Jenny Marra : Reforming Scots Criminal Law and Practice (Public Consultation ) speech in the Scottish Parliament

 

Jenny Marra : Reforming Scots Criminal Law and Practice (Public Consultation )
 Speech in the Scottish Parliament 

26 September 2012 

It is a pleasure to speak in this afternoons debate on all these important issues in the landscape of Scots law and evidence. 
The Parliament is being asked to consider some of the most far-reaching reforms to Scots law, and it is important for us to debate them well and often to get the changes absolutely correct for everyone who is involved in the legal system, not least the victims of crime in our country.
I start by considering this afternoon’s debate.
We have heard many informed and learned speeches, in which members have raised good points that I hope the minister will consider during his closing speech, and which we should all take to committee and to subsequent debates.
I was hoping to intervene on Roderick Campbell, but I did not want to interrupt him because he always makes very learned speeches on these issues.
I wanted to pick up on a point that he made in his opening remarks about Cadder and the emergency legislation that the Scottish Parliament had to consider as a result of that judgment.
Annabel Goldie also picked up on that point.
Last year, in its manifesto, Labour proposed to conduct a full audit of Scots law to make sure that the law in our country is ECHR compliant. Such a full-scale audit would prevent scenarios such as the emergency legislation that we faced in the wake of the Cadder case.  
Kenny MacAskill: On the Cadder judgment, how would an ECHR review have affected the position, given the appeal court‟s decision in HMA v McLean? Is the member suggesting that our review could have overturned the decision of a High Court bench?  

Jenny Marra: No, I am not suggesting that. I am suggesting that we need to look forward and consider Scots law with an eye on ECHR. The Cadder judgment was not the first time that Scotland had heard of the problem with section 14 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995; there had been the Salduz case a few years earlier.
Such an approach would have given the Parliament a bit more time to prepare and we would not have had to consider emergency legislation.
I hope that ministers might consider carrying out such an audit as part of a wholesale look at Scots law. Roderick Campbell also made points about the resource implications of the Carloway proposals, and there were many other thoughtful speeches.
Christine Grahame drew the Parliament’s attention to the fact that we must consider the majority verdict. Malcolm Chisholm made a good speech in which he pointed to Professor Fiona Raitt’s points on the sufficiency of evidence.
As a result of his speech, I think that we will all read Professor Raitt’s comments. I understand that she has called for a wholesale review of the law of evidence. Ministers might want to comment on that, because it perhaps does not serve the system properly to look at the issue in a piecemeal fashion.
Mary Fee made welcome remarks about children. The voice of children is often drowned out in debates on Scots law, but she advocates powerfully for children’s rights in the legal system, and under these proposals.
I am glad that the cabinet secretary took the time to bring the motion to Parliament, because it is important to debate the proposals often and well. We have heard in the debate that many questions remain to be answered on the Carloway review and how it is to be implemented.
Although I generally support many of Lord Carloway’s recommendations, it strikes me as a little curious that the cabinet secretary should bring the debate to the chamber before the consultation on the proposals has even closed and therefore without the evidence that has been offered by legal experts.
Nonetheless, the debate is a good opportunity. It is clear to me from the speeches made today that we need further detailed consideration of and debate about how we can effectively implement Carloway‟s recommendations.
Full engagement with stakeholders is a necessary part of that debate. The end of the requirement for corroboration in Scots law would be a major shift, not only in the way that verdicts are reached in our courts, but in the number of cases that will reach our courts in the first instance.
It is vital that we have the foresight to envisage the impact that the removal of corroboration would have on our legal system. We have heard that the pressure that is being put on our court services through budget cuts and the proposed closures of sheriff courts throughout the country would undoubtedly have a bearing on the courts‟ ability to undertake a much bigger case load.
From that perspective, I ask the cabinet secretary to consider fully the consultation on the future of our courts, not just through the lens of the challenging financial situation that he faces, but through the lens of promoting effective and speedy justice for victims of crime, as Carloway recommends.
I am in no doubt that limiting the number of jury trials too much and closing too many courts could have an adverse effect when the Carloway recommendations are implemented. We have heard about the complexities that surround the proposal to make any change to the corroboration rule retrospective in its application.
Not least of those is the potential to put our police service and Procurator Fiscal Service under considerable strain as a result of dealing with an increased case load and the reopening of cases that did not originally come to trial. As has been mentioned, in 58.5 per cent of cases in 2010 that did not go to trial because of insufficient evidence there would be a reasonable chance of conviction if the need for corroboration were removed.
Annabel Goldie: I want to test the members presumption. In my speech, I referred to evidence that shows that the significant changes to the way in which we prosecute rape, attempted rape and sexual offences have not led to an increase in convictions. How can the member assert that simple abolition of corroboration will ensure more convictions?
Jenny Marra: I do not think that that is exactly what I asserted. I am saying that we need to look at things in the round to ensure that we get more convictions; we also need to look carefully at the proposals for corroboration to see what impacts they may have. We have heard of the need to consider the changes in the wider context of access to justice.
Christine Grahame eloquently outlined Carloway’s remit and gave the Government good reason to think carefully about the proposal from my colleague, Michael McMahon, who has quite rightly taken a broader view of criminal justice that includes a debate about the not proven verdict. Those are just a few of the issues that the SNP must face up to if it is serious about improving our criminal justice system.
The principles underlying Carloway’s recommendations are good—they are based on the rights of victims and witnesses to speedy and efficient justice, and they have their roots in human rights legislation.
If we are to have a fully informed debate about the virtues of the report, we must include the voices of all interested parties from all corners of our justice system.
We must have a holistic assessment of the criminal justice landscape, too—one that includes Michael McMahon's proposal for reforming the verdicts that can be reached in jury trials.

