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Good morning, and thank you for the information that you have provided so far.

It was clear from last week’s evidence session that not all rural areas are the same and that each area faces its own unique challenges. We also heard about the importance of a joined-up approach when it comes to improving access to services. For example, the lack of rural doctors is interlinked with housing shortages and poor transport links. That is why we cannot address one issue without addressing the others. Local people are best equipped to identify such issues and, in some cases, they are able to identify solutions that are unique to their communities.

Do you agree that one size does not fit all and that the current system is broken? When you have appeared before the committee on previous occasions, we have spoken about the need for joined-up working across departments, because one area cannot work without the other. We are hearing the same in relation to rural areas. As you have said previously, it is not simply a question of budgeting. The same is true of rural areas. We cannot provide general practitioners in areas where there is no housing and no good transport. How can the broken system be mended through the work that you are doing?

Thank you for the response, but I am a bit worried that the information you have provided is not exactly touching the ground. When I talk about the 116 times the woman had to contact legal aid, that is not an isolated case—there are many cases like that. People are contacting 30, 40 or 50 organisations and not getting anywhere. Women especially come forward in challenging times, and they are already scared. Can you imagine picking up the phone so many times and just being told, “No, no, no”? Women then decide “Do you know what—nobody is listening to me”. Then what do they go back to?

It would be good to hear from you on that, minister. I do not see the information you have provided delivering out there, because we have heard about the issues over and over in this committee.

On women’s aid, as you know, I have the Prevention of Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill going through Parliament at the moment. In working on that bill, I have been fortunate enough to speak to women’s aid and other organisations throughout Scotland—from rural areas to urban areas. While I respect the equally safe fund—I have recognised that in my bill as well—the rural organisations highlighted that it is not enough. They need support and they need multiyear funding as well, which I know you mentioned. There are a lot of challenges.

Today marks the start of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. I attended an event yesterday in East Dunbartonshire, my own area, where people told me that there is not enough funding for people who use British Sign Language. They were talking about areas such as Dumfries and Galloway and other rural areas, and the challenges they are facing. As I said, no one size fits all—I have just mentioned minorities, especially those with disabilities, and they need much more support and assistance. Right now, the equally safe fund provides some support, but it does not provide the tailored support that women’s aid groups need in rural areas. It would be good to hear from the minister on how—outside equally safe—organisations will be funded to deal with such challenging issues.

Do the two plans that you mentioned identify the issues that I spoke of, and are they addressing them? You also mentioned that one size does not fit all. You covered that, but I am concerned about the joined-up approach. You said that sometimes departments do not work together. To be perfectly honest, if we were to look at the issue from a business perspective—I know this from my business background—we would say that the business would fail if departments were not working together. The Scottish Government is a big organisation and it is important for departments to work together. This is not the first time that I have brought the issue up with you; I have brought it up a few times in relation to budgeting and other things. Every time that we hear from you, you tell us that it all takes time, but what sort of timescale are we looking at for this joined-up work to start?

It is good to hear that the cabinet secretaries and ministers are working together, but I think that more than that is needed. People in rural areas need help now. You will hear from members, in their different questions, about the sorts of challenges that people face. I will ask you a direct question. Do your plans address the challenges that I am talking about? If not, what else do you have in place? If the plans do address the challenges, how long do you suggest that it will take to make sure that everything is being delivered?

Thank you. I look forward to seeing more of that information. I hope that we can revisit the issue, even if that is after May 2026. I have been asking the same questions year after year, and I would like to see that, when we look back in May 2026, the plans have been put in place. It is great to have all these plans, but they must work; otherwise, success is not achieved and the challenges are not addressed.

I was hoping to hear more about there being a five-year plan and a 10-year plan, because we want to measure success. Paul McLennan asked how you do that, and it would be good to look back, perhaps next year, and see whether what we have spoken about today is working and being delivered. It is important not just to have plans, but to see the measurables in those plans as well as the timescales. I will leave that with you.

The protection of women and girls, especially those fleeing from domestic abuse, has been one of my top priorities since I entered Parliament. Earlier this year, the committee took evidence on access to civil legal aid and the barriers that many survivors of domestic abuse face in accessing such aid, especially in rural areas. Witnesses spoke of “legal aid deserts”, meaning geographic areas where it is difficult to find a legal aid solicitor. We heard the shocking example of a Highland woman who had contacted 116 legal aid lawyers regarding her divorce case. In some cases, in small communities where everyone knows one another, survivors fear seeking legal advice, as solicitors are sometimes acquainted with the perpetrators. How can changes be addressed by community organisations and the Scottish Government?

On that, Dr Yanes, I want to probe a little bit more. What should communities or the Scottish Government be doing about this?

Thank you for that information. When I was a member of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee, I spoke to local authorities. They said that costs—especially from ferries going back and forth—and planning issues stop developers building houses in rural areas. When somebody builds a house in an urban area, accessibility of materials is quite good, but taking materials across on ferries is a lot harder. How can the Government incentivise house builders more?

I will touch on what you said about not thinking about housing on its own but looking at the full infrastructure. What could the Government do better? Our committee looks at the budgets and sees that different departments cover quality and other areas. How could they work better?

Over the past three years, I have spoken to many domestic abuse organisations, be it Women’s Aid or other organisations, especially in the rural areas. Over the summer I spoke to many people. They touched on what you have just said about the need for the services to have the right funding. They feel that they might get a certain amount of money this year, and that could be it, but there are people working for them and there are women and girls out there who need that help. They feel that there is no long-term planning; they need that multiyear funding. Could that help? Would having that security and sustainability, knowing that they have three years’ funding, be something that would help?

Good morning, everybody. I am a member of the Scottish Parliament for the West Scotland region.

Good morning, panel, and thank you for all the information that you have provided so far. We know that housing shortages are a significant issue in rural communities. The best way to combat shortages is to build new homes but, year after year, the Scottish Government falls short of what is needed to tackle growing homelessness levels—the latest statistics show that house building completions are down by about 6 per cent on the previous year.

Our rural communities face unique challenges that we do not normally see in urban areas, such as a lack of infrastructure, logistical hurdles and complex planning and affordability issues. At the same time, many homes in rural areas are old and poorly insulated, so they are prone to damp, mould and expensive heating costs. It is little wonder that there is rural depopulation—there is a depopulation crisis in rural areas.

What should the Scottish Government be doing better to ensure that rural communities are no longer overlooked, especially when it comes to housing?