Chamber and committees

If there is a lack of leadership at the top of the Scottish Government and you, as the regulator, are saying that

“all affected protected characteristic groups”

need to be factored in, this complete muddle and fudge that is created further down the line is a result of a lack of direction from the top, particularly in relation to the key definitions.

You say that it is working better in some areas—

—but when organisations crowdfund in order to go to court on basic definitions, one could argue that it is not working very well.

I started with a question in relation to your view on whether the Scottish Government should provide guidance on the Equality Act 2010 in addition to the EHRC. At the meeting that you will have with it, there might need to be leadership in that space, which is a vacuum.

This inquiry is coming to an end today. Of the organisations that gave feedback, 80 per cent said that the PSED is not being implemented. That huge amount is alarming. We, as a committee, need to take that away and ask ourselves, if we believe that the PSED is important—which we do—what we will do to ensure that it is implemented properly. Definitions are a very important aspect of that, because how can you manage what you do not measure?

Thank you, Cat, but this is an example of an organisation that is in large part funded by the Scottish Government saying one thing in front of the committee and then, the next day, saying the complete opposite. It is an organisation that gives guidance to public sector bodies, so that is relevant.

Minister, given that you are providing leadership on the PSED, I would like you to take that issue away and say that there are big questions that need to be asked, given that that organisation is saying one thing and doing another. If I was giving large amounts of money to an organisation, I would want to question what was going on in that regard. I will leave the matter with you.

The answer is “no”.

That is a ludicrous and, frankly, a chilling statement from a regulator that is supposed to protect Scotland’s most vulnerable children and young people. There are massive safeguarding issues arising from that reckless guidance.

However, it is not just the Care Inspectorate. The Scottish Prison Service is in the spotlight once again because it is allowing trans-identifying prison officers to perform intimate and utterly unacceptable rub-down searches of vulnerable women who are visiting the prison estate. Violent trans-identifying men can still be housed in the female prison estate in certain circumstances.

Will the Scottish Government finally do the decent thing, lay down the law for Scotland’s public bodies and tell them to withdraw ill-informed and insidious guidance that allows the rights of male-bodied individuals to transcend those of women and girls?

The cabinet secretary may be interested to know that the Care Inspectorate’s “Guidance for children and young people’s services on the inclusion of transgender including non-binary young people” makes the following statement:

“The provision of gendered facilities such as toilets is social convention. There is no law in Scotland about this.”

Does the Scottish Government agree with the Care Inspectorate’s statement?

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review public sector guidance on single-sex spaces, in light of reported concerns about the Care Inspectorate and the Scottish Prison Service. (S6T-02422)

I welcome Audrey Nicoll’s members’ business debate to celebrate international women’s day 2025. The day is an opportunity to celebrate women’s achievements, and I would like to highlight the work of some truly fantastic women in the north-east who do so much to support their communities.

Jennifer Garnes is the headteacher of Strathmore primary school in Forfar. She cares passionately about creating adaptive environments to provide equal opportunities for all learners. Her work resulted in the school becoming the first in Scotland to be awarded an ADHD friendly school award.

Mary Geaney is the chief executive officer of Rossie Young People’s Trust in Montrose. She leads a team of 185 staff to deliver trauma-informed care, education, health and specialist psychological services for young people with multiple and complex needs in secure care.

Helen Reid from Laurencekirk was my local hero for the Scottish Parliament’s 25th anniversary celebration. She makes such a positive contribution to improving her local area by holding fundraising events and coffee mornings to provide Christmas lights and summer hanging baskets.

Jill Fotheringham, a local businesswoman, has been campaigning for many years to improve the treacherous Laurencekirk junction, which has caused too many deaths, collisions and near misses. Her unwavering commitment to the campaign has, at all times, kept the pressure on Transport Scotland and Aberdeenshire Council to get shovels in the ground.

Other women, such as Angela Taylor from the Angus Pylon Action Group and June Morrison from the Leylodge against industrialisation group, are leading the charge against the megapylon plans that will puncture the beautiful countryside of the north-east and decimate communities.

Those special and brilliant women, and many more besides, have made such a difference to their communities, personally and professionally, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to pay tribute to them today.

As the motion highlights, this year’s IWD theme is accelerate action, to address with renewed urgency the barriers that many women face. I will focus the remainder of my remarks on two of those barriers—the crippling cost of childcare and difficulties accessing diagnosis and treatment for medical conditions such as cervical cancer and endometriosis.

After working in human resources for more than 30 years, I know how vital accessible childcare is for women as they return to work after maternity leave. There are two issues with childcare in Scotland—cost and availability. Both have been highlighted in a petition to the Parliament that was lodged by Aberdeenshire mum Julie Fraser. She is calling for funded hours to be introduced in Scotland when a baby is nine months old. That has already been rolled out in England. Women who want to work are being priced out of the workforce because of sky-high nursery fees. Funded hours from when a baby is nine months old would be a game changer for many working parents.

On women’s health, no woman should have to ensure sleepless nights because of delays to diagnosis and treatment. Conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome can have a massive impact on a woman’s physical and mental wellbeing, but it can take years to secure a diagnosis. The Dundee endo warriors have been doing brilliant work to shine a light on women’s health inequalities.

Women across Scotland are making such a difference every day. It is our duty to come together and knock down the barriers that are holding them back.