The minister’s update is welcome, including her announcement on the new four-bed national secure care provision at Rossie.

More broadly, it is vital that care and justice services for children continue to be informed by the views of care-experienced children. Can the minister say any more about the steps that the Government is taking to ensure that young people’s voices are at the heart of its work?

Absolutely no one wants survivors to have to wait any longer than is necessary for a court transcript. I hope that that issue can be resolved as part of the evaluation of the pilot.

I welcome the commitment by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs to work with me and others ahead of stage 3 of the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill on making the provision of access to transcripts permanent within the terms of the on-going pilot. However, I am a little concerned about the implications of another external evaluation for further progress on the pilot. Can the cabinet secretary outline how such an evaluation could impact the progress of the pilot?

I thank Michael Matheson for bringing the debate to the chamber. It is a really important topic and has been looked at by the Criminal Justice Committee, of which I am a member. On the point about awareness, I highlight the issue of county lines, whereby young people—often, children—are recruited by gangs to participate in illegal drug-related activities. That issue is perhaps flying slightly under the radar in Scotland.

The importance of having maths qualifications for young people who seek to enter the renewables industry and other sectors in Scotland cannot be overstated. I was lucky enough to discuss maths learning with a group of modern apprentices during my recent visit to North East Scotland College to celebrate Scottish apprenticeship week. Will the cabinet secretary outline what more can be done to support regional colleges to engage with school-age children, to showcase how maths and numeracy are used in a multitude of engaging and dynamic ways in vocational careers such as engineering and construction, and to show how more people can benefit from colleges’ strong links with industry in their delivery of training?

The report highlights the need for an urgent decision on Acorn, because carbon capture and storage, which is of enormous importance to the north-east, could have a vital role to play in securing Grangemouth’s future. In the light of that, many people will rightly be frustrated that the UK Government has repeatedly failed to prioritise investment in carbon capture and storage in Scotland. Does the cabinet secretary agree that a green light for Acorn is long overdue, both for Grangemouth and for industries in the north-east?

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the action being taken to support maths learning in secondary schools. (S6O-04470)

I am pleased to join colleagues to speak on the issue of access to court transcripts for survivors of rape and serious sexual offences. I thank the cabinet secretary for the positive way in which she has engaged with me and other committee members on the issue.

The difficulties that survivors have historically had in accessing the record of a trial were first brought to the committee’s attention in 2021. I pay tribute to the women who described the challenges that they faced, with one having to pay more than £3,000 for a transcript.

For some survivors, access to transcripts has a practical function when they might be involved in another process, such as a complaint about their treatment. For many, access to a record of what was said is an important part of the healing process and, importantly, it reflects a justice system that is trauma-informed. As one survivor told us:

“If people are unable to afford transcripts to corroborate complaints against those in the legal profession, it essentially means that lawyers are unaccountable. That should be of grave concern to a democratic society.”

My amendment 179 is also a probing one and is relatively narrow in its scope, relating only to sexual offences that are set out in section 288C of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, which are currently included in the on-going pilot. My amendment relates to cases heard in both the High Court and the proposed new sexual offences court.

I am grateful to the cabinet secretary for her on-going support and her willingness to extend the pilot and for indicating to me her position on seeking to take time to consider issues such as a potential legislative change and the costs involved. I am also grateful for her invitation to work with her to discuss what may be developed ahead of stage 3. I therefore will not move amendment 179. I thank the cabinet secretary for her engagement on the matter and look forward to further work with her on the issue.

I call Jamie Greene to speak to amendment 263 and the other amendments in the group.

I am pleased to join colleagues to speak on the issue of access to court transcripts for survivors of rape and serious sexual offences. I thank the cabinet secretary for the positive way in which she has engaged with me and other committee members on the issue.

The difficulties that survivors have historically had in accessing the record of a trial were first brought to the committee’s attention in 2021. I pay tribute to the women who described the challenges that they faced, with one having to pay more than £3,000 for a transcript.

For some survivors, access to transcripts has a practical function when they might be involved in another process, such as a complaint about their treatment. For many, access to a record of what was said is an important part of the healing process and, importantly, it reflects a justice system that is trauma-informed. As one survivor told us:

“If people are unable to afford transcripts to corroborate complaints against those in the legal profession, it essentially means that lawyers are unaccountable. That should be of grave concern to a democratic society.”

My amendment 179 is also a probing one and is relatively narrow in its scope, relating only to sexual offences that are set out in section 288C of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, which are currently included in the on-going pilot. My amendment relates to cases heard in both the High Court and the proposed new sexual offences court.

I am grateful to the cabinet secretary for her on-going support and her willingness to extend the pilot and for indicating to me her position on seeking to take time to consider issues such as a potential legislative change and the costs involved. I am also grateful for her invitation to work with her to discuss what may be developed ahead of stage 3. I therefore will not move amendment 179. I thank the cabinet secretary for her engagement on the matter and look forward to further work with her on the issue.

I call Jamie Greene to speak to amendment 263 and the other amendments in the group.

I call amendment 237, in the name of Jamie Greene.

The question is, that amendment 239 be agreed to. Are we agreed?

Members: No.