Chamber and committees

Do you expect to have to produce a financial impact assessment, whether negative or positive, alongside your petition?

Mr Philp, when you get back to the committee on the 58 per cent figure that you used, could you clarify whether that relates to areas where trawling happens or the assessed areas, please? You do not need to answer now, but you could add that in.

I want to ask about the backing that you have for your petition. It states that it was submitted by you on behalf of the SCFF. Do all your members support the petition?

No, because my original question, which was about running for office here, was for Farah Farzana, and she has made a point about that.

Yes. Danny Boyle has just popped out of the room, but it is interesting that he said that the pandemic had an effect on race inequality. I am trying to tease out whether you believe that the pandemic has set equality back. We are talking about unemployment. We know that people from ethnic communities were twice as likely to be unemployed, twice as likely to be living in poverty and four times as likely to be living in overcrowded conditions. First, do you believe that the pandemic caused setbacks in progress, if there was progress before the pandemic? Secondly, do you believe that there should be a cross-sectional approach to all those issues of housing, unemployment and poverty?

Yes. Danny, you said that the pandemic had affected many of what we might call the targets and outcomes, although you did not use those words. In 2016, figures showed that people from ethnic communities were twice as likely to be unemployed or to live in poverty and four times as likely to live in overcrowded conditions. Prior to the pandemic, had any progress been made through interventions such as the Scottish Government’s race equality action plan?

If there had been progress on the commitment to setting an agenda, do you believe that the pandemic has set that back or has it brought such issues into focus again?

Are you saying that you would like to see a UK-wide housing policy?

I want to follow up on points that Pinar Aksu and Graham O’Neill made. Why do Ukrainian refugees who have come to Scotland to settle find it hard to access social and rented housing and healthcare? What experience does the Scottish Refugee Council have of supporting such individuals?

Good morning, minister. Last week, Professor O’Hagan said:

“Useful and important research came out alongside the budget”.

Most witnesses were complimentary about where we are so far, but they highlighted some gaps, deficiencies and holes. I am sure that you will have looked at that evidence. Professor O’Hagan also said that

“resources are not well used in the Parliament, in Government or externally.”—[Official Report, Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, 24 January 2023; c 12.]

Do you have an opinion on how resources could be used better?

I also want to get a better understanding of how the Scottish Government’s policy thinking stems from the equality and human rights budget advisory group. How does it draw on recommendations to make improvements in the equalities budget?

That is the area that I am really interested in, minister. We heard from Clare Gallagher that the Scottish Government could improve its understanding of the evidence that it gets, particularly the recommendations. The Fraser of Allander Institute gave a statement in a similar vein. It said:

“It is ... not clear the extent to which equalities considerations influence budget decisions.”

There is also an issue about how evidence is used and how robust the analysis is. Following on from Pam Duncan-Glancy’s question, will you give the committee an insight into how the Scottish Government looks at the evidence and research, what analysis it does and how that is conducted to understand how the budget will impact on human rights in different portfolios?