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I will come on to that point later in my speech, but the long and the short of it is yes, I do.

Yesterday, I met First Bus to relay my and my constituents’ concerns about the changes, and I left the company in no doubt about my opposition to the removal of what is a vital service that links together communities in my constituency such as Springhall, Fernhill, Cathkin, Whitlawburn and Halfway.

At my request, First Bus has now committed to undertaking further studies to see whether, should the 65 be withdrawn, alternative routes could be created to serve the communities that stand to lose out. Unfortunately, First Bus has advised that that will not be a quick process and that nothing is guaranteed, so I will continue to do what I can to urge First Bus to maintain the number 65 route.

One of my major concerns about the process is the fact that constituents do not seem to have a formal role to play in opposing timetable changes or service cuts. Of course, they can lodge complaints or raise issues with their elected representatives, but I am keen to learn from the minister whether bus users can play a more formal role in relation to any changes that are proposed by bus companies. How can we make that happen?

I have long supported and called for private bus services in South Lanarkshire to be moved into public ownership to avoid the issues that I have outlined are impacting my community and to allow for joined-up thinking and planning in relation to the network. Currently, bus services are at risk of being reduced or completely cancelled at relatively short notice, with little or no meaningful consultation.

Under franchising, such decisions would fall to a local transport authority, which would have a responsibility towards, and would be accountable to, the communities that it serves.

On that very point, the decision is—as the member will have heard in my speech—very much a hot topic. Is she aware of SPT having consulted with South Lanarkshire Council?

I thank Patrick Harvie for bringing this debate to the chamber. It has proved to be timely for residents in my Rutherglen constituency. At its heart, this debate is about people. It is about how our communities operate and thrive, and how they access services, employment, education and leisure. Our communities should have the assurance and confidence that our bus networks are affordable, green and a reliable alternative to cars.

Last week, I received notification from First Bus that it is completely withdrawing from service the number 65 bus between Glasgow city centre and Halfway in Cambuslang. The letter that I received about the cut states that the withdrawal of the service will allow the company to improve timetables across other parts of greater Glasgow. It also includes a list of alternative journey options, which include the number 21 service.

Since that announcement, my constituency office has been flooded with calls and messages from constituents who are deeply worried and angry about the proposals. I take this opportunity to thank all those who have been in touch with me over the past week to share their concerns and experiences. Many of them have made the point that the number 21 service, which is one of the apparent alternatives, is also subject to service reductions, with changes to its frequency and running times.

Some have described the number 65 service as a lifeline that allows them to access vital services, including many disabled or elderly residents who are set to lose their only route to town centres. Others have told me that they will now need to take two or three buses to get to their work or face a long walk to a stop, either because their bus is disappearing altogether or because its hours are being drastically reduced.

At the same time, South Lanarkshire Council is cutting school bus services to around 8,000 school pupils. In a letter to families in Cambuslang, the number 65 bus was cited as an alternative means of getting to school from August this year. As if it was not bad enough that they are losing their school transport, those families are feeling abandoned yet again. It is not surprising that the idea that the removal of the number 65 is somehow positive news for greater Glasgow as a whole has been met with much cynicism and anger in my constituency.

Thank you, Presiding Officer, for the opportunity to speak to the legislative consent motion on the Employment Rights Bill, as convener of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. As members will be aware, on 10 June 2025, the committee published its report on the supplementary legislative consent memorandum as it relates to the bill. That was triggered due to the provisions in the bill regarding social care negotiating bodies, as well as various other amendments that fell under the health and social care remit. I am pleased to say that a majority of committee members recommended that the subsequent draft supplementary motion be agreed by Parliament. The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee recognises the importance of the bill and, more importantly, the need for comprehensive scrutiny of the provisions that require legislative consent.

Although employment law is a reserved matter, the provisions in the bill will have massive implications for Scotland’s workforce, particularly in social care. That is why we sought extensive evidence from stakeholders, both in written form and in oral evidence to the committee. To that end, I thank the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, Glasgow City Council, Health and Social Care Scotland, Scottish Care, the Scottish Social Services Council and Social Work Scotland for their engagement on the matter. I give special thanks to the witnesses who gave oral evidence on 20 May.

Although I am unable to give a summary of the extensive evidence that was received regarding the supplementary LCM and the bill more generally, our report contains a comprehensive overview of the key points that were raised during those sessions. That said, one of the main themes that echoed throughout was the need for continued collaboration when it comes to creating an effective negotiating body for social care. As is highlighted in our report, members were keen to hear more about the on-going discussions with trade unions, as well as the work of the fair work in social care group. I am grateful to the then Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, Maree Todd MSP, and her supporting officials for speaking to the supplementary LCM and addressing the points that were raised by stakeholders in evidence to the committee.

