Migration and Trafficking
The next item of business is a debate on motion S3M-7950, in the name of Margaret Mitchell, on the Equal Opportunities Committee’s report into migration and trafficking.
16:11
I welcome today’s debate on the Equal Opportunities Committee’s migration and trafficking report. Our wide-ranging inquiry covered issues of both reserved and devolved responsibility, and it involved taking evidence from the Scottish Government, Scottish agencies and United Kingdom departments. As convener of the committee, I thank the committee members and clerks for their hard work, and I pay tribute to all those witnesses who made such a valuable contribution to the inquiry, especially the 25 migrants with whom the committee met informally in Glasgow last June. Hearing first hand about their experiences was tremendously helpful in gaining an understanding of the issues that are faced by migrants who have settled in Scotland.
Concern was expressed about the confusion between UK departments and the UK Border Agency regarding the extent of devolved responsibilities. In his evidence, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice was critical of negative attitudes at the highest level within the UKBA. The committee considers that the Scottish Government has a responsibility to do all that it can to overcome any intransigence at a UK level, to build a working relationship and to ensure that Scotland has a voice in developing migration and trafficking policies.
As in other inquiries, the lack of data was an issue for the committee: the availability of migration and trafficking data relating to Scotland was poor. The response from the Minister of State for Immigration confirms that the UKBA does not hold or collect migration statistics on a UK basis. The committee recommended that a protocol be established to make data sharing at a UK level more formal and transparent because the more accurate the data, the more that trends in migration and trafficking can inform the development of policies and the delivery of services to local communities. The issue is complex, but the committee stands by its recommendation, as data must be collected and shared.
Public perceptions in Scotland about migrants tended to be negative and were based, for the most part, on misinformation. Terminology has played a part in perpetuating negative stereotypes. The terms “migrant” and “asylum seeker” have often been used as interchangeable generic terms.
There was a lack of awareness, and even total ignorance, about migrants from outwith the European Union, who include economic migrants, asylum seekers, failed asylum seekers, illegal immigrants and refugees.
There was also a lack of awareness about migrants from within the EU, who fall into three distinct groups: EU nationals from countries that joined the EU prior to 2004, who have the same rights as UK citizens; accession 8 nationals, who are from the eastern European countries that joined the EU in 2004 and are allowed to work in the UK if they register with the Government’s worker registration scheme; and A2 nationals, who are from countries that joined the EU in January 2007 and have restricted rights in relation to work and access to benefits and housing and homelessness assistance.
In fact, most migrants come here legitimately, bringing skills and experience that are needed to help the economy. They tend to live in private rented accommodation rather than in social or local authority housing.
Witnesses blamed negative perceptions of migration issues on media reporting. The committee thought that the criticism was justified. We were therefore encouraged to hear from the National Union of Journalists about the steps that are being taken to improve journalists’ knowledge and understanding of the issues. It is hoped that the improvements will extend to the reporting of today’s debate. If our inquiry results only in more analytical reporting of migration issues, it will have been worth while.
Another worrying issue that emerged in our inquiry is the extent to which migrants lack an understanding of their rights and responsibilities. A number of migrants in Glasgow revealed that they are paying high rents for the privilege of living in substandard, overcrowded, squalid conditions. Some people had been lured here by unscrupulous landlords who had placed advertisements in publications abroad, offering accommodation and jobs that failed to materialise. The committee therefore welcomes the measures in the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Bill, which will strengthen regulation of the sector. We also welcome the current review of the landlord registration scheme.
Trafficking is commonly referred to as sexual exploitation, but there are many forms of human trafficking, including forced labour, domestic servitude and child trafficking. The committee was appalled to learn that child trafficking, which is an activity that we associate more with third-world countries, is very much an issue in towns and cities in Scotland.
Glasgow City Council is to be commended for taking the lead in the pilot of a national trafficking toolkit. The committee called on the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to improve awareness of child trafficking among all Scotland’s local authorities, and recommended that best practice from Glasgow be shared and widely disseminated. We welcomed the scoping exercise that Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People is undertaking, in which the extent and nature of child trafficking into and within Scotland are being considered. The report will be published on 14 March.
Trafficking is a narrative journey. An individual might be trafficked into forced labour and then moved into prostitution. The committee acknowledged the tremendous work of the trafficking awareness raising alliance project and other agencies in supporting victims, whose specific needs can be difficult to assess.
It is an offence to act as an unlicensed gangmaster. The Gangmasters Licensing Authority has responsibility for tackling and regulating the supply of workers in agriculture, forestry, horticulture, shellfish gathering, food processing and packaging. The GLA’s power of arrest does not cover Scotland. The committee considered that the power of arrest should be extended to Scotland and welcomed the Secretary of State for Scotland’s commitment to encourage dialogue with the Scottish Government, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the GLA on the issue.
The extension of the provisions of the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 to the construction industry is welcome, but the committee thought that the extension of provisions to other industries, including care homes and the hospitality sector, should be considered.
I have provided a flavour of some of the key findings of the Equal Opportunities Committee’s report. Other members will focus on different aspects.
I move,
That the Parliament notes the conclusions and recommendations contained in the Equal Opportunities Committee’s 5th Report 2010 (Session 3): Inquiry into Migration and Trafficking (SP Paper 543).
16:18
I congratulate Margaret Mitchell and the Equal Opportunities Committee on securing the debate, which provides an opportunity to tackle important issues. I read the committee’s report with interest and I am sure that the Parliament will join me in complimenting the committee on its extensive work.
Scotland has a long and proud history of welcoming migrants. The positive cultural, economic and social contribution that migrants make in shaping a modern and vibrant Scotland benefits us all.
In “The Government Economic Strategy”, we recognised that migration is a key part of ensuring Scotland’s future prosperity. Integration into our communities in Scotland begins from day one. Work is supported through our fresh talent initiative, which includes our free relocation advisory service, the aim of which is to welcome new Scots and retain Scots who are already here.
No single organisation is responsible for, or able to tackle, all the issues of concern that some migrants in Scotland experience, as the committee correctly acknowledges.
We, too, recognise that partnership working and supporting such relationships are key to achieving a joint vision of Scotland. The support that we provide is varied and includes funding for, for example, the COSLA strategic migration partnership, a Highlands and Islands migrant worker co-ordinator and last year’s Scottish migrants network conference.
I assure the committee that we are not complacent and will continue to provide political leadership in condemning racism and welcoming migrants to Scotland.
We are committed to continuing to work with the UK Government so that it understands the devolved implications of changes to immigration rules.
