Chamber and committees

I know exactly what Russell Findlay is trying to do and the reasons behind it, and I am sympathetic to that, but I am a bit concerned. What if that officer turns out to be innocent? Would they have a right of appeal?

I agree with Russell Findlay that body-worn cameras will transform the police, and I fully support them. However, I do not think that this is the right bill for the amendment. The amendment would be entirely out of place in the bill, so I cannot support it. As I said, it is not that I do not support the use of such cameras, but the amendment has come completely out of the blue, and it should not be in this bill.

I am a bit concerned about amendment 52, which is linked to amendments 13 and 55. It appears to me that amendment 52 would provide an open-ended time period for misconduct proceedings. The time that is taken in misconduct proceedings is one of the major factors that we are trying to address in the bill. Would your proposal represent a risk in relation to the European convention on human rights? Would it have a disproportionate impact on more minor cases, such as those involving driving offences? Fulton MacGregor mentioned the possible consequences for criminal cases. Have you thought about the fact that what you propose might hold everything up?

It is clear that vetting procedures need to be strengthened, and that is what the amendments are trying to do.

Going back to Russell Findlay’s comments, I am a bit confused about the Scottish Police Federation’s concerns; I did not take that part of it in. Why is the federation so against the amendments? A few times, you used the words “could” and “would”, but we cannot address hypothetical situations.

Today’s announcement is yet another example of the SNP Scottish Government’s determination to do all that it can, within the powers that it has, to deliver for the people of Scotland. Will the minister elaborate on the detail of what was set out in his statement?

I am delighted to speak in the debate to celebrate Scottish women and girls in sport week, and I will focus my contribution on the huge leap forward that women and girls in Scotland have made in all areas of sport. I pay tribute to them for leading the way by being great role models and encouraging more women and girls to get active, and I applaud them for their incredible successes, which show that, as always, Scotland punches above its weight in competitive sport.

A great example of that is the fact that Celtic Football Club Women has just become the first Scottish team to qualify for the UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage—congratulations to them. Of course, Scotland’s women’s team have done us proud on the international stage time after time.

Those firsts are so important, given that—it is absolutely incredible to think about this—women were banned from playing football in Scotland until the 1970s. That senseless ban led the legendary Rose Reilly to leave Scotland for Italy, where she played for the Italian team and won the world cup in 1984. That is pretty impressive.

Rose Reilly was voted best player for AC Milan and went on to win a multitude of footballing awards. Incidentally, she was allowed to play for Celtic Boys Club—which had scouted her—but only if she cut her hair short and called herself Ross. That is absolutely staggering.

We have certainly come a long way, although progress is needed in tackling the gender pay gap for players. Women’s football now has a huge fan base and generates ever-increasing crowds at matches.

I want to tell members about a remarkable wee girl who lives in the east end of Glasgow. Mirrin Kennedy, who is just nine years old, was scouted by Heart of Midlothian Women Football Club just before the summer, after the club saw her play in her regional team, Finnart Girls. She now plays in the Hearts development squad, which is the first step on the pathway to the next generation of players. Young Mirrin is certainly in demand—Celtic FC Women is interested in her and she is also currently training with Kilmarnock FC Women.

All that is remarkable in itself; members will find it even more so when I inform them that Mirrin suffers from cystic fibrosis. Thankfully, she has made great progress on the Kaftrio medication and her lung function is presently normal. Nothing can stop that wee inspiration. In my view, she is the embodiment of #SheCanSheWill. At the tender age of nine, she is a star already. Her mum Ashley, her dad Robert and the wider family are beyond proud of her, as, I am sure, the whole of Scotland is. Her determination not to be held back against all odds by her condition must be an inspiration to girls from all backgrounds.

Taking part in sport has so many benefits for women and girls, both for their mental and their physical health. I was not particularly sporty at school, but I loved netball. I still remember the excitement of playing against other schools and the thrill of winning a match. I understand that sportscotland has introduced walking netball, which might be more suited to my capabilities these days.

The Scottish National Party Scottish Government is working to increase women’s and girls’ participation in sport by progressing the commitment to double investment in sport and active living to £100 million by the end of this session of Parliament.

Across all 32 local authorities in the past year, more than 129,000 girls and young women made more than 2.1 million visits to active schools sessions, with netball, football and multisport sessions proving the most popular.

Fit for girls is a national programme developed in partnership by sportscotland and the Youth Sport Trust, and the young ambassadors initiative is a key element of sportscotland’s contribution to developing young people as leaders in sport. Each year, two pupils from every secondary school are chosen as young ambassadors to promote sport and to motivate and inspire other young people to get involved in sport in their schools, clubs and local communities. Teenage girls consistently make up more than half of all young ambassadors. That is hugely encouraging.

Women and girls in Scotland are leading the way on a range of sports, from football and rugby to netball and boxing and so much more. They are punching above their weight, and long may that continue.

