Chamber and committees

I welcome the panel. You have all said that the pandemic has had a devastating impact on gender equality. It has been said that women have been set back by decades. I would like to ask about the risk that women’s unfair responsibility for unpaid care and domestic work might get worse and reduce their ability to find paid work and income.

First, are we looking at the prospect of having a two-tier workplace where men go back but women stay at home? Secondly, a survey for the BBC that was published this morning says:

“just over half (56%) of women said they thought working from home would help them progress at work, as childcare and caring duties become less of a hindrance to working full-time.”

Would a shift to flexible work patterns create a more equal playing field for some women?

With human rights budgeting being so new, do you know of any lessons learned from international comparators on equalities and human rights budgeting? Which countries and regions can Scotland learn from?

With human rights budgeting being so new, do you know of any lessons learned from international comparators on equalities and human rights budgeting? Which countries or regions can Scotland learn from?

You mentioned that it happens and that we know that it happens, but there are a lot of religious, cultural and linguistic barriers out there. How do we overcome those to reach out to the people who most need our help?

We have heard evidence from other witnesses about the respondents to the survey, and we have found that almost 60 per cent of the respondents came from Christian households. Taking that into account, do you think that further research should be done in order to bring forward more evidence to support the ban on conversion therapy in Scotland? How would you see including other communities and other religions in that?

That is fine. Thank you.

I thank the witnesses for giving such an informative summary and for their informative answers.

Dr Moon, you mentioned Blair Anderson, who told us that 60 per cent of respondents to the survey came from Christian households. Taking that into account, do we need to do further research to get evidence and hear from more diverse communities and religions in order to ensure that they are included in support for the ban on conversion therapy in Scotland? If so, should those views be heard in relation to the bill or to secondary legislation, in order to reach out further?

I will follow on from what Karen Adam said. This is, of course, a very sensitive subject, and a lot of people have opposing views. Mothers, daughters and wives are all very worried that the proposals will take away their protections—it would be pointless to sit here and pretend otherwise.

Cabinet secretary, given that you said that we cannot go through all 17,000 responses, how will the Scottish Government carry out further consultation and engagement on the issue before the bill is introduced? I am mindful that you said that you are looking to introduce it in spring. Should we do any further work to ensure that we protect women’s rights, too?

Good morning, and thank you for coming along to give evidence.

At last week’s evidence session, I asked one of the witnesses what impact their proposals would have on the support that is provided by religious leaders, specifically with regard to barriers of language and culture. Their answers were enlightening, and that has brought me to my questions today. Blair Anderson mentioned that

“around 60-plus per cent of respondents to the national faith and sexuality survey that I have mentioned came from Christian households”.—[Official Report, Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, 7 September 2021; c 15.]

I want to make clear something else that was mentioned last week: this is not just about religion. Scotland is a very diverse place, and it is crucial that the legislation reaches everyone from all religions, not just Christianity. No matter what we do, religious barriers exist, and we all know that they are often hidden. Rebecca Crowther mentioned cultural sensitivities, different communities and how we have to reach out to them differently. Paul Daly touched on how the issue affects people in different ways.

With that in mind, do you think that more research and evidence are necessary to support a ban on conversion therapy in Scotland? If so, what type of research is required and why? What about the outreach behind this? On the other hand, should we just press ahead with legislation and deal with any future issues surrounding religion later on, perhaps in secondary legislation? What role do the Parliament and this committee have in educating people? There are three areas there to think about.

My question is on ethnic minorities in deprived areas. How will the Scottish Government work with those groups that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic? How can we help to guide that recovery?