Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government has been engaging regularly with the SFA and the SPFL for some time about our shared concerns over the misuse of pyrotechnics in football. Most recently, I met the SPFL, the SFA and the Football Safety Officers’ Association Scotland last week, on 30 November, and we agreed on the need for a multi-agency approach to tackling the issue. I look forward to working with...
Siobhian Brown: O ur preferred solution has always been that the football authorities themselves be proactively involved in delivering a robust and lasting solution to tackle any unacceptable conduct by a minority of people. As I said, from my recent discussions with those involved, I know that there is a collective will to tackle it. As I have indicated, we will be taking forward a multi-agency approach to...
Siobhian Brown: During the annual 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign, individuals and organisations worldwide call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. I am proud that the Scottish Parliament remains an active part of that worldwide call, but we should all be saddened that it is necessary in 2023. Although I welcome Scotland’s and the...
Siobhian Brown: However, as difficult as it is, I imagine a world in which women and girls are free from the violence of men. We all have a role to play in challenging everyday sexism and the systems, cultures and norms that perpetuate violence against women and girls. Let us continue to do that today, for the rest of the 16 days, and every day. I move, That the Parliament recognises the international 16...
Siobhian Brown: The Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill is designed to deliver the objectives of the Roberton review to provide a modern regulatory framework that will promote competition and innovation alongside the public and consumer interest in an efficient independent legal sector. The bill seeks to balance and deliver the key priorities of all stakeholders by improving the transparency and...
Siobhian Brown: The Law Society of Scotland will be required to exercise regulatory functions, including complaint handling, independently of its other functions. It will be required to delegate regulatory functions to an independent regulatory committee comprised of a minimum of 50 per cent lay members and a lay chair. The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission will retain oversight of complaint handling and...
Siobhian Brown: We are at stage 1 of the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill, and I will listen to the committee’s views.
Siobhian Brown: As minister, I cannot comment on specific on-going legal situations, but I encourage anybody who has a complaint to go to the Law Society of Scotland to make an official complaint. We are learning lessons. At stage 2 of the Trusts and Succession (Scotland) Bill at the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee yesterday, I highlighted to the committee an amendment that would help to ensure...
Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government continues to develop a framework that effectively tackles and challenges men’s demand for prostitution, and to support those with experience of it. The framework will be published in the new year and our focus will be to implement it with support from a new stakeholder group. The principles for the framework were published last year, and they will embed equality,...
Siobhian Brown: Prostitution cannot be considered in isolation, and there are many factors that must be considered in that work, of which criminal law is only one. It should be remembered that the law already prohibits many activities associated with prostitution, including trading in prostitution of others, the running of a brothel, procuring for the purposes of prostitution, as well as publicly soliciting...
Siobhian Brown: I agree that everything that happened last weekend was abhorrent on every level. Does the member recognise that, because of the legislation on offences against emergency workers that has come in, 61 people were charged last year? So far, only two people have been charged with offences relating to last weekend, but investigations are on-going and we expect that more will be charged shortly.
Siobhian Brown: First, I thank Daniel Johnson for raising this important issue, and I thank everybody who has taken part in the debate. I also thank Daniel Johnson for all his historical work for the protection of retail workers. I have appreciated hearing from members about how their constituencies have been affected by antisocial behaviour. The incidents in some constituencies, especially last weekend,...
Siobhian Brown: I disagree—I would say that the majority of youth are not perpetrators of antisocial behaviour.
Siobhian Brown: It is a small minority. Indeed, many people who take part in antisocial behaviour are not youths. It is unacceptable behaviour by a minority in our society. Regardless of who is involved, I am clear that everybody has the right to be and feel safe in their community. That is what is set out in our justice vision for Scotland, and I know that that view is shared by members across the chamber....
Siobhian Brown: After any such incident, they should call the police in the first instance. Some of the events from the past weekend put innocent people in our communities at risk and put those setting the fires and throwing the projectiles at risk. Attacks against those whose job it is to keep our communities safe are never acceptable, and I am grateful to Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue...
Siobhian Brown: W e are reviewing—I will come to this later in my speech—how we address this increase in antisocial behaviour, but I agree with the member. As police are often the first line of response to such disorder, policing continues to be a priority for the Scottish Government. We are investing £1.45 billion in policing in 2023-24, which is an increase of 6.3 per cent, and an additional £80...
Siobhian Brown: Just for clarity, 1,418 new recruits have joined Police Scotland since 2022. The review of Scotland’s approach to antisocial behaviour is based on engagement work that the Scottish Government did with the Scottish Community Safety Network to assess the appetite for reviewing our current approach to antisocial behaviour. The report’s findings focus on moving towards a more preventative...
Siobhian Brown: — that is on-going, but I have accepted the recommendations and I am setting up a working group on antisocial behaviour. That will consider the effectiveness of current— I am sorry—how much time do I have, Presiding Officer?
Siobhian Brown: Okay. In that case, I want to address one issue that was raised time and again regarding bus passes. It is important to remember that most of our young people who travel by bus behave appropriately. The entitlement card is also used to access a variety of national and local public services across Scotland, such as free school meals and cashless catering. Therefore, it would not be appropriate...
Siobhian Brown: — on access to other services. Furthermore, the Scottish Government has the power to withdraw or suspend a travel card if an eligible person knowingly allows it to be used by another person. The travel scheme does not make provision for blocking cards in response to allegations of antisocial or other inappropriate behaviour. Tackling allegations of antisocial behaviour is a matter for the...
