Scottish Parliament motion recognises Murray Owen Carers Group’s achievement

Linda Fabiani MSP has tabled a motion in the Scottish Parliament to mark the publication of Scotland’s first ever Charter for Change for older people who care for adult family members with learning disabilities. The charter is the latest milestone in a long-running campaign for recognition of older carers’ needs pioneered by Madge Clark and Jeanette Kelly of East Kilbride’s Murray Owen Elderly Carers Group.

The charter, which was launched at a national conference addressed by the Scottish Government’s Public Health Minister Shona Robison, sets out five simple steps to make life easier for older carers and those they care for and help councils and the NHS plan services that meet their long term needs.

Speaking after attending the conference, Strathaven-based MSP Linda, who has worked with the Murray Owen Carers Group for several years, said:

“Madge Clark and Jeanette Kelly have spearheaded the fight for greater recognition and support for older carers for many years now. It was their petition, submitted to the Scottish Parliament’s Petitions Committee back in 2004, which really started to raise political and public awareness of the needs of older carers of people with learning disabilities.

“Thanks to the efforts of Madge and Jeanette and their fellow Murray Owen carers, we now have a much clearer understanding of the circumstances and needs of what was previously an invisible group of carers. Their work persuaded South Lanarkshire Council to appoint Scotland’s first ever specialist social worker for older carers and their families, for which they are to be commended, and has now culminated in the publication of the Charter for Change.

“I hope that the Charter will not only lead to local authorities and other service providers ensuring that older carers get the right kind of help at the right times to suit their particular needs, but also to giving those carers some peace of mind that, once they are gone, their loved ones will continue to get the best possible care.

“Madge and Jeanette have campaigned tirelessly for rights and support for other older carers and their families, while every day providing expert and loving care for their own adult son and daughter. I know that it has sometimes been a struggle for them and that they have had to fight for the services and support they need, but they have never given up. I am in complete admiration of their positive attitude, their spirit and their determination.”

S3M-06596 Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (Scottish National Party): Caring for Carers— That the Parliament notes that figures produced for the Scottish Government suggest that approximately 20% of people with learning disabilities live and are cared for in the family home by family members over the age of 65; recognises the particular concerns and needs of these families, as noted by Public Petition PE743 submitted by Madge Clark and Jeanette Kelly of the Murray Owen Carers Group, East Kilbride, which first raised the issue in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2004; welcomes and invites support for the Charter for Change: Improving Lives for Older Families Which Include People with Learning Disabilities, launched in Edinburgh on 16 June 2010, and looks forward to publication and implementation of the Scottish Government’s carers strategy.

Linda spoke in the debate on 16 June:

“It must be borne in mind that it is only comparatively recently that society has started to discuss openly the fact that child abuse happens within and outwith families and the huge psychological effect that it has on the victims and those who are close to them. It is quite daunting for families to have to deal with such an issue on their own or with help from social work departments, health boards and institutions. Therefore, it is very important that there is now an organisation in Lanarkshire that is staffed by people who have had direct experience of dealing with such sensitive issues.

“I was hugely impressed by the informality that is apparent at SAVI and the knowledge and commitment of the volunteers. I understand that there are now 23 volunteers on a waiting list for training, which shows the recognition of the issues among people who want to help and do the best that they possibly can.

“I was impressed by the manner in which SAVI deals with clients and those who come along for a chat. The service is described as non-directive but holistic, and it aims to create an atmosphere in which people almost feel at home and have confidence in those who are counselling them and offering support.

“I was interested to learn about the effect that such abuse can have on people, and the way in which it manifests itself, whether that is through eating disorders, substance or alcohol abuse or self-harm. I learned about the importance of practical things such as housing: where people stay and the type of support that they get. The befriending element is important, because everyone who has been through a traumatic experience needs friends, and it can take quite a while for someone to build up those relationships again when they have a natural distrust of those around them.

“SAVI has noted some key issues that require to be addressed. One major issue, to which Margaret Mitchell referred, is the time that elapses between an incident being reported and the start of the trial process. I understand that the Crown Office has been trying to address the matter, but the reality is that those cases are simply not being fast-tracked.

“Court processes need to be managed to ensure that people feel confident in working their way through the system. The buddying element of what SAVI does is extremely important in that regard. I learned about schools, and how difficult it is for someone who has been abused in that way to try to fit back into the school system when their whole way of thinking about life has changed.

