Seòmar agus comataidhean

It is just to correct the record, convener. I am not sure whether I made it clear that the woman in the Highlands actually contacted 116 different lawyers. I may have phrased it that she contacted someone 116 times, so I wanted to correct the record. She contacted 116 different lawyers.

Thank you, convener, and good morning to the committee, minister and officials.

I thank the committee for considering amendment 3, which is particularly important as we mark the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. My amendment would give ministers the power to require the Scottish Funding Council to place conditions on anybody receiving funding for post-school education and skills training to ensure that they take meaningful steps towards addressing gender-based violence against staff and students.

In turn, the body in question must report on an annual basis to the Funding Council on the actions that it has taken to prevent and intervene in gender-based violence, and to provide support to individuals who are experiencing or have experienced it, as well as the outcomes of those actions.

I am happy not to move my amendment, and I will take up the offer to work with the minister ahead of stage 3. I also thank the minister for recognising all the great work that EmilyTest has done.

Amendment 3 not moved.

Amendment 51 not moved.

Amendment 52 moved—[Maggie Chapman].

Right now, there is no uniformity across colleges. I will speak further about why I lodged amendment 3. A tragedy happened, and many tragedies are continuing to happen. It is important for the committee to hear that the situation is not uniform. I know that personally, because I have been working on this stuff outside the Parliament by speaking to colleges and universities about that sort of training and awareness.

While drafting the amendment, I engaged with Fiona Drouet from EmilyTest. Almost 10 years ago, Fiona’s daughter Emily took her own life after suffering abuse from a partner who lived in the same halls as her at the University of Aberdeen. Had the university staff received adequate training in identifying such abusive behaviour, Emily might still be with us today.

We know that one in four female students report unwanted sexual behaviour during their studies, with one in five experiencing sexual harassment during their first week of term. Those are shocking figures. That is why it is so important that anybody who receives funding not only delivers education and training but ensures the safety and wellbeing of those who rely on their services.

I have raised many times in this committee the example of the Highland woman who had to contact 116 legal aid lawyers regarding her divorce case. If that was not bad enough, last week we heard shocking evidence from Dr Luis Yanes from the Scottish Human Rights Commission and from Alan Webb from Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway, who painted an even bleaker picture. I was shocked by examples of abused women having to travel for hours to access support, even on ferries and sometimes wearing the same clothes as they were wearing when abused.

The full extent is not known as many survivors do not feel comfortable coming forward due to a lack of support mechanisms. The fact that women’s aid organisations are underfunded does not help either.

Minister, can you imagine what these women are facing? How will the Scottish Government ensure that people, especially women, in rural areas have access to support and advice when they need it?

Thank you, minister. Once again, I hope that, when we come back after May 2026, we can look back and see what the differences are, because the issue is so important. I have spoken to so many women and heard their shocking stories, especially in rural areas, and they really need help. I am happy to hear that you are doing so much, but now it is a matter of seeing what happens when that is put into practice. A year later, what are the actions, where are we going and have they helped? Thank you so much.

Good morning, and thank you for the information that you have provided so far.

It was clear from last week’s evidence session that not all rural areas are the same and that each area faces its own unique challenges. We also heard about the importance of a joined-up approach when it comes to improving access to services. For example, the lack of rural doctors is interlinked with housing shortages and poor transport links. That is why we cannot address one issue without addressing the others. Local people are best equipped to identify such issues and, in some cases, they are able to identify solutions that are unique to their communities.

Do you agree that one size does not fit all and that the current system is broken? When you have appeared before the committee on previous occasions, we have spoken about the need for joined-up working across departments, because one area cannot work without the other. We are hearing the same in relation to rural areas. As you have said previously, it is not simply a question of budgeting. The same is true of rural areas. We cannot provide general practitioners in areas where there is no housing and no good transport. How can the broken system be mended through the work that you are doing?

Thank you for the response, but I am a bit worried that the information you have provided is not exactly touching the ground. When I talk about the 116 times the woman had to contact legal aid, that is not an isolated case—there are many cases like that. People are contacting 30, 40 or 50 organisations and not getting anywhere. Women especially come forward in challenging times, and they are already scared. Can you imagine picking up the phone so many times and just being told, “No, no, no”? Women then decide “Do you know what—nobody is listening to me”. Then what do they go back to?

It would be good to hear from you on that, minister. I do not see the information you have provided delivering out there, because we have heard about the issues over and over in this committee.

On women’s aid, as you know, I have the Prevention of Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill going through Parliament at the moment. In working on that bill, I have been fortunate enough to speak to women’s aid and other organisations throughout Scotland—from rural areas to urban areas. While I respect the equally safe fund—I have recognised that in my bill as well—the rural organisations highlighted that it is not enough. They need support and they need multiyear funding as well, which I know you mentioned. There are a lot of challenges.

Today marks the start of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. I attended an event yesterday in East Dunbartonshire, my own area, where people told me that there is not enough funding for people who use British Sign Language. They were talking about areas such as Dumfries and Galloway and other rural areas, and the challenges they are facing. As I said, no one size fits all—I have just mentioned minorities, especially those with disabilities, and they need much more support and assistance. Right now, the equally safe fund provides some support, but it does not provide the tailored support that women’s aid groups need in rural areas. It would be good to hear from the minister on how—outside equally safe—organisations will be funded to deal with such challenging issues.

Do the two plans that you mentioned identify the issues that I spoke of, and are they addressing them? You also mentioned that one size does not fit all. You covered that, but I am concerned about the joined-up approach. You said that sometimes departments do not work together. To be perfectly honest, if we were to look at the issue from a business perspective—I know this from my business background—we would say that the business would fail if departments were not working together. The Scottish Government is a big organisation and it is important for departments to work together. This is not the first time that I have brought the issue up with you; I have brought it up a few times in relation to budgeting and other things. Every time that we hear from you, you tell us that it all takes time, but what sort of timescale are we looking at for this joined-up work to start?

It is good to hear that the cabinet secretaries and ministers are working together, but I think that more than that is needed. People in rural areas need help now. You will hear from members, in their different questions, about the sorts of challenges that people face. I will ask you a direct question. Do your plans address the challenges that I am talking about? If not, what else do you have in place? If the plans do address the challenges, how long do you suggest that it will take to make sure that everything is being delivered?

Thank you. I look forward to seeing more of that information. I hope that we can revisit the issue, even if that is after May 2026. I have been asking the same questions year after year, and I would like to see that, when we look back in May 2026, the plans have been put in place. It is great to have all these plans, but they must work; otherwise, success is not achieved and the challenges are not addressed.

I was hoping to hear more about there being a five-year plan and a 10-year plan, because we want to measure success. Paul McLennan asked how you do that, and it would be good to look back, perhaps next year, and see whether what we have spoken about today is working and being delivered. It is important not just to have plans, but to see the measurables in those plans as well as the timescales. I will leave that with you.