The act will allow courts to impose new FGM protection orders to safeguard individuals. As of November 2025, the protection orders are now sitting with the courts. Officials sent over a civil court rules proposal paper to the Scottish Civil Justice Council, and we are waiting to hear when the paper will be considered by the council. Regarding criminal court rules, officials will send over a rules proposal paper to the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission in early 2026. A revised draft of the statutory guidance will be sent to relevant stakeholders such as specialist organisations, health and child protection colleagues and internal colleagues for review in December—so, this month.

If that data is available, I will be happy to do that.

Violence against women in the digital and physical worlds is a cause and a consequence of a gender inequality that is driven by societal and structural barriers across different sectors, many of which have been mentioned today. We must therefore renew our efforts to tackle that root cause. In the light of that, I was delighted that the cabinet secretary was able to highlight the public awareness campaign that we are developing to address the issue. It is significant that the Government is seeking to address online abuse and is using its online platforms to promote its positive messages.

I will come back to spiking after I reflect on the contributions that have been made by colleagues in the chamber.

I can confirm to Katy Clark our support for the proposals from Rape Crisis Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates that will deliver free access to independent legal advice to complainers in cases of rape and attempted rape. When it is desired, a three-year pilot will provide access to an experienced court practitioner who will assist complainers in giving their evidence and better understanding their existing rights. That pilot will be delivered by the expert Emma Ritch law clinic at the University of Glasgow.

Maggie Chapman called for us all to be mindful of, and to reflect on, our own behaviours when we use social media platforms, because we are providing leadership in how we treat each other. We must and should do better.

Alex Cole-Hamilton asked for an update on tackling domestic abuse. The Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 will put victims and witnesses at the heart of a modern and fair society. We are engaging with justice bodies and stakeholders across the sector on the implementation of the act, and it will be phased in to deliver reform in a managed way that does not disrupt the operation of the system.

Siobhian Brown has written to all members today with an update on spiking, which I hope is helpful.

Michelle Thomson raised many points that were raised in the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland report, which is referenced in the equally safe strategy. Work is on-going to engage men and boys, and, as was mentioned earlier, the Scottish Government is undertaking a co-created campaign to ensure that men and boys are seen more as being integral to the solution than as being just part of the problem.

The Scottish Government will support the Scottish Women’s Aid #ForThemAll vigil on 5 December, which is held annually in honour of women and children who have been killed by abusive men as well as women who have lost their lives to suicide that stemmed from their experiences of abuse. I know that my colleagues in the Cabinet and across the chamber will attend many events to highlight that important time and to hold those women and girls in our memory.

I share Marie McNair’s concerns about the new risks of tech-based violence, and I echo her calls for us to unite in tackling it.

Rhoda Grant mentioned Ash Regan’s Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill. As we do for all members’ bills, we will give that bill full and careful consideration. Members will be aware that the Criminal Justice Committee’s scrutiny of the bill at stage 1 is under way, and the Minister for Victims and Community Safety gave evidence last month. The Scottish Government has confirmed that we strongly support the principle of legislating to criminalise those who purchase sex. That position aligns with our equally safe strategy, which states clearly that prostitution is a form of violence against women and girls. The Scottish Government currently retains a neutral stance on the bill ahead of the Parliament’s continued scrutiny of the proposals in it.

Stuart McMillan rightly talked about tackling misogyny and referenced the good work of the equally safe strategy. A public awareness campaign is currently being developed, and it will be launched in February 2026.

I knew that I would end up running out of time, but I will just take a couple of seconds to finish.

I welcome and share the ambition to eliminate violence against women and girls that I have heard in members’ speeches today. It is a tribute to the Parliament that we can all join together in solidarity as we continue to make progress. We must all work together, as the theme of Scotland’s 16 days campaign highlights. I therefore call on all those in the chamber to renew their commitment, not just during the 16 days but every single day.

I agree. The Scottish Government is fully committed to progressing the coming home agenda alongside COSLA. The dynamic support register, which was launched in May 2023, records data from across Scotland about people with learning disabilities and complex needs who are, for example, delayed in hospital or living in inappropriate out-of-area settings.

In 2024, we established a practitioner peer support network, which brings together learning disability professionals from across Scotland to share best practice on complex care needs. Proposals for a national support panel are being progressed through the proposed learning disability, autism and neurodivergence bill.

