding to? The Presiding Officer (Ken Macintosh): Good afternoon, colleagues. Our first item of business today is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader is Fr Kenneth Owens, who is the parish priest at St Andrew’s, St Philip’s and St Theresa’s, Livingston and East Calder. Fr Kenneth Owens (St Andrew’s, St Philip’s and St Theresa’s, Livingston and East Calder): Thank you, Presiding Officer and members of the Scottish Parliament. I welcome the opportunity to share this time for reflection with you. I come from the Catholic community in Livingston, which is a fruit of the New Towns Act 1946. It saw 10 farms become the second largest settlement in the Lothians. I also come from the village of East Calder, which will shortly, with all the new housing there, become a town. Those two significant facts remind us that change happens. It happens in the lives of individual people and in our communities. The year 2020 has brought unimaginable changes into our lives. Governments have had to take difficult and unpopular decisions. In order to confront the challenges of Covid-19, we have had to make changes to our routine and lifestyle. Some are very worthwhile and have created more time and space in our lives, and others have restricted our freedoms and movements. Now is the time when we need to choose courage over comfort. We need to be renewed in hope and we need to take decisions about our personal lives and the way we live in communities. Paul, writing to the Ephesians, reminds us that we should live so that our inner selves may grow strong, and in so doing we will make ourselves more available to our families, to our neighbours