Chamber and committees

That takes us to the end of our questions. We look forward to receiving the information that you have agreed to send us, cabinet secretary. We will see you next month to discuss the budget specifically, when we will be able to return to some of the points that have been raised. For now, however, I thank you and your officials for attending.

Welcome to the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee’s third meeting. All members are present. Karen Adam MSP joins us remotely on the BlueJeans platform.

Agenda item 1 is a decision on whether to take items 5 and 6, which are consideration of today’s evidence, in private. Do members agree to take items 5 and 6 in private?

Members indicated agreement.

A number of witnesses have mentioned Victoria. Karen Adam has questions that are relevant in that regard, so I will bring her in.

Karen, do you want to come back in?

Alexander Stewart wants to come in.

We are out of time, so I thank the witnesses for their helpful evidence to the committee. Obviously, our deliberations on the petition will continue and we will hear from people—not least survivors, at an appropriate point—in a lot more evidence sessions on it.

I suspend the meeting briefly to change over witnesses.

The next agenda item is to hear from the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government. The cabinet secretary appears before us today to speak on behalf of both her portfolio and that of the Minister for Equalities and Older People. All our panel 2 witnesses are joining us virtually today. I welcome Shona Robison, the cabinet secretary, who is joined by Scottish Government officials Nick Parton, unit head of the connected communities division; Emma Harvey, divisional performance manager from the business support unit; Elisabeth Campbell, deputy director for human rights; and Jess Dolan, deputy director for equality and inclusion.

I refer members to papers 4 and 5, and I invite the cabinet secretary to make a short opening statement.

That would be helpful, so that we can work out what we are going to do prior to any legislation being introduced. As you have said, it is a big piece of work.

Fulton MacGregor might have a further question.

I think that Pam Duncan-Glancy wants to come in on this issue.