 The first item of business this afternoon is portfolio questions and the first portfolio is constitution, external affairs and culture. Any member wishing to ask a supplementary question should press the request-to-speak buttons during the relevant question and I call question number one, Kevin Stewart. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it has taken to support the provision of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. Thank you for that question. In November, we provided £750,000 to the United Nations Relief and works agency to ease the suffering of innocent civilians in Gaza. That was in response to a flash appeal and a one-off contribution. Famine, of course, now is imminent in Gaza primarily because of restrictions on aid access. The First Minister wrote to the Prime Minister in December, asking him to make it clear to Israeli ministers that they and Israeli military commanders will be held accountable for deaths from starvation and disease as a result of the restrictions on access for humanitarian aid. It is now urgent that that message is conveyed directly to Prime Minister Netanyahu. Those restrictions must be lifted immediately. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and I thank the minister for the answer. Given the continuing deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Gaza, it is clear that we need to redouble international efforts to secure an immediate ceasefire to allow aid to get through. We cannot and must not stand by while thousands of innocent men, women and children are killed with even more starving and going without medicines. Does the minister agree with me that the UK Government should be taking concrete steps to help to secure an immediate ceasefire, including ending arms sales to Israel and using its position on the UN Security Council to demand one? Can she provide any update regarding the Scottish Government's latest engagement with the UK Government in this regard? The Scottish Government has engaged with the UK Government since the outset of the conflict to highlight our position, and I agree with the remarks of Kevin Stewart. We will continue to do so with our connections with the UK Government. We have been clear that it is incumbent on them to do everything within their power to secure an immediate ceasefire by all sides to prevent further devastation in Gaza, including using its influence in the international sphere and with the Government of Israel to achieve that. In the light of Israel's statements that its armed forces will attack Rafa, the last refuge of over 1.5 million civilians in Gaza, the First Minister did in fact write to the Prime Minister to call upon him to introduce an immediate ban of licensed arms exports from the UK to Israel. The Minister for the Cabinet Secretary for Constitutional External Affairs and Culture has also written to the UK Government and so far we have had no response to date. I recently met the charity medical aid for Palestine, who outlined the dire situation regarding high rates of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity in Palestine. Can the minister please advise what steps the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that aid Scotland's sense is available to rich new and expectant mothers in Gaza? I thank Faisal Chargery for that, and I will refer him to my previous comments on what the Scottish Government is doing. I am acutely aware of the plight of maternal mothers that I mentioned during my contribution opening debate on International Women's Day. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support the development of cultural cinema. The Scottish Government recognises the importance of cultural cinema to our communities, and we continue to work closely with Screen Scotland and partners to support its development across Scotland. Screen Scotland's strategy and funding supports inclusive, sustainable growth of our screen sector, with the focus on ensuring wide access to cinema and a diverse range of content. That includes support of cultural cinema venues, organisations, touring programmes, independent film exhibitors and the distribution of Scottish titles across Scotland. Investing in cultural cinema is vital in supporting filmmakers, supporting access to cultural cinema, as the minister mentioned, but also ensuring that it is a key part of Scotland's cultural offer going forward. There are huge opportunities for us with the Edinburgh International Film Festival as part of our Edinburgh festivals. Will the Scottish Government work with Screen Scotland, Creative Scotland to ensure that they open the doors filmhouse campaign, which has been incredibly successful thus far, to enable it to get the final amount of capital that it needs to open the doors of the filmhouse and put us back on the map again? I thank Sarah Boyack for her continued commitment on this. I am delighted to say that, as a result of the hard work and dedication of all involved, including support from Screen Scotland, the work to secure the future of the filmhouse and cultural cinema in Edinburgh is progressing very positively. The Scottish Government is absolutely clear on the value of cultural cinema and officials are continuing to engage with Screen Scotland and others to ensure that cultural cinema is protected for Scotland's audiences today and in the long term. I am grateful for all those involved in their on-going hard work and dedication on this matter. In October, Creative Scotland is due to decide on 87.4 million's worth of applications for 285 organisations, many of them from the cinema sector. That proves that the indication that exists across Scotland for the culture and the creative sector. How can we ensure, minister, that applications, including many of those aspiring to enter cinematography, who do not receive funding, are not discouraged from leaving the sector or the industry? The member raises a very important point. I encourage anyone who is interested in applying to the various funding streams, because there are many organisations there. I encourage them to continue with their engagement. If there are specific organisations that are needing assistance, I encourage the member to ask him to get in touch with me. