Debate: Preventing Violence Against Women for an Equally Safe Scotland (BSL) - 15 September 2026

Moving on from backbench questions to the first minister. The next item of business is a debate on motion 1163 in the name of John Swinny on preventing violence against women for an equally safe Scotland. Members wishing to speak should press the request to speak buttons now and I call John Swinny to speak to and move the motion. 13 minutes please. First minister presiding officer. Throughout my service as a minister in the Scottish government, I've been involved in and have supported many measures to tackle violence against women and girls. But this summer, I felt increased priority and leadership had to be given to address this situation. That has led me to pledge my personal leadership to tackle the epidemic of violence against women and girls in Scotland. In recent weeks, I met with victim survivors like Danielle Macdonald, a survivor of domestic abuse who now campaigns for change, and with Anne Grant, the mother of Stacy Hunter, who was tragically murdered by her estranged husband. I was deeply affected by their stories, by the unconscionable things they went through at the hands of their former partners, and by their courage and their resilience. I've made it my priority to meet with other victim survivors and with organizations like Rape Crisis Scotland, Scottish Women's Aid and Ingender. I heard directly from the survivors, their families and support groups so I could better understand their experience and learn what more we can do as a government, but importantly as a society to combat violence against women and girls, which I called this summer an epidemic of violence. I've also just had the privilege over the just before parliamentary business commenced this afternoon to engage with survivors of violence against violence against women and girls and representatives of the Sunday post it's time campaign at the invitation of Russell Finley and I'm grateful for the opportunity to have had that exchange prior to the parliamentary debate this afternoon. I want to make clear in this debate today my commitment and the urgency I feel to act on this issue and I invite others to join with me. I do this both as the first minister and also as a man because it is men who commit this violence. It is men whose behavior needs to change. We can address areas of criminal justice. But we need to address the fundamental issues that underpin some men abusing, controlling and committing atrocities on women. We must change and challenge the attitudes and behaviors that underpin and lead to such violence. The sexism, misogyny, and toxic mas masculinity that is prevalent in society and especially online. In online spaces and on social media, views that are unacceptable, even abhorrent in the mainstream and in our communities are given a platform and an audience with the help of algorithms and echo chambers and bad faith actors and with an utter absence of regulation. These views are amplified. They are made easy to access, forever within reach through computers and the phones in people's pockets alongside an endless supply of nasty rhetoric, exploitative images and pornographic content. In such an environment, it is easy for men and boys, some of whom are impressionable, isolated, angry, scared, or vulnerable in any number of ways, to be saturated by cognitive distortions and misogynistic rhetoric, and not to see a counter to that, not to see an alternative. In this way, violent, abusive, and abhorentt behavior can feel justified and normalized. But it is not justifiable. It is not the norm. It never will be. And I cannot stress that point enough to parliament today. Presiding officer, this is what I say today is not to vilify men or boys. It is to recognize the extent to which certain arenas such as the manosphere and accessible pornography have warped views and attitudes in disturbing and profoundly harmful ways. It is to recognize the impacts those attitudes are having on our society and on our culture. Impacts that lead to violent, exploitative, and abusive behaviors with very real and very dangerous consequences for women and for girls. And it's to recognize the challenge that we as a society have adapting to new threats in a quickly changing, increasingly online world. And as a society, what we are up against. Presiding officer, I and my government unequivocally and emphatically condemn violence against women and girls in all its forms and we want to ch change and challenge the behaviors that underpin it in our society. That is what my motion today states and I thank those party leaders who have joined me in signing that motion to show one voice that it is up to all of us as a society to challenge these distortions, the warped views, the manosphere and the misogyny that perpetuate violence against women and girls. It is up to all of us to challenge the view held by some that violence against women and girls is somehow inevitable or excusable. It is not inevitable and it is never excusable. Of course, >> Willy Renie, >> I I wholeheartedly endorse his remarks so far. This is uncomfortable sometimes because sometimes it's our friends and our neighbors and our work colleagues that say these things and it's too easy just to back off and say nothing and let it pass. So, this