Seòmar agus comataidhean

Thank you very much.

The question is around there not being enough BSL support in rural areas. A couple of weeks ago, we heard from a witness who was a survivor of domestic abuse. What should people like that do, especially if they stay in rural areas such as Argyll and Bute? How would they get that service?

Good morning, Deputy First Minister and officials. Thank you for all the information that you have provided so far. I will turn my question around a little bit because you have been talking about education; I will come in on education first.

In private evidence sessions, the committee heard from deaf pupils and parents who said that, in many cases, pupils placed in mainstream schools face difficulties, because there are not enough BSL specialists, and teachers are not properly equipped to deal with the needs of deaf pupils. One of the pupils who we spoke to said that it was difficult to keep up with the work and, therefore, she failed her exams. Witnesses expressed their disappointment with the Government’s Education (Scotland) Bill, saying that it does not deliver for deaf people.

It would be great to hear from you, Deputy First Minister, on how we can improve the outcomes for deaf children. Alison and Robert have said that quite a bit of work is being done, and it would be good to hear about that, but, as Dr Robert Adam said earlier, what are the ramifications of not delivering? Accountability is needed; otherwise, deaf people are just being paid lip service. This is clearly a big issue, and I would like to hear your plans to sort it.

Thank you. My next two questions are for Stacey Gourlay and Rachel Tardito. Have you undertaken any monitoring or assessment of how effective your local BSL plans are? If so, which areas meet the needs for BSL users and which areas may require further work?

Good morning. In the evidence sessions over the past couple of weeks, this committee has heard real-life examples of deaf people struggling, especially in rural areas. Those examples, particularly the ones that we heard in the private session, have been harrowing. Lucy Clark, who is a deaf survivor of domestic abuse, told the committee that there were only three BSL-trained domestic abuse advocates, all based in Dundee. How would a deaf woman who has been domestically abused in Argyll and Bute get the support she needs? I would like Professor Kusters and Dr Adam to respond to that.

At present, that data is not collected when crimes are reported to Police Scotland. Certain data is collected, such as the person’s name and some other details, but details of ethnicity and disability are not collected. That is why my bill seeks to require that data. Thank you for shedding light on the importance of those three points.

The committee has also heard that deaf people are faced with barriers in relation to the issue of poor mental health. Mental health services for people with full hearing are already strained and experience regular budget cuts, and those services are further stretched in rural areas. Imagine how bad they are for deaf people in those areas. In addition, with regard to education, some pupils may have to move to different schools or different areas entirely, or even pay for private tuition. How might consistency in the BSL plans be improved across Scotland?

Thank you for that, Deputy First Minister. The people who we heard from said that school teachers should be qualified to level 3 in BSL and that there are opportunities for more deaf or deafblind people to teach or help in the system. Those may be things for you to look at.

Two weeks ago, the committee heard from Lucy Clark, who is a deaf survivor of domestic abuse. She said that there are only three BSL-trained domestic abuse advocates in Scotland, all of whom are based in Dundee. Lucy said that finding an interpreter is always at the forefront of a deaf woman’s mind and that many interpreters find it challenging to cover areas of domestic abuse. Deaf women already face so many day-to-day challenges and it is even more harrowing to know that, when a woman needs support the most, it is not there. What is being done to help women such as Lucy?

Thank you. Lucy Clark also highlighted that many deaf women who experience domestic abuse assume that it is normal behaviour and do not even know what consent means. While working on my Prevention of Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill, I came across a woman who had slurred speech, and she said that her abuser had told the police and the authorities that she was drunk, which meant that she was not taken seriously.

Data collection is key to having a clear picture of which communities are more likely to be affected by domestic abuse. That is why my bill seeks to place a requirement on authorities to collect data such as age, sex, disability and ethnicity. Do you have the figures to hand on the percentage of deaf women who are survivors of domestic abuse? Do you agree that accurate data collection is key to understanding which communities are most likely to be affected by it?

Good morning. Thank you for the information that you have provided so far.

Over the past two weeks, witnesses have called for financial eligibility criteria to be expanded. Financial thresholds have not been updated in line with inflation since 2011, which was 14 years ago. Modelling from SLAB shows that eligibility for civil legal assistance has decreased and that that might be becoming a barrier in relation to advice and assistance. At the same time, people who are eligible for legal aid struggle to find solicitors who will take up their cases. Over the past two weeks, the committee has heard evidence that echoes that picture.

Although the Minister for Equalities told the Social Justice and Social Security Committee that legal aid needs to be reformed, nothing has happened. Is the Scottish Government failing the most vulnerable in our society? What more needs to be done?