Ash Regan
Independent · Scotland
“To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish Police Authority’s recent quarterly policing performance report showing that sexual crimes have continued to increase, with recorded rape at the highest level since comparable records began, and with domestic abuse also continuing to rise, what its response is to concerns that its e…”
“To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to reduce journey times and congestion for commuters travelling to and from Edinburgh and East Lothian, including measures to progress with the delayed upgrade of Sheriffhall roundabout and to improve transport reliability across the region. (S6O-05677)”
“They seek to define that role by reference to a qualification threshold, which I know that the Government mentioned in earlier stages of the bill’s progression. Amendments 12 and 15 would allow ministers to establish by regulation a licensing scheme for non-healthcare premises.”
“Whatever we think of that, I cannot see it declining over the next few years. New innovations come through every few months, and the number of first-time clients is growing. Therefore, Scotland needs to get this area right. Eighty per cent of the providers in this space are non-medical.”
“The level 7 qualification also required more than a year of structured study covering facial anatomy, complications management, clinical assessment and patient safety. She also maintains level 3 first aid, including anaphylaxis training. She told me, in her own words: “My clinic operates as a fully licensed premises.”
“From the reading that I have done so far on the subject, it appears that the Government does not know how many women, like the constituent I mentioned, it will be putting out of business or out of a job. I wonder whether the minister can cover that issue when she next gets to her feet.”
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“In our latest crime figures, crimes associated with prostitution are up by 33 per cent, reflecting rising exploitation and the persistent danger faced by women in the sex trade. These are not isolated spikes; they are predictable outcomes of a society that tolerates male sexual entitlement and the exploitation of women to meet it. To confront that, we must define the problem correctly: this is male violence against women and girls. It takes many forms, including rape, grooming gangs, sex trafficking and prostitution, all of which are fuelled by a single root cause: male demand. New research from the USA confirms what we already know and what the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service acknowledged: men who buy sex are statistically more likely to endorse hostile masculinity, sexual aggression and dehumanising attitudes towards women.”
“Digital technology has created new mediums for abuse, but let us be clear that technology is a tool, not the abuser itself. Technology simply creates new frontiers for a very old problem: male violence against women and girls. It amplifies harm, facilitates exploitation and hides abuse in plain sight, but the perpetrator remains the same. However, we can, and I believe that we now must, join the dots between how the state protects women and girls, and societal attitudes to committing crimes against them. The numbers are stark. In 2024-25, Scotland recorded just under 15,000 sexual crimes; that is the second-highest annual total since 1971. Rape and attempted rape have risen by more than 60 per cent over the past decade.”
“As I said in my response to Ruth Maguire—I say this out of a desire to be helpful— there are challenging issues with the bill that we must properly address to ensure that the legislation can be applied, and the Government will engage in that process. Mossmorran 6.”
“One of the few areas of gender-based violence that is currently condoned by the Scottish Government is the violence of prostitution. Therefore, I welcome the Government’s support—its qualified support— for the principle of my unbuyable bill, which will give the police the powers that they need to close that gap in the law. Will the First Minister meet me and a group of survivors, so that he can hear at first hand about the horrible realities of prostitution? The First Minister: As Ash Regan properly sets out, the Government is engaging constructively on the bill, and I would be very happy for the minister responsible to engage with Ash Regan and others on the bill.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve the provision of mental health support for vulnerable women and girls with complex post- traumatic stress disorder and other trauma-related conditions, including where this is the result of commercial sexual exploitation in prostitution. (S6O-05100)”
“To ask the First Minister for what reason the Scottish Government has reportedly abandoned key provisions of the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022, including the proposed licensing system, as communities prepare for potential disorder during bonfire night. (S6F-04405)”
“To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent sentencing of a grooming gang in Dundee, what urgent action it will take to establish a national task force to identify and dismantle any exploitation networks targeting children and vulnerable adults in Scotland.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what benefits it anticipates the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill will deliver for rural and island communities, including in relation to breaking up concentrated land ownership and ensuring that land is used in the public interest and communities are not locked out of decision making. (S6O-05001)”
“It is now time for the Government to do its part by upholding the law, upholding its promises and upholding the rights of women and girls across Scotland. 17:57”
“If a unanimous judgment of the UK Supreme Court can be met with foot dragging and confusion, women in Scotland are entitled to ask whose side the Government is really on. I say to the minister that acceptance of the Supreme Court’s ruling must result in action— without qualification, without caveat and without delay. With respect, that is not currently happening. All the policies and guidance that do not comply with the Equality Act 2010, as interpreted by the court, must be withdrawn. Let this Parliament send a clear message today that women’s rights are not negotiable and that the meaning of “woman” is not up for reinterpretation. In Scotland, the law is not optional. For Women Scotland has done its part. The Supreme Court has done its part.”
