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Every contribution to the Official Report — chamber and committee — searchable in one place. Pulled from data.parliament.scot, indexed for full-text search, linked through to every MSP.

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Showing 60 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.
Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab Chamber
22 Mar 2011
Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Bill
I am pleased to make my final contribution in the Parliament during this important debate on forced marriages. The Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Bill can, and I hope will, make a profound difference to people’s lives. As a Law Society witness rig...
Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab Chamber
16 Mar 2011
“Low Carbon Scotland: Meeting the Emissions Reductions Targets 2010-2022—Report on Proposals and Policies”
Behavioural change and continued funding for energy efficiency and home insulation are essential for cutting emissions in homes and communities. How well are programmes such as the loft insulation scheme monitored? Critically, how much is spent on remedial roof ventilation, fo...
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Forth Crossing Project
I presume that once you get the forum set up, you will go through with the community councils the step-by-step guide that you will have.
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Forth Crossing Project
Thank you. You also talked about the updated brochure and the models that will be made available. What progress has been made in making arrangements for local residents and businesses to report any breaches of the code, and to learn about the project as it enters its construct...
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Forth Crossing Project
A general overview would be helpful. If there are a lot of details, that would be good.
Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Forth Crossing Project
We might have talked about some of this already, but are there any further details about how the code of construction practice better meets the needs of local residents?
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Annual Report
Thank you very much.
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Annual Report
I agree with the sentiment of what Malcolm Chisholm said. Paragraph 13 does not describe what we did. I do not want it to look as though we rejected the concept of specific equality duties when, in fact, we rejected the proposed specific duties.My suggestion is smaller than Ma...
Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab Committee
15 Mar 2011
Budget 2011-12
I realise that we cannot say much about it at this point because we are coming to the end of the session, but I thought that it was worth making some comment.The response is positive about the committee’s relationship with the Government, how everything works and how we have m...
Marlyn Glen Lab Chamber
10 Mar 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · Social Care (Parkinson’s Disease)
Parkinson’s UK has long called for better links between health care and social care. If full integration is not planned, that will mean lead commissioning without statutory underpinning. How will the minister guarantee support for and access to services for all those who have ...
Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab Chamber
10 Mar 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · Social Care (Parkinson’s Disease)
2. To ask the Scottish Executive how plans to integrate social care into the national health service will affect people with Parkinson’s disease. (S3O-13225)
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Major Issues)
You talked about how far the devolution of Network Rail could be taken. Would the Scottish Government consider vertical integration of train and infrastructure operations in the future?
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Major Issues)
Are there any financial implications?
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Major Issues)
Does the devolution of power to Network Rail’s regions have any policy or financial implications for the Scottish Government?
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Major Issues)
What involvement has the Scottish Government had with the UK Department for Transport and Network Rail on the restructuring of Network Rail?16:15
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
It sounds like you are doing a lot. Are you confident about what BAA is doing to ensure that its airports can remain open during similar weather?
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
Yes.
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
Can you give us details of the meetings of the airport forum and the outcomes of those meetings?
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
Thank you. What engagement did BAA have with Transport Scotland regarding decisions to suspend operations at Scotland’s airports and how that could be minimised?
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
I would not have thought that increasing the number of runways was a solution for Scottish airports. Was there a particular reason why Edinburgh airport closed when other places did not?
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
Have you made comparisons with other airports that suffered similar conditions but managed to stay open?
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
My questions are on air travel. Why were Scotland’s main airports, particularly Edinburgh airport, closed for periods during the severe winter weather?
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
That will help if a future committee wants to follow up the issue.
Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Transport (Severe Weather)
I will pick up on Cathy Peattie’s first point. We are not in the business of naming and shaming—that is fair enough—but the committee might say in its legacy paper that the issue should be followed up. Given that, it might help if you named examples of good practice.
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
I realise that the regulations are the result of a lot of work and good intentions but I am absolutely not convinced that they are right. We need to get them right first time and I would prefer it if they were amended and improved and then brought back to the Parliament.
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
No, I would not say that I was content, because this is a particular problem. If we are talking about long-standing institutional racism, sexism and so on, there is a massive concern that looking only at new policies and practices will not touch that at all.
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
If the regulations as they stand are approved, I hope that you are right, but I am not sure that the witnesses accept that assertion. I still do not see why we cannot get it right first time.10:15
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
I am still concerned, and not convinced. If you are accepting the criticisms, why wait for a year or two for people not to come up to scratch? Why not just put these matters into regulations now? I am really struggling because, on the face of it, it sounds plausible to put thi...
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
A statistical analysis is one thing, but with something like this consideration must also be given to what one of our previous witnesses called the dissenting view. Obviously, it is important to give different weighting to different responses. We are trying to regulate public ...
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
I want to emphasise this point. We are talking about a timeframe and about getting things right. I suggest that everyone wants to get things right. In my view, that is the issue for us today. It is really important that we get things right. If the timeframe is wrong, it must g...
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
Can the equality unit check the matter? There are definitely rumblings that the consultation invitations were not as open and wide as would have been expected. Although it is too late for the consultation that has passed, it is important that arrangements are improved for the ...
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
That was a very clear answer from Mr Mejka. We were told at one point that numbers matter, and we have been looking for data for the whole of the current session. That seems to be the underlying issue for us. However, it is how you weight the responses that come in that is rea...
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
The STUC submission talked about outcomes as well. It is good to concentrate on outcomes because that is what we are looking for. We are clear that we do not want a paper-based exercise. However, the problem seems to be how that would all work in practice. It is quite challeng...
