Chamber and committees

The only way that that can change is if the police take the initial call and then hand the case over to someone else.

Would that be quite a radical change to make? I do not know enough to know whether it would be.

Do you feel optimistic? Given what I have heard, I am not that optimistic that things will change. We have heard evidence that the police are the first responders for everything, including this. For that to change, there has to be a structural change in service. Otherwise, I do not see how things will change.

First, I thank Craig Hoy for choosing such a crucial debate and for raising awareness of the pressures facing the hospitality and drinks sector. The debate has come at a really important time.

We know that the hospitality sector is probably under more pressure than any other sector that I can think of, and it is largely a wonderful and diverse industry. I say “largely” because I always want to raise the issues of the minimum wage and skills, but, largely, it has a lot to offer young people and our economy and I want to stick up for it.

I discovered some of that during virtual meetings that were held during the pandemic while doing my bit to engage with the sector. With Brexit, the pandemic and now the acute cost of living crisis, it is a truism to say that many businesses have gone to the wall and many more will do so if they do not get the help that they deserve.

If we do not act to support the industry in its time of need, the consequences will be dire. We have heard that from many businesses and on many other issues, including the energy issue. I am sure that the minister has heard thousands of examples of energy bills going up in the region of £500 to £1,500 pounds, and that is not even the end of the story.

The Glasgow region, which I represent, is dependent on the hospitality sector, which is one of the reasons why I have taken a strong interest in the issue, but some Government decisions are making matters worse and it does not need to be this way. Take, for instance, the introduction of the low-emission zone in Glasgow, which the council refuses to delay despite the huge impact that it will have on an already beleaguered taxi trade. I have called for a year’s delay because, without a strong taxi trade and strong public transport, there will be a huge impact on Glasgow’s hospitality sector. I see that all the time. When I go out at different times of the day in Glasgow, I can see visibly that the patterns of socialising are changing. That is possibly because people cannot get home by either public transport or taxi. It makes sense to make decisions that are coherent in some way. That is what concerns me, and I want to continue on that theme.

The relationship with tourism is also critically important to hospitality. If visitors do not come to our cities, people are going to lose business as a result. I have had this conversation with the minister before, and he knows my concerns about support for Glasgow airport, which, at this time, is critically important to getting people to come into the city.

Like other members—Maurice Golden, in particular—I think that the Government still does not fully appreciate the impact that the deposit return scheme will have on every business. One small distiller in Linlithgow said that it will cost it around £21,000 to comply with the legislation, and other suppliers are saying that they will have no choice but to put their prices up, so there will be an impact on the consumer. It seems extraordinary that the Government is not listening to that, regardless of where we want to be in five or 10 years’ time. Given the cost of living crisis and the other impacts on businesses, it seems extraordinary to me, in terms of an economic strategy, not to listen to businesses that are concerned about the scheme.

Of course, the issues that I have already mentioned are not the only ones that impact on the hospitality sector. As Craig Hoy said, the consultation on restricting alcohol advertising promotion will have an impact if we do not do it properly. I want it to be understood that Scottish Labour believes that action is needed to address the growing alcohol-related crisis, but we need to do that in a sensible way. However, the evidence seems to be that the way that the Government is choosing to do that at the moment will hurt the same businesses that we have already said will be hurt by those other policies.

For what it is worth, I am doing my bit. I put on record again my thanks to Ivan McKee for engaging with the business sector in the small group that I put together. Among the things that we want to discuss is the issue of how the UK Government and the Scottish Government can work together, where possible, to do things to help this industry. Christine Grahame has talked about the rates issue. I want to talk about whether a reduction in VAT in the short term would help. I know that that is a UK Government responsibility, but we need to have joined-up thinking here. If something does not give and we keep piling on duties, responsibilities, schemes and legislative changes without implementing positive schemes to support the industry, I am afraid that the situation will be a disaster. I am not going to keep quiet about that.

A report published by the Scottish Government this month looked into the experience of families who have fallen victim to domestic abuse. Female victims of domestic abuse told interviewers of their harrowing experiences in the courtroom, with their abusers exhibiting intimidating and threatening behaviour towards them before and during the trial. In one case that I know of, a complainer of rape alleges that her abuser’s solicitor turned to the galleries and pointed at her during sentencing. Does the minister believe that there should be clear protocols for behaviour in courtrooms that should be enforced, and clear ways to complain about any incidents?

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the Scottish Prison Service regarding the lifting of all Covid-19-related restrictions in prisons. (S6O-01927)

I raised the question because, in November 2022, His Majesty’s chief inspector of prisons in Scotland, Wendy Sinclair-Gieben, noted in an annual report that there was no reason why prisons could not return to regimes at least as open as they were before the pandemic.

I know that the minister supports the view that that is particularly important in relation to routine access to fresh air. Today, the Scottish Prison Service website still refers to a transition plan from July 2022 that was due to be reviewed in October 2022. No statement has since been made about lifting all the restrictions, and there is no way of knowing which regimes have remained and which have reverted to pre-pandemic status. In the interest of transparency and in view of human rights concerns, does the minister agree that it is time for the Scottish Prison Service to make absolutely clear when it plans to lift all restrictions?

So, you were not aware that women’s groups were not consulted? I am not trying to give you a trick question.

I do, in a minute. I am really just trying to get some clarity. That is all that I am trying to do.

In balancing the rights of everyone—and I note what you have said about the importance of balancing the rights of trans people—would you agree that Rhona Hotchkiss is not talking about the possibility that women might be at risk, but that she is saying that the privacy and dignity of women in prisons are also important?

Can you be clear with me?