Chamber and committees

I welcome to the meeting David Parker, who is lead clinician at the National Gender Identity Clinical Network for Scotland. I invite David to make a short opening statement.

Thank you very much for that. All three contributions have been useful. We move to questions from members, starting with Maggie Chapman.

Pam Gosal has questions about the Prison Service.

We move on to some questions for Dr Guyan, from Rachael Hamilton.

Please give quick answers. Anthony Horan is first.

Would anyone else like to comment on that line of questioning? It has opened up an area on which it would be useful to hear others’ views.

Good morning, and welcome to the 17th meeting in 2022 of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee. We have received no apologies.

Item 1 is for the committee to continue to take evidence on the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill. I welcome our first panel of witnesses to the meeting. Paul Lowe, registrar general for Scotland and keeper of the records of Scotland at the National Records of Scotland, is joining us virtually. James Kerr, deputy chief executive, and Robert Strachan, head of strategy and improvement, are both from the Scottish Prison Service. Dr Kevin Guyan is from the University of Glasgow.

I refer members to papers 1 and 2, and I ask our witnesses to make some short opening statements, starting with Paul Lowe.

I am pleased to welcome our second panel of witnesses, who represent faith and secular groups. We have Anthony Horan, director of the Catholic Parliamentary Office of the Bishops Conference of Scotland; the Rev Karen Hendry, vice-convener of the faith impact forum and minister of Yoker parish church, from the Church of Scotland; Chris Ringland, public policy officer for Scotland with the Evangelical Alliance; and Fraser Sutherland, chief executive officer of the Humanist Society Scotland. You are all very welcome. I invite you all to make short opening statements.

Fraser Sutherland, do you have anything to add?

We will now hear questions from Rachael Hamilton.