This is the first post in a series of weekly blogs. The purpose of this series is to keep my constituents up to date with what I get up to each week, both in Edinburgh Southern and the Scottish Parliament.
St Columba’s Hospice
On Monday morning I visited St Columba’s Hospice to talk about the financial problems the end-of-life care sector is facing. I was pleased to be able to discuss these issues, alongside other issues I’ve previously addressed in the Scottish Parliament – such as the challenges of an increasingly ageing population. It’s vital that we protect palliative and end of life care which plays such an enormous role in improving the quality of life for people with life limiting conditions.
Meeting with Frontline Care Workers
After my Parliamentary commitments on Tuesday, I met with groups of frontline social care workers at a session organised by my Scottish Labour colleague, Paul O’Kane. I’ve been a vocal supporter of increasing care workers pay to £15, particularly around the Scottish Budget debates in the Scottish Parliament and it was particularly insightful to meet with workers who told me first-hand about the reality of working in Scotland’s care sector today.
I will continue to support them and push for a better pay settlement that rightly values the work that they do.
Bail and Relase from Custody (Scotland) Bill
On Thursday, I took part in the Scottish Government’s Stage One debate on bail and release. 30% of the male population and 36% of the female population in Scotland at any given time is on remand. That is double the comparable figures for England and Wales.
At the release end, it’s crucial that prisoners are supported out of prison and are able to access basic services such as healthcare – this Bill does not do that. Indeed, effectively supporting former prisoners out of prison and into the community is vital in reducing reoffending rates. This Bill provides no additional resources to local authorities to carry out this complex and costly work.
I fear that once again, the SNP Government have introduced unnecessary legislation in place of proper financial resourcing of the justice system.
Friday – back in Edinburgh Southern
On Friday’s, I tend to be based in my constituency office on Comiston Road. In the morning, I held advice sessions with several constituents and then caught up with my team about how the week went and what’s coming up next week. In the afternoon, we usually take part in roving street surgeries. This week, we visited Morton Hall Road to speak with residents and see what issues they have in their local area. I will work with the relevant groups to ensure all the issues we picked up are dealt with as quick as possible.
If you have any issues, please get in touch at: daniel.johnson.msp@parliament.scot or 0131 541 2145.