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the culture secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding what cultural events and activities it has planned to mark the 40th anniversary of the minor strike. The minor strike of 1984-85 is considered to be the most bitter industrial dispute in living memory. The Scottish Government recognises that the impact of the strike is felt across Scotland's former mining heartlands, and we acknowledge the need to provide reconciliation, dignity and comfort to those communities that are still affected. As the 40th anniversary approaches, the Scottish Government is considering how best to raise the profile of the strike and its legacy. We are in communication with partners, including the national union of mine workers, who are developing commemorative activities with the communities that are impacted. I thank the minister for her answer. There will be many community events that are planned to mark the 40th anniversary of the minor strike, including one that, in my constituency, will be held in Blingray on 15 June, when there will be a march, a rally and an exhibition in the Miner's Welfare Institute in Lechor. Specifically, I would ask the minister what support the Government can offer to such events, like the one in my constituency and to the former Coalfield communities across Scotland. I also ask the minister if she will come along to Blingray on Saturday 15 June to march with the community and to demonstrate the Scottish Government's solidarity. I thank Annabelle Ewing for highlighting a very important event that is taking place in her constituency on 15 June. The Scottish Government acknowledges the significance of the 40th anniversary of the minor strike. Scotland was the first of the home nations to introduce legislation to pardon former miners, and the Scottish Government officials would be happy to provide supporting materials to event organisers about the minor strike pardon. I wish to further extend my best wishes to all the communities that are marking the anniversary of the minor strikes with events. I am sure that members across the chamber will show support for those events across their constituencies. To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to address any barriers to women's participation in the creative workforce. Thank you to Carol Mocken for that question. Women remain underrepresented within the creative industries and are disproportionately in lower-level positions. The sector is known for unpredictable freelance work, making it difficult for women with caring responsibilities, health conditions or disabilities. The Scottish Government is committed to fair work first, including taking action to tackle the gender pay gap. We are establishing a culture fair work task force, which will provide recommendations on further implementing fair work crucial to achieving greater diversity. Creative Scotland has also produced a wealth of resources, including illustrated guides for employers and freelancers to support better working practices. Thank you for the answer. Women's participation in the creative workforce is vital to the growth of the Scottish economy. However, access to affordable, flexible childcare is very limited. The considerable cost and restricted operating hours of childcare means women wishing to return to the creative sector and having children often find it very difficult to do. Does the minister agree that cross-portfolio working is essential and accept that Government cuts to councils are exacerbating those problems and realise that a fair funding settlement for councils who provide services such as childcare could be critical to removing barriers to women's participation in the workforce? I do agree that cross-portfolio working is essential to address those multi-layered intersectional barriers that women face. I am fully aware of those myself, especially women from an ethnic minority background who also wish to enter the creative industries. The Scottish Government has expanded its funding into childcare, and I would press it to continue to do so. One of the biggest barriers to women's participation in the creative workforce in Shetland's important knitwear sector is what is happening to education provision under the UHI banner. In its quest for sustainable and financial future, the textile sector looks likely to take a big hit of cuts along with hospitality and access courses. It is a shortsighted approach that has already impacted women in the creative industries. What can the Scottish Government do to ensure that the traditional sector is not diminished and that entrepreneurial women in the creative industries are supported? We want to increase opportunities for everybody from every background up and down the country. I am quite happy to meet the member afterwards and hear her suggestions that she has. I am happy to listen. That is the Scottish Government. What assistance is it providing the arts sector in Dumfries and Galloway? The Scottish Government through Creative Scotland provides support to a number of cultural