Government ministers take a range of opportunities to discuss actions to improve the lives of disabled and autistic people, as well as to engage with key bodies and those with lived experience. The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and the Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing, who leads work on the cross-cutting coming home agenda, recently met the chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission.

Further to the commission’s recommendations relating to the rights of people with learning disabilities and complex needs, the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities established, in the summer, a coming home short-life working group, which will shortly submit its action plan.

Respecting, protecting and championing the rights of disabled and neurodivergent people is not optional; it is fundamental to a fair and inclusive Scotland. The Scottish Government is committed to embedding equality at the heart of every policy, and our disability equality plan ensures that lived experience is embedded into every policy decision. We are working to ensure that all neurodivergent people receive the support that they need. That is why we fund the national autism advice line with our multiyear £2.5 million autistic adult support fund, which provides support for autistic adults and their families.

Yes—I apologise if I was ambiguous; that was not my intention. We do collect data on age—everyone providing a public service has that responsibility. We get that data through various means, including from service users. We have all the data sets available through the census, and we can use that information to extrapolate and regionalise. That data is available.

Yes. I will provide a bit of context. The main aim of my meetings with the cabinet secretaries was to remind them of the public sector equality duty, the need for impact assessments and the Equality Act 2010. Any obvious areas of overlap between my portfolio and theirs were raised, along with other issues. To be transparent, I note that the meetings often lasted only 30 minutes so they were not detailed discussions. When maternity services were discussed, they were raised in the round with other healthcare services and provision in regard to accessibility and availability in general terms.

All decisions on maternity care should ensure the safety of mothers and babies, and should ensure that women who are giving birth and their families always receive safe, person-centred maternity care that is suited to their needs. Decisions about the place of birth should be made by women in consultation with their midwife and obstetricians, taking account of individual need and the circumstances. As a Government, we expect all NHS boards to provide maternity services that are delivered as close to home as practical, balanced with the need to ensure the safety of mother and baby.

The newly established Scottish maternity and neonatal task force will review the provision of rural maternity services. Implementing initiatives such as the best start programme, introducing continuity of care, developing community hubs and the increased use of Near Me to allow for remote consultations and appointments, where appropriate, all aim to improve delivery of maternity services in rural areas.

If there are further specific technical questions for the health portfolio, I am happy to take those away and get a response from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.

I mentioned that the challenges are huge, including in transporting goods. When I visited Harris and Lewis, I saw at first hand machinery being used to drill down into enormously hard rock—specialised equipment is required, as well as the building materials. I also visited local builders who were taking part in apprenticeship schemes to increase the workforce. You can see how that becomes circular. If young people have good jobs—in that case, it was in the house building sector—they are more likely to stay and to add to the economy and build up communities. The challenges are absolutely massive, but we recognise that good-quality affordable housing is essential to attract and retain people. That links to the issue of having the right type of housing in the right place, bearing in mind the needs of young families as well as ageing populations.

We are building on the delivery of more than 12,000 affordable homes in rural and island communities between 2016 and March 2024. Earlier, I mentioned the figure of 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, with at least 10 per cent of those in rural and island communities. That is supported by the rural and islands housing action plan, which was published in October 2023 and which was developed with strong engagement from rural and island stakeholders. There are demand-led funds, such as the £30 million rural and island housing fund, which was recently extended to 2028, and the £25 million rural affordable homes for key workers fund. A range of things are going on.

The Scottish Government shares the committee’s ambition in that regard. We want to improve labour market outcomes and experiences for people living in rural and island communities. Through the no one left behind approach, we aim to deliver an all-age, place-based, person-centred model of employability, with support being provided across communities and a strengthened partnership approach that involves the Scottish Government and local government working together with public, private and third sector organisations to design and deliver services. To back that up, we are investing £90 million in 2025–26 in the delivery of devolved employability services across Scotland, including rural and island communities.

Addressing labour market shortages requires a collaborative, concerted approach from a range of services. We are implementing activity across Government and are committed to doing more. I look forward to reading the committee’s report and seeing your suggestions and recommendations.

Collectively, with partners, our aim is to build an employability system that tackles labour market inequalities by being more responsive and joined up and by aligning with the needs of employers and service provision, and which also ensures that the work is fair and accessible. Services are in place in all 32 local authorities, including rural and island areas, but we have to remember that full control over employment and industrial relations legislation remains reserved to the UK Parliament.