can be intensely personal. So, it's good that political leaders stand up, but I think everybody has got a responsibility in those moments to say that's not good enough. Please withdraw what you've said and have a bit more respect. Would he endorse those comments? >> First minister, >> presiding officer, I would endorse those comments because I think Mr. Reni accurately highlights the the prevalence of these moments and these circumstances and also the obligation on all of us to address that. And I think we are at a moment where the realization that some of these remarks that are made may seem um insignificant at a particular moment but none of us know what the consequences of those actions can be at a later stage. So Mr. Renie makes a timely intervention and I endorse it entirely in what he has said. Preserves my government is committed to addressing the root causes, the cultural causes of gender-based violence, to promoting positive attitudes, to building people's knowledge and skills, to increasing understanding of the impact of violence, and to supporting people to build better, healthier, more sustainable relationships through throughout their lives. Ultimately, we are committed and we recognize the importance of doing this of shifting the cultural context and preventing violence from occurring in the first place. This means taking a public health preventative approach to this issue. And like all good prevention, early intervention is critical. That is why we will we will invest in programs like equally safe at school and mentors in violence prevention to help children and young people to challenge harmful stereotypes and to build respectful consensual relationships. As we stated in our program for government, in the coming year we will complement these programs with a multi-year public health campaign aimed at boys and young men to challenge misogyny and harmful behaviors before they escalate. Michael Chapman. >> Yes, >> I I am grateful to the first minister for taking my intervention. I I think what he has proposed and laid out in the PFG is welcome on this. But one thing that the providers of such public health uh support tell us they need time and time again is not only multi-year funding but inflation um inflation matched funding over successive years. Otherwise they effectively face uh funding cuts and cannot deliver what we are hoping they will deliver in terms of the prevention work that is so vital in this area. First Minister, >> I understand that point from Maggie Chapman and these are issues that the deputy first minister is wrestling with in relation to the government's budget, but the point I I set out some commitments in relation to long-term funding, but the point about um the the impact of the erosion of inflation is an important point that the deputy first minister um is considering in the budget discussions to address the urgent dangers and distortions of um that are created by a culture affected by misogyny. We have to tackle much of the output that is undertaken online. We will, and I reinforce this point openly today, work constructively with the United Kingdom government and with international partners to push strongly for a muchneeded strengthening of the regulation of online platforms to prevent violence against women and girls in digital spaces. It's time for online platforms to take responsibility and to ensure that their output is within that addresses these concerns and if they won't take responsibility, governments must make them. We will also continue to grow our suite of prevention activity with a particular focus on schools. We are right now evaluating where and how this work can be most effective where it should be tailored to local need and how we can best equip those who work with young people with the right tools and language to make a difference in a swiftly changing environment. The public health approach addressing norms and attitudes is the right approach, the lasting one. It needs sustained focus and drive and I assure parliament of the determination of the government to do that. As we offer that, we must all be aware that violence against women and girls goes on around us every day, physical, psychological, and online. Recent data shows there's been an increase in reported violent crimes against women and girls. We recognize that a number of factors lie behind these increases, such as historic reporting, a greater willingness of victims to report crimes, and a justice system will listen that will listen and take those cases to court so that perpetrators face the law. I can >> I will of course give it >> Steven Carr. >> I accept in good faith everything that the first minister has said today. But does he also accept that the leadership that he wishes to give must also mean restraining dangerous men? Will he therefore restore the stronger bail protections for repeat violent and sexual offenders? First Minister, >> I think this that I I I understand the sincerity and strength of opinion that Mr. K raises in relation to bail issues, but I thought there was a very interesting interview on radio this morning from Tony Lenahan, the vice dean of the faculty of advocates, which I thought was an incredibly thoughtful and considered assessment of some of the dilemmas that are faced by sheriffs in relation to the question of