 The next item of business is a member's business debate on motion 2554, in the name of Kezia Dugdale, on tackling Mesothiloma in Scotland. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put, so would those members who wish to speak please press the request to speak buttons as soon as possible. I call on Kezia Dugdale to open the debate around seven minutes, please, Mr Dugdale. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am very grateful to all the members who have decided to stay in the chamber to listen or to participate in this debate on how we tackle Mesothiloma in Scotland. Mesothiloma is, of course, a cancerous disease, heavily linked to asbestos exposure and a disease that, in its final stages, leaves sufferers in a great deal of pain and a feeling that they are suffocating to death. My colleagues on the Labour benches will speak on behalf of many of the groups and campaigners who have campaigned on this for a long time. I would like to begin this debate by highlighting the efforts of one woman, Julie Roberts, whom I am delighted to say has joined us in the gallery this evening with her friends and family, including her mother, Wilma. I first became aware of Julie's story through our mutual support of Hebronian Football Club, and it was there that Julie told me of the terrible experience her family had suffered at the hands of this deadly disease. Julie's father, Gordon, was a diehard hibbey, a seasoned ticket holder in the upper west stand at the famous Easter road. He was a joiner by trade and had worked for one of Edinburgh's biggest house building firms. It was during this time that tiny, deadly fibres of asbestos were innocently inhaled, embedding themselves in the lining of his lungs and slowly poisoning his body. It was only after retirement that a shortness of breath became pronounced, a tiredness that had little to do with physical activity laid him flat. A secret visit to his GP, a gamut of tests done without his family's knowledge, brought the answer. Stage 3, misothelioma, a cancer of the lungs. His devastated wife mentioned it to her brother Jim. He'd been a plumber in the city's building trade for years. Suddenly the pain in his back, which he'd written off as a golf swing problem, became more urgent. The tests were done. They, like Gordon's, were positive. In February last year, 68-year-old Jim died, and then on Easter Sunday, his brother, 69-year-old Gordon, Julie's dad, a grandad in a lifelong hibs van, passed away at St Gombas hospital. Both killed by this devastating disease. To Julie's great credit, she wanted to ensure that others didn't suffer as her father and uncle did, so she fought back with her campaigning efforts. So can I thank her for sharing her story and also thank the Edinburgh evening news and the Sunday Mail for highlighting her story. Scotland currently has the highest global incidence of misothelioma, with 175 cases diagnosed in 2014. Because of our proud shipbuilding history, among many other of our industries, workers like Gordon were sadly left with no idea that the materials that they were working with each day would plague their bodies in years to come. Thankfully, we saw the use of different types of asbestos being banned in the UK throughout the 1980s, with white asbestos finally being banned in 1999. That came too late for too many people. A recent study showed that risks are particularly high for metal plate workers, mainly in again shipbuilding and carpentry, and the risk is higher for people who are exposed to asbestos before the age of 30. That study estimated that a shocking one out of 17 British men born in the 1940s and employed in carpentry for more than 10 years before the age of 30 would go on to develop this deadly disease. People who worked as plumbers or mechanics also had an increased risk, but it wasn't just the men. There have been many tragic cases of wives and partners dying by breathing in the asbestos fibres after washing their husbands clothes week after week. Teachers and pupils and so many other people work in these public buildings, no doubt now filled with asbestos. We need a plan to remove it from those buildings, and the European Parliament has endorsed a 2028 deadline, but we cannot wait. We should be the country that leads the way, especially with our record. So moved by Julie Storie, I wanted to find out more information about what we are doing in Scotland to tackle this issue. The first place I looked for information was the Scottish Government's cancer strategy, which was published earlier this year. Sadly, I found that the word mesothelioma was not mentioned, not once. I turned to what services NHS Scotland offers to patients. It shocked me to hear that NHS Scotland currently provides no dedicated mesothelioma-specific services. That just isn't good enough. A country like ours, with a Government who so often talks about how much it's spending on our national health service to not offer any specific services to people and families suffering at the fate of this awful disease. On top of that, I learned that mesothelioma is excluded from cancer waiting times targets. We must do more and we must do it fast. So what can we do? Last month, I was delighted to welcome a number of campaign groups and organisations to the Scottish Parliament to discuss the issue of what we can do to tackle mesothelioma. I was delighted that a range of people joined us on that day, including Liz Darleson, the director of services and a nurse for Meso UK, the UK's leading charity. I would like to put on record my thanks to her for leading on this issue for a number of years. Liz was unable to join us today, much as she wanted to, as she is busy holding her clinic right now, working with patients and their families. I would also like to thank the STUC for their support and Scottish hazards, who have been campaigning on workplace issues like this for a long time. It is great to see so many of those faces from that day in the gallery this evening. We can work alongside the UK's leading charity, Meso UK, as they conduct their next patient experience survey next year. That would allow them to analyse where they can target the resources to have the greatest impact on patients and their families. Mesothelioma is the most symptomatic of all cancers in