Chamber and committees

Emma Harper has a brief supplementary question.

I remind members that I am employed as a bank nurse by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

I note that around 10 patients have been identified as being potentially impacted by the work of the radiologist. This will undoubtedly be a troubling and worrying time for those individuals and their loved ones. Can the cabinet secretary assure those who have been affected that they will be contacted timeously by NHS boards and supported during this potentially distressing time?

Violence against women and girls is a blight on our society. It is a consequence of gender inequality and the misogyny that permeates all our lives.

I begin by thanking Zero Tolerance Scotland for sharing some research ahead of the debate, as well as for its year-round work. Zero Tolerance says that girls and young women are facing a

“daily assault of misogyny”,

while boys and young men

“face the pressure of unhealthy masculinity”,

and it warns that extreme misogyny is resurging, with attitudes that seek to justify and incite violence finding a home on the internet.

Online communities and so-called influencers create content that is targeted specifically towards boys and young men, peddling extreme misogynistic views that can then creep into other online and offline discourse. Last year, 83 per cent of secondary school teachers said that they were worried that those attitudes and beliefs were having a direct and negative impact on pupils’ behaviour, which is obviously extremely concerning.

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts has a global flagship campaign to end violence against girls and women, for which it should be commended. During a recent visit to the annual review of Girlguiding West Lanarkshire, which covers part of my Rutherglen constituency, I was honoured to become a Girlguiding ambassador. That role encompasses recognising the value of what Girlguiding does and promoting its opportunities for girls and young women.

Each year, girl guides and girl scouts around the world play their part in tackling violence against women and girls in their communities through advocacy, education, awareness raising, community action and research. At home, Girlguiding UK produces an annual girls’ attitudes survey. Now in its 16th year, the survey gives girls and young women a platform to speak out about the things that matter to them and, importantly, asks about the challenges that they face today. This year, Girlguiding also produced a manifesto called “For all girls” ahead of the general election.

Some of the statistics from that work are sobering. Compared with 10 years ago, twice as many girls now report feeling unsafe due to sexism; 69 per cent of girls say that they hear “toxic” comments about women and girls at school; and 44 per cent say that they have heard comments at school that have made them feel afraid for their safety. The writers concluded that, because of the rise of sexism, online misogyny and gender-based violence, girls often do not feel safe.

The refreshed equally safe strategy, which was launched earlier this year, states that by challenging the misogyny and harmful attitudes that those young people report

“we pave the way for the effective dismantling of gender-based”

structures and attitudes that enable and support violence against women and girls.

Research shows us that education is a critical component in changing societal attitudes and reducing abuse. It can cover issues such as consent, healthy relationships, understanding signs of abusive behaviour and challenging gender stereotypes from an early age. The latest delivering equally safe fund impact report shows that the number of young people who are accessing sessions via grass-roots organisations is increasing, which is to be welcomed. However, it can still feel like, as a society, we have a very long way to go.

There is no doubt that this is challenging work. Misogyny must be challenged. Aggression and violence against women and girls is unacceptable, and we must all add our support and efforts to ensure that we have equally safe places for all women and girls. That is crucial if we are to achieve our shared aim of having a Scotland without violence, in any of its forms, against women and girls.

Glasgow City Council offers the option for community requests to be made online in relation to firework control zone consideration, yet South Lanarkshire Council has no information about the process on its website. Groups in my Rutherglen constituency are interested in learning more about making a community request. Will the minister shed more light on the process and encourage local authorities to share information locally on how to make community requests?

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with South Lanarkshire Council regarding potential firework control zones in the local authority area. (S6O-04072)

I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests, which states that I am employed as a bank nurse by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

I welcome the record-high NHS funding that the cabinet secretary announced today. We know that treatment close to home is preferred by many people and is preferable for many conditions. How will the budget enable more people to get the NHS care that they need in or close to their own home?

I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests. I am employed as a bank nurse by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

We can all agree that reform is crucial to ensuring that our NHS thrives. What steps is the Scottish Government taking to progress reform and improvements, and what engagement is under way with key stakeholders?

I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests. I hold a bank nurse contract with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

I welcome the figures that show that last year, Scotland had the highest uptake in flu jags from those aged 65-plus in the whole of the United Kingdom. Can the minister provide an update on how the Scottish Government is working to encourage our older population to receive those crucial vaccinations?

It is difficult to overstate the importance of our social care services. They are absolutely vital to individuals who receive care, their families, our communities and our society as a whole. Most of us will need the social care system at some point, for ourselves or a loved one, and I am extremely grateful for the commitment and compassion of the hundreds of thousands of paid and unpaid carers who support others.

Last week’s open letter from the disabled people’s movement criticises how the national care service has become a “political tug-of-war” and I agree that it is hindering crucial progress. However, many areas of the draft amendments have broad support across the chamber and across stakeholders—the devil is in the detail of others.

It is abundantly clear that the status quo cannot continue and that the social care system needs fundamental reform. Last week in the chamber, and yesterday in committee, the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport reiterated that point.

The conversations that the minister, her colleagues, and many of us will have had with constituents underline the reasons why change is necessary. They are around access to high-quality, consistent services where and when they are needed, and around ending a completely unacceptable postcode lottery and huge variation across the country. They are around oversight—this year, the Government has increased investment in social care by £1 billion, yet we have not seen the improvements that we would have hoped to see, and we must understand why. Governance and planning must change and must include people with lived experiences in a meaningful way.

Those conversations are also around valuing social care and the social care workforce, which is largely—more than 80 per cent—female, many of whom work part time. The minister reported last week that good progress is being made towards sectoral bargaining, which is a vital tool in tackling wider issues such as in-work poverty that have a disproportionate effect on women.

I will briefly touch on the issue of the UK Government’s changes to employer national insurance contributions, which could cost the sector £80 million each year. The minister has warned that that impact could be catastrophic, especially where systems are already precarious. That is not £80 million for one year—it is £80 million for every subsequent year.

I do not have time.

We should not forget, of course, that staffing in the sector continues to be deeply impacted by the on-going effects of Brexit, about which the UK Labour Government continues to bury its head in the sand. I have written to the chancellor to express my deep concerns regarding the national insurance changes, which seem to have stemmed from a lack of detailed modelling or any consultation on social care in Scotland. The sector must be exempted from that tax rise as a matter of urgency, and I urge those on the Labour benches to press that point with their UK colleagues.

I will finish with a quote from the open letter from the disabled people’s movement, which has been mentioned in the debate. It states:

“The Movement and its members, alongside the third sector and carers, have invested huge amounts of time, energy and emotion in trying to develop a truly participative and positive National Care Service; one which will value the user as well as the workforce; one which will be the envy of the UK and the world. This must not be wasted.”

Our social care system requires fundamental systemic change, and those changes and the human rights approach that they encompass need to be embedded deep in our legislation.