Sarah Boyack MSP has highlighted the grim findings that more than 3 in 4 Dental Practices serving patients in Musselburgh are no longer accepting NHS Patients.
Following up on concerns of Musselburgh residents, Lothian MSP Sarah Boyack contacted practices serving the Musselburgh area to inquire whether they were accepting new NHS patients.
The findings also highlighted those that were accepting new patients had waiting lists of over six months on average.
Commenting Scottish Labour MSP Sarah Boyack said: “Patients in Musselburgh are being routinely let-down by the lack of NHS Dental provision.
“With more than three quarters of NHS Dentists unable to accept new patients, the people of Musselburgh have been left with a two-tiered system that routinely fails them.
“We are now seeing the devastating effects of the SNP mismanagement of our NHS, with patients spending months suffering unnecessarily whilst they are unable to see an NHS Dentists.
“This cannot carry on, The SNP must act now before more communities like Musselburgh are left without access to NHS services.”
Data collected by the office of Sarah Boyack MSP for the 20 closest practices to Musselburgh on 5/5/23:
Commenting on the housing crisis sweeping the nation, FOYSOL CHOUDHURY MSP said: “Home is supposed to be a place of safety and comfort, yet for many households across Scotland their home has become a source of discomfort and illness, overridden with damp, mould and urgent repairs.
“Many across our nation sadly don’t even have homes, stuck on seemingly endless waiting lists for both permanent and temporary accommodation.
“There is no doubt that Scotland is deep in a housing crisis and that urgent action is needed to change this sector before it’s too late.
“As of September 2022, 9, 130 children were reported to be living in temporary accommodation, which is an 100% increase from a decade ago.
“This is unacceptable, all children deserve a safe, healthy and stable home.
“Last week, during the Scottish Labour Business Debate on Housing and Homelessness Prevention, I urged the Scottish Government to act quickly and effectively to reverse the record numbers of children trapped in temporary accommodation.
“I also noted both in my speech then, and the day before during topical questions at the Scottish Parliament, that a new NUS report shows that a fifth of international students in Scotland had experienced homelessness during their studies.
“This problem was also made evident to me in a Student Housing Roundtable I hosted earlier this year, where I heard stories of racist landlords, sofa surfing and damp infested homes.
“Clearly, these are problems which are striking constituents across many sectors of society.
“This demonstrates that there is an overbearing crisis in the housing sector, with particular weaknesses of rising homelessness, striking levels of poor conditions and a worrying prominence of unscrupulous landlords.
“These three areas of great concern must be addressed urgently and I will continue to urge for solutions in these areas.
“I’ve already held my Member’s business debate on Damp Housing in Scotland and my motion for this noted my call for a whole house retrofitting programme and a grant scheme to tackle damp housing.
“I’ve also lodged a student housing motion at the Scottish Parliament, urging for legislation which would give equal rights to all tenants in terms of protections offered to them.
“Scottish Labour are also calling on the Scottish Government to deliver 38,000 social homes by 2026, and to build 25,000 all tenure new homes annually.
“We urgently need a two-pronged approach which both builds more social and affordable housing, in addition to also prioritising equal access to settled housing for all.
“Once we do this, we also need to ensure that legislation holds landlords accountable, prioritises rights for tenants and awards funding for retrofitting and damp management to combat the problems with much existing housing stock in order to generate safer, liveable conditions.
“Recently, we’ve had weeks of talking on all aspects of Scotland’s housing crisis.
“That’s fantastic.
“But, now it’s time to show the value of our words and start the action.”
Foysol Choudhury MSP co-hosted an Eid with Parliamentarians event at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday (2nd May 2023).
The Labour Lothians list MSP said: “Tuesday’s Eid celebration at the Scottish Parliament, organised by the Muslim Council of Scotland and co-hosted by myself and Kaukab Stewart MSP, was a fantastic event.
“We heard recitals from the holy Quran and learnt how its lessons can be applicable to all of our lives, discussed the meaning of Eid and Ramadan and joined in celebration together over food and refreshments.
“We also heard from some fantastic speakers including First Minister Humza Yousaf MSP, Scottish Labour Party leader Anas Sarwar MSP, Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, Meghan Gallacher MSP, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh Cllr Robert Aldridge, the Turkish Consul General Özgür Yavuzer, the Pakistan Consul General Syed Zahid Raza and Dr Adrees from Muslim Council of Scotland.
“Afterwards, we shared in some delicious cake, cut by the First Minister and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar MSP, to joyous shouts of Eid Mubarak!
