 I would like to begin with an acknowledgement to all those within the chamber and those outside who have raised awareness of concerns surrounding the provision of forensic examination services to victims of sexual crime. Rape and sexual assault are the most horrendous of crimes. They can rob victims of their self-esteem and dignity, and the effects last long after the original offence has been committed. The need to treat victims of crime sensitively is never more acute or important than with those who are victims of a sexual offence. Last year, I had the privilege to meet the author of a woman's story. Members will be aware that a woman's story is a powerful narrative of one woman's very personal and traumatic journey through each step of the justice process after she had been raped. As Cabinet Secretary for Justice, it is vital that I hear first hand how an individual can be made to feel when they come into contact with the criminal justice system. That meeting, with the very brave woman and the observations that she made, has stayed with me. Official statistics show an increase in reported sexual crime in recent years. That is consistent with increasing confidence on the part of victims to report crimes and a robust approach by police and prosecutors to bring perpetrators to justice. However, while those convictions for sexual crimes are at an all-time high, it is critical that we understand that a successful prosecution is not the only outcome that matters. Many victims will be on a long journey of recovery, which continues well beyond the conclusion of a court case. It is therefore crucial that the health care response is equipped to deliver the services that they need. Often, that begins with the forensic medical examination. As a Government, we have committed to driving forward improvements for victims within this parliamentary term. In particular, the 2016 SNP manifesto undertook to review how forensic examinations are carried out to ensure that they are done appropriately and sensitively. We know, for example, that the majority of victims would prefer to be examined by a female doctor. We know that the current gender balance of doctors with the necessary training does not offer that choice. A cost designed by NHS Education Scotland for the Scottish legal system exists, but the uptake from female doctors is low. There are currently only 19 female forensic physicians working in Scotland. We took forward work in partnership with NHS Education Scotland to understand why. That included a national survey of doctors issued in February to gather information about the perceived barriers to working in this area. Over 800 responses were received, and more than half said that they would, in principle, be interested in working to provide forensic examinations for victims of sexual crime. 17 doctors proactively followed up the survey requesting further information about how they could get involved. That already is a positive outcome, and discussions with NHS Education Scotland and health boards will inform further actions to address the issue more sustainably. In addition, on the same month, we announced the commissioning of national standards to be developed by Healthcare Improvement Scotland. The national standards will be the first published national standards for forensic examinations for victims of sexual assault. Those standards will put beyond doubt what is expected of NHS boards in delivering care for victims and will build consistency of practice throughout the country. We want to ensure that, where a victim reports a rape, they are given the best care no matter where in the country they are. We also think that it is important that victims are made aware of the standards themselves and understand that forensic examinations are only one part of a much wider package of healthcare that they are entitled to. The national standards for forensic examination will be consulted on this summer and published by the end of the year. Members of the chamber will have read the recent Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary report on forensic examination services, which point very clearly to improvements that we need to make. It found significant variations in the provision of forensic medical services in Scotland. It recommended that a better balance should be achieved between the justice and health response to appropriately address the immediate healthcare needs and future recovery of patients. It reported that some victims still require to attend police buildings to undergo an examination. That is completely unacceptable. As a general theme, the report found a lack of strategic leadership and governance over provision of forensic medical services. On 30 March, the same day the HMICS report was published, the Scottish Government announced that the chief medical officer would lead a group of key individuals to galvanise the necessary leadership within health and justice to transform healthcare response to victims of sexual crime. On 27 April, I addressed the first meeting of this task force. The task force for the improvement of services for victims of rape and sexual assault has a clear mandate from the Scottish ministers to improve, to provide national strategic governance and to take decisions that will make a tangible difference for victims. It has a strong membership, including Police Scotland, Crown Office, Rape Crisis Scotland, representation from NHS chief executives, Royal Colleges, Child Protection Committee, NHS Chairs and the chief social work adviser. The task force has identified five working groups to sit under it, and chairs are nominated for each under the following headings. First planning, regional delivery of services, clinical pathways, quality improvement and premises and infrastructure. The chamber should be in no doubt that the Scottish ministers have empowered the task force through the CMO's leadership to be bold and to deliver. Working groups have been tasked to agree their remit and priorities for the next task force meeting in June. The Scottish ministers will be receiving regular progress reports. The chief medical officer will also establish the task force work plan and that this will be published over the