Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 16 June 2021
16 Jun 2021 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) Scotland Act 2021
I thank Mr Greene for his on-going support of the work that is to be tackled and the appointment of Johnny Gwynne.
I have discussed with Johnny Gwynne the approach that will be required in redress Scotland. As a long-serving public servant, he is aware of the importance of having the characteristics of empathy, justice, fairness, dignity and compassion at the heart of the scheme, and I am confident that he will ensure that they are instilled in redress Scotland.
We have had extensive discussions with a range of organisations. I cannot give Mr Greene a precise number just now, but we are having a number of what I would describe as positive conversations with contributors about their contributions to the scheme. We will share information about the success of those conversations on an on-going basis, to reassure members and survivors about the degree of engagement that is taking place.
On the issue of public awareness, we will undoubtedly be running a public awareness campaign. Later this month, we will start to recruit individuals for the panels that will be required. That will be the first part of the public awareness work, and maximising the number of applications will be a major priority.
I am heartened by the fact that we have had so many applications to the advance payment scheme, and encouraged that our communication has been effective in reaching individuals, which must be ever more so when it comes to the full redress scheme.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
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The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery (John Swinney)
SNP
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The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
The Deputy First Minister will now take questions on his statement. I intend to allow around 20 minutes for questions, after which we will need to move on to...
Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
I thank the Deputy First Minister for advance sight of his statement. I am pleased to be filling old shoes today as I speak on this subject. Members on the C...
John Swinney
SNP
I thank Mr Greene for his on-going support of the work that is to be tackled and the appointment of Johnny Gwynne. I have discussed with Johnny Gwynne the a...
Michael Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I, too, thank the Deputy First Minister for advance sight of his statement. We welcome the fact that we are now on the road to having a scheme to deal with ...
John Swinney
SNP
In relation to the level of financial redress that will be available to individuals, some of the detail is already set out in the 2021 act. Any further detai...
Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)
SNP
What support will be given to survivors who struggle to find or access records?
John Swinney
SNP
We recognise the difficulties that some applicants will face in finding evidence. They will be provided with assistance from officials in sourcing or accessi...
Meghan Gallacher (Central Scotland) (Con)
Con
The cabinet secretary referred to the launch of a campaign for the recruitment of independent panel members. He mentioned that they will have a range of expe...
John Swinney
SNP
Yes, that will be the case. It is critically important that the work of redress Scotland, and all of this activity, are informed by the experience and trauma...
Clare Adamson (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)
SNP
I thank the Deputy First Minister for his update and for the considerable progress that has already been made, and I congratulate Johnny Gwynne on his appoin...
John Swinney
SNP
The inclusion of the requirement for all the approaches to be founded on compassion, dignity and respect was the product of an amendment lodged by Clare Adam...
Sarah Boyack (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
I have met constituents who are concerned to know what advice will be available and when, so that they can apply to the scheme. They have had fantastic suppo...
John Swinney
SNP
I think that all the organisations that Sarah Boyack mentioned benefit from public funding to carry out their activities. It is clear that there is a need fo...
Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green)
Green
With the support of the Government, the bill that enabled the establishment of redress Scotland was amended to include a review provision to look specificall...
John Swinney
SNP
That will be one of the requirements that we will build into the operating processes of redress Scotland. We will gather evidence from the extent of contribu...
Audrey Nicoll (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP)
SNP
What support will be available to survivors of historical sexual abuse in care to access the redress scheme, particularly where it might be difficult for the...
John Swinney
SNP
We will ensure that digital considerations are not a barrier in any way to individuals applying to the scheme. Paper copies of all application forms will be ...
Beatrice Wishart (Shetland Islands) (LD)
LD
I welcome the cabinet secretary’s update, which shows that real progress is being made. I also welcome the appointment of Johnny Gwynne. It is so important t...
John Swinney
SNP
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Natalie Don (Renfrewshire North and West) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome you to your new role, Deputy Presiding Officer. I thank the Deputy First Minister for his statement on what is an extremely important issue. As he...
John Swinney
SNP
I am happy to do so. We have had extensive discussions with the UK Government Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care and Mini...
Alexander Stewart (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I am delighted that work is under way, through the survivors forum, on having support services in place for survivors when the scheme opens. That includes su...
John Swinney
SNP
A number of such services are facilitated by a number of the organisations that Sarah Boyack mentioned, such as Future Pathways. We try to put in place inter...
Christine Grahame (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP)
SNP
I noted the Deputy First Minister’s response to Mr Marra’s question about the eligibility criteria. I will press on with that issue. I have a constituent wh...
John Swinney
SNP
I do not want to give Christine Grahame a definitive answer, because it is probably not appropriate for me to do so. It would be appropriate for her constitu...
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome the statement: the sooner that redress Scotland is up and running, the better. With that in mind, I am concerned that the secondary legislation wil...
John Swinney
SNP
I can put Mr Johnson’s mind at rest about the timescale for the appointment of the chief executive and for the legislation. The chief executive interviews ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
I thank the Deputy First Minister. We have overrun slightly but, given the nature of the issues raised in the statement, it was important to allow members to...