Chamber and committees

The protection of women and girls, especially those fleeing from domestic abuse, has been one of my top priorities since I entered Parliament. Earlier this year, the committee took evidence on access to civil legal aid and the barriers that many survivors of domestic abuse face in accessing such aid, especially in rural areas. Witnesses spoke of “legal aid deserts”, meaning geographic areas where it is difficult to find a legal aid solicitor. We heard the shocking example of a Highland woman who had contacted 116 legal aid lawyers regarding her divorce case. In some cases, in small communities where everyone knows one another, survivors fear seeking legal advice, as solicitors are sometimes acquainted with the perpetrators. How can changes be addressed by community organisations and the Scottish Government?

On that, Dr Yanes, I want to probe a little bit more. What should communities or the Scottish Government be doing about this?

Thank you for that information. When I was a member of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee, I spoke to local authorities. They said that costs—especially from ferries going back and forth—and planning issues stop developers building houses in rural areas. When somebody builds a house in an urban area, accessibility of materials is quite good, but taking materials across on ferries is a lot harder. How can the Government incentivise house builders more?

I will touch on what you said about not thinking about housing on its own but looking at the full infrastructure. What could the Government do better? Our committee looks at the budgets and sees that different departments cover quality and other areas. How could they work better?

Over the past three years, I have spoken to many domestic abuse organisations, be it Women’s Aid or other organisations, especially in the rural areas. Over the summer I spoke to many people. They touched on what you have just said about the need for the services to have the right funding. They feel that they might get a certain amount of money this year, and that could be it, but there are people working for them and there are women and girls out there who need that help. They feel that there is no long-term planning; they need that multiyear funding. Could that help? Would having that security and sustainability, knowing that they have three years’ funding, be something that would help?

Good morning, everybody. I am a member of the Scottish Parliament for the West Scotland region.

Good morning, panel, and thank you for all the information that you have provided so far. We know that housing shortages are a significant issue in rural communities. The best way to combat shortages is to build new homes but, year after year, the Scottish Government falls short of what is needed to tackle growing homelessness levels—the latest statistics show that house building completions are down by about 6 per cent on the previous year.

Our rural communities face unique challenges that we do not normally see in urban areas, such as a lack of infrastructure, logistical hurdles and complex planning and affordability issues. At the same time, many homes in rural areas are old and poorly insulated, so they are prone to damp, mould and expensive heating costs. It is little wonder that there is rural depopulation—there is a depopulation crisis in rural areas.

What should the Scottish Government be doing better to ensure that rural communities are no longer overlooked, especially when it comes to housing?

No, thank you, Wendy. My interest is more specific, so perhaps you could write to the committee and let us know more. It is good that you have information from Scottish Women’s Aid and other stakeholders, but I am particularly interested in black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, in which domestic abuse cases are obviously very different, culturally, especially with regard to child contact and the kind of role that child contact centres play. I always say that one size never fits all. It was just to understand whether you went out to organisations such as Sikh Sanjog and Amina—the Muslim Women’s Resource Centre—to see how domestic abuse is talked about by BAME communities and BAME organisations that deal with domestic abuse among those cultures every day.

Good morning. Thank you, minister, for your opening statement. As you know, children experiencing domestic abuse are already extremely vulnerable. That is why we must ensure that they are kept safe in child contact centres. The regulations that have been laid by the Government would require the Care Inspectorate to report the failure of a child contact services provider to comply with the Equality Act 2010. Are you confident that the proposed regulations address the concerns about child contact centres from families who are affected by domestic abuse?

I have a wee add-on question. You said that you have held consultations and done some work with Scottish Women’s Aid. Have you done any work with other organisations?

Thank you very much for that.