that patients often experience breathlessness, pain, coughs, reduced appetite, malaise, and this is coupled with short life expectancy, heightens the need to get it right. The pain can often be very challenging. There is a procedure currently only available in Liverpool and Portsmouth that can effectively manage pain, chardotomy. The team in Glasgow has the ability and the will to perform this and provide a service for Scotland. Meso UK has provided funding for equipment so that they can get it up and running, but this could do with long-term funding so that support for palliative care and pain management services should be built in. Surgical treatment for Mesothelioma is currently subject of a national trial called Mars 2. There are no surgical centres in Scotland currently involved in this project. I understand that there is differing medical opinion in terms of surgical treatment, but that has to be looked at in depth nationally at the moment. Surely we want Scotland to be at the part and the heart of this work. Finally, we could fund Meso nurses in Scotland through the NHS. Currently, Scotland has one dedicated Meso nurse. I am delighted that Jan Devlin is in the gallery to join us today, but she is currently funded by Meso UK and Macmillan. From April next year, Meso UK will be funding this fully themselves. Those are just a few ideas, and you will hear more from the Labour benches during this debate. So I am asking the Scottish Government to listen, to take those ideas and those issues on board, to work with parties across this chamber and the campaigners in the gallery so that we can make a difference by using the powers of this Parliament to tackle this disease, because, as I said earlier, sadly this disease has only become much more prevalent in the coming years. I now move to the open speeches. I call Stewart Macmillan to be followed by Donald Cameron. Four minutes please, Mr Macmillan. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. First, I would like to refer members to my register of interests, and second, I would like to congratulate Kezia Dugdale on securing this member's debate. Certainly, this Parliament has a strong history in dealing with its best of conditions, and there have been various pieces of legislation that have passed through this Parliament. Certainly, the most recent of that was the Pluriplax legislation in 2009. Scotland holds a significant place in the history of Asbestos, having developed its industry early in the 1800s, and by 1914 there were more than 60 Asbestos manufacturers without Scotland. With Scotland's industrial heartland was Clydeside, there the famous shipyards saw significant growth from the success in the shipbuilding and engineering industries, and was responsible for 25 per cent of the world's ships. It was here that the Asbestos panels enjoyed huge demand and were soon to be in every ship that sailed from the Clydeside ports. The building contractors and housing corporations were also major users of the product that was famed for providing heat insulation at a low cost and was quickly used to insulate boilers, pipes and storage heaters. The product was rolled out as a cheap alternative for building homes and schools using Asbestos insulated boards for walls and ceilings. Recent mortality stats show that, in the UK alone, around 100 people die per week from Asbestos cancers and diseases. The mortality rate from Asbestos diseases in the Western Scotland is one of the highest in the UK. However, we would be wrong to presume that the Asbestos legacy is a historical issue. We know that there is a lot more to come in terms of Asbestos issues. Exposure to the product continues across Scotland, and anyone working on a building constructed pre-2000 may be at risk of inhaling Asbestos fibres. It should be noted that we are seeing a growing number of people who have suffered exposure to Asbestos that believe occurred in public buildings such as schools, universities and hospitals. As well as folk from the shipbuilding industry and the construction industry, there are desks of teachers, lecturers and care workers. I have been added to those, as I have just mentioned, as well as plumbers, electricians and others. Clyde-side action on Asbestos is a charity that was formed in 1985 to provide advice and assistance to those who are suffering from Asbestos related conditions. Clyde-side action on Asbestos provides specialist advice on claiming industrial injuries benefits, and state compensation. It has successfully campaigned to implement changes in Scottish law, some of which has come through this Parliament. That gives us victims of Asbestos related conditions and their families more rights than elsewhere in those islands. It is because of the awareness that has been raised by Clyde-side action on Asbestos that the charity receives approximately 800 new cases of people diagnosed with an Asbestos condition from Scotland each year. I meet regularly with Fyllis Craig MBE from Clyde-side action on Asbestos. In September, we met the First Minister to discuss important developments in the diagnosis and treatment of Asbestos-related diseases in Scotland. In case of dubious motion, there are a number of points that she raised, and certainly with her contribution. If at any time the Parliament decides that it does not view Asbestos conditions in Mesothioma as something serious, the Parliament would fail. Historically, the Parliament has not failed. The Parliament has led the way in the UK. One of the things that Clyde-side action has undertaken is that it produced a document earlier on this year. That went out to all GPs across Scotland. The new tool has gained a specialist learning resource and reference tool on how to deal with the scourge of Asbestos. I had an event in Parliament on this particular publication this year. It is important for victims that family GPs are able to identify early symptoms of an Asbestos illness, including Mesothioma, in order that a referral to that specialist can be made. The resource has that early detection section, which will allow doctors a better understanding of the emotional, legal and financial strains that victims and their families encounter. However, I am conscious of your time. I think that debates like this can be very helpful, but I