bail. There was me much else in the interview that was very much worth listening to. But the issues around bail are fundamentally issues for the judiciary to determine and in my view for the judiciary to determine independently. But what I would want to assure parliament about is that the government is confident that the measures that we legislated for in the bail legislation provide a comprehensive bail test that can be applied with the type of rigor that Mr. K seeks h by the judiciary. The impact of the domestic abuse Scotland act is making a difference as well and whilst none of us want to see increases as Maria Scott of Scottish Women's Aid said in relation to the high number of prosecutions this is a good use of our law a point made again this morning by um by uh Tony Lenahan on the radio. So the government recognizes the importance of the criminal justice system acting as a deterrent where the public health prevention interventions that we have set out have not been effective. Um in line with our equally safe approach, we are introducing a multi-year fund to ensure vital services are sustainable to support women affected by violence against women and girls. And this is relates to the point that Maggie Chapman just raised with me. We are making our 2 million pounds fund to leave permanent, providing practical and financial support to women and children leaving abusive partners. To ensure harassment and abuse based on misogyny is outlawed, we will introduce the misogyny bill to recognize mis misogyny as a distinct form of prejudice. And over the summer, we consulted on more legal protections for women. This will inform our work on a violence against women and girls protections bill which we will bring forward later in this parliament. We will also work within our devolved powers to improve online safety and combat technology facilitated violence against women and girls and the new victims witnesses and justice reform Scotland act contains a range of measures to improve the experiences of survivors of sexual offenses. A new sexual offenses court will support the development of specialist trauma informed approaches to the management of sexual offenses courts. And it will also help to identify and resolve issues that delay cases coming to trial. And before recess in October, we will lay regulations to enable the piloting of GPS monitoring for individuals on bail, including those suspected of domestic abuse. I if I develop this point and then I'll give way to Mr. care just to complete the the the point I'm making here. I can confirm to parliament today that the pilot will be led by sheriff principal Wade in the T-side central and five sheriffdum subject to robust local arrangements been put in place to ensure public safety. We anticipate the pilot being able to commence next year and I'll give away to Mr. >> Steven. I'm grateful to the first minister. He mentioned the specialist sexual offenses court. Will he confirm that the funding for that court to become operational will be available in the next few months? >> First minister, >> the uh proposals are in place for it to be established in the next financial year. So that's the that's the time scale we're operating to. But obviously I'm very happy to explore issues in relation to the establishment in the court as part of this debate. Presiding officer, in join my remarks to a close, our aim is to enable women and girls to live safe, respected, and fulfilling lives free of violence. To do so, we must address the attitudes and behaviors that perpetuate that violence. And we must build more equal and more cohesive communities where everyone, men and women, are able to build healthy, supportive, and equal relationships and challenge those who seek to stoke division and incite violence. In recent years, as our communities and our economy have faced strain and pressure, we have seen many attempts by some to exploit the violence done to women and girls. Deplorably, we've seen it weaponized to sow fear, mistrust, and division in our society. It has been used in disinformation to set one community against another. But without reservation, my government rejects that approach. Scotland's diversity is a strength. Our communities are rich and vibrant, tightlyknit, incredible places. They are made even more incredible by the different people, faiths, cultures, and backgrounds found within them. Everyone in a modern Scotland deserves to live free from fear. Everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive and to flourish. I've pledged my personal leadership to this and my government will work across government and across society to make this ambition a reality. We will work to build a Scotland where everyone is safe, accepted, and respected. Where women and girls live free from all forms of violence, abuse, and exploitation, and where all are free of the attitudes and stereotypes that perpetuate inequality. We will work to do this, but it is not something we can do alone. It takes sustained action across all parts of government and wider society, everyone working together. I know there are many here and many across Scotland who will join us in this endeavor. I encourage them to add their voices to ours. I offer to give the leadership to our country to end violence against women and girls and to work with others