summer to communicate clearly how that work will be driven forward. Before I finish, I want to raise particular concerns about the provision of forensic examinations in rural and island communities. I met Leah MacArthur and Tavie Scott in March to discuss the provision of forensic examinations in Orkney and Shetland, which have no local service currently operating for victims. I share the concerns that are raised about current provision of forensic examinations for victims of sexual assault in island communities. I can give my assurance now as I did then that the Scottish Government is committed to making meaningful changes to rectify this situation. Since that discussion, I am pleased that Shetland Health Board has announced plans for a local victim-centred service to provide forensic examination and compassionate medical healthcare on the island. That is a very encouraging development. We are aware that much more requires to be done and that the challenges are many. I know members will recognise that those issues require effective planning and appropriate training of staff over the coming period. I have confidence that the task force is the best place for those challenges to be considered and I look forward to its recommendations in the coming months. Donald Cameron to be followed by Clare Baker. I have no problem being confused for Donald Cameron. Like the cabinet secretary, I wish to acknowledge the work of those who rightly seek to improve the provision of forensic examination services to victims of sexual crime. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland's report into forensic medical services for victims of sexual crimes highlighted a catalogue of failures, and I thank the cabinet secretary for an advance copy of his statement responding to the report. HMICS made clear that the provision of services in some areas was not only unacceptable but Scotland as a whole is well behind the rest of the UK. While I note the developments that the cabinet secretary mentioned in Shetland, can he give more information on what is happening in Orkney and when will victims on both islands expect to receive the victim-centred service on island? Furthermore, what does the cabinet secretary expect to change so that we can see the level of service in Scotland at least match that in other parts of the United Kingdom? Finally, the Scottish Government accepts that not enough female doctors are coming forward to provide forensic examinations for female victims. Have the Government tried to understand why more than 400 people responded positively to the national survey in February that they would, in principle, be interested in working to provide forensic examinations, but only 17 have proactively followed that up? I turn to the issues that were highlighted in HMICS's report, which is a very valuable report and helps us to understand the extent of the challenges that we face across the country. What the report highlights is that the minimum standards that were set in 2013, which should have been taken forward by health boards, have not been implemented effectively across the country. There are areas in which there is simply not the necessary strategic leadership being led within health boards to make sure that those minimum standards were being applied. There is also a suggestion that some health boards have interpreted the minimum standards as being the baseline of good practice that should be applied in the way in which those services should be delivered. That is why I took the decision to appoint Healthcare Improvement Scotland to look at establishing national standards so that there is no question about what standards should be delivered at a localised level. All health boards are well aware of what that national standard should be and what is expected of them. The national standards will give us greater clarity and will help to deliver greater consistency. The member made reference to the progress that has been made within Shetland as a result of doctors on the island proactively choosing to come forward and to participate in the training programme, which is available for them, to carry out those forensic examinations. Liam McArthur met me and, along with his colleague, Tavish Scott, to discuss the very concerns that he has in his constituency in Orkney and the approach that is being taken there. I can assure the member that there is on-going discussions on how they can improve the services in Orkney and meet the challenges that they face in our island communities. That is demonstrated by the approach that has been taken in the Western Elts, where they have been able to sustain and develop a service around forensic medical examinations, including providing it with a female doctor. I am confident that we will be able to make sure that we take that forward with the work that the task force is undertaking and with the new national standards that will be applied and how the services will be delivered in our island communities as well as on our mainland communities. When a member asks about what we can expect to change in the approach that has been taken in other parts of the UK, in particular the SAC approach that has been used in England and Wales, the principles of SAC are well founded. However, I am not convinced that it is an model that is appropriate for us here in Scotland. The reason for that is that it is a joint health justice commission model, where we want to see a health-led model with the focus on the needs of the victim with the forensic examination just being a component of that. Wraparound healthcare for the victim is the absolute key that we require an approach that we take forward. In doing that, we need to take a flexible approach, because the number of cases that we dealt with within the central belt will be markedly different from that in our island communities. We need to have a model that reflects the different geographical population base that we have in Scotland that is focused on the healthcare needs of the victim when they come forward. I have no doubt that the task force will be focused on doing that. The chief medical officer will ensure that the model that we have is one that is sustainable in the future. With regard to