Chamber and committees

You said that you feel quite lucky because you have access to that provision. How did you get that?

Does that apply specifically to women fleeing domestic violence?

Yes—in connection with the point that Gillian mentioned.

You also talk in your submission about the need for strategic litigation, so that organisations could have standing in cases in the future. Will you tell us a bit more about that, particularly in relation to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill?

No, I am fine. I can come in right after you.

Thanks, convener.

I am keen to explore—particularly with Jen Ang, given the focus of her work with Inclusion Scotland around disabled people—the area of access to legal services. In a 2021 survey on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 73 per cent of respondents said that deaf and disabled people find it

“hard to get support if they have a legal problem”,

and a quarter were not sure. Deaf and disabled people are more likely to say that they have experienced a civil law problem but there are still barriers to getting advice. Examples that were cited included

“Costs associated with reasonable adjustments ... not met by legal aid”—

I will come to Colin Lancaster on that point in a minute—as well as a

“lack of ... high quality BSL/English interpreters in courts and police stations”.

Another response highlighted that, often,

“we are exhausted daily so dealing with legal matters is mentally and physically impossible for many of us”.

How can we address some of that? Those are the same issues that I remember writing a report about when I worked on the independent living in Scotland project in 2015, so it feels as though we have not made much progress. I am excited to see the work that you guys are doing, but how do we tell more people about it, scale it up and resolve some of the issues for disabled people that I have just highlighted?

I suspect that it was both, if I am honest, given the lack of understanding on the part of the profession about what additional costs might be and what they can apply for. There is probably also an issue with regard to access to the services more generally. Perhaps Jim Stephenson from the Law Society might be able to comment on that.

Good morning. I thank everyone who has joined us for the information that they provided in advance, which has been really helpful, and for the supplementary information that they have given in their opening remarks. I had prepared some questions in advance, but a few more have arisen out of some of the comments—I guess that that is the nature of the discussion.

The first issue that I want to focus on is that of the areas in which people are seeking information. Fiona McPhail, I come to you first on housing, after which I will move on to debt. In your submission, you noted that women who experience domestic violence have specific issues; Jim Stephenson also mentioned that. What specific issues were you referring to in relation to access to justice? What can be done?

Thank you. Convener, should I move on to the next area of questioning or will you go to someone else?

It does. Thank you—I appreciate that.

You also made a point in your submission about unsuitable temporary homelessness accommodation and the recent inner house of the Court of Session judgment. Can you tell us about what that means for the people you work with and what we need to do to remedy that?