Seòmar agus comataidhean

Good morning. Thank you for your opening statements and for all the information that you have provided so far.

I want to move on from my colleague Paul O’Kane’s questions. The state of the nation report provides an assessment of how civil and political rights are met in Scotland. In fact, the commission found that human rights failings occur across Scotland, specifically in places of detention and across rural communities. Extensive barriers were also reported in justice, which you have mentioned—you have talked about the monitoring. How has that report been received? What feeling do you get that the Scottish Government and public authorities are going to address those failings? You have mentioned the monitoring, but will they address those failings?

Thank you. I have a supplementary, and then I will ask one more question.

Even to this day, women are still at a disadvantage compared with men, and that is especially true of women in custody. Two years ago, a male double rapist was briefly put into a women’s prison simply because he had claimed that he was a woman. That put many vulnerable women at risk. Do you recognise the importance of single-sex spaces and services, especially when it comes to vulnerable women such as women in custody or in rape crisis centres?

Jan, do you have anything to add?

Minister, today is the last day of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. For many women, 16 days are a lifetime. Indeed, the latest Scottish Government statistics paint a very shocking picture, with almost 64,000 domestic abuse cases reported to Police Scotland, and a reoffending rate of 65 per cent, which is a 3 per cent increase.

Next month, we will be in 2025; the last domestic abuse act was passed in 2021, which is almost four years ago. I have spoken to many survivors and organisations who put in so much effort to ensure that that legislation was introduced and eventually passed, but they are still waiting. Can you update the committee on the Government’s target date for implementing part 1 of the 2021 act?

Minister, as I said, 64,000 cases were reported to Police Scotland—that is a 3 per cent rise on the year before. The number of reoffenders has gone up as well. What can you say to the survivors and victims who are out there listening today? Are they part of the Scottish Government’s consciousness?

Your officials have just said that next year, you are going to look at next steps. Those survivors are looking for an implementation date—I emphasise that to you, minister. People are suffering out there, and domestic violence is an abhorrent and shocking crime. We need to ensure that people who are going through domestic abuse have confidence that the Scottish Government is implementing the acts that are passed.

When you say that next steps will happen next year, what does that mean? Does it mean another year, or two years, later? What are we looking at here?

I want to put on record that, in my original question, after I described the consultation process as rushed, I said straight away that it takes the appropriate amount of time. I know that you made that point.

I agree that consultation is very important to allow people to have their say. Committees are also important, as we can scrutinise and take evidence. My question was not about there being an issue with consultation. I am saying that the process is resource intensive—sometimes organisations are one-man bands or have only five people. I was asking what you would say to organisations when there is not a result at the end of the process and they have done all that hard work.

I wait to hear feedback next year on how the acts have been implemented.

I just want to echo how important the implementation of the legislation is and that there are women and girls out there who are suffering. Minister, I am really hoping—and will hold you to your word—that the act will be implemented in 2026, as you mentioned, because people out there are suffering right now, especially women and girls.

Good morning. The Female Genital Mutilation (Protection and Guidance) (Scotland) Act 2020 received royal assent in April 2020. However, almost five years later, it has yet to be implemented.

FGM is an abhorrent practice. There are an estimated 24,000 people living in Scotland who were born in countries where FGM happens. In 2022, I asked the then Minister for Equalities and Older People:

“Has there been more of a focus on collecting that data to accurately identify communities and spaces where this horrific practice might be taking place?”

The minister responded:

“The FGM guidance has been delayed as a result of difficult decisions that had to be taken at that time, but we are now re-establishing that work.”—[Official Report, 22 March 2022; c 18, 19.]

Every day of delay is a day too long.

The act strengthens the legal protection for women and girls at risk of FGM. Minister, as the pandemic is now over, why has there not been any progress? You just mentioned that the act could be implemented in 2026—given that we are at the end of 2024, that is another one to two years. There still is no guarantee that the act will be implemented. Minister, can you shed any more light on that?

I have one final question.

Minister, the committee has been hearing evidence on other legislation, and one of the issues that has been raised is that consultations are quite time consuming and resource intensive. Organisations sometimes do not have the manpower or the time, but consultations have deadlines, because the legislation eventually has to be implemented.

What would you say to those stakeholders, partners and organisations that put a lot of time and effort into responding to consultations? We are talking about three crucial acts that, for various reasons, have not been implemented. You have rushed that through in a way—well, not rushed, but put in the right consultation time, only for there to be no results at the other end. What would you say to those stakeholders and partners?