the 800 who have responded to the survey, although 800 people have responded to it, that work is still being taken forward in analysing the results. The 17 who have proactively said that they want to participate in the training programme is just a number of individuals who have done that off their own back. There are many who have expressed an interest, but they want further information, and that will be pursued in taking forward. The encouraging thing is that the vast majority of those who responded to the survey were female doctors. I have no doubt that we will be able to increase the number of female doctors who are carrying out forensic medical examinations. I welcome the cabinet secretary's statement. It is right that the Government came to the chamber this afternoon with a response to what was a fairly damning HMI-CDS response, showing that some victims of sexual assault have been failed by the provision and that there is a need for drastic improvement. Sadly, the failings that were identified are new. The minimum standards of service delivery were accepted by ministers in 2013, recognising then that improvements need to be made. However, what we have seen over the last four years has been a lack of leadership, investment and delivery. I very much welcome the cabinet secretary's focus today, but I stress that this is a live issue and that there are victims who are still experiencing many of those failings. I therefore ask the cabinet secretary when he expects the working group to conclude and the improvements to be implemented and how in the future services will be audited and inspected to ensure that standards do not fall behind. Finally, the HMI-CDS report reported that there is a gap in provision regarding victims who need support and medical attention, but do not wish to report the attack to the police. Can the cabinet secretary outline what action is being taken to ensure that those victims will be able to get the support that they need? I pick up on the specific points that Clare Baker has mentioned. That is the time frame around the completion of the task force work. What is particularly important here is that addressing the key areas that the task force has already highlighted that the working groups will focus on is to ensure that we deliver a model that is health-focused and sensitive, that delivers the necessary forensic medical examination and that recognises the on-going healthcare needs of the women who have made access to that particular service. We need to make sure that that is a model that is sustainable. That is not about trying to find a way in which we can just quickly fix this. We need to make sure that we have a steady flow of clinicians, in particular female clinicians, who are going into training to become qualified and carrying out forensic medical examinations. I will not set an arbitrary time frame for the task force that is completing its work. The reason why I do not want to do that is because I want to make sure that the model and the approach that is taken are sustainable and that it delivers the level of change of transformation that we want to see being implemented in the way in which forensic medical examinations are taken forward in the future for victims of sexual crime. However, I can assure the member that the task force under the leadership of the CMO recognised the urgency that is necessary in driving that forward. That is why we have given it the ability to be bold and to be ambitious about the approach that we take here in Scotland. Although it will be taking forward detailed work over the coming months, we will receive regular update reports on the progress that it is making. It will also be publishing its work programme and how that will be taken forward as well. However, I would expect to see improvements starting to be made as that work has been taken forward. I am not expecting health boards to wait until the task force has finished all of its work before they start making progress in those matters. I expect them to start making progress on it now and as we move forward with the work that will be taken forward by the task force. On a specific issue of self-referral, there are some health board areas where self-referral is not possible at the present time. That is one of the key issues that the task force will be looking at. That is how we can make sure that there is scope for self-referral to be available. One of the things that we need to give consideration to is that, in taking a health-based approach, self-referral has some legal implications that we need to bottom out to make sure that women who do choose to report do choose to go on for a forensic medical examination and for healthcare support that do not report it to the police, that we are able to deliver that service to them in a way that is appropriate to their needs and that is sensitive to their circumstances as well. That is one of the issues that the task force will be taking forward in its work in the coming months. Cabinet Secretary, I am conscious that we have taken nine and a half minutes to get through the first two questions. It is a very sensitive subject, but I could try and be slightly briefer in the answers and the responses. Fulton MacGregor, to be followed by Donald Cameron. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Given the urgency that is described by the cabinet secretary, can I ask what the next steps and the immediate steps are for the task force? The next immediate steps are, as I have set out in my statement, the five working groups that will sit up underneath the task force, the chairs have been appointed. They will now be responsible for serving out their remit and priorities. That will report to the task force at its June meeting. During the summer, we will also see the consultation taking place on the new national standards, which have been led on by Healthcare Improvement Scotland. At the end of the summer, we would expect the task force then to have published its work programme going forward. We will therefore receive regular updates following the task force publication of its work programme. Donald Cameron, to be followed by Mary Evans. Given the stress on rural and island communities, especially