 The next item of business is our business debate on motion 3950, member's business debate in the name of Rhoda Grant, on triggers for loneliness. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put. I would like to ask those members who wish to speak in the debate to press their request to speak buttons now. I call on Rhoda Grant to open the debate. Miss Grant, seven minutes please. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and I'd like to thank all those who signed my motion for their support in bringing this debate to the chamber tonight. Can I also thank the co-op and the British Red Cross for their caught-in-a-bubble report highlighting the issues of loneliness, and it's this report that led to the debate tonight? It may seem strange to some that the co-op has been involved, but they have a rich history of community work. This is what makes co-operatives stand out. Scotland, Headquartered in Edinburgh currently supports hundreds of community groups across Scotland, including Childline. In 2015, the co-op asked its members to identify an issue that they wanted to pursue, and they voted to tackle loneliness and chose British Red Cross as their partner. The raised funds exceeding their £3.5 million target to tackle loneliness. Not only have they published their report, but they are also looking to develop projects, and there are five of those in Scotland, two in the Highlands and Islands region in Bray and in Inverness. I'd also like to thank the co-operative party and the many other organisations and individuals that took time to send briefings, or who wrote to me sharing their own experience. We all assume that loneliness is something that impacts an old age, usually due to bereavement or illness. However, the co-op in the bubble report looks at several different groups. Young mums, people with mobility limitations, with health problems, those who have recently been divorced or separated, people whose children have left home, who have retired and those who have been bereaved. What surprised me was that some of those things could be seen as positive developments. The birth of a child, the freedom of retirement, for example, seemed positive, but they are also life changing. They can change your social circle and your identity. Instead of being an individual, you become a parent, your priorities change, putting you out of kilter with the rest of your social network. Similarly, with retirement, it can be freedom, but many of us are defined by what we do. The report found that there were clear impacts of being lonely and those were biological, psychological and behavioural. While we understand the psychological and behavioural, it is not fully recognised that there are biological impacts on a person's health. The impact of loneliness can be linked to cardiovascular health risks, increased death rates, high blood pressure, signs of ageing, symptoms of depression and the risk of dementia, and at the extreme, it is linked to suicide. The report concluded that there was a lack of support available. There also appeared to be stages of loneliness, the disruption of a life changing event and the ability to adapt to that. They found that 79 per cent of people experienced loneliness at some point in their lives. We need to recognise the triggers and to ensure that there is advice and support available at key stages in life in order to avoid loneliness becoming extreme, for example, at the birth of a child. We need to look at the different stages when someone is lonely and provide support to overcome that. For example, lunch clubs and social outings for older people be frienders for those who cannot get out easily. When loneliness becomes chronic, then more organised interventions are required to address the harms that loneliness has caused, because it takes time to build confidence that there are many organisations that will help with that. We are getting better at recognising the triggers. Many employers recognise the need for transition into retirement now, helping their staff to adapt. With people moving to find work, the traditional family structures are no longer in place, leading to isolation and loneliness for old and young. Some people juggle supporting ageing parents with helping to bring up grandchildren, only to find that both roles can disappear from their lives at around the same time, leaving them a lack of purpose and empty days to fill. We all need to be needed to feel useful and to have a role to play. Be frienders in their summary report of their health and loneliness roadshow in 2015 concluded that there was a widespread perception among participants that any practice currently aimed at tackling loneliness happens mostly by chance. It goes on. Nor is there currently any formal commitment from local or national government to develop strategies or dedicate fund to reducing, let alone preventing, the alarming high levels of loneliness documented in the research. The Joe Cox commission was set up to examine ways of tackling loneliness. The commission was set up after the MP's death and is a fitting addition to the work that she started. She was passionate about tackling loneliness and she put it down to three issues, ageing population, changing family structures and to government policy of inadequate care services. There is a lack of support for the voluntary sector. They run many of the wonderful projects, some small, some local, other large and national organisations that try to do that. For example, Friendship Services in Inverness, the Narnshire Mentoring Service, part of Arthritis Care Scotland, the Lian Fund and Stornoway, providing support for young people with cystic fibrosis who are leaving home. Be frienders throughout all of Scotland, mother and baby and mother and toddler