Reporters
Agenda item 4 is an update from our reporters on visits and meetings. I invite Bill Kidd to update us on his visit to the new Donaldson's school in Linlithgow.
I must apologise, because my reproductive facilities broke down yesterday.
That is rather unfortunate.
Too much detail, thank you.
Are you a eunuch now?
My printer was not working. There are no copies of my report, but I will distribute them at some point. I will quickly read out my report. If anyone has questions, they can ask me or Marlyn Glen, who was on the visit, too.
On 19 March 2008, two members of the Equal Opportunities Committee, Marlyn Glen MSP and Bill Kidd MSP, visited the new Donaldson's school. The old Donaldson's school, in the Playfair building near Haymarket, had long since ceased to provide a satisfactory environment for teaching or residential purposes. The new complex is sited on the edge of Linlithgow but is not separated from the general community, which allows for regular visits to Donaldson's by local groups to use the high-quality facilities, such as the pool and the halls. That has led to a good degree of integration of the school into the community in a short space of time.
Donaldson's takes day and residential pupils from nursery age up to the age of 19. There is a wide range of hearing loss among pupils and several members of staff. Those staff, as well as bringing their professional capabilities to the job, provide role models for the pupils. Less well known is the fact that the school takes a number of autistic children who present with speech, language and comprehension difficulties.
The facilities are of a high quality, in terms of the materials that are used and the design specifications, even down to light levels and reflection qualities of the painted surfaces. There are intelligent whiteboards—more intelligent than me, otherwise I would be able to remember all of this without reading it out—and sound-absorbent ceiling and wall tiles and carpeting, to avoid the sound distortion that would confuse partially hearing pupils and those with cochlear implants.
The school has top-quality sports and leisure facilities, including the aforementioned pool, and fitness equipment. There is a performance hall and indoor and outdoor play areas. There is also a well-stocked library.
As Donaldson's is a school with a full residential remit, it sees pupils through to pre-college and independent-living stages, and has facilities for engineering, art and catering training. The headmistress and staff, including an educational psychologist and a first-class chef, are committed, professional and welcoming; are demonstrably well liked by their bright, cheerful and disciplined pupils; and are greatly appreciated by the parents whom we met.
Donaldson's has the capacity for around 120 pupils but, at present, only around 70 are attending. The school is keen to prove to local authorities that the service provided is of the highest quality and is value for money.
Having spent an enjoyable few hours touring the school, viewing the facilities and speaking to the staff, Marlyn Glen and I endorse the referral of children with hearing and/or communication difficulties to the new Donaldson's school for the deaf.
That is a worthwhile and encouraging report. Do members have any comments?
Can we thank Bill Kidd and Marlyn Glen for making the visit and reporting back to us?
Yes, it was very encouraging.
I invite Bill Wilson to update us on his meeting with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups.
Roy McMahon obligingly took some notes, which he has collated into a summary that will be handed around to members. I will highlight a few small points.
There was some disappointment that there was little press coverage of the hearts and minds agenda group report. Various individuals felt that it had not been well represented in the press. There were concerns about how the press report LGBT issues. The people to whom we spoke accept that some newspapers have upped their game, but feel that some still tend to publish homophobic articles, use outdated stereotypes and draw unnecessary attention to an individual's sexual orientation, in that, if an article reports on a story to which sexual orientation has no relevance, but the story features a member of the LGBT community, the sexuality of that person will make a gratuitous appearance in the article.
There was also concern about a third group of newspapers—which is not as bad as the second group—that simply ignores all LGBT issues entirely. That is perhaps why there was little press coverage of the hearts and minds agenda.
