Chamber and committees

I appreciate that I said that I would bring in both Amanda Lindsay and Collette Stevenson, but I think that that question requires a specific response. Before I bring in Vic Valentine to respond, I note that we need to be mindful that a bill covering England and Wales is already going through the UK Parliament and the First Minister has given a commitment to legislate in Scotland as part of the programme for government. I also appreciate that the minister has engaged with various organisations on the issue. Although the work has not been delegated to the committee yet, I expect that it will come to us, so we will be able to go into detail on it.

Amanda Lindsay made various points there, but I just wanted to set the scene in relation to our role as a committee. We will have an opportunity to delve into these questions, but I note that England and Wales are already going through the process, rather than there being debate about whether they should go through it.

Thank you all for outlining where you are at. On the comments about inquiries and the points that Vic Valentine made about the trans community and Susan Smith made about women coming to give evidence, it is important to make it clear that, as convener, I want to ensure that our committee is as inclusive as possible, that we can reach every aspect of society and that everybody can feel that they can have their voices heard, and that that happens in a way that is safe and assures people that their voices matter and that we are looking to the appropriate outcomes. It is fair to say that, across a range of organisations, people have said, “We have given up our time and energy, and have put ourselves in vulnerable positions, but for what purpose?” I want to put on the record that, as a committee, we are mindful of that.

I also want to put on the record the fact that I agree with the points that Carol Young raised about the deliberate fire raising. It is completely unacceptable. It is fair to say that members across the chamber, and many who are in the room today, have spoken about that. Yesterday, we had a debate on community cohesion, and Carol Mochan summed up that discussion very eloquently. We have to have those important conversations, and we have to raise those points at the highest level.

Many members are looking to come in. I will come to them, and I hope that we can dive into some of the areas a little bit more deeply.

Thank you for getting us started. On your final point, the question is how those duties can be embedded in the public sector, and I think that that is an area of exploration that the committee should be mindful of.

Holly, your hand went up, so I will bring you in now.

If they can be brief, please.

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the third meeting of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee. I also welcome the members of the public who are joining us.

We have received no apologies, but Meghan Gallacher will join us later. She has indicated that she is due to be at the Public Petitions Committee at some point this morning, but the timings are a little bit unsure.

Under agenda item 1, do members agree to take in private item 3, which is a review of this morning’s evidence, and item 4, which is consideration of our approach to pre-budget scrutiny?

Members indicated agreement.

Our next agenda item is the second of three round-table evidence sessions to explore key issues in the committee’s remit. Today, we will focus on issues related to equalities.

I make everyone aware that there will be text-to-speech reporting during the meeting for accessibility reasons, so I ask everyone to speak clearly and slowly and not to interrupt or talk over one other.

Before we move to questions, I think it is really important that we all introduce ourselves so that we know who we are talking to. I will begin, and we will then go round the table, starting on my right. I am the MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley and convener of the committee.

A couple of other witnesses are looking to come in, and I will then bring in committee members.

Before we do that, I said that I would go around the panel from left to right. I am conscious of time. If it is acceptable, I ask witnesses to set out what they would like us to discuss in one word and also to answer Meghan Gallacher’s question with one word. That would mean that we can hear from everyone on the panel.

Kate Nevens has indicated that she wishes to speak and we will answer her question. Are there any other questions from members before I give Kate the opportunity to come in?

Amanda Lindsay wants to come in. Please keep your question brief.

Thank you. Finally, I come to John Kirkpatrick.

We need to be mindful of our language and ensure that we are within our remit, because we are not here to talk about ideologies as such. We are talking about fundamental rights, and we need to be really respectful in that space.

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