organisations and individuals in Dumfries and Galloway. There are two of Creative Scotland's regularly funded organisations based in Dumfries and Galloway, the Stove and the Wigtown Festival company. Together they receive a total of £186,000 per year in funding. In addition, the Stove receives regular funding from Creative Scotland as part of a culture collective programme. On a clear night, over 7,000 stars and planets are visible within Acidae within the International Dark Sky Park in Galloway Forest Park. Sadly, as I am sure the minister is aware, the observatory sighted high above de Melonton was destroyed by fire in 2021. The trustees of the observatory are keen to replace it and have identified a new site at the former Clateron Shores Visitor Centre, which is currently owned by Forrest and Land Scotland. They are currently sourcing funding for a variety of organisations, including South of Scotland Enterprise and Visit Scotland, to help to progress their plans. Given the enormous cultural, art and educational benefits that it would offer and it would also bring significant boost to the local economy, can I ask the minister to engage with Forrestry and Land Scotland and other Government agencies to support this very worthy cause? I am happy to do that. 6. Daniel Johnson To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to grow Scotland's creative industries. The creative industries are an important growth sector and the number of people employed is forecast to grow by 4 per cent by 2026. The workstreams outline in the recently published culture strategy action plan aimed to develop the conditions for inclusive growth of the sector, aligned with the priorities in the national strategy for economic transformation. Those include promoting fair work, developing a strategic approach to skills and publishing our international culture strategy, which will support the international ambitions of the sector and ensure that such activity can play a full role in the long-term development. I thank the minister for that answer. The creative industries are a critical contributor to the Scottish economy and also a catalyst for inward investment. For example, for every pound spent at the Edinburgh festival, it generates £33 in return. While the minister referenced growth and employment, the simple reality is that, according to the Scottish Government's growth sector statistics, there are fewer people working in the creative industries than there were in 2014. Indeed, out of 34 European nations, investment in creative industries is ranked 28 in Scotland out of those nations. What is the Government going to do to encourage investment? Does the minister agree that we need to view the creative sectors as investment and a core part of the economy, particularly through support through enterprise agencies and policies, not just as a net recipient? I recognise the enormous impacts that our creative industries make on our economy, as well as our social health and wellbeing. There has been communications regarding the tax breaks that can be offered. I wrote to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport asking for permost tax relief for our orchestras, theatres and museums galleries, so I welcome that announcement. Screen Scotland has advised that the visual effects industry, tax credit increases, could be positive and significant as it allows the UK to keep more work in the UK and could be an incentive for both London-based companies to grow their UK-wide presence and that would be included in Scotland. The UK's exit from the EU has had a substantial negative impact on our culture and creative sectors. Can the minister provide any update regarding the Scottish Government's latest engagement with the UK Government regarding the steps that can be taken to mitigate those impacts? Does he agree that we would be better placed to grow our creative industries as members of the EU? The member Collette Stevenson is quite right to raise the effects of Brexit. It has had and is continuing to have a devastating impact on the sector. Freedom of movement throughout Europe, supported Scottish artists, international mobility and the creation of costs and administrative barriers post Brexit makes international working increasingly difficult. I do agree that we would be better placed to grow our creative industries as members of the EU. I did write to the Secretary of State Lucy Fraser on 5 March outlining positive steps that could be taken in the spring budget, including seeking talks with the EU about rejoining creative Europe. The cabinet secretary also wrote to the Home Secretary on 7 March raising concerns about the Home Office's handling of visa applications for creative professionals. A meeting of the culture into ministerial group is planned for later in the year and I would expect the EU engagement and mobility to be discussed. It was not long ago that politicians from across the political spectrum came together to lobby against plans to privatise channel 4. We were successful in that, but we are now concerned about potential plans that would see just 9 per cent of production quotas take place outside of England. I wonder if the minister would agree with me that one of the ways that we would grow Scotland's creative industries is growing our screen sector and that all broadcasters and their regulators should be committed to doing so. Minister. I would agree with the member's concerns and I will ask the cabinet secretary whose portfolio this falls under to come back with a fuller answer. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how projects and activities that it funds through its international development programme contribute to promoting human rights. Thank you to David Torrance for raising that. Our international development portfolio takes human rights-based approaches to advance the rights of marginalised groups very seriously. Key themes include health, inclusive education and equality in alignment with priorities of our partner countries and UN sustainable development goals. Our recently launched 3 million-pound Women and Girls Fund will directly support women and girl-led organisations to advance gender equality and promote the rights of women and girls in our partner countries. Our education programming seeks to improve access to education for women girls and disabled children. In health, our non-communicable diseases work aims to expand equitable access to safe and quality care. I thank the minister for that answer. The UK Tory Government's approach to foreign policy has seen cuts to vital international development assistance programmes along with proposed legislation that penalises some of the most vulnerable people in the world at a cost to a taxpayer of £3.9 billion. Will the minister call the UK Government to abandon the horrific Rwanda Bill and reaffirm the SNP Government's commitment to stand up for fairness, compassion and dignity and help the most who need it? We have consistently called upon the UK Government to fulfil their legal commitment to invest £0.7 billion of the UK gross national income in official development assistance. We have been clear in our opposition to the UK Government on its plans to relocate people to third countries since the memorandum of understanding with Rwanda was announced. The UK Government's safety of the Rwanda Bill and treaty with Rwanda abdicates the UK's moral and international responsibilities to recognise and support refugees. People should be able to make a claim for asylum with full and fair consideration by the Home Office and, if successful, be supported to rebuild their lives as refugees in the UK. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to support public interest journalism. The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that we have free and democratic press. We believe that public interest journalism plays an important role in our society at all levels, including holding Governments and other organisations to account. Following the establishment of the public interest journalism working group, we convened a round table at which a steering group was formed to deliver an independent Scottish Public Interest Journalism Institute. Implementation is for sector representatives, however. We will continue to engage with the industry to hear about their ongoing work while respecting the independence of the Institute and its work. Can I thank the Minister for that answer? Public interest journalism is all too often being silenced by rich corporations and wealthy individuals using strategic lawsuits against public participation. The 2021 Deformation and Militias Publications Act does not tackle that. It applies only to lawsuits lodged on the grounds of defamation. Will the Minister work with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice to introduce a standalone anti-slap bill to Parliament to let public interest reporting and investigative journalism flourish? I am happy to explore that option with the member further, so please get in touch and we can talk about that further. That concludes questions on constitutional, external affairs and culture. There will be a brief pause before we move to the next portfolio to allow front benches to change. The next item of business is portfolio questions on justice and home affairs. Any member wishing to ask a supplementary question should press the request and speak buttons during the relevant questions. I can advise the chamber that there is a lot of interest in supplementary questions. I will try to accommodate as many of them as I can, but they will need to be brief, as indeed will the responses. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to support victims and witnesses, particularly in domestic abuse cases. We are investing record levels of funding to support victims through a range of front-line specialist services. Our Victim-centred approach fund will provide £48 million to 23 organisations between 2022 and 2025, including £18.5 million for specialist advocacy support for survivors of gender-based violence. Of the annual £19 million for delivering equally safe fund, £719,700 is provided to women's aid groups and we will help fund the domestic abuse and forced marriage helpline to offer free, confidential support. 14 organisations, including Victim Support Scotland and Women's Aid organisations, have also shared more than £1.3 million grant funding from the Victim Search Ads Fund to support them to provide practical help to people impacted by domestic abuse. I thank the minister for that answer. Can the minister outline what discussions the Scottish Government has had with partners such as the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Police Scotland and third sector organisations such as Women's Aid on whether a trauma-informed approach, particularly in domestic abuse cases, could include ensuring that survivors have a single key point of contact to minimise the need to repeat and relive certain time periods through the process from reporting domestic abuse to a sentence being served? Can the minister also provide any information on the ability for people to find out about prior domestic abuse convictions from a partner? The cabinet secretary is currently taking through the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill. The