Seòmar agus comataidhean

Good morning, and welcome to the third meeting in 2025, in session 6, of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee. We have received apologies from Evelyn Tweed, and I welcome Clare Adamson, who is attending as a substitute member. Please note that Pam Gosal joins us online.

Our only public agenda item is continued consideration of the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill at stage 2.

For anyone who is watching, I will reiterate the explanation of the process that I provided at the start of last week’s meeting. Members should have with them a copy of the bill, the marshalled list and the groupings of amendments. Those documents are available on the bill’s web page on the Scottish Parliament’s website.

I will call each amendment individually in the order in which they are listed on the marshalled list. The member who lodged the amendment should either move it or say, “Not moved”, when it is called. If that member does not move the amendment, any other member who is present may do so.

The groupings of amendments document sets out the amendments in the order in which they will be debated. There will be one debate on each group of amendments. In each debate, I will call the member who lodged the first amendment in the group to speak to and move that amendment and to speak to all the other amendments in the group. I will then call other members with amendments in the group to speak to but not to move their amendments and, if they so wish, to speak to other amendments in the group. I will then call any other members who wish to speak in the debate. Members who wish to speak should indicate that by catching my or the clerk’s attention. I will then call the minister if she has not already spoken in the debate.

Finally, I will call the member who moved the first amendment in the group to wind up and to indicate whether he or she wishes to press the amendment or to seek to withdraw it. If the amendment is pressed, I will put the question on it. If a member wishes to withdraw an amendment after it has been moved and debated, I will ask whether any member who is present objects. If there is an objection, I will immediately put the question on the amendment.

Later amendments in a group are not debated again when they are reached. If they are moved, I will put the question on them straight away.

If there is a division, only committee members are entitled to vote. Voting is done by a show of hands, and it is important that members keep their hands raised clearly until the clerk has recorded their names. If there is a tie, I must exercise a casting vote.

The committee is required to consider and decide on each bill section and schedule as well as its long title. I will put the question on each of those provisions at the appropriate point.

I note that our ambition is to conclude our stage 2 consideration of the bill this morning. However, if that does not happen, we will continue our consideration next week.

Section 51—Change of name to the Scottish Legal Services Commission

As no other member wishes to come in, I ask Tess White to wind up and say whether she wishes to press or withdraw amendment 646.

Do other members wish to comment?

There will be a division.

For

Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)
Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green)
Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con)
McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP)
White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con)

Abstentions

O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab)

Amendment 524, in the name of Stuart McMillan, is grouped with amendments 338, 526, 527 and 533 to 536, 536A, 484 and 494.

Public services are not only nice-to-haves; for many people, they are lifelines, especially in rural constituencies such as mine. The Scottish Government’s draft budget for 2025-26 demonstrates a deep commitment to those lifelines, with £21.7 billion allocated to health and social care and more than £15 billion for local authorities.

The motion ensures fairness and sustainability for Scotland’s communities, especially in the north-east, where public services are often the glue holding us together. Across Aberdeenshire, Moray and rural areas more broadly, public services face unique challenges, and long distances to essential services are a daily reality.

I have worked with local campaign groups in Banffshire and Buchan Coast that oppose library closures. Libraries are more than places to borrow books from; they are hubs of community activity offering internet access, educational resources and a sense of belonging for those who might otherwise feel lonely. I recently visited Macduff library, and I have been chatting to constituents who are campaigning against library closures.

Does the member accept, when he talks about the fishing industry, that there are many sectors in that industry, and that the fish processing sector is suffering considerably as a result of Brexit, in respect of not just red tape but labour?

The SNP groups at Aberdeenshire and Moray councils managed to propose a budget that did not include cutting libraries. If the member thinks that it is down to resource, surely he will welcome the extra investment by the Scottish Government.

I met constituents who are campaigning to keep open libraries that have health initiatives, resources and signposting. Surely, if we learned anything during Covid it was how important connection is to our communities. Our public services are places of connection, and a delivery of books in a box disguised as library provision cannot replace that.

The passion and emotive responses from my constituents for their libraries set the temperature for how fiercely we should be defending them. Tory-controlled councils are jeopardising these much-loved services by earmarking libraries for closure and are leaving our communities in limbo by later announcing that those libraries have been saved only to U-turn on their U-turn mere hours later.

I welcome the Scottish Government’s record investment in culture and digital connectivity, which is essential for sustaining vital community assets. However, this is a call to action for all spheres of government to recognise libraries’ centrality to rural resilience and to act accordingly. I implore Moray and Aberdeenshire councils to do the right thing and to put the Scottish Government’s investment where the people want it. They would not only be doing the right thing; they would be doing the essential thing for their citizens.

The draft Scottish budget underscores the Government’s focus on fairness and sustainability. Increased funding for primary care, community health initiatives and local authority grants demonstrates our commitment to leaving no one behind. Rural communities will benefit significantly, with resources strengthening local services. That contrasts with the UK Government’s policy decisions, such as the family farm tax and its right-wing Farage-flirting stance on immigration, which ignore Scotland’s distinct needs and undermine progress.

Yesterday, the First Minister’s speech on NHS renewal laid out a bold vision for strengthening primary and community care, which is significant for rural areas like Banffshire and Buchan Coast, where local GP services are stretched and are often the only healthcare provision for miles. Increased primary care investment will reduce delays, improve outcomes and ensure that no one is left behind due to geography. I welcome that for my constituents.

When the Conservative councillors in Aberdeenshire voted to close overnight minor injury units in Fraserburgh and Peterhead, communities were livid. Those units are vital, as they provide timely care in emergencies to rural communities, who face unique challenges in accessing healthcare, yet councillors made the decision to close them without consulting the very people those services support. That shows an unacceptable disregard for our communities’ needs.

The closures are not just administrative changes; they are decisions that could have real and devastating consequences. Delays in accessing healthcare can be the difference between life and death, especially in areas where travel times to alternative services are substantial. My constituents are vehemently opposed to the closures and are demanding answers.

I thank the Scottish Government for its significant investment in our NHS and ask the Cabinet Secretary to do all that he can to urge Aberdeenshire Council to maintain these overnight services. Healthcare access is a fundamental right, and our communities deserve better than decisions being made without their input.

Sadly, Westminster is also out of touch with Scotland, and the UK Government’s actions continue to undermine Scotland’s public services. The failure to fully fund the additional employer national insurance costs has left our public sector with a significant shortfall, and this attack on local services disproportionately affects rural areas. It reflects a broader pattern of neglect and austerity from Westminster, which the Scottish Government works tirelessly to mitigate. Frankly, Scotland deserves better.

I want to take a moment to put on record my immense gratitude to our public servants who deliver our public services, which are the foundation of a fair and thriving Scotland. The draft Scottish budget demonstrates a clear commitment to investing in our people and our future.

Amendment 51, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 53 and 52, 54 to 67, and 69 to 92. I draw members’ attention to the pre-emptions set out in the groupings of amendments.

Amendment 251, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 252 to 263.