“The First Minister, who, I hope, is watching this debate, must now honour the promise that he made to meet members of For Women Scotland, who have now been forced to take the Government back to the courts to make it comply with the law. That is shameful. We are not talking about an abstract legal debate. The issue goes to the heart of women’s safety, dignity and equality. As we all know, it has implications for women’s prisons, hospital wards, women’s sports and every single-sex service that women and girls depend on. It has implications for the support services that are available to women who are recovering from prostitution, male violence and abuse, and for the principle of trust in the rule of law itself.”
“It is necessary because the Scottish Government has, for far too long, pursued policies, guidance and legislation that have undermined the basic protections that are guaranteed to women under the 2010 act. The judgment was crucial because, without that clarity, women’s rights—hard won over generations—were being eroded in practice before our eyes. I congratulate members of For Women Scotland, some of whom are here with us in the public gallery, on their courage, persistence and dedication. They did what they did against the odds, without the resources of the Government at their disposal, and they carried that fight all the way to the highest court. They did so not for recognition or power but for the fundamental principle that women’s rights matter and that those rights and protections need to be rooted in biological sex.”
“I join other members in congratulating Pam Gosal on bringing this important debate to the chamber. Motions on this topic—including my own, back in April—recognise the unanimous judgment of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v the Scottish ministers, which was delivered on 16 April this year. However, five months on, the Government and legal advisers are, oddly, trying to convince the people of Scotland that applying the clarity from the apex court is somehow complex. The ruling was clear and decisive, and it was historic. The Supreme Court affirmed beyond doubt that the words “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 mean biological woman and biological sex. The judgment was not only unanimous but necessary.”
“Gillian Martin: I need to go into the detail of what Ash Regan has just put forward, but I am always willing to have a debate on the issue, as it concerns many people throughout Scotland. Although there is an agreement between the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Ministry of Defence on reporting such incidents and the impact that they have, it is worrying that such events happen in the first place. I believe that Bill Kidd has lodged a motion for a members’ business debate on the issue. I hope that it will get the support across the chamber that it deserves. Entrepreneurship 2.”
“I agree with the cabinet secretary that it is extremely concerning that there has been a category A safety event at Faslane. It certainly brings Scotland’s environmental risks from nuclear weapons into sharp focus. With the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s draft strategy 2025 proposing a transfer of defence nuclear liabilities, including the Vulcan naval reactor test establishment, into the civil sector, will the Scottish Government step up to ensure that Scotland does not inherit Westminster’s nuclear legacy in secret? Will the cabinet secretary make a commitment to have a full debate in the Parliament so that we can scrutinise things such as risk assessments before any decisions are made?”
“There will be a brief pause to allow the members on the front benches to change over before we move to the next item of business. Scotland’s Railway (20 Years)”
“Why did they permit that proximity? Why did they fail to act when safe limits were being breached? What steps will the corporate body take with the police to ensure that women who are exercising their democratic rights are properly protected in that in the future? Claire Baker: When we are aware that we will have protests and counter-protests, we have prior discussions with the police. We also request and advise that certain organisations are in different areas of the small space that we have. However, once people are outside, it is for the police to decide. If someone moves somewhere else, unless there is a good reason for that, the police will make a decision on whether they can move that person. It is a police matter. The Deputy Presiding Officer: That concludes this item of business.”
“I, too, was a speaker outside the Parliament at the For Women Scotland rally last week. I approached the police who were on duty at the time and requested that the volume be reduced so that everyone could be heard. I was told that that was not going to be possible. At the same time, there were other protests. Members of Mothers Against Genocide were seeking to read out the names of dead babies—a solemn and peaceful act—and they were also being drowned out by the noise that was being created by the counter-protester. Both of those groups—they were mainly women—were subjected to very dangerous noise levels. We recorded them as being up to 116 decibels. That was from one man with a sound system who was positioned directly between us all. There are questions for the police, although I accept that Claire Baker is not able to answer for them.”