to make that happen. And I move the motion to my name. >> I call Amanda Lindseay to speak to and move amendment 163.2 to up to 8 minutes. >> Thank you, presiding officer. This motion has a fine title, equally safe. After two decades of strategies, funds, and ministerial protocols, women in Scotland are entitled to ask, equally safe compared with what? Recorded sexual crime is at its highest level since comparable records began in 1971. Rape and attempted rape have risen sharply over the last decade. That is the backdrop to a program for government that again offers a misogyny bill, a campaign aimed at boys and another funding announcement. Strategy is not safety. Outcomes are safety. And on outcomes, this government is failing. This is also a government that could not define a woman until its own citizens took it to court. And that should have been the starting point for any serious h strategy on violence against women. It was not. You cannot protect women if you will not say who they are. We cannot debate violence against women while pretending every risk is the same. Men commit the overwhelming majority of these offenses. That is not in dispute. What is in dispute is whether patterns of offending stop at Gretina. Analyses of Ministry of Justice figures for England and Wales show that some nationalities are over represented in the data for sexual offense convictions. Sure, there are caveats and these are not Scottish statistics, but why will Police Scotland not publish the nationality and immigration status of those charged with rape and sexual assault here? So, I put this to the government. Do you believe in a second? Yes. Do you believe that um p this pattern magically disappears at the border? I'll give way >> ep. >> Yes. Thank you member. Do you do you know that from the statistics survivors were 12.5 times more likely to know the abuser in one or fifth of the case 25% 20% the perpetrators was a spouse partner or former partner. In 50% of cases, the perpetrator was a relative of steparents and only 6% of those cases happened outside their own home of that person's home. >> Amanda Lindsay, >> thank you for the intervention. Yes, it's mo it's why I said men commit the overwhelming majority. The question is whether some groups offend at higher rates and whether the state is allowed to say so. Per capita is not the same as raw totals. However, there is an issue with the recording of rate because so many are recorded as the perpetrator being known to the victim even if this was a minor interaction whether it's at a bus stop or in a pub or a nightclub. This is the same trick you tried on grooming gangs for months. You told Scotland there was limited evidence that the organized group-based abuse seen in England operated here. Absence of data was sold as absence of a problem. This that is not analysis. It is gaslighting >> the public certainly. >> Chalan Summerville. >> I'm grateful to the member for giving way. Following on from the pol the point that's just been made by my colleague which you also say then in agreement that the most common perpetrators of sexual violence are the current partner 51% or ex partner 14% and surely this is some of the statistics we should be focusing on today I remind the chamber that if a member wishes to make an intervention they must press their intervention button button. Amanda Lindsay, >> thank you. I'm not disputing that, but it's not the whole picture. It is all not all men and not all boys. The point I am making is this. You cannot run equally safe on slogans while refusing to count who is offending, who is being housed in our towns, and who is exploiting women and girls. Then there is the data black hole that makes the gaslighting possible. Police Scotland does not routinely publish the nationality or immigration status of those accused of rape. Until recently, it systems could not properly mark group-based child sexual exploitation. >> I'd like to proceed. Thank you. Ministers cannot accuse the public of misinformation while refusing to give them the information. This parliament, no, I'd like to make progress. I've taken several interventions. Thank you. This parliament should demand a quarterly official statistics release of the ethnicity, nationality, and immigration status of every person charged with rape, sexual assault, or group based child sexual exploitation. If the pattern is not there, publish the figures and prove it. If you will not collect them, no, you have no right to tell women they're imagining what they can already see. >> The member does not have to make to take an intervention. >> The courts have already recorded what ministers will not tabulate. A man, no, I'd like you to listen and buckle up. A man granted leave to remain raped a student after following her through Glasgow city center. Another was convicted of raping a 15year-old near Hampton in Faler, my constituency. An asylum seeker housed in a hotel was jailed for raping a 15year-old in the town center. Another man staying at the cladden was convicted of sexually assaulting two women after they left nightclubs. Individual cases are not a census. They are a warning that a system which will not count cannot protect. Presciding officer equally safe also talks about commercial sexual exploitation and on that the government has achieved almost