Seòmar agus comataidhean

I welcome the chance to speak in the debate and contribute to this sobering discussion of what more can be done to protect and empower young people’s voices in Scotland.

Although for us the theme of this year’s 16 days of activism is to imagine a Scotland without gender-based violence, recent statistics remind us that violence against women and girls remains far too common. I attended a meeting last night, which others have mentioned, that was hosted by Tess White and Claire Baker and which brought to the Parliament the stark reality of the situation in Scotland. It touched on the unpleasant truth about life for many women and girls, particularly those who are the most vulnerable in our society.

For example, a clear majority of domestic abuse victims are women and the vast majority of perpetrators are men. We must not shy away from that reality. Women do not fear being attacked or abused by other women; they fear the actions of men. Therefore, as has been said, we must focus on the behaviour of men if we wish to put an end to that.

In 2023-24, more than 63,000 incidents of domestic abuse were recorded in Scotland, which is a 3 per cent increase on the previous year. Recorded incidents of rape and attempted rape increased by 10 per cent, with 95 per cent of victims being women. The reality for our young women is that, of all the sexual crimes reported in 2023-24, 37 per cent involved a victim under the age of 18.

Those are just a few of the damning insights into gender-based violence in Scotland, but it does not have to be like that. Gender violence is not innate. The truth is that it is learned and nurtured through stereotypes, misogyny, bias and ingrained inequalities.

I want to raise the issue of pornography and the normalisation of porn in the lives of young men. Last night, we heard from women who are researching this area, which is not often tackled, as it is an uncomfortable area and one that seems impossible to change. However, porn is not acceptable and is not normal, and we should be saying that to young men. Young men need to know that, and they need to be educated on the kindness that relationships can bring and not focus on the behaviours that are played out in those pornographic images. Society has a responsibility to challenge that industry and the behaviours that relate to it. We, as parliamentarians, must ensure that adequate and appropriate resources are provided to tackle that injustice.

I welcome much of what the minister said in her opening speech and the work of the Government, but I also think that members across the chamber have made some very powerful statements about what we can do. We all agree that the recent statistics reveal that more must be done to tackle violence against women and girls.

I thank Beatrice Wishart for bringing up the issue of Afghanistan. We all agree that what is happening to women and young girls in Afghanistan must be challenged. Scotland should never accept complacency. It must challenge all aspects of violence against women here in Scotland and, as Beatrice Wishart reminded us, right across the world.

As we have heard, a Scottish Labour report that was published last year found that a significant shift in social and cultural norms is required to prevent and address violence against women and girls. Tackling sexism and misogyny from a young age is critical to ending gender-based violence later down the line. Therefore, the Government must ensure that it funds initiatives and services that promote that necessary cultural change.

Women in politics have always worked in a cross-party manner and have been prepared to work with Governments to develop new strategies that should be followed by tangible outcomes. We need men in the chamber to do that, too, and I welcome the First Minister taking a lead on that today. I thank him for being here, and I thank all the men who are present in the chamber.

For the sake of young girls and young people, we must tackle the behaviours that we are discussing today, and I hope that we in Scotland can work in a cross-party manner to do so.

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recent reports that many towns in Scotland are so-called legal aid deserts. (S6O-04069)

Over recent years, legal aid organisations have called for serious reform, citing a system that has been left in a state of neglect. Their calls have been frustrated by a Government that has failed to recognise the need for immediate action. In recognising the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, does the minister accept that a failure to deliver both short and longer-term reforms to the legal aid system poses significant risks to vulnerable groups in our society, particularly victims of domestic abuse?

I will make progress.

They do not recognise the current plans as anything close to the promises that were made. They feel let down, and rightly so. I say to the cabinet secretary that that is the message that members in the chamber are getting. The loud and clear message is that we need delivery of a national care service. I ask the Government: what is power if it cannot deliver? The Government certainly cannot deliver.

We have heard from many members today, including the minister, that

“the status quo is not an option”.

Members across the chamber are saying that, but the Scottish National Party has had 17 years to fix our social care. It has had more than three years to get the bill right, and it has simply failed to do so. Yet, today, there is no reflection on that at all. The Government brushes it aside and seeks to blame others.

