Official Report 537KB pdf
Female Genital Mutilation
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that over 1,200 women have been treated for female genital mutilation in Glasgow in the past five years. (S6T-02780)
Female genital mutilation—FGM—is an abhorrent practice and it has been illegal in Scotland since 1985. The figure stated in The Herald does not represent the number of women who have been subjected to FGM in Glasgow; it reflects the number of women with FGM who have received treatment in the area.
Such figures show that FGM remains a concerning reality for many women and girls in Scotland. I am glad that medical professionals recognised the symptoms or that the women have had the confidence to come forward and seek the medical attention that they need. We continue to work closely with stakeholders to implement the Female Genital Mutilation (Protection and Guidance) (Scotland) Act 2020. That will strengthen the existing legislative framework to offer extra protection to women and girls who are at risk of FGM.
This Parliament unanimously passed the 2020 act five years ago, and I am dismayed that, five years on, it is still not in force and that these are the results that we are seeing. In five and a half years, 1,247 women have been treated and 57 deinfibulation surgeries have been carried out. There have already been seven surgeries in the first half of this year.
We are talking about real women, not statistics. Can the minister tell them why the 2020 act has still not been implemented?
I thank Annie Wells for that important question and for giving me the opportunity to reiterate my concern and agreement that we are talking about women and girls, not statistics.
I stress that the Government is resolute in its commitment to implementing the 2020 act. Successful implementation requires co-ordinated action from multiple stakeholders, including local authorities, health boards, justice agencies and specialist services. Those organisations need time to develop processes, train their staff and ensure that the resources are in place to meet their statutory duties. We are working closely with those partners to provide guidance and support, so that implementation is effective and sustainable.
Although I want the act to be implemented as soon as possible, we have to implement it in a way that is sustainable and that ensures that it can deliver protections for women and girls without placing unmanageable pressure on those who are responsible for delivering those protections.
The Scottish Government has had five years in which to implement the act, so I am afraid that that is not good enough. On the day of the vote on the bill, the Scottish National Party Government minister who was in charge of the bill said:
“I am confident that, if the Parliament votes to pass the bill today, we will be protecting more women and girls than we were yesterday”.—[Official Report, 19 March 2020; c 89.]
However, that has not happened. Who knows how many women may have avoided this traumatic experience if the act’s provisions had already come into law? I hope that the minister will commit today that the act will be implemented as soon as possible and that she will tell us what else the Government is doing to stop this barbaric practice once and for all.
The act will allow courts to impose new FGM protection orders to safeguard individuals. As of November 2025, the protection orders are now sitting with the courts. Officials sent over a civil court rules proposal paper to the Scottish Civil Justice Council, and we are waiting to hear when the paper will be considered by the council. Regarding criminal court rules, officials will send over a rules proposal paper to the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission in early 2026. A revised draft of the statutory guidance will be sent to relevant stakeholders such as specialist organisations, health and child protection colleagues and internal colleagues for review in December—so, this month.
I agree with Annie Wells that female genital mutilation is a completely barbaric practice. I welcome the Scottish Government’s continued work to understand the legal and technical changes that are required for the implementation of the FGM act. During this year’s 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, will the minister tell us a bit more about the measures that the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that legal protections against violence towards women and girls are strengthened?
I join my colleagues on the Government benches in stressing that the Government is resolute in its commitment to implementing the 2020 act. As I said, it requires a co-ordinated approach, and we are on track with the timeline that we set earlier this year. The first draft of the statutory guidance has been completed, civil court rule proposals have been submitted to the Scottish Civil Justice Council and we continue to work with stakeholders on all aspects of the implementation. I want to make sure that we can deliver the protections to women and girls that members have mentioned, and in the way that was intended, but without placing unmanageable pressure on those who are responsible.
It is very concerning that the legislation that was passed by the Parliament five years ago to give women and girls extra protection from genital mutilation remains unimplemented. That failure has directly impacted women and girls in Scotland, including the more than 1,200 who have been treated for genital mutilation in Glasgow over the past five years. Will the minister commit to meeting members from all the front benches, to discuss how we can ensure that the legislation’s implementation happens before the parliamentary session ends? Will she also accept that, if that is the timetable, it is completely unacceptable?
I am happy to meet any members who are interested in pursuing the issue at their convenience.
The figures from Glasgow alone are shocking—1,247 women were treated for FGM in just five and a half years, and there have been 57 deinfibulation surgeries, with seven more already having been carried out this year. Those figures apply to one health board only, but we know that women across Scotland are affected by the issue. Will the minister tell Parliament how many women have required FGM treatment nationally over the same period and whether the figure is increasing?
I am afraid that I do not have those figures to hand, but I will take the opportunity to reiterate that the article in The Herald misleadingly suggests that 1,200 women were subjected to FGM in Glasgow. That figure represents those who received treatment for FGM in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde between 2019 and June 2025. FGM is illegal in this country, so it is highly possible that the procedure was performed overseas.
