Chamber and committees

What is the cabinet secretary’s response to calls for a national smartphone ban across all school estates, a single national behaviour standard, clear lawful guidance based on biological sex and safeguarding policies that are no longer dictated by activist-driven disinformation?

The Court of Session’s ruling against Scottish Borders Council marks yet another legal failure to uphold long-standing protections for women and children, this time involving a primary school child. It exposes the broader pattern of public bodies disregarding the Equality Act 2010 and other regulations in place since 1967. The undue influence of activist lobby groups such as LGBT Youth Scotland has led to policies breaching single-sex safeguards. All such policies must now be withdrawn. Will public funding finally be withdrawn from organisations that are wrongly advising that gender self-identification is lawful in Scotland when it never has been?

We all owe For Women Scotland and the many people who supported them a huge debt of gratitude. One of them is in the public gallery with us today.

By contrast, this Parliament and this Government have let the women of Scotland down badly. They lectured us about tone, including again today, and patronised us while, at the same time, giving away women’s hard-won rights. This Parliament and this Government turned away as women’s reputations were being trashed and women were being suspended from or hounded out of their jobs simply for stating that sex is immutable, and they refused to listen when women were being harmed in single-sex spaces, services and sports. Politicians who did not stand up for women should hang their heads in shame.

How did this Parliament and this Government get it so wrong and let Scottish women down so badly? If I can contradict the cabinet secretary, I would say that there should be no more delay in acting on the judgment, because Scottish women have waited long enough.

You have been getting it wrong so consistently, and women have been patronised—

Norway, which is a country that is similar in size to Scotland, is a member of the European Free Trade Association, which gives it access to the European Economic Area. Norway thrives outside of the EU but inside the single market through controlling its own waters, managing its own resources and delivering prosperity for its people. Does the Scottish Government accept that Norway offers a viable model of European trade for an independent Scotland? What concrete steps is the Government taking to ensure that Scotland regains access to the single market?

To ask the Scottish Government whether its policy position in relation to an independent Scotland seeking to rejoin the European Union includes rejoining the common fisheries policy. (S6O-04519)

A culture of disrespect and violence is clearly developing across society—there is almost a dehumanisation of women and girls—so it is no surprise that we are seeing that more and more in our schools. It is clear that some of the Government’s policies and choices, both in wider society and in school grounds, are contributing negatively to promoting that negative culture. Will the Government realise its role and work towards improving the culture so that it upholds women’s boundaries and promotes respect for women and girls?

I extend the deep condolences of all in the Alba Party to the friends and family of Christina McKelvie at this very sad time.

To ask the First Minister, in light of reports of an escalation in gang-related violence in Edinburgh, with recent shootings in Niddrie and West Pilton, what immediate action can be taken to support the emergency services in ensuring the safety and reassurance of communities in the Edinburgh Eastern constituency. (S6F-03970)

The very serious concerns that were raised at the Scottish Police Federation conference over issues such as officer burnout and underresourcing leading to reactive policing must be urgently addressed to support our police, who, in turn, support our communities’ safety. Edinburgh residents have the right to reassurance from visible, proactive policing and the right to not be left at the risk of being caught up in gang warfare. Will the First Minister commit today to reviewing the allocation formula for police funding for Edinburgh and consider targeted support for policing in areas of rising gang activity?

I, too, congratulate Michael Matheson on bringing this critical issue to the chamber. I hope that the Government will allocate time for a fuller debate on the topic in the future.

Today’s debate should be not a formality but a crucial step in eradicating the criminal exploitation of children and in using our role for their protection. The decisions that are made in the chamber are key to creating an environment where the children of Scotland are free from abuse and protected from exploitation. We cannot explore solutions to tackling any form of child abuse without first acknowledging the elephant in the room, which is the systematic erosion of child safeguarding that has left children vulnerable to exploitation.

As other speakers have said, we must listen to Professor Jay, who has spent many years working to understand the consequences of child exploitation. The recommendations from her reports over several reviews must now be implemented with a sense of urgency.

We all have a role in preventing exploitation by ensuring that children are not just rescued from harm but equipped with the skills and support to prevent exploitation from taking place in the first place. Our job as decision makers cannot be to pour support for exploited children into a bucket when the bucket continues to have its safeguarding base completely eroded, because that is self-defeating.

I will take a minute to explore the mixed messages that we are sending to children and broader society regarding safeguarding, such as the language that is used around children’s sexual activity.

The law states that sex with a minor is statutory rape, but how many times do we see headlines discussing the lifestyle choices of abused children? In schools, we ask children under the age of consent about their sexual activity, thereby normalising what is against the sexual offences law that is there to protect children. Furthermore, we publicly fund lobby groups such as LGBT Youth Scotland, which has a remit to provide services to an extensive age range, from 13-year-old children to adults aged 25. However, responses to freedom of information requests have shown that it is working beyond its remit by accessing primary school children and even influencing materials in nursery schools. I ask the Government to respond to that point, if possible, during the minister’s summing-up speech.

Dr Cass was clear that affirmation is not a neutral act. However, what has changed to make materials Cass compliant throughout our education system, reflecting the accepted recommendations in Dr Cass’s report? What are the learning objectives and measured outcomes of teaching sex and gender identity to nursery children, many of whom are not even toilet trained? Children look to adults and older peers to make sense of their world. Nurseries and schools are a child’s first communities, independent of their parents and care givers. Those places have positional authority and have a key role in ensuring that safeguarding is embedded and understood.

If we are seeking to protect children from criminal exploitation, we must continue that important focus on child safeguarding and put it before any other adult-driven agenda.