“To see the community join in prayer in the Scottish Parliament and share our faith with visitors and colleagues was also a special moment.
“It represented sentiments echoed through the night of how fantastic it is to see Scotland’s diverse communities and faiths represented in the Scottish Parliament, particularly with the election of Humza Yousaf as Scotland’s first Muslim First Minister.
“It was a fantastic celebration of Eid with the Muslim community from across Scotland and many guests and colleagues from all faiths, backgrounds and political parties.
“Thank you to all those who were involved in making it such a special night, including the esteemed speakers, faith leaders, the Muslim Council of Scotland, my colleague Kaukab Stewart MSP and the Scottish Parliament’s staff.
Tax, targeted support and tough budget choices will all need to be considered as part of bold measures to tackle poverty, First Minister Humza Yousaf said yesterday after meeting poverty campaigners.
The anti-poverty summit, convened by the First Minister, saw political leaders from across the Scottish Parliament meet with people who have direct experience of poverty, campaigners, and third sector organisations.
Speaking after the event, which was attended by around 90 delegates, the First Minister said: “I called the summit to listen to the views of a wide range of partners, particularly those at the sharp end of the cost of living crisis and with direct experience of poverty, about what they believe needs to be done.
“Everything I heard confirmed that poverty and the cost of living crisis is the biggest challenge facing this country – one that has been exacerbated by some of the UK Government’s actions and inactions.
“We have already acted to tackle the pressure on those most in need – for example, our game-changing £25 per week per child Scottish Child Payment, Carer’s Allowance Supplement, and Winter Heating Payment.
“But we must do more. We must be bold in considering future tax decisions. Tough choices will need to be made about existing budgets, and we need to consider whether targeting help is the way forward when money is so tight.
“It’s not enough to wish poverty away. We have to be hard-headed and realistic about what can be done – and then we have to focus on making it happen. That means the debate must now be about tax, targeting and tough choices. We are listening and will not shy away from the decisions needed to reduce poverty.”
COSLA President Councillor Shona Morrison said: “The initiative from the Scottish Government is a good one and one which Local Government can get fully behind. Tackling poverty is a core objective for Local Government working in partnership with the Scottish Government, the third sector and public and private sector partners.
“The cost- of-living crisis we are living through at present is being tackled head-on by Councils the length and breadth of Scotland and partnership working is vital to achieving positive outcomes for individuals, families and our communities across Scotland.”
Commenting on reports around the expansion of universal free school meals in Scotland, Poverty Alliance director Peter Kelly said: “The First Minister has to recognise the injustice that leaves so many children in Scotland hungry and without food they need.
“With figures from the Trussell Trust showing record numbers of families accessing food banks, this is not the time to roll back on commitments relating to free school meals.
“We know that many low-income families just miss out on qualifying for means-tested free school meals, and many others don’t claim because of shame or stigma.
“The best way to tackle this problem is through universal free school meals that benefit all of our children and young people.”
Peter Kelly was speaking just after attending yesterday’s anti-poverty summit, chaired by the First Minister.
He said: “The First Minister’s poverty summit was a timely opportunity to refocus on tackling the injustice of poverty in Scotland. Across all those who took part, there was a clear sense of urgency on the need to deliver real change.
“There was no shortage of ideas for action. We can expand funded childcare, use public contracts as a lever to improve pay and conditions in key sectors, and remove barriers to work for those people most affected by poverty – women, disabled people, people from Black and ethnic minority communities.
“Now is the time for the Scottish Government to turn those ideas into concrete action. We look forward to a follow up summit in the coming year to check where progress has been made.”
Positive anti-poverty summit soured by possible roll-back on Free School Meals
THE sCOTTISH Trades Union Congress (STUC) and the STUC Women’s Committee have warned of massive resistance to any reversal on the SNP free school meals pledge and called for an acceleration, not a roll-back of the programme.
STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “We were enthusiastic participants in the summit today. Our key message is that better and fairer wages tied to redistributive taxation must lie at the heart of strategies to tackling poverty and inequality. Current levels of in-work poverty are totally unacceptable and place further pressure on our under-funded benefits system. We need to see real action coming out of this summit.
“Suggestions this morning that the Scottish Government might consider breaking pledges to extend free school meals is not what we are looking to hear. Investing in the health of all of our young people and removing stigma is a key priority and any roll-back will be fiercely resisted.”
