 I ask members who are leaving the chamber to do so as quickly and as quietly as possible. We move on to the final item of business, which is a member's business debate on motion 8189, in the name of Christine Grahame, on global intergenerational week 2023. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put. I invite members wishing to participate to press the request-to-speak buttons now. Again, I would encourage members who are not participating and who are leaving the chamber to do so as quickly and as quietly as possible. I invite Christine Grahame to open the debate for around seven minutes. First, I thank all who signed my motion, which has allowed it to be debated in this global intergenerational week. This is in its fourth year and now involves 15 countries, including, for example, Australia, Sweden, Mexico and the countries of the UK, including Scotland. This is a campaign aimed at inspiring individuals, groups, organisations, local and national governments to connect people of all ages, especially younger and older generations, to share good practice and opportunities, to come together and enjoy each other's company and make friendships that cross the age divides. It can be done in the simplest of ways—physical activities, chatting, gardening, baking, arts and so on. In Scotland, the lead organisation is generations working together. Some of this already happens, of course, quite naturally with grandparents, parenting, elderly relatives and neighbours curdling into granny or grandad telling a story from a book or simply sharing memories from the past, embellished, of course, in my case, for dramatic or romantic effect. It's special and gives parents a break. Walking hand in hand in the sunshine, the young one chattering away and the elder out and about, not so far bound, is the stuff of abiding memories. It can happen in more established settings, such as a care setting, when young ones come in to share simple play and perhaps perform a song or two. In schools, it can be a lesson in social history. What it was like to grow up post-war with the remnants of rationing or in the swinging 60s, when miniskirts were all the passion and the young then rebelled against the older generation because plus a shawls plus cell a meme. It can be the young showing how to use Facebook. The mysteries were some of the internet using emojis in the right place, at the right time for the right reason. Remember to how David Cameron got caught out with the misuse of LOL. In formal settings, we sometimes do miss out in failing to consult and collaborate across the generations. Take, for example, in housing developments that are adaptable to changes as someone moves from single occupancy to family requirements to being elderly and perhaps the sole occupant again needing ground floor living, yet remaining being able to remain in the same development. In social housing in the 50s, there were what used to be known as pensioners' houses in a mixed development, so we were part of a mixed community. Building 2 perhaps as a developer contribution to the school with integrated community spaces for use by both young and older generations in the evenings and weekends. It does happen, but not often enough. New-build schools having where possible allotments shared by young and old would be a good idea. Perhaps the older generation can share their expertise and the very young can learn that peas taste best stolen from the living pod. What it does in this sharing is break down barriers real or perceived of age divides or stereotypes. The words we use of the elderly, the challenge of demographics, the burden, privilege to have pensions, boring, selfish and so on set the tone. The words we use of the young, a challenge, privilege, selfish, boring make the point about parallel perceptions. Useful exuberance in public places can be interpreted by the elderly as intimidating. I have been there too. Coming over a youth fellowship meeting one Sunday evening in winter, some dozen of us were gossiping at street corner. Next thing a policeman approaches us and tells us to move along. Being the person I was even then, I questioned his authority as we were not breaking the law and this was a democracy, etc. I added we were the youth fellowship for goodness sake. It transpired that nearby households had reported us for the noise we were making. Needless to say, my challenge didn't go down well as the officer escorted me home. Yes, plus a chance. Age discrimination of the older generation is alive and well, but so is age discrimination of the young. The untrammeled energy of youth can be annoying, but then so too can the slower pace of the elderly irritate when you are young and life is in a hurry. Tolerance and understanding is a good prescription. It is generalising generational behaviour, which is at fault. Individual to individual can be quite a different matter, that is why one-to-one encounters, personal encounters between the younger and older generations can shatter those perceptions and, more than that, enhance respect and understanding. You know that the minister for older people, Ms Roddick, sat with me in the back benches until recently. She is 25 going on 26, and I am 78 going on 79. More than 50 years separate us and dreaded thoughts of thoughts for her and me. I am old enough to be her grandmother. She helped and still does help me with my surface when it plays up, and I hope that I was of use to her with my experience back here. More importantly, we also had fun on the back benches, where a degree of naughtiness can go unnoticed, Deputy Presiding Officer. Yes, a pulse on for mischief can, after all, be delightfully intergenerational. Thank you, Ms Greer. I do not take the lack of comment to mean that it has gone unnoticed. We move to the open debate. I call first Alexander Stewart to be followed by Calamoghan around four minutes, Mr Stewart. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I apologise to you, the minister and the members, that I will not be able to stay for the whole debate as I have another event to attend this evening on behalf of the Parliament. I would like to congratulate Christine Grahame on securing this member's debate this evening. As my party's shadow for older people, I am delighted to have this opportunity to participate in the debate this evening. As we already know, global intergenerational week runs for this whole week until Sunday. From its humble beginnings, the event has grown to international level with only four years, as such is the importance of the campaign's aims. The aim is to inspire individuals as well as groups, organisations and local and national government. Those will help us fully embrace intergenerational practice, aims that I very much commend. The goal is to connect people of different generations with mutually beneficial activities, and many of those have already been mentioned by Christine Grahame this evening. The campaign also has the opportunity to create good practice, ideas, moments and opportunities local to us with different ages and different groups coming together in friendship and fellowship. I am encouraged that this year the organisers' generations working together are asking everybody to host an intergenerational mix and mingle event during global international week 2023. With a flexible format, the charity is keen to bring people of different generations together in an exciting way to create that benefit. Events can be registered and recognised and downloaded on the website. Generations working together's annual conference was held this year on precisely the same day as International Women's Day, for the event that published a booklet to create and show the invaluable work and efforts of women in advancing intergenerational movement, and they should be commended for that. With a large number of stories and features, generations working together are an excellent showcase of individuals and endeavours and women with that regard. The conference opened with a speech from the then Minister for Equality and Older People. She announced 3.8 million funding to support communities to bring people and communities together to tackle loneliness and social isolation. Although the time the generation working together described that this was a strong indication to the value to which the Scottish Government places the building of communities through intergenerational activities, that was to be commended. However, it was then disappointing that only a few days later, within the reach of the highly competent minister, it took up a new role. Instead, the portfolio has been handed, but it has been immersed into a multifaceted role. I have said already that I acknowledge the fact that there is still someone looking after it, but it has been extended and expanded within a new ministerial role, and I am one who has already said that that is not to the benefit. That has instantly diluted the concerns, as far as I can see, and put that on the back burner. If nothing else, it certainly calls into question that the Scottish Government's focus lies when it is looking at an ageing population. In conclusion, Christine Grahame's motion readily recognises the views that there are and the urgent need for Scotland to become an intergenerational nation. However, with that reshuffle in mind, it exposes that there are issues when it comes to loneliness and isolation. We already know from other studies that the mortality of individuals who are lonely can be recognised as having 15 cigarettes a day. I very much hope that that will continue to be maintained within the ranks of the Scottish Government, because it is important. All the people matter, our communities are dependent on them, our constituencies are dependent on them, and the success of intergenerational working must continue to be a priority for the Scottish Government. I hope that that is very much the case. I thank Christine Grahame for bringing this debate to the chamber. I also welcome the new ministers to the front bench. On behalf of Scottish Labour, I, too, welcome global intergenerational week and all the work in Scotland looking at bringing people of all ages together to ensure that generations have the best chance of a healthy and happy life together. The work of Scotland-based generations working together is exciting, and the development of policy from the manifesto of 2021 gives us much to aim for. Generations working together's vision is for a Scotland where different generations are more connected and everyone can build relationships that help to create a fairer society. For me, to have a fairer society, we must prioritise the health of our population, and it must surely be a priority for any Parliament and any Government. That has been even more important now over the last few years, when it has been difficult for people to be connected as much as we would all like and talk about in this chamber. We have heard in this debate many other times in the chamber. To be healthy does not just mean to be physically healthy, but to be mentally healthy, socially healthy, economically healthy. Each of those crucial aspects of our life all play a role in determining the health and outcomes of an individual, a family and of our population. The intergenerational work that we are talking about today is absolutely essential, and there is now really good evidence to support just how important this work is. We all know of the benefits of learning from our parents, grandparents and neighbours, and we have heard many good examples tonight on how we as a society can encourage that and build on it for those who, in a more modern society, do not always benefit from that. Christine Grahame gave us some really lovely examples of how people can just together be intergenerational. I am hoping to watch Christine Grahame's Twitter account and just check that those emojis are all in the right place. I absolutely will. Christine Grahame. Hello. I regret to say that I have been forbidden to use Twitter by the world at large. Well, this must be addressed in an intergenerational way. Well, I hope that all your LOLs are in the right place. Evidence suggests that we can sometimes in Scotland today live in silos, but the development of intergenerational space gives us a chance to grow together and feel safe to share experiences and events. This is known to help with learning, with loneliness, with physical and mental health—all really important. However, we know that health inequalities exist from birth, but we also know that they continue to negatively impact people throughout their lives and can determine outcomes in later life. If we believe that intergenerational policies will benefit people and communities of all ages, we must acknowledge that and build intergenerational space and activity with health inequalities at the core of that policy development. We must be honest about policy development. The motion notes the calls on the Scottish Government, local authorities and all other relevant bodies to prioritise intergenerational work and develop policies and initiatives that promote intergenerational collaboration and understanding across a vast range of policy areas, including health and social care, early years, education and community planning, working across the portfolios. The reality is that we need to fund local government to allow those things to happen. In my view, local government is key to the development of all those policies. If we truly believe in that work, we will fight to retain local government. I am short of time, and I will conclude by thanking everybody for contributing to the debate. It is my view that there is a lot to be done. We need to challenge some of the decisions that are made and some of the inaction that is taken. However, I do believe that we can make that happen if we look at it with some urgency. Thank you very much indeed, Ms Malkin. You can expect a strongly-worded letter from the Government's Whits Office for encouraging Christine Grahame on to Twitter, but I now call Rona Mackay to be followed by Maggie Chapman again around four minutes. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am pleased to be speaking in this debate for Global Intergenerational Week. I thank my colleague Christine Grahame for bringing it to the chamber. I also like to welcome the new ministers to the front bench. Presiding Officer, there has never been more need for intergenerational working. During the pandemic, we saw in practice just how effective generations working together can be with young people at the forefront of helping older people in the community. Intergenerational Week first took place in 2020 as a local campaign by St Monica Trust. Following its success, it grew into a national campaign in 2021, before it went on to become the global campaign that it is now. The campaigns led by generations working together, which is an intergenerational charity that is based, I am happy to say, in Scotland. Eight countries, including America, Spain, Australia and Sweden, take part alongside partners from every nation in the United Kingdom. More than 150 organisations have registered the support for global intergenerational week, and that number continues to grow. It is through intergenerational practice that younger and older generations are able to come together and learn from each other. I was very close to my gran and I carry her influence and wisdom with me every day. One of the highlights for my late father-in-law, who died at the age of 99, was when local school children came to visit his care home, that and, of course, the regular feropet dog that cheered everyone up. I attended the first intergenerational meeting in my constituency of Strathkelvin and Bearstead in 2020 and was impressed by the passion and commitment of everyone young and old. One example of intergenerational practice could be the older generation in local communities helping to teach younger generations how to cook. We, as adults, sometimes take that skill for granted and teaching young folk to cook is often learned from older generations and families and passed down. It is the foundation for a better quality of life. As we have heard, Christine Grahame and Karol Mocken talk about, sharing skills can help both generations, the young and the not so young. Today, passing on IT skills is a great way of bringing generations together. I know that I have enlisted the help of my son and grandchildren on many occasions. But crucially, intergenerational practice is one way in which we can help to fight a growing epidemic in our communities' loneliness. It is estimated that around 500,000 older people go five or even six days without speaking to or seeing anyone at all. The number of people over the age of 50 experienced in loneliness is set to reach 2 million by the year 2025-26, which is a 49 per cent increase on the figures from 2016-17. I am sure that we all agree that that needs to change. The Eastern Bartonshire Voluntary Association, a fantastic organisation based in Kirkntelliff, has run a highly successful befriending service. It has proved to be a lifeline to young and old. One older resident loved to watch horror movies, but had no one to share her interests. She was matched up with a young volunteer who shared her love of the genre and, once a week, watched a movie of her choice—a perfect example of intergenerational success. I am pleased that the Scottish Government is committed to tackling loneliness and isolation across all generations in Scotland. Generations working together is a national charity and is the centre of excellence in intergenerational training that delivers training to communities. It is crucial that no one in any community in Scotland feels isolated or lonely. This is not the society that we want for our wonderful nation. I strongly encourage all members to encourage intergenerational practice across their constituencies and regions. Today's further awareness of global intergenerational wicked, the areas of Scotland that they represent, is important that we have a Scotland where individuals and communities are more connected and that everyone has the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships regardless of age, status, circumstances or identity. I thank Christine Grahame for her motion, for securing this debate and for her mischief. I should have done this earlier. I welcome Emma Roddick to her ministerial role. Global intergenerational weak and the endeavours of generations working together are probably more important now than ever before. Without the core values celebrated in Christine Grahame's motion of fairness, equality and community, we cannot survive the intersecting crises that assail us, crises of climate and cost, of nature and neglect, of loneliness and loss. There are challenges to this work, challenges of capacity, time and resources, but also challenges created by those whose interests are best served by keeping us divided, by age and by other aspects of identity. We know that some of the barriers between generations are structural, constructed by decades of deliberate policy and shameful in action. The 20th century assumption of material progress that each generation of children would have better life experiences than their parents in terms of housing, health, work and finances is no longer the case. Young people and even those in early middle age are burdened by student and other debt, by exploitative and precarious work with few opportunities for career progression, by expensive and unhealthy accommodation and by insufficient healthcare, especially for those in need of mental support. We know too that the fractures of inequality cut across as well as between generations. While many older people enjoy the benefits of having grown up under the post-war social democratic consensus with home ownership and generous pensions, others have not been so fortunate. Poorly built and