Auckland and Scotland, which has been mentioned, I note from the recent HMICS report that there is currently nowhere in our garland bute for victims to go to receive a forensic examination. They have to travel to the archway in Glasgow, which can involve some very long distances indeed. What assurances can the cabinet secretary make to women across our garland bute that, following on from this review, such a service may be available within their region? If the member had listened to the comments that I made in my statement, that is one of the issues that the task force will be looking at, is to consider how we can best deliver services on a regional basis that provides the level of clinical support that is necessary for women across the country. For some women in the Argyllun bute area, Inverness is the easier access point than the archways. At the present time, the health boards use both those facilities, they use part NHS Highland and they also use the archway in Glasgow. What we need to do is to make sure that we have a service that is also sustainable, a service that is not only meeting the healthcare needs and the forensic needs, but it is also sustainable going forward so that women in our more remote areas can access a service that is appropriate to meeting their on-going healthcare needs. I have no doubt that the task force will be looking at what the best model is in delivering that, not just in Argyllun bute, but in our rural parts of Scotland. Mary Evans, to be followed by Mary Fee. Does the cabinet secretary recognise that, without the support of third sector organisations like Rape Crisis Scotland, many victims couldn't engage with the demands of the criminal justice system and will he make a commitment to continue to support those vital and valued organisations? Third sector organisations such as Rape Crisis Scotland play an invaluable role to the support that victims of rape and sexual crime experience in supporting them from a very early stage in the criminal justice process and also beyond the criminal justice process. The value of which is recognised by the actions of this Government, we have provided an extra £1.85 million to Rape Crisis Scotland to be able to provide a greater range of services across the country, both mainland and for the first time in Orkney and Shetland, where we now have Rape Crisis services available. Some of that, I also believe, has helped to demonstrate the areas where there are gaps in the existing services that need to be addressed. We recognise the invaluable role that they play, that is why they are also on our task force, and we are committed to continuing to work with them to make sure that we meet the needs of women who do experience sexual violence in our communities across Scotland. Mary Fee, to be followed by Ben Macpherson. The HMICS report referred to in the cabinet secretary's statement, found that sustaining sufficient numbers of pediatricians with relevant experience is a challenge. That, due to the lack of availability of pediatric services in some areas, children who have been sexually abused are having to travel significant distances to be medically examined, and that adolescence can fall between adult and child services. In the west of the country, when archway is unavailable, forensic medical examinations can be delayed. Can the cabinet secretary explain today how he and the task force will address the issues that are identified by the inspectorate, which relates specifically to children and young people? Mary Fee raises an important point about the way in which forensic medical examinations are conducted for children and young people. At the present moment, the standard says that a person under the age of 16 is covered by the pediatric standards, which are in draft form at the present time and which have been taken forward by the managed clinical network for pediatric medical forensic examinations. That is now being considered by the regional partners on how it will be taken forward. Part of the challenge is in ensuring that we have a sufficient number of pediatricians with the required training in conducting forensic medical examinations. The member will recognise that the HMICS in the report acknowledges that they are broadly working well across the country at the present time, but the member raises an important point about the travelling distance for some parts of the country. That is largely down to availability of pediatricians to conduct those types of medical examinations. The standards that have been taken forward by the regional planning groups at the present time will work with them through the task force to look at how we can align the new national standards alongside the pediatric standards to ensure that there is a consistency of approach in how services are being delivered. That is one of the areas that the task force will be taking forward. That is why we have a member from the actual managed clinical network on the task force to support that work, as we develop the new national standards for adults who have been experiencing sexual violence. As the cabinet secretary has stated, the right to choose the gender of the person who conducts medical examinations is key to ensuring an appropriate and sensitive approach to victims of rape and sexual assault. Therefore, how has the analysis of the 2016 survey of female doctors informed next steps for increasing the number of female doctors carrying out such examinations? The purpose of the survey that we carried out was to try to identify what the barriers were to female doctors participating in the training programme to conduct forensic medical examinations. We are encouraged by 800 responses that we have received, with almost three quarters of those being from female doctors. Analysis of that work is still on-going. Once we have completed that analysis, we will be able to identify whether there are any further measures that need to be taken forward in order to encourage more female physicians to participate in the forensic medical examination programme, which is available through NHS education for Scotland. Once we have completed that work, we will then be able to look at how we can address that in individual bold