There are a number of links between immigration and trafficking. We and our agencies work closely with the UKBA on both those issues. The problem and responsibility are shared. Our relationship is generally positive, but we disagree on occasion and it is important that we express our concerns frankly.
In particular, I am concerned about the UKBA’s withdrawal of funding for three officers seconded from Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary to work at Stranraer. The impact is that there will no longer be a direct immigration resource at either of the Stranraer ports.
In the ports of Cairnryan and Stranraer, the authorities have detected human trafficking for inhuman purposes, such as the sex trade. Why, therefore, were there no convictions in Scotland for human trafficking last year, in contrast to the rest of the UK, where there were more than 100 convictions? What will the cabinet secretary do to battle the low conviction rate?
The Crown and the police take those matters very seriously. As Jim Hume will be aware, the UKBA’s withdrawal has affected the situation. Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary has correctly pointed out that Stranraer to Cairnryan is the main conduit. Many people do not come up to Scotland but simply transit through the ports and go south.
The withdrawal of the UKBA is a matter of great concern not only for me as the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in Scotland but for the Minister of Justice in Northern Ireland and, indeed, the Minister for Justice and Law Reform in the Republic of Ireland. However, Jim Hume should rest assured that we recognise that trafficking is happening in Scotland, even if much of the traffic through Stranraer goes south down the M74. The Crown and, in particular, the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency are on the case.
The director general of the UKBA maintains that there will be no problems, as immigration will be dealt with in Northern Ireland. I disagree with that conclusion. Fewer UKBA officers on Scottish soil will mean a lower checking and arrest rate at the Stranraer and Cairnryan ports in relation to immigration offences, which will weaken our defences.
We expressed strong concern to the Home Secretary and the UKBA at the time that the decision was made. We will liaise with the Northern Ireland Executive and Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary and, if there is evidence that the decision has a negative impact on policing the Stranraer port, we will make further representations.
Is the Cabinet Secretary for Justice satisfied with the response from Damian Green, the Minister of State for Immigration? In particular, is he not satisfied that the Prime Minister has undertaken to assess the effectiveness of the new arrangements that the cabinet secretary has been talking about at the end of February 2011, which is next week?
The arrangements are a matter of continuing concern. I appreciate that they are being reviewed south of the border, but we believe that they are prejudicial. My discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive and the Government in the Republic of Ireland go back to last year. There is an issue. We have not yet been satisfied by the response of the Government south of the border or the UKBA. We continue to highlight the issue and, in the interim, all organisations—the Crown, the police, the SCDEA, the Scottish Government and UKBA officers elsewhere—will continue to do what they can.
The issue is just one of those highlighted in the committee’s report, to which we have provided a detailed written response. We are taking forward action in the areas in which the committee highlighted concerns. We are striving to ensure that people live their lives free from crime, disorder and danger. Within that context, we place a high priority on tackling trafficking.
The key to eradicating trafficking is partnership working, and we will always listen to and take on board any recommendations that are made. I emphasise that we take our responsibilities under the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings very seriously, in particular by providing leadership on the anti-trafficking agenda in Scotland. We do so in a variety of ways, through engaging with Scottish stakeholders and working with UK departments.
We are grateful to the committee, as the issue is of concern. I assure members that all bodies in Scotland are taking responsibility for dealing with this most heinous of matters.
16:25
I welcome the Equal Opportunities Committee’s inquiry into migration and trafficking, and the opportunity to debate the committee’s report.
Issues that relate to migration in Scotland have at times been emotive and difficult, and this Parliament has had responsibilities to those who seek asylum in Scotland with regard to their welfare. I share the committee’s concerns about the UK Border Agency’s decision to terminate its contract with Glasgow City Council, and like others I worry about the impact on the families and individuals who will be affected.
More broadly, I am sure that many of us will be concerned about the direction of the UK Government’s approach to immigration. We can reflect on the quite different approach that we have taken here in recognising the positive benefits that can result from people coming to Scotland to live and work—an approach that is exemplified in the fresh talent initiative.
I will focus on two points, the first of which concerns employment and exploitative practices. We know that we have had problems in Scotland with the illegal activities of some gangmasters. Legislation has been pursued at Westminster to tackle the exploitation of migrant workers who are being paid a pittance and forced to live and work in dreadful circumstances, as Margaret Mitchell mentioned. However, more work must be done on enforcement, as the committee’s report identifies.
As Citizens Advice Scotland told the committee, a minority of employers are still actively undermining the law in this area. Too few migrant workers are made aware of their employment rights or the worker registration scheme, and the Scottish Government must address that situation.
The second point concerns trafficking and sexual exploitation. We must all be concerned that there are, today, victims of such abuses in our country. Like the committee and the Scottish Government, I am disappointed that the UK Government has decided not to opt into the European Union directive on trafficking, but we must focus on what we can achieve here.
There is rightly concern, as Jim Hume said, that while there have been 100 convictions for trafficking in England and Wales following operation pentameter, there has been none in Scotland.
Amnesty International, which produced the report “Scotland’s Slaves”, is right to argue that while we must acknowledge the Lord Advocate’s point—made in evidence to the committee—that there have been convictions in relation to lower-tariff crimes such as brothel keeping, there continue to be convictions for trafficking in addition to convictions for those lesser offences in England and Wales, and more must be done to understand the reasons for the disparity in conviction rates.
The committee has highlighted the concern that Scotland should not be seen as a soft touch for traffickers, and members on all sides of the chamber have rightly highlighted the need to address the issue, particularly as the 2014 Commonwealth games in Glasgow may unfortunately be a focus for traffickers.
As the committee identifies, the new measures on trafficking as a result of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 are welcome, but Parliament did not support the amendments that were lodged by Trish Godman and Marlyn Glen to criminalise the purchase of sex, or my own amendment, which was intended to criminalise the purchase of sex from those exploited by another for that purpose. I recognise that these are difficult issues, but the position under my amendment is the current law in England and Wales. There is a very real danger that the legal position in Scotland will be perceived as weaker, and indeed will be so. That will not help us to deter those who through their actions encourage traffickers, nor will it help us to hold to account those who are responsible for trafficking. I hope that Parliament will reflect on those issues again.
The committee’s report reflects the determination of members across the chamber to ensure that we have a better-informed debate about migration in Scotland; that those who have come to our country are treated with the respect they deserve and have their rights protected; and that we recognise the positive contribution that such people can make to our society. I congratulate the committee once again on its excellent report.
