Chamber and committees

I have a very small supplementary to that. When we look at diversity, are we sometimes overburdening females by putting them on to more committees in order to get that gender representation? Is there anything more that we in the Scottish Parliament can learn from other places to ensure that we do not put pressure on females just to make up a gender-balanced committee?

Thank you.

As the world mourns His Holiness Pope Francis, I am honoured to have the opportunity to pay tribute to him here today. Pope Francis was a champion of compassion within the church. He was elected to the papacy at a time of huge challenges and controversy for the Catholic faith. Ultimately, however, his time was marked not by those difficulties but by the true love of humanity, with all its flaws and strengths, that he brought to his office.

Pope Francis stood for the downtrodden, the vulnerable, the poor and all those who, for a long time, were not sure whether they were really welcome in church. His accepting, generous spirit reached out to Catholics like me around the world. His famous words “Who am I to judge?” marked the start of a shift in how the Catholic church approached homosexuality, but they also perfectly captured Pope Francis’s humility and compassion for others. That message meant so much to me, as a gay woman, and many others.

However, Pope Francis was not just a champion for those of Catholic faith. His message was one of acceptance and solidarity between people of all faiths. Right up until the final days of his life, he was preaching that message of acceptance and peace and praying for an end to conflicts around the globe, including in his Easter blessing on Sunday, just the day before his death. Although he was not able to deliver his full blessing himself, he still appeared in Rome to wish us all a happy Easter just two days ago, showing astounding dedication to public service even when gravely ill. He demonstrated how all of us can continue to make a difference right until the end, and he left us with the words

“May the principle of humanity never fail to be the hallmark of our daily actions”,

reminding us of the value of every human life and the importance of loving our neighbour.

Pope Francis was a pope who reached out to people across the world, who gave the church a human face and personal touch, and who focused on humanity as well as divinity. His passing will be mourned for a long time by those of many different faiths, but his legacy can be celebrated as one of compassion and peace.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I do not know whether my vote went through. The screen disappeared. I would have voted yes.

Good morning, everyone. We have touched on the public perception of committees, and I think that Brian Taylor hit the nail on the head when he said that things have to be interesting to people at a certain moment in time. Do you think that the public’s expectation of us is more of a reactive thing?

Marc Geddes talked about the importance of getting out there and seeing people. I have been on committees for the past nine years and I have seen the same people sitting in the same place in the same evidence sessions. Another four years go by and we get them back in. How can we say to the public, “This is what we’re doing,” and include them in the discussion more effectively? The Parliament’s outreach department has done a lot of work, but I still think that we miss that.

If no one else wants to come in, I will move to my next question. We have talked about the media. How do we, as committee structures in the Parliament, encourage the media to come in and see what we are doing? How do we use social media better?

Before I got elected, I did not know what the committees in the Parliament do. I would not have known whether they were part of the Government or the Parliament or what their actual role was. Now that I am here, I understand that role.

Another important point is that, if you are passionate about something, you will put more effort into it, and you will focus a lot of your efforts on the committee that you are on at the time. However, if—as Rona Mackay said—we are just put on a committee, how can we get over to the public the fact that we are passionate about the role of that committee?

To ask the Scottish Government what community safety measures it plans to prevent antisocial behaviour, including improper needle disposal, in the area surrounding the Thistle drug consumption facility. (S6O-04451)

Approximately two weeks ago, discarded needles and burnt spoons were discovered in a car park across from the Thistle drug consumption facility. Local community representatives have raised serious concerns about the facility’s impact and, in particular, about the risk of children coming into contact with discarded syringes. The finding of that material contradicts official statements, which have downplayed the issue of drug-related litter.

Will the minister clarify how the Government intends to address those reports and outline its plan to maintain a safe environment for residents and visitors? I have seen the situation at first hand, and it is not getting any better in the places that I have visited.

I appreciate everything that is being done, but we need to move faster. You have referred to figures for 2022-23, but we are not seeing the evidence of people moving through the system. I would like your reassurance that we are monitoring the situation and looking at how many individuals we are supporting and helping through the process.

We are beginning to see what happens when the Scottish Government sets ambitious targets for the climate without any concrete plan for how to achieve those goals.

Last year, the Scottish Government ditched its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75 per cent by 2030, and, in January, Audit Scotland said that the Scottish Government is unlikely to meet its 2030 target to reduce car use by 20 per cent, due to a lack of leadership. It has now been reported that environmental consultancy Ricardo-AEA has told the Scottish Government that its 2045 net zero target is at risk of being missed. Can the minister assure the Parliament that the Government’s failure to keep the 2045 target on track will not lead to higher net zero costs being imposed on Scottish households?