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The need for the protection of space on public boards for women has been accepted and the law corrected, but a policy that means that female prisoners, a majority of whom have experienced male violence, might have to share close quarters with male-bodied inmates while they are in the care of the state is being defended.

Knowing everything that we know about trauma, and given the countless testimonies from women on this matter—including testimony given both privately and publicly by a number of his own party colleagues—does the First Minister understand just how appalling the Government’s actions feel to many of us and how difficult it is to reconcile the Scottish Government’s words about the protection of single-sex spaces for females with its actions on the matter? [Interruption.]

The conflicts that people flee from start not with bullets, but with words. Will the Scottish Government join the Scottish Refugee Council in encouraging all members of the Scottish Parliament to sign up to its pledge, which asks not for any debate to stop, but simply that, when MSPs speak about refugees and people seeking asylum, they do so with dignity and compassion; they avoid language that dehumanises, stereotypes or fosters division; they promote public understanding that is rooted in fact, fairness and empathy; and they uphold the responsibility of political leadership to nurture the development of human rights?

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address misinformation in relation to refugees and asylum seekers and to promote community cohesion. (S6O-05317)

I draw members’ attention to my entry in the register of members’ interests: I am a trustee of Break the Silence, which is a charity that offers therapy to people who are affected by childhood sexual trauma.

I agree that victim/survivors should be listened to and heard. Will the cabinet secretary assure me that victim/survivors and their families will have access to trauma-informed resources and support before, during and after they have contributed their views and stories?

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it gives to the gendered impact of debt in its child poverty and social security policies. (S6O-05280)

It is well understood that domestic abuse can entail financial abuse, including coerced debt, and that single parents are around three times more likely to have experienced domestic abuse. Unfortunately, public debt processes too often do not reflect that knowledge and understanding, and they can perpetuate the impact of financial abuse and coerced debt.

The excellent report by Professor Morag Treanor for Aberlour Children’s Charity, One Parent Families Scotland and the Trussell Trust recognises that the issue requires action from all spheres of government. Will the Scottish Government consider reforming council tax joint liability rules, for example, so that women who are fleeing abuse are not automatically made responsible for debts that have been accrued by their abusers, to protect victims/survivors from debts that result from financial abuse and coercion?

The prevention of male violence in all its forms is preferable, both morally and practically. During this parliamentary session, we have an opportunity to legislate to tackle male demand for prostitution and to really disrupt the trade in women and girls, which is both a cause and a consequence of violence. Does the First Minister agree that we must do all that we can to ensure that that legislation is fit for purpose and that it passes, so that we can finally make good on a policy position that we have held for decades—that prostitution is violence against women and we will not accept the harm that it causes for a second longer?

The cabinet secretary and I have previously spoken in the chamber about the impact that a negative experience of birth can have on women and their babies. I have shared a letter with him that my constituent submitted to NHS Ayrshire and Arran in May 2025, which gave a detailed account of her negative experience. NHS Ayrshire and Arran will not engage with MSPs once a complaint process has been triggered, which I find to be a defensive approach. On behalf of my constituent, I chased up the matter with NHS Ayrshire and Arran on 5 October, when I was told that a draft response was in progress, and again on 30 October.

At the end of her letter, my constituent said that she wished that her complaint would be

“handled with the seriousness that it deserves, and that corrective actions will be taken to improve patient care”.

Does the cabinet secretary agree that this is far too long to have to wait for answers to help her to process the trauma and distress that she has experienced? Does he also agree that a defensive, bureaucratic response to feedback is wholly unhelpful?

To ask the Scottish Government whether patient complaints and feedback about the care they have received from NHS boards are used to inform inspections undertaken by Health Improvement Scotland. (S6O-05203)

To ask the Scottish Government when the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 will be fully implemented. (S6O-05173)