16:29
Some weeks ago, I spoke in the debate on the Equal Opportunities Committee’s excellent report on issues relating to the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. Today, we are debating an equally excellent report on migration and trafficking.
Having read through the report’s main conclusions and recommendations, I was tempted to say that a lot of ground had been covered but that, despite the holding of 11 meetings on the subject and the fact that the report runs to 700 paragraphs, it only scratched the surface and raised more questions than answers. I had not intended to say that myself, in case it was perceived as a negative comment, so I was very pleased to read, when I finally got to paragraph 700, that
“the Committee reluctantly recognises that although it has covered a lot of ground in its inquiry, it has only scratched the surface of what are major issues”,
and that the inquiry had raised more questions than answers.
Like others, I thank Margaret Mitchell and her committee for a substantial piece of work, and I trust that their work will be continued beyond May this year. In that context, I question whether 1 hour 20 minutes is sufficient time to debate such a first-class report.
Like Richard Baker, I commend the fresh talent initiative, which the report praises highly. It is always good to know that Scotland can initiate good ideas that can be replicated across the UK. Likewise, I am sure that we can learn from other Governments and devolved Administrations.
I do not think that the UK Border Agency is the only organisation in which there is confusion about devolution issues. There could be much-improved working and communication among the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Government and Westminster on a host of issues across the board. Although the letter from Damian Green, the UK Minister of State for Immigration, came to us only hours before the debate, I was pleased to read that the memorandum of understanding between the Scottish Government and the Home Office
“is due for review after the Scotland Bill has been concluded.”
We welcome that.
Paragraph 134 of the report mentions that migrants from eastern Europe pay 37 per cent more in taxes than they receive in benefits and are more likely to start their own business. I know from one of Scotland’s biggest shortbread manufacturers, which is based in the area that I represent, that if migrant workers were not available to be involved in its production, it would consider moving some production capacity to Poland or even China.
The committee was right to raise the issue of language classes. Most migrant workers come here to work. They are not available in the daytime when classes are run and they do not mix so much outwith their own community. Investment in English learning for new migrants could save a huge amount of public money in translation fees.
In the past, many professional and highly trained people who have come to the Highlands from Poland and other eastern European countries have had to take jobs that were well below their capability for some considerable time, just to get the opportunity to learn the language. We would all benefit enormously if classes were offered at a time that suited migrants and which did not interfere with daytime work commitments. It is now the case that many eastern European workers use their children to translate. I am sure that members would agree that presenting with symptoms to a general practitioner or to someone else in the national health service can be highly problematic without sufficient language skills.
It is worrying that people do not have sufficient language skills, but it is even more worrying that, as the report says, public service and other service providers that advise and support migrant workers may not be fully aware of migrants’ rights and entitlements.
I was surprised to read the point that the report makes about the Gangmasters Licensing Authority; I am sure that we all thought that the relevant power already existed in Scotland.
Finally, paragraph 664 states that Scotland could be seen as a soft touch for traffickers because of the lack of prosecutions. None of us would want that to be the case.
I highly commend the report.
16:34
I associate myself with Mary Scanlon’s remarks about the length of the debate. Given that the report is one of the most substantial reports that the Equal Opportunities Committee has produced in any session of the Scottish Parliament, it strikes me as rather unfortunate, given the seriousness and importance of migration and trafficking issues, that the time allocated to debating it has been chopped and further chopped.
That said, it was a real pleasure and privilege to be part of the committee. This is a substantial piece of work and I thank the organisations and individuals who came and contributed so much to the information that we have presented here today.
The genesis of the inquiry was in the common misconceptions about migration. I hesitate to contradict the cabinet secretary but, no matter how much we want to believe it, Scotland has not necessarily always had a good reputation for accepting migrants, whether they came from the Highlands to the Lowlands or from across the Irish Sea. Part of our job in the 21st century is to begin to address some of the challenges with the community that we have now, and the report goes a considerable way towards doing that.
At this point, I pay tribute to the Scottish Refugee Council and the Black and Ethnic Minority Infrastructure in Scotland. Those front-line organisations are often the first port of call for migration information.
I know that the Scottish Refugee Council is an organisation that is close to both our hearts. Does the member share my concern that the SRC’s information and advice service and its advice service grant are to be cut? One will be halved and the other will be cut by 62 per cent on 1 April. Does the member share my concern that the SRC will not be able to deliver the quality service that it has delivered and that that will lead some people into destitution?
That point is well made and I share the member’s concern. In due course, individual members might consider communicating with George Osborne about that and about the shutting down of the migration impact fund.
What fascinated me most about the process of the inquiry was the session that we held in Glasgow at which we engaged with and spoke to the migrant workers. It came home to me how different the mythology is from the truth. I will cite a brief example of that. I engaged with a number of people of different nationalities, a couple of whom were using interpreters. When we see someone using an interpreter, we assume that they do not speak English, which is another myth about the lack of skills of the people who come to our country. During lunch, it transpired that the individuals concerned spoke not only English—they had confidence issues—but French, German, Slovak and a little bit of Russian. Speaking to them stretched my French, which is bad at the best of times, to its limits. That brought home to me the way in which we underestimate the skills, talents and abilities of people, because most of us form our impressions of what migration into the country means from the little box that sits in most of our living rooms. It is not always balanced, equitable and fair.
Given the situation in the eastern end of the Mediterranean and the potential for it to generate refugees and migrants, before anyone publishes anything about migration, they should sit down and read the Equal Opportunities Committee’s report.
16:38
The inquiry by the Equal Opportunities Committee was very important and it will make an important contribution to public discourse about migration in Scotland. I do not need to tell anyone in the chamber that migration is a contentious political topic that all too often generates more heat than light. That contentiousness did not form part of the committee’s approach and, from the outset, the inquiry was grounded on committee members’ shared understanding that migrants have made and do make significant contributions to Scottish social, cultural and economic life. All my colleagues approached the inquiry in that spirit and, as a consequence, it was a positive experience that, if our recommendations are heeded and acted upon, has the potential to lead to positive outcomes.
Our recommendations are wide ranging and cover issues in public services, employment and skills, relations between the Scottish and UK Governments, data collection, and the information and support that are available to migrants. I do not have time to go into all the details about those issues, and I echo the points that other members have made about more time for the debate. The inquiry report has uncovered and collated some genuinely new and useful information on each of those areas and it has made practical and achievable recommendations about how we can move forward.
