Chamber and committees

Mòran taing—thank you, convener.

We have been given clear evidence on Gaelic and its use in Scotland. The Gaelic language has been spoken throughout Scotland for many centuries. It is not the only language of Scotland but is one of Scotland’s languages and should command equal respect with the other languages of our nation.

There are many economic benefits. The petitioner’s claim that there is no evidence for a desire to support the Gaelic language throughout Scotland is not backed up by the evidence. In my constituency in Ayrshire there is a Gaelic-medium primary school. Calls for such education are parent led—they do not come from the Government. Every party in the Parliament is committed to Gaelic and supports education, arts and broadcasting. As you said, convener, there are plans to introduce a languages bill in the current session. For all those reasons, I propose that we close the petition under rule 15.7 of standing orders.

Thank you—that is helpful.

I have one reflection from having previously been on the education committee. There are often calls for very specific things to be taught. That is not how our system works, which I guess also applies to the topic of relationships and sexual health. That is not something only for teachers to tell children about; it is a job for the whole community, or perhaps for families.

I suggest that we write to Education Scotland to ask how it is monitoring implementation of the current teaching resources. We might also want to hear from the Scottish Government on how the views of children and young people are taken on board and used to influence policy in this area. We probably also want to know when the public consultation will open and how it will be promoted to children and young people, and when the Government anticipates that the revised guidance will be in place.

I seem to recall that the education committee did some work in this area quite recently, although it might not have been that recently. Perhaps the clerks could find out. I realise that colleagues might wish to reach out to stakeholders, but I am keen that we do not duplicate work, so we should check on what has been happening in other areas.

What you have informed the committee of helpfully covers the main points that I was going to make, convener. I think that, in summary, two aspects of the petition are important and there are two reasons why we should keep it open.

The first aspect is around data. Obviously, public bodies have a duty to collect and use data appropriately. The second aspect is highlighted in the submission from Lesley Warrender and the submission from our colleague Michelle Thomson MSP, and that is about the centring of victims. Sometimes when we talk about data in such matters, it can all be a bit cold. At the centre of this issue are women who have been raped, and the consequences of some of the practices that are being spoken about here are, frankly, devastating for victims of that particular crime.

I suggest that the committee ask the Scottish Government for its consideration of the recent rulings of the inner house of the Court of Session and what implications they have for the recording practice of Police Scotland, the Crown Office and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service in relation to people who are charged or convicted of rape and attempted rape. The petitioner considers that the recent rulings of the inner house of the Court of Session place a duty on Police Scotland to collect data on biological sex in relation to people who are charged with rape or attempted rape. Can we ask the Scottish Government for its position on that?

Can we also ask whether the draft guidance on collecting data on sex and gender has been updated or finalised since it was published in December 2020, and whether there are plans to consider the potential need for further revision of the guidance following those recent rulings?

I would like us also to contact Police Scotland, the Crown Office and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service. As you stated, convener, we need to be clear about whether they have a clear and transparent policy relating to the data that they collect and the use that they put it to. Importantly, has that policy been equality impact assessed and is the equality impact assessment a public document? Have they defined in a clear statement how data is collected in relation to the sex of people who are charged or convicted of rape or attempted rape and how it is used?

This is a really important matter, on which we need to take more evidence. The availability of healthcare practitioners is an important issue. We probably also want an update on the commitment to embed medication-assisted treatment standards. Colleagues might also want to hear from the chair of the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce and, perhaps, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans.

I agree with the petitioner that the rights of people who are detained by the state are important. Certainly when it comes to healthcare, there seems to be a bit of a gap, which we need to explore.

Good morning, minister. I welcome your comments about community ownership and development, which is important. It came across that the petitioners felt pretty disenfranchised by some of what had gone on, so it is really good to hear you champion community involvement.

We have heard from you and from stakeholders that the biggest threats are from deer and non-native species. Will you say a little more about what progress the Government is making on modernising deer management legislation? What is the Government doing, through work with landowners, to prevent the spread of non-native species into woodland?

