Chamber and committees

Adam Stachura, you rightly pointed out earlier that 54 years have passed since the introduction of attendance allowance and that no change has been made to it. Are you aware of any reasons why the Westminster Government has left it unreformed for so long?

Debbie Horne, the Scottish Fiscal Commission estimates that costs will be higher because of the increased take-up. That increase in take-up is welcome. Given some of your comments earlier, what more should Social Security Scotland and the Scottish Government do to encourage take-up of the pension age disability payment?

Yes, some really good work is happening in Glasgow just now.

You have touched on this a bit, but what else can be done to further simplify and streamline the process?

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what work it is doing to ensure that teachers get permanent contracts. (S6O-03412)

I raise the issue on behalf of one of my constituents. I welcome the cabinet secretary’s acknowledgement of the importance of the matter in ensuring that we have the best possible teacher resource in our schools. Scotland has the lowest pupil teacher ratios in state-maintained schools and the highest starting rate for qualified teachers in the United Kingdom. Does the cabinet secretary agree that such matters need to continue to be prioritised to ensure that teachers get the support that they need to provide an excellent teaching environment in our schools?

I thank my colleague Collette Stevenson for bringing this important debate to the chamber and helping us highlight the issue of domestic abuse in LGBTQ+ relationships.

Domestic abuse knows no boundaries and follows no rules. It can happen to anyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. It can take many forms, be it emotional, psychological, physical or sexual abuse. It was reported that, in 2022-23, 30,139 charges were reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service with a domestic abuse identifier and that, in 86 per cent of those cases, the accused was male. However, Police Scotland notes that, in 2021-22, 1,691 domestic abuse incidents were recorded with same-sex victims and suspected perpetrators.

Those figures are concerning, but they highlight the possibility that LGBTQ+ domestic abuse might be going widely unreported. Societal discrimination, stigma or inequalities might be prohibiting LGBTQ+ victims of domestic abuse from coming forward to receive the support that they so greatly deserve. That is backed up by research, which notes that underreporting is common because of people not feeling safe or able to identify their experiences of abuse within typical assumptions of heterosexual dominance. Research also suggests that rates of underreporting in the LGBTQ+ population are between 60 and 80 per cent, which is consistent with the national underreporting rate of 79 per cent, according to the Office for National Statistics in 2018.

As we cannot allow fear and stigma to prevent survivors from seeking help and support, it is important that we do more to include LGBTQ+ survivors in our discussions and actions on domestic abuse. Some studies suggest that around 40 per cent of individuals in LGBTQ+ relationships might experience domestic abuse.

It has also been noted that higher rates of domestic abuse are found among those who identify as transgender. According to a Scottish Trans study, 80 per cent of transgender victims had experienced domestic abuse. That has been backed up by recent literature, which found that transgender individuals are two times more likely to experience physical abuse and almost three times more likely to experience sexual abuse than cisgender individuals. Experiencing that alongside transphobia can lead to severe and concerning mental health issues.

In tackling domestic abuse, we must also address the root causes of misogyny, homophobia and toxic masculinity, and we must challenge harmful stereotypes and attitudes that result in discrimination against LGBTQ+ people. We must also educate each other on the warning signs of domestic abuse to help break the cycle of violence. Relationships must be built on mutual respect and compassion. No one should ever be fearful of violence or coercive control within a relationship.

In reflecting on the achievements and struggles of the LGBT community throughout history, I would like to remember all those victims of domestic abuse. To those who have felt their lives shatter around them and those who have felt invisible, I say: you are not alone. In fact, I have experienced this, too, and I am here to show that we will not be silenced. I do so in recognition that it is important to speak out and empower others to do so, to recognise the signs when you are being gaslighted, bullied and manipulated, to recognise that you are strong, resilient and have the strength and support to stand up to bullies and to speak out and assert that such behaviour is wrong and not welcome in any part of this society. I am here on your side, because I have been there, too.

I again thank my colleague Collette Stevenson for bringing this important debate to the chamber.

It is a pleasure to speak in the debate, and I thank the First Minister for bringing it to the chamber.

WASPI women worked tirelessly throughout their lives only to find themselves facing a six-year delay to receiving their pension. That left many struggling to make ends meet and facing financial uncertainty at a time when they should have been able to relax and put their feet up.

It is estimated that, in my constituency, more than 4,700 women in East Dunbartonshire and more than 6,000 in West Dunbartonshire have been affected by the changes to the state pension age. I welcome the report from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on the pensions injustices for women born in the 1950s. The report is clear about the damning failures of the UK Government and the need for it to act now. It needs to deliver on the recommendations to pay compensation in full to those women without any further delay.

The ombudsman’s report is clear that some women born in the 1950s were not adequately informed of the impact of the changes. Accurate and timely information was not given to millions of women in the UK, including 356,000 in Scotland. Those women were unfairly penalised for circumstances outwith their control, and they faced the consequences of a policy that was not properly communicated to them. That gave most of them no time to prepare.

I commend my colleague Alan Brown MP for his unwavering commitment on the issue. He noted that the WASPI women are the very same women who were paid less than men, who did not have maternity rights and whose private pensions were smaller than men’s pensions, if they had them at all. By raising the pension age without due notice, those women were further penalised.

I met WASPI women, including some of my own constituents, at the parliamentary demonstration a couple of weeks ago. I was proud to stand with them in their fight, and I was glad to get the chance to speak more with them. The recommended pay-outs are paltry sums, and I echo the WASPI women’s calls for compensation that reflects decades of mistreatment. Those women are here to stay, and we will keep fighting for them. In the face of injustice, the WASPI women have shown determination and courage. They have spent considerable time advocating for change and raising awareness of their plight.

Many WASPI women groups have done so much amazing work. I am proud to support the West Dunbartonshire WASPI group in my constituency. Its chief co-ordinator, Liz Daly, whom I have met several times, has committed much time to the cause, and for that I am grateful. The group and all WASPI women will be remembered for their resilience, determination and unwavering commitment to justice. I will always be a supporter of the WASPI women, alongside my SNP colleagues here today.

Of course, the fight is not over. The Westminster Government made a real mess of this, and it is time for the women to receive their rightful compensation. The Tory Government must act and right this wrong. If not the Tory Government, Labour must commit to compensating WASPI women. I genuinely ask Labour MSPs here for their commitment. I do not want a fake, manufactured position to be taken in Scotland in this debate. So far, the Labour leader has refused to commit to compensating those women, which is shameful. That is a betrayal of every single WASPI woman. We need cross-party commitments to ensure that justice is delivered for those women. They have waited too long—the time to provide fast and fair compensation is now. Time will tell, but, unfortunately, time is what WASPI women do not have.

The Conservative Party has accused people of overmedicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life. That comes from an extremely financially privileged individual who has never had to experience the worry and adversity that his party has forced on people up and down Scotland. How does the Scottish National Party Scottish Government intend to continue to protect people from the worst abuses of Tory mismanagement?

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether its long-term labour market strategy is helping to make Scotland a fairer country. (S6O-03357)

I do not know whether you are in a position to give the committee your view on this question, but do you feel that people with lived experienced of suicide were meaningfully involved in the development of the strategy? If you cannot respond, it is okay; perhaps the next panel will be able to answer.