Andrea Bradley, Chair of the STUC Women’s Committee and General Secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland said: “The STUC Women’s Committee would be deeply concerned if the First Minster’s comments around a potential reversal of the Scottish Government’s progressive policy on universal free school meals expansion as reported today, were to be put into action.
“1 in 4 children in Scotland were living in poverty before the onset of the cost-of-living crisis, which the previous First Minister declared a humanitarian emergency. Now, food inflation of 20%, together with exorbitant energy costs, and stagnant wages is making life even harder and more miserable for hundreds of thousands of parents in Scotland and their children – many already missing out on a decent meal at school because of the stigma or the bureaucracy of means-testing.
“Now is the time to accelerate the roll-out of universal free school meals – not to roll back on what were essential promises.”
99% of households initially eligible through DWP will have been directly paid £301 by the government by end of today (3 May 2023)
The payments are the first of 3 new Cost of Living Payments worth up to £900 in 2023/24 for those eligible – though some people will receive up to £1,350.
Those remaining will continue to be paid between now and 17 May by DWP, with no need to contact anyone.
More than 7 million households across the UK will have been paid a £301 Cost of Living Payment by the end of today (3 May 2023).
This means the vast majority of eligible households have received the support in just 8 days of the rollout starting, with the small number of payments outstanding to be made by 17 May.
The payment is the first of 3 Cost of Living Payments being made this year and the next, illustrating the government’s commitment to supporting vulnerable families with financial pressures. This comes alongside work to deliver on the government’s 5 priorities, including halving inflation and growing the economy, which will ultimately help put more money in people’s bank accounts at the end of the month.
Mel Stride, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said: “Paying more than 7 million households £301 in a little over a week underlines our commitment to ensure those on the lowest income are protected from the worst of rising prices and give them peace of mind.
“With further payments due to be made later this year and in 2024, we will continue to provide support to those who need it most while we tackle inflation and grow the economy.”
Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor of the Exchequer, added: “We know the impact that rising prices are having on families, which is why we are providing significant support to millions through these direct cash payments. This is alongside other support, including holding down energy bills, uplifting benefits and the State Pension by 10%, and increasing the National Living Wage by a record amount.
“The single best way to ease cost of living pressures is to bear down on inflation. We are on track to halve it this year, laying the foundation for the long-term growth needed to improve everyone’s living standards.”
The Cost of Living Payments, spread across 2023/24, are worth up to £900 for those on means-tested benefits. The next payment for those on means-tested benefits is due in the autumn, with the third instalment due next spring.
These are accompanied by a £150 payment for people on eligible disability benefits this summer, and a £300 payment to top up Winter Fuel Payments for pensioners at the end of 2023 – meaning some will receive up to £1,350.
This makes up part of the government’s significant cost of living support – now worth an average of £3,300 per household over this year and last.
People will be eligible for the £301 Cost of Living Payment if they have been entitled to a payment for one of 7 benefits between 26 January and 25 February 2023. The eligible benefits are:
Universal Credit
Pension Credit
Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Income Support
Working Tax Credit
Child Tax Credit
The DWP encourages anyone who thinks they may be eligible for a qualifying benefit to use a benefits calculator to check their entitlement. In particular, low-income pensioners should check their eligibility for Pension Credit, as they may still be able to receive the £301 Cost of Living Payment, and subsequent payments, if they make a successful backdated application by 19 May 2023.
The small number of payments outstanding will continue to be made between now and 17 May, and anyone eligible still waiting for a payment does not need to contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) before then.
After this date, if someone thinks they may be missing a payment they are entitled to, a form can be filled out on the GOV.UK website to make a claim.
One million eligible families, receiving tax credits only, will get their £301 Cost of Living Payment from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) between Tuesday 2 and Tuesday 9 May with the banking reference ‘HMRC COLS’.
This payment comes on top of extensive support given to low-income households in 2022, including up to £1,100 in Cost of Living Payments. The Household Support Fund, worth over £2 billion across its lifetime, continues to offer support to people across England, and those in need should contact their local council to see what support is available in their area.
Tackling poverty and inequality is the biggest challenge facing Scotland, First Minister Humza Yousaf will say at today’s anti-poverty summit.
Led by the First Minister, the summit offers a vital opportunity for the Scottish Government to listen to, and work with key partners, campaigners, cross-party representatives and those with direct experience of poverty, to help inform Scotland’s drive to tackle poverty and inequality.