I think that I am right in saying that the public perception of migrants, the role that the media and politicians play in shaping that perception and the feeling among committee members that there are many myths out there that feed negative attitudes were the starting point for a wider inquiry. For me, it was a bit about myth busting. The evidence that we received made it clear that the general attitude to migrants in Scotland remains, sadly, negative, if not overwhelmingly so—we got some good examples in the inquiry. Prejudice exists and it will, as the report acknowledges, continue to exist in some folk even when they are in full possession of all the facts. There is no doubt that prejudice grows as a result of ignorance and misinformation and that, by busting the myths about migration, we have a better chance of building understanding across our communities. One of our central recommendations is that a concerted programme of education and awareness raising that is led by Government and extends right across all public services should be undertaken.
I am pleased that the Scottish Government’s response to the report is unequivocal in its recognition that political leadership is at the heart of achieving the tolerant and cohesive society that we wish for. That leadership must come not just from Government, but from all of us who have been elected to political office. We have a responsibility to the communities and the nation that we serve to challenge myths and ignorance and to refuse to pander to media that, as we heard in evidence, too often seek to blame migrants for society’s ills. We do not have to be strident, but we have to be steadfast. The committee’s report gives us some of the tools that we need to perform that task.
I want to touch on trafficking, as it is close to my heart—I am a campaigner for Stop the Traffik. I am extremely disappointed by Damian Green’s response to our report and that he will not pursue a right of appeal on the status of a trafficked person. The right of people to appeal should be built into the national referral mechanism. I am very disappointed that Damian Green will not pursue that.
Trafficking was a major element of the inquiry. I wish that we had more time to talk about it, because some things that came out about it were heart wrenching. We heard extremely sobering evidence that made it clear that, although our knowledge of the nature and extent of trafficking in Scotland is growing, it is still far from adequate for us to be able to take on the traffickers as effectively as we need to. Trafficking is invidious and hidden.
I acknowledge the strong stance that the Scottish Government has taken against trafficking and that its efforts are sometimes frustrated because some powers are reserved to the UK Government. Obviously, I would say that, because I think that they are, but I also argue that we all have to raise our game in the face of the problem. Again, I refer to Damian Green’s response. I am disappointed that the UKBA is still refusing to communicate with MSPs on an equal footing and is not giving us parity with MPs. That is a real mistake.
I hope that the anti-trafficking provisions in the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 will help to bolster the legal fight against traffickers, and I urge the Government to keep a close eye on the impact of those new provisions. Ultimately, nothing will more strongly send the message that Scotland does not tolerate trafficking than a successful prosecution that leads to the conviction of traffickers. As we have heard, that has not yet happened here, but I know that the Scottish Government and the Cabinet Secretary for Justice are working towards that and are committed to achieving it.
16:43
Given the short time that we have for speeches, I will limit my remarks to the scourge of human trafficking, which is, according the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the fastest-growing international crime. Because of its covert nature, we can often only guess at its true scale, but it has been estimated that between 600,000 and 800,000 men, women and children are trafficked across international borders each year.
The number of those people who end up in or passing through Scotland is unclear. One of the key concerns that was raised in the inquiry was the paucity of data across the UK and for Scotland in particular, so I welcome the news that the new Scottish intelligence and co-ordination unit is due to complete its strategic assessment of the scale of human trafficking in Scotland some time next month. I hope that we hear more about the results of that research then. I also welcome the multi-agency working of that unit and of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, of which it is part. I hope that they can find a way to work with front-line specialist support agencies on data collection issues and service delivery more generally. Specialist support agencies are vital in identifying victims of human trafficking and ensuring that they are provided with the right type and quality of support to meet their needs. It is essential that they are adequately financed.
In Scotland, the TARA project has been hailed by organisations such as Amnesty International and the Poppy Project for its commitment to providing a quality, victim-centred approach for women trafficked for sexual exploitation. We heard evidence, however, that although in theory TARA now offers Scotland-wide support, in practice it is not resourced at a level that enables it to provide a high level of support to people throughout Scotland.
The Cabinet Secretary for Justice told the committee that negotiations on funding were still under way but that the Scottish Government hoped to be able to offer funding to allow for further expansion of TARA’s services across Scotland and to address problems with access to mental health support.
Investment in initiatives to map and prevent trafficking and to bring to justice the perpetrators through the human trafficking unit of the SCDEA is important, but it is vital to maintain a victim-centred approach through adequate funding of front-line support services.
The report by the anti-trafficking monitoring group, “Wrong Kind of Victim?”, which provides a fairly comprehensive review of measures to implement the European convention against trafficking since its ratification in the UK, states that the national referral mechanism is “not fit for purpose” and is not working as an effective means of identifying and providing support to potential victims of trafficking.
A key concern highlighted in evidence is that the immigration status of any referral appears to be a key factor in deciding whether that person will be found to be a credible victim of trafficking. We heard that in the first nine months of itS being in place, 76 per cent of UK nationals referred to the national referral mechanism were officially recognised as being trafficked. In stark contrast, only 29 per cent of non-British EU nationals and a mere 12 per cent of third country nationals were officially recognised as being trafficked.
People are getting negative asylum decisions in the same letter as that which tells them that they are not believed to be trafficking victims. That process is clearly discriminatory and the committee recommended that the Scottish Government should consider setting up a localised multi-agency NRM alongside a local infrastructure of support. Decisions on the trafficking status of victims could be made in isolation from asylum decisions and the welfare of the potential victim should be the primary concern. I therefore urge the Scottish Government to reconsider the recommendation.
Although the committee was pleased to hear that traffickers are being convicted for charges including brothel keeping and illegal earnings, we remain concerned that, to date, there have still been no convictions for trafficking offences in Scotland, despite there having been more than 100 convictions south of the border. It is imperative that we fully understand the reasons for that, whether it is due to problems with legislation, the difference in burden of evidence, knowledge gaps within the police or judiciary, or something else. I had a lot more to say about that, but my time is up.
I welcome the shared commitment around the chamber to a strong and positive response to human trafficking in Scotland and feel confident that we are making good progress in beginning to tackle this heinous crime.
16:47
I, too, express my thanks to the clerking team for their hard work and dedication throughout the inquiry. The committee ensured that a wide range of voices and opinions was heard, which was certainly advantageous to the inquiry.
The Equal Opportunities Committee has produced a piece of work that is helpful in relation to both the wider debate about migration in Scotland and the issue of trafficking.
In the short time that I have been a member of the committee it has proven to be a committee with very little in the way of party politics, and for that I commend every member. The report is testimony to the committee’s joined-up approach to establishing the facts behind serious issues for today’s world.