also think that the motion, unfortunately, does not highlight where Scotland has been successful and where there is a lot of good work undertaken in Scotland, not only by Clyde-side action asbestos, but by the TSI group and by Clyde-bank asbestos group. Thank you very much. I thank Kezia Dugdale for bringing the motion forward for debate, and I commend her for being consistent and persistent in bringing forward health issues on certain conditions that are often overlooked. I use that term overlooked because, although the condition only affects around 1 per cent of cancer sufferers in Scotland, it is overlooked. It is a condition that resulted from the poor working conditions of the heavy industrial period between the 1940s and 1970s, as Stuart McMillan noted. It affects people from a range of sectors. It is not a genetic cancer. It is not a cancer that developed as a result of radiation treatment or from the effects of lifestyle choices. Mesothioma is a needless cancer that resulted from Asbestos and affects hundreds of Scots today. I first came across the condition about 12 years ago during one of my first jobs as a lawyer here in Edinburgh doing a temporary stint in a litigation department. There was a dedicated team within that firm, which dealt specifically with Asbestos claims and worked with sufferers of Mesothioma. It was a unique and desperately sad scenario and highlighted to me the significance of the condition and its acute prevalence here in Scotland. It is with regret that, in the Government's own beating cancer strategy, Mesothioma is not mentioned. Not long after I was elected and asked to take on the health portfolio for my party, several people got in touch with me about Mesothioma. By and large, it was the family members of someone who suffers from the condition or died recently as a result of it. There was a common theme in every email that this condition receives little to no publicity and that there was no mention of it in the cancer strategy. That is why a debate like this tonight is so important. When I have submitted, I certainly— Stuart McMillan I thank Mr Cameron for taking the intervention. Historically, in this chamber, the Conservative party MSPs have voted against legislation that has been introduced to actually help people with Asbestos conditions. Has Mr Cameron now said that that position has now gone and that the Conservatives will look more favourably upon Asbestos proposed legislation to come into question? Donald Cameron I cannot speak for the party's position on what our position would be on certain legislation coming up. There is, as far as I am aware, no prospect of such legislation. The point that I am making is that, when I have submitted parliamentary questions on this issue, asking what action was being taken to raise awareness of and tackle Mesothioma specifically, the responses have been largely generic and have concentrated on a general strategy to tackle cancer as a whole. I welcome the fact that there is a strategy in place, of course, to deal with cancer. It is a destructive disease, as we all know, in all of its varying forms. We must do everything possible to fight cancer from all angles. However, given the stark statistic that 1.2 per cent of cancer deaths result from Mesothioma and in the light of the passion and vigor that Mesothioma campaigners, some of whom are here tonight, have for eradicating the condition. There must be greater focus on the condition itself within the operation of the cancer strategy. I want the Scottish Government to realise that Mesothioma sufferers want specific guarantees about what it will do, what the Government will do to tackle and prevent the condition. After all, Mesothioma UK noted in its five-year strategy document that the UK, as a whole, has the highest incidence of Mesothioma in the world, and that is growing. Although this is a UK-wide report, I encourage the minister and her team to read it and take on board some of those ideas here in Scotland. I hope that some of my comments and those of others around this chamber will impress the Government. We need a real commitment to tackling Mesothioma specifically so that this act is not only a genuine comfort to the families of Mesothioma sufferers, but it will also deliver some justice to those who continue to suffer the effects of it and to those who have lost their lives because of it. I would like to start by thanking Kezia Dugdale for bringing forward this important debate today, but I also want to pay particular tribute to the strength and courage of Julie Roberts and other families who have lost loved ones to this terrible illness and are campaigning so that other families can be spared their pain. Scotland is the highest global occurrence of Mesothioma, with a particularly high incidence in the west of Scotland—a terrible legacy of previous use of asbestos in shipbuilding and similar industries. At present, there is no cure, but there are effective means of controlling symptoms and making early diagnosis. While there are also increasing numbers of clinical trials and new treatments, patients can only access those if they are promptly diagnosed and properly informed. Currently, however, there are four key areas in which Scotland is not currently addressing the issue in a way that recognises the scale of the problem. NHS Scotland currently provides no Mesothioma-specific services. Mesothioma is excluded from cancer waiting time standards. Patients' outcomes and service provisions are not audited and the Scottish Government currently commits no central funding to Mesothioma research. I know that the Scottish Government is always keen to compare the NHS in England to Scotland. In England, Mesothioma is subject to waiting time targets. Patients' outcomes are audited and the UK Government has identified it as a priority area for the Department of Health, and the UK Government has contributed £5 million of central funding to research. The situation in Scotland is unacceptable. That is why I believe that the opportunity for a new model of care in Scotland is possible. Because of a glaring clinical need and despite receiving no formal funding, a model has grown organically in the west of Scotland. Established and led by an expert group, Dr Blyth, utilising expertise in