nothing useful. Our advice is practical. Go after the people who profit from selling other people, the pimps, the traffickers, the brothel managers and the websites that take a cut. Focus your enforcement there and you start to protect women and girls from exploitation. That approach would at least be a step in the right direction. But we should also ask ourselves, what message are we sending to young men if buying sex is treated as just another transaction? The same data black hole sits behind grooming gangs. The first minister was not persuaded of an inquiry. The justice secretary voted one down and cited Professor Alexis J as if she agreed Scotland needed none. Professor J had to correct the record. She had said no such thing. Yet police operations in Glasgow have identified well over a hundred potential victims and dozens of suspects. A Romanian gang was jailed for raping and exploiting women in Dundee, including trafficking into prostitution. Care experienced girls in Glasgow have described being pied with drink and drugs by groups of men. Inspectors now say there is no reliable picture because police and councils did not collect the data, including on ethnicity. Ministers used the absence of statistics as proof that the problem was small and announced an inquiry only after survivors spoke out and an election came into view. A strategy that cannot say grooming gang until the votes are counted is not equally safe. It's damage control. equally safe names, honorbased abuse, female genital mutilation, and forced marriage, yet delivery is thin. How many co um cases were recorded last year? How many prosecutions, how many protection orders granted, and how many breached? Those harms are not generic misogyny. There specific crimes often hidden inside families and communities and they require specialist policing trained prosecutors and the courage to name cultural practice where it is the driver. Why is progress so poor? Because a strategy that talks about all men will not do the unfashionable work. mapping risk, recording ethnicity where it is relevant, backing women who report their own relatives, and measuring outcomes instead of publishing another action plan. In conclusion, presiding officer, we say, publish the data ministers find inconvenient. Stop telling Scotland that patterns vanish at the border. Target pimps, traffickers, and the platforms that profit from them. Let the grooming gangs inquiry name ethnicity, nationality, and institutional failure. Resource single sex services and specialists work on honorbased abuse, FGM, and forced marriage and report the cases, the charges, and the convictions. Until these things happen, equally safe as a slogan, and women and girls will go on paying the price. Presiding officer, I move the amendment in my name. Thank you. I call Jackie Bailey to speak to and move amendment 1163.1 up to six minutes. >> Thank you, presiding officer. It is of course right to hold the government to account, but that level of misinformation we've just heard is about creating division rather than actually tackling violence against women and girls. Violence against women and girls is a scourge on our society. It is on all of us, particularly lawmakers, to do everything we can to root it out, to confront it, and to eradicate it. That begins by doing what we can to keep women and girls safe in Scotland now. And I want to thank the first minister for bringing this important debate to parliament and for his support for the its time campaign led by the Sunday post. He has said much that I can agree with in his speech and I welcome his words on accelerating measures to protect women and girls, particularly on introducing GPS monitoring for those convicted of violent or threatening action towards women. That is an important intervention. Just two weeks ago, I pressed the first minister to act on this very issue at first minister's questions and I'm glad that he has reacted positively to our debate. But whilst his words are welcome, what we need is a clear timeline for implementation and I'm happy to give way if he'll provide us with that timeline. First Minister, >> I'm grateful to Jackie Bailey for giving way and also for the approach that she is taking because the important point that Jackie Bailey has made is that the Labor Party has pressed us to take further action and we have responded to that and the outline that I've said and I expect everything all been all things been equal that we can start the pilot on the GPS arrangements by the new year. Um, so what I would say to Jackie Bailey and what the purpose of my intervention is is to say that I recognize the importance of the opposition challenging the government to ensure that we take the necessary and appropriate action and I hope the response on GPS indicates our willingness to accept that challenge. >> Jackie Bailey, >> and you would of course expect me to continue to hold the government's feet to the fire because new year is one thing for a pilot. when is it going to be rolled across Scotland? Because Community Justice Scotland first called for GPS tracking a decade ago. The roll out of GPS tracking in England and Wales was way back in 2018. So, we have promises in place in Scotland, but it is all about delivery. And we all remember, let me make some progress. We all remember the horrific