Jenny Marra MSP : Community Sport Inquiry

Jenny Marra MSP : Community Sport Inquiry 

Speech in the Scottish Parliament 20 September 2012
 

20 September 2012

The Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport will not be surprised that I will start by talking about our campaign to bring the national football academy to Dundee, especially as I spent many days this summer running about wearing a T-shirt that said exactly that. 

She will also know that over 5,000 people have signed up to the campaign to bring the academy to Dundee and that nearly 1,000 people have e-mailed her letters outlining the reasons why it should come to our city. 

There is a lot of support for it in Dundee.

This summer the national football academy project was described as Dundee‟s sporting V&A, which is a sign that people are keen to make it happen. 

The working group, which is supported by the minister‟s Scottish National Party council colleagues in Dundee, is now at an advanced stage and has taken trips down to the centre in England to put our bid together. 

I am delighted that the minister outlined the timetable for the bidding process just a couple of weeks ago. 

Dundee is united in wanting to bring the football academy to our city. 

I want, though, to ask the minister a couple of questions about the budget commitments to the national football academy. 

Can she clarify in her closing remarks whether the funding will be available for the national performance centre? 

I have just totted up expenditure in the Scottish Government‟s budget for the young Scots fund, which amounts to £24.7 million over three years. 

However, if I understand it clearly, the Scottish Government promised £25 million to the national performance centre, so the commitment to the young Scots fund already falls slightly short. 

In addition, when giving evidence to the Education and Culture Committee last year, Fiona Hyslop committed other moneys to the tune of about £8 million from the young Scots fund for other cultural projects. 

Those commitments are in excess of £32 million, but there is only £24.7 million in the budget over the next three years. 

I would be grateful if the minister could clarify in her closing remarks how much will be spent on the national performance centre, whether it will all come from the young Scots fund, which seems to be a bit elastic, and whether additional funds might be made available to fund it from the sports budget. 

I was very excited this summer by our tennis success, so much so that when Andy Murray took on Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final, I decided to survey our tennis facilities in Dundee. 

I spent a day going round with a video camera—the video is online if anyone wants to see the state of our facilities. 

We had a lot of interest after posting it. 

For example, Judy Murray tweeted me and made the powerful comment, which Tennis Scotland representatives agreed with when I met them, that we need good facilities if we are not just to encourage children to try sport, but to maintain their interest and keep them coming back to sport.

I do not know whether the minister has had a chance to see the video, but it is clear from it that the facilities across our city are different in different communities. 

Indeed, in Lochee, the facility is rather disgraceful, being overgrown and having no lines on the courts. 

 Shona Robison: Is Jenny Marra trying to say that what she describes is a recent phenomenon? Does she accept that, if there is a problem with the facilities, it tends to go back a few years to a previous Administration‟s tenure?

Jenny Marra: The minister makes a fair point, because there has been underinvestment for years.

However, it is about life chances and opportunities for our children, so she should look seriously at the issue.

Why the National Football Academy Should Come to Dundee

Why the National Football Acadeny Should Come to Dundee

31 August 2012

Dundee needs more sports facilities. I was speaking to a Dundee Dad recently who said that his son’s team train in Lochee Park on the pitch nearest the street lights because they can’t get a floodlit training ground. When it rains, the training is called off.

For most of the year that kids are out of school, the evenings in Scotland are cold and dark. We have to accept this and build sports facilities in Scotland where kids can spend their evenings warm and dry, playing sport. It keeps them healthy, fit, and builds their confidence.