“I will finish by saying that although we talk a great deal about the voluntary sector—the third sector, as it is sometimes called—being very precious in dealing with various issues, the experience of groups such as SAVI is very important in dealing with this particular issue. SAVI is the only service in South Lanarkshire that offers this type of support. I would like the health board and the local authority to recognise the value of such a service, and to have detailed discussions with the volunteers at SAVI on how we can all move forward in the best interests of those who need this type of service.”

Read the full debate at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-10/sor0616-01.htm

Linda Fabiani MSP has urged post offices in the East Kilbride area to apply for support from the Scottish Government’s new one million pounds Challenge Fund, which is being launched to help local post offices diversify with new business activities and maintain their sustainability as businesses.

Applications for awards ranging from 2,500 pounds to 25,000 pounds will be sought from mid-July.

Describing the funding as a welcome boost for a local service which has been under huge pressure in recent years, Strathaven-based MSP Linda said:

“This is a significant investment to help protect important local services during the current difficult trading conditions.

“Post offices in Westood, Murray and elsewhere in East Kilbride have been lost in recent years. Support to help them survive by offering expanded activities will help to prevent further closures and is particularly important for this area.

“Post offices play an important role in the life of our communities. As well as postal services, they can provide access to money and banking facilities, support for local shops, and a hub for the community. This is reflected in the high value that local people attach to their post office.

“I’m sure that sub-postmasters in East Kilbride, Strathaven and the nearby villages will have plenty of good ideas about how their businesses can innovate and expand with the help of the Challenge Fund. I’d strongly encourage then to look out for the application forms when they are published in July and get their own bids in.”

Linda spoke in the debate on 2 June:

“There will always be banking crises of one sort or another, but we should take steps to ensure that such a crisis cannot be precipitated by such irresponsibility. We must make it perfectly clear to the banks that consider themselves to be too globally interconnected and too big to be allowed to fail that their current subsidy-junkie status is a temporary one-off.

“We should take some financial services under our control. Discussions are going on around the world, among nations, between continents and internally within states. It is important that we make the sector work for the greater good of society at home as well as internationally. SNP members have long favoured the introduction of a currency exchange tax and I am pleased that the move towards a Tobin tax continues. Some 350 economists, including Joseph Stiglitz and Jeffrey Sachs, recently wrote to leaders of the G20 nations to suggest that such a mechanism be given recognition.

“We need a better model for Scotland’s banking industry and financial sector in general. We also need to consider the worth of the banks, insurance companies and other financial services in the sector. With help from the Scottish Government, the sector has begun to grow again. There are 1,500 new jobs in Glasgow and Edinburgh with Tesco Personal Finance and the insurance company, esure. More than half of Scotland’s financial services companies will recruit this year and three quarters of them are optimistic about the future.

“There is a lot to change and improve in Scotland. There is a lot to put right. Of course there is; no one denies that. However, Scotland has the strength to rebuild and to become stronger. There is a lot of good stuff going on in Scotland and we should praise the people who are doing the good stuff and help them to build on that success. We should hold on to the fact that Scotland can come out of this UK mess stronger than she was when she went in.”

Read the full debate at www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-10/sor0602-01.htm

S3M-06495 Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (Scottish National Party): The Waitrose Foundation— That the Parliament congratulates the Waitrose Foundation on its fifth birthday and notes that, in its South Africa programme, £2.7 million has been ploughed into South African farms, 162 projects are running at 33 different farms, more than 22,000 farm workers have benefited, 710 workers have trained in numeracy and literacy and 430 children receive organised child care in crèches; commends the foundation for its commitment to fair trade and the involvement of local communities, and looks forward to the foundation’s future programme that links in with the South African Government’s strategy of Black Economic Empowerment, supporting and enabling the participation of black South Africans as owners, managers, professionals and skilled employees in the agricultural sector.

Linda Fabiani MSP, has condemned the figures showing the NHS will have to pay over £1 billion in the next five years for projects built using the Labour Party’s PFI/PPP funding mechanism.

The costs include that of Hairmyres and Wishaw General Hospitals, which cost £68 million and £121million respectively to build but, the repayments in the next five years amount to £106.56 million and £136.49 million. This is on top of the £172.72 million already paid over the past ten years for Hairmures and £260.74 for Wishaw General. The total cost over a 30 year period for these PFI hospitals amounts to £1472.59 million.

