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I note that the cabinet secretary used the words “gender” and “sexual identity”. Before asking my question, I will say that any legal action that was brought against the Scottish Prison Service in respect of its policies would be brought against the Scottish ministers. Have the Scottish Prison Service’s policies been brought into line with the Supreme Court judgment in For Women Scotland Ltd v the Scottish ministers?

Police Scotland’s review on the recording of sex and gender is on-going. However, that is not an excuse to kick the can down the road. The force provided assurances to the Scottish Police Authority that the timeline for review does not preclude any immediate improvements that have been identified and are required to internal practice or policy from being made. That is in stark contrast to what was said at the meeting that the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs held with the chief constable on 30 April, in which she emphasised that Police Scotland must await EHRC guidance on the Supreme Court ruling. Will the cabinet secretary’s Government get off the fence and finally issue an urgent directive to public bodies to comply with the law and put an end to this mess?

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I would have voted no.

Konnichiwa. I thank Karen Adam for securing the time for today’s members’ business debate.

As we have heard, Thomas Glover was a truly remarkable man with roots that run deep in the north-east of Scotland. A strategist and an industrialist, he is lauded for his role, as we have heard, in establishing the Mitsubishi Corporation, a powerhouse of the Japanese industrial revolution.

Known as the Scottish samurai, Glover is venerated in Japan for his key contribution to industrialisation and modernisation, and that is why he was awarded the order of the rising sun, an extraordinary accolade for a man who hailed from the Broch.

As we have heard, Glover was born in Fraserburgh in 1838 on Commerce Street and educated in Aberdeen. Stonehaven, too, has a strong link to the man known as the Scottish samurai. In 2021, pupils from Mill O’Forest, Arduthie and Dunnottar primary schools worked with the Stonehaven sea cadets and the Stonehaven Horizon group to plant 120 cherry blossom trees in Mineralwell park. The garden was dedicated to the memory of Glover and is a living testament to his ingenuity and legacy.

As part of the Sakura cherry tree project, the garden has joined more than 1,000 parks, gardens and schools across the United Kingdom in marking 150 years of Japan-United Kingdom friendship and the continued co-operation between our two nations. The project was launched by the Japanese former Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, and the UK Conservative former Prime Minister, Theresa May, in 2021.

There are always strong community champions behind such brilliant initiatives. Aberdeenshire councillor, Wendy Agnew, working with local MP Andrew Bowie, spearheaded the project and helped to see it through over a four-year period. It has been enchanting residents and visitors ever since. Wendy thanks the consul general and the whole of Japan for what she said is a very generous gift to Stonehaven. On behalf of the community, she would like to invite the Japanese consul general to place a plaque in the garden when the blossoms are out in spring next year.

As we underline the importance of Thomas Blake Glover, we can also take the opportunity to think about many Scots who left Britain to start inspiring adventures on the other side of the world. The Davidson family from Aberlemno, near Brechin, moved to Wisconsin in the USA and, with Englishman Bill Harley, became the founders of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. David Dunbar Buick, the Arbroath-born plumber, became an icon in the United States after founding the Buick Motor Company.

Along with Thomas Glover, those individuals were self-starters, adventurers and visionaries, and they are testament to the incredible spirit of the north-east. Arigato.

At the current glacial rate of investment, it would take the SNP Government until 2083 to spend the so-called just transition fund. The cabinet secretary will be 114 years old, and the minister will be 112 years old. Against that background, could the minister outline how the SNP Government will meet the remaining commitment for the fund in the next session of the Parliament?

I thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of his statement.

Neil Gray visited Aberdeen royal infirmary in February this year. He promised that he would do everything that he could to improve the situation there. However, we have only to look at this week’s ambulance waiting times to see that it is getting worse. With lives at stake, it does not give a single person here any pleasure at all to point out that the Scottish National Party has failed NHS Grampian and its patients.

The reasons for such a dire performance and stage 4 escalation are not the junior doctors, nurses, paramedics and porters—they are trying their absolute level best. No, NHS Grampian is in such trouble because it has been hollowed out by successive SNP Governments. The health board has a history of chronic underfunding, persistent understaffing, the lowest bed base in Scotland per head of population and a national treatment centre on ice. There are massive cuts to health and social care partnership budgets for caring for the elderly and vulnerable. General practitioner practices are folding and major injuries units are on restricted hours.

The Scottish Conservatives have repeatedly warned the SNP Government about this perfect storm. With underfunding of a quarter of a billion pounds, how can NHS Grampian be expected to pay back a Government loan? What is the trigger point for escalation to stage 5?

My questions have been asked, Presiding Officer.

The independent regulator should report directly to the Lord President, definitely not the Scottish Government.

It is to the minister’s credit that ministers’ powers to intervene were removed at stage 2, following calls from the legal sector and the Scottish Conservatives. At stage 3, our overriding concern is that the bill fails to decouple the complex complaints process from the system of self-regulation by the professional bodies. That was a recommendation of the Roberton review, as well as the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee at stage 1.

I note comments from the SLCC’s Consumer Panel. It said:

“We are concerned ... that most of the attention and concessions in the debate so far have been given to the views of the legal profession, while there has been limited engagement with the views of consumers or consumer groups.”

The reality is that, for consumers of legal services, it is not always clear where self-regulation ends and self-interest takes over. The view among consumers is that it feels like David against Goliath.

The complaints process is overly complex, impossible to navigate and glacially slow. At stage 2, I lodged probing amendments that proposed using the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission’s existing infrastructure to investigate all conduct and service complaints.

My key point is that the bill merely tinkers with the status quo. The changes do not go far enough, which is why the Scottish Conservatives will vote against the bill later today.

I have nothing further to add, other than that I am pleased to hear that the amendment is supported on a cross-party basis. I will press the amendment.

Amendment 137 agreed to.

After section 88

I thank all the individuals and organisations who have supported and contributed to the parliamentary passage of the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill. I also thank the minister, who engaged constructively with members ahead of stage 3.

I appreciate that, for many stakeholders, the bill is long overdue, and I hope that my amendment 137, which secures a review of the act, will reduce the timescales for change in the future.

It is clear that the current system, which covers entry to the profession, professional practice, complaints and financial compliance, is not fit for purpose. Much of the relevant legislation is more than 40 years old, but the legal services market is constantly evolving. However, the corresponding regulatory regime is clunky and inflexible.

I am a member of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, which has been hearing about huge issues with access to justice. The whole system is frustrating for regulatory bodies, but it is often the consumer who bears the brunt of its failings. The committee has heard that, sometimes, consumers have to try 100 solicitors before they find one who will act on their behalf. The system is crying out for modernisation.

Scottish Conservatives believe that the bill truly represents a missed opportunity, which is why we will vote against it at decision time. In the brief time that is allocated to me, I want to explain our reasoning carefully, because I understand that the legal profession has expressed strong feelings on the subject. However, it is vital that the consumer's voice is heard during the process.

There are two key issues. The first is that the bill fails to consolidate the existing legislative landscape into a single act, which the Law Society of Scotland called for in order to simplify that fragmentation. At stage 2, the bill was the most heavily amended in the Scottish Parliament’s lifetime.