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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 22 December 2024
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Displaying 598 contributions

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Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee

Minimum Core Obligations

Meeting date: 23 May 2023

Pam Gosal

I was just saying that I will come on to housing in a minute.

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee

Asylum Seekers in Scotland

Meeting date: 16 May 2023

Pam Gosal

Is it a tailored service, or do you tell people when they come where the mosques, gurdwaras and churches are as part of the induction? Do you identify someone from a Muslim background and say, “This is what is available for your faith”? Is it individual, or do you just provide the information in group settings?

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee

Asylum Seekers in Scotland

Meeting date: 16 May 2023

Pam Gosal

I will come back to the issue of vulnerable people and traffickers a bit later on. Last week, representatives of COSLA and local authorities spoke to the committee about the work that Mears does with them, and they said that they had a great working relationship with you. However, we have heard lots of concerns from the third sector, which delivers many of the key services that asylum seekers rely on. Would you say that there has to be a good working relationship between Mears and the third sector? How do you feel that that relationship should be improved?

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee

Asylum Seekers in Scotland

Meeting date: 16 May 2023

Pam Gosal

You said earlier that you signpost. In other words, you work with the third sector to bring in whatever is needed for an asylum seeker. Is that right?

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee

Asylum Seekers in Scotland

Meeting date: 16 May 2023

Pam Gosal

I have just one more question, which is on religious settings. John Taylor said earlier that, sometimes, you will have to go out of the city centres and provide accommodation in hotels in rural areas, but what we have heard in evidence is that, for people coming from a foreign country, where they feel at home is in their religious settings—their mosques, their gurdwaras, their synagogues, their churches or anywhere else they feel that sort of comfort. As we know, a lot of rural areas do not have many such places of community. Do you take that into account when you move people around? Moreover, does the data that you collect on people’s backgrounds tell you what they require with regard to community settings and houses of prayer?

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee

Asylum Seekers in Scotland

Meeting date: 16 May 2023

Pam Gosal

To go back to trafficking, we have heard evidence that women—and certain individuals—may not always go to the police but will sometimes trust third sector organisations and go there first. The police also identified that. That may be because, in the countries where those women come from, the police have a different system. I will not say what kind of system, but it is perhaps not trustworthy for those women, so, when they come here, they are scared to go to the police. Do you find that, sometimes, those women come to Mears for help before going to the police?

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee

Asylum Seekers in Scotland

Meeting date: 16 May 2023

Pam Gosal

Okay. On the issue of trafficking, we have heard from witnesses over the weeks that, typically, hotels are targeted by traffickers in order to exploit vulnerable individuals in that accommodation. It was great to hear from TARA and Police Scotland about the work that is being undertaken to safeguard asylum seekers and refugees. How has your working relationship with TARA and Migrant Help changed your operation to help protect individuals who might be vulnerable to traffickers?

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee

Asylum Seekers in Scotland

Meeting date: 16 May 2023

Pam Gosal

Could Mears make any improvements to ensure that vulnerable people are protected from traffickers?

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee

Asylum Seekers in Scotland

Meeting date: 16 May 2023

Pam Gosal

Caroline O’Connor, do you have anything to say on the issue?

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee

Asylum Seekers in Scotland

Meeting date: 16 May 2023

Pam Gosal

Caroline O’Connor, do you want to add anything before I hand back to the convener?