National Timber Group (Administration)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the National Timber Group entering administration. (S6T-02782)
Ministers were very concerned to hear that the National Timber Group has gone into administration, particularly at this time of year, and my thoughts are, first, with the affected staff and their families. The administration has resulted in the closure of six outlets and 164 redundancies in Scotland. That has happened as part of the wider administration of a United Kingdom business that is based in Sheffield. It is important to note that the administrators have said publicly that they hope that they will be able to find a buyer for all or parts of the group, and the Scottish Government will keep a close eye on any news of a buyer for the group. Meanwhile, the Scottish Government’s partnership action for continuing employment—PACE—team is engaging with the administrators and affected employees to provide advice on skills and employability support.
A month before Christmas, 169 jobs have been lost in Scotland, including seven in my region. Losing seven jobs in my region is like losing 70 in the central belt.
It has been reported to me that staff were not informed—only the manager was emailed—ahead of being told to leave the site. The locks were changed, with personal belongings left behind. The site is now being guarded by 24-hour security. Referral to PACE has been cursory at best.
The employees deserve better. What discussions have taken place with the administrators about the future of the Newton Stewart site and other sites? Will the minister engage with the workforce representatives at the earliest opportunity to ensure that support is given? That does not appear to be a priority for the administrators.
I am very concerned to hear about the workplace reports that Emma Harper outlined. I assure her that discussions will be on-going with the administrators, and we will feed that into the next set of discussions, as she requests.
I fully understand Emma Harper’s concerns, and I reassure her that colleagues at PACE are working hard on the issue and are fully engaged with the administrators to offer support to former employees. That is happening. Individuals can also obtain support via the PACE website or a dedicated helpline.
As I said, my understanding is that the administrators are also in discussion with potential buyers, so there is a chance that the companies that make up the National Timber Group can be saved.
I am pleased to hear that PACE is involved.
The National Timber Group is the United Kingdom’s largest independent timber distribution and processing group, and it is a leading supplier to house builders, joiners and contractors. Does the minister share my concerns about the potential wider impact on the supply chain and the construction industry in Scotland? Will the Scottish Government engage to ensure that the business will work constructively and collaboratively on the next steps?
I am happy to keep the member up to date as we go forward.
On the background, of the 13 outlets that closed in recent days, six are in Scotland. They are located in Dumbarton, Forfar, Newton Stewart, Stirling, Hawkhill in Edinburgh and Anniesland in Glasgow.
Scottish Forestry officials in the Scottish Government are engaging with the Scottish forest and wood-based industries leadership group to get a fuller understanding of National Timber Group suppliers and the potential wider impact, as was mentioned by Emma Harper. I am happy to keep her up to date with that.
Private Residential Childcare (Public Contracts)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports that private residential childcare providers are making an estimated £10 million a year in profit from publicly funded contracts. (S6T-02777)
There is no place for profiting in how Scotland cares for its children, which is why we are legislating to limit the ability to generate and retain profit from providing residential care. The provisions in the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill strike a balance between reducing excessive profit in residential childcare and ensuring that vital services for children are maintained. If the bill is passed by Parliament, it will accelerate progress towards ensuring that all children and young people receive the compassionate and considerate care that they need throughout their care journey, so that they grow up loved, safe and respected.
It was revealed last year that local authorities gave £200 million to private companies between 2020 and 2023 to provide residential care for children and young people. That money was being used to pay for senior executives’ earnings of more than £750,000 a year—public money has been used to pay for those earnings. Was that an appropriate use of taxpayers’ money? What action will the minister commit to today to address the matter?
Some of the figures that have been highlighted are shocking, but we will need to look into them further. Mr Whitfield’s question and the Common Weal report are very important in highlighting the concerns that have led to the provisions in the bill. I have heard a fair amount of concern about the provisions, but we need to be clear about why we are doing this: there should be no profiteering from the care of children.
It is very important that we understand levels of reinvestment and where profit is being spent appropriately. That is exactly why we are taking steps to understand the picture more clearly, with the aim of limiting excessive profits.
I welcome the minister’s considered approach in that answer. She is right, because, as the Promise stated,
“There is no place for profiting in how Scotland cares for its children.”
We have known for years that chief executives’ bonuses are being paid for with public money that is meant to support our most vulnerable children. What does the minister think that care-experienced children will think when they hear that good public money is being used on those bonuses?
I imagine that, in line with the comments in my previous response, the thinking would be that some of the figures are really disappointing—if they are, in fact, the correct figures.
As I also said in my previous answer, there is a fine balance to strike when it comes to looking at excessive profit and, equally, understanding where profit is being reinvested. As I said, I believe that the provisions that we have put in the bill strike a balance that will allow us, in time, to ensure that there is not the excessive profit that the member has referred to.
Will the minister set out what the Scottish Government is doing to reduce the need for children to access residential care? What progress has been made in that area?
Through programmes such as the whole family wellbeing fund, we are working to provide better support for families and to reduce the need for children to go into care. I see the outcomes of that work daily, including through my visits to Includem, Circle Scotland’s whole family support and the open kindergarten project, to name just a few examples. I have heard directly from families how important and transformative those services are, so I am confident that we are moving in the right direction.
Children’s social work statistics report that the proportion of children in care in July 2024 was the lowest that it had been since 2005. Although there will, of course, always be a need for some children to go into care, we want to provide the maximum support possible to families at the earliest point in time.
That concludes topical question time.
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