Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 17 March 2021
Yes; it has been like that not only for years or decades but for centuries and perhaps for even longer than that. As she spoke, I sensed Ruth Maguire’s rightful frustration. We have to respond as a Government but also, I think, as men.
The working group on misogyny and criminal justice in Scotland is being led by Baroness Helena Kennedy. I think that she will provide some helpful legislative solutions to some of the issues that have been raised.
However, as many members have mentioned—including, in particular, Rhoda Grant, in her closing speech on behalf of Labour—it is not just about legislation. It must also be about education. A number of my male colleagues have referenced the fact that they are members of White Ribbon Scotland, whose work I commend. We must take up that challenge from Rhoda Grant and from, I am sure, many other women members, of educating our sons, brothers, other males and ourselves about why women feel that men are a danger to them. We must modify our behaviour. I would certainly like to learn more on that journey. I think that I have done some of that; however, there is an immediate need not just to learn but to act. I hope that the Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Bill is a demonstration of that action, in a small but nonetheless significant way.
I will also mention John Finnie’s comments. Although I am sure that he will contribute to other debates before the end of the session, I think that this will have been his last contribution from a justice portfolio perspective. I have known him for many years and I have admired and respected him as a friend. He has one of the strongest moral compasses that I know. I was deeply saddened when I learned that he had left my party. However, he has always worked constructively with members of all parties, and always in the pursuit of justice. As a member of the Justice Committee and as the convener of the Justice Sub-Committee on Policing, he has been formidable, forensic and thoughtful, and I, for one, will miss him greatly in the Parliament.
Other members made a number of points. I know that time is short. Fulton MacGregor and Alex Neil certainly made important points about North Lanarkshire Council, and both have challenged the Government to look at that situation. Although we fund local government to fund local services, I am nonetheless happy to look into the issue because domestic abuse is unfortunately prevalent in our society and it is important to tackle it.
James Dornan is right about Police Scotland attending 60,000 domestic abuse incidents each year. We must do better.
Alex Neil made a thoughtful valedictory speech. He is formidable. The Opposition might breathe a sigh of relief that they will no longer have to deal with Alex Neil, who speaks so articulately and with great strength. I suspect that we will breathe a greater sigh of relief than the Opposition, but he has always challenged Government fairly and I commend him for doing so again in his valedictory speech. Even now, he is stealing the thunder and attention, although he is not in the chamber. He is right to do so.
Alex Neil made some fair comments about how the criminal justice system must do better and referred to a constituency case of stalking that he had dealt with. All of the issues that he fairly raises are being discussed by Police Scotland, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, the Government and many others as part of the work of the victims task force. I wish Alex Neil the very best.
Adam Tomkins made a thoughtful speech. I congratulate him on his five years of service in the Parliament. He has shown himself to be an effective committee convener. Perhaps the best compliment that I can pay him is to say that I suspect that many of his opponents will, again, breathe a sigh of relief at his departure. He said that nothing that he has heard in these five years has convinced him to change his mind about supporting the union. I remember an Adam Tomkins who supported independence, so we will not give up hope just yet.
I will end with a quotation from a 2015 publication by Scottish Women’s Aid called “Change, Justice, Fairness”. It was subtitled “Why should I move everywhere and everything because of him?” The research cast light on the massive impact of domestic abuse on women’s living situations. The group of women who were involved in that publication wrote:
“When we came together as a group of women from di?erent backgrounds and life experiences and began sharing our stories we found strong similarities in how we had been treated. We were determined to prevent other women and children in the future from having to live through what happened to us. We had done nothing wrong but were forced to leave our home, either by the perpetrator or by the housing system that expected us and our children to become homeless.”
We must do better, for those women who feel that they must flee their homes to escape domestic abuse. We must do better, for women who believe that they have to choose between their own safety and abandoning their children. We must do better, to ensure that women are not left homeless by the scourge of domestic abuse.
I hope that the Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Bill is a demonstration of this Parliament and this Government doing better. It gives powers to Police Scotland and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service to ensure that victims of domestic abuse are provided with safety, even when the criminal threshold has not been met. We should never again have that stain on our collective conscience that victims of domestic abuse—predominantly women—must flee their homes in order to protect themselves from the risk of abuse.
I am delighted to hear that all political parties will support the bill and I commend the Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Bill to the Parliament.