oncology, pathology, radiography, cardiothoracic surgery and palliative care support. That multidisciplinary team convenes on a monthly basis at the Queen Elizabeth hospital, but I want to stress functions on the basis of goodwill and the commitment of the team rather than through formal job planning or funding from the NHS. I think that we should pay tribute to all members of that multidisciplinary team. Its funding comes from external sources, including Macmillan and Mesothioma UK. I want to say to the minister that despite the clinical work undertaken by the team and the externally funded research, this is a fragile and unsustainable model. Mesothioma patients in the west of Scotland are fortunate to have the service, because significant service inequality exists elsewhere in Scotland with no other dedicated service available. Oathwith Glasgow patients are looked after by committed and caring teams, and we should thank them, but teams are designated to look after lung cancer patients with services designated for that purpose. As a result, patients often feel marginalised or report that their care needs are not properly addressed. The exclusion of Mesothioma from the cancer waiting time target amplifies the problem, since health boards have no motivation to develop specific services. I recognise—I am just in my last 40 seconds so I won't take the intervention—I recognise that specific point might well be covered within the wider review of patient standards, but I would welcome the minister's comments on that point. I believe therefore that there is a need for a new model of care in Scotland, in addition to inclusion within patient standards and central funding to support a world-leading service and a research model. A hub and a bespoke model based in Glasgow is supported by many campaigners and clinicians on the issue. It is a model that can provide high-quality and equitable care for patients. It is a model that could work for right across the whole of Scotland. It is a model that could transform care in Scotland. I believe that Scotland has world leaders in Mesothioma research. Scotland has world-leading clinicians, and I hope that the minister will listen to those campaigning for a dedicated service and confirm this evening that the Scottish Government is willing not just to listen but to act for those families. I thank Kezia Dugdale for bringing us an important debate to the chamber, but most of all to recognise that what inspired Kezia Dugdale is the story of Julie Roberts, who is also my constituent, and I also welcome her and her mother, Wilma and Lindsay here in the chamber this evening. I think that what is so inspiring about Julie Roberts' story is that it is a real example that one voice can help to change a country. It is because of Julie's story and her courage speaking out about her family circumstances and the difficulties within that and her inspirational determination to campaign on this issue that has brought this debate to the Parliament here this evening. I will conclude by thinking how we collectively can take that forward. I also pay tribute to the Scottish Hazard Centre and Clydesdale Action on Asbestos, which Stuart McMillian rightly highlighted. The Scottish Hazard Centre emailed many of us this afternoon before the debate and stated very clearly what I thought was a mission statement, that, as a nation, we must do all that we can to raise awareness of the causes of Mesothioma, ensure that Asbestos is properly managed and removed, and prevent the exposures that cause Mesothioma are fatal but entirely preventable disease. As I think about that mission statement, I also think about the scale of the issue that has already been mentioned, the fact that we in the UK have the highest Mesothioma mortality rate in the world. Action in our country is at the highest, the most acute in the whole of the globe. I want to represent Julie this evening in my words more than anything else. She asked me to raise certain points. They are all around a central theme of the fact that she believes, and I believe, and many of us here believe, that we can lead on this issue in Scotland, particularly around how we can think about investment in specialist knowledge and nursing. I would ask the minister to comment on that in her remarks, to also think about how we can invest more in research in order to tackle Mesothioma in Scotland, how we can work harder to create a more joined-up service, and how we can increase access to palliative care to manage pain and to appreciate the real acute need that this is the last line of defence when it comes to Mesothioma. Lastly, Julie asked me to emphasise the point around awareness and how we, as the heart of public life in Scotland, can help to raise awareness of this terrible disease and, through that, inspire action on it. That is particularly acute in terms of discussions or events around circles in terms of workers and any opportunity to raise awareness in circles around those involved, particularly in the industrial industries that are associated with Mesothioma, and particularly in the fact that one-in-five deaths are a result of Mesothioma's work-related deaths. I thought around that. Perhaps not just the Government, but we as a chamber, could commit to raising awareness of Mesothioma on International Workers' Day on 28 April 2017, and that might provide a focus for us all to help to raise awareness and to create action against this terrible disease. Before you begin, Ms Bailey, due to the other few members who wish to speak in the debate, I could accept a motion without notice under rule 8143 to extend the debate by up to 30 minutes. Can I invite Kezia Dugdale to move a motion without notice? Do members agree to extend the debate? I am awfully pleased that you do. That is agreed. Can I start by congratulating Kezia Dugdale on securing this debate and commend Julie Roberts on campaigning to raise awareness? Twenty years ago, Clydebank was confirmed as the asbestos capital of Europe. Figures published by the health and safety executive in 1996 showed that Western Bartonshire's death rate from asbestos poisoning was 11 times the national average. Clydebank, not surprisingly, also had the highest death rate from Mesothioma across the whole of the UK. Western Bartonshire had a