The preparations for developing the third equality evidence strategy are under way and we expect a draft of the strategy to be ready for consultation by late November 2026, with a view to publishing the final strategy by March 2027. The third equality evidence strategy will be designed collaboratively with Government analysts, policy makers and external organisations, including public authorities and bodies that are interested in improving equality evidence.

The priorities for the third evidence strategy will be shaped through the evaluation of the second strategy, a stakeholder engagement process and an internal audit of Scottish Government data sets. Initial engagement suggests that some areas from the second strategy will remain a priority, such as encouraging opportunities to further intersectional analysis.

An evaluation of the Scottish Government’s current evidence strategy, from 2023 to 2025, is now under way and is due for publication in spring 2026. That evaluation will provide an assessment of improvements to the equality evidence base and identify areas for improvement to take forward as part of the next strategy.

Our equality and human rights fund continues to advance equality for those with protected characteristics, and we support 47 organisations that make a difference to people’s lives. That of course includes working with a range of LGBTQI+ organisations to help shape policy and practice in order to improve outcomes for LGBTQI+ communities. This is particularly important at a time when we are seeing a rise in attacks against the members of that community. These organisations receive funding to create lasting improvements in the lives of LGBTQI+ people in Scotland, including the funding that is being referred to, providing funding to LGBT health and wellbeing to support their LGBTQI+ helpline, which provides emotional support and information to LGBTQI+ people.

I have said to the committee before that we are talking about 0.44 per cent of the population here, a very small body of people, who can often be mischaracterised, misrepresented and draw quite a disproportionate scrutiny on their lives, which has a detrimental impact on their health and wellbeing. For instance, that helpline saw a spike—and I cannot remember off the top of my head what the percentage was—of calls from people who were vulnerable and considering suicide, for instance. That is horrendous. We are funding that suicide support helpline in order to reach the very people who are in the spotlight and need that support.

Through the funding, we have also commenced initiatives such as supporting the ending of conversion practices through legislative and non-legislative measures, advancing non-binary equalities, supporting policy development for LGBTQI+ people, and research into the lives of those within those communities.

All organisations that receive Scottish Government funding are subject to monitoring and evaluation to ensure that they are meeting their stated outcomes. We have no concerns about the performance of LGBTQI+ organisations in delivering those outcomes for the communities they represent. I can reassure you that we fund specific pieces of work that I have outlined and we fund organisations that do many things, such as organisations in the disability field. We procure certain services from those disabled people’s organisations, which they deliver for us and which achieve the aims that we want to achieve, and then they do their other work as well—

The fund that you are referring to supports 47 organisations. It is important to emphasise that. We have previously engaged with LGBT Youth Scotland to determine the facts around various media reports. What you are referring to now and what you are presenting to me I have no way of fact checking in live time. It is an organisation that has been in the spotlight and it gets a lot of attention. I have visited the organisation, I have spoken to the users of that organisation, and I have seen first hand the good work that it is doing in supporting young people in various ways. As a constituency MSP, I have also had communications from parents who have been grateful for the work that the organisation has done in increasing awareness, supporting parents, and supporting youngsters. There is a wide variety of work that is going on there.

I have been assured that LGBT Youth Scotland has strengthened its safeguarding policies to ensure that they are in line with legislation and that they meet the national standards. It continues to review those policies annually to make sure that they are as comprehensive as possible.

My answer to that is that I am very much in line with the EHRC on this. We know that robust, good-quality data is important. We know that because we shape our services around that data. We can forward plan based on it and allocate funding. There are lots of good reasons for having that data so absolutely, we need to do that.

We also need to remember that, for the data that we collect, there have to be good reasons for doing so, because people have to offer that data. Nobody could force any one of us in this room to declare anything about ourselves that we do not wish to. When I have filled in the additional forms that go along with recruitment processes, for instance, I know that, on occasion, I possibly have not filled in the bit about which ethnic minority you belong to. We need to make sure that people are engaged in relation to giving their data and know and have confidence that their data will be used appropriately and proportionately for the purpose for which it is collected. That is what I am saying on that just now. I do not know if there is anything else that officials would like to add.

Our equally safe delivery plan contains a range of actions to build a robust and joined-up approach to the prevention of violence against women and girls across all education settings in Scotland. The report covers a wide range of issues, but I call Pauline McNeill’s attention to the fact that actions in schools to address gender-based violence and sexual harassment include the mentors in violence prevention Scotland programme, the equally safe at school programme and the gender-based violence in schools framework. Those actions complement the key messages for young people on healthy relationships and consent, and the Time for Inclusive Education campaign’s digital discourse initiative, which provides training for teachers and educators to address the effects of online hate and disinformation on children and young people.

The Centre for Social Justice’s lost boys campaign and report highlight the multifaceted and complex societal issues that are facing young men and boys. Although the evidence base that is used in the report predominantly relies on data sources from elsewhere in the United Kingdom, the issues that are raised in the report are familiar here in Scotland.

No single action or responsibility will magically fix those matters. It is necessary for all of us—parliamentarians, public authorities, families, young men, communities and third sector organisations—to consider those matters and respond to them.

I thank Ruth Maguire for highlighting the principles in that pledge. I am pleased to note that dozens of MSPs have already signed the Scottish Refugee Council’s pledge. As of 10 December, more than 40 MSPs had signed the cross-party pledge, although no Conservative colleagues had done so—I wonder which of the principles in that pledge they feel unable to uphold. I urge them to join their colleagues across the parties of the Scottish Parliament in upholding the responsibility of political leadership to nurture the development of human rights, to stick to facts and fairness, and to avoid language that dehumanises and stereotypes. I am sure that they can join us in signing that pledge.

I, too, listened to the interview, and I think that that question is a total mischaracterisation of what the cabinet secretary said.

I made clear in my original answer the work that we are doing through the equally safe delivery plan. I have already explained, so I do not need to repeat, the methods by which we are making sure that women can exit prostitution and that we challenge men’s demand.

The Scottish ministers regularly discuss the progress that is being made on the actions that are detailed in the equally safe delivery plan, which include work to deliver Scotland’s strategic approach to challenging men’s demand for prostitution. We are working across Government to ensure that all providers of support services, including housing practitioners, are equipped with the skills and knowledge to support victims of commercial sexual exploitation. Our focus remains on supporting recovery and sustainable exit from prostitution and developing a pathway of consistent support, from crisis support through to preparing to exit. We will continue to build on that with stakeholders.