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
I am interested in what you said about what I thought was mainly a statistical analysis. This should not be done on a counting-of-heads basis. If 99 per cent said no but 1 per cent said yes, and the 1 per cent had proper arguments, we should go with the 1 per cent if it is the...
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
If he has caught up, that is fine.I congratulate the witnesses on their vigilance. They have emphasised for us the importance of partnership working, without which we cannot go forward properly and scrutinise things.I have a follow-up question about outcomes.
Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab Committee
08 Mar 2011
Subordinate Legislation
Can I check that Mr Mejka is catching up? It is very important for the committee to include everybody.
Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab Chamber
03 Mar 2011
There is a Better Way Campaign
I thank Elaine Smith for securing this debate and restate the welcome that she gave to the people in the gallery. I think that some of them might have missed it.This very worthwhile debate, which has taken some time to get to the chamber, was originally initiated to link in wi...
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
01 Mar 2011
Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I appreciate the fact that the minister lodged amendment 3 in response to the concerns that were expressed.Amendment 3 agreed to.Amendment 4 moved—Alex Neil—and agreed to.Section 9, as amended, agreed to.Section 10 agreed to.Section 11—Guidance
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
01 Mar 2011
Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
It is important to have clarity so that the protected person has the full protection of the courts and so that the court is empowered, regarding all sorts of details, when it is determining the terms of the order. I am glad that the minister has accepted my amendment, which I ...
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
01 Mar 2011
Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I thank the minister for taking on board the points that have been made, and I am sure that the witnesses who were at the committee will take some reassurance from that.Amendment 10 agreed to.Section 1, as amended, agreed to.Section 2—Contents of orders
Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab Committee
01 Mar 2011
Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
This issue was discussed quite widely in the committee’s evidence sessions. I understand that, as the minister said in his response, there is an assumption in the bill that major force is included. However, our witnesses suggested strongly that the definition should be made ex...
Marlyn Glen Lab Chamber
24 Feb 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · Domestic Abuse
How will the minister and the Scottish Government encourage the necessary changes in attitude as promoted by Scottish Women’s Aid’s stop campaign? How will he further support the roll-out of practices such as the toolkit for domestic abuse courts and the essential provision of...
Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab Chamber
24 Feb 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · Domestic Abuse
1. To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to reduce the level of domestic abuse. (S3O-13076)
Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab Chamber
23 Feb 2011
Migration and Trafficking
It was over a year ago that the Equal Opportunities Committee decided to hold an inquiry into migration and trafficking. During the inquiry we heard from more than 50 witnesses at 11 meetings and took evidence from 25 migrants, who had come to Scotland from all over the world....
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
22 Feb 2011
“Public Bodies Climate Change Duties: Putting Them Into Practice” and “A Low Carbon Economic Strategy for Scotland”
Okay—I will take that as it is offered.
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
22 Feb 2011
“Public Bodies Climate Change Duties: Putting Them Into Practice” and “A Low Carbon Economic Strategy for Scotland”
So it would just cascade.
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
22 Feb 2011
“Public Bodies Climate Change Duties: Putting Them Into Practice” and “A Low Carbon Economic Strategy for Scotland”
I think that there is a lot of optimism, and it is good to be optimistic. However, is it all a bit vague?The low-carbon investment conference is something specific, and while it is not set up by you or by the Government, it will at least be held annually. However, that still s...
Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab Committee
22 Feb 2011
“Public Bodies Climate Change Duties: Putting Them Into Practice” and “A Low Carbon Economic Strategy for Scotland”
Part of my question has been answered. I think we agree that some public bodies have years of experience in climate change policy and delivery. As you made clear, minister, best practice should be shared throughout the public sector, and you have talked about dialogue and part...
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
22 Feb 2011
Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Bill
That would be good.
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
22 Feb 2011
Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Bill
I am pleased that in response to what we said in paragraph 9 of our report about the reference to duress in the definition, the Government has said that it will explore the issue and include a question on it in the consultation on the guidance.The Government has covered virtua...
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
22 Feb 2011
Migration and Trafficking Inquiry
It would be worth while to follow that up.
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
22 Feb 2011
Migration and Trafficking Inquiry
Secondly, do we have a direct response to the report from the police or the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland? I felt that the Government was speaking for itself, rather than for ACPOS or the police authorities.
Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab Committee
22 Feb 2011
Migration and Trafficking Inquiry
I agree with the comments that have been made: it has been a worthwhile response. Do we have time to come back to it after the debate tomorrow if necessary? Will it be on the agenda at our next meeting?
Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab Chamber
02 Feb 2011
Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I am pleased that the Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Bill has at last come before Parliament, thereby allowing us to catch up with legislation in the rest of the UK, and that it will make a breach of an FMPO a criminal offence. I understand the re...
Marlyn Glen Lab Chamber
27 Jan 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · Unemployment (North East Scotland)
Yesterday, Labour said that the budget ought to be about jobs. That is certainly what is needed in the north-east, where there are threatened compulsory redundancies at Aberdeen City Council, where unemployment is hitting one in 10 in far too many areas in Dundee, and, crucial...
Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab Chamber
27 Jan 2011
Scottish Executive Question Time · Unemployment (North East Scotland)
16. To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is financing to tackle unemployment in North East Scotland. (S3O-12763)
Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab Chamber
26 Jan 2011
Car Sharing (North East Scotland)
I, too, congratulate Alison McInnes on securing this evening’s debate and on setting out so clearly the advantages of lift sharing.We talk about transport a lot in the chamber—and in committee. I think—or at least I hope—that we are all aware of the pressing need to decrease t...
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
25 Jan 2011
“Low Carbon Scotland: Public Engagement Strategy”
It would be good to see them promoted in the engagement strategy.
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
25 Jan 2011
“Low Carbon Scotland: Public Engagement Strategy”
I know that there have been pilots to encourage slow food and promote locally produced food.
Marlyn Glen Lab Committee
25 Jan 2011
“Low Carbon Scotland: Public Engagement Strategy”
I have always thought that the personal is the political anyway, so I do not have a problem with asking people to change their behaviour in that way.I will move on. The strategy states that getting people to avoid food waste and eat a healthy diet are areas where a contributio...
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Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 22 March 2011

