 The next item of business is Members' business debate on Motion 6818 in the name of Rachel Hamilton. It is on the 25th anniversary of the border-talking newspaper. The debate will be concluded without any questions being put, and I would ask those members who wish to take part to press the request-to-speak buttons now. I call on Rachel Hamilton to open the debate with around seven minutes please. That's on my—oh, I've got it. Okay. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. It gives me great pleasure to bring this debate to Parliament. A motion that recognises and congratulates the hard work of the Borders Talking Newspaper, a paper that has celebrated 25 years providing a service for the blind and visually impaired and for those who cannot read or hold a local newspaper. I thank those from Borders Talking Newspaper who have joined us today. невid�relio, ond credem mewn cyfrain ei wneud. Wrth y comoiau kunna yn ei bod y g workouts cyrryfu yn gylaunio'r wathgr ringingol i'rлу Gaern hari yw, ddim yn ei gwneud bod gyda'r Shonch, a th intrinsic ac Wгорc Maclell Nylo yn ysgarfwng i Gweithchyr F tissues tree. Byddwn ni'n gweithredu ir ar almondsach nhw, ddim yn ei sicr mwyllwch eich gallu digonol ac oes tull gw Bandh. ac i'r ddidleidau o'r bod yn cerddio'r hyn fydd yn rhan ihefyd yn fawr. Ond rydyn ni'n ddiddordeb mewn cyfnododd ffoiiddwn wedi ddevwyr i'r ddeskeyt i gwelli'r paper, mae'r ddellodd a'r phabwyr, Matilda Mitchell. Matilda wedi gweldio'r ddeddygau ar hyn o berthyn nhw y ffordd i gwelli gweithio paethau, ac mae'n sgwrs yn cychwyn cailliedd o'r pethau i gwelli'r paper. I understand that Matilda learned of a similar project in Hampshire from a friend and on learning there was nothing comparable in the Scottish Borders made it her mission to deliver the talking newspaper service for blind and visually impaired people. Of course it would be a miss of me not to thank my colleagues for supporting my motion that helped to make this debate possible and I look forward to hearing the contributions. The Borders Talking Newspaper is a free local weekly news and information service. It plays an invaluable and vital part in many people's weekly routine. Talking Newspapers relies on the generosity of their supporters to deliver a seamless service. The focus of the service is to provide local Borders residents with news items from the weekly local papers, the Southern Reporter, the Berkshire News and the Hoik News. Although emphasis is local, the 90 minute audio news programme is sent to listeners on a USB and streamed worldwide free of charge, so literally the world can find out what's happening in the Borders. Moreover, around 160 Borders residents receive memory sticks and specially designed players so that they can access local news. The key here is access and without the hard work by talking newspapers many would be without access to their local news at risk of not knowing what had happened nor what was happening in the future. This service helps to make sure that everyone is informed no matter their circumstance. At the summer garden party, Clover Reid told me that Borders talking newspaper customers love hearing the sound of different voices. They start to recognise the speaker, their tones and their inflections and take comfort from a human voice. We must remember the impact that not having access to local newspaper publications has. To be without takes away the opportunity to discuss local news, to stay informed on what's happening on your doorstep, to speak to a neighbour about the headlines that matter to you or the local sports teams that you support, it risks isolating people within their own community. Of course, it's important to remember that in the future many of us will need services like Borders talking newspaper. Deputy Presiding Officer, none of us are age-proof and some of us will suffer eyesight deterioration. For now, because of efforts made by Matilda, Wendy and the many volunteers, we need not worry about not being kept informed of local issues. Indeed, it is services such as Borders talking newspapers that the Royal National Institute of Blind People promotes as a means to help those with sight issues. It is a service that I hope that this debate will raise awareness. It is an invaluable service to the lives of so many and will become an invaluable service to people like us. I, like many others, welcome the £5,300 from the big lottery fund awarded to the paper as a means to expand. The paper was again recognised for its important contribution to Borders life when it was rewarded £500 by ASDA in Galashiels. Talking newspapers has come a long way. In 2012, it recorded its 1,000th show. The shows are no longer recorded on cassette tapes, but, as I said earlier, on memory sticks that are distributed and returned free of charge through the Royal Mail. It is this technology that has allowed it to reach more people and deliver hoik news and a longer recording. Recordings deliver news as presented in the publications. Any deviation nor opinion is not permitted as Matilda's husband knows too well when he was sacked from doing so. Deputy Presiding Officer, I hope that today's business will highlight and raise awareness of the services of talking newspaper in the Borders. I hope that it will also spread the idea of a local talking newspaper to other areas where one is not in place. I hope that this debate will raise the importance and valuable contributions that such a service has had to our communities throughout the Borders. I also hope that it will encourage more volunteers to support such a service for people to get involved and to help their success and grow in the coming years. Ms Hamilton, you may like to take an extra minute or so to welcome your guests. I mentioned earlier that we would love to welcome Borders