Chamber and committees

I thank the First Minister for that answer. Thousands of children are in poverty under Labour because it has kept Tory austerity. It bungled the scrapping of the two-child policy by keeping the benefit cap. Many families with more than two children may still be capped. The child poverty strategy was an opportunity for the UK Government to deliver real change, but it has fallen short of the bold action that is needed. In fact, the United Kingdom House of Commons library found that, if Labour matched key Scottish National Party Government policies, it could lift an additional 1.1 million children out of poverty across the UK.

While Starmer struggles to get a grip on the ever-growing poverty levels across the UK, what assurances can the First Minister provide to the people of Scotland that the SNP Scottish Government will do everything that it can to reduce child poverty here even further?

To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the potential implications for its work to eradicate child poverty in Scotland of the UK Government’s child poverty strategy. (S6F-04525)

I speak in today’s debate as a member of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee. I thank the clerks for their assistance in the production of the report and all those who submitted their views on the subject. I welcome our guests in the public gallery.

Ten years on from the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015, the committee decided to hold a short inquiry to consider the actions that have been taken by the Scottish Government and the public authorities that are listed in the act to tackle the barriers that BSL users face. We focused on two things in particular: first, whether the act, the current BSL plan and listed authority plans are improving the lives of BSL users; and, secondly, what changes could be made in the short and long terms to improve the lives of BSL users.

The 2015 act was a landmark piece of legislation for this country. By enshrining British Sign Language in primary legislation, it acknowledged deaf citizens as a distinct language community. The committee welcomed the positive feedback that was received on the impact that the act has had in improving the daily lives of BSL users. I am pleased that it was noted that it has helped to increase the language’s visibility and to empower deaf BSL users to access services and participate in society using their preferred language.

However, there are some challenges, and a number of key themes emerged during the evidence sessions. For the sake of time, I will touch on only two of those.

Justice was a key policy area to arise in the discussions, particularly for deaf people with experience of domestic abuse. As we approach the end of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, it is important to touch on that part of the report in particular. I express my sincere thanks to Lucy, a deaf domestic abuse survivor, who provided important testimony on the barriers that BSL users can face when engaging with the police and courts.

Progress was noted under the access to justice actions in the national plan, but, in her evidence, Professor Napier, chair of intercultural communication and associate principal of research culture at Heriot-Watt University, said that several issues that would improve access for BSL users in the legal system had not been addressed. Professor Napier noted that research in the USA estimated that deaf women are two to three times more likely to experience domestic abuse than hearing women. The cause of that is

“potential perpetrators using their hearing status as part of the power dynamic”.—[Official Report, Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, 3 June 2025; c 58.]

The committee agrees with our witnesses that deaf women in particular should have better access to education and information about their rights and the law and that deaf-specific service providers would help to achieve that. Therefore, the committee invited the Scottish Government to consider what further steps could be taken in that regard. I welcome the fact that, in her response, the Deputy First Minister noted that the Scottish Government continues

“to engage with Deaf Links and the Sign Loud team at Heriot Watt University and University of Edinburgh, a project focused on experiences of domestic abuse and communication barriers, to consider deliverables that will make a difference to Deaf women within the new Equally Safe Delivery Plan.”

The committee agrees that consideration should be given to how emergency services should be alerted to the fact that a person is deaf before attending an emergency call to enable interpretation to be provided, even if that is initially done online. I welcome the fact that the Deputy First Minister’s response notes:

“The Scottish Ambulance Service ... are currently working with BDA Scotland to look at what facilities they currently have in place for BSL patients and service users and how they can improve and develop in this area”.

On healthcare, particularly mental health services, some further concerns were raised that warranted further discussion. For example, the committee invited the Scottish Government to respond to concerns that were raised by BDA Scotland and the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland—the ALLIANCE—about the need for a robust approach to ensuring that older deaf BSL users have access to appropriate services and care packages. It also invited a response on the ALLIANCE’s comments about the likelihood of the number of deafblind people increasing and its calls for an increase in the number of social workers for the deaf.

I welcome the fact that the Scottish Government published an equalities impact assessment alongside the mental health and wellbeing workforce action plan to help to identify and form actions that are needed to address inequalities in the mental health and wellbeing workforce. That specifically included action on promoting BSL resources.

I am pleased that the Scottish Government’s “British Sign Language (BSL): national plan 2023 to 2029” represents its continuing commitment to making Scotland the best place in the world for BSL users to live, work, visit and learn. I am also pleased that, overall, the Scottish Government has accepted in full the vast majority of our recommendations. It is clear that the BSL community should be at the heart of our decision-making process to ensure that we get things right. It is vital that we work together with the community to tackle the barriers, improve their lives and deliver the 2015 act’s objectives.