groups, carers support groups and many many more. The list is long. Volunteers given their time to care and support those facing loneliness and trying to fill the gaps that government has left. The Joe Cox commission has highlighted the need for people to be proactive. Its start to conversation campaign seeks to make us all part of the solution by taking time to speak to a neighbour or family member who is alone. We can also take it further. Caroline Abrams of Age UK said, a simple thing like saying hello or having a chat can brighten up another person's day. Sadly, the modern culture of Scotland does not encourage spontaneous conversations with strangers and most the pity because I think we all lose out. One of the things that I love about going door to door is the conversations that you have and they are not all about politics. You get a short insight into lives of some wonderfully colourful individuals. The voluntary groups that I have talked about are just an example and I am really sorry that I have missed so many because it shows the range of organisations. We are trying to meet the needs of people of all ages affected by loneliness. We need people in all walks of life to identify people at risk of loneliness and to signpost them to support before it impacts on their health. We also need government, local and national to play their part. We need to support those voluntary groups and help to coordinate efforts and identify where gaps exist. We need to look at the funding of services. Voluntary organisations tell us of the problems of planning and delivering services on a year-to-year funding basis. We need to give them more security. We also need to look at service provision for groups that are vulnerable to loneliness to make sure that every new mum is signposted to a playgroup, that every old person has access to social interaction. We also need to recognise that a five-minute care visit does nothing to alleviate loneliness and to recognise that social interaction is as important as being fed and raised. The voluntary sector is doing its bit. We need government to support them and we all need to play our part by starting a conversation. I move to the open debate speeches of four minutes, please. Colin Smyth by Maurice Corry. I echo the comments on thanking Rhoda Grant for securing this debate today. I know that she is very much a long-standing campaigner on an issue that really does touch so many lives in all her communities. Younger old, north or south, as Jo Cox herself said, loneliness does not discriminate. From the child bullied at school to a new mum to a pensioner who has outlived her husband or wife, the feeling of loneliness can hit any one of us at any time in our lives. As Rhoda Grant said, it is a key point that is trapped in a bubble report by the co-op in the British Red Cross, referred to in Rhoda Grant's motion, revealed. The report also revealed that over 9 million people in the UK across all adult ages are either always or often lonely. A survey by action for children found that 43 per cent of 17 to 25-year-olds who used their service had experienced problems with loneliness and less than half of that same group said that they felt loved. The report also reported that almost a quarter of parents surveyed said that they were always or often lonely. An aged Scotland, whose excellent Christmas campaign, No One Should Have No One at Christmas, revealed that almost 50,000 older people in Scotland face Christmas Day alone. With loneliness and isolation also a stacked reality for around 100,000 older people living in Scotland every day. As the co-op in the British Red Cross pointed out, the causes of that loneliness are complex. Rhoda Grant highlighted often that they are caused by a trigger, divorced, poor health, retirement or bereavement. Our community can also have an impact. For example, poor transport links in a rural area can add to a person's feeling of loneliness and isolation. The society that we live in today can be a driver with people working longer and living in a more anti-social way. As a result, the solutions can be equally complex in their variety. As the research by the co-op in the British Red Cross found, there is no one-size-all-fits approach to tackling loneliness. In the very short period of time that we have, I want to briefly focus on one group of older people, who are the Joe Cox commission today spotlight, and as a group with a greater risk of loneliness and isolation. In particular, I want to highlight the work of one organisation in my region and the lessons that we can take from that work in tackling loneliness. That organisation is called the Food Chain, one that I suspect is familiar to many members in the chamber. It was established in 1995 by a Labour Party stalwart, Jean Mundell, after a community survey of older people found many struggling with their weekly grocery shopping. A partnership of local shops and volunteers were formed to in effect carry out the shopping for older people and deliver it to their homes. The success of that service saw it expand beyond Dumfries, thanks to funding from the then Scottish Executive. By the time that Jean Sagley passed away in 2006, the service was operational right across Dumfries and Galloway. I recently had the privilege of joining Food Chain for the day, helping the amazing volunteers in their deliveries. I am delighted to see that, just beyond its 21st birthday, the Food Chain has expanded across Scotland into West Lothian, Stirland, Dundee, Glasgow, Renfisher and North Lanarkshire. As well as expanding its geography, it has also expanded its services, adding Food Chain extra and additional home support service and, more recently, a third service, Food Chain Friends. The award-winning befriending service will