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I want to ask about the race equality framework and action plan that was published in March, and about—you referred to this—the immediate priorities plan that was announced in the programme for government last week. Will you tell us about the immediate priorities plan and the ethnic pay gap strategy? How will they make a difference as quickly as possible to communities across Scotland?

I was the convener of the cross-party group on racial equality during the previous parliamentary session. You will be aware that organisations representing those communities feel that the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government have good intentions but that things do not always happen as quickly as they would like them to. Will last week’s announcement help in that regard?

It was useful for you to put on the record the fact that the service for high-risk individuals has continued throughout the pandemic, as has been the case with the other emergency services that we have heard from today.

My final question relates to an announcement in yesterday’s programme for government. As you will probably be aware, the First Minister announced plans for a new national community justice strategy, which will involve investment in community justice services, work on diverting people from prosecution and the promotion of alternatives to prison. There will now be a year of discussions on that. What are your expectations for the strategy? What solutions or plans to help your services to recover from the pandemic would you like to see?

I want to focus on the criminal justice social work area, so my questions are for James Maybee, who has been waiting patiently to come in.

Before that, I want to thank all the witnesses. A lot of ground has been covered in the other areas. I believe that we might have lost our online connection to the representatives of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, but I want to quickly say thank you for the work that people from the Coatbridge fire station did in my constituency when they responded to a fire in Guidi’s restaurant. That was big news locally, and the service that they provided was second to none, just like the work of all our emergency services. I wanted to put that on the record, as representatives of the service were here today.

Before I ask my questions, I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests and declare an interest as a registered social worker with the Scottish Social Services Council.

My first question, which is for James Maybee, is a general one. Could you outline the impact of the pandemic and the measures that are in place during the recovery period on criminal justice social work services in the round?

Thank you—that was a robust response. I want to pick up on one area that you mentioned. You said that we need to get back to the face-to-face work. Can you expand on that? From your answer, and from my own understanding, I know that there is a level of social work—including justice social work, which we are looking at—where face-to-face working has continued. In which areas has that not happened? How might that be resolved as we move forward?

You touched on the fact that you are still going through the responses to the consultation, but I wonder whether you could outline some areas a wee bit. As one of the members who helped take the bill through in the previous session—it was a really good bill that I know you were proud of, as well—I remember that the committee discussed who welfare reporters would be. Could you expand on that and, perhaps, on issues around contact management in contact centres when domestic violence is in play, if those two matters are coming up in the consultation?

Yes. Thank you.

Is it therefore difficult to put a figure on it? As politicians, we sometimes look for figures, but I can understand how difficult that would be, given the situation.

I will move on to the main theme of my questions. As I said, I supported the campaign, and I probably made my position reasonably clear, but part of my job as an MSP in the committee is to scrutinise so that we can ensure that anything that the Parliament does is as good as it can be. Therefore, I want to ask some questions that might be in the more difficult bracket, if that makes sense.

I want to hear your views on the idea that some people might wish to seek support for what they might perceive as their discomfort with being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Tristan Gray referred to that, but please elaborate on it. On that basis, is it possible to have consent to any of these practices by organisations, where someone is not coerced but is seeking that therapy, for want of a better word? I ask that with the caveat of my comments at the start of my question.

That is a robust response. When you said that a person cannot consent to torture, that was really strong. It might be the quote of the meeting.

A constituent asked me to ask my next question, which is in the same vein. What account have you taken of individuals who have detransitioned, or who might do so, and who change their gender identity?

I mentioned earlier that I had a supplementary question—it is on the issue of coercive control and relates to a constituency case that I am dealing with.

In the previous parliamentary session, the Justice Committee dealt with a very good piece of legislation to outlaw coercive control. My constituent has given me details about her experience of quite horrendous coercive control through the civil court system. I am dealing with that situation as her MSP, and I know that the issue is not one for the committee. However, I committed to asking today, under this question theme, whether the Government has any thoughts about strengthening that area in a way that would almost take a parallel approach to the criminal justice approach that we now have. I know from previous discussions that some safeguards are already in place, but people such as my constituent are continuing to be exploited, if I may put it that way, through the system.

You might not be able to comment on that today, minister, and I would have given you prior notice of the question had the query to me not been so recent. However, I wonder whether that is in the Government’s thoughts, given the change in the criminal law.

It does not seem so long ago that you were at the previous session’s Justice Committee discussing the Children (Scotland) Bill. I have a couple of questions about that legislation. What key issues has the Government identified in relation to statutory regulation of child contact centres and child welfare reporters? Can you outline when the committee can expect the secondary legislation on those topics?