I am delighted that we have produced an evidence-based report that scotches the myths about migrants taking all the jobs and costing the taxpayer vast sums of money.
The report, which was agreed by all parties on the committee, recognises that migrants can and do play an important social and economic role in Scotland. From employment to education and many more areas within Scotland, migrants contribute vastly to our country.
One example that we did not touch on in the inquiry but which I want to highlight now is the importance of migrants in football. Most Scottish football teams either have had or do have players from outside Scotland. Celtic Football Club, Rangers FC and my own team, Greenock Morton, have all had players from other countries. Morton currently has a player from France and in the past we have had players from Finland. One thing about football is that we do not hear footballers being criticised for coming to this country to play football and nor should they be.
Being involved in this inquiry opened the eyes of all members to some of the erroneous language used in the media, such as “bogus asylum seekers” and “illegal immigrants”. The issue highlights the importance of the power of the media and how they can influence public opinion—that has already been mentioned.
The evidence that we received in the session with the minister was very direct and to the point, and I am sure that it struck a chord with not only parliamentarians in the chamber, but everyone outside the chamber who works with migrants and asylum seekers on a daily basis.
As other members have made clear, the evidence session that we held in Glasgow city chambers, in which we spoke to many people from a range of nationalities and backgrounds, was absolutely fascinating. I always feel that taking the Parliament out to people, particularly in the way in which that session was facilitated, ensures that we get to the nub of the matter and extract the issues directly with a minimum of filtering. That can be only a good thing for policy makers and I hope that we can all learn lessons and work to improve the lives of everyone who lives in Scotland.
The report has 159 pages and 700 paragraphs, and no member who speaks this afternoon has any chance whatsoever of doing its content any justice. Some members have already mentioned trafficking, and I am sure that we will hear more about it later. Clearly, more needs to be done to combat what is a disgusting and hideous practice but, as we will all appreciate, the task is not easy. The underworld is certainly intent on keeping this crime part of its empire but we parliamentarians and, indeed, everyone in the public sector must get to grips with the fact that lives are wrecked as a result of trafficking and must work to get those people back on track.
Time is short and I must apologise for concluding on a negative point. I am disappointed that the UK Government has not responded to our report until today. Given that the report touches on devolved and reserved issues, it was right that it provided a response, but I suggest that waiting until the day of this debate to do so is not in the spirit of the report and does not reflect the consensual manner in which we approached the topic.
Nevertheless, I am happy to say that we have produced a body of work that all members can rightly be proud of. This is just the start. The hard work of repairing broken lives and turning around the misconceptions held by many people starts now and we need to do more to deal with trafficking and to bring those responsible to justice.
I commend the report to the chamber.
16:52
Early in 1948, a plane deporting migrant workers from the United States to Mexico crashed. In his song “Plane Wreck at Los Gatos”, Woody Guthrie displayed his anger at the prejudice faced by those people, even in death:
“The sky plane caught fire over Los Gatos Canyon,
A fireball of lightning, and shook all our hills,
Who are all these friends, all scattered like dry leaves?
The radio says, ‘They are just deportees’.”
We cannot continue to delude ourselves into thinking, more than 60 years later, that we in Scotland do not have problems with the perception and treatment of migrants. This report shows clearly that we do.
Of course, many organisations—for example, the Scottish Refugee Council, the Black and Ethnic Minority Infrastructure in Scotland and Unite Against Fascism—have known that fact for years now and the trade unions are making every effort to tackle the many issues that are involved. Indeed, every year on St Andrew’s day the Scottish Trades Union Congress holds a march against racism. Last year, the STUC general secretary Grahame Smith said:
“Racism and discrimination have no place in our society. It is vital that we continue to challenge racism in all its guises and we have to ensure that black and minority ethnic workers are fully involved in our ‘There is a Better Way’ campaign to challenge any discrimination against black workers as the cuts take effect.”
Although the committee’s excellent report provides a good resource for the Parliament to continue tackling prejudice, exploitation and misinformation, Mary Scanlon was right to point out that it only scratches the surface. Unfortunately, as I suspected, the evidence taken by the committee shows that the public perception of migrants in Scotland is generally negative, with little distinction made between asylum seekers, refugees or migrants. The terms are simply not well understood. As Stuart McMillan pointed out, the term “bogus asylum seeker” has entered common usage, even though it is nonsense. After all, anyone who seeks asylum cannot be bogus or illegal. There is also a sad lack of understanding that anyone who flees their own country hardly does so on a whim; undoubtedly they are escaping war, violence or fear of persecution. Moreover, there is little knowledge of the positive contribution made by migration to our communities, although the committee has noted Scottish Government research carried out in 2009 that shows such an impact.
Although some sections of the Scottish media have adopted a more positive tone, overall reporting of migration issues has not been well balanced, with negative stories given prominence. However, the NUJ issued helpful guidelines following work carried out in conjunction with the Scottish Refugee Council, Amnesty International and Oxfam. Paul Holleran of the NUJ gave the committee some positive evidence on good practice.
A major conclusion by the committee was that politicians need to be well informed about migration in order to be able to speak responsibly on the issue and that they need to be mindful of the consequences of any public pronouncements that they make. That is important. Perhaps the report should be compulsory reading for all MSPs or even wider than that.
I urge the Scottish Government to reconsider its refusal to take forward an awareness raising campaign. Such a campaign would help to bust the myths and inform the public that migrants’ demands on public services are not as high as those of the general population. Migrants are housed largely in private rented housing rather than social housing, and migrants do not depress wages. Overall, migrants pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits and public services. Those are important facts that need to be widely known and understood.
The other part of the inquiry was about human trafficking. It is horrifying to realise that we are surrounded by modern-day slavery. Ignoring it is not acceptable and silence would make us complicit in the crime. As we have heard, trafficking can include forced labour, domestic servitude or sexual exploitation. Evidence was provided with regard to racism pervading sexual slavery, with women being marketed according to racial stereotypes.
Another piece of evidence, from TARA, highlighted the link between the making of pornography and sexual exploitation. I wanted to say more about that but, sadly, I have run out of time. Freedom for Scotland’s slaves must be a top priority for the Parliament in the next session.
The inquiry acknowledged that it has only scratched the surface of this major issue. We cannot continue to put up with attitudes of racism, misinformation, prejudice and enslavement. Public policy, action and funding must be directed at eliminating this scourge from our society.