help those volunteers to experience isolation and loneliness through, for example, telephone contact, one-to-one home visits and group outings and activities. It is a simple concept, but we cannot underestimate the difference that it makes to the older people who the volunteer befrienders reach out to. Taking them out, simply having a chat on the phone or popping round for a coffee is a hugely positive impact on their wellbeing and happiness. It is work that, frankly, could be life-saving because we know that loneliness kills increases the risk of mortality by 10 per cent and has been likened to a 15-a-day smoking habit. It increases stress, anxiety and depression and doubles the risk of dementia. It manifests itself in physical health, raising blood pressure, contributing to heart disease, stroke and sometimes cancer. It can impact on our behaviour, reinforcing or exasperating problems such as alcohol misuse. The impact on health was recognised by the Parliament's Equal Opportunities Committee's excellent report into age and social isolation in 2015, which led to the Government's commitment of funding and also to a later issue. A later cross-party commitment to develop a national strategy. I hope that, when the minister sums up, she will be able to update the chamber on when we are likely to see that strategy. I also hope that she will give a commitment that providing greater support to the voluntary sector who deliver beefrending projects such as food train friends will be at the very heart of that strategy. First, I thank Rhoda Grant for bringing forward this most important debate this afternoon. Loneliness is indeed a very serious issue in society today, but because it is one that takes place behind closed doors, it is one that is sometimes totally ignored and it often doesn't receive the attention that it deserves. I would like to also say that I welcome the work done by the British Red Cross and the co-operative group in bringing forward their reports and also the launch of the Joe Cox commission on loneliness. The British Red Cross and the co-operative group have compiled an important piece of work in highlighting this issue and also informing on just how widespread this issue is right across the different parts of society we normally don't associate with in this issue of loneliness. The report highlights correctly that loneliness is something that anyone can feel as the report states that loneliness can happen across life stages, genders and backgrounds and is not solely connected with later life. The report is not only useful in that it gives the statistics of those who deal with loneliness but it also helps us to identify the types of support that people say they want, which tends to be face-to-face services. A classic example of that is the advances in medicine. In the case that I had to deal with recently in my role laterally as a chairman of IJB, the health board in Argym but, the advances in medicine had meant that it had reduced the amount of visits that nurses made to people in rural areas. Instead of attending to their needs twice a week, they were only going there once a week and that was me and they were only seeing that person once. That had a detrimental effect on those people's lives. That is something that good comes and sometimes bad comes out of it. An example of an organisation that I work with and doing great work providing these types of services is Legion Scotland, who offer a befriending service designed for veterans and their families of all ages right across the country. Those in the military community, both the service personnel themselves and their families as well, move around a lot and live in very different lifestyles to much of society. You can imagine that, when they leave the services, they can struggle as they do not share the same life experience of those who have not served in the forces. They also may not have the many ties to the local areas that they move into. They think that no one understands them, so you can imagine that that leads to loneliness for many. What Legion Scotland does, which I think is so important in combating loneliness, is that they have introduced veterans to other veterans so that they have someone in the local area to talk to and socialise with who has similar experiences to themselves. That is just one organisation that I know of and that I deal with. Many others are doing brilliant work but they do need more support. I think that the type of work that Legion Scotland does can be extended to other groups who are facing loneliness but are sometimes ignored when it comes to loneliness. For example, to young new mums, of those who have recently been divorced or separated, two of the groups highlighted in the report. To be able to have someone to speak to and talk to who is going through or who has gone through the same things as you is incredibly important. Knowing that you are not only going through the loneliness again and indeed yourself can bring great comfort to them. The other cause of action that the report highlighted was the smaller simple acts that we can teach to take combat loneliness in our society, which is just speaking to our neighbours, family and friends, just asking how they are. It is simple but they can have a massive effect and impact. That is one of the things that the Joe Cox commission wants to do, which is start a conversation. I hope that, as individuals and as members of this Parliament, we can lead the way and also set an example in helping society to fight loneliness. Thank you very much. I call Kenneth Gibson to be followed by Joan Lamont. First, I would like to congratulate Rhoda Grant on lodging this motion and for securing this debate on an issue that is so significant in contemporary Scotland. I am sure