“We have been very clear as a Government that, should headteachers see fit, they will be supported by the Government to ban mobile phones. Fundamentally, the position that the Government has taken throughout this process is that we trust our teachers to take those decisions, and that is a decision that, at the current time, I stand by. Urgent Question 14:58 For Women Scotland (Policing)”
“Smartphones in schools are harming mental health. This is no longer just a debate—we know that that is the case. They are disrupting our classrooms, driving bullying and exposing pupils to adult content, which is very disturbing. No school that has banned phones has ever reversed that decision. Will the Government now show leadership by supporting a national smartphone ban? Our headteachers need that support from their Government. Will the Government also remove unlawful guidance that has confused teachers and undermined sex-based safeguarding, and ensure that relationships, sexual health and parenthood materials are age appropriate and based on consent? Jenny Gilruth: I did not quite catch the end of the question, but I will be happy to write to the member on that point. I discussed mobile phone guidance in my response to Mr Rennie.”
“The Deputy Presiding Officer: That concludes this item of business. There will be a brief pause before the next item of business to allow front- bench teams to change. Water Industry Commission for Scotland (2022-23 and 2023-24 Audits)”
“I do not think that we need to find something new to do; we need to do more of what we are doing more consistently and in every part of Scotland. Since then, as well as the Thistle, we have widened access to treatment and improved the quality of treatment by enhancing MAT standards. We have developed the naloxone programme and the Thistle facility. We have done a power of work in looking at supporting people into recovery, expanding the capacity of residential rehab and expanding the number of funded places. We need to do more of that more consistently in every part of Scotland, but we also need to think about primary prevention, which we are doing, and about cohesive services that wrap around individuals so there is that person-centred experience and those individuals do not fall through the net.”
“Millions of pounds have now been invested in drug services, but it unfortunately does not seem that that is in fact tackling the problem that is devastating so many lives and communities across Scotland. I would like to hear more from the minister about what she will do differently that could increase that rate of progress that we are all desperately looking for. I believe that we need to measure success by the lives that have been recovered. Will the minister back the right to recovery so that people can escape the disease of addiction? Maree Todd: Ash Regan will be aware that there are a number of strands of work that we have put forward since we declared the national mission in 2020. I believe that we are on the right track.”
“The First Minister: As I have explained in my answers and as has been explained by other ministers, the Government is undertaking the careful, detailed legal work that is required to put in place the provisions that are required following the Supreme Court case. We have taken some of the actions that we have been able to take to date, and we will continue to pursue the other issues as we take forward that work. Government lawyers support the Government in its work to ensure that, at all times, the Government is acting within the law. Water Supply 6.”
“The Supreme Court has been absolutely clear: sex, in law, means biological sex, and single-sex provisions must be respected. The Equality and Human Rights Commission told the Government not to wait before acting, yet we still see confusion across all our public bodies, from schools to prisons to the national health service and local authorities. If Government lawyers are not there to advise ministers to follow the law, will the First Minister explain what, exactly, they are there for? Will he now commit to ensuring that all publicly funded bodies comply with the judgment in full and without delay?”
“To ask the Scottish Government what role the finance secretary has in authorising any continued expenditure of public bodies that incur substantial legal costs, including those covered by the clinical negligence and other risks indemnity scheme. (S6O-04876)”
“Where Parliament will have to come to a view is on what course of action will best protect women now and in the future, and what course of action will now keep women safe. The Government, like every other parliamentary group, will look to see how Ms Regan’s bill progresses in the course of parliamentary scrutiny.”
“Given that crimes linked to prostitution are rising—a crime that is obviously rooted in exploitation and violence—does the cabinet secretary accept that Scotland’s current laws are failing to protect those who are exploited by the global sex trade? Will the Government work with me in supporting my unbuyable bill to make the purchase of sex illegal in all circumstances, so that we send a very clear message that sex is not for sale in Scotland and the burden of criminality lies with the exploiters and not the exploited? Angela Constance: I very much agree that sexual exploitation of women is a form of violence against women and girls. I also very much agree that the core root of the problem is indeed the behaviour of men who think that women are there for them to purchase as they please.”
“To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, what specific actions it is taking to strengthen Scotland’s democratic infrastructure, authority and state-building preparations to ensure that the Scottish Parliament could become the legislature of an independent Scotland. (S6O-04834)”
“Angela Constance: It is important for the public, who might be listening, to know that criminal records cannot be and are not rewritten or erased on the basis of gender identity. A legal change of name or the possession of a gender recognition certificate does not alter the substance of a criminal record, and nor does it prevent the justice system from accessing or disclosing relevant conviction history. The management and updating of criminal records is, of course, an operational matter for Police Scotland, which is bound by existing law and is subject to regular audit and oversight. Where concerns have arisen, I have requested clarity from relevant justice partners to ensure that public confidence is upheld.”