insulated housing, inadequate public transport and pressures on the health service can particularly impact older people, especially those surviving on low incomes. I am proud of what we have done as Scottish Greens to address some of those issues, recognising that safer, greener, fairer communities and environments are of benefit to everyone, whatever our age. I am also proud of our on-going work, challenging the toxic narrative that LGBTQIA plus rights and trans rights in particular are issues of concern only for young people. If it is true that we need less sleep as we grow older, we are looking forward to plenty of time to be, as the Tory press likes to say, more and more woke. Anyone who saw images of the giant XR gathering in London last weekend will know that climate change and the need for urgent action and justice are other imperatives which unite both young and old. Our younger generations, including the tiniest children, will bear the greatest burdens of the climate and biodiversity crises, affecting every aspect of their lives. All the people are increasingly aware of what that means, of how Governments, corporations and elites have let all of us down, and that it is our responsibility, whatever our age, to make our voices heard in love and rage. Climate justice, environmental justice, justice for refugees, for all those pushed to the margins of our communities, it is never too late to make these our business. Shakespeare's King Lear, at the end of a life of privilege and power, found himself, along with his fool, exiled to a stormy and barren heath. Brutally marginalised himself, he appreciates for the very first time the suffering of the poor, those whose houseless heads and unfed sides have no choice but to bide the pelting of this pitiless storm. I have taken too little care of this, he says, in sorrow and shame. In conclusion, Presiding Officer, we stand now amidst the pitiless storms of the climate emergency, the agonies of the cost crisis and the relentless attacks of the Westminster Government, as we have heard this afternoon, on the dispossessed and exiled of the world. Our only hope, whether we are closer in age to Lear or Codilia, is to take care, care of our earth, care of our communities and care of one another across the generations. Thank you, Ms Chapman. I now call on Emma Roddick to wind up the debate, Minister, for around about seven minutes, please. Thank you and good afternoon, Presiding Officer and fellow members. I'm delighted to be closing the debate on global intergenerational week 2023, which runs until the 30th of April. I thank my colleague Christine Grahame for bringing forward the motion and for complimenting my IT skills. To be honest, Presiding Officer, her youthful exuberance on the backbenches is getting a bit much for me at my age, but I do like to think that we have built a nice intergenerational friendship here at work. I'd also like to offer my warm thanks to fellow MSPs for attending and taking part in this important debate today and for their helpful and informative contributions. It's important that Parliament comes together to support and celebrate this global event supported by generations working together, the nationally recognised centre of excellence supporting the development and integration of intergenerational work across Scotland. The Scottish Government has provided £600,000 to generations working together through the Equality and Human Rights Fund to support its valuable work up to 2024. For older people in particular, intergenerational practice can alleviate loneliness, encourage participation and increase mobility and happiness. I think that Mona Mackay was right to focus on the epidemic of loneliness, as she put it. Tackling loneliness and social isolation is a key priority for this Government and she'll know that it's one that I have an eye on in terms of constituents in rural and island areas. That's why we've published a new delivery plan to tackle social isolation and loneliness and we also launched a new social isolation and loneliness fund on 8 March. In the first hundred days of this Parliament, we invested £1 million for immediate work by organisations tackling social isolation and loneliness. I wish they hadn't put that in the speech five times, including helplines, befriending and practical support. In January of this year, we provided a further £971,000 as part of our emergency response to the cost crisis, to organisations working to tackle isolation and loneliness over the winter period. Men's Sheds are consistent with the values set out in the national performance framework, helping to create a society that treats all of our people with kindness, dignity and compassion. They help to tackle social isolation and achieve positive mental and physical health outcomes especially for older people. They can play a role in intergenerational learning, enabling a space for younger and older people to work and learn new skills together. That's why the Scottish Government has supported the Scottish Men's Shed Association, who are the national support organisation for men's sheds since 2016. Led by Jason Shudder, the SNP has played an important role in growing the movement to over 200 men's sheds today. We also value the massive contribution that volunteers make to people's lives and appreciate all who give their time to volunteer and make things better for others. Scotland's volunteering action plan aims to create a Scotland where everyone can volunteer more often and throughout their lives. Before I conclude, I would like to make it clear to colleagues who may be somehow missed Christine Grahame's introduction of me earlier that I am the Minister for Older People. It is a large brief and I appreciate that, but if you consider the intersectional inequalities that exist for older people who are LGBTQ, older people who are from a minority ethnic background who are disabled, it makes sense and is important to consider equality as a whole. However, I can promise that the Scottish Government has not de-prioritised older people and that I will stick up for Scotland's older people as their minister. Global intergenerational week provides an opportunity to reinforce the connections that we know are needed to build a stronger, fairer society. We have come a long way towards a more inclusive and equal Scotland, where everyone can play their part in shaping their communities, but there is more yet to do and I look forward to Christine Grahame being a loud voice in my ear making sure that we get it right. Thank you very much indeed Minister. That concludes the debate and I close this meeting of Parliament.