that everyone here in the chamber has experienced loneliness at some point in their lives. But what happens when loneliness becomes a chronic condition? We are all aware that there is a clear link between loneliness and poor mental health, with lonely individuals increasingly prone to depression and even suicide, once they have shown that lonely people have a 64 per cent greater chance of developing clinical dementia. However, let us not forget that loneliness can also affect physical health, with research showing that lacking social connections is damaging to our health with smoking 15 cigarettes per day. In fact, loneliness is associated with an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease, diabetes and strokes. That is obviously an impact on individuals. Society itself, both in terms of how compassionate we are as a society and more precisely the impact on our public services, as lonely individuals use more medication, have a higher instance of falls and increased risk factors for long-term care. When considering the facts that are leading to social isolation, it is easy to forget how many social connections we experience through something as simple as going to work, shing a smile with a fellow commuter, having a coffee with a colleague, even arguing with her boss. It is therefore understandable that a major life transition such as a bereavement, diagnosis of a serious health condition or retirement could trigger loneliness. Thankfully, we are now more aware than ever before about the effects and causes of loneliness, and that means that we are beginning to see effective, targeted action to support lonely individuals in our communities. We must celebrate the positive work that is taken by organisations such as the three towns and large OIR groups in my constituency. Those groups offer opportunities in retirement to over ffifties and build upon the skills and voluntary contributions of their members. They offer a wide range of activities from French licence to hill walking to ballroom dancing, enhancing the mental and physical wellbeing of all our members. To be even more effective, the grassroots community initiatives are supported by policy and action taken by the Scottish Government, which tackles social isolation at a national level. By developing partnerships between Scotland's public services and the third sector, we can design a cohesive strategy informed by the opinions of people who need our services most. We must also address the mistaking belief that loneliness is a problem that only touches the lives of older people. As the British Red Cross and Co-op report demonstrates, loneliness can affect anyone at any stage in life. In fact, a report by the Mental Health Foundation in 2010 found that loneliness was most common between the ages of 18 and 34. It is harder for that age group to seek support, as they are mostly tool to access youth services and to young for initiatives that are engaged with the elderly population. Isolation by smartphone and the internet is also a growing problem. Young disabled people, LGBT teens and those from ethnic minority backgrounds are also more likely to experience social isolation. Chronic and persistent bullying has been known to cause intense loneliness, reduced self-esteem and social anxiety in later life. Despite the myth of social media and the notion that we are all more connected than ever before, many of our young people are struggling to develop meaningful relationships and connections which allow them to feel supported and part of our community. That is why the Scottish Government is committed to training all teachers on equality to increase their confidence in tackling prejudice-based bullying. On 2017-18, we will also see spending on Scotland's mental health services exceed £1 billion for the first time. We can further develop those positive strategies by including young people in the dialogue surrounding social isolation and loneliness. I trust that the Scottish Government continues to recognise loneliness as a public health priority. I encourage everyone in Scotland to speak openly and honestly about mental health and support one another in our communities. Once again, I thank Rhoda Grant for bringing us a debate to the chamber. Mr Gibson called Joanne Lamont to be followed by Liam McArthur. I am happy to contribute to this very important debate. I would wish to declare an interest as a co-operative party member who is supported by the co-operative party as an MSP. I congratulate Rhoda Grant on securing the debate but also on the way in which she outlined the challenges that the report represents. I welcome the report by the co-operative group in British Red Cross, highlighting the important issue of loneliness. It speaks to something about the co-operative movement that its job is not simply to say how much it cares about things but to identify practical solutions. We know that, in polling, people identify the fear of loneliness in old age as a second only to the fear of dementia. It is something that troubles us all as we get older. What will life be like in our old age? Loneliness is part of that sense of concern. We know from our own experience and have spoken to other individuals the impact of loneliness and social isolation on people's health and wellbeing, on their very sense of themselves. It is not just that people are lonely but that it is hard to admit that you are lonely. It is somehow some deficit in yourself that you have not managed to organise your life in such a way that you have people around about you. I think that that sense of people's own feeling of not even wanting to ask for help, wanting to admit that the problem is part of the challenge that we face in wanting to address those questions. Because of that sense