22 Mar 2011 · S3 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Bill
Glen, Marlyn Lab North East Scotland Watch on SPTV
I am pleased to make my final contribution in the Parliament during this important debate on forced marriages. The Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Bill can, and I hope will, make a profound difference to people’s lives. As a Law Society witness rightly described the situation,

“although forced marriage is low incidence, it has an extremely high impact”.—[Official Report, Equal Opportunities Committee, 23 November 2010; c 2172.]

I am confident that we understand by now what forced marriage is. It is not arranged marriage, and it is not just an incompatible marriage. It is a marriage where one or both parties do not or cannot give consent.

Members of the Equal Opportunities Committee heard some pretty powerful evidence about rape, torture and assault carried out in the name of marriage. The Scottish Parliament has to put out the strongest signal that that is wholly unacceptable in our society—and neither is it condoned by any religion. The fact that breach of a forced marriage protection order is to be a criminal offence leaves no one in doubt about how serious a matter it is.

I am pleased that there is a commitment to include in the consultation on the statutory guidance a question on the definition of forced marriage. The UK forced marriage unit’s definition includes the phrase “and duress is involved”. We are well aware of the mental and physical duress that can be involved, but there is concern about individuals who might be forced to marry through much more subtle means, in particular if they have learning difficulties or if they are unaware of what is happening.

The bill’s passage has not been contentious and is an example of the cross-party working that has made it a pleasure and a privilege to be part of the Equal Opportunities Committee. I thank the minister and the bill team for their work in response to the committee’s report. I thank them for the amendments that they lodged and for accepting the amendments that I lodged at stage 2.