Commenting on the release of the figures complied by the Treasury, Linda Fabiani said:

“These figures show the absolute folly of the PFI/PPP policy introduced by the Labour Party and championed by Labour MSPs, MPs and Councillors alike.

“It is appalling that the tax payer is forced to continue funding these projects over such a prolonged period of time even though the initial costs have all been met. These are extortionate schemes and they should never have been foisted upon the public.

“This is money that comes directly out of NHS budgets and frontline services. The price we are paying for Hairmyres alone would have paid for nine new hospitals but instead, every year for the next 20 years NHS Lanarkshire will have to pay out millions of pounds from its budget before they can even consider the health priorities of its patients.

“Over the next five years NHS Lanarkshire will have to pay over £243 million to private consortiums before spending a penny on health care. This is not right, it is a policy which benefits no one other than the businesses making a great profit from it, but this is public money and it has a far greater value if it could be spent in the NHS and serving the public good.

“We have the further ridiculous situation that the NHS don’t own the hospitals and won’t own them even at the end of the payment period. So we are paying these millions of pounds to simply rent a building.

“Labour has been completely irresponsible in its management of capital projects just as it has been over the economy. Like all of these PFI/PPP projects NHS Lanarkshire is paying far in excess of the value of the buildings. I’m sure NHS management would rather have the millions of pounds to spend on patient services.

“Labour ought to apologise for the burden of repayments for PFI/PPP projects, admit that their policy has encumbered the NHS with unnecessary debt and bin their support for this policy.

END

Linda spoke in the debate on 27 May:

“I welcome the respect agenda that is being talked about in relation to relationships between our Government and the UK Government, and I trust that the joint ministerial committee system will now work with an ethos of mutual respect for ministers of all Administrations. Unfortunately, the concordat agreements for JMCs had been allowed to collect dust in the first years of devolution, with only the Europe JMC being active—and I use that term loosely—when the SNP formed the Government in 2007. I was pleased to see that, after much work by this and the other devolved Administrations, a revised memorandum of understanding was agreed in March 2010, with dispute resolution aspects extending to financial issues. That is extremely important, particularly now, when we are considering the implementation of recommendations from the Commission on Scottish Devolution…

“On the financial aspects of the Calman plan, I have serious concerns about the taxation proposals, which many people have also expressed in this chamber and elsewhere.

“I note that Wendy Alexander commented on television on Tuesday evening that the taxation proposal in the Calman report was made by

“the most eminent economists in Scotland”.

“That intrigued me because nowhere in either of the reports that were made to Calman by the independent expert group can I find the proposal to devolve income tax and adjust the block grant along the lines that Calman finally came up with.

“Certainly, the general principle of assigned taxes was discussed and reported on by the group, but the proposition of the 10p variable rate and the block grant adjustment was not dealt with. I hope that the Labour group can clear that matter up for us today and point us to the publication in which

“the most eminent economists in Scotland”

made that particular proposal, or where we might find it in the public record. Indeed, in his paper, which was jointly produced with Professor Scott, Professor Hughes-Hallett, who actually sat on the expert panel for Calman, stated that the then UK Government’s proposals were “defective in economic terms” and were likely to create

“key instabilities in the budgetary arrangements of Scotland’s government with significant ramifications for the delivery of public goods and services”.

“Surely there is no one here today who wishes to implement proposals, in a carte-blanche manner, that are likely to create “key instabilities” at this time and which could adversely affect the delivery of public services, beyond the cuts in budgets that we are all facing. Scotland’s Government is committed to the protection of the vulnerable and to creating a fairer society. A more buoyant economy is crucial to all of that, and the deficiencies within the current Calman proposals would hamstring the Scottish Government’s ability to advance economic growth and truly address the needs of our citizens.

“Fiscal independence, fiscal autonomy, fiscal responsibility, additional financial powers—whatever the terminology, the actuality requires much deeper discussion. There is no time to go into all of the examples of matters that should be discussed further, but among them are the potential effect of raising the income tax threshold, as mentioned in the Liberal Democrat amendment, and the inability to use short-term borrowing to fund unanticipated shortfalls in income tax—I point out that those income tax revenues would, after all, be subject to prediction.

“There are many more potential pitfalls and concerns…That is why mutual respect between the Westminster and the Scottish Parliaments and Governments is crucial. If in this Parliament we start to work together for Scotland’s benefit and have mutual respect among ourselves, today’s debate will surely have been worthwhile indeed.”

Read the full debate at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-10/sor0527-01.htm