proud global reputation as a world leader in shipbuilding, but there was a huge human cost to our economic success. The area's proud industrial heritage meant that thousands of workers over the years were exposed to the deadly dust in the shipyards and asbestos factories on the river Clyde. More than 3,000 workers were employed in the construction of the iconic Queen Elizabeth II at John Brown's in the 1960s, when the use of asbestos in shipbuilding was at its peak. The biggest shipbuilders even had their own asbestos preparation sheds in the yards. Academics have demonstrated how those large companies, such as Turner and Newell, which had an asbestos factory in Dalmewr, continued to put their workers at risk long after the dangers of asbestos were known. Clydebank asbestos group was set up as a voluntary organisation in 1992 to provide support, advice and information for the victims of asbestos in their families, and they are still going strong today. For almost a quarter of a century, the group has been consistent in warning people of the dangers about asbestos campaigning for more stringent regulation, helping those affected to seek justice through the courts, and often coming up against the shocking tactics of insurance companies who use every trick in the book to avoid paying compensation to dying clients or indeed their families. Following a campaign led by Clydebank asbestos group in 1998, Western Banshire Council became the very first local authority in the UK to support the call for a ban on white asbestos. It took until August 1999 for the UK to ban white asbestos five years ahead of the EU deadline. It was touched on by Kez Dugdale, but women have played a really prominent role in the fight for justice in Western Banshire, often continuing the struggle in the community and in the courts after their husbands premature deaths. The group's current secretary, Hope Robertson, lost her husband to mesothelioma at the age of 59. On international workers memorial day in April this year, that is what she had to say. We will not be able to say that it is over in my lifetime or my daughter's lifetime, but perhaps it might finally be over in my grandchildren's lifetime. The frightening thing is that people are being diagnosed younger than before. Sorry, it's quite emotional, but the idea that it's all gone and it's all in the past is simply wrong. Whilst most asbestos victims are men, Kez was right to remind us that women also make up a sizable portion of the workforce in the shipyards in the Singer Sewing Machine Factory and asbestos plants in Clydebank. However, the substance was so deadly that many women in Western Banshire were also contaminated due to washing their fathers, brothers and husbands' work clothes. Let me also, as well as thanking Clydebank Action on Asbestos, let me thank Clydeside Action on Asbestos, Tayside Action on Asbestos, all of them make a hugely important contribution to those affected and their families. It's right for us also to thank the trade unions, the STUC and Thompson solicitors, who have represented many of the families. However, what we are hearing tonight in this chamber is much done in legislation, but much more to do in practical terms. Let me echo some of the calls about specific services for mesothelioma sufferers from the NHS, whether it is specialist nurses, whether it is the best possible treatment pathways. We could fund this minister by recovering the funds that would be required to treat people from the companies that caused their disease in the first place. There is precedent for doing this, it's something that I would encourage the Government to do that and maybe then we can give mesothelioma the prominence that it deserves within NHS treatment pathways in Scotland, and I would encourage the minister to seize that opportunity. Miles Briggs, to be followed by Emma Harper. I congratulate Kezia Dugdale on securing tonight's debate, which is an important one, not least for the people in our Lothian region who suffer from mesothelioma, their family and friends. I would also like to pay tribute to Kezia Dugdale for the campaigning that she has personally undertaken in this area and joined her in welcoming mesothelioma's UK new strategy. I pay tribute to the work of the charity and others who are supporting those affected. As has already been stated, Scotland and the UK has the highest rates in the world, a tragic legacy of the extensive use of asbestos in many industries before its damaging health impact became fully understood. The incidence of this cancer is rising in the UK and around 200 people each year in Scotland are being diagnosed with it. Rates are now expected to peak potentially around 2020. Diagnosis and treatment can be difficult, as symptoms are similar to a number of other conditions and the cancer is generally sadly resistant to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, as with all cancers, early diagnosis is vital and treatment can control some of the early symptoms. I believe that more needs to be done to raise awareness of this and I share the disappointment that it is currently not featured in the Scottish Government's cancer strategy and I hope that that is something that the minister will speak about this evening. With no reliable screening tests for this type of cancer, some constituents have suggested that the Scottish Government should undertake a direct marketing awareness raising initiative aimed at people who have worked in the most high-risk trades and industries. I would be interested again in the minister's comments on this specific proposal and how we can take that forward. There are a number of drug trials also on-going across the UK and I welcome those and wish them success. A new initiative from Cancer Research UK and Drugs Companies MSD and Veristem is being co-led by scientists here at Edinburgh University. That will look at whether a combination of immunotherapy drugs will benefit patients and offers hope to early stage patients and their families. In advance of today's debate, I received a very useful briefing from Scottish Hazards. They point out that, as well as the use of asbestos in industry, a growing number of people are being diagnosed with mesothelioma who have been exposed to asbestos through working in public buildings as well as has also been mentioned in terms of washing their families clothes in the past. I believe that it is important that we support the work of organisations like Scottish Hazards who are doing good work to try to prevent future cases and provide support. To conclude, Deputy Presiding Officer, I welcome today's debate. With Scotland having the highest incidences in the world, I believe that we should be leading internationally in terms of research into this cancer and how we can better support sufferers here in Scotland. I urge the Scottish Government to work with the charities and other stakeholders to ensure that Scotland actually does become a world leader in this area and that everything is done that can be possibly done to provide an improved awareness detection and, above all, to deliver the care for families who need it. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I would like to remind members of my register of interests that I am a nurse. Thank you, Kezia Dugdale, for bringing this debate forward today. Recently, in this parliamentary session, as a newly elected member, I received an email message in my inbox. That email was from Julie Roberts—thank you for being here as well. Julie was asking me, along with other MSPs, to take an interest in mesothelioma. She was requesting that I should highlight that condition and also support Kezia Dugdale's motion today. The first line of the motion points to this, where the motion states that the Parliament recognises the need to tackle mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, mainly the lungs are affected, but any organ covered by mesothelial tissue can also be affected by the disease, such as abdominal peritoneum. Asbestos has been mined and used since prehistoric times. Asbestos is the fire retardant, heat resistant, lagging material. Historically, as early as 1897, asbestos was attributed to having caused pulmonary troubles, it has since been documented by many medics for decades as having caused problems with the lungs. Yes, I am interested. My best friend Diane Cameron's dad, Jock, suffered from peritoneal mesothelioma. He was an engineer, a pipe and boiler fitter. Jock used to describe how he worked with asbestos. He described how he took out old pipe fittings out of schools and factories and even hospitals, and he ripped out the asbestos with his bare hands. He said that he and the workboys used to scrunch the asbestos up into snowballs and throw them at each other. Jock was a fit 70-year-old who took no medication and he died within a year of being diagnosed with mesothelioma. I want to highlight the impact on not only the patients but for the families who lost their parents and loved ones following exposure to asbestos. I am aware of the Clyde side asbestos group and Scottish hazards who have contacted my office also. I was interested in speaking in this debate because, as a new MSP, I was being asked to set up a cross-party group to address lung health in Scotland. In the battle of breath document, which is produced by the British Lung Foundation, there are 15 main lung conditions that are a major concern for the health of people in the UK and Scotland, and mesothelioma is one of them. Meso is mentioned 52 times in the battle for breath. Lung cancer is Scotland's number two killer behind heart disease and just ahead of stroke at number three. Last week, when I was in front of the standards committee to affirm my case for establishing a new cross-party group for lung health, rather than a separate group for each lung disease, we could explore themes for improving lung health for persons with many lung conditions, including mesothelioma. Last week, I heard that the CPG was approved. We need to address the health of Scotland's patients who have a diagnosis of mesothelioma and look at improving lung health whatever the condition for persons in Scotland is. My sister is a respiratory nurse consultant. I asked her for advice about mesothelioma and she said the following. Many patients diagnosed can achieve health benefits with appropriate treatment. Often, patients require medication and frequent visits to a specialist doctor. The treatment can be required to cause quite painful procedures as in the drainage of pulmonary fluid from the lungs. It is required, but ultimately, this allows patients to breathe more easily. Phyllis also said right now that the prognosis is poorer. Again, I responded to the email from Julie, which asked me if I would be able to help to highlight mesothelioma and the persons who are diagnosed. Even without a cross-party group, I would have agreed to support. However, now that the lung health group is approved, I can say yes. I am not only concerned, but I am willing to participate and take action to address lung health conditions that are affecting Scots, including mesothelioma. The last of the open speeches is Ian Gray. I am well done to Kezia Dugdale for securing today's debate. I am even more well done to Julie Roberts, because if her campaigning had not inspired Kezia, we would not be here this evening holding the debate. As Kezia alluded to, Julie became a campaigner on mesothelioma through her engagement with the game changer public social partnership between the NHS, the Heberian football club and the Heberian community foundation of which I happen to be the chair. That is one reason why I wanted to participate this evening. However, there is another reason. In the constituency that I represent, there are towns such as Preston Pans where I could take you down almost any street and find family after family who have been affected in one way by asbestos related disease. They have lost fathers and grandfathers who worked down the pit or on the construction sites. They have all suffered from mesothelioma and the toll that it takes. A couple of them are quite special to me and to my colleagues in East Lothian Labour Party. One of them was a man called Gerald O'Brien, who many in the Labour Party will know. Gerald was John P. Macintosh, the MP in East Lothian's agent, and he later became a Labour organiser for the party nationally. He was the first women's officer of the Labour Party back in the innocent days before it occurred to us that the women's officer should perhaps possibly be a woman. A