That’s why I launched a campaign last year to bring the National Football Academy to Dundee. The SNP promised in their manifesto to build a National Football Academy that would be a training facility for some of our top players and other athletes - a new sports facility for the nation.

So why not in Dundee? Glasgow is getting big sports investment because they are hosting the Commonwealth Games. National facilities tend to be in the central belt, but actually Dundee is more central for folk travelling from Aberdeen and the Highlands and is an easy journey from Glasgow or Edinburgh.

This is a project separate from the Commonwealth Games so it’s only fair that the East Coast and Dundee should be considered for the Academy investment.

Dundee is the only major city in Scotland without a UEFA standard indoor football pitch. The Football Academy would bring this. Dundee also has more people who play football per head of population than any other of the 32 councils in Scotland. We are a proud footballing city.

Aside from the Sport, the Football Academy is exactly the kind of building project that we need in Dundee at the moment. The Waterfront development is fantastic but we need lots of new buildings and facilities to get our economy moving and get our people back to work.

Dundee has the worst unemployment per head of any city in Scotland at the moment, even worse than Glasgow. The Sports Minister Shona Robison would be doing a great service to her home city if she could bring the National Football Academy home to Dundee.

The lasting legacy from the Olympics is that sport can inspire, it can motivate, it can let our young people reach heights of success and fulfilment that dreams are made of. We are a nation of sports lovers. The challenge is to become a nation of sportspeople. It binds families together, it gives purpose and vision, it lets our young people achieve in the healthiest way.

I could list a hundred reasons why the National Football Academy should come to Dundee. But the same vision keeps coming back to me and keeps this campaign alive. I have a vision of local boys and girls heading into the National Football Academy here in Dundee for an after-school training session and bumping into some of their heroes who have spent the day training in Dundee; the Scotland squad, Commonwealth Games hopefuls, role models for their young sporting dreams.

5,000 Dundonians have signed the campaign to bring the National Football Academy to Dundee. They are ambitious for our city and want Dundee to be home to the new national sports academy. Why not here, why not now, and why not Dundee?

Jenny Marra MSP calls for new target to tackle record high Drug Deaths in Dundee

Jenny Marra MSP calls for new target to tackle record high Drug Deaths in Dundee

29 August 2012

Dundee-based MSP and Shadow Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs Jenny Marra has called on the Scottish Government and Dundee City Council to strengthen their approach to tackling drug deaths in Dundee by agreeing a target to reduce the number of drug related deaths in the city.

The call comes after Scottish Government figures reveal that Dundee has the highest per capita rate of drug deaths in Scotland , having risen 108% since the SNP took power in 2007.

Ms Marra has criticised the way the Single Outcome Agreements, agreed in partnership between the Scottish Government and the City Council, have recorded their performance on the issue, and has called for the SNP to prove their commitment to reversing the trend in Dundee.

The Single Outcome Agreements have not monitored drug related deaths since 2009, where only alcohol related deaths were recorded, but without a target for improvement.

The only other monitoring of drugs was done in 2008 by a survey taking attitudes on whether Dundonians thought their neighbourhoods suffered from a high prevalence of drugs.

Ms Marra said,

“Dundee is suffering from a very real problem with drug deaths, which has gotten worse over time.

“Latest figures show that we have the highest number of deaths per population in Scotland, and since 2007 the average annual number of drug related deaths has risen over 100%.

“Despite the council recognising that drugs present a real challenge to the health and wellbeing of our city, our key monitoring of the issue has been left wanting and we have had no solid reporting on drug related deaths since 2009, as well as no agreed targets on how to reduce the increasing number of drug related deaths happening in Dundee.

“I am calling on the Scottish Government and the City Council to agree a clear target to work towards lowering drug deaths.

“If the City Council and Scottish Government are serious about tackling the drug problem in Dundee, they must commit to monitoring their performance based on hard evidence and clear targets.

“This is the only way to ensure a sharp focus on bucking the trend that is ending too many lives early.”

Jenny Marra MSP : Hiroshima commemoration speech

Jenny Marra MSP : Hiroshima commemoration speech

6 August 2012

I read last night that the grandson of Harry Truman, the American President who authorised the bombing of Hiroshima, is visiting Japan to mark this anniversary today.

67 years after the bombing, he is the first Truman to visit Japan.

His visit is sponsored by the peace group Sadako Legacy, named after Sadako Sasaki, an A-bomb victim who died of leukemia at age 12.

While in the hospital, Sadako folded hundreds of paper cranes after hearing a legend that people who make 1,000 origami cranes can be granted a wish.