murder of Stacy Hunter earlier this year, killed by her abusive partner who was not being properly tracked while on bail. and her family have bravely led the calls for GPS implementation and I'm glad that John Swinny has listened to them. But this should not have been this should have been in place here in Scotland and if we're being honest, the government has been slow to act. Stacy and the other women who have been killed by abusive men should be here today. That's why my amendment today calls for a clear date for implementation. Not to shame the government for inaction, but actually to encourage them to act quickly in the interests of Scotland's women and girls. The government is right to call for action to tackle the pervasive influence of misogyny and sexism amongst men and boys. Behavioral and cultural changes are important, but we cannot ignore the need for clear and practical action. So, it's time to move beyond the rhetoric and focus on action. We've had two reports on sexual assaults in our NHS by the women's rights network Scotland and there is no change and now we have a new report on sexual assaults in our leisure centers. So, the record of the government isn't good enough and clearly more needs to be done. Since 2022, sexual crimes are up by 11%. Rape and attempted rape up by 32%. Domestic abuse crimes have rocketed by 81%. And all while rape victims must wait for an average of nearly three years between reporting an incident to the police and a verdict being given. And now rape crisis centers report insufficient resources to meet increasing demand. So much so they've had to close their waiting list. >> Stephen car >> grateful to Jackie Bailey for giving way. She's just mentioned scarcity of resources in relation to the GPS. It's a technology, not necessarily a solution because without investment in community-based resources, how on earth does it make any difference whether they're wearing a tag or not? >> Jackie Bailey. >> Um I absolutely agree. The system needs to be resourced. Funding had previously been frozen. Um extra money has been announced by the first minister, but it's not getting to the front line, and that's what we need to scrutinize. So I don't doubt for a moment the sincere commitment of the first minister to protecting women and girls across Scotland. But we will never get anywhere near to fixing this issue if we don't appreciate the scale of the problem. That's why work to tackle cultural attitudes among men and boys is so necessary, but also why it is only one part of what must be a multifaceted approach to tackling this issue. Scottish Labor has outlined several policies that we believe would help to go some way to tackling the crisis before us. And beyond the swift implementation of GPS tracking, we'd like to see a misogyny reduction unit at taking a public health approach to the crisis boost early uptake of equally safe at schools program to tackle sexual harassment and gendered violence in schools with a positive focus on male role models. modernization of the victim's notification scheme so that no woman who has been the victim of male violence will be left in the dark and police back on the beat keeping women and girls safe in all of our communities. More police, better education of men and boys, zero tolerance for gendered violence and a clear campaign to tackle misogyny head on. This is how we can tackle No, I'm in my final minute. This is how we can tackle violence against women and girls. and we are ready to work with the Scottish government to do just that. Presiding officer, I want to thank the first minister for his leadership on this issue. He is right to recognize the need for action, but this is exactly why we must move beyond warm words and instead act now before it is too late for other women. I move the amendment in my name. I call on Russell Finley to speak to and move amendment 1163.3 up to 7 minutes. >> Thank you officer. I'd like to begin by thanking John Swinny for holding today's debate on violence against women and girls and also for attending my round table with victims and their families some of whom are in the chamber today. I'm sure that he will have been as moved as I was by not only their horrific accounts, but their extraordinary bravery. And I'd also like to thank Marian Scott for her campaigning journalism and for leading the Sunday Post's Time campaign. Now, a few weeks ago, John Swinny told the Sunday Post that he saw headlines about four horrific cases which he says stopped me in my tracks. He added, "That day I made tackling violence against women and girls one of my highest priorities as first minister. We've all become used to similar lurid headlines. Not just four or dozens, but hundreds of them and not over one summer, but for years and indeed decades. I've been raising some of these cases here for six years. accounts of depraved, cruel, and sickening violence. Inadequate, cowardly men are responsible, but far too often the justice system fails victims. I've spoken here about the horrific case of the murder of Esther Brown, a kind and decent soul raped and murdered in her own home. Esther's murder was wholly preventable, but a review of her case said that it wasn't. It was just a whitewash. And it's typical of a culture where no one is held to account. Now, my focus today is on the continued failings of Scotland's justice system and how it must be improved. I've spoken here in the past about secretive plea deals where criminals benefit from watered down or deleted charges, often in defiance of clear, hard evidence. Working with Liz Shanks, a firefighter, we've tried to bring some transparency to this practice. And I've also spoken about a broken bail system. 