Opening the anti-poverty summit, the First Minister is expected to say: “The Scottish Government recognises the cost of living crisis is putting a huge strain on households and no-one should have to make the choice between heating, eating or turning the lights on.
“Tackling poverty and inequality is the single biggest challenge facing Scotland and requires continued, urgent and sustained action.
“Today’s anti-poverty summit is an opportunity to get round the table with campaigners, businesses, the third sector, local government, representatives from Holyrood’s main political parties and, crucially, those with direct experience of poverty, to hear their views and insights.
“This is the collaborative approach that people across Scotland want to see their First Minister and political leaders take – to secure real action on the biggest issues facing our country.
“We have a strong foundation to build on, with almost £3 billion allocated this year to support policies which tackle poverty and protect people as far as possible during the cost of living crisis, and we have announced details this week of how tens of thousands of households will be supported as a result of the Fuel Insecurity Fund being tripled.
“But, as we discuss what more can be done, nothing will be off the table and I look forward to hearing all contributions at the summit, which I hope will drive new momentum in the fight against poverty in Scotland.”
The report is based on an inquiry undertaken between July 2022 and March 2023. The inquiry involved 12 oral evidence sessions, with a total of 43 witnesses, as well as 58 written submissions.
The report examines the overarching state of the post-Brexit relationship between the UK and EU, and how this might be developed in the future, across four themes:
The overall political, diplomatic and institutional relationship;
the foreign policy, defence and security relationship;
energy security and climate change; and
mobility of people.
After years of tension and mistrust, recommendations focus on actions to be taken as a priority as part of a reset of UK-EU relations following the recent agreement of the Windsor Framework.
The Committee’s key findings and recommendations are as follows:
The political, diplomatic and institutional relationship
The opportunity the recent improvement in the mood around UK-EU relations this presents for a reset of UK-EU relations should, following years of tension and mistrust, must be grasped.
There should be a considerable increase in engagement between the UK and the EU. This should include greater use of existing institutional structures such as the TCA Specialised Committees. There would also be value in holding regular UK-EU summits. The UK’s participation in the new European Political Community is welcome.
The foreign policy, defence and security relationship
Cooperation between the UK and the EU has been close and productive in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Nevertheless, the ad hoc approach to sanctions coordination with the EU should be replaced by a more formal mechanism.
The Government’s decision to participate in the Military Mobility project under the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) is welcome. It should consider future opportunities for defence cooperation with the EU that are complementary to NATO as they arise.
The Government should approach the EU with the aim of establishing appropriate structured cooperation arrangements on external affairs.
Energy security and climate change
Energy trading between the UK and the EU has continued without much disruption despite the energy security challenges experienced in Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, an agreement should be reached to guarantee that energy flows can continue in the event of a critical supply shortage.
The UK and the EU should cooperate closely on the installation of additional interconnectors, including in the North Sea, which are needed to ensure future energy security.
There would be mutual benefits to be gained from the UK and the EU linking their respective Emissions Trading Schemes and the Government should approach the EU about this possibility. The Government should also engage closely with the EU in relation to the latter’s proposal for a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
Mobility of people
The end of free movement of people between the UK and the EU has had a major impact on business and professional travel. Government guidance on business and professional mobility should be made more straightforward to navigate and interpret.
The substantial decline in school visits from the EU to the UK since 2019 is regrettable. To address this the Government should reintroduce a youth group travel scheme that would not require pupils travelling on school visits from any EU country to carry individual passports.
Post-Brexit barriers to mobility have had a disproportionate impact on younger people. The Government should approach the EU about the possibility of entering an ambitious reciprocal youth mobility partnership, similar to existing schemes with other jurisdictions such as Australia and Canada.
Lord Kinnoull, Chair of the Committee, said: “The UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU has regrettably come under significant strain over the period since the TCA came into force, characterised by tension and mistrust.
“While the recent change in mood for future UK-EU relations following the announcement of the Windsor Framework is welcome, there is now the opportunity to move the relationship forward to the mutual benefit of both the UK and the EU.
“A particular theme running through our Future UK-EU Relationship report evidence was the significant impact of post-Brexit barriers to mobility young workers and professionals in the early stages of their careers, emerging artists, as well as students across different educational levels. Making progress here will benefit all in the short term but especially in the long term.
“The Committee feels that it is now time to address the considerable lack of structure in the foreign policy, security and defence relationship. Here we particularly recommend means of seeking to make sanctions bite harder through analysis and enforcement cooperation.
“Another area we looked into was energy. Here again we have made many recommendations which will help our long term energy security.