Origami cranes have since become a symbol of peace.

Truman’s grandson, a former journalist, met Sadako's 71-year-old brother, Masahiro Sasaki, who survived the bombing, at a peace event in New York in 2010.

They agreed to work together to deepen understanding between the two countries, which are still divided over the question of the legitimacy of the atomic attacks.

"There are other opinions, there are other points of view, and I don't think we ever finish talking about that," Daniel said.

“The important thing is to keep talking, to talk about all of it."

To talk seems like a small act in comparison with the act of his grandfather, President Truman who authorised the Atomic Bombings and their horrific consequences.

But perhaps Truman the grandson is doing today as much as he can do, and in a way, exactly the same as we are doing now.

Only by continuing to talk and continuing to walk up here every year will our dream of a world free of nuclear weapons become a reality.

It is when people with hope and change in their minds and hearts cease talking, that the beacon of change is diminished.

That is why I have hope that the first Global Arms Trade Treaty currently being stalled at the UN, will make progress.

The more voices that continue to speak out against weapons and talk of peace everyday, the brighter our hope burns.

Because change comes when the voices become so loud that they cannot be ignored, when they become the progressive majority.

David Grimason, a young Scot who lost his two year old son to a gun attack in Turkey is travelling Scotland and the world talking about his experience and why the arms trade should end.

All he can do is talk, to bear witness to the destruction of life through the use of weapons, to add his voice and hope for more, to talk more about why weapons are wrong.

This is why our vigil is important tonight.

Because we will continue to talk about a more peaceful world and we believe in the power of our peaceful voices.

Jenny Marra : Questions Remain Over Dalai Lama Visit

Jenny Marra : Questions Remain Over Dalai Lama Visit

10 August 2012


Further to the release of the minutes of a formal meeting between Alex Salmond and the Chinese ambassador, Liu Xiaoming, prior to the visit to Scotland by the Dalai Lama, Scottish Labour today argues that Alex Salmond is avoiding the difficult conversations that he should be having with other countries when doing business with them.

The meeting minute shows that the First Minister did not raise any questions about the human rights record of the Chinese government in Tibet, nor their treatment of the Dalai Lama himself.

Given that the Chinese ambassador raised the matter of the visit, it was an opportune moment for Alex Salmond to clearly state the Scottish government's position to the Chinese government.

Scottish Labour's Jenny Marra MSP, said:

"As if further evidence was needed, this shows that Alex Salmond did everything the Chinese wanted him to do to distance himself from the Dalai Lama.

"The SNP want to be an independent government, but they are not prepared to step up to the difficult issues of human rights that must be addressed when doing business with other countries.

"Alex Salmond wants the rights of a separate country, but none of the serious responsibilities.

"The First Minister should have proven his diplomatic mettle by voicing his concerns about human rights abuses in China and affording a proper welcome to the Dalai Lama, an international ambassador for peace.


“Instead, he was nobbled by the Chinese government and snubbed the Nobel Peace prize winner to the embarrassment of Scotland."

Hiroshima Commemoration speech, Dundee

Jenny Marra MSP

Speech

Hiroshima commemoration

Dundee

6 August 2012

I read last night that the grandson of Harry Truman, the American President who authorised the bombing of Hiroshima, is visiting Japan to mark this anniversary today.
67 years after the bombing, he is the first Truman to visit Japan.

His visit is sponsored by the peace group Sadako Legacy, named after Sadako Sasaki, an A-bomb victim who died of leukemia at age 12.

While in the hospital, Sadako folded hundreds of paper cranes after hearing a legend that people who make 1,000 origami cranes can be granted a wish.

Origami cranes have since become a symbol of peace.

Truman’s grandson, a former journalist, met Sadako's 71-year-old brother, Masahiro Sasaki, who survived the bombing, at a peace event in New York in 2010.

They agreed to work together to deepen understanding between the two countries, which are still divided over the question of the legitimacy of the atomic attacks.

"There are other opinions, there are other points of view, and I don't think we ever finish talking about that," Daniel said.

“The important thing is to keep talking, to talk about all of it."

To talk seems like a small act in comparison with the act of his grandfather, President Truman who authorised the Atomic Bombings and their horrific consequences.

But perhaps Truman the grandson is doing today as much as he can do, and in a way, exactly the same as we are doing now.

Only by continuing to talk and continuing to walk up here every year will our dream of a world free of nuclear weapons become a reality.

It is when people with hope and change in their minds and hearts cease talking, that the beacon of change is diminished.

That is why I have hope that the first Global Arms Trade Treaty currently being stalled at the UN, will make progress.

