Chamber and committees

Our next item of business is a decision on whether to take items 6 and 7 in private. Do members agree to do so?

Members indicated agreement.

We come to our main item of business. We will hear evidence from two panels of witnesses on the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill. I welcome to the meeting our first panel. Adam Stachura, head of policy and communications at Age Scotland is with us in the room. Joining us remotely are Dr Pauline Nolan, head of leadership and civic partnership at Inclusion Scotland; Suzanne Munday, Gypsy/Traveller service lead at the Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project; and Paul Traynor, head of external affairs at Carers Trust Scotland.

I will make a few points about the format of the meeting before we begin. I ask that virtual witnesses and members please wait until I or the members asking the questions say your name before speaking. Virtual witnesses, please allow our broadcasting colleagues a few seconds to turn on your microphone before you start to speak. Indicate with an R in the dialogue box in BlueJeans, or simply with a show of your hand, if you wish to come in on a question. Please do not feel that you all have to answer every single question. If you have nothing new to add to what has been said by others, that is absolutely fine because we have a lot to cover. I ask everyone to keep questions, answers and any follow-up questions tight.

Colleagues in the room should indicate to me or the clerk if they wish to come in and ask a supplementary question. Committee members online should use the chat box or WhatsApp. We are tight for time, but I will try to give all members an opportunity for questioning. I will move straight to members’ questions.

We will now move on to questions on theme 3, charter advocacy and complaints. I will move first to Foysol Choudhury for his question.

I see that Dr Nolan wants to come in on that point.

Thanks. We will turn now to our final theme, which is carers’ rights.

Welcome back, everyone. I welcome our second panel to the meeting: Cara Stevenson, organiser for the women’s campaign unit, GMB Scotland; Sarah Latto, policy officer, Volunteer Scotland; and Alison White, convener, Social Work Scotland. They all join us in person. Sara Cowan, co-ordinator of the Scottish Women’s Budget Group, joins us remotely.

I have a few points that I will go over again for the benefit of the witnesses. Virtual witnesses and members, please wait until I or the members asking the questions say your name before speaking. Please allow our broadcasting colleagues a few seconds to turn your microphone on before you start to speak. Indicate with an R in the dialogue box in BlueJeans or simply with a show of your hand if you wish to come in on a question.

Please do not feel that you all have to answer every single question. If you have nothing new to add to what has been said by others, that is fine. We have a lot to cover this morning, so I ask everyone to keep questions and answers relatively tight.

Before I move to the questions, I want to bring in Pam Duncan-Glancy for a declaration of interests.

Thank you. I will now move to questions from members. I will bring in Paul McLennan first.

Thank you. Members, we have a Sara and a Sarah, so can you specify which of them you are directing your questions to?

Thank you for your answers.

I am sorry; I have been managing to juggle the hybrid meeting quite well, but I see that Sara Cowan wanted to come in on the last point. If you would still like to come in, I can bring you in now.

Are we agreed?

Natalie Don was chosen as convener.