“We have also made a number of recommendations about the current institutional relationship and how improvements can be made”.
The Water of Leith deserves better. It’s been a freshwater resource for centuries – ebbing and flowing across Edinburgh, connecting the Pentlands to Colinton, Saughton, Roseburn, Stockbridge, Canonmills, Bonnington and Leith. Our communities were literally built around it’s clean, fresh flowing water (writes Lib-Dem Cllr JACK CALDWELL).
It’s home to over 11 species of fish, thousands of plant species and is absolutely vital to Edinburgh’s local ecosystem, providing a biodiverse habitat for birds, otters and ducks.
So why have we let it fill up with untreated human waste?
There are 65 Combined Sewage Overflow Stations (CSOs) on the Water of Leith, 14 of which are between the Leith Shore and Warriston, a stretch of the river where you can typically find ducks nesting, or people simply enjoying public “green and blue space” as many of us escape from our gardenless flats.
As of January, none of these CSOs currently retain any data of how much sewage they pump out of them when the drains are overwhelmed by harsher weather, which is becoming more and more common due to climate change.
However 24 of Scottish Water’s 108 highest priority assets for urgent upgrade across the country are located here. New screens have been fitted on several CSOs in the past few years with varying anecdotal results, but the issue ultimately lies with sewage flowing into our precious river in the first place. But how much?
When the ‘Sewage Scandal’ broke last in 2021, data was published across the UK. Sadly Not in Scotland though. We know Sewage is being dumped in the Water of Leith, but we don’t know the extent. We also know that extreme weather led to a 40% increase of raw sewage dumping across Scotland in 2021.
The data we do have in nearby rivers is concerning. In December 2019, the Newbridge CSO, which is monitored, spilled sewage water into the River Almond 13 times discharging over 2,100 litres of water in one month (source: SEPA FOI).
Lots of volunteer-led organisations are doing fabulous work trying to get more information or trying to help clean it up themselves. SOS Leith and the Water of Leith Conservation Trust, among others, both remove tonnes of litter every month from the river and surrounding paths. However, they can’t, nor shouldn’t have to, remove excrement and wet wipes.
Scottish Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur has been pressing Holyrood Ministers to fund and fix the issues, but locally the new Edinburgh and Lothians Drain Partnership must work with Scottish Water and SEPA (the Scottish Environment Protection Agency) to start collecting data before we can even begin to seriously tackle the issue.
With several Scottish Government officials quoted saying Scotland is “way behind” England in terms of solving the raw sewage spill problem, our country, city and communities deserve better.
We need to stop taking Edinburgh’s natural environment for granted. The Council recently declared a nature and biodiversity emergency.
This is why Lib Dem councillors have tabled a motion at this Thursday’s Council meeting to get a public meeting of the Edinburgh and Lothians Drain Partnership as agencies working together and collecting data is a key and urgent part of ultimately stopping the discharge of human waste into Edinburgh’s longest river.
It’s a pity there aren’t more in Holyrood who see the urgency of this issue, but I hope that Councillors can back our plan to move this forward;–
The Lib-Dem motion:
“Council –
Regrets
1) That there are a large number of Combined Sewer Overflow (CSOs) outputs in Edinburgh’s waterways, such as along the Water of Leith, the River Almond and the Figgate Burn.
2) That many CSOs are not actively monitored, despite promises from Scottish Water and SEPA that a number of monitors would be installed by the end of 2022.
3) That although plans have come forward Scottish Water to reduce the amount of CSOs in total, action is still to be taken outwith ‘upgrading’ a small percentage of CSOs.
Notes
1) The important benefits that our rivers and coastline plays for our community, and that many voluntary organisations clean up our waterways, and thanks them for their ongoing service.
2) The current situation is contradictory to the City of Edinburgh Council’s declaration of a Nature and Climate Emergency.
3) The City of Edinburgh Council is a member of the Edinburgh and Lothians Drain Partnership along with Scottish Water, SEPA and others.
Requests
1) The Edinburgh and Lothians Drains Partnership holds an extraordinary meeting to draft a publicly accessible plan of action and invites key stakeholders and campaign groups including (but not exclusive to) The Water of Leith Conservation Trust, River Almond Action Group, Figgate Friends, Forth Rivers Trust and SOS Leith with Full Minutes published on the Council website alongside a map of all river-based CSOs within the City of Edinburgh.
