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:I agree with Robby’s last point about getting to a point where we have a capacity in the NHS to deal with the issue.

I go back to something that you said earlier, minister, when you were talking about the holistic cross-sectoral approach for children and young people and the national autism implementation team for adults. Are you confident that the Scottish Government has the right steps in place to ensure that post-diagnostic support is consistent across Scotland? We know that consistency is an issue. Are you confident that those two approaches will deliver that?

:I appreciate that, but I think that those who run the EHRF would say that they have actually seen a 25 per cent cut, because its flat cash budget has not reflected inflationary uplifts over the past five years.

I will move to my next issue. In your opening comments, you spoke about the significant pressures that we face and mentioned divisive rhetoric. I am interested in knowing what actions the Scottish Government will take—other than through the anti-racism in education programme—to ensure that we are tackling the racist and anti-immigration behaviour that we see on our streets right now.

Good morning, minister. I am sorry that I cannot join you in person, but I thank you for that update. The 13 per cent uplift is welcome news. I have a couple of questions about that and on-going work.

I am interested in the 13 per cent figure that was arrived at. It was about 15 months ago that we discussed court fees for individuals to pay. There were some much higher increases in those fees, and one of the arguments was about full cost recovery. One of the things that came through clearly in our legal aid inquiry was that legal aid was not paying its way for solicitors. What assurances can the minister give that the 13 per cent increase will be enough to allow legal aid solicitors to cover their costs fully and to ensure that it is fair compensation for the vital work that they do?

:That was helpful. Some people get a diagnosis privately but then find that that diagnosis is not recognised by the NHS, either for medication—if that is the appropriate route—or for other things. Is there a simple, quick fix that we can implement to ensure that a diagnosis, wherever it comes from, can be recognised and become the gateway to further support, whether that is medication or other things?

:No, but thank you, that is helpful. We could go into a lot of areas in quite a lot of detail. You talked about the need for cross-governmental support, and we are talking not just about the Scottish Government but about local government and the whole Scotland picture. The committee has already had a conversation about the concern that has been raised about the other agencies that will be required to be able to act to support, whether that is in housing and homelessness prevention or preventing child poverty wherever we look. I am curious about your thinking around the on-going sustainability of funds such as the equalities and human rights fund that provide crucial support to organisations that work and are embedded in communities across Scotland and that see phenomenal returns on investment, but are seeing the pot dwindle. I suppose that is easiest way of putting it.

:I will go back to the questions on diagnostic assessments and the different pathways. We understand the point that diagnosis should not be necessary to get support, but people often find that, without the duty to support and to make reasonable adjustments that a diagnosis brings, they cannot access that support. What is the Scottish Government doing to ensure that people are able to get a diagnosis wherever they live in Scotland? Some health boards have just stopped that diagnostic pathway completely.

:Good morning, minister. Thank you for joining us and for what you have said so far. I have a couple of questions on how you intend to use the high-level action plan. I recognise that the plan is high level from the get-go. However, some significant and problematic areas of concern, including food security and a housing crisis that is denying people access to safe, affordable and adequate housing, were raised in the Scottish Human Rights Commission’s “State of the Nation” report, which was published last year. Given those areas of concern, how will the high-level action plan help you to deliver the outcomes that you were talking about and make things better for people across Scotland?

There is a concern that, although there are a lot of fine words in the action plan, it is not clear how they will be translated into action on the ground. I am particularly interested in housing and homelessness, but there are issues across the board that relate to poverty and food inequality. I would be interested to hear your comments on that.

:Thanks, minister. I will leave it there, convener.

:That was helpful, but certain questions are being raised with us as we talk about this issue. There are groups or organisations that are working in communities across Scotland and have built relationships in those communities; indeed, what they do might well be trusted more than local authority or national Government projects or programmes.

One challenge is understanding that, just because something has been around for a long time, that does not mean that it needs to be replaced with something innovative, and another is recognising that the relationships that are built between local organisations and the communities that they support cannot be easily replicated. Once they go, they take a long time to rebuild, and there is concern that the current approach taken by the equality and human rights fund—I will mention it again later—will result in programmes and projects closing, because they cannot be sustained, and that people will have to start from scratch in building those relationships as well as the trust on which a lot of this equalities and human rights work relies.

You gave a lot of information in your previous answer, but I would like some acknowledgement from the Scottish Government that this is about not just the multiplicity of funds and multiyear funding but the sustainability of existing funding. That is really important, too.

:Thank you. That is helpful. Given the conversations that can happen and the annual reviews, I am curious about why the 13 per cent increase will apply from September this year and how it will impact on potential future increases, given the work of the fee review mechanism group.