Chamber and committees

That was helpful.

Thank you.

The witnesses’ written evidence suggests that the duty

“to have due regard for the need to promote wellbeing and sustainable development”

could allow adherence to be something of a tick-box exercise. Do you want to take this opportunity to set out concerns and how they could be addressed in the bill?

Thank you.

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its plans for mitigation, how the United Kingdom Government’s two-child benefit cap is impacting children in Clydebank and Milngavie. (S6O-05115)

It is appalling that so many children in my constituency have been scarred by that brutal policy, so it is no wonder that our plans to mitigate it have been welcomed by so many. The Child Poverty Action Group estimates that 30,000 children have been pushed into poverty because of the UK Government’s continuation of that approach. Put simply, it is Labour’s policy that those children should never have been born.

Will the cabinet secretary continue to make representations to the UK Government in advance of the budget and call for it to find some compassion and end that policy, which is harming children and hindering their long-term opportunities and life chances?

No.

Will you say more about the position of the Care Inspectorate and the EHRC on the new regulations? You have touched on that a bit already, but is there anything else that you want to add?

I am reassured to hear that engagement will be on-going. Thank you.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app would not connect. I would have voted yes.

As a member of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate . According to Police Scotland, more than 61,000 incidents of domestic abuse were recorded in 2022-23, and the figures showed that more than 80 per cent of survivors of that abuse were female.

Leaving an abusive relationship is not easy by any means. When fear is coupled with financial pressures, that can make it even more difficult to leave. Refuge found that more than 8 million adults in the UK have faced economic abuse. When that is coupled with an increase in the cost of living, those in abusive relationships can struggle to leave. A more recent report from Women’s Aid found that it can cost a survivor almost £50,000 to leave an abusive relationship.

Taking that into account, the committee agreed to undertake an inquiry into the financial considerations when leaving an abusive relationship. For the sake of time, I will touch on two points in the report.

The equally safe strategy is a joint approach between the Scottish Government and COSLA to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls, and it is welcome that there is general support for that strategy among stakeholders. However, we recognise that a commitment relating to economic abuse should be included, with practical actions to provide financial support for victims and survivors. Financially Included stated that specific measures on public sector debt, housing costs, legal expenses and childcare should be included in the strategy. Therefore, we call on the Scottish Government to update the strategy and ensure that equally safe policies are backed by practical and financial support.

Furthermore, it was concerning to note that awareness of the equally safe strategy was much lower among victims/survivors than it was among stakeholder organisations. Therefore, I am keen to see what more the Scottish Government can do to increase awareness of the strategy more generally.

For us to tackle financial abuse, we need agencies and services to work together and take a consistent approach, so the committee has asked that consideration be given to developing

“a forum where key actors such as the Scottish Government, COSLA, Social Security Scotland, the DWP, and any other relevant agencies and services can work together to prevent financial abuse.”

It is of the utmost importance that any change to the equally safe framework takes into account same-sex relationships and the challenges that are faced by those victims and survivors of financial abuse. I support the Scottish Government reviewing the framework and considering how to improve messaging to encourage those who have been abused within same-sex relationships to seek support, as well as training for staff delivering services to recognise abuse across all relationship types.

The committee received evidence that victims/survivors of domestic abuse are more likely to be affected by benefit sanctions. In the light of that, the committee noted that the UK Government should consider amending the rules for universal credit

“for victim/survivors of domestic abuse to remove the five weeks’ waiting time for new claimants.”

We would also welcome the UK Government providing a single contact so that women can discuss confidentially what their entitlement would be if they leave their relationship. The Scottish Government is urging the Department for Work and Pensions to implement split payments for universal credit by default.

I am certain that we can all agree that coercive control, including financial abuse, has no place in Scottish society. The decision to leave an abusive partner puts individuals in a very vulnerable situation. Therefore, there must be appropriate supports in place that assist individuals in their time of greatest need.