of failure that we all have felt at some point in our lives but we have failed to make that connection with others. It is important to highlight, as Kenneth Gibson highlighted, that loneliness is not just an issue for the elderly but significant life events can cause loneliness. Even at a point where you would imagine that that would be the last thing that someone would feel. Perhaps divorce, bereavement, people have become retired no longer in the workplace but young mums too, at the very point where they have a new wee person to look in their lives, can feel separate from others. People do not understand the challenges that they face. I think that that report is really important in highlighting that the recognition that it can be experienced in all sorts of places and times and that we should all be alive to that. The report also identifies some very practical things that can be done, recognising the role for employers in what they do to support their employees at times of stress and difficulty, whether it is bereavement or anything else. Such a practical thing, but the co-op group suggests that the funeral people should be reaching out to those who are bereaved and saying that there are support groups, there are folk that you may want to take comfort from and I think that others could perhaps draw on that as well. The issue is one of community cohesion. We know that there are churches, community groups and strong neighbourhoods where people look out for other people but there are people who are perhaps falling through the net. We want to celebrate the work of the third sector but also recognise that in tough financial times it is those groups that fall by the wayside. The lunch group takes somebody out to the library to make sure that they attend church. Those are the things that go by the board and that is why I believe that the short sightedness of targeting local government for cuts does work its way through in this process. Something as simple as reorganising the bus system to be more rational for the bus person, the person who owns the bus company, might mean that an elderly person will no longer go out and use the bus because it involves two journeys or three journeys rather than simply one and retreat and retreat from the organisations that might support them. I think that there is a question of awareness, there is a question of resources but it is also an understanding that within our community there are those who want to help but I believe that it is also essential that those groups are supported in the very important work that they do in addressing the whole question of loneliness and isolation. Fundamentally, it offers challenges to us all, simply as citizens and good neighbours, to make sure that we do our part to support those who may feel isolated and lonely and who they want of a kind word may continue to do so. Thank you very much. I call Liam McArthur. We follow by Alison Harris. Mr McArthur, please. Thank you very much, everybody, Presiding Officer. Can I join with others in congratulating Rhoda Grant on securing this afternoon's debate? I think that others have mentioned the impact of loneliness and social isolation on physical health but I think that Kenneth Gibson was particularly correct in focusing on the impacts particularly around mental health but I welcome the fact that Maureen Watt will be responding to the debate this evening. Can I also join others in thanking the Red Cross and co-op for their work in shining the light on this issue and demonstrating quite how complex an issue it is. It impacts at the individual level the change in circumstances that may arise from change in health, in work status or whatever that can trigger that social isolation at any stage. The community aspects of this, the withdrawal of services and I think that Johann Lam made a very valid point about the removal of transport links that I am very well aware of has an impact particularly in rural areas but not exclusively so. Some of the societal changes that I think again have been referred to that perhaps the assumption that people are better connected than they are for the risk of isolation is less than it might have been in the past which I think is indeed misplaced and all of that I think tends to show why it is that loneliness and social isolation does impact on so many individuals at all ages. That is not, as the report highlights, just an older person's issue nor is it, as I acknowledged earlier, simply a rural issue but I think as Rhoda Grant acknowledges in her motion. There are particular aspects to this in a rural context, certainly ones in an island context that I think are particularly difficult to address and perhaps need more nuanced and tailored solutions. I am particularly grateful to the big lottery fund for example for the investment of half a million pounds last year through the community's 21st century life programme for five years of funding through voluntary action in Orkney for the work that they do in befriending, something that has been referred to by a couple of colleagues earlier. This has had a massive impact not just on older members of the community in Orkney but right through the generations as well. Over the years it has grown, it has adapted and as a result of this funding can now be expanded. The impact that I have seen for myself in terms of individuals, families and wider communities has been nothing short of life changing. I think looking through the report as well, I think it also addresses the point that is made very forcibly in the report that what we need are solutions that are preventative, that are responsive and that are restorative and I think in all of those areas, the befriending service in Orkney and I think it will be very similar in other parts