Chamber and committees

I have a daughter. I brought her up to be ambitious, hard working and feisty, and I think that I succeeded, yet I see that she and her friends have in their lives experiences that are similar to those that have occurred in mine. My reality has become her reality. How disappointing.

Women as a sex class are under assault like never before: disproportionately affected by Covid, disproportionately affected by a cost of living crisis, and told by some men what it is to be a woman. Bold changes are needed to mark significant change, and that needs to start with the plans to criminalise prostitution. The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women is unequivocal. States must address trafficking and prostitution if they are to eliminate discrimination and violence against women.

I know that work on that is under way in the Scottish Government, and I appreciate its complexity, but I add my voice to the voices of those who continue to press for ambitious change. As long as women are seen as a legal commodity to be bought by men, there will be no significant shift in men’s violence against women. The ability fundamentally fosters a sense of male entitlement and ownership that permeates every aspect of our society. Logically, the term “men’s demand for prostitution” will ultimately need to be reframed as “people’s demand for prostitution”. How offensive.

What does the current data tell us? Police Scotland recorded that sex crimes rose from more than 13,000 in 2020-21 to 15,000 the following year—a 15 per cent rise in one year. The breakdown of the 2021-22 data shows that, of all those sex crimes, there were around 2,500 rapes or attempted rapes and more than 5,000 cases of sexual assault, with the remainder including different types of online sex crimes.

We cannot just attribute that to the pandemic, the cost of living crisis and so on. Although many types of crime have declined, sexual violence in Scotland has been on the increase since 1974. Take that in.

We know that there is an issue with reporting, and the Scottish crime and justice survey of 2019-20 showed that only 22 per cent of victims/survivors of rape reported to the police. However, as much as we glean new insights, bemoan gender-based violence and condemn violence against women and girls, it will probably continue to rise unless radical action is taken.

In my short speech today, I want to explore a new theme—the threat of artificial intelligence. There has been exponential growth in the generative capacity of AI, which extends to its use in pornographic imagery. The use of superimposing faces on to nudes or even depicting women as already nude is already prevalent. Sexual acts using those images in the form of so-called deepfake images are prevalent.

Laura Bates, the founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, writing in the Westminster Parliament’s The House magazine, estimates that 96 per cent of deepfake images are pornography and that the vast majority are of women. The evidence tells us that women are targeted. She also states that the UK Government’s Online Safety Act 2023, which is an entirely reserved matter that runs to some 260 pages, does not mention women once. How can that be?

I will finish with this comment. We have a significant issue at the heart of our society, and I take comfort from my colleagues such as Ben Macpherson and Jim Fairlie, who I know frequently call on men to play their part. The sense of entitlement that some men have—“It does not affect us, so we do not need to care”—cannot be allowed to continue. I agree with Pam Gosal that it is depressing to have another debate on a matter that is getting worse rather than better.

In its discussions thus far with the UK Government, which has reserved responsibility for fuel security, and Petroineos, what assurances has the Scottish Government been given regarding the matter? Has it asked the UK Government to conduct a risk assessment to test any assurances?

Furthermore, it is only at a very early stage that there is potential for a sustainable future for the site beyond just the importing of fuel. What further steps does the Scottish Government anticipate taking to move the site from the potential for a just transition to an actual just transition, be it in sustainable aviation fuel or hydrogen? Will the cabinet secretary commit to keeping members updated on any progress?

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support those affected by the decision of Petroineos to close its refinery.

Workers in Grangemouth, in my constituency, are fearful for the future after the announcement by Petroineos this week that it is moving from being a refinery to being an import facility. Although I will ask an urgent question later today, will the First Minister take this chance to confirm that he will do all in his power to protect that vital industrial asset and workers’ jobs?

I quite agree with the cabinet secretary that our immediate thoughts must go to those affected by the decision, regardless of the outcome, who are now fearful for their jobs with the move from a refinery facility to—potentially—an import facility. The impact will, indeed, be felt by those directly working in the refinery, but also potentially by small businesses and those working in the wider supply chain around Grangemouth.

Grangemouth already struggles with high levels of social deprivation, and the ultimate closure, potentially, will be felt acutely in the town. What assessment has the Scottish Government made of the wider impact of the change on the small and medium-sized enterprise sector, supply chains and Scottish gross domestic product? What discussions has the cabinet secretary had with trade unions and the management of the refinery on which he can give additional information? Finally, will the Scottish Government work with me, as the constituency MSP, to set up a task force to support those who could be affected?

I was about to make that exact point. However, Kevin Mitchell has highlighted the complexity of the situation very well.

I will stay on the theme of prioritisation of investment. I can see Fraser McKinlay nodding. I am interested in teasing out the relative prioritisation involved in developing an investment plan. We have already had some comments on that, particularly in relation to early interventions. What would you like to add?

A follow-on question will be asked about the whole family wellbeing fund. Thank you for your comment about disinvestment. Many people do not seem to understand the implications of having a fixed budget.

I invite Mike Burns to comment on prioritisation of investment.

Again, it is one of those areas where, if everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority because of potentially chronic constraints. However, I am guessing—I do not know.

Good morning, and thank you for joining us. My question is similar to the one that I asked the previous panel, in which I referred to the oversight board calling on the Scottish Government to set out a strategic investment plan to deliver on the Promise. What, specifically, should be prioritised for investment, given the Scottish Government’s chronic fiscal shortfall and the nature of its funding?

I do not know whether any of you were in the room for the earlier session. We heard quite a lot of commentary on the complexity of that aspect, and we heard that some areas need to be deprioritised so that others can be prioritised. We also had a long discussion about capacity.

I do not who would like to go first on that. I am trying to get a sense of what we should prioritise, because we have to prioritise something.

Good morning, and thank you for joining us. In preparing for the meeting, I read “The Promise Oversight Board: Report TWO June 2023”, which calls clearly on the Scottish Government to set out a strategic investment plan to deliver progress on the Promise. To what extent does the board appreciate the challenges in doing that, given the chronic funding constraints that are in place at the moment? Following on from that, what are your thoughts on areas for prioritisation, given that, as you know, the Scottish Government operates to a fixed budget and has significant constraints? It is about areas for prioritisation. If you were to develop that strategic plan, what would you prioritise?

I see Kevin Mitchell nodding, so he might like to go first.