Good morning. Welcome back to the committee.

You mentioned in your opening contribution that next year the commission will focus on poverty and human rights. I am interested to hear a bit more detail about the proposed work on those important issues.

Yes.

Does the delay to the legislation have any impact on the Scottish human rights framework?

Thank you. That is helpful.

Thank you. I look forward to that. I will keep an eye on it.

Obviously, we are aware of the commission’s disappointment following the Scottish Government’s announcement that it is postponing the human rights bill until the next parliamentary session. You have already mentioned the framework, but what impact does that have on the framework and what engagement have you had with the Scottish Government on it?

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in this important debate during the 16 days of action to end gender-based violence. It is up to us all to work together to prevent and end violence against women and girls and we must also address the underlying attitudes and systems that perpetuate it. To do that, we must unite our efforts across local, national and third sector plans to fully tackle violence against women and girls.

West Dunbartonshire, which is part of my constituency, continues to have the second highest rate of domestic abuse in Scotland. For many decades, a key source of support throughout my constituency was Clydebank Women’s Aid. I have mentioned its superb work in previous speeches but, unfortunately, it announced its closure earlier this year. I worked closely with that organisation for more than 20 years, so I know how tirelessly it has worked and how much of an impact it had on the lives of those most in need. Women, children and young people deserve to live a life free of fear and violence, and Clydebank Women’s Aid has been a crucial source of support for those who have experienced domestic abuse.

The closure was a real blow to our town, and I am extremely disappointed that that decision was made and that the organisation was not better supported with secure funding from the Labour-run West Dunbartonshire Council. It has left Clydebank vulnerable without a vital service, which is why I am speaking today to push for more for my town to ensure that it is not left behind in cross-party and cross-Government efforts to end violence against women and girls.

Clydebank is a clear example of why it is vital that we unite local and national efforts in tackling this issue, and that is why I am glad this year to support the reclaim the night march in Clydebank, which is organised by Clydebank Women Supporting Women and the youth charity Y Sort-It. The march will allow us to stand together in solidarity, raise awareness and challenge violence against women and girls in Clydebank and beyond. My sincere thanks go to Clydebank Women Supporting Women and Y Sort-It for organising that important event.

I welcome the fact that the Scottish Government has taken a number of steps to legislate for action on domestic abuse, including the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, which created a specific offence of domestic abuse that incorporates coercive and controlling behaviour. Through the equally safe fund, the Government will provide £21.6 million to 115 projects that focus on preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls.

Gender-based violence is a harsh reality that is experienced by our mothers, sisters, daughters and friends. It knows no bounds and it significantly impacts the individual and even wider society.

The theme of the 16 days this year, led by UN Women, is “UNiTE to end digital violence against all women and girls”. It reminds us that violence is not just physical; it follows survivors into digital spaces. It highlights the growing threat of online harassment, image-based abuse and digital coercive control. Digital spaces should be safe for everyone but, unfortunately, they are not. I know that many of my female colleagues have faced online abuse in their role as MSPs. That is simply not acceptable.

Digital violence is the fastest-growing form of abuse against women and children worldwide. The development of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence poses new risks for women and girls, such as the development of deepfakes. Action is required across all policy areas, with Government and tech companies all working together to respond to the added risks that that may pose to women.

I therefore welcome the fact that the Scottish Government is giving the issue absolute priority and is working to deliver the equally safe strategy for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls. I am pleased that it has established an internal policy group on technology-facilitated violence against women and girls, in recognition of the cross-cutting nature of the issue. That work seeks to accelerate the Scottish Government’s strategic approach to tackling the issue, including how it further strengthens its approach to addressing online misogyny. We know that we will see real change only when those who perpetrate domestic abuse, the majority of whom are men, change their behaviours and actions. We need to educate boys from an early age about respect for women, consent and empathy for others. That is an invaluable tool to tackling this abhorrent issue and changing societal behaviour.

Imagining a Scotland without gender-based violence should not be difficult. It is achievable, and I am pleased to see the work that is being done on it by the Scottish Government. It is vital that we continue the momentum and unite to ensure that women and girls can live a life free from fear and violence.

Glasgow has built a track record of hosting successful events and has become a world-class hosting destination with the necessary facilities and expertise for delivery, and we must celebrate this opportunity to host the games. The cabinet secretary touched on that in his statement, but will he expand on the importance to Scotland’s international reputation of Glasgow’s developing position as a global sports hub?