of the country, ticks all of those boxes, yes it can be preventative but even once problems have emerged it can be responsive to those. It can be restorative where some of those problems have maybe been embedded for some time and I think the benefit of the funding that has been provided last year and will last over the next five years is it is going to allow voluntary action in Orkney to take that service out to some of the smaller aisles who have been excluded from the service to date. Again, I think looking at the report, the principles of good support, they talk about providing a sense of purpose, it's local to individuals, it's free, it's face to face and it has wider benefits for the community and I think in all of those respects, again I think the befriending service is something to be highly commended. Can I again conclude by thanking Rhoda Grant for allowing this debate to take place, allowing the exposing of the complexities of the issue to be debated and I'm sure it's something that we will come back to many many times during the course of this Parliament. Thank you very much indeed. Thank you very much Alison Harris, we followed by Monica Lennon last week in the open debate, Ms Harris. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you to Rhoda Grant for bringing this important topic forward for members' business. A recent study, as we've heard already, carried out by Richard Redcross and the co-op, produced some startling findings. Over 9 million people in the UK reported that they are often or always lonely. I know we've already heard some of this but I think it's very worth repeating. Loneliness can be the cause of numerous health issues such as depression and other mental health problems. It can increase the risk of cardiovascular health and dementia. Loneliness can also lead to types of problems that create a vicious cycle of poor diet, heavy drinking and increased smoking. Whilst feelings of loneliness can differ from person to person, so can the triggers and the effects. The report studied some of the key triggers that people today will claim with being lonely. Mobility issues, especially where there are poor transport links, can often mean that people find it hard to get out and meet other people, sometimes to the extent that they give up trying with drawing further into themselves. Children leaving home, something that myself and many of my friends can actually personally identify with, this transformation from a house with younger people, with friends coming and going to a quieter environment, though welcomed by some, has been found to trigger loneliness in others. The loss of a long-term partner, either through death or divorce, is a very common cause of loneliness for people in all ages. To spend your life with someone, sharing your daily routine and then finding you are now alone is something that I don't really want to imagine. I know many people discover that friends of the couple turn out to be friends of only one of the partners. This sudden loss of contact with people that they once considered friends also has shown to contribute to low self-esteem, which is another trigger for loneliness. The 21st century has brought about another unique set of reasons why people lose normal everyday interaction with other people. There has been a sharp rise in the number of people who choose to opt to work from home. No longer is it necessary to go to the office with the result that it is no longer necessary to commute. Stopping off to do shopping on the way home from work has now been replaced by the supermarket delivering straight to your door. Nowadays, we are spending so much time on the internet that it is not uncommon to hear of people within the same house sending each other electronic messages rather than interacting on a human level. I think that that is such a sad reflection of our modern day society. Loneliness, as we have heard, can affect all age groups, from the teenager who withdraws into the virtual reality of computer games to those on the edge of retirement. Many people count the days until they retire. Often it is an eagerly anticipated event, which gives them the long-awaited opportunity to spend more time with friends and family. However, for others, it may be the day that they lose contract with people and the routine that they have had for years has now disappeared. One man described the day of his retirement as the first day of his loneliness. Another had such a busy working life, his only friends, where actually his workmates. We are all individuals and we all react differently to all events. We are in an age when many people go to work, come home and they actually close the door. Clubs and societies have difficulty attracting new members and gone are the days of the community spirit that once existed in tenement blocks in small villages. Record numbers of people are now living alone and whilst, of course, not all are lonely, the potential for loneliness to grow is clearly there. It is sad that we now live in a society where people can feel isolated and alone. I close by once again thanking Rhoda Grant for bringing triggers for loneliness forward to this chamber for debate. I state for the record that I am also a member of the co-operative party. I would like to begin by thanking my colleague Rhoda Grant for bringing this issue to Parliament for debate, as well as the British Red Cross, the Scottish Co-op Party, Samaritan Scotland and Age Scotland for their helpful briefings that I have received. As we have heard, loneliness and social isolation can be a heavy burden for those who experience it and it can feel like it is an impossible barrier to overcome. As has been pointed out by members across the chamber, loneliness is a problem that is in the best interest