John Mason Scottish National Party

3. “To ask the Scottish Government what the impact is of water charges on smaller organisations that operate in business centres in which they do not have their own water supply but share kitchens and toilets. (S5O-00860)”

Roseanna Cunningham Scottish National Party

“All businesses in Scotland that are connected to the public supply are liable for water and sewerage charges. Where a property is part of a much larger building that is connected to public water and/or sewerage, it may be liable for charges if it has access to services in the common parts of the building.”

John Mason Scottish National Party

“There are a number of businesses in my constituency that are really struggling with heavy business rates, specifically from Business Stream. They seem to be trapped, because they are not allowed to switch to another supplier while they have arrears with Business Stream and their landlords are reluctant to install a meter that would show how little water is being used. Can the cabinet secretary suggest a way out of the situation?”

Roseanna Cunningham Scottish National Party

“It is important for all customers to pay their fair share for services received and, at the moment, there are no plans to offer alternative charging arrangements for the situation that the member described.

Business Stream works hard to ensure that it takes as much account as possible of the individual circumstances that customers face. If there are businesses with very individual issues, I recommend that the member takes those issues up directly with Business Stream if he has not already done so, or writes to me about individual circumstances.”

That the Parliament notes with interest the ideas put forward by who it considers is one of Scotland’s leading poets, Kate Tough, to tackle what it sees as the “popular amnesia” regarding Glasgow’s role in the slave trade; understands that, during the 18th century, many of Glasgow’s merchants were intimately involved in the “triangle trade”, which saw ships sail from the Clyde to the west coast of Africa to collect slaves before sailing to America; believes that the conditions on these journeys were so poor that one in four slaves died on the journey; understands that many of those who ran plantations were also Scottish and that the profits gained from the trade and plantations allowed these merchants to build mansions in the heart of Glasgow; believes that Kate’s poem, People Made Glasgow, helps highlight the origins of much of Glasgow’s wealth; notes the proposals for a slavery museum, memorial garden or new street names, and believes that any action to further educate people on the contribution that the slave trade made to Glasgow can only be welcome to increase their understanding of themselves as a nation.

Local MSP, John Mason, has pledged his support for Scottish veterans with mental health conditions at the Scottish Parliament today.

John met with employees from veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress to hear more about their work to support veterans living in Scotland rebuild their lives.

Combat Stress is the UK’s leading mental health charity for veterans and provides free specialist clinical treatment to ex-servicemen and women across the UK with mental health problems. The charity treats conditions including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety. They provide a range of free services including short-stay clinical treatment, a specialist PTSD Intensive Treatment Programme, Occupational Therapy, Community support and a free 24-hour Helpline (0800 138 1619).

John said:

“Our veterans are an asset to Scotland and the work Combat Stress does to support veterans in Glasgow Shettleston and across the country is invaluable.

“It is vital that all veterans have access to the  specialist support that they need for  conditions such as PTSD, depression and anxiety. I encourage all those who need support to contact organisations such as Combat Stress at the earliest opportunity.

”We all owe a significant debt to those who have served in our armed forces, and we must work together to ensure that they have access to the support they need and deserve.”

Andy Smith, Combat Stress’s Regional Operations Manager, said:

“With recent research showing that Scottish veterans face a greater risk of deprivation than the general public, and that the average veteran takes 12 years to seek our support after leaving the military, it is vital that we encourage all ex-service personnel to access the support they need.

“We strongly encourage serving personnel, veterans and their loved ones to call our 24-hour Helpline 0800 138 1619.

“The Scottish Government’s support for veterans, including the Scottish Veterans Fund, is welcome, but the 71% increase in referrals that we experienced over the past five years illustrates the rising demand for our work. We hope that Government, support agencies and charities can work together to minimise the challenges faced by veterans who are already dealing with a range of complex issues.”