The amendments that I lodged arose from our discussions with agencies such as Scottish Women’s Aid. It is essential that people who want the bill to help them to do preventive work as well as work with victims are confident that the new legislation will make a difference. A strength of the Equal Opportunities Committee is its relationships with groups and its openness in discussing their concerns. We worked not just with groups that represent the legal profession but with equality groups, which were diligent in responding to our work.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of being interviewed for a film on forced marriages, which was initiated and is being directed by Loudy Othman. Students from Stevenson College’s creative industries department are working on the project with Saheliya and it is heartening to know that they are spreading the word and beginning the essential education process that is needed to accompany the bill.

It is sad that instances of forced marriage are being uncovered all the time. Although we know that it is usually women who are the victims, Saheliya is working on a small but important project, my story of drug addiction, with young men who are being forced to marry in a perverse attempt by their families to deal with their addiction and find support for them. The fate of the young women who are involved in such marriages does not bear thinking about. We must hope that the passing of the bill sends the strongest signal that forced marriage will not be tolerated in Scotland.

I give special thanks to the clerks and to members and former members for making the Equal Opportunities Committee’s work such a worthwhile part of my work as a member of the Scottish Parliament.

09:52

In the same item of business

The Presiding Officer (Alex Fergusson) NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S3M-8157, in the name of Alex Neil, on the Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Bill....
The Minister for Housing and Communities (Alex Neil) SNP
I thank the members of the Equal Opportunities Committee, its convener, Margaret Mitchell, and the committee clerks for their work on the bill. I thank also ...
Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab) Lab
Will the minister take an intervention?
Alex Neil SNP
I am afraid that I am just finishing my speech.We expect the bill to result in more victims seeking help because—for the first time in Scotland—a focus will ...
The Presiding Officer NPA
I call Johann Lamont, who has about six minutes.09:31
Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab) Lab
For once, I might not use my full quota of minutes, but that does not mean that the bill is not significant. It is relatively straightforward and short, and ...
Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con) Con
The Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Bill is important legislation that the Equal Opportunities Committee had the opportunity to ...
Hugh O’Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD) LD
There is an oxymoron at the heart of the debate—it is “forced marriage”. If something is forced, there cannot be a marriage. The evidence that we took on the...
The Presiding Officer NPA
We have a little time in hand, so there is a bit of flexibility, if anyone needs it.09:44
Anne McLaughlin (Glasgow) (SNP) SNP
This will be my final speech as an MSP. I have decided to set myself a challenge. Instead of having the speech written out in front of me in 16-point bold, w...
Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab
I am pleased to make my final contribution in the Parliament during this important debate on forced marriages. The Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisd...
Christina McKelvie (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP
I am pleased to speak in the debate on the second-last bill that we will pass in this session of the Scottish Parliament—the first session in which I have ha...
Hugh O’Donnell LD
Perhaps they are someone else’s.
Christina McKelvie SNP
Perhaps they are.When the Parliament was established, human rights and equality were written into its proceedings from the outset. The Parliament was establi...
Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab) Lab
Having served on the Equal Opportunities Committee since 1999, I am pleased that the last debate of the parliamentary session in which I will participate con...
Hugh O’Donnell LD
This has been a short and sweet, consensual debate. However, I suspect that another event later this morning, commonly known as First Minister’s questions, i...
Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Con
I, too, thank Marlyn Glen for everything that she has done in the Parliament and wish her happiness and success in the future.It is a pleasure to close for t...
The Presiding Officer NPA
I call Johann Lamont to close on behalf of the Scottish Labour Party. You have quite an amount of flexibility, Ms Lamont.10:07
Johann Lamont Lab
Hugh O’Donnell described this as a short and sweet debate. Neither the minister nor I often contribute to short and sweet debates, so we should cherish the m...
The Presiding Officer NPA
We come to the minister to wind up the debate. Minister, I can offer you your second 15-minute slot in a row. You have until 10.30 should you choose to use t...
Alex Neil SNP
Johann Lamont started by saying that it is not often she and I do short and sweet. I disagree. We do short and sweet all the time: she does the short, and I ...
Elaine Smith Lab
Will the minister join me in thanking Jean McFadden for my knowledge of Latin? She taught me at St Patrick’s high school in Coatbridge.
Alex Neil SNP
The Minister for Community Safety has just intimated to me that the correct pronunciation is “nobil-ay” officium. I am sure that the minister knows all about...
Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD) LD
I was going to make that point to the minister.
Alex Neil SNP
Another lawyer—they are all around me this morning. I put on record the fact that Robert Brown, who nearly made an intervention, has made an enormous contrib...