of everyone to make sure that we tackle. I think that this debate is highly relevant because the research that is published by the British Red Cross and the co-op group shows that 86 per cent of people in Scotland agree that loneliness is a serious problem. We are only just beginning to understand that loneliness could have as negative an impact on our nation's health as a small king, as Colin Smyth pointed out, and carry stronger risk as obesity is a serious problem. We all know the serious challenges facing our national health service and public services over the next couple of decades, due to the increasing pressure on an ageing population and the impact of loneliness in old age threatens to be a looming public health crisis that must be addressed. As Mike Adamson, the chief executive of the British Red Cross states in the trapped and above all report, it is quite clear that loneliness and social isolation is a crisis that we cannot ignore causing untold misery and ultimately unnecessary pressure on hard-pressed statutory services. I welcome the growing attention and interest in dealing with this problem, especially the commitment from the Scottish Government to establish a national social isolation strategy. I also welcome calls from Samaritan Scotland to have called on the strategy to be cross-departmental and because of external organisations and agencies. I repeat my call to the Scottish Government to also include an evaluation of the suicide prevention strategy. As Colin Smyth pointed out, a one-size-fits-all approach won't do in this case. There are of course actions that we can all take as individuals doing what we can through small steps to reduce loneliness in our day-to-day lives. The tackle loneliness and isolation effectively support must also be given to organisations such as the third sector groups that Rhoda Grant has outlined, which deliver targeted support to those who need it, in particular to older people. I am fortunate enough to have an organisation like that in my area in central Scotland, which provides a fantastic befriending service to older people in South Lanarkshire. The Lightburn Elderly Association project, or LEAP, as it is known locally, is the hand-on project. As a service that relies on the dedication of volunteers to provide befriending for older people who are facing social isolation and makes a real difference to their lives by reducing that isolation, increasing their confidence, developing friendships and improving their overall mental wellbeing. A small gesture and a targeted intervention of a volunteer can have a transformative effect. One older person who has had the benefit of that service said, "...my volunteer encourages me to get out of the house for a wee walk and I'm trying to go a bit further every week. I really look forward to her visits and feel less isolated. This has made such a big difference to my life." Another said, "...coming to the men's group breaks up my day and alleviates my depression. I enjoy the great company and support of the volunteers and other men and sharing stories. I don't know what I would do without it." The focus on isolation among older people is, of course, important. As we have heard today from Kenneth Gibson and others, it is not just simply due to age that people can feel isolated. That has been recognised by the Joe Cox Foundation and other members. Covey befending is another organisation in my area of base in Hamilton. I recently met with Covey to discuss the excellent befending support that they do with young people and their families. One young person said, "...I can't believe I'm now going out again. I never thought I would want to go and do things but the support has built up my confidence and now I want to get my life back." I used to be a volunteer befender with Covey when I was a student at university, so I appreciate how rewarding it can be. I celebrate that work at every opportunity, so I'm grateful that tonight's debate and the forthcoming national action aimed at tackling loneliness will drive us all forward for that change. Thank you very much. Now I'll call her more reward to close to the Government. Minister, seven minutes are thereabouts, please. Thank you very much. I thank Rhoda Grant for bringing this important issue to the chamber this evening in the form of her motion and to thank all those who have contributed so well to this debate. There is undoubtedly an increasing awareness and recognition within our society of the importance of meaningful and sustainable social connections in relation to the health and wellbeing of individuals. The report caught in the bubble just adds more evidence to that increasing recognition. Some members will recall the good work of the last sessions equal opportunities committee into age and social isolation, which sought to really get under the issues that can lead to people becoming lonely or socially isolated. According to Age Scotland, that inquiry was the first of its kind in the world, surprisingly when you think about it, but a sign that the debate in Scotland is ahead of the curve on this as it is on so many other issues. When the inquiry's findings were published, I recall that there was really a significant amount of media interest around it, along with the recognition that social isolation and loneliness are some of the major public issues of our time. We also recognise the impact of the lack of social contact that can have on the health and wellbeing of individuals. The reality of that is felt across all spaces and sectors of society. Members contributing to the debate tonight have identified that there are so many different factors that can trigger loneliness in so many different peoples. That is why so many voluntary groups and groups that spring up sit in