The more voices that continue to speak out against weapons and talk of peace everyday, the brighter our hope burns.

Because change comes when the voices become so loud that they cannot be ignored, when they become the progressive majority.

David Grimason, a young Scot who lost his two year old son to a gun attack in Turkey is travelling Scotland and the world talking about his experience and why the arms trade should end.

All he can do is talk, to bear witness to the destruction of life through the use of weapons, to add his voice and hope for more, to talk more about why weapons are wrong.

This is why our vigil is important tonight.

Because we will continue to talk about a more peaceful world and we believe in the power of our peaceful voices.

Jenny Marra MSP : Commuters are victims of unfair "Tay Tax"

Jenny Marra MSP : Commuters are victims of unfair "Tay Tax"

19 July 2012

Jenny Marra MSP has called for action on the cost of rail tickets on journeys heading north of the Tay.

The Dundee-based MSP has written to transport minister Keith Brown expressing her concern at the price of tickets connecting Dundee to other major cities in Scotland.

Dundee is not featured in the ‘regulated zone’ which benefits commuters around Glasgow and Edinburgh.

This has led to a complicated pricing system which means it is often cheaper to buy multiple tickets for different legs of a journey.
Commenting on the unfair pricing policy, Jenny said:

“Everyone knows that train fares in and out of Dundee are far too high.

“This is because Dundee has never been included in the subsidised zone.

“The government needs to tell us why they are subsidising train fares round Glasgow and Edinburgh but there is a Tay Tax to get over the Tail rail bridge.

“The zone’s purpose is to encourage economic investment.

“Surely with the rates of unemployment in Dundee, we would then qualify by any standards to get a rail fare subsidy like other cities.

“It’s high time Dundee got its share of that subsidy, so we can bring more visitors and investment to our city.

“The government is investing money in the new V&A at the waterfront.

“They should look seriously at rail fares to Dundee as part of this overall strategy because we’ll attract many more visitors and potential businesses to our city if we get fairer rail fares like the other cities in Scotland.”

Jenny Marra : 200 more Life Sciences jobs for Dundee is "Fantastic"

Jenny Marra : 200 Life Sciences Jobs is " fantastic news for University and Dundee"

10 July 2012

Commenting on the announcement that the Life Sciences Centre at Dundee has attracted 200 new jobs to the city, Jenny Marra MSP said,

“This is fantastic news for the University and for Dundee.

“The University has been at the forefront of bringing high quality jobs to our city for many years.

“Another 200 science jobs is a tremendous boost for the city and our economy.

“It is also the highest endorsement of the groundbreaking research work that Wellcome-Wolfson have given a further £5 million for the expansion of our Citadel of Science.

“It is exciting to know that potential cures and drugs for some of the worst diseases in Africa and for cancer are being developed on the Hawkhill.

“Now the scientists will be able to turn their research into new medicines with this investment.

“I think the City is very proud of our scientists and they incredible work that they do and will welcome and support the new expansion wholeheartedly.”

Jenny Marra : Lord Advocate Has Questions to Answer Over Crown Office Investigation into Banking

Jenny Marra : Lord Advocate Has Questions to Answer Over Crown Office Investigation into Banking


July 2012


Responding to the news from the Crown Office (COPFS) on 3 July that there has been an investigation into the conduct of Scottish banks which has been live for “some time”, Scottish Labour’s Shadow Minister for Legal Affairs Jenny Marra MSP has today written to the Lord Advocate asking a number of questions to determine the extent of the investigation.

Jenny Marra said:

“Everyone in Scotland wants to be reassured that all avenues are being taken to ensure that any criminal behaviour within banks based here in Scotland are fully investigated.

"My questions will help shed light on what the Crown Office has done to date.

“We need to ensure that any hint of criminality in our banking system is examined by the relevant authorities and action taken where there is evidence of crimes having taken place.”

Amongst other questions, the Lord Advocate has been asked to confirm:

*The number of Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service staff working on the case :

*When the investigation was opened

*In light of recent developments, whether additional COPFS staff will be provided to the investigation

*What the COPFS believes to be a reasonable timescale for a decision whether to prosecute will be made

*What charges are being considered, or are the basis for investigation

*If any potential witness or suspect has been formally contacted and/or questioned.

*If any formal searches of offices or residential addresses have been undertaken

*What steps have been taken to preserve evidence, both electronic and physical

Jenny Marra comments on Family Savings Report on Young Adults who need money from "Cashpoint Parents"

Jenny Marra comments on Family Savings Report on Young Adults who need money from "Cashpoint Parents"

2 July 2012

Commenting on the news from the Bank of Scotland Family Savings Report, which show that the proportion of young adults who need money from ‘cashpoint parents’ has climbed from 61% in the 1980s to 84% today, Jenny Marra MSP said:

“The results of this research are not surprising.