Talking Newspaper to hear today. I do not know whether you heard me earlier, but I spoke very fondly about the garden party that we had in the summer that was so full of sunshine and entertainment provided by Carrick McClellan. I will speak to you later, but we are so delighted that you could join us today. Thank you. I now move to the open debate for speeches around four minutes. Please, Christine Grahame, to be followed by Colin Smyth. Thank you, Presiding Officer. First of all, I declare an interest as not being age-proof, and I, too, would like to welcome people from Borders Talking Newspapers. I also congratulate Rachael Hamilton on securing this debate and this important motion. A motion that I also tabled because it underlies the importance across both our neighbouring constituencies. Indeed, I was lucky enough to be invited to the recent AGM of Borders Talking Newspaper in the focus centre in Gala Shields in my constituency. I should have known by the congested car park how well attended it was, and that was confirmed when I went into the hall. It was packed with a mix of volunteers and listeners and their partners. By the way, if you want a good attendance and AGM, it does no harm to have a hearty supply of sandwiches, cakes, tea and coffee at the tables and to let folk eat first before you move on to that AGM. Now, there are voluntary organisations that hit the headlines, their household names, but those such as Talking Newspaper are below most folk's radar, yet form part of the backbone of the local community. As Rachael has said, Borders Talking Newspaper was founded in 1992 by Matilda Mitchell and relies on its 60-plus volunteers to translate from print to USB or flash drive, whatever that is, all the local gossip, the ins and outs, the hatches, the matches and dispatches, who's in the gyle, who's out of the gyle, what events are on, who will be brawl lad and his last this year and so on. It puts a stop to that feeling that you may be isolated and excluded from everything local around about you. It covers a southern reporter in my patch, and there it is. It's also its people's partner, which covers the people's from news, while in Midlothian there is Midlothian news and views. But back to Borders Talking Newspaper, with at least some 200 listeners, and I had a chat with a few at that AGM. I spoke to Graham Hanson and his wife Margaret, who is one of the listeners. She made it plain as we scoffed the cakes. The cakes were very important that it was very important for her to keep on top of what was going on in her community, be part of the local buzz. In rural communities, while local papers are having a tough time like much of the national newsprint, they still matter. They are still bought and read because their news is very localised indeed. The southern reporter serves mainly the central borders, Gala, Lodder, Erston and Melrose in my patch, although it occasionally strays west into Tweeddale. In Tweeddale it's the people's news, which is most read, and the Midlothian advertiser and so on. There are 188,000 people in Scotland who currently suffer from sight loss or impairment, and that is set to double by 2031, with growing elderly population and increase in diabetes. Talking newspapers become even more important. The great thing about this Parliament is that this debate, as with all our other debates and activities, is available online to those with hearing impairment to keep in touch with their Parliament and what it's up to or what it's not doing. I congratulate all the volunteers and, in particular, Wendy Moss, director and Tom Ingallsby, trustee of Borders Talking Newspaper, for their commitment. I thank them for inviting me to learn about the service, and that, indeed, at my next open meeting I'm going to have good tea, coffee and a spread of decent cakes because it works. I begin by echoing the comments of Christine Grahame and congratulating Rachel Hamilton for tabling her motion and providing members with the opportunity to wish Borders Talking Newspaper a very happy 25th birthday. I can also add to the welcome to the Scottish Parliament of the volunteers from Borders Talking Newspaper in the gallery. In a week when we mark 20 years since the people of Scotland including 67 per cent of Borders voted in favour of devolution, it's worth reflecting on the fact that this very Parliament didn't even exist when, in 1992, Matilda Mitchell began the Borders Talking Newspaper, recording local news stories on to cassette tapes in an attic, I understand, for the benefit of visually impaired and blind people in the region. Since then, although now using digital recordings on data sticks on the internet, the Newspaper has no doubt covered much of our Parliament's work from the delivery of groundbreaking legislation such as free personal care for the elderly, the ban on smoking in public places and, of course, the Borders Railway Bill. It's my hope that soon they'll be able to report on plans to extend that railway to Carlyle through, among other places, Langham, but, Presiding Officer, that's maybe a different debate for another day. Today's debate is very much an opportunity to celebrate the enormous contribution that Borders and the many other Talking Newspapers make in our communities. There are often small local charities providing Talking Newspapers to usually between 100 and 200 people, free of charge, relying heavily on the tireless commitment of their volunteers who we owe a huge debt of gratitude to. I know as a member of the Scottish Parliament's cross-party group on visual impairment just how important the work those volunteers do is to many people. I've often spoken to those who are blind or partially sighted and they describe losing their sight as an incredibly isolating experience. They lose the ability to read as their