S3M-05839 Christina McKelvie (Central Scotland) (Scottish National Party): 25th Anniversary of the Scottish Refugee Council— That the Parliament congratulates the Scottish Refugee Council on 25 years of providing practical help and moral support to people who have come to Scotland to escape persecution and human rights abuses in their own countries; notes that, since its inception in 1985, the Scottish Refugee Council has co-ordinated protection programmes for refugees from Vietnam, Chile, Bosnia and Kosovo and now assists independent asylum seekers from countries across the world; further notes that in 2008 almost 3,000 people were supported through the asylum process in Scotland; believes that in 2010 the work done by the Scottish Refugee Council to assist and support people seeking asylum, promote public understanding of refugee issues and promote dialogue and integration within and between Scotland’s diverse communities is more vital then ever, and fully supports the Scottish Refugee Council’s aim of securing for Scotland and the UK a humane asylum policy that respects and protects individual and collective social welfare and human rights.