Although union membership in social care currently sits at around 20 per cent of the workforce, concentrated largely among local government employees, the committee nevertheless welcomes the minister’s commitment to promote increased union membership across the social care sector as a means of improving terms, pay and conditions. That said, we note the minister’s comments that time must now be spent bottoming out the Scottish social care sector’s preference, be that a voluntary arrangement or statutory underpinning. We strongly encourage the Scottish Government to continue to do its best to seek consensus with relevant stakeholders, so that we can achieve better and fairer work conditions for those in the social care sector, which are arguably long overdue.

On behalf of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, I hope that the bill’s provisions will be a positive step in the right direction for Scotland’s social care workforce. I look forward to assisting further scrutiny in that area, where my committee’s remit is engaged.

I welcome Tom Arthur to his new role. I have not had an opportunity to do that formally, and I welcome the approach that he will take to working with the committee.

Fraud and computer misuse are estimated to account for more than two fifths of all crimes in the latest year, with almost half of those crimes involving bank and credit card fraud. I hear all too often from constituents about increasingly sophisticated scams that often originate on social media. What steps is the Scottish Government taking to protect the public from those types of crimes?

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings of the latest Scottish crime and justice survey, which included for the first time new questions around crimes of fraud and computer misuse. (S6O-04849)

Modernisation and increased efficiency must be at the heart of our efforts to reform public services, and we must take advantage of the advances in digital technology and artificial intelligence in order to do that. Can the minister outline what steps the Scottish Government is taking to harness the potential of technology to future proof our services?

I welcome the publication of the Government’s first annual statement on gender policy coherence, which was a recommendation from the First Minister’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls. I commend the members of the council and the members of the empowering women panel for sharing their expertise and vision to get us to this point.

Some of the most difficult challenges that have impacted us all in recent years, from the cost of living crisis to the pandemic, have had a disproportionate impact on certain groups in our communities, including women.

Women’s poverty and child poverty are intrinsically linked, and women are more likely to use and work for public services, so getting our policies right for women—and for the most disadvantaged women—means better outcomes for everyone.

The SNP has a proud record of fighting for gender equality while in government, from action on equal pay and support for women returning to the workplace to action on period poverty and the introduction of “Equally Safe”, which is the strategy to combat all forms of violence against women and girls. Policies such as the universal provision of 1,140 hours of high-quality early learning and childcare are critical to supporting women into work, supporting them to stay in work and keeping families out of poverty.

I particularly welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to intersectional gender budgeting to help us to improve our thinking about how spending and revenue raising impact men and women differently and whether we can use our budget processes to reduce gender inequality.

Recently, I was shocked when South Lanarkshire Council, in whose area my Rutherglen constituency is located, published an impact assessment on proposed changes to school transport that did not consider the different impacts that they would have on women. When families began to share their stories and their concerns, it became abundantly clear that women will be disproportionately adversely affected by the cuts that will—unfortunately—come into force in August. For example, many women in my constituency have told me of their concerns about how changes to transport arrangements for their children will affect their ability to work or to fit their work around their caring responsibilities. That will, of course, have potentially far-reaching consequences for everyone in their families.

The local councillors who noticed the omission of gender from the impact assessment and pressed officers for it to be included should be commended, but it should not have happened. That underlines the necessity and urgency of placing equality at the centre of our policies and decision making and ensuring that it is taken into account in all actions in all spheres of government.

Gender equality is an unwon case both in Scotland and around the world. That statement does not minimise the positive changes or the progress that we have made as a Parliament and as a society, but it is a reminder that we must not be complacent. It is really important to acknowledge the First Minister’s comments in the introduction to the annual statement:

“this feels like a very precarious time for equality ... It can feel like the political headwinds are trying to undermine the hard-won progress that has been made.”

We must keep up the momentum.

In that context, I am pleased that the Scottish Government recognises that there is more work to be done to improve the collection, analysis and use of evidence on gender equality, and that it is committed to doing that and developing an equality strategy for women and girls. The strategy will be shaped by the voices of women and girls in a tangible way and it will provide a vehicle to accelerate the pace of progress and enable greater accountability.

Women in Scotland have faced inequality for generations, and it can feel as if change in the societal, cultural and institutional structures that maintain that inequality is slow. However, the work that is highlighted in the statement will move us closer to the change that we all want, and I welcome its publication.

I remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests—I hold a bank nurse contract with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

As the cabinet secretary outlined in his statement, we know that taking preventative action at any point of a person’s health or care needs can make a significant difference. Will he advise how Scottish Government investment is helping to expand targeted interventions across Scotland, particularly for cardiovascular disease and frailty prevention, and how the population health framework will complement those initiatives?