I welcome the legislative proposals in the Criminal Justice Modernisation and Abusive Domestic Behaviour Reviews (Scotland) Bill, which was introduced this week, that can help to prevent domestic violence. However, does the First Minister agree that it is only by changing social attitudes and specific behaviours of those who perpetrate domestic violence, the vast majority of whom are men, that we will truly see a difference in reducing domestic and gender-based violence?

I thank all colleagues from across the chamber who signed my motion, which has allowed me to hold this important debate during international fetal alcohol spectrum disorder awareness month. This is the third debate on FASD that I have held in the chamber in the past five years. Once again, I am delighted to be able to raise awareness and to highlight the sterling work of clinicians and researchers.

Around 200,000 people in Scotland—3.2 per cent of our population—have FASD, although that is probably a dramatic underestimate, because FASD is the most common neurodevelopmental problem and it is chronically underdiagnosed. Amazingly, only around 1 per cent of people have ever been formally diagnosed and properly supported.

FASD is a birth defect; it is not acquired later in life. It is a lifelong, incurable neurodevelopmental condition that is caused by exposure to alcohol in the womb. The only way to avoid it is for pregnant women to abstain from alcohol.

Dr Jonathan Sher, senior fellow of the Queen’s Nursing Institute of Scotland, has devoted much of his clinical career to research on and the prevention of FASD in Scotland and internationally. I first heard him speak more than a decade ago when I was involved in the children’s hearings system in the east end of Glasgow. That speech made a great impression on me, and it explained many questions that I had about the multiple and recurring issues that were experienced by children who attended the panel.

The condition was first identified in the 1970s and was referred to as fetal alcohol syndrome. At the time, it was identified by distinctive facial characteristics, but it has since been learned that people with certain facial features account for only approximately 10 per cent of those who have FASD—90 per cent cannot be identified by their facial features.

What is known is that 100 per cent of people with FASD have problems relating to three things: an inability to plan, an inability to learn from experience and an inability to control impulses. Those can lead to addiction, mental ill health, suicidality and involvement in the justice system.

I am convener of the women, families and justice cross-party group, which was privileged to have Dr Sher present at a recent meeting. He explained that, with the right support and, crucially, early diagnosis, people can reach their potential and achieve their life goals.

I would also like to mention the former chief inspector of prisons, Wendy Sinclair-Gieben, who has considerable expertise in this field. She previously worked in Canada as a teacher, where FASD was recognised as a problem, particularly among the Inuit, who were introduced to alcohol by people who were not native to Canada. At the meeting, Wendy spoke of her experience in Australia, where the prison population included a high number of people with FASD. The problem was diagnosis, and that is the problem here, too.

The Scottish Government takes the subject very seriously. The FASD hub Scotland does excellent work in supporting people with FASD, their families and the professionals who work with them. Diagnostic training for practitioners is crucial in this field, as is alcohol producers’ responsibility in relation to prevention of the condition at the pre-conception stage. It is essential that clear written pregnancy warnings are provided on their products, not least to prevent the condition from happening. In my view, that is the most important factor, but there is an economic benefit of £1.4 million for each case of FASD that is prevented.

The Scottish Government’s “Alcohol Framework 2018: Preventing Harm” sets out a commitment to increase awareness of FASD and support improved diagnosis. In addition, the women’s health plan includes a commitment on pre-pregnancy planning. The right information must be available for people at the right time, including pre-conception. Information is published on NHS Inform and in the “Ready Steady Baby!” book, which provide the clear message, “No alcohol, no risk”, whether someone is pregnant or is trying to conceive.

The Government funds two key organisations to deliver the work that the FASD hub does through Adoption UK Scotland, as well as providing support, training and advice to professionals who work with people with FASD. In 2017, Adoption UK conducted a survey of nearly 3,000 adopters, and 70 per cent of respondents said that they were not warned that their child could be at risk of FASD when they adopted.

The Scottish Government also works with the fetal alcohol advisory support and training—FAAST—team at the University of Edinburgh, which, by delivering its diagnostic course to a number of medical professionals, has allowed them to gain the knowledge and skills that they need in order to support and diagnose people with FASD and to translate assessment findings into indications of what post-diagnostic support is needed.

In addition, this year, the Government has allocated £55.5 million to boards via the mental health outcomes framework to improve the quality and delivery of mental health and psychological services for everyone. Work is on-going with the national autism implementation team to develop services around support and diagnosis for neurodivergent adults, including people with FASD.

Progress has been made over the past 19 years, but it has not been made quickly enough, and we must do more. We need to bring about a cultural shift in drinking generally. It is important to say that, today, more young women who are trying to conceive, and expectant mothers, know that they should not drink. However, this is not about naming, blaming and shaming women. The point is that we need to take seriously prevention and pre-conception health education on preparing for pregnancy, which includes preventing FASD. We need early diagnosis and much-raised awareness of the condition. FASD is a preventable condition, and it is the responsibility of all of us, working together, to prevent it entirely.

Obviously, you will not go into details of the weight loss pills case, but would you have known about that from an individual saying that they have become ill by taking the pills or that they had experienced adverse effects?

Would that apply to medicines in general? People buy drugs online. Would that be the same sort of thing?