The other major issue that was raised during the meeting was domestic abuse, which appears to be no less common in the LGBT community than it is in the wider community. However, there were some concerns that it can be more difficult for members of the LGBT community to seek assistance, particularly if they are in their first relationship, as they might be more isolated than a heterosexual person in their first relationship might be—there are lots of other people in heterosexual relationships, which might mean that it is easier for them to seek support from friends and relatives than it is for someone who is a member of the LGBT community. That is particularly true for someone who is not openly LGBT, because seeking assistance also involves outing oneself, in a sense. Further, if the abusing partner has not declared himself to be LGBT, that might be used to pressure the individual into not talking about the problem, because doing so would out the abusing partner.
Another concern was that, if someone overcomes those difficulties and seeks assistance, they might be put off because a lot of the assumptions are heterosexual. For example, if a gay man seeks assistance following problems in their relationship, the person they talk to might refer to "your female partner" or "her", which would be rather off-putting. The reverse situation applies to lesbian couples.
The people we spoke to were concerned about the fact that the problem of domestic abuse exists in their community, but they were also concerned about the fact that people in the LGBT community face unique difficulties when seeking assistance.
That raises some important issues. Do members have any questions?
In the section on Westminster legislation, you talk of
"the provision for the names to be placed on the birth certificate."
Is that provision United Kingdom-wide? I am aware that the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006 provides for that.
Yes, we made provision. We will seek clarity on that and get back to you, Marilyn.
I have a question on the section on domestic abuse. Women's aid centres are set up not because they are required statutorily, but because women decide to organise a service that is specific to need. Funding for that has been made available and the number of such centres has grown. Did anyone indicate that a group might be set up to assist LGBT people who suffer from domestic abuse?
No group was mentioned. However, groups such as LGBT Youth Scotland provide advice and assistance. Of course, the problem for someone who is in their first LGBT relationship is that they might not be aware of such groups and they can become isolated. Even if assistance was available, the person might not be aware of it. I do not recollect any new group being mentioned, but my impression is that the groups that were represented at the meeting would offer assistance.
People who have had experience of domestic abuse can assist others. I am thinking along the lines of the growth of women's aid centres. That could be the most comfortable way for those in the LGBT community who experience domestic abuse to gain assistance—counselling, advice and so forth.
I honestly do not recall people saying that they planned to set up something like that. As Elaine Smith rightly says, the idea is a good one. I could draft a letter to some of those who attended to ask if there are any such plans.
Perhaps you will follow up in that way, Bill.
It is disappointing to note that the hearts and minds agenda group report did not get more coverage. It is an excellent piece of work that takes a comprehensive look at the problems facing the LGBT community.
I have another question on the paper, convener.
We are running out of time, Elaine. I ask you to be brief.
In the section on the proposed sentencing of offences aggravated by prejudice (Scotland) bill, you say:
"It was noted that there were different views, including amongst women's groups, on whether the bill should include a gender provision."
Can you shed light on the phrase "including amongst women's groups"? The committee may decide to lodge an amendment that deals with the gender issue. I am interested in the use of that phrase.
The matter came up in discussion, albeit that it was general in nature. My impression of what was said is that there are mixed feelings on the subject. Some thought that it might be a good idea, but others were not convinced of the argument. I think that people are open to the argument; no one present said that it was a bad or a good idea.
But you said "including amongst women's groups". Which women's groups feel that it is not a good idea?
It was more of a general comment that stemmed from group discussion. One of the representatives may have mentioned some groups and said that there were mixed feelings, but I do not remember who said it. No one said, "This group said no," or, "That group said yes." The discussion was much more open than that. My impression of what was said is that, when the various groups have discussed the matter, there may be mixed feelings.
It is really important that the discussion is minuted properly. The feeling is that violence against women possibly needs a broader response. We are not just talking about whether it will be included in this small piece of proposed legislation—a huge response is needed. That is where the disagreement comes from. It would be good to amend the note of the meeting.
Thank you for your report, Bill.
It is important that the committee liaises with the various equalities strands. Both reporters raise important issues in their reports. We will take no decisions on the reports today. If anyone feels that we need to examine anything further, we can make a decision as part of our work programme discussions.
Meeting continued in private until 12:37.