bill will put the victims and the witnesses at the heart of the justice system and listen to their needs for a trauma-formed approach. The Victims Task Force has commissioned work to explore models of a victim-centred approach to justice with the goal of providing a single point of contact for delivering criminal justice services. In relation to the point of domestic abuse convictions, the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland enables individuals to obtain information from Police Scotland on previous convictions from an offence related to domestic abuse information that might not have led to domestic abuse conviction and any other convictions linked to coercive control or displaying patterns of potentially abusive behaviour. The power to both share or to disclose that information is considered on a case-by-case basis by Police Scotland who use a three-point test, lawful, necessary and proportionate. That disclosure to the applicant is necessary to protect the individual from being the victim of domestic abuse. My Domestic Abuse Prevention Bill would offer more support to domestic abuse victims. I hope that the Government will soon come on board and support my proposal. In light of recent news that domestic abuse victims in the rest of the United Kingdom will be able to receive cash payments of £2,500 to leave a violent home, will the Scottish Government expand its leavers fund to cover all of Scotland, and will it consider increasing the number of victims of domestic abuse? I am aware of Pam Gossel's bill, and I am happy to work with her. We haven't seen the final stages, but I'm happy to have a meeting with you. I note what you say, which is happening down in England and Wales. At the moment, you will know that Scotland is leading with a £500,000 front-to-leaf pilot, which is being supported across local authorities to help women to flee domestic abuse situations. What work has the Scottish Government done to analyse and evaluate the success of those courts, and will the minister share any work with the Parliament? The expansion to Glasgow of the domestic abuse courts will see many more victims and witnesses benefit from more cases resolving at an early stage and from the reduction in unnecessary citations and hearings. As you know, a pilot court has already demonstrated a significant reduction in the volume of witness citations being issued. It is an on-going pilot, and I'm happy to keep the member updated on progress. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent report by the Scottish Human Rights Commission to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, which referred to the need to improve conditions across the prison estate and to improve access to appropriate healthcare for those in detention. The safe treatment and care, including access to healthcare of those in custody, is an important priority for this Government and for the Scottish Prison Service. We have developed a framework for a nationally consistent service model for healthcare delivery in prisons and are working with NHS and SPS on implementation. We are also investing in modernising the prison estate to better meet the needs of staff and prisoners. 167 million pounds capital funding will be invested in 2024-25 to allow SPS to progress the construction of HMP Highland and HMP Glasgow, and we are increasing the SPS resource budget by 10 per cent to £436.6 million in an extremely challenging fiscal environment. The cabinet secretary for that response. The SHRC report highlights many areas of concern across the prison system. Despite the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions, it's clear that some prisoners do not get appropriate access to outdoor exercise, and inappropriate use of segregation remains a concern without improvements in practices being secured. Those are concerning for overall health of prisoners, but specifically it can mean that prisoners cannot have their mental health safely managed in custody. Can the cabinet secretary provide reassurances that those and the other issues relating to conditions in detention will be addressed with timescales and updates reported to this chamber? As a Government, we recognise the importance of access to programmes and activities aimed at supporting rehabilitation, recovery and mental health. The use of separation and reintegration units is, of course, only use when necessary, and a comprehensive review of their use is now being finalised by the Scottish Prison Service. Outdoor exercise and access to healthcare, however, remains an entitlement for everyone in the care of SPS. Staff work hard to meet those entitlements irrespective of a person's location within the prison state. We have worked with the prison service and NHS to respond to HMCIPS' recent action plan following its thematic review of segregation in 2023, and we will work to make improvements and better support the care for individuals located within SRUs. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many individuals have been charged and successfully prosecuted under any of the provisions in the fireworks and pyrotechnics articles of the Scotland Act 2022. Possible offences are investigated independently by Police Scotland and other enforcement agencies. Prosecutions are brought by the independent Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. The courts are independently responsible for disposing of those. Up until the end of February 2024, 40 charges under the fireworks and pyrotechnics article Scotland Act 2022 were reported to the Procurator Fiscal. Of those 40 charges, 20 charges have thus far been prosecuted. There have been four convictions. Two charges did not result in a conviction, and the other 14 charges are part of on-going prosecutions. Additionally, 77 charges were reported where there was an aggravation under section 44 of the 2022 act, and of those eight so far have been dealt with by a way of prosecution, and there has been one conviction. I thank the minister for that update. I am very pleased that the aggravator that I introduced to that bill has been used successfully to support our emergency service workers, but since that bill passed, we are still seeing a continuation and indeed a rise of the very antisocial behaviour that we are designed to eradicate. We are still seeing pyrotechnics and fflares being used at football games. There seem to be fewer arrests off the back of that, and of course very violent behaviour towards our firefighters and the police around Bonfire Night last year is still on the rise and extremely worrying. I guess that my question is to the Scottish Government whether they are confident that the provisions of this bill are enough to discourage such behaviour and whether the conviction rate is up to scratch. Are we seeing this bill doing the job that it was intended to? Thank you, Presiding Officer. Yes, I do. I think that the legislation is going to take a while to bed in and change societal behaviour in relation to firework legislation. I do remember from the criminal justice committee that you were interested in FBOs, for example. This year, in February, I had a meeting with all the local football authorities, Police Scotland, Crown Office and supporter groups to take forward a joint-up multi-agency approach to the issue of pyrotechnics at football. It was a really positive meeting where we shared our commitment to tackling the issue. It was clear and where there are opportunities for future job working were identified. Following this meeting, I have asked for a short-life working group on football banning orders to be established to consider the current use of football banning orders, whether they continue to be fit for purpose and, if not, what changes are required to address any problems with that current football banning order regime in May present. I am happy to keep the member updated on progress of that working group. In relation to firework control zones, funding was not in place last year in time for local authorities to decide to use those provisions. Is the minister confident that, at this coming year, the preparation is complete and that local authorities such as Glasgow, who need them, will be more able to use them? Yes, I am confident that we have now received expressions of interest for funding for 11 firework control zones for local authorities. While I recognise that it was disappointing that there were none in place for bonfire 2023, firework control zones have been developed to support a long-term cultural change with fireworks that were never intended to be a quick fix. A programme of work progressed at pace to successfully commence firework control zone powers in line with original timescales. I know that local authorities have been informed of the funding available to them and how to consult and implement firework control zones, and I am positive that they will be in place by this year. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the BBC Scotland disclosure programme surviving domestic abuse, which was broadcast on 11 March. Domestic abuse is abhorrent, and the documentary showed that it is vital that perpetrators are held to account and brought to justice and that support services can be accessed. This month, we announced funding of £2 million to Rate Price of Scotland and Scottish Women's Aid to reduce waiting lists for women who need support services. That is in addition to our £90 million annual funding from our Delivering Equally Safe Fund, which has supported 121 projects from 112 organisations since October 2021, and almost 32,000 people benefiting in the first year of delivering equally safe. Of course, we want to stop abuse from taking place in the first place, which is why we all have a role to play in tackling the deep-rooted sexism and misogyny that is inherent in the perpetrating of violence against women and girls. I thank the cabinet secretary for her answer, and I agree with her remarks. This harrowing documentary showed the story of seven women in Scotland who suffered years of abuse from their ex-partners. I have been in contact with one of those women, Caroline Quinn, from Paisley, whose ex-husband not only abused and raped her for a period of 27 years, but he also abused her son. In a joint statement, all of the victims, including in the documentary, raised the unfairness of plea bargains being offered to the attackers without the victims being notified. Six of the women also said that their abusers breached their bail conditions, yet no action was taken. Those brave women deserve a system that protects them once they make the agonising decision to contact the police, yet they feel let down. If she will meet where the women involved in the documentary, we can ensure that the system works better for domestic abuse survivors. Mr Bibby is right to articulate this programme as harrowing. I watched it myself, and I would, of course, like to put on record the bravery of all the women involved in having the courage to convey their personal testimony on a programme such as this. It was indeed an informative and a hard watch that will certainly motivate all of us to do more to protect women and girls. Of course, I would be delighted to meet the member and the women concerned. It is a lot of interest in this question, and I will try to