sight deteriorates, which can contribute enormously to that feeling of isolation. As your vision worsens and it becomes more of a challenge to read, it's more difficult to keep up-to-date with events both locally and nationally. The sources that keep you informed of events, newspapers, posters and flyers become more and more inaccessible until they are impossible to use. Most of us in this chamber probably take it for granted that everything that we want to read will be in a format that is accessible to us, but that's not the case for people with sight loss. Less than 5 per cent of books are produced in accessible formats and this has a particular impact on children with sight loss, who are often excluded from reading the same books at the same time as their peer group. Every child should have the opportunity to develop a love of reading, but this is more difficult if less than one in 20 books are available to your peers that are available to you. That's why the work that is taking place across Scotland to tackle the isolation of sight loss that is described as so important, whether that's a fantastic contribution of borders on other talking books and bringing the news to local communities, or the RNIB talking book library, which provides 60,000 books in accessible formats free at the point of use. The importance of that work will grow as the number of people with sight loss is set to double by 2030, but in many cases sight loss isn't always inevitable. Next week is national eye health week. Sight loss charities and ophthalmologists across the country will be encouraging everyone to book an eye health check, a check that's been free almost a decade in Scotland thanks to the Government in 2006. Those checks can make a real difference with sight loss, preventable in 50 per cent of cases if it's picked up quickly through those eye checks. I'd like to conclude by encouraging everyone to make sure that they take advantage of those free eye checks and to once again congratulate and thank borders on all our talking newspapers for the hugely invaluable service that they provide to our constituents right across Scotland. Michelle Ballantyne Thank you to my Conservative colleague Rachel Hamilton for bringing this motion for debate this afternoon. Can I also welcome the team from Borders Talking Newspaper and all the children from Dalbethie primary school? It's great to see you here in the chamber. I would like to extend my personal congratulations to everyone involved in Borders Talking Newspaper and especially to Matilda Mitchell on this very special 25th anniversary. The papers longevity is testament to the volunteers' unwavering passion for and commitment to the service that they provide. To start off a project of this kind is a challenge in itself, but to have never missed an addition in 25 years, to have stayed the course in the face of all the challenges that life throws at us—illness, inclement weather, technical difficulty and technological developments—is an incredible achievement, well worth celebrating. I do not know and I cannot know what it must be like to be blind or visually impaired, but I am well aware from my years of nursing that adjusting to sight loss can reduce your confidence, leading to a risk of isolation, of being afraid, trapped in your own home, of feeling excluded, closed off from social aspects of day-to-day life. And not having access to local news is one very significant aspect of this social isolation, a key issue that was also referenced by Rachel. It's far more than just missing out on sitting down and taking in the news of the day. Blindness and visual impairment can rob a person of their engagement and involvement with the community. How can they find out about local events and festivals? How can they stay informed of the practical things that impact our everyday life—things as simple and mundane as roadworks or changes to public transport? How can they keep their finger on the pulse of the issues that matter to them? I'm sure that those are just some of the questions Matilda asked herself all those years ago when she founded the Board of Talking Newspaper, and thank goodness she did. Because when you strip away changes and volunteers, the addition of newspapers, the improvements in technology, the Board of Talking Newspaper is and always has been a lifeline. You've all come such a long way in 25 years, using new technology to replace cassettes and stream digital content worldwide, expanding the range of boarders' newspapers available to your listeners, receiving over £5,000 from the Big Lottery Fund and recording well over 1,000 editions, not to mention winning the best tape in Scotland award. But we cannot—and we will not—understate the importance of funding for talking newspapers. It is becoming more and more difficult for small voluntary groups, like boarders' talking newspapers, to survive in the face of ever-increasing costs. It is my sincere hope that this debate raises further awareness of this essential service and, furthermore, that it will encourage more people to get involved in backing and growing talking newspapers throughout Scotland. Matilda and everyone at the Board of Talking Newspapers, I think that I speak for all your listeners when I say thank you. Thank you for this vital service that you provide. I wish you all the very best for the future. I call Maureen Watt to respond to this debate at around seven minutes please minister. Oh, she must have a loud voice then, I hadn't noticed. Right, let's try again and you'll have to start again right at the beginning minister. Nope. Oh, there we are, we have liftoff. Don't know what happened there. I now call Maureen Watt to close this debate. You have around seven minutes please minister. Thank you very much Presiding Officer. Can I thank Rachel