Despite many Scots being in urgent need of social care, after three years, three cabinet secretaries and three First Ministers, there is nothing to show for it. Now is the moment to get to work and take immediate action to start fixing Scotland’s fundamentally broken social care sector. The minister—

I will start with how proud I am to say that I grew up in, live in and now represent a coalfield community. I therefore thank Richard Leonard for securing this important and heartfelt debate, which recognises the impact that the 1984-85 strike had not only on miners but on their families, wider communities and Scotland itself.

The strike has been defined as the greatest industrial dispute in post-war Britain and its significance cannot be overstated. To this day, the echoes of that brutal Thatcher Government are felt in so many towns and villages across our country.

I strongly disagree with Stephen Kerr. The pit closures were used as an insult to the miners, who contributed so much to Scotland’s culture and economy. Communities such as the one that I live in faced job losses and deprivation, and miners and their families were vilified and criminalised for their fight to save their livelihoods and their communities. The injustices that were felt by miners and their communities remain rife across modern Scotland.

Although it is unlikely that full amends can ever truly be made, I do recognise the Miners’ Strike (Pardons) (Scotland) Act 2022 as a step in the right direction. However, much more must be done and we must all fully support an inquiry into policing at that time. We must continue to find the truth, which miners and other striking workers deserve.

My region, South Scotland, is home to so many mining villages and communities, such as Cumnock, Dalmellington and my home town of Mauchline. Like others across Scotland, those communities have faced and continue to have unimaginable struggles as a result of the pit closures.

I will, if it is brief.

We on the Labour benches have tried and tried to work together with the Government. However, as we have heard today, the Government proposed a national care service that was so unfit for purpose that nearly every stakeholder in the country—trade unions, councils and health boards—flatly rejected it. Conservative members opposite reminded us that four committees raised concerns. On top of that, the vast majority of carers whom we have spoken to simply do not recognise—

Of course, if it is brief.

In short, absolutely—I know that we are tight for time.

If the minister is actually in charge, she must show leadership. The poor performance from the minister in this matter cannot be overstated, and the discussion in committee demonstrated that.

To date, pursuing the bill has cost the taxpayer £30 million—money that has been wasted due to the incompetence of the minister and the SNP. Contrary to the minister’s assertions today and over the past few weeks, the bill does not deliver the Feeley recommendations—it has never touched on delivering them. The minister would not take advice on that. We have seen no commitment to do that or to progress anything with real urgency.

The Government simply does not listen. Not only has it wasted millions of pounds, but it has used up hours of parliamentary time. Most important, it has let down vulnerable and disabled people, as well as their unpaid carers and staff. Yesterday, eventually, in reply to my colleague Paul Sweeney at committee, the minister said that many of the recommendations in the Feeley review can be implemented without primary legislation.

My colleague Jackie Baillie has, over many months, and again today, outlined the legislative vehicles for fixing social care now. We could move forward on collective bargaining, on the essential Anne’s law and on the right to breaks, but what does the cabinet secretary do, and what does the minister do in committee? They talk. The Government talks; it does not deliver. Our communities would like to see action from this tired and out-of-touch Administration. For change to happen, the wheels need to be in motion now—in fact, they should have been in motion for the past few years.

The UK Labour Government budget has delivered £789 million of health-related consequentials this year and will deliver £1.72 billion for our NHS and social care next year. This Scottish Government must decide how it will deliver change in Scotland.

I will close on this point, Deputy Presiding Officer, as I know that we are tight for time. People’s care packages are being cut, delayed discharges are at a record high and staff are leaving in their droves. That is not about the UK budget, and it is not about the actions of another Parliament; it is about this Scottish Government in the here and now.

I would have liked to have said more, Deputy Presiding Officer. The reality is that we must work to get this right for the people in our communities, but it does not appear that this Scottish Government can deliver.

When the parliamentary session began back in 2021, there was a genuine enthusiasm about the prospect of a national care service. Only three years later, the enthusiasm is simply dead in the water. The conclusion of today’s debate can only be that the blame for that must lie solely at the feet of the Scottish Government. I wish that we could have heard a bit of reflection on the Government’s part.