Chamber and committees

When we make laws, we do so on points of principle, and the same Government will not always be in charge. On a point of principle, are you comfortable with that level of ministerial power to curb protest?

On ministerial powers and the extension of zones, we have focused quite a lot on big city centre locations rather than on big premises, but the picture is quite diverse across the country. Extending zones could take in quite large bits or further bits of the community. If a zone was not just within healthcare premises, would there be a need to consult again, given that this is about balancing rights?

I am okay, convener. I will come back in later.

Do you agree that, in relation to proportionality when we are talking about rights, post-legislative scrutiny—there is that phrase again—is an important tool to give everyone that comfort?

This is all very fascinating. The difficulty of the signage issue is intent and how things are received. Protesters or people who are taking part in vigils would think that they do not have malign intent. The same is true of church signage, on which messages can be stark. They are not always welcoming messages from scripture. How have you worked through those difficulties?

Section 11 of the bill enables the Scottish Government to issue guidance to operators of abortion services. What do you expect that guidance to cover?

Would you acknowledge that it might be more distressing to walk past a group of men holding placards, even if those placards were about fair pay or working conditions, than it might be to walk past a couple of individuals who are praying silently?

Yes—I would not diminish any of that; we absolutely heard that. As we are creating law, what I am trying to get to is whether it is possible, in law, to protect citizens from silent judgment.

That would be helpful.

Vivienne Sutherland, in response to one of my colleagues—I cannot remember who it was, as it was a while ago—you spoke about the desire to move from crisis to prevention. You were talking about the post-pandemic period, in particular, but I think that that has been a theme for our public services in Scotland for quite a long time. Can you say a bit more about what needs to happen to create the space to do that?