Hamilton for bringing today's debate to the chamber and thank the other members for sharing their experiences of Borders Talking Newspapers? Can I welcome all those volunteers also to the gallery? Perhaps some of you didn't hear Rachel's welcome at the beginning. There are quite a crowd of you, so I hope you have a grand day out. I also welcome Dalbyty primary school to the chamber and I hope you have a lovely day too. It's clear from the remarks how much the local services like Borders Talking Newspapers and Talking Newspapers across Scotland are appreciated by those who use them and the valuable role that volunteers play in delivering them. Rachel Hamilton was right to recognise the great work of the founder, Matilda Mitchell, Wendy Roth and others who are involved in this valuable work. I remember that it's not the first time that we've had members' debates about talking newspapers in this chamber. Gil Paterson had a debate about his local newspaper, The Bankie, in 2011, and Jim Eadie led a similar debate in 2013. However, it highlights the valuable work of local newspapers. I remember that local newspapers are sending them to the copies abroad to other people, but I hadn't appreciated that in talking form that they are sent worldwide too. This debate gives me an opportunity to highlight the Government's commitment to supporting children and adults with sensory loss through its strategy here, which was the first of its kind in the UK with its focus on sight loss, deafness and dual sensory loss. The sea here is jointly endorsed by COSLA and is being delivered through partnerships of statutory and third sector organisations. Our shared vision is of a Scotland where people can access the services and support they need and that there is equal access to opportunities. Together with partners, we will continue to work to ensure that the vision in sea here is realised. To support the implementation of the strategy, we allocated £2 million of funding over two years and a further £478,000 this financial year and last to support the on-going delivery of local and national priorities. As Christine Grahame said, around 180,000 people are living with sight loss in Scotland, with one in five over the age of 75. With an ageing population, as she said, it is estimated that the prevalence could double by 2031. It is vital therefore that we continue to work together to support people living with sight loss and do all we can to raise awareness to ensure that there is early diagnosis and enable people to receive the care that they need at the earliest opportunity. Since sea here was introduced in 2014, we have been working with local areas to build capacity and ensure that the right structures are in place for delivery. Local sensory leads have been identified and are working in partnership to drive progress locally. Support to deliver the strategy is also provided through the national co-ordinator funded by the Scottish Government and based at the health alliance, which works in close collaboration with stakeholders. By working with local areas, we are delivering the priorities in sea here and enabling people to access the support that they need. That can include the development of basic sensory checks with a focus on care homes and daycare units to connect people with services, mapping and agreeing with partners in local areas across Scotland, care pathways for vision, hearing and dual sensory loss, introducing e-learning modules for sight loss and deafness to ensure that all partners in the workforce are aware, and training 100 sensory champions in Edinburgh and the Lothians are guile and beaut to support people with a hidden sensory loss that is either undiagnosed or unrecognised and can often be present in people with learning disabilities or conditions such as dementia or stroke. We are continuing to work with local areas on our shared priorities. If they are not already involved, I would encourage boarders at talking newspapers to get involved in the local delivery of the sea here plan, because I know that boarders are taking forward the national strategy to deliver it in the area of the boarders to meet the local needs. We also collaborate with the visual impairment network for children and young people to improve the care and support that is available to children with sight loss and their families. We engage with a wide range of stakeholders as we consider the recommendations from the two reviews that the Scottish Government has undertaken. Those are on low vision services and community eye care services in Scotland. We are working with Ophthalmology departments to refresh the form that certifies people as blind or passionately sighted, and that will further improve people's access to care pathways and support following diagnosis. We also work with Caledonian University and partners to develop an accredited Scottish-based training course for low-visual rehabilitation workers, which is ensuring that our workforce has the skills and training to provide rehabilitation for people with sight loss. It is important that people like the volunteers who are meeting people on a weekly or regular basis make sure that people are aware of all the opportunities and provision that are available for them. Looking ahead, we want to build on the achievements that we have made so far, and we are working on an evaluation to see what progress has been made. However, key and part of that is the work that is done by volunteers and the third sector, such as Borders talking newspapers. Governments and local agencies cannot do it all on our own, especially as we have an ageing workforce. The work that is done by the volunteers of Borders newspapers is to be congratulated not just in their 25th year but every year. That concludes the debate, and I suspend the meeting until 2.30pm.