get in as many supplementaries as I can, but they need to be brief as do the responses first. Clare Haughey. My constituent was one of the brave women who gave her testimony to the programme. One of the issues raised by her was around plea bargaining. Her attacker faced 11 charges, but essentially was offered a plea bargain and pled guilty to a reduced four charges. However, my constituent, as a victim, was not consulted on this by the procurator Fiscal. Survivors have to meet the heart of Scotland's justice system, so can the minister, or cabinet secretary, outline what steps the Scottish Government is taking to do just that? It is as brief as possible, cabinet secretary. Parliament will recognise that I cannot comment on the circumstances of individual cases and that the decision to accept a guilty plea is taken by prosecutors independently of government. Resolving a case by acceptance of a plea can, in some circumstances, spare victims and witnesses the need to give evidence at trial, and it involves an admission and an acknowledgement of guilt on the part of the accused. In plea negotiation, prosecutors are acting in the public interest and with regard to the interests of victims and witnesses. Currently, as a Parliament, we are progressing with the Victims, Witness and Justice Reform Bill, but, as I said to Mr Bibby, I would be happy to engage with Ms Haughey in this. We are struck in five out of the seven cases that are featured in the BBC documentary with solid charges that are either watered down or dropped altogether. Will the cabinet secretary consider working with me to amend her victims' bill to ensure that, when plea deals are used, victims are kept fully informed? I understand the motivation and intent of Mr Finlay's comments. It is imperative that whether victims are reliant on information from the courts or, indeed, the Crown Office, that they can receive that information in a timely manner. This morning, along with the Lord Advocate, who, of course, has constitutional independence on the matters that Mr Finlay and others have touched upon, we met with the Victim Support advisory board and the issue of communication, the nature of that communication and when and how it is delivered was reiterated. Of course, I will engage with Mr Finlay in and around any amendments that he brings forward. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any implications for its role in supporting the delivery of prevent in Scotland of the UK Government's new definition of extremism. The Scottish Government takes the threat of extremism seriously and works with partners in Scotland and the UK to ensure that we can identify and tackle it effectively. As a debate about the UK Government definition of extremism has illustrated, it is difficult to find consensus. We do not believe that a definition is helpful to our approach to tackling extremism, which focuses on building inclusive, cohesive communities. While extremism is devolved, prevent is reserved, although it is delivered by devolved sectors, we will keep the decision not to adopt or develop a definition of extremism under review, along with any implications for the delivery of prevent in Scotland. Thank you, cabinet secretary. Now in the week that the Conservatives top donor said that the MP, Diane Abbott, Britain's longest-serving black MP, made him want to hate all black people at women in bigopern and that she should be shot, it was maybe perhaps ironic at best that they redefined extremism. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that the new definition threatens rather than strengthens democracy and that only through building cohesive and inclusive communities can we tackle the threat of extremism and can she say what steps the Scottish Government is taking to achieve those aims? There are two issues here. In terms of the comments directed at Diane Abbott, can I speak on behalf of the Scottish Government and unequivocally condemn racism in all its form? I am sure that that is a sentiment shared by everyone across this Parliament. Secondly, let me say without fear or favour to any political party, including my own, that finding and building consensus on the issues in and around extremism is absolutely fundamental and crucial because division only nurtures hate and extremism and that should not be used as a political football. The focus of the Scottish Government will remain on building resilience in the cohesive communities within which extremist narratives find it harder to resonate. The strength of our relationships and engagement with our diverse communities are of a particular importance in this regard. There is a threat that does exist across the UK, but the complexion of that threat varies in different parts of the UK. To ask the Scottish Government what representations it can make to the UK Government regarding the potential amendment of its post-office horizon system offences bill, to cover Scotland to ensure that there is parity and equality for all submasters and subpost-mistresses who have been affected? The Scottish Government is extremely disappointed that the UK Government has chosen to exclude Scottish submasters from its legislation. The decision is difficult to understand, especially since less than 24 hours before the bill was introduced, Michael Gove MP informed the Interministerial Standing Committee that the route was still open for Scotland and for Northern Ireland to be included. The Deputy First Minister has written to Mr Gove urging him to make good on his commitment to extend the bill to cover both Scotland and Northern Ireland. Our assessment is that extending the provisions of the UK bill to