“I do not believe that this was a mere administrative error. I believe—and I think that I have evidence to support this—that there is systemic data corruption, which has been driven by years of unlawful self-ID policy. I also believe that the public deserve to know how many criminals have been allowed to reinvent themselves through inaccurate data capture and rewritten or obscured criminal records, which, of course, disconnect identifying data from offending histories. Data integrity is the very foundation of safeguarding. Without it, victims are failed, and the public are put at risk. I heard what the cabinet secretary said this afternoon about ordering a review, but I ask her to go further. I ask her to order a full and complete audit of all that data corruption, to fix it and, finally, to bring it out into the public realm.”
“To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent reports regarding the Barnett formula, and its ministers stating a preference for full fiscal autonomy, what discussions it has had with the United Kingdom Government in relation to replacing the Barnett formula. (S6O-04780)”
“Angela Constance: Of course, it is not in my gift to issue guidance to all public bodies, bearing in mind that I am the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, not the regulator of the Equality Act 2010, which applies to the Scottish Government and, indeed, all our public bodies. However, there should be no doubt that the Scottish Government, our public bodies and Police Scotland are required to comply with the law—end of. Industrial Action by Stagecoach Drivers (West of Scotland) 3.”
“The reports in the press are, indeed, concerning. I am sure that the cabinet secretary is equally concerned by what she has read. However, I am not convinced by what she has said to us this afternoon. I do not believe that the leadership in public bodies in this area is as she is suggesting. The Istanbul convention obliges the Scottish Government to accurately record the sex of perpetrators. If that is not happening, that is extremely concerning. It is now eight weeks since the Supreme Court clarified the law. The fact that we are still having weekly exchanges with the Government suggests that there is still a problem. Will the cabinet secretary urgently commit to issuing that clear direction and guidance to all public bodies now?”
“Surely, in modern Scotland, we know—or we should know—who the exploiters are and who the victims are, and it is long past time that the law reflected that. 17:25”
“If we do not change the law, we are protecting and enabling pimps and punters, abusers and exploiters. If anyone does not believe me on that, even a cursory glance at the contents of Punternet would confirm it. That is a website where men review women like takeaway meals, rating their bodies, their compliance and their willingness to endure abuse. Prostitution is not a normal job—it is a marketplace of degradation and abuse. If we change the law, we will be protecting the victims. They are girls who have entered prostitution as children; girls who have been through the care system; girls who have been victims of child sex abuse; and girls and women who have been coerced and trafficked into this trade.”
“One trafficking victim I met in a safe room in Glasgow said that she had been trafficked and that what was happening to her was so horrific that she prayed every day that she would die or that the pimps or punters would kill her. Prostitution cannot be made safe—it is inherently harmful. A US study said that women who are exploited in prostitution are 18 times more likely to be murdered than a member of the general population. Another study, on rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, put the rates of PTSD among women who have been through prostitution at 70 per cent, which is higher than we see recorded in combat veterans and is consistent with rates among victims of state torture. There is no way to make prostitution safe. That being the case, we need to reduce it as much as possible, and my bill will do that.”
“My “Unbuyable” bill reflects international best practice and what all the available research data shows to be the best way to challenge the demand for prostitution, which is what drives human trafficking, and reduce the number of women who are then exploited in prostitution. It is necessary that we do that, because prostitution is harmful. In all my years of research and work on the issue—I think that it has been more than a decade now—of all the women I met who had been exploited in prostitution, not one wanted to stay in it for a moment longer than they had to. In many cases, although they had left the sex trade decades before, I could see that the effects of what they had been through still haunted and harmed them.”
“There is currently—as, I think, we all recognise—an absolute epidemic of violence against women and girls in our society, and I believe that commercial sexual exploitation is a very important area from which we should not look away. It is connected to that epidemic and is a great place to start. It is already policy and strategy that prostitution is violence against women. That is the Scottish Government’s position and the position of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, and it is reflected in the way that we police the issue. To put it simply, the law now needs to be updated.”
“I commend Rhoda Grant for lodging this important motion for debate and for her long-standing commitment to work in this area. I also commend the cross-party group on commercial sexual exploitation for the excellent work that it has done recently. I extend my thanks to the members of the Parliament, and to those outside the Parliament, who have supported me in my journey towards getting the Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill to its current stage. As we have heard this evening, prostitution is a system of violence that reduces women to commodities, and it affects the ability of all women to achieve equality.”
“Shirley-Anne Somerville: As I said in my original remarks, we have consistently called for everyone who is engaged in the debate to be respectful and mindful of their tone and of the implications if they choose to enter the debate in a disrespectful manner. That goes for absolutely everybody who is involved in the debate. It is important, especially on sensitive matters, that we engage in debate respectfully and that we are mindful of the consequences of our tone and our conduct, both in the chamber and outwith it. Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (Assistance for Homeowners) 3.”