28-year-old Claire Engles was murdered by her apartment who the authorities knew was a risk to her and her child, but he was bailed repeatedly. Claire's parents, Fiona and Ian, came to FMQ's on three occasions as I raised their ordeal. We then met John Swinny and all they want is answers to basic questions and almost five years since their daughter's murder, they're still being kept in the dark. And Fiona actually asked me this week, are they waiting for us to die? Presiding officer, the government weakened bail laws in 2023 by removing a specific presumption against bail for domestic and sexual violence. They did so despite Victim Support Scotland, Scottish Women's Aid, and others warning that doing so presents a serious risk to the safety of female victims. And this summer, two women murdered by male partners who had already attacked them only to be given bail. Stacy Hunter, aged 35, and Samantha Lee, aged 54. Dangerous men freed to kill. I'll give >> First Minister, >> I'm grateful to Mr. Finley for giving way and I don't in any way want my intervention to affect and relate to the point she's making about individual cases. But in relation to his point about the provisions of the bail reforms, I think it is important that I put on the record that the bail reforms that were undertaken by the government created a single all-encompassing bail test. Now I know that Mr. Finley disagrees with that point, but the bail test was designed to put uh public and victim safety at the very heart of bail decisionmaking. And I think it's important, although Mr. Fin, I disagree on that point, that I put that on the record so that victims and members of the public appreciate that the judgments about bail are made in a comprehensive way by the judiciary um free to take the judgment that they consider appropriate in any individual case. Russell Finley >> understand the the subtleties of the change in the legislation which we we opposed and which the government brought forward and indeed passed but these dangerous men were freed to kill. In the case of Clare Ringles the perpetrator was freed to kill. There was an abundance of evidence that these men were highly dangerous and their offending was escalating. I'd like to take a moment to thank Stacy's brother, Sean Hunter, for being here today, just seven weeks after his sister's murder. Now, one other common theme isn't so much the granting or refusing of bail, it's the flagrant breach of bail laws. Often, nothing happens. victims told a recent HM Inspector of Prosecutions report that, and I quote, "Bail breaches are not taken seriously by the justice system and described a culture of no consequences and the perpetrators know this. So, let's fix bail laws. Let's enforce them." Now, the police aren't to blame. They're run ragged, and the creation of Police Scotland has removed hundreds of millions of pounds from policing budgets. The Scottish Police Federation blames this on a lack of training for officers. And the prison service isn't to blame either. It's the government's responsibility to build sufficient prison capacity. And it's outrageous that the SNP's delayed new net zero prison in Glasgow will cost at least a billion pounds. For 20 years, the SNP government have failed to modernize the justice system. They fail to ensure that judges have an alternative, a genuine alternative to custody. They failed to use new technology being used elsewhere in Britain. They failed to provide meaningful rehabilitation to stop reaffending. And now they're planning to free all long-term prisoners early after serving just twothirds of their sentence. The government knows what the consequences of this will be >> and judges have criticized the early release plan raising public safety concerns and warning about further harming fragile trust in the justice system. And I say to John Swinny today, take the dangerous automatic early release plan off the table. My party's also campaigned to scrap guidelines not to jail criminals aged under 25. The justification being they're not fully responsible for their actions. Reese Bennett raped and battered Jill Barkley, aged 47. He set fire to her while she was still alive. And the judge described her murder as medieval. But because her killer was 23 years old, he was given a reduced sentence. That is sickening and obscene. Now, like Jackie Bailey, I don't question John Swinn's sincerity on this. There's much we agree on, but I do question his government's policies and their past record. Let's yes, address the behavior of young men. If we can't drain the social media swamp then swamp, then let's protect children from it. And yes, let's warn uh children about the toxic attitudes of dangerous online clowns like the Tate Brothers, but also or rather especially, let's fix Scotland's criminal justice system. Bold, effective, and immediate action are needed now. The tragic headlines might never stop, but they can be reduced. Thank you.