Readers' Letters: Ban on private speech therapists unfair
Council’s stance on private speech therapists leaves reader speechless
Regarding The Scotsman’s report “Parents ‘outraged’ as council bars private Speech and Language Therapists from its schools” (22 February), as an Independent Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) in East Lothian, I find the Council's justifications in the article for banning independent therapists from schools to be factually flawed and detrimental to student welfare.
The council’s claims regarding “quality assurance” are misleading. All SLTs – whether NHS or independent – are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Much like the GMC regulates doctors, the HCPC mandates strict professional standards, safeguarding and confidentiality protocols.
Furthermore, “Speech and Language Therapist” is a protected title; practicing without registration is a criminal offence. The Council does not “quality assure” NHS therapists any more than they do independent ones, making their distinction arbitrary.
Effective therapy requires collaboration, not silo working. Banning independent practitioners drives a wedge between health and education colleagues. For example, many standardised assessments are invalidated if repeated too soon, making communication between professionals essential. Denying access prevents us from “rowing in the same direction” and isolates specialist knowledge that could benefit the child and staff alike.
The sad reality is that the NHS is currently unable to meet the speech therapy needs of every child due to budget constraints.
Many children I support are not receiving NHS provision at all. Since my services are funded by parents, this policy saves the council no money.
Instead, it creates an artificial barrier to best practice based on misinformed prejudices against independent healthcare.
Like MSP Paul McLennan, I have struggled to engage the council in a meaningful dialogue, despite seeing first-hand the negative impact this policy has on children with additional needs.
This barrier serves no educational or financial purpose; it simply hinders the developmental progress of the children who need us most.
Isla Davies, North Berwick, East Lothian
Fergus for PO
So Douglas Ross was barred from the Scottish Parliament for undermining the Presiding Officer (your report, 26 February)
When asked to withdraw a comment about bias from the PO, he did so but stated that it was what he believed. Surely this is true of any politician who makes a statement and then because of parliamentary procedure, is asked to withdraw their comment? To bar him for simply being honest was wrong. He was quite rightly trying to get the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about the sorry saga of the Lord Advocate briefing John Swinney not just recently as they seemed to suggest, but almost a year ago. In looking at various parliamentary recordings, Mr Ross is right to state that all too often the PO has allowed SNP members to continue uninterrupted when raising a point of order, but frequently interrupts Conservative members when they do so. There’s other evidence of bias, perhaps unintended but bias nonetheless, when urgent questions were rejected. Parliament needs a strong independent-minded PO to help Parliament hold the government to account. What a pity, it doesn’t have someone like Fergus Ewing, but we can’t possibly have someone who is a thorn in the Scottish government’s side! Fergus has the knowledge and dignity needed for the role. Let’s hope he is re-elected in May and then becomes PO.
Brian Barbour, Haddington, East Lothian
Wake up Scotland
Wake up Scotland! We have the SNP campaigning under the banner “It’s Scotland’s Energy” and promising a massive reduction in energy bills in an independent Scotland, but those are just the usual, SNP soundbites that are factually, totally false.
ScotWind sold the rights to 29 companies for our offshore wind farms but only four of these are UK-based – more than 75 per cent of Scotland’s offshore wind generation is owned by foreign companies.
ScottishPower is a major player in onshore wind power, owning 40 wind farms, but it is 100 per cent owned by a private Spanish company! All of this revenue is being sucked out of the Scottish economy, straight into foreign bank accounts.
Back in 2014 the SNP undertook to establish a Scottish Energy company to be the owner of all this, renewable energy development but that was just another soundbite. The SNP is totally incapable of delivering on anything they promise and it is destroying this country’s economy for the benefit of foreign enterprises.
Where is the “just transition” fantasy that was supposed to create an untold number of Scottish jobs? Just another, SNP soundbite. When is the Scottish electorate going to wake up to these facts and remove theuseless SNP from control in Holyrood?
Michael Officer, Bridge of Earn, Perth and Kinross
Not suited
Robert I G Scott is correctly sceptical about another session of the SNP government under John Swinney (Letters, 26 February). The problem is that what was merely a pressure group now finds itself in a position of minor governance for which it is demonstrably unsuited.
Malcolm Parkin, Kinnesswood, Kinross-shire
Hen safety first
The recent discussion around avian influenza (“Why it's wrong to blame wild birds for devastating avian flu outbreaks”, 5 February) highlights a complex issue, but the science is clear: current highly pathogenic strains primarily circulate in migratory wild bird populations and are occasionally introduced into poultry systems. Well-managed commercial farms operate under rigorous biosecurity protocols that limit the virus’s ability to spread.
Scottish egg farmers have responded proactively, further strengthening hygiene, monitoring flock health and taking practical measures to prevent wild birds from accessing outdoor ranges and water sources. Despite challenging conditions, the sector continues to produce high-quality eggs, supporting both the rural economy and a secure UK food supply.
Consumers can be confident that British eggs remain safe, affordable and produced by dedicated professionals who prioritise the health and wellbeing of the hens they care for every day.
Nick Allen, Chief Executive, British Egg Industry Council, London
Tariffs fightback
I do not think the King and Queen should go to the United States this year. The excuse would be the King's health. Neither should the Prince of Wales. His excuse would be the turmoil in the Royal family.
The Scottish government should impose a hefty Land Value Tax on all foreign-owned golf courses, plus a 10 per cent turnover tax. The reason for this would be retaliation for the damage done to the Scottish whisky industry by US tariffs.
Also, the SFA should withdraw the Scotland team from the World Cup, ostensibly for safety reasons. Such a principled stand would gain worldwide admiration and respect
Colin McAllister, St Andrews, Fife
Ukraine tragedy
There are now at least 22,000 Ukrainians in Scotland, 260,000 in the UK and 7.8 million scattered across Europe. For four years now Vladimir Putin‘s troops have deliberately targeted civilians, many of whom have subsequently fled from Ukraine.
Apparently, Putin has vowed to continue with the Ukraine war until his goals are achieved. The reality is he’s beginning to lose this war and losing troops faster than he can replace them (1.2 million casualties, around 400,000 killed and wounded).
We can all keep our fingers crossed that this isn’t going to end well for the Russian commander-in-chief who has, unbelievably, ordered the execution of frontline soldiers if they refuse to obey orders.
In the meantime Ukrainian soldiers continue to fight and die for their nation’s freedom. And refugees will continue to seek their futures in Europe and the United Kingdom.
Doug Morrison, Tenterden, Kent
Unsuited
Neil Anderson is, of course, right to call Steve Witkoff a Putin apologist (Letters, 26 February), but it is worse than that. It has always seemed ludicrous that Donald Trump appointed him, his golfing partner and real estate developer, as his envoy to solve not only Vladimir Putin’s war, but also and at the same time, the long-standing near-intractable situations in both Gaza and Iran.
Witkoff had no experience whatsoever in diplomacy, nor even any relevant knowledge of the history behind these conflicts, so unsurprisingly has parroted Putin’s propaganda and reported it back to Trump as fact – and even more cluelessly, accepted a Putin employee as his translator in his so-called “negotiations” in the Kremlin! At least he admitted that Hamas may have “duped” him in their talks on Gaza.
However, Ian Petrie (Letters, same day) is quite wrong to say Putin is the biggest loser so far in that war.
The biggest losers are those families in Ukraine who have suffered deaths, injury, destruction or exile; their innocent counterparts in Russia; and the democratic world which thought it had won the Cold War, but due to the brutal unprovoked aggression of Putin, supported by their new Axis powers, have had the assumed progress of 1945-95 probably put back by at least another 50 years.
John Birkett, St Andrews, Fife
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