“The cost of living is getting higher – food, gas and electricity are all taking up more and more of everyone’s budgets.

"This is the reason that Labour held a summit meeting in Dundee last week to explore a collective bargaining scheme for gas and electricity for people in the City.

“100,000 16-24 year olds in Scotland are also out of work.

"Many will be relying on their parents to help them through.

"I would urge anyone who is thinking of taking a loan, to avoid payday lenders that are available online.

"The interest costs end up crippling and can result in bad credit for years.

"Dundee has very good credit unions that are open to borrowers and savers and are reliable and fair.”

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Jenny Marra MSP - Dalai Lama Snub “very sad”

Jenny Marra MSP - Dalai Lama Snub “very sad”

20 June 2012

Responding to reports in The Courier and The Times that Dundee City Council is distancing itself from a visit from the Dalai Lama in a number of ways, Jenny Marra, said:

"It is unfortunate that the Lord Provost cannot make the speech to welcome the Dalai Lama because of a bereavement.
“The SNP should get their most senior Dundee politician, like government Minister Shona Robison, to step in and make the welcoming speech in the Caird Hall.

"This would be an appropriate welcome to the Dalai Lama in the absence of the Lord Provost.
“The SNP Council and Government must make it clear to the Dali Lama that he is welcome in Dundee and Scotland. It is their civic and political duty to do so.”
Patricia Ferguson , Scottish Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs said:

"This is a very sad development. I can’t think of similar situation ever having occurred in Scotland.
“Scotland is a welcoming, open and tolerant country and to withdraw support for a visit from an important religious figure like this is very confusing.

"The Dalai Lama, as an important religious figure, is widely recognised as an international ambassador for peace.
“I am sure he will be as confused by this snub as everyone else in Scotland.
“It looks like the SNP administration at Dundee City Council has been nobbled by the SNP government."

Jenny Marra MSP : Youth Unemployment

Jenny Marra MSP

Speech in the Scottish Parliament debate

Youth Unemployment

14 June 2012

When Michael Moore, Iain Duncan Smith, John Swinney and Angela Constance went to Dundee in March to discuss ways to tackle unacceptably high levels of youth unemployment, I was encouraged that they might focus on Dundee.

Kezia Dugdale and I sat in Dundee College that morning and listened to the minister talking about youth unemployment.

She also took questions from young unemployed people and local businesses in Dundee.

At that point, I believed that we could try together to tackle rising youth unemployment in our city.

However, I was disappointed.

Three days after the SNP ministerial car had swept out of Dundee, it was announced that £9 million would be shared across Scotland to tackle youth unemployment, but not one penny would come to Dundee, which was the venue for the Scottish youth unemployment conference.

Angela Constance: Is Ms Marra aware of the methodology? This is the first time she has raised the issue with me. One stream of funding was targeted at six local authorities that have the most acute problems. That is not to say for one moment that Dundee, Fife, West Lothian and West Dunbartonshire do not have problems, but money was targeted to other areas on that occasion. As we proceed to the medium term with our strategy, Jenny Marra should welcome the fact that we have European social fund money with which we can move forward and ensure that other areas of Scotland will also benefit.

Jenny Marra: I will go back and look at the minister‟s methodology, because my understanding is that Dundee‟s youth unemployment rates are worse than those of three of the five areas at which she targeted that investment.

I am sure that she and I can correspond on that matter in the future.

The SNP came to Dundee with warm words and assurances, but did not regard the city‟s youth unemployment problem as being big enough to deserve investment.

Furthermore, when asked why Dundee‟s young people had been overlooked, a Scottish Government spokesperson replied that money had been earmarked for areas that have particular youth unemployment problems.

Let me tell the minister about the extent of youth unemployment in Dundee, so that next time she will not do us the disservice of sharing a platform with the Tories in Dundee and telling us how concerned she is, but will instead addresses the problem with hard investment.

In Dundee today, 1,705 16 to 24-year-olds are claiming unemployment benefit while Dundee has 674 modern apprenticeships, so it is clear that that number should be multiplied by three.

The Scottish Government's statistics show that during the past year the number of 16 to 24-year-olds in Dundee who have been claiming unemployment benefit for six months or more rose by a staggering 109 per cent, and the number who have been claiming for a year or more soared by 642 per cent.

I would like to think that the Scottish Government simply did not know the true extent of the problem in Dundee before its spokesperson told our young people that they are not a priority for the Government.