their communities. I do not quite have the doom and gloom attitude and perception that Alison Harris has. There are still many groups in our communities that help to prevent social isolation. Mother and toddler groups that came out of anti-natal classes just last week, I visited the Juno project in Sight Hill, which is for mums with post-natal depression. There are many groups that evolve in our communities. I agree with all her comments that she has made so far, as is indeed of other members in the debate. Does she recognise that cuts to local government budgets and local communities put the squeeze on third sector organisations that look to the public sector to try to get funding leveraged in to support people, such as daycare and loneliness? If the member just waited a minute, I would tell him what kind of support we are giving to the organisations that he mentioned. The inquiry that made a number of important recommendations, which the Scottish Government accepted, most importantly included in our manifesto a commitment to develop a national strategy to tackle social isolation and loneliness to seek to address those issues. My ministerial colleague Jeane Freeman is leading on that work and she has already had very constructive dialogue with a number of older people through various older people's organisations. She is currently going on to engage with younger people and other groups to develop the strategy and a draft for consultation will be published later this year. Alongside developing a strategy, we have already taken practical action. For this financial year, we introduced one year, half a million pound social isolation and loneliness fund, which focused on supporting grassroots community-based projects to tackle social isolation with a range of groups. 36 organisations were successful in gaining grants from the fund. Some excellent work has been taken forward and we will consider the learning gathered for this in future funding arrangements. More broadly, we have just rolled out three-year funding for equality organisations, many of whom do vital work in tackling those issues across Scotland's community. Our £20 million empowering communities fund is supporting community-led projects to tackle social isolation experienced by older people. We have also supported efforts to strengthen volunteering across Scotland, including £8 million of funding to our third sector interfaces, who, among other things, are tasked with volunteer development. I was pleased that Colin Smyth mentioned the food train and how it has expanded from Dumfries and Galloway as Minister for Public Health. I remember visiting the project in Dundee, where students, among others, are making meals for older people, particularly men who have been recently widowed, who perhaps have not been involved in the cooking beforehand. The way in which they appreciated that service and volunteering was impressive. Of course, I am sure that other members, such as me, have men's sheds in their area, which goes a long way to helping not just men but others. I am a regular visitor to the men's shed in my constituency in Port Lethan. Rhoda Grant's motion refers to the particular challenges that are faced in the Highlands and Islands, and she is absolutely right. It is vital for the forthcoming national strategy to recognise the challenges for those who live in remote and rural communities. Being able to get out and about is a major determinant of whether people are able to build and sustain social connections. I am sure that Rhoda Grant, who is coming from a rural area, knows how much people support each other in getting out and about and helping to get people to their shops and their shopping and taking them to appointments. However, it is important that we continue to support the concessionary travel scheme for older and disabled people and to have increased funding for more than £200 million in this financial year. Obviously, the support that is given to community bus projects is really important in that area, too. There is increasing recognition that to effectively tackle those issues could lead to a breakthrough in terms of building on our preventative approach. As Minister for Mental Health, I am deeply aware of the impacts that those issues have on mental health, which is why we are making very close connections with our mental health strategy and our work in social isolation. In terms of Liam McArthur's contribution, I think that the importance of our manifesto commitment to ask one to get help fast is really important. That might just be very low-level intervention in terms of peer support or putting people in touch with people and organisations. The preventing service that Liam McArthur described is really important, too. I think that there is broad consensus that addressing those issues is critical to improving public health and that people can live longer, healthier lives. We need to take a holistic look at the issues of social isolation and loneliness. That requires a range of interventions that create a platform for people to build meaningful and sustainable social connections. Since the inquiry, stakeholders have continued to champion this important agenda. Last month, for example, Voluntary Health Scotland hosted a seminar on the development of the strategy, which was very well attended. Next month, the Scottish Government will bring a range of stakeholders together to inform our thinking and tell us what they think needs to be reflected in the strategy. It is vital that the strategy is developed in partnership. It is really important for all of us, friends, neighbours, colleagues and human beings to, as many have said in this debate tonight, to just say hello and even a smile helps with preventing loneliness and social isolation.