“The fear and toxicity that have been referred to are, of course, fuelled by hyperbolic assertions by those advocacy groups, which are amplified by people in positions of influence. In the For Women Scotland case, the Supreme Court brought vital clarity: sex in law is not changed by self-identification or certification. Trans-identifying people deserve dignity and honesty, but women and girls deserve safety. What support is available for those who faced coercion, risk and harm under gender self- identification, and those whose health, wellbeing and livelihoods have suffered simply for defending the lawful human rights to sex-based protections for women and girls?”
“To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Crown Estate in England, Wales and Northern Ireland being granted borrowing powers so that it can, for example, invest in energy infrastructure, what its position is on similar powers being granted to Crown Estate Scotland. (S6O-04707)”
“There are consequences for young people in our schools, much as there might be consequences for members of the Scottish Parliament for their behaviour. It is therefore appropriate that we engage directly with headteachers and listen to them accordingly. I have not seen the commentary from the headteacher that Ms Regan alluded to, but I am more than happy to engage with her on that point if she can share more information with my office. The Deputy Presiding Officer: That concludes topical questions. There will be a brief pause to allow front-bench members to change over before we move on to the next item of business. Community-owned Energy”
“Experienced educators, such as the retired Edinburgh headteacher whom I met this morning, track the root cause of escalating violence in schools to the erosion of clear and unambiguous values-based behavioural policies that are based on consequences. Will the Government now admit that the overreliance on restorative approaches has failed and eroded behaviour in our schools, and will it now fully commit to urgently restoring clear behavioural expectations with consequences in order to protect our teachers and pupils’ safety and to raise attainment? Jenny Gilruth: I am not sure that I would associate myself with Ms Regan’s comments on a values-based education system. In Scotland, we very much have a values-based education system that is rooted in social justice, which is encapsulated by our approach to curriculum for excellence.”
“We need to be very candid, as a Parliament, and face the fact that the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee failed in its core duty of scrutiny. It did not fully investigate the most contentious issue in the bill and it did not challenge the Government’s legal stance. Rona Mackay: On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Could I get your guidance, please? The member is straying far from the subject matter of the debate. This is not the place for personal recollections.”
“However, unfortunately that is not always the case, and I want to use my time to put on the record an example of what I see as a very significant failure by committees and Parliament in an area that I believe is very important. Members will not be surprised to hear me say that it relates to the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, which I believe showed how serious the structural flaws have become. From the outset, credible legal experts, women’s groups and statutory bodies raised what they felt were very urgent concerns about the interaction between gender recognition certificates and the Equality Act 2010. Those were not abstract legal theories; they were serious warnings about human rights and the clarity of the law. However, instead of being interrogated with care, those concerns were repeatedly dismissed.”
“Committees are meant to be at the heart of scrutiny in the Parliament, but I agree with some of the previous speakers. Too often, the structure that Stephen Kerr pointed out undermines the purpose that we are here to carry out. Members are often overstretched, some convenerships appear very partisan and often there is limited co- ordination between committees, which serves to weaken the quality of our legislative oversight. Smaller parties and independent MSPs—of whom we may see more in the next session of Parliament—struggle to have meaningful input. Before I go on to the substantive part of my speech, I want to say that there are many examples of excellent work by committees in the Parliament, both on inquiries and on scrutiny of legislation, and some excellent conveners are sitting in the chamber with us this afternoon.”
“This is an important inquiry, and I have enjoyed listening to the contributions this afternoon. I thank the committee for inviting me to give evidence last week. As a very small party, is good for us to be able to take part in such things. In fact, due to the system that we currently have, I am not even entitled to a committee place at the moment, as a member of a very small party. During my time here—I think that it has been just over nine years now—I have been on eight committees. I have also been in government, so I have been on both sides of the table. I have been in and out of government, and I have been on the government benches and on the opposition benches. It is fair to say that, during the past few years, my views on committee effectiveness have very much developed. Let us leave it there.”
“We have detailed, in writing to the EHRC, the decisions that we have taken on how we will move forward with implementation. As I said, the EHRC chose to cancel the meeting with Scottish Government ministers when we could have discussed that. If the EHRC has any issues with or concerns about how we are implementing the judgment, I expect it to write back. My diary remains open for direct minister-to-EHRC discussions on the issue. We have raised the issue with it and it knows our intent. I have shared that intent and discussed it with UK Government ministers, who are doing likewise. In the meantime, we are determined to move forward with implementation. While we await the conclusion of the code of practice consultation, we will continue the work in the Government. FBU Survey (Maternity Leave) 2.”