For too long, the Government has used its flagship policy on modern apprenticeships as an excuse for ignoring the problem.

The Government has claimed countless times that 25,000 modern apprenticeships have been created.

We now know, as a result of Kezia Dugdale‟s assiduous research, that the claim is spurious and that the reality is that the Government cannot even administer a modern apprenticeships scheme effectively, let alone transform apprenticeships into sustainable jobs for unemployed youngsters.

When I think of Dundee, I think of our potential. I think of our life sciences and technology sectors and our future as a renewables hub.

I think of our proud manufacturing history—NCR, Timex and Kestrel—I think of all the young people I meet who tell me that they desperately want to work, and I think of the young men and women who want to work in construction and engineering, who want to work with their hands and make things.

Some people stopped me in the street in Dundee last week to ask me when the renewables jobs will come.

So far, the Government has failed to deliver on those jobs, despite our city‟s promise.

The investment from Gamesa did not come to Dundee, and although it is almost six months to the day since the First Minister came to Dundee to sign a memorandum of understanding with Scottish and Southern Energy, we still wait to hear the outcome.

We still do not know how much our portion will be of the national renewables infrastructure fund or when it will come to Dundee.

Perhaps the Government will tell us today—or soon.

We owe it to Dundee‟s youngsters to give them every opportunity to meet the expectations that we teach them their hard work will allow them to achieve.

On behalf of our young people, I urge the Government to make youth employment an even higher priority.

Jenny Marra MSP - Women’s Representation on Public Sector Boards

Speech in the Scottish Parliament debate

Women’s Representation on Public Sector Boards

14 June 2012

I am delighted to be able to open a debate on equality in the Scottish Parliament in this, the United Nations year of empowering women.

I note that this appears to be the first time that the Scottish Parliament has ever debated women‟s representation on boards, but I hope that it will not be the last time.

Throughout Europe and the rest of the world, the debate about gender quotas has come to the fore. Now, more than ever, European nations that the Scottish Government seeks to emulate are taking action to make boardroom equality a standard practice in their businesses, public bodies and Parliaments.

It can be done.

It has been almost 10 years since the Norwegian male Conservative Minister of Trade and Industry, Ansgar Gabrielsen, completed Norway‟s transition from a state that operates a 40 per cent quota on public boards to one that includes the private sector in that quota system.

It took just two years for Norway to reach its quota of 40 per cent female representation on its public limited company boards. Its boardrooms have equalised, both in the private sector and in its public bodies.

It took Finland six years, from 2005, to bring all of its public boardrooms from 30 per cent representation of women to up to 44 per cent.

Iceland's target of 50 per cent was achieved in just one year.

Gender quotas for public boards are in place in Denmark, South Africa, Israel, Quebec, Berlin and—at a local level—Nuremberg, and have been proposed in Belgium, Canada and Italy.

They are becoming a more and more attractive choice for nations where, as is the case in Scotland, diversity strategies, leaflets, DVDs and the mentors that the Scottish Government proposes are simply not working.

The attraction of quotas has grown so much that, just last week, the majority right-wing European Parliament backed a European Commission recommendation to bring gender quotas into the boardrooms of all of Europe‟s companies by 2020.

Angela Merkel has called the gender composition on Germany's boards scandalous, and even David Cameron has said he will not rule out quotas for gender representation.

However, two days ago in committee, the Scottish Government rejected the amendments to the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Bill that would have introduced quotas.

In light of all the evidence and all the progress that is being made around us, I ask the chamber this: when did the Scottish Government become less progressive on equality than a Conservative Prime Minister in London?

Labour's motion suggests that Scotland would benefit by learning from progressive policies in other European countries that have successfully balanced their boards—a course of action that all sides of this chamber should agree upon.

At the heart of the matter is the fact that, as all sides of this chamber agree, gender should not matter, and board appointments should be made on merit and merit alone.

However, what the Scottish National Party Government and the Tories fail to realise, but the Scottish Labour Party always has, is that no matter how much we will it to be irrelevant, the reality of the culture for those seeking positions at Scotland‟s boardroom level is that gender matters, and that the situation is usually to the detriment of women.

Humza Yousaf (Glasgow) (SNP): Why, in the 13 years when it was in power, did the Labour Government not bring in a 40 per cent quota for public sector bodies?

Jenny Marra: We have always supported equal representation in our party and it is something that we will look towards in the future.

We have been out of power for quite a few years in Scotland, but we will certainly look at the matter for the future.

We understand that, at the heart of Scotland‟s public boards, there is a deep-rooted culture that ensures that the merit of a man is worth more than that of a woman.

