Seòmar agus comataidhean

Do you want to go first, Satwat?

Item 2 is to take evidence from our panel of witnesses on women’s unfair responsibility for unpaid care and domestic work. I am pleased to welcome Ruth Boyle, policy and parliamentary manager, Close the Gap—Ruth joins us remotely; Eilidh Dickson, policy and parliamentary manager, Engender; and Professor Norin Arshed, chair in entrepreneurship and innovation, school of business, University of Dundee. I invite each to make a short opening statement.

I know that we are past our time, but just before we finish, I am keen to go round everyone for a quick and snappy comment about what we need to do as we move forward. I know that part of the discussion is about looking back at what went wrong, but what positives we can take from the pandemic?

Do you want to go first, Norin?

Thank you. I know that Fulton MacGregor wants to come in on shared parenting later, but Alexander Stewart will come in now.

Welcome to the 11th meeting in session 6 of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee. We have no apologies. Fulton MacGregor joins us virtually.

Under the first agenda item, do members agree to take in private item 3, which is consideration of today’s evidence?

Members indicated agreement.

I will give Ruth Boyle the last word this week.

Before I bring in Eilidh Dickson, Fulton MacGregor wants to ask a similar, associated question.

Does Fulton MacGregor want to come back in before we go to Ruth Boyle?

Thank you very much. We will have another evidence-taking session on this subject next week, when we will look at the issue of intersectionality, which you have all raised.

We now move into private session.

We will go to Eilidh Dickson, as she will want to pick up on some of the points from the previous question as well.