Chamber and committees

Thank you. I have a follow-up question. You cannot manage what you do not measure, so do you have a starting position for the number of trained teachers who are deaf BSL users? Do you have a figure for 10 years ago, for five years ago, for now and for the future?

But it is in there somewhere.

That goes back to my point that you cannot manage what you do not measure, so having it as part of your mainstreaming work is important.

I have one final question, Deputy First Minister. Do you or your officials have any thoughts on the idea of piloting BSL learning opportunities for all pupils in Scotland?

Deputy First Minister, on the bandwidth of your team, has BSL and the training and education of BSL users and tutors been factored into the objectives of your officials? What percentage of their time are your officials spending on this?

In my head, I am thinking around 10 per cent. Would you say that that is a high figure?

Presiding Officer, will the cabinet secretary personally oversee a review of the policies and guidelines that are being influenced by those organisations before they come up for financial renewal next year—

I, too, thank my colleague Sue Webber for bringing this important debate to the chamber—

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer.

In the past few months, I have had near misses from a souped-up e-scooter or e-bike in Edinburgh. One morning, I came into the office and said to my colleague Sue Webber, “I was nearly knocked over by a bike last night in the Meadows, and it was a souped-up e-bike.” She said, “Well, I’ve got a members’ business debate coming up,” so I am delighted to be speaking today.

Sometimes, in Edinburgh in the evening, it feels like there is a scary swarm of riders, many with balaclavas and no lights on their machines. I ask members to imagine what that would be like if they were partially sighted. The training centre for Guide Dogs Scotland is in Forfar, in my region, and the organisation has a campaign called scoot aware to raise awareness of the alarming effect of e-scooters on people with sight loss.

As we have heard today, fast, heavy and powerful e-scooters are being ridden in an antisocial way, and that is already having a significant and detrimental impact on the lives of people with sight loss. E-scooters can reach high speeds and are relatively silent. One guide dog owner said:

“My guide dog ... and I were ... hit by a rider. I could hear two voices getting closer and the next thing I knew I was hit with such a force that I was knocked over”

the dog.

One of my constituents in Aberdeen said to me:

“E-scooters and bikes are a genuine hazard on the pavement for guide dog owners. My dog’s harness was clipped recently as a rider passed much too close. I have a young dog, not yet three, and he now stops when he is aware of a rider in front or even coming from behind. I carry third party insurance and it would be good if cyclists and e-scooter riders were similarly insured. At least if I was injured, my care home costs would be paid. A collision is a daunting prospect for me and I would appreciate you writing to local councils in respect of stopping parking on pavements and e-scooters and bikes. The sooner riders and drivers are made aware of just how hazardous this is and the effects of isolation, because they are afraid to go out, on visually impaired folks, the better.”

According to research by Guide Dogs, 78 per cent of people with sight loss had had a negative experience with e-scooters, 80 per cent had had an e-scooter rush past and frighten them, 12 per cent reported that their guide dog had been disturbed by an e-scooter, 10 per cent had been hit by an e-scooter and 2 per cent had been hit and injured by an e-scooter. The number of people who have already been involved in a collision is deeply worrying. Those results are deeply alarming. I am delighted that Guide Dogs has contributed to my speech, because I feel that it is very important for the minister to hear that research.

It is important to note that, in July 2020, the United Kingdom Government introduced e-scooter trials in England. The trials were originally due to end in November 2021, but they have been extended, with the latest extension going to May 2028. Action from the Scottish Government is long overdue. The problem simply cannot be ignored.

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the decision of the employment tribunal of Sandie Peggie v NHS Fife health board.

NHS Fife was found to have harassed a nurse of 30 years just for standing up for her rights to privacy and dignity. Her sex-based rights under the Equality Act 2010 were not protected. Too many female nurses are operating in a climate of fear in a two-class system. National health service boards are allowing trans activists to push their illegal and harmful self-identification agenda and fuel a toxic and harmful culture. The cabinet secretary talks about different opinions, but what about nurses who are being told to be nice, when nice means subjugating their rights to privacy, dignity and safety? Activism has no place in hospitals, where the number 1 priority should be safeguarding. Cabinet secretary, what will you do to keep all women safe in hospitals, protect their sex-based rights and eradicate this climate of fear, harassment and bullying?