2) That Transport and Environment Committee is:
provided six-monthly updates on the installation of sewage monitoring to the business bulletin. provided ongoing data when this monitoring is live
3) The Council Leader write to the Scottish Government, Scottish Water and SEPA, outlining the Council’s major concern that no-one knows how much sewage is being dumped in Edinburgh’s biodiverse waterways.
Believes
that the ambition should be that Edinburgh’s waterways are free from the discharge of human waste.”
Moved by: Councillor Jack Caldwell Seconded by: Councillor Hal Osler
Speaking after attendingthe event commemorating the 52nd Anniversary of the Independence and National Day of Bangladesh at Holyrood on 25th April, Foysol Choudhury MSP said:“The Independence and National Day of Bangladesh event at the Parliament was a fantastic success.
“It was both a poignant commemoration of the lives lost and affected by the Bangladesh Liberation War and a vibrant celebration of Bangladesh’s success, history and culture.
“It was great to see Scotland’s Bangladeshi community join together in the celebrations, coming together to celebrate over food, speeches, music and dancing.
“It was also fantastic to have on display a painting commemorating the meeting between the late Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh with Bangladesh’s founding father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
“It was a great night and a fantastic reminder of the links between Bangladesh, Scotland and the UK. I’ll continue to promote these strong ties between Scotland and Bangladesh through my work in CPG Bangladesh in the Scottish Parliament.
“I thank all of my MSP colleagues and the many Consul Generals from around the world who attended to share in this event, all of the speakers including the Assistant High Commissioner for Bangladesh Kazi Ziaul Hasan, all of our performers who made the night so much fun and the Bangladeshi Community in Scotland, who organised this event.”
During Education and Skills portfolio questions yesterday at the Scottish Parliament, Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs asked the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills Jenny Gilruth, about the safety of schools in Scotland.
Mr Briggs said how it is critical that this government and councils acts as quickly as possible to remove asbestos from the Scottish schools estate to ensure that pupils, teachers and staff across Scotland are learning and working in a safe environment.
Across the Lothians 241 schools contain asbestos – 110 in Edinburgh (details below), 31 in East Lothian, 18 in Midlothian and 82 in West Lothian. In the last year, 58 schools had asbestos removed – 20 in Edinburgh, 0 in Midlothian, 38 in West Lothian and East Lothian declined to provide the information.
The Scottish Conservatives have previously criticised the SNP for continuing to pass on “savage” cuts to local authorities, meaning schools don’t have the resources to remove asbestos from school buildings.
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills of Scotland, herself a former teacher, was asked “what progress has the Scottish Government made in removing asbestos from schools, what impact assessment has been undertaken to look at where currently asbestos is in the school estate and where this will be removed and what timescale will government develop to make sure this happens”.
In response, Ms. Gilruth acknowledged the importance of the issue and said: “Obviously a number of the schools that we are talking about are historically old buildings, I confess that the last building that I worked in, over in Fife, had asbestos in it.
“It is soon to be replaced by a brand new building thanks to this government. I think that’s hugely important as we move forward in improving the school estate, but we will need to recognise some of the challenge here”.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“The danger of asbestos is common knowledge.
“Despite this we still have over 240 schools in across Lothian which still contain this hazardous material.
“It is vital that pupils, teachers and staff across Scotland are learning and working in a safe environment.
“Continued underfunding of local authorities by SNP Ministers makes it extremely difficult for council to carry out the necessary work in our school estates to remove asbestos.”
The TUC has highlighted the dangers of asbestos today, International Workers Memorial Day. Asbestos is the biggest cause of work-related deaths in Britain.
TUC’s Sally Asquith said: “Schools are some of the most likely buildings to contain asbestos, but also the most obvious site for safe removal.
“Many schools desperately need repair or replacing anyway: the Department for Education has admitted a serious risk of collapse in many school buildings. We know more than 90 per cent of schools contain asbestos, and that the rate of mesothelioma diagnoses among former teachers is rising rapidly, so the need for removal is urgent. In the past six months alone, four schools in England had to close after asbestos was disturbed.
“As well as providing adequate support, and research, for those affected, the only real way to prevent asbestos-related illness in the long term is to remove the substance once and for all.
“Only by removing asbestos from all public buildings can we avoid future risk of exposure and stop the thousands of early – and entirely preventable – deaths from this dreadful, fatal illness.”
#IWMD
Edinburgh
A total of 110 schools contain asbestos:
Nursery/EYC – 21
Primary – 73
High School – 12
Special – 4
We have removed asbestos from 20 schools since 1st April 2022.
