Chamber and committees

I think that Sharon Dowey would like to follow up on that.

I am aware that we have run over our time a little, but it has been important to let this part of the meeting run.

I have a couple of final questions about part 2 of the bill, which would allow reviews to be carried out in parallel with other proceedings, namely criminal ones. However, the Lord Advocate would have the power to pause or end a review process to prevent other proceedings from being prejudiced. I am interested in hearing the views of Laura Buchan and Emma Forbes on that provision.

That is great.

Good morning, and welcome to the fourth meeting in 2025 of the Criminal Justice Committee. We have received no apologies this morning.

Our first item of business is to continue our stage 1 scrutiny of the Criminal Justice Modernisation and Abusive Domestic Behaviour Reviews (Scotland) Bill. We have a good panel of witnesses. I am pleased to welcome Laura Buchan, from the policy and engagement division of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, and Dr Emma Forbes, the national lead for domestic abuse for the Crown Office; Malcolm Graham, the chief executive of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service; and Superintendent Richard Thomas and Detective Superintendent Adam Brown from Police Scotland. I offer a warm welcome to you all. Thank you for taking the time to attend today’s meeting and for your submissions, which have been very helpful.

I intend to allow about 75 minutes for this session. I refer members to papers 1 and 2. To get the session under way, I will start with a pretty broad question that focuses on part 1 of the bill. I propose to bring in Laura Buchan first, followed by Malcolm Graham and Superintendent Richard Thomas.

Part 1 of the bill makes a range of changes to the procedures in criminal courts. In order for the committee to get a sense of your overall views of the proposals, could you briefly outline any provisions in part 1 in relation to which you have any issues or concern? When we started our evidence taking last week, issues came up relating to resourcing and the practical implications of the provisions.

Will the cabinet secretary further outline how capital funding allocated to the Scottish Prison Service in the draft budget will help to create better environments for people to live in and work in, and to aid rehabilitation, thereby reducing the risk of reoffending and supporting safer communities?

As we progress on our journey to net zero, it is absolutely vital that we recognise and retain the considerable skills of oil and gas workers, who will continue to play an incredibly important part in taking forward the green jobs of the future. How will the energy skills passport pilot scheme, which was launched this week, support workers to identify routes to careers in renewables and clean energy?

I extend my deepest condolences to the families of Katie Allan and William Lindsay.

I welcome the cabinet secretary’s recognition that the fatal accident inquiry process between the deaths and the first notice was far too long, which added to the trauma of the families, and that there must be consideration of how that can be improved. Will the review include the issue of sharing information with families to ensure that that process improves, too?

I am grateful to my friend and colleague Michelle Thomson for bringing the debate to the chamber. I know how passionate she is about the role and contribution of women in innovation and entrepreneurship in Scotland, and I commend her contribution and commitment to that.

I also commend the work of the cross-party group on women in enterprise, which Michelle Thomson convenes. The group has provided an excellent forum in which women entrepreneurs can collaborate on issues such as access to finance, internationalisation, the underrepresentation of women in enterprise and, of course, women in energy.

The motion is comprehensive and, although there is a need to stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship in STEM-based sectors, it recognises the role of the wider business sectors in achieving net zero. I refer to technology and digital skills, planners, lawyers and corporate hospitality, to name but a few. The motion also highlights the fact that the number of females entering STEM-related education, employment and business start-ups remains weak in Scotland.

My interest in women in STEM is deeply linked to the north-east energy sector and the rapidly growing demand for a strong STEM workforce to help Scotland become a global energy hub. Women entrepreneurs have a central role in that positive economic journey, and a lot of work is already being done in the energy sector to make that happen.

Earlier this session, I led a members’ business debate on increasing the participation of women and girls in STEM learning and careers. Women in academia told me of the crucial role of inspirational teachers, parents and carers in shaping positive attitudes about gender and work. They also told me that the parity in STEM learning between boys and girls gives way to a divergence as children move through secondary school, with girls being significantly less likely than boys to choose STEM subjects beyond higher stage—the leaky pipeline. Given that girls often perform better than boys across all STEM subjects at school, and despite the fact that we can now purchase a Barbie professor doll, we must ask what is behind that divergence.

Beyond education, women told me of common themes in the challenges that women in STEM face, such as access to affordable childcare, after-school clubs and elder care. There is also much consensus on how to respond, and there are some good examples of work that is already under way.

I note that the 2024 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report, which is mentioned in the motion, sets out further comprehensive detail on the support and resources that women entrepreneurs need—for example, access to markets and financing, and regulations that make working for themselves at least as attractive as being employed.

The headline figures in the Scottish Government pathways report on women in entrepreneurship are that one in five of Scotland’s entrepreneurs are women and that 2 per cent of institutional investment in Scotland goes to women-led companies. I was pleased to hear the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic respond to Michelle Thomson’s questions at a recent meeting of the Economy and Fair Work Committee about the funding that derived from that piece of work. She confirmed her desire to

“take the funding to £4 million”—[Official Report, Economy and Fair Work Committee, 8 January 2025; c 26.]

in the coming year. I also commend Michelle Thomson for her tenacity in probing further, not just on funding but on issues such as culture and data—both of which are extremely important. I am very keen to hear more detail on the progress in relation to the pathways report in the cabinet secretary’s response.

I commend all the women entrepreneurs in Scotland who are taking the brave steps to secure their own livelihoods, shape their own futures and change the world. I wish Michelle Thomson all the best in helping to create better opportunities for women in business.

Do you want to come in with a supplementary question, Ben Macpherson, or not quite yet?

I will therefore bring in Pauline McNeill now, followed by Ben Macpherson.