16:56
I, too, thank the Equal Opportunities Committee for its report and Margaret Mitchell for her lucid and liberal introduction.
Having lived and worked as an economic migrant in Germany for more than 25 years, my experience has given me a certain insight into the problems that one can face. I ended up as a person sufficiently homogenised to stand as a candidate for the German Social Democratic Party in the Baden-Württemberg local elections. An even more desperate case was David McAllister, a Scottish Tory in search of a mandate, who had to go to Lower Saxony to become Minister-President there, on which I congratulate him. A fairly implausible prospect awaited him in Scotland.
Working closely with immigrant communities in Kirkcaldy, I have seen the problems that confront such groups. In that context, I wag a finger at certain universities in Scotland that, by closing down the European language departments that are so important, especially for areas of eastern Europe such as Poland and Russia, are not doing their best to facilitate integration. Such closures affect the linguistic capabilities of people who come to Scotland and makes it more difficult for them to adjust to the business of living here and making themselves into citizens of the country.
We need the devolution of immigration policy as a whole, the Scottish demographic being one that is favourable to migration. We should consider our need for the skilled labour that we are finding it difficult to produce in Scotland to tackle issues such as renewable opportunities in the North Sea.
We must also place the debate in the context of an international situation that is becoming much more fragile. Some members may have read Misha Glenny’s euphoric book “The Rebirth of History”, which was about the liberalisation of east Europe in 1991. I do not know how many members went on to read the sequel, which was called “McMafia: Seriously Organised Crime”. The book came out in 2005 and was a lot less idealistic.
People trafficking is only a segment of an enormous number of illegal transactions between countries. Every year, £390 billion goes on drugs, so the £30 billion that is formally attributable to the traffic in illegal migrants is relatively small, but the two can be linked, as we can see from the cannabis farms that have grown up in Scotland.
The weekend before last, the Financial Times did an article on the business of money laundering and the recycling of totally criminal proceedings. The article stressed that, because the financial transactions that are carried out in what we could call the world of moral hazard have become so extensive and complex, it is almost impossible for dealers in those businesses to tell which transactions are legal and which are dodgy. Whereupon, the reporter tells us, the various dealers concerned nearly laughed their heads off.
17:01
I am pleased to take part in this debate on the Equal Opportunities Committee’s report on migration and trafficking because I was a member of the committee when the issue was first considered. I am pleased that the report has been produced. It was a long and complex inquiry and it has proven to be worth while.
Migration is a natural human trend. If it were not, we would all be living in a congested great rift valley in Africa. It is important that migration is not looked on as some sort of bogeyman, as much of the red-top populist press and outrageous media present it. Of course consideration must be given to available resources in every country, and there should be serious consideration of integration issues with local communities and migrants, but if the starting point is one of rabid negativity, the outlook for humanity and dignity is very poor, as is the outlook for the potential benefits that we in Scotland, as a host community, can accrue from migrants.
Some of the issues relate to matters that are presently reserved to Westminster. One of those, which is well documented in the report, is the failure to collect viable and accurate data on migration. Improved data would enable resources to be better focused for the benefit of agencies and migrant groups. However, the provision of some local services is within the remit of the Scottish Government and its delivery agencies, such as those in health, education and policing. An obvious concern about the services that are devolved to Scotland is that migrants frequently fail to register with a general practitioner and thereby fail to receive the full benefits of the national health service. Similarly, schooling and housing services are often less well used by migrant individuals and their families, as they do not have a support group or signposting to services.
I am glad, therefore, that the Scottish Government has committed additional funding in 2011 for the teaching of English to speakers of other languages and that, through COSLA, resources have been made available for the local authority toolkit and the development of the relocation advisory service. I attended the Glasgow evidence-taking session that has been mentioned a few times and came away with some cases. I found local authorities supportive in helping with those cases.
Trafficking is a disgusting 21st century slave trade. It is often hard to identify because of the violent criminal nature of the beast and its international tentacles but, given the cross-border co-operation between the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency and Europol and the work of TARA here in Scotland, there are signs that we are probably heading in the right direction, even if we have not quite got there yet. As the report says, TARA must be strongly commended for its hard work in helping the victims of trafficking to come forward and speak about traffickers and at the same time to receive help in recovering from their various ordeals. I say “various” because trafficking is not always about sex slavery and forced prostitution; there are other forms of serfdom to be found—in factories, farms and even private households.
It would be extremely useful if the Gangmasters Licensing Authority could operate more successfully and more widely in Scotland—I think that it is not legally allowed to do that at the moment.
I congratulate the continuing members of the Equal Opportunities Committee on their hard work—without me—and on their dogged persistence in following through this important report. It is a credit to the Scottish Parliament that the report has been produced. I look forward to hearing the minister’s response.
17:05
I join others in thanking the Equal Opportunities Committee for its work on this matter. The report is substantial, has on-going aspirations and will be supplemented later this year by the report of the inquiry into the extent and incidence of trafficking in Scotland that is being conducted by Baroness Kennedy under the sponsorship of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
I have been struck by the personal anecdotes and experiences that committee members gathered from people during their inquiry, which they have highlighted today. One of the strengths of the Parliament is that members can learn from engagement with the public and are able to widen their experience and expertise. It is also important to note that the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and the Minister for Housing and Communities have been present for the debate; this issue goes wider than any one department and certainly wider than law enforcement. I take issue with Richard Baker’s emphasis on the changes in the law that he seeks. There might be some justification for that view, but we have to take an evidence-based approach not only to legislation but—much more important—to the administration and policy side.
I echo the point that Mary Scanlon and Christopher Harvie made about the importance of language—particularly of learning English. It is an issue of empowerment. As the committee suggests, we must do everything we can to remove barriers in the way of people who want to learn English, whether they be time, accessibility, geography or whatever.
Although I do not quite get the image of Christopher Harvie as an homogenised German, I can say with some certainty that his presence in Germany was a result of migration, not trafficking. Like Malcolm Chisholm, I want to concentrate on trafficking.
I think I was the first MSP to raise the possibility of the Glasgow Commonwealth games acting as a magnet in terms of people being trafficked. I believe that that has been the experience in relation to Commonwealth and Olympic games elsewhere and we would be making a big mistake if we did not see the possibility of its being the case with the Glasgow Commonwealth games. I was struck by the mismatch between the lack of prosecution in Scotland and the number of victims of trafficking who are being supported by TARA. There is something not quite right there. It would be helpful if the cabinet secretary or the minister—whichever winds up the debate—could give us an update on the work that is being done by the multi-agency group that has been established by Strathclyde Police to deal with this matter in the lead-up to the Commonwealth games.
