Hansard

The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott) Con

The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-08797, in the name of Shona Robison, on the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill, which is Unit...

The Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport (Shona Robison) SNP

Forced marriage is, thankfully, not an issue that affects the majority of people in Scotland. However, it is a blight on those communities where it still hap...

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (Lab) Lab

Is it not the case that the UK Government has signed but not ratified the convention, and that it becomes legally binding only when ratified? If the minister...

Shona Robison SNP

We are clear that, in order to ratify the convention, forced marriage requires to become a criminal offence. The Istanbul convention was, in effect, a game c...

Elaine Murray (Dumfriesshire) (Lab) Lab

Only one part of the legislative consent memorandum is contentious and that is the proposals on forced marriage.In starting, I think that it is important to ...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Con

Thank you for your brevity.17:15

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con) Con

The Justice Committee report on the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill legislative consent memorandum did not make a recommendation on the provis...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Con

We move to the open debate. If members could speak for not too long, that would be helpful.17:18

Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) SNP

Thank you, Presiding Officer. I will try to keep my speech as short as possible.As a member of the Justice Committee, to which consideration of the LCM fell,...

John Pentland (Motherwell and Wishaw) (Lab) Lab

The LCM’s proposals on forced marriage proved very contentious. The shortcomings of the process were such that the committee decided not to recommend support...

Christine Grahame (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP) SNP

The Justice Committee requested time for the debate, and I thank the Parliamentary Bureau for allowing us to have it. All members of the committee were conce...

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (Lab) Lab

In 2005, I introduced a consultation on forced marriage and listened to the views of violence against women organisations, such as Scottish Women’s Aid, Hema...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Con

We move to the closing speeches. I call Margaret Mitchell—four minutes, please.17:30

Margaret Mitchell Con

This debate, which is an unusual one, was triggered by the Justice Committee’s decision not to make a recommendation on the inclusion of forced marriage with...

Elaine Murray Lab

A number of important points have been brought out in this very brief debate. Sandra White made the point about the need to treat forced marriage as we do ot...

Shona Robison SNP

I thank everyone for their contributions to the debate. Although we might not all agree on the details, I have a strong feeling of the commitment that member...

Margaret Mitchell Con

The point is that there is time, especially given the information that Malcolm Chisholm supplied, to look again and see whether a Scottish solution can be fo...

Shona Robison SNP

I find that comment slightly ironic, given the UK Government’s clear position. As for Malcolm Chisholm’s point about ratification, the UK cannot ratify the c...

Malcolm Chisholm Lab

There is disagreement on the legal advice, because that is not the legal advice that Scottish Women’s Aid has received. However, if the minister takes that v...

Shona Robison SNP

We are looking at forced marriage today. We are clear that, to ratify the convention, we require to criminalise forced marriage. The other articles are anoth...