Seòmar agus comataidhean

So you beat your target.

Thank you for your comments and for imparting your knowledge through your statement and evidence.

Scotland is due to update its biodiversity strategy. That could be of real benefit, if it makes the progress that you want to see. What would you like to see in that strategy to assist you to achieve your goals?

You acknowledge that that issue is a concern, and you have indicated that you have to deal with priorities. In doing that, your organisation must at times feel frustrated that it is unable to progress to the level that it would like to achieve because of financial constraints. The submissions that we have received reinforce that.

What did people at your school say when you had raised that huge sum of money and were able to give them a bottle?

How did you feel?

Have you had similar experiences, Pauline, or are there other areas that you want to comment on?

I welcome Pauline Nolan and Jenny Miller to the meeting and thank them for their opening statements.

You mentioned the concerns that women have about their financial security now and in the future. We are well aware that, during the pandemic and even prior to it, disabled women were having to deal with cost of living issues, and the situation has only been exacerbated in recent times. It would therefore be good to hear your views on issues in that respect that are specific to disabled women. However, I note that other factors come into it, too, including age—in other words, how old women are and what they are having to deal with—ethnic background, whether someone is a lone parent and the impact of that on their financial security and stability. We have heard a lot about individuals having to make choices, one of which might be between eating or heating, and how they have managed such circumstances.

It would be good to hear from Jenny Miller, to begin with, and then from Pauline Nolan about their experiences in that regard. Do you feel that women from a certain individual background are more susceptible to or more in crisis because of the challenge to their financial security and because of the situation in which they find themselves every day—having to manage their family, their lifestyle and their opportunities?

Thank you.

Please do.

Thank you very much. That covers my questions, convener.