The Amnesty International report suggests that Glasgow has something like 13.5 per cent of the people who are trafficked into and, just as important, within the UK. I confess that I find that an extremely precise figure, given that this is such a vague area. As Bill Kidd said, the issue involves not only sexual exploitation but labour exploitation. Aidan McQuade, the director of Anti-Slavery International, said:
“There is a fundamental misunderstanding that trafficking is an immigration crime when it is in fact a crime of exploitation and forced labour”.
The last point that I want to make in this short debate is that we have to have a focus not on the immigration status but on the trafficking aspect. That is important.
The background to this debate is a serious human tragedy that affects many people. We have to deal with it as effectively as we can, despite the different views that are held across the chamber. The committee’s report has made a substantial contribution that I am grateful to be able to welcome this afternoon.
17:09
I am pleased to close this important debate for the Scottish Conservatives. Like other members, I pay tribute to the excellent work of my friend Margaret Mitchell and commend all the members, clerks and support staff of the Equal Opportunities Committee for another very thorough and useful report. Thanks should also go to all those who gave evidence, both oral and written. The debate has largely been constructive, as befits the subject, and there have been some excellent speeches. Given the importance of the issues that we have been talking about, the debate could have gone on for much longer.
One theme that emerges strongly in the report, which has been raised by several members today, is the lack of meaningful data about migrants who live and work in Scotland and the difficulties that that can cause. I hope that the UK Border Agency will seriously reconsider the committee’s suggestion that migration figures be produced on a Scotland basis, not just a UK basis. As we heard, the lack of meaningful migration data is felt especially acutely in the education sector, in which the planning of services is so important.
Paragraph 62 of the report talks about the working in Scotland scheme, which allowed international students the opportunity to remain in Scotland to work for up to two years following their graduation from a Scottish university or college. That scheme attracted more than 8,400 graduates—the brightest and best students from around the world—and seems to have been a very good idea. I happen to know that it was particularly valuable to those at art colleges who were able to stay here and paint some of Scotland after they finished their work in college.
The committee also makes important recommendations for tackling negative perceptions of migrants in Scotland. MSPs and other elected representatives have an important role to play in tackling prejudice and misconceptions. As Mary Scanlon rightly highlighted, businesses in the Highlands and Islands—not least those in the tourism and aquaculture sectors—and our public services have benefited hugely from the contribution of migrant workers. We need to recognise that and talk up the many positives that are associated with migration to Scotland.
The committee’s conclusions on trafficking are practical and common sense, and they will receive support from across the chamber. Human trafficking is a vile and malevolent trade that all agencies at every level must work to prevent, but we need accurate statistics to ensure that we are directing appropriate resources to tackle it. Close and effective working relationships between the Scottish and UK Governments are essential, so I welcome the response of Damian Green, the UK Minister for Immigration, to the committee’s report and the news that the UK Human Trafficking Centre will hold a trafficking training day in Glasgow for all agencies next month. It is also appropriate that the Scottish Government examine what more it can do to push forward an anti-trafficking agenda, raising awareness of the problem and the assistance that is available. In addition, the Scottish Conservatives acknowledge the important role that the voluntary sector plays in supporting migrants and the victims or potential victims of human trafficking.
As Margaret Mitchell and others have said, concerns have been expressed that the London Olympics next year and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth games could lead to an increase in human trafficking, which makes the debate even more timely. It would be a travesty if the potential of those mega-events to achieve so much for nations across the globe was in any way negated by an increase in human suffering.
The Scottish Conservatives welcome the Equal Opportunities Committee report and the debate. The report is an important basis on which to move forward on these matters and will be of real use to the Government and the Parliament more widely in the years ahead.
17:14
Like other members, I congratulate the Equal Opportunities Committee, under the competent leadership of Margaret Mitchell, on looking into the issue. The report is comprehensive. The fact that it runs to 700 paragraphs reflects the number of evidence-taking sessions the committee undertook on a wide range of subjects.
The report is an invaluable piece of work that I am sure the Parliament and the Administration after the election will consider. It draws attention to many important migration and trafficking issues. We might not have considered data—which Jamie McGrigor mentioned—to be an issue when the inquiry started. To assess the impact of migration and to develop policies that are positive about migration, we need effective and consistent data across the UK and we need data to be shared in the UK and Scotland. It is disappointing that we have no Scottish subset of data.
Several members made good contributions on public awareness about migrants. Elaine Smith argued strongly that we still have much to do on public education. In the history of Scotland—particularly in the past 100 years—we have a proud tradition of bringing in people from other countries, who have settled and contributed here. However, that has not been without difficulties, and—sadly—that remains the case in 2011.
The media are partly to blame. As Stuart McMillan said, some terms that the media use about migrants are unacceptable. The points that the committee makes about public awareness are important not just for the Parliament but for the media and wider society to take forward.
We must continue to reinforce the message of fair treatment for migrants. It is sad that too many employers do not give migrant workers appropriate contracts. The committee’s report highlights that some employers withhold migrants’ passports, which is unacceptable. Migrants’ rights are undermined, as Richard Baker and Bill Kidd said. We must stand firm against the gangmasters on such issues.
Pointing out the contribution that migrants make is important—Christina McKelvie made an articulate comment on that. It is also important to give migrants appropriate access to services.
Malcolm Chisholm outlined how trafficking continues to grow. Robert Brown highlighted—as he has before—the fact that trafficking could be a problem in relation to the Commonwealth games. A major issue is that no prosecution for trafficking has occurred in Scotland. That might send the message that we are not as proactive in pursuing trafficking criminals as we should be, which lends weight to Richard Baker’s argument that legislation is required to reinforce prosecutors’ actions.
The debate has been excellent and the report is important. I am sure that the work will be taken forward.
17:18
The debate has been interesting and helpful. The view in the chamber on migration and trafficking has been universal. Like everyone else, I commend the committee—under the first-class convenership of Margaret Mitchell—for the way in which it conducted the inquiry and for conducting its work professionally during the parliamentary session.
The debate is a testament to our pride in our migrant populations in Scotland. It is heartening to hear that colleagues from across the political spectrum agree that migrants continue to make positive social, economic and cultural contributions to shaping Scotland.
I will pick up on as many points that have been raised as I can. I will start by tackling migration issues. We all agree that migration is a key element of economic growth, which is the Government’s number 1 policy priority and is probably a priority that is shared across the chamber.
