Chamber and committees

There is no doubt that Scotland’s prisons are under immense pressure. Once again, our prison population has reached a record level and, as we have heard, it is circa 800 over capacity and heading upwards. That should concern us because of the impact on prison staff, who are working under increasingly difficult circumstances, and because of the impact on prisoners, many of whom are not getting the support and rehabilitation that they need. Most of all, it should concern us because of what it says about the ability of our justice system to deliver effectively for the people of Scotland and to keep them safe.

Public confidence in our justice system matters, yet the evidence suggests that confidence remains stubbornly low. Many Scots do not believe that the sentence fits the crime or that cases are dealt with quickly enough and, despite years of reform and investment, public attitudes towards the justice system have changed little in the past decade. Three quarters of Scots say that they know only a little or nothing about how our criminal justice system operates, and only about a third believe that the system delivers sentences that fit the crime. At the same time, people can see that our prisons are overcrowded. They see the headlines about emergency measures and early release schemes—they see a system that appears to be under strain. If the public are not confident that those who should be in prison are in prison and are serving the sentences handed down by the courts, it becomes much harder to build confidence in the wider justice system.

That matters because public confidence is essential if we are to secure support for the changes that many experts believe are necessary and which most of us here agree should be made. As others have said, community justice has an important role to play. It is often far more effective in reducing reoffending and, in many cases, it delivers better outcomes than short-term imprisonment. In conversations that I have had with local police, they have referred to something that my colleague Pauline McNeill spoke about: a revolving door of people going to prison, getting out and reoffending. We have to break that cycle.

However, those arguments will carry weight only if the public have confidence that alternatives to custody are robust, effective and properly enforced and funded. I welcome the fact that the Government’s motion recognises the complexity of the changes and makes a commitment to community justice. However, as Scottish Labour’s amendment makes clear, we need greater urgency; we need a clearer understanding of why existing efforts to reduce reoffending and support rehabilitation are not delivering; and we need to look at how we can make progress.

We need a credible plan to address overcrowding in a way that protects public safety and restores confidence in the system. It is clear from the debate that the status quo is not working. For too long, confidence in our justice system has remained stagnant, while pressures in our prisons have continued to grow. The question is about not simply prisoner numbers but public safety, public confidence and public trust. If we are serious about strengthening Scotland’s justice system, the Government must do more, with greater urgency.

15:35

To ask the Scottish Government what specific support it plans to provide to primary and special schools to enable the delivery of universal breakfast clubs. (S7O-00117)

The United Kingdom Labour Government is rolling out breakfast clubs at pace and is ensuring that primary schools are offered expert support and advice on how clubs can be delivered in a stigma-free way for the children who need them most. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Will the Government commit to engaging with the UK Government and learning from its roll-out to ensure that, in Scotland, we have access to the best possible practice and expert advice?

In its manifesto, the Scottish National Party promised reforms to non-domestic rates that would ensure that

“online giants … pay their fair share”.

Today’s statement does not point towards the fundamental changes that would be necessary to do that. How will the Government ensure that that promise will be delivered?

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I could not connect to the digital voting platform. I would have voted yes.

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress it has made towards reducing the number of teachers on short-term or temporary contracts. (S7O-00065)

I thank Jenny Young for securing the debate.

I remember hearing the news about Jo’s death as I was driving home from work. At that point, I was not involved in politics. It seemed an unspeakably shocking thing to have happened here, in a democratic country. She was killed while doing her job, meeting constituents who needed her help on the streets of the community that she represented. Jo’s murder shocked the Labour family and the nation. I never met Jo, but her legacy and the determination of her friends and colleagues to honour her memory helped to propel me here today.

Jo was a passionate feminist who worked tirelessly to maximise women’s voices in politics and public life. As Jenny Young mentioned, she was elected chair of the Labour Women’s Network, leading the organisation from 2011 until she became an MP in 2015. Following her death, the Jo Cox women in leadership programme was established to continue that work by investing in a generation of Labour women to ensure that they had the skills, the confidence and the network to become leaders and to support others in doing the same. In 2018, I was fortunate to become part of cohort 2 of the programme.

The programme’s influence extends far beyond elected office. Jo Cox graduates are encouraged not only to seek leadership roles themselves but to support and mentor other women, which reflects Jo’s belief in collective leadership and opening doors for others. The programme gave me practical skills and helped me to think about what kind of feminist I wanted to be. Most importantly, it gave me a group of friends who were determined to hold me up and push me onwards. Nineteen graduates have gone on to become MPs, and two graduates are now MSPs: Carol Mochan and me. Others have taken up leadership roles in trade unions, charities, public services and community organisations.

However, the programme’s greatest achievement is not the positions that its graduates hold but the community that it has created: an army of feminists working for equality, supporting one another to succeed and never knowing our place. As graduates, we carry around in our heads the voice of the legendary Nan Sloane, the Labour Women’s Network’s training lead:

“Get in the room, take up the space, take politics seriously and never apologise for yourself.”

I promise Nan that I am trying.

We are making progress, and this is a legacy that we should all be proud of. However, sadly, a decade after Jo’s death, we continue to live in a world that often feels angrier, more divided and more polarised. It is worth stating that that is why remembering Jo really matters.

As I said, I never met Jo, but I believe that the best way to honour her memory is to stand against hatred, to reject those who seek to divide us and to do the hard work of always trying to find what we have in common. At times, in this place, that may feel hard, but it is a legacy worth carrying forward.

18:03

Teaching unions have raised concerns that the way in which local authorities advertise temporary contracts is making work difficult to access for some teachers, by creating an inequality for those with caring responsibilities and those who are unable to check their phones because they are working.

The advertising sites are not collecting data that would highlight the scale of the issue. Will the cabinet secretary commit to looking into ways to collect that data to ensure that all teachers have equal access to work?

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its policy providing 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare, what action it is taking to address any parental concerns about flexibility and choice. (S7O-00056)

One of my constituents in Danderhall has got in touch about their difficulty in securing a funded place that is convenient for their working and living arrangements. The only option that is available to them would mean crossing the infamous Sheriffhall roundabout four times a day. My constituent needs a solution now, not in years to come. Can the minister reassure my constituent that action will be taken now to resolve the inflexibility in the current system and that it will not wait until ELC is expanded further?