areas. It is very clear that there is a level of clinical interest in undertaking that work. What we need to do is now harness that and to make sure that we increase the number of females who are qualified to carry out those forensic medical examinations. I have no doubt that, once we have analysed the survey work, we will be in a position where we can take immediate action to address some of the areas of concern in order to increase the number of female doctors who are qualified to carry out those examinations. You talked about the survey and you will be aware that it is an issue not just of recruitment of forensic medical examiners, but of retention. You will also be aware of the report that the Justice Committee did in the Crown Office procurator fiscal service and the specific evidence that we had in the subject from four medical examiners. One who said that he was cited to attend court between five and twenty times a month but called to court only a handful of times a year. Would you encourage the Crown Office representative on the task force to not await a broader response to the Justice Committee's report but to pursue issues that will secure the retention of medical forensic examiners, not least because the BMA tells us that there is face with frustration a number of clinicians were opting out of court service, so perhaps the greater use of minutes of joint agreement because it is not just about recruitment, it is about retention. John Finnie raises a very important point and a very valid point. I made reference to that in an earlier comment about the need to make sure that the model that we take forward is one that is sustainable. It is not about just recruiting some more doctors at the present moment who can conduct the forensic medical examinations, it is about making sure that we have a continuous flow of clinicians who are prepared to carry out the work on an on-going basis. That is why one of the task forces subgroups is on the issue of workforce plaring. That is why I am reluctant to give an end date to when the task force will complete its work because we need to make sure that we are undertaking detailed work not just within health boards but with the Crown, with the police and others to make sure that we have a sustainable model that delivers the necessary forensic medical examinations, but it is so in a way that it is about making sure that women get the right healthcare support that they require and that clinicians are comfortable with what is expected from them. That is why planning for that workforce development will be absolutely crucial to making sure that the model that we expect to see being taken forward once the task force has completed its work is one that is sustainable and one that delivers the level of service and care that women need circumstances to expect and deserve. I also thank the cabinet secretary for early sight of his statement, but more particularly the constructive engagement that I have with Scotland on the particular needs of the communities that we represent and the wholly unacceptable situation whereby victims of rape and sexual assault are required to get on a plane and travel south for examinations. I have had further discussions with NHS Orkney and Zelda Bradley from rape crisis Orkney. Can he give the reassures not just about the developments in Shetland but the situation as of now in Orkney will ensure that no victim will be required to go off-island for examinations? Can he further advise what specific work the task force will be doing to address the particular issues as they arise in Orkney, which, while part of an island setting like Shetland in the Western Isles, will have different challenges and circumstances to meet? There is absolutely no doubt that the expectation of women to have to wait to leave the island, to go on to the mainland, to have a forensic medical examination completed is simply unacceptable. NHS Shetland has risen to the challenge and clinicians there have committed to carrying out the necessary training in order to provide the necessary services in Shetland. We already have the service in place in the Western Isles, and what we now need is the necessary clinical leadership in Orkney to ensure that we have clinicians with the necessary training to deliver the service on the Orkney isles. I assure the member that we want a service that is victim-centred, health-focused, delivering that holistic care that is necessary to women who have experienced a sexual assault or rape. We expect that to be delivered right across the country and the new national standards will allow us to ensure that whether you are in Orkney or Glasgow, the standards that should be expected and delivered by that health board are the same. I have no doubt that once we have the new national standards in place and with the work that has been taken forward with the task force, we will be able to ensure that in areas such as Orkney that there is an expectation and that there is the delivery of the necessary services that are required for women who may require to undergo a forensic medical examination. I can give the member an absolute assurance of our determination to make sure that the services that are going to be delivered in Shetland and that are presently being delivered in the western isles should also be delivered on Orkney. A key focus will be to make sure that we deliver that with a victim-centred approach. I have no doubt that the new national standards will support us in achieving that. Ross Thomson The minister has said quite clearly that the task force for the improvement of services for victims of rape and sexual assault has a clear mandate and must deliver. Will the minister commit to returning to Parliament to update us on the performance of the task force and its individual working groups to ensure that it delivers on that mandate? I am more than happy to return to Parliament with a statement once we have the finalised task force report with its recommendations. I apologise to the three members who were not able to call. I am going to end that statement there. We will move on to our next item of business, which is a statement by John Swinney. We will just take a few moments to change seats.