Chamber and committees

The member mentions headlines. Does she accept that Northern Ireland’s experience of its voucher scheme, which has been supported by chambers of commerce, is that it has worked exceptionally well?

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the omicron variant on the implementation of its Covid-19 recovery strategy. (S6O-00491)

Yes.

The arrival of omicron in Scotland is a stark reminder, if we needed it, that the virus has not gone away. Care workers I speak to, who have gone above and beyond in the past 20 months, are once again rightly concerned about how we will support the most vulnerable people in our society.

The recovery plan speaks about the importance of fair work principles in social care, so does the cabinet secretary agree that a wage of at least £15 an hour would fairly recognise the huge contribution of care workers? Will he call on his colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy to deliver that in tomorrow’s budget in order to match the aspirations of his recovery plan and give care workers the pay rise that they deserve?

I welcome the debate and the opportunity to pay tribute to all our local businesses, which have lived through an unimaginable 20 months.

Last weekend, on small business Saturday, I was pleased, like many other members, to pop into the excellent local businesses in the community in which I live. I am very glad to say that the Pad restaurant in Neilston has managed to keep going due to the support of local people who used its new takeaway service during lockdown and returned to the restaurant when it was safe to do so.

Despite being caught up in the many challenges of changing restrictions, including the ridiculous debate about the definition of a cafe, Lindsay and Linda, who run the Pad, told me how much they have valued the support of local people. Despite all the challenges, throughout the pandemic, along with many other local businesses, they have sought to give something back, including by preparing afternoon tea boxes for older people and those shielding. That is just one example of the many generous acts carried out by local small businesses in the pandemic. Many also offered free meals for key workers, discounts and preferential shopping times.

There is great resilience on our high streets and a sense of wanting to come together, but I worry sincerely about the ability of businesses to survive and thrive. It is clear that we owe them real and meaningful support in navigating what continues to be an extremely difficult set of circumstances.

We know that Scotland has lost almost 20,000 small businesses during a single year of the Covid crisis. Too many businesses have found it too difficult to remain open, and we have seen the hopes and dreams of many small and medium business owners completely shattered.

I am sure that members across the chamber will agree that our local businesses are at the heart of what keeps our communities full of life. This afternoon, we have heard excellent examples from around the chamber. Indeed, the minister and I hail from the same part of the world, and I have seen his tweets about his childhood memories of Friday nights with the Alpino chippy, a film from Foxbar video and a tub of Central cafe ice cream. I have similar memories, and I put on record for the first time in the chamber my endorsement of Central cafe ice cream—although possibly too much of it was consumed during lockdown. In all seriousness, I know that the minister understands the importance of those businesses to towns such as Barrhead. That is why it is vital that we do more and go further.

As colleagues have said, the principles of Scotland Loves Local are worthy and good. I declare an interest as a councillor in East Renfrewshire, because the council has benefited from many of those initiatives, which the minister has seen for himself. However, we need to go further and consider what else we can do. We should look at the voucher scheme and consider whether it would be better, as Colin Smyth and others have said, to adopt the Northern Irish approach and put spending power into people’s pockets to use in our town centres. I hope that the minister—

Will the member give way?

We have heard about the work that is being done and the huge support that is being provided by the third sector, and I am keen to hear your thoughts about the sustainability of third sector organisations. The perinatal and infant mental health fund, which was launched in May 2020, has provided £665,000 to support 16 organisations. Is that fund providing the sustainability that is needed, or do we need to go further and find other ways of mainlining that funding? I direct that to Clea Harmer, and to Cat Berry, if we have time.

I thank the members who are here for the valuable contributions to the debate that we have heard so far. It is an honour for me to follow my colleagues Pauline McNeill and Carol Mochan. I thank many members for their work in raising awareness of gender-based violence, but particularly Paul McLennan for bringing this vital debate to Parliament and for his encouragement of male MSPs to participate in it and to show a willingness to lead by example and take action.

What we have heard already about the murders of women and girls is shocking. Circumstances have been articulated particularly powerfully by colleagues. That day-to-day experience of violence and the fear of violence is harrowing, and it should shock us all.

I pay tribute to the work that is done by many organisations, such as Women’s Aid and Rape Crisis Scotland, as we have heard, to take action and to support women and girls year after year.

As we gather again to mark another 16 days of activism, we have once more seen instances of domestic violence and abuse go up. That pattern increases year on year. It should be abundantly clear to us all that much more needs to be done. Women and girls should not have to go about their day-to-day lives in fear of what might happen to them. They should not have to change their behaviour. Our mothers, daughters, sisters, cousins and friends should not have to think about their route home, where they run or where they go for a night out. We can do more, and we must do more. Men can do more, and must do more.

As we know, we are marking the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. That campaign is important because it helps to shine a spotlight on what can be done to begin to stop the horrific violence that happens in our communities. We are marking 30 years of the 16 days campaign, and I was three years old when it began. I have been reflecting on the fact that, during all my time growing up and going to school, I was not aware of the 16 days of activism—I was struck by Pauline McNeill’s contribution in that regard. I was not aware of the need for men and teenage boys at school to take account of their actions and to think about their attitudes. There was very little in the way of educating, involving or helping young men to think about their role in all of this. As Pauline McNeill articulated clearly, we must do more in our schools so that young men in particular reflect on their behaviours. The Police Scotland campaign is a start in relation to making young men in particular think about not being “that guy” in what they do and say.

I will highlight the work of White Ribbon Scotland. I had the great honour of getting to know that campaign well through my work at the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, as I am sure that Paul McLennan also did. That campaign asks men to make a pledge to call out inappropriate behaviour when they hear it and see it, and to be clear that they will never walk on by when they see that behaviour and never condone violence against women or excuse it as just a joke or just par for the course.

The reality is, however, that that pledge is a starting point. It will never be an end in itself, but it is about all men in Scotland being able to take that pledge to make a contribution. It is about all men saying that, in their own sphere of influence—whether that be in their workplace, their home, the pub or wherever they socialise—they have a duty to call out those around them and to ensure that they take action so that we can begin to make clear that violence against women and girls is never acceptable, and that we all have a role in ensuring that we put an end to it.

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the report, Towards a Scotland that cares: a new National Outcome on care for the National Performance Framework, by the University of the West of Scotland, which is supported by Oxfam Scotland, Carers Scotland, Scottish Care, the Scottish Women’s Budget Group and One Parent Families Scotland. (S6F-00531)

The past 20 months of the pandemic have highlighted the vital importance of all forms of care, whether paid or unpaid. However, those who look after someone—overwhelmingly, carers are women—remain undervalued and unrewarded, and many are living in poverty as a result. Does the First Minister agree that we must now make a long-lasting and deep commitment to change by locking in a new national outcome that is focused on better valuing and investing in all forms of care and monitoring progress? That would give a real focus to showing how much we value care and carers across Scotland.