hugely loved member and member of staff of the Labour Party. Before he did all that, Gerald was an electrician and we lost him some years ago to mesothelioma. He does not have to have been 40 years on the tools to suffer from this disease. Another constituent I knew well for a short time, Jim Anderson, was a teacher in my constituency for many, many years. However, as a student, he had spent one summer labouring on the construction of Cackensea power station and 45 years later, mesothelioma came back and took him too. In a blog that Julie wrote just in the past few days, she said something that I think was very important about her dad and her uncle, that all they did was go to their work. They did not do anything wrong, they just went to their work. That was a disease that they did not inherit from their parents or grandparents, they did not catch it from their neighbours, they did not do it to themselves by drinking or smoking. Those who suffer from this disease simply went and built the power stations, the ships, the factories and the homes that we all wanted. They did that to provide for their family, they did the right thing and paid a terrible price. This is probably nonsense, but it always seems to me that this is a disease that takes the biggest men. I know it is not only men, but it seems to me that it picks out those men who have particularly the most life about them. I did not know Julie's dad, but I have heard her speak about him in the film My Life With Hibs that she made, and he sounds like that kind of man who would fill the room with his strength and stature and love of life. This is a disease that takes that strength and stature away and then it takes your breath away and then it takes your life away. So what do we do? I think that we have to respond in three ways that have all been mentioned this evening. The first is to make those responsible take responsibility. The employers who carried on making their workforce work with us best us when they knew fine what the consequence was. They are insurance companies who have tried every trick in the book to avoid paying compensation to families. Secondly, we have to respond by making sure that it does not happen now and fight tooth and nail to defend health and safety at work so that we do not see this disease come back again in yet another way. Finally, we have to ensure that Mr Thuleoma is given the medical attention that it needs. Correct the shameful lack of specific services highlighted by Anas Sarwar and by Kezia Dugdale. That is the question that we preach to the minister tonight. I now call on Eileen Campbell to respond to the debate around seven minutes, please minister. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am pleased to be able to close tonight's debate. Like all the other speakers this evening, I congratulate Kezia Dugdale on bringing it to the chamber. I would also like to put on record my welcome to Julie Roberts and her family to the Parliament and pay tribute to the family for what they have done in honour of Gordon and Jim to campaign for the improvements that they feel is necessary to ensure that their lives have not gone in vain and their untimely deaths can ensure improvements for others across our country. Members have talked about the impact that this condition has had on their constituents, tragically cruel in so many ways and many of whom have contracted the disease simply by going to work, or the partners who have contracted secondary mesothelioma through simply washing overalls. Like the motion states, I also pay tribute to the campaigners, the trade unions and the charities who have done so much to support those with mesothelioma who have brought about the improvements or changes needed and who have raised awareness of the condition. I also welcome the report by Mesothelioma UK's publication and their strategy aims seeking to make further improvements to care and support across the UK for those who contract mesothelioma, including raising the profile of it to prevent future cases of asbestos-related disease. We recognise the work carried out by a host of other organisations in addition to mesothelioma UK, such as Clydeside Action on Asbestos, Tayside Action and Clydebank Action, who all, as Stuart McMillan pointed out, provide advice and support to people with asbestos-related disease. In the case of Clydeside Action on Asbestos, it provides resource that Stuart also mentioned to GPs and doctors about the wider implications of the cancer. It is on that theme of our wider approach to cancer that I want to make my remarks. We all know and recognise that progress has been made on treating cancer and survival rates. That is largely thanks to the hard work and the endeavours of those who work across the NHS, delivering our health and social care services. We also know that there is room to do far more, particularly in cancers that have an unfortunate link to deprivation or, in this case, in terms of Mesothelioma cancer caught through industrial work. In March of this year, the Scottish Government unveiled its beating cancer ambition and action strategy, which serves as a blueprint for the future of cancer services in Scotland. While the cancer strategy, as many have made reference to tonight, did not specifically mention Mesothelioma, it should not be taken for a moment as a sign that improving the outcomes for people with Mesothelioma have not been considered. The Scottish Government is acutely aware that early detection of all cancers, including Mesothelioma, is crucial. The earlier that cancer can be diagnosed, the better the chance of a more positive outcome. The cancer strategy will deliver £100 million worth of investment over five years to improve the prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment and aftercare for all those affected by cancer. That will have a positive impact on all those affected by cancer, including those with a confirmed diagnosis of Mesothelioma. Of course, we will again consider the implications of the Mesothelioma UK report in the wider context of that strategy. We will also look at what lessons can be considered in the context of the current waiting times work. I will give way. Mesothelioma, for the benefit of the members, is under consideration for extending tumour audit