The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 225 contributions
Public Audit Committee
Meeting date: 30 March 2023
Roz McCall
Thank you—that helps a lot. As far as I can see, staffing is part of the medium-term planning. The report mentions some gaps in that planning, so I ask you to say a wee bit about that. The report suggests that the medium-term plan has almost reverted back on itself. There were going to be some cuts and some savings in the finances, but that has been superseded. What progress has been made towards completing the medium-term plans? Will you give us some information on your financial stability and sustainability?
Public Audit Committee
Meeting date: 30 March 2023
Roz McCall
I will go back to something that you said, Mr Boyle, regarding transitions to adult mental health. The previous Auditor General for Scotland made comments about things that were taking place with the Royal hospital for children and young people, the department of clinical neurosciences and the child and adolescent mental health service in NHS Lothian. Can you give me any update on that?
Public Audit Committee
Meeting date: 30 March 2023
Roz McCall
Okay. I will bring my questions back to the slides that were provided for the work programme rather than go off piste.
I notice that work on early learning and childcare is in the pipeline. Are you able to give the committee some information about the scope of that work at this early stage? Will you be looking at childcare from the view of a care-experienced child as well?
Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee
Meeting date: 15 November 2022
Roz McCall
I welcome the cabinet secretary’s remarks, for which I thank her. I accept the offer to work with her to improve the Government’s amendments at stage 3, so I will support her amendments in this group.
I seek to withdraw amendment 83.
Amendment 83, by agreement, withdrawn.
Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee
Meeting date: 15 November 2022
Roz McCall
I clarify to members of the committee that my amendments are probing ones to ascertain from the cabinet secretary her views on the principle of overseas gender certificate recognition, so I do not intend to press them. However, I hope that the cabinet secretary can provide some answers.
The amendments would do different things. One would remove the process of overseas gender recognition entirely. Essentially, that would mean that we would revert to the status quo position in which a person would have to obtain a gender recognition certificate through the process that is outlined in the bill without any bespoke overseas recognition process. That is currently the case across the United Kingdom.
Amendment 93 would, in effect, ensure that somebody moving to Scotland from overseas would not have any more or fewer rights than anybody who currently resides in Scotland. That is the important part.
The intention of the other amendments in the group is to allow “approved countries” to have the process of overseas gender recognition, whereas everyone else would have to go through the process to obtain a gender recognition certificate. That was to outline an alternative to the committee, rather than remove the overseas gender recognition provision from the bill in its entirety. However, as previously mentioned, I do not intend to press the amendments at this stage.
As the bill will introduce a new process for overseas gender recognition, it is important that we get on record the cabinet secretary’s view on the need for that provision and the safeguards that are required if it is to proceed into law. I ask the cabinet secretary what the Scottish Government’s justification is for introducing the new process of overseas recognition for gender certificates. Does she agree that the bill, as currently drafted, does not include adequate safeguards to prevent bad actors from exploiting the overseas recognition provisions as they currently stand? Is she willing to strengthen the safeguards in that part of the bill? Does she see any merit in the proposed outlines in my amendments that she could support if their technical drafting were improved?
I move amendment 83.