Chamber and committees

Good morning. As we come out of the pandemic, I am interested in the reform process and the use of technology that we have already. People have adopted the NHS Near Me service, which means that they can engage remotely with their doctor, whether that is a respiratory doctor, a GP or whomever. I assume that it will be part of the renewal and reform process to continue to use the technology and innovations that have already been developed, in order to support people to engage with their GP and their other doctors in the way that they choose.

Long Covid networking will take place virtually with clinicians and professionals. We are not necessarily talking about bricks and mortar clinics or spaces; we are also looking at virtual engagement, as is happening in England. Is that part of how we will support people?

Across the country, we have urban and rural and remote areas, as well as islands. We have a different geography so, when it comes to supporting people, we cannae just lift and shift a model that might be used elsewhere, although I suppose that we can learn from what is being done in France, Belgium and Germany as well.

Thank you.

Does the minister prefer cheese, beer or ice cream?

I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate. I congratulate Michelle Thomson on securing it and on setting out so clearly the issues and the challenges facing women in business. It has been good to hear everybody else’s contributions so far.

I will focus my contribution on welcoming the positive steps that have been made to support women in business and on congratulating fantastic and inspirational women in business across the South Scotland region.

The business landscape is changing in Scotland. Covid-19 pandemic aside, we are seeing that attitudes to traditional ways of doing business are changing and there is evidence to suggest that women are playing a large role in shaping the future of business. Research suggests—this is a powerful statistic—that if the level of female ownership of businesses in Scotland matched the level of male ownership, the size of our economy would increase by 5 per cent, which equates to £7.6 billion. That is another £7.6 billion if more women-owned businesses in our economy. Enabling more women into business is good not just for women; it will make us all more prosperous.

Scotland is making huge progress in achieving that objective. Recently, PWC published its “Women in Work Index 2022” and the good news from that report is that it ranks Scotland as one of the best places in the UK for workplace gender equality. One reason is that Scotland’s gender pay gap is at an all-time low. Last year, for full-time employees it was 5.7 per cent. That is significantly lower than across the UK as a whole, where it is 8.6 per cent. However, the pay gap for all employees, regardless of gender and including part-time work, is much bigger at 15 per cent, although it is declining and it is lower in Scotland than in other parts of the UK. This is largely down to the close partnership working between the Scottish Government, private business and the third sector, such as through the Scottish Government’s women in enterprise framework and fund. That is welcome, and I ask the minister for a commitment that initiatives like this will continue to be available to help women excel and to tackle the barriers that face women in business.

Across Dumfries and Galloway, inspirational women are excelling in business, particularly small business. Dumfries and Galloway has been identified as a female entrepreneurship hotspot in a new analysis from the Federation of Small Businesses. Official figures show that 10.4 per cent of working-age women in Dumfries and Galloway are self-employed—the second highest rate in the country, behind only Moray. Sandra Patterson, a Stranraer-based business owner, Women’s Enterprise Scotland ambassador and FSB member, said:

“It is great to see my part of the country high on the women in business league table.”

Across the region, we have the Dumfries and Galloway Dairy Women Network, which is open to women involved in dairy and the wider agricultural sector. The network promotes discussion, learning, engagement—and nurturing. It is a bit of a spinoff from the extremely successful Women in Agriculture, which is supported by Scottish Government funding. Dumfries and Galloway also boasts Roan’s Dairy, which is managed and led by Aylett and Tracey Roan. They have gone from strength to strength, providing milk from the dairy herds, employing local workers, and creating the Udder Bar, which is an alternative to selling booze that serves delicious milkshakes at local agriculture events and, pre-pandemic, at the Royal Highland Show. The Ethical Dairy produces sought-after cheeses and ice cream and is managed by an excellent role model, Wilma Finlay.

So much business diversity is seen across Dumfries and Galloway and even in other parts of my South Scotland region. In Eyemouth, Hazel Smith founded ReTweed, which is an award winning social enterprise. There are so many more. Joanne Heard started the Galloway Soup Company from a farmers market stall and now has a successful cafe and shop in Dalbeattie. We have got so many: Fiona McElrea; Lorraine Galloway of Wigtown Wigwams; Lynne Atkinson at the Whitehouse Gallery; Suzanne Thorpe of the Star restaurant in Twynholm.

There is a fair wheen of fantastic and inspirational women in business across the region and I want to thank them all for being role models to other women and for their contribution to our economy and our country.

Apologies, convener—my internet dropped there.

I want to ask about the impact of Covid on meeting the 13 strategic objectives. We cannot just forget two and a half years of the pandemic and the impact that it has probably had on everybody’s lives. Going back to Edward Mountain’s point about mental health professionals, I know from evidence taken by the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee that digital connectivity supported engagement with mental health services, although we cannot forget the importance of face-to-face appointments, too. How has Covid-19 impacted on island communities and the progress towards meeting the plan’s 13 strategic objectives?

Does the plan need to be slightly revised or renewed to acknowledge the Covid pandemic? After all, as you said in your opening statement, it was launched 12 weeks before the pandemic. Does the plan need to be tweaked at all to make people aware that, although there has been an impact, progress has been made in certain areas?

There is a comprehensive document on the islands of the European Union, which talks about the state of play and future challenges. How do we work with our European neighbours now that we are not in the European Union? Some comprehensive planning and work have been taken forward to consider equivalent issues—[Inaudible.]

I will pick on the digital questions that colleagues have asked. I read on the Scottish Government’s website that the programme is implementing £600 million to support the R100 roll-out. We have already talked about hot-desking and hub models, and I know that those models are already part of what is happening not only on the islands but in other remote and rural areas such as Dumfries and Galloway.

Are you confident that the digital infrastructure that we need will support people to work from home or hub, whether they work that way part time or completely, as has been described? How confident are you that we will have roll-out for the islands for better connectivity digitally?