Scotland would be relatively straightforward and we will continue to push for a UK-wide legislative solution that ensures equal justice for all subpostmasters. Given the reserved nature of both the post-office and compensation scheme, I am concerned that if any Scottish legislation does not mirror that of the UK legislation, it may risk access for subpostmasters from the compensation scheme. What assessment has the Scottish Government done about those risks, particularly if the bill is amended during its passage through Westminster? That is a concern to me, and it is why I have been very clear that, although Scottish legislation could be introduced—we are indeed working on that—that legislation would need to mirror the provisions in the UK legislation, it would need to be passed after the UK bill has been passed in order to take account of any amendments. I will not do anything that puts at risk any wrongfully convicted subpostmaster accessing the UK compensation scheme. As it is administered by the UK Government and as with the post office, which is also reserved, neither the Scottish Government nor the Scottish Parliament has any locus in its operation. That is the reason that I, like the FM and the DFM in Northern Ireland, will continue to urge the UK Government to amend their bill to extend legislation to cover Scotland. Question 7, Sue Will. Thank you. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that hundreds of sex offenders have been able to change their name in the past two years, what it can do to ensure the safety of the public, particularly in areas such as EH14 and EH54, which reportedly have the joint highest number of sex offenders registered across Edinburgh and West Lothian. Despite how it has been reported, Police Scotland has confirmed that it responded to an FY request with detail of the instances where some detail of a registered name has been changed. To be clear, that is not the same as individuals who have changed their name and could include, for example, a new email address or the issue of a gym card bearing a name. Therefore, the actual number of individuals identifying under a new name is lower than the reported figures. The Scottish Government takes the safety of the public very seriously. Sex offender notification requirements apply to an individual irrespective of what name they use and multi-agency public protection arrangements documentation includes the recording of any aliases. Sex offenders must inform the police of a name change within three days and failure to notify such a change can result in a prison sentence. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. Recent reports have raised concerns about that ability of sex offenders to change their name. Whatever the numbers may or may not be, one is bad. The loophole in the legal system allows dangerous criminals to hide in plain sight, and we know of instances where it has allowed dangerous sex offenders to change their name and subsequently target new victims, who have no way of knowing their new identity. Can the cabinet secretary confirm if any consideration has been given to closing this loophole in the interests of public safety? The member may be aware of a criminal justice bill that is making its way through Westminster just now. I am very actively and seriously considering the UK proposals for legislative change in the area. I hope to be in a position to provide a more formal update to Parliament shortly about any requirement for a legislative consent motion as a result of what is proposed. There are a range of amendments that are proposed, some of which refer to issues in and around name change. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to challenge and deter men's demand for prostitution. We published a strategic approach to challenging and deterring men's demand for prostitution and supporting the recovery and sustainable exit of those involved in prostitution on 6 February, which was informed through lived experience research by those with experience of selling or exchanging sex. The lessons learned from the actions in the strategy will inform any future proposals, including legislation. The actions in the strategy include establishing a national hub for support services to provide women with improved co-ordinated and person-centred support, with a pilot to begin this summer. We will ensure that mainstream services have a wider awareness of commercial sexual exploitation and the impacts on those involved and have set up a new multi-agency group on commercial sexual exploitation, which we will meet later this month. A model for Scotland recently published the international insights on how Scotland can learn from international efforts to combat commercial sexual exploitation report. Indeed, we debated it in Parliament. Will the minister meet a model for Scotland and I to talk about the very welcome strategy that the Scottish Government has published, to talk about the strategy as a whole, but also specifically to discuss helping the framework to meet its named objective of challenging men's demand for prostitution in practice and the elements of a programme of work that will be developed to achieve that? I thank the member for the question and I know how passionate the member is to challenge and determine men's demand for prostitution and commercial sexual exploitation on the whole, and I am more than happy to meet the member in any organisation. Thank you minister. I am with apologies to those that I was not able to call. That concludes portfolio questions on justice. There will be a brief pause before we move to the next item of business to allow front benches to change.