Chamber and committees

In that written information, could you clearly address the 10 risks that were identified in the equality and fairer Scotland budget statement? That would help us to be clear about what work is happening against each of those identified risks. Similarly, it would be useful to have information on progress against each of the recommendations of the equality budget advisory group.

I have a couple of questions on how we embed equalities and human rights into our budget process in a meaningful way. What steps is the Scottish Government taking to build the capacity of all Scottish Government members and officials to ensure that budget spend advances our equalities and human rights agenda? Further, how do we ensure that our budget processes are as transparent as possible, especially around those issues? How do we inform those who are doing the budget setting while being transparent in the interests of those who might want to be involved in that process?

Thank you for that. Who, then, has the responsibility for ensuring that victims of coercion or the kind of non-consensual approach in a faith-based setting, which Megan Snedden talked about, know that what is happening is wrong? I suppose that it comes back to education and collective responsibility in society. Does anyone have something else to say about that? If people do not know that what is happening to them is wrong, how can they get out of that situation and get support?

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. It seems that Alex Cole-Hamilton has infected this little area of the chamber and I have no internet connection either. I would have voted no.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Lamara Bell and John Yuill. No one should have to experience such an avoidable tragedy.

This terrible case reminds us that serious harm and death can be the result of not only individual mistakes but institutional and corporate failures of governance and care. While Police Scotland’s admission of breaching health and safety legislation, its conviction and the imposition of a small fine bear some symbolic significance, they do little to bring about real justice. Does the cabinet secretary agree that the people of Scotland urgently need law reform that, through robust participatory and potentially transformative processes, effectively addresses corporate and institutional responsibility for death and serious injury?

To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with ScotRail and the trade unions regarding industrial action on the network. (S6F-00220)

I note the comments made on Tuesday by the transport minister, in which he called on everyone to act responsibly.

It has been six months since people were able to get a train on a Sunday. It seems that Abellio has little interest in acting responsibly, given that the ScotRail franchise is soon to be transferred to public ownership. It is clear that we need a long-term partnership between the workers, passengers and the Government to avoid the problems that have arisen with Abellio.

Will the First Minister tell me how her Government will bring the situation to an end in the short term? Can she also give us an assurance that when ScotRail is brought into public ownership, the governance structure will include representatives of workers and passengers, as well as appointees, on the board?

I thank the panel members for all their contributions this morning; we have covered a wide range of issues.

Following on from Michelle Thomson’s questioning, I want to pick up on a couple of issues. We have talked about the fact that a labour shortage is not the same as a skills shortage, and about some of the analysis around that, which relates to house prices, rural-urban splits and so on. There has also been discussion of T-shaped employees versus I-shaped employees and how we support and generate the right approach in that respect. Quite a few of you have spoken about the need to adopt a new mindset, which goes for employers as well as employees.

Many of the responses have focused on what we need to do to get the right skills, the right training and development, and the right infrastructure in place. We have not heard so much about the cultural aspect; employers and employees are people, and I wonder what research has been done—or analysis you have—that would allow us to better understand how we take people with us on the journey. We cannot just say, “You need to adopt a new mindset here.” We need to do work on how we take them with us.

If you have any analysis in that space, from that information, what do the Scottish Parliament and Government need to prioritise in how we look at that, particularly around the clear economic—and, I would argue, moral—drivers for having a diverse workforce that acknowledges the breadth of experience and skills that we can bring to our economy? That question goes first to Chris Brodie and I would also be interested to hear from Mairi Spowage.

We need to look at rail infrastructure in all regions across Scotland, because it is the future of both transport and community connectivity. We know from the Borders railway—which has carried millions of passengers since opening and has attracted investment and tourism to the area—that it is a real way to generate economic sustainability. [Interruption.] I will make progress, if the member does not mind.

The deal will also see billions more being invested in the onshore wind industry, in addition to the rapidly growing offshore sector, and the Greens will seek to ensure that that investment also creates jobs and opportunities in the supply chain. We cannot continue to see our domestic manufacturing fail while turbines are imported.

The Green deal will also see conditionality applied to all Scottish Government support, so that public money is always forwarding the just transition and promoting fair work. That includes requirements to pay the real living wage, recognise trade unions and ensure that recipients of public grants are not engaging in tax avoidance. That is what investment-led recovery looks like, and it is the economic recovery that people and the planet need.

Although I am proud of the difference that the Greens are making, we need to do more. Trades Union Congress analysis of public spending on the green recovery and job creation in the G7 countries shows that the UK is lagging far behind, with Germany investing three times more per person and France four times more. Although we are doing what we can in Scotland, we need the UK Government to do its bit—to reject austerity and to commit to a long-term programme of green stimulus spend.

Failure to invest in a green economic recovery would be a disaster for our planet and for our economy. We have our work to do, but the prize will be a prosperous, successful and resilient economy that supports a fair and green Scotland.