for cancer waiting times. I will make a commitment to update members who have expressed an interest in how that audit process goes. I welcome the minister's investment in the cancer strategy and, specifically, her remarks about early detection and how important that is. I therefore wonder whether, tonight, she could commit to a public marketing campaign focused on people who are exposed asbestos so that we can make sure that those people in those communities who are exposed asbestos get the early detection that could save their lives. I would commit to making sure that the strategy took on board the implications and the recommendations and the strategy aims of the Mesothelioma UK report. We will again continue to engage with other members who have expressed an interest in that to ensure that we get that right for people who might have or potential to have Mesothelioma or asbestos-related diseases. We will do that in that wider context of that £100 million investment. In addition to the work that I have outlined around the cancer strategy and to help to support GPs to promote earlier referral or investigation of patients who may be showing a suspicion of cancer, in 2014 we also published revised Scottish referral guidelines for suspected cancer. Those guidelines include a specific section on Mesothelioma and should help GPs, the wider primary care team and other clinicians, patients and carers to identify patients most likely to have cancer and who therefore require urgent assessment by a specialist. Again, there is an opportunity and scope to consider much more widely the ways in which we could more proactively advertise and target people who might have that potential to have or suffer from asbestos-related disease. Other members who contributed to tonight's debate included Miles Briggs, who raised the issues around new drugs and the potential that that can bring to those who suffer from asbestos-related disease. Obviously, we will ensure that, within our wider strategy around drugs and cancer, that that will be part of the focus. Emma Harper brought her experience as a nurse and her own friend's experience to tonight's debate. It is useful to hear about the cross-party group that she has set up to provide a much more longer-term parliamentary focus on lung health, which she has confirmed this evening in Mesothelioma. I will commit to working with her to ensure that we can identify further areas of improvement or opportunities to do more on that particular issue very briefly, if you can. I apologise that it is so late in your time. Minister, I thank you for your comments. Just specifically on Mesothelioma, can the minister commit that the Mesothelioma will be included in the waiting time targets? Will he look to have a standard for Mesothelioma treatment that the hub that is in the west of Scotland will be extended to across the whole of Scotland and that there will be direct research funding specifically for Mesothelioma research in Scotland? Aileen Campbell. I have already made reference to the waiting times work about that wider consideration that is already going on into waiting times, the links and what we can learn from the points that have been raised tonight, the wider Mesothelioma UK report and what that will mean for not only the cancer strategy but waiting time work and also the current audit about the extending tumour audit and the cancer waiting times, that wider bit of work as well about how that will relate to the points that have been raised this evening and the debates and the comments that people have made. I just wanted to finally touch upon, though, Presiding Officer, if I can, well over my— Stuart McMillan. Thank you for taking the intervention and also yourself, Presiding Officer, for allowing it. Can the minister confirm that in terms of the—because the minister spoke about nurses earlier—can the minister confirm that lung cancer specialist nurses actually adhere to the same care plan for people with Mesothelioma as do Mesothelioma nurses? Aileen Campbell. I want to pay tribute to Stuart McMillan's knowledge and expertise and his campaigning that he's done on this issue for the constituency that he's represented in his constituency now but also across the west of Scotland and can confirm that nurses do adhere where they can to the same standards for lung health in the point that he raised. Just finally, though, I wanted to just point on the issues that Jackie Baillian Ian Gray raised around the prospect of looking at recovering funds from those who cause cancer, and again we'll take that on board and make sure that they get kept up to speed with any progress that can be made on that. I also wanted to note that the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament have indeed, though, a strong record in supporting those who have been negligently exposed to asbestos. Significant provision regarding the law and damages for personal injuries has been made over the years, including a number of bits of legislation, with most recently the damages asbestos related conditions Scotland Act 2009 and supporting the Damages Scotland Act of 2011. In closing, I would like to offer my thanks to the members for their contribution to today's debate. We have seen significant progress in relation to cancer but we know that we need to do more so that people like Hope Robertson and others like her can understand that their voices have made a difference in how we approach that condition, especially when it comes to the improvements that they want to seek. The cancer strategy will assist with this, but it will require us to work together and collaboratively with third sector organisations, charities and trade unions, with other members who have expressed an interest in tackling mesothelioma and other asbestos-related conditions that are unfortunately far too prevalent across our country. Ian Gray reminded us of the importance to get this right for people who are suffering asbestos-related diseases, because they have only got it because they went to their work. We owe it to them to do what we can to raise awareness and to make the improvements needed to ensure that we can have a better story to tell going forward. We have come a long way, but there is absolutely room for improvement. I close this meeting.