ANAS SARWAR: ‘YOUNG SCOTS SHOULDN’T HAVE TO RELY ON CHARITY FROM ROCK STARS TO GET THE TREATMENT THEY NEED BECAUSE OF SNP FAILURE’
By Democrat reporter
The scandal of Secret Scotland, where even the most senior MSPs have to submit Freedom of Information requests to receive innocuous information, reared its ugly head again at First Minister’s Questions in Holyrood today.
Commenting following FMQs, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, pictured right, said: “This week statistics revealed through Freedom of Information have shown that young Scots are being shockingly failed by this SNP Government.
“All over Scotland, there are children and young people – at crisis point, in desperate need of mental health support – waiting not just months but years for treatment.
“One young person in NHS Lothian was forced to wait six years. This is scandalous.
“The SNP claim they are meeting their target for 90 per cent of children and young people to start mental health treatment within 18 weeks.
“But they are fudging the numbers and things are much worse than they are letting on.
Greater Glasgow Health Board earlier this week pledged to me more open and transparent with the press and public after complaints from the press and public about the way they go about releasing information.
Mr Sarwar told MSPs: “Some health boards are now counting an initial assessment as treatment, when in fact young people may still be waiting for months or years for their actual treatment to start.
“And now they are removing autism and ADHD diagnoses from CAMHS waiting lists.
“The SNP are fiddling the figures.”
He raised one case in point at Fierst Minister’s Questions: “Michael Gregori is a father from Dumfries.
“His son Iain was one when a health worker told him that Iain could be autistic and recommended an NHS diagnosis.
“Three years on, Iain is still non-verbal and is still waiting on a diagnosis.
“Michael was a member of the SNP and campaigned for them to be in Government.
“He told me that “they should now hang their heads in shame as they have let down Scotland.”
“When speaking of his son, he said: “Everyone’s saying Iain needs this diagnosis, he’s autistic. Everyone’s sure of it but at the same time he needs an official diagnosis to get the resources he needs.”
Mr Sarwar said the rock superstar Rod Stewart had heard about the boy’s plight – “Rod Stewart heard this heartbreaking story and has stepped in to pay for Iain’s diagnosis.
“Others won’t be as lucky.
“Young Scots should not have to rely on the charity of a rockstar to get the treatment they need due to SNP failure.”
SECRET SCOTLAND – Communications Officer Amanda Graham, Jackie Baillie MSP, Douglas McAllister MP, Councillor Jonathan McColl SNP.
Freedom of Information was the route recommended by West Dunbartonshire Council’s £130,000 a year head of communications, Amanda Graham, that The Democrat should take with questions to the basket case council when they undemocratically ruled without reference to elected councillors that this should happen.
This followed a request at the interval of one council meeting where the press and public found what was being said was impossble to hear and that councillors and others could not be identified from the public gallery because some of them were sitting with their back to the public (and press gallery).
The Democrat was also locked out of a council meeting in Clydebank Town Hall, where a council officer was posted at the door to ensure that we didn’t listen in from the stairhead outside.
Editor Bill Heaney has approached the Labour MSP Jackie Baillie and Labour MP, Douglas McAllister, with a view to them asking the Council for their reporting restrictions on The Democrat to be lifted and was told this was a matter for Amanda Graham, who was once a reporter at the Lennox Herald.
He asked the same question of Cllr Jonathan McColl, the former SNP leader who initiated the ban claiming Mr Heaney was biased in his reporting and commentaries in favour of Labour.
There has been no change in the Council’s undemocratic position since the ban on The Democrat was imposed five years ago and the Council has continued to retain its position on the matter.
Top of page picture: Rock star Rod Stewart called on to help boy patient seeking mental health diagnosis.