We believe that the current devolution settlement makes it more challenging for Scotland to address our unique demographic and population issues. Throughout the debate, we have talked about the need for us to provide leadership and strong messages of support to migrant communities and said that we should try to combat overtly negative press and ill-informed attitudes towards migration. I believe that the committee and the Parliament have demonstrated that leadership today as well as the need to raise that awareness.
It is particularly challenging for Scotland to disseminate welcoming messages across the world, as it is, when the UK Government is actively discouraging immigration by placing an annual limit on it. We will continue to press the UK Government to consider a more flexible approach that reflects Scotland's needs and, indeed, the needs of the wider UK economy. That position is reflected right across industry and society as a whole. As David Lonsdale, the Confederation of British Industry Scotland’s assistant director, said about migration:
“It's important that we get the structure right and that sufficient flexibility is built in so that highly skilled people who are essential to work being done in Scotland can get a work permit more readily”.
Also, the Federation of Small Businesses said the cap was the
“economics of the sixth form”
and claimed that it could stop businesses filling vacancies during times of high demand. On the other side of industry, both the Scottish Trades Union Congress and Unison have commented on the issue. The STUC said that
“Migrant workers bring valuable skills and are valuable members of our community”
while Unison said that
“public services in Scotland would struggle to cope without the skills of migrant workers.”
As a number of members said, it was helpful that the committee heard evidence that people and the press in Scotland are more positive towards migrants than is the case in other parts of the UK. The Government agrees that more needs to be done, however. As Elaine Smith highlighted in her speech, sections of press coverage remain overwhelmingly negative. As a Government, we recognise that we have a role to play in pressing home positive messages and tackling racism and misunderstanding where and when we can. For example, the Scottish connections hub in the one Scotland, many cultures anti-racism website celebrates the benefits of migration to Scotland. We are clear that asylum seekers, refugees and migrants must be treated fairly and humanely and must be welcomed and supported.
We continue to work with strategic partners such as BEMIS and the Scottish Refugee Council to look at ways to raise awareness and dispel myths about migration in our communities. That work is supported across Scotland. Academics at the University of Stirling have said that the way in which news on immigration issues is framed in Scotland differs from the way in which it is framed in other parts of the UK. They have noted that when Scotland-based media run inaccurate headlines, articles or television pieces on asylum seekers and immigration, they tend to respond more quickly to criticism than do those based in other parts of the UK. That is not to say that everything in Scotland is rosy—far from it—but we need to celebrate the positives as well as challenge and face up to the negatives.
There are many other issues that I would like to cover, but unfortunately I do not have time. It is very important that on issues such as migration and trafficking the Parliament speaks with one voice: we all need to say that, on this issue, we will not separate on party-political lines. On that basis, we can all be proud of the debate that has been held today.
17:24
It was over a year ago that the Equal Opportunities Committee decided to hold an inquiry into migration and trafficking. During the inquiry we heard from more than 50 witnesses at 11 meetings and took evidence from 25 migrants, who had come to Scotland from all over the world. We have published a report that runs to more than 150 pages and reached more than 140 conclusions. Despite that, we agree that we have probably only scratched the surface; these are truly huge issues.
A great deal of work continues to be done. As we have heard, the Equality and Human Rights Commission is undertaking an inquiry into human trafficking. Also, Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People has commissioned research into the prevalence and nature of child trafficking. It will be published next month. We therefore suggest that our successor committee might want to take further evidence on those issues as an important follow-up in the next session of Parliament.
We hope that our report will help to inform work that will be done in the next session and has helped the debate on migration and trafficking more generally. We hope that it will help make a difference. Given what we heard in evidence, we hope that it will help bring people round the table to work together, because, unfortunately, it is clear that there are barriers to effective working between levels of government and agencies on both issues. A lack of concerted effort and co-operation has an impact not only on individual migrants and the victims of trafficking but on our society as a whole. I welcome the cabinet secretary’s recognition of the importance of partnership working.
As has been said, Scotland must be involved in developing migration and trafficking policies if we are to ensure that policies are well informed and we can deliver the services that we need for all our population.
We must have resources in place to provide information and support to those who choose to come to work or study here. At the moment, many migrants are floundering because the services are not in place. They tend to find out things from their local communities, because they do not know where else to turn.
Many migrants bring skills and experience with them to Scotland—and not only in football, which Stuart McMillan used as his main example. Despite that, we are turning many away because we do not accept the qualifications that they already have. Migrants therefore take unskilled jobs or they take their skills and experience elsewhere, and Scotland is put at an economic disadvantage.
We are also concerned about the lack of engagement between Scottish employers and the Migration Advisory Committee. There needs to be much better engagement to ensure that the most accurate and up-to-date information is available, so that Scotland is best placed to address skills shortages.
How the media cover the subject of migration is also crucial, as Elaine Smith, Bill Kidd and others outlined.
As for trafficking, I echo Malcolm Chisholm and commend the report and findings of the anti-trafficking monitoring group, “Wrong kind of victim?”, which the committee found most useful in its deliberations. We agreed with much of the report, especially in relation to the national referral mechanism, on which we have made a number of recommendations.
I also want to mention the important role played by support agencies such as TARA and the Poppy project, which gave evidence, in identifying and supporting women who have been trafficked for sexual exploitation.
Victims must be able to access support services in Scotland, and yet we heard evidence that suggested that some were having to go to England for such services because they are not available here. Scotland must be able to provide appropriate services, which should include the provision of 24-hour residential services and the availability of translation and legal representation.
The report expresses the serious concerns shared by Jim Hume, Richard Baker and others about the complete lack of prosecutions for trafficking. We hope to see progress on that in the near future.
I believe that the committee’s inquiry has made a major contribution to the on-going debate in relation to migration and trafficking. I sincerely hope that it will help to eliminate some of the myths about migration. As Christina McKelvie said, we politicians have a responsibility to ensure that people are aware of the facts and of the positive contributions that migrants make to our economy and our society. We need to be aware of the issues and the facts, so that we can help and not hinder.
We also have a role to play in helping migrants in our communities engage with the political process, so that their voices can be heard and positive change can happen.
As has been said, we also need to do much more to tackle trafficking to ensure that Scotland is not seen as a soft touch for traffickers. We need to ensure that we have the penalties and procedures in place to act as a deterrent, and we need the UK Government and its agencies to co-operate fully.
This has been a useful and timely debate, although it was rather short. I sincerely hope that it helps to make a difference to people’s lives.