Chamber and committees

With one in four children in Scotland in poverty and with pressing concerns about pandemic fallout and the cruel actions of the UK Government, eradicating child poverty in Scotland is a moral obligation. That is why the Scottish Greens have been clear that the Scottish child payment should be doubled as soon as possible. I am pleased that we are delivering that from April. It will make a real difference to those who are struggling most, alongside the commitments on making investments in the just transition.

Can the cabinet secretary confirm how many children are eligible for the Scottish child payment uplift, and—this is important—how the Government will ensure that all those who are entitled to it benefit?

I come to Gordon Banks on the connection between resilience and innovation.

What other things should we focus on?

I thank the witnesses for their contribution so far. Given what you have all said—this picks up on Bill Ireland’s most recent comments—we will see change and diversification. In the future, your sectors will look quite different from how they looked pre-pandemic. I am interested in exploring the connections between resilience and innovation. I know that, in some areas of construction, there is innovation in building information management and design. What are the key opportunities for innovation in your industries, including with regard to materials, which are one of the issues that we are talking about today? What do you need from us to enable that innovation to happen and be that catalyst for change? Do you want to start off, Bill?

I thank the Deputy First Minister for sight of his statement and welcome the opening of the scheme this week. I also associate myself and my group with his heartfelt words. I hope that survivors will continue to feel heard throughout the operation of the scheme.

I also thank the Deputy First Minister for his recognition of the importance of providing non-financial redress, such as emotional and therapeutic support. I, too, would be interested in the information that he has agreed to provide to Katy Clark.

Will the Deputy First Minister give further details about the arrangements for reviewing the impacts of the waiver during the scheme’s first 18 months of operation?

I want to ask specifically about average speed cameras and how they can improve safety. Analysis has been done of the A9 and A90 since the introduction of average speed cameras on those roads, so could the same mechanisms be applied on the A96?

Good morning. I thank the witnesses for being with us and for their opening remarks.

I am interested in understanding a bit about the difference across different age groups of women. The witnesses all alluded to the pandemic’s amplification of existing inequalities. We know that the pandemic was particularly acutely felt by younger women—those in the 18 to 30 age group—who experience financial precarity anyway. Will you give us a bit more detail on that and how it compares to the effect on older women? Are there areas that we should consider looking at for women who are much older but still working age? How does the impact change across women’s lives?

Thank you very much for that, Ruth. That is really helpful.

I put the million dollar question to Norin Arshed. What we do about the points that have been made? What are the key steps that the Parliament and Government need to take to ensure that the financial precarity is not exacerbated as we move forward?

Thank you. Does Ruth Boyle want to come in on that question?