Chamber and committees

Thanks for that. I have no other questions, convener, so I will hand back to you.

Miriam Craven, your local delivery team, which is based at Centre81, has been helpful to many of my constituents, particularly in the Clydebank area. Do you have any good practice that you want to highlight to the committee?

At that meeting in February, I asked the witnesses about mixed-age couples in which one person is of pension age and one is of working age. Because of a cut by the previous United Kingdom Government, those people are not allowed to apply for pension credit and are forced to claim universal credit, which seems to have pretty onerous online requirements. Could that be a barrier to digital inclusion for pensioners in that type of household?

I will come in on those comments first. Some banks are now mindful of people’s circumstances and the digital poverty that they experience. I recently met Virgin Money after I heard about the service that it provides—it assists people with SIM cards and access to devices, so it is great to hear that it is getting on board, too.

I will turn to the theme of my questions. You are aware that the main social security support for pensioners who are on low incomes is pension credit and that pensioners’ main disability benefit experience will be with attendance allowance. It is unfortunate that we do not have anybody from the Department for Work and Pensions here. Louise Coupland and Kyle Scott, do you have any observations about the experience of pensioners when they try to claim benefits online? What can be done to improve that experience? In particular, what are your organisations doing to support people to navigate online public services?

I will go back to Kyle Scott. We are talking about the most effective ways to support older people to access benefits and public services online. Is there any good practice in your organisation that you want to highlight to us?

That would be really helpful, Kyle. Thank you. Louise Coupland, do you have any observations?

I speak in this debate as a member of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee.

The Scottish Government is enhancing the equality of outcomes for people and communities across Scotland. Only days ago, we marked international women’s day, and I was pleased to hear directly from the First Minister that the Scottish Government is working to ensure that women and girls have equal rights and opportunities, and equitable access to resources. That work includes delivering the women’s health plan; investing to tackle domestic violence against women, girls and survivors of abuse; supporting women to access fair work; and helping to reduce the gender pay gap.

Violence against women and girls in any form has no place in our country. I have long campaigned on that, going back to my days as a councillor in West Dunbartonshire, when I chaired the West Dunbartonshire violence against women partnership. I direct members to my entry in the register of members’ interests. I support the commitment of all who are involved in the area, including the fantastic Clydebank Women’s Aid, which provides support, information and refuge for women in their time of need.

I support policies such as the equally safe strategy, which sets out a vision of

“a strong and flourishing Scotland where all individuals are equally safe and protected”.

The equally safe strategy prioritises taking a public health approach to ending violence against women and girls, and challenges the notion that violence against women and girls is acceptable. It also takes account of the specific needs of minority ethnic women, and takes an intersectional approach to preventing and responding to the inequalities that some women or young people might experience as a result of their ethnicity, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or immigration status.

The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination that happens because of their protected characteristics, including age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion, sex and sexual orientation. It allows for provision of single-sex spaces and separate-sex services. It is the Scottish Government’s duty to uphold the Equality Act 2010 at all times, and the Government stands firmly behind the exemptions that were provided in that act. It is expected that public bodies will conduct their policies and procedures in line with the legislation that is in place.

Further, the Equality Act 2010 includes the public sector equality duty, and there are specific regulations that apply in Scotland to help listed public authorities to meet the public sector equality duty. Its purpose is to make sure that public authorities and organisations that carry out public functions think about how they can improve society and promote equality in every aspect of their day-to-day business. It is unlawful for service providers—public or private—to discriminate against someone based on their protected characteristics. The Scottish Government is also committed to working with the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The 2025-26 Scottish budget will protect and support on-going efforts to tackle inequality, fulfil human rights and allow everyone in Scotland to live free from discrimination. To achieve that, equality, inclusion and human rights spending is set to increase by £6 million to £58.9 million in 2025-26. That includes more than £42 million to support Scotland’s equality and human rights infrastructure and it will fund organisations.

The Scottish Government has also launched a new fairer funding pilot to provide additional multiyear funding to organisations across Scotland, which will be worth £61.7 million in 2025-26 and £63.2 million in 2026-27. The 2025-26 spending plans are set to enhance the quality of outcomes for people and communities across Scotland.

It is vital that we protect women’s rights. The Scottish Government understands that and is taking action on that. Equality should not be a culture war battleground, but a shared goal for us all. The horrible irony of Opposition members trying to shout down women in this debate is clearly lost on them.

My colleagues and I in the SNP will always stand up for fairness and dignity, and for a Scotland where everyone has the right to live peacefully and safely.

Thanks for that. What do you think, Jatin Haria?

Thank you for that. Jill Wood, do you have anything to add?

Good morning, panel. Having listened to your earlier responses to my colleagues’ questions, I feel that the delay in the PSED reform seems to be affecting every organisation’s ability to fulfil the duty. Do you want to say any more about that? I was going to go to Lindsey Millen first. I am sorry to put you on the spot, Lindsey, but I listened to what you said about all the work that you have done on the matter. Do you want to say anything about what more can be done to assist in that respect?