Chamber and committees

It is a great privilege to speak in this debate.? As a member of the committee scrutinising the legislation, I can assure members that our process has been robust. As the convener has mentioned, we heard from a range of people and organisations with varying views about the bill.

I thank everyone who gave us evidence. Despite what we might sometimes see on social media, I am sure that all committee members will agree that the process was carried out in a very respectful manner. It is important that, as the convener has done, we pay tribute to the clerks for their amazing and tireless work on the bill. They really have been exceptional.?As the cabinet secretary has outlined, that thorough committee process complements the two consultations that the Scottish Government ran on the topic.

Why do we need the bill? We all know that trans men and women are among the most stigmatised people in our country and that many find the current system for obtaining a GRC to be intrusive and demeaning. There is no doubt that the committee heard that directly in what was, at times, very harrowing evidence.

The bill does not give trans people any new rights; nor does it change the Equality Act 2010. It simply makes the process of obtaining a GRC much simpler, less degrading and more humane for trans people.

People in that often stigmatised group already have poorer health outcomes than those in the general population, and hate crimes against trans people are increasing year on year. Those in that already marginalised group need their Parliament to stand up for them and we can do that by making a very small change that could impact greatly on their lives.? Therefore, it is perhaps obvious why all parties in this chamber have had a commitment in their manifesto at some point to change the GRA—indeed, many of us here stood on that commitment in the previous election. It is because we all have a core belief—every one of us here believes—in human rights, and trans rights are human rights.?

There has been a lot of talk about what the bill does and does not do. Despite the best intentions of individuals and organisations, misinformation can quickly circulate. The primary thing that the bill does is to remove the need for a gender recognition panel and a medical diagnosis.

I might come back to that, but I direct the member to the committee’s report, which is very detailed.

As I said, in our evidence, we heard quite widespread support for the removal of the need for a gender recognition panel and medical diagnosis. That support came from the Scottish Human Rights Commission, Rape Crisis Scotland, the Church of Scotland and many others. [Fulton MacGregor has corrected this contribution. See end of report.] The approach is also very much in line with the World Health Organization’s redefinition of gender identity-related health and it is in line with the approach that many other countries take, including Ireland, Norway and New Zealand.

The bill also reduces the period for which someone must live in their acquired gender from two years to three months. We had some concerns over the phrase “acquired gender”, but, ultimately—this might answer Ruth Maguire’s intervention—we found it difficult to find an alternative and accepted that the phrase had a legal basis. We also agreed by majority that the waiting period should be reduced, but we were not initially clear as to why a period of three months was selected. I welcome the Government’s response to us on that issue. The bill also lowers the age at which someone is eligible to apply for GRC from 18 to 16.

At col 87, paragraph 3—

Original text—

“As I said, in our evidence, we heard quite widespread support for the removal of the need for a gender recognition panel and medical diagnosis. That support came from the Scottish Human Rights Commission, Rape Crisis Scotland, the Church of Scotland and many others.”

Corrected text—

“As I said, in our evidence, we heard quite widespread support for the removal of the need for a gender recognition panel and medical diagnosis. That support came from the Scottish Human Rights Commission, Rape Crisis Scotland, Reverend Karen Hendry from the Church of Scotland and many others.”

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is regarding the impact on Scotland of the United Kingdom Government’s reported plans to withdraw the Bill of Rights Bill. (S6O-01430)

Will the minister outline what steps the Scottish Government is taking to ensure the protection of European Union, international and domestic human rights law in Scotland, as the right-wing UK Government, whether through the Bill of Rights Bill or its general approach to inequalities in the UK, continues to threaten them?

It is a great honour and privilege to speak in today’s debate, at the end of a historic period in our country’s history. As other members have done, I begin by passing on my heartfelt condolences to the royal family following the passing of Her Majesty.

The past week to 10 days has demonstrated the profound love that the people of Scotland have for the Queen and the love that she had for Scotland. Her devotion to public service throughout her 70-year reign—indeed her whole life—was unsurpassed in modern times and we really will never see her like again. In Scotland, she was respected by almost all—transcending all political differences, as we have witnessed here today and over the past week.

Descended from King James VI, Mary Queen of Scots and King Robert the Bruce, she really was Queen of Scots. The fact that she chose to spend her final days in Scotland and the way in which Scotland was presented to the world in the days after were very fitting indeed and a tribute to the relationship between the Queen and Scotland.

The Queen touched the hearts of many of my constituents in Coatbridge and Chryston, as she did the hearts of those elsewhere in the country. I understand that the Queen’s last visit to my constituency was to Coatbridge in 1953, at the beginning of her reign and during a busy post-coronation tour. Obviously, I was not born then and neither were my parents, but I know that many of my constituents remember the occasion fondly. Thousands lined the streets of Coatbridge to catch a glimpse of the royal party as they walked through the adjoining centres of Airdrie—in my good friend and colleague Neil Gray’s constituency—and Coatbridge. Thanks to the Lanarkshire Family History Society, I was able to find a copy of an article in my local newspaper, the Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser, that was published on 4 July 1953, which described the event as

“arousing scenes of enthusiasm unprecedented in the history of the two towns.”

That is a lovely image. I am sure that many members will have similar stories.

Over the past couple of days, I have had contact with a constituent, Christine McCrone, who although only a young child at the time, has a specially made handkerchief that was passed on by her grandmother, who was there that day. She sent me a picture of the handkerchief, which has stayed in her family these past 70 years. Again, that demonstrates just how much that event meant to many people locally.

I also managed to find some fantastic pictures that were taken in the village of Gartcosh in my constituency during the coronation—pipe bands played and parades and a cricket match took place to celebrate the event. That is another example of just how much the event was celebrated by local people.

May you rest in peace, Queen of Scots. I end with the words on the wee posters that my two sons have had printed out after talking about the events in school: farewell ma’am.

Given that the vast majority of displaced Ukrainian people who have come here are women and children, and given that many of them are being housed together in high-rise flats such as those in Coatbridge, in my constituency, what steps are being taken by the Scottish Government to ensure that that vulnerable group of people are being afforded the best security and support as they settle in Scotland?

Along the same lines as the previous question from Sarah Boyack, I note that it is important that people who come here get as much support as possible. Therefore, can the minister provide an update on the increased support that local charities in my constituency, Coatbridge and Chryston, are likely to receive in order to manage the increased workload that is associated with the arrival of people from Ukraine and with helping them to settle in the local community?

To ask the Scottish Government in what ways it will continue to ensure refugees arriving from Ukraine will be provided with adequate shelter and support on arrival in Scotland. (S6O-01338)

The cost to families of uniforms is specifically cited in the tackling child poverty delivery plan. How does the Scottish Government intend to raise awareness about the school uniform guidance consultation, which opened recently, and how it fits in and interacts with other investment that the Scottish Government is making to help to deliver the main aims of the plan?