I will ask you a little bit more about mandatory reporting. We explored it before. The Scottish Government—these are its words, not mine—says:

“there is not a compelling case for the introduction of mandatory reporting in Scotland and previous evidence has suggested that there could be some significant unintended consequences for wider child protection issues.”

You gave the example of why the position for a child within your previous religious organisation would be different. Will you expand a little bit more on that and on why mandatory reporting would be helpful for a child in that situation?

Legislation would have to be brought forward, and I suppose that a member could do that. Given that the proposal is not in any manifesto and that the current Government is not intending to change the system, I think that we should close the petition.

I congratulate Clare Adamson on recognising the fair trade pledge and bringing this important issue to the chamber. I thank Gordon MacDonald for opening the debate.

My constituency of Cunninghame South sits within North Ayrshire. In 2014, through the hard work of the North Ayrshire Fairtrade zone group, supported by the local authority, North Ayrshire was recognised as a Fairtrade zone. I am pleased to say that that status has been awarded again this year, for the eighth year running. I take this opportunity to acknowledge the members of the North Ayrshire Fairtrade zone group, and I recognise the hard work and determination of everyone who has been involved in making that happen. Thank you.

When we discuss fair trade, people automatically think about products such as coffee, bananas and chocolate. However, it is not just about the products; it is about the people. Buying Fairtrade means rights for workers, safer working conditions and fairer pay, and consumers can pride themselves on buying high-quality, ethically produced goods.

However, despite the efforts of groups such as the North Ayrshire Fairtrade zone, a vast number of products continue to be grown or made by workers who are not treated fairly. Those workers often produce goods in dangerous conditions and are denied the same access to markets as other producers.

We are a nation of chocolate lovers: the United Kingdom chocolate market is worth billions of pounds, and demand is growing yearly. It leaves a bitter taste to learn that cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana live in abject poverty, with the Fairtrade Foundation reporting farmers earning as little as 75p per day—the same amount as one bar of chocolate that is sold here costs.

It is also reported that, as is often the case, women bear the greatest burden, having fewer rights than men. They not only work long hours in the cocoa fields to earn less than men; they are expected to look after their children and to manage extra tasks such as carrying water and household chores.

In today’s more informed and connected world, we cannot be ignorant of the truth. The fair trade pledge, along with Fairtrade fortnight, gives a stage for thousands of individuals, businesses and organisations across Scotland to come together and share the stories of the people who, like the cocoa farmers, work hard to produce goods but are exploited and underpaid, and to join together and reject those practices. I urge everyone to choose the world we want and to highlight the inequality and injustice that is felt by those people.

Education and awareness are powerful tools. It is important that, while we advocate for change, children develop their understanding of how fair trade benefits farmers and workers across the globe. A number of schools in my constituency are registered as Fairtrade schools. Secondary and primary pupils alike are striving to achieve awards, ranging from understanding how their school uses Fairtrade products to fully embedding fair trade into their daily school life and working to raise awareness of fair trade in their local community. I express my gratitude to the teachers in those schools, who have played key roles in informing the next generation of the benefits of fair trade, normalising equality and making lives better.

Buying Fairtrade is easy. There are more than 6,000 Fairtrade products. I encourage everyone to look for the Fairtrade mark when shopping. Choosing Fairtrade means standing with others for fairness and equality, allowing farmers to tackle poverty and build resilience to the climate crisis that we face.

Everyone can change the world for the better by businesses signing up to the fair trade pledge, consumers choosing to buy Fairtrade products and all of us educating our children to do the same.

Trafficking gangs are motivated purely by profit. To end their cruel trade, we must disrupt the market. When will the Scottish Government take action in that regard by making it a criminal offence to enable or profit from the prostitution of another person, ending male demand by criminalising paying for sex, so that Scotland will no longer be a place where such criminal gangs can operate in plain sight on so-called adult services websites?