It is something that diversity strategies alone have not, and cannot, address.

No amount of application information to highly skilled and qualified women through Government DVDs, brochures and e-mailed vacancies are changing a culture where the statistics show us that women fight an uphill battle for board positions, because they know that they will lose out to men.

Pretending otherwise is simply burying our heads in the sand.

Gender equality at boardroom level has not happened organically in the 13 years that the Parliament has existed, and the statistics tell us that it is unlikely to happen organically in the next 13 years either, unless we take bigger, bolder steps to make it happen.

As a solution, quotas offer us the ability to join other European nations to make a strong statement about our Government's commitment to the equal value of women‟s merit, as well as men‟s, and the 40 per cent model that we have proposed does so elegantly.

Let me explain it.

Boards would require 40 per cent women and 40 per cent men, with flexibility of 20 per cent for boards with an uneven number of members, or in cases where there was an insufficient number of either gender.

The model is taken from the highly successful Finnish equality act and it has been proven to work.

For as long as we agree that the merit of a man is equal to that of a woman, we should not object to each having an entitlement to a minority 40 per cent representation on the boards that govern all our public services.

I lodged two amendments to the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Bill that would have introduced a 40 per cent quota on the boards of Scotland‟s new police and fire service.

I lodged the amendments after learning about the shocking rate of representation of women on the scrutiny boards of our police forces.

Those boards hold the police to account.

Officers deal with gender-based issues such as domestic abuse and prostitution every day, but the boards that scrutinise the police comprise only 18 per cent women.

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): Can the member indicate how the appointments to the current police boards are made? My understanding is that the majority of the appointments come from local authorities, some of which are dominated by the Labour Party.

Jenny Marra: I think that the member will find, if he looks at gender representation among councillors in Scotland, that Labour has a much better record of electing women to local authorities and to this Parliament than the Scottish National Party.

He only has to look to Dundee City Council, where 16 SNP councillors were returned and only two of them were women.

I think that the same happened in Glasgow City Council, but perhaps the minister will correct me on that.

The boards of Scotland's police forces comprise only 18 per cent women.

In Northern Constabulary, only two of 22 members were women.

In Dumfries and Galloway, just one of 10 members was female and there were no women at all on the Central Scotland police board, which had 11 members.

Where are the women's voices to scrutinise and hold our police services to account?

When we look at other boards across Scotland, we find that the situation does not improve.

Christine Grahame: The member is concerned about gender balance and interventions. However, does she agree that the Justice Committee took the view that it is quality on the board, be it a man or a woman, that counts, and not a gender balance?

Jenny Marra: If the member had been listening to my speech, she would have found that I have already made the case that a quota enforces the idea of a meritocracy and that we should not be scared of saying that women's merit is equal to that of men and that, as Alison McInnes MSP eloquently put it in committee a couple of weeks ago, equal representation is not happening organically so it needs a hand along.

In Shona Robison's portfolio, sportscotland's governing board has a gender balance of 78 per cent men to just 22 per cent women.

The average percentage of women on Scotland's public limited company boards is a shocking 11 per cent.

In fact, men comprise 80 per cent or more of board members on boards such as those of the Accounts Commission, Architecture and Design Scotland, Creative Scotland, the Scottish Legal Aid Board, VisitScotland, the Scottish Law Commission, Transport Scotland, Scottish Water and the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy‟s own NHS 24.

Those are just a few examples.

There is not a single board on the Scottish Government's register of public bodies in which the reverse trend can be seen.

It is therefore little wonder that the motion has gained support from the likes of Oxfam, Engender, the Scottish Trades Union Congress and the National Union of Students Scotland and that it has been further welcomed today by the Electoral Reform Society.

It is timely that gender quotas have been recommended to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Mike Russell, in his commissioned review of higher education governance.

Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski has recommended the 40-40-20 model because the balance in university governing bodies is 72 per cent men to 28 per cent women.

The rest of Europe has grown tired of inequality, and it is high time that Scotland balanced its boards.

I move,

That the Parliament believes that women and men play an equal role in Scotland's public sector; notes with concern that women continue to be underrepresented on the boards of Scotland‟s public sector organisations; understands that barriers continue to exist for women gaining a place on such boards; further understands that nations across Europe such as Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland have introduced a quota system that has been successful in promoting equality of representation on public bodies and publicly owned company boards; notes that the European Parliament voted to recommend a 40% quota on company boards throughout Europe by 2020; further notes the recommendations of Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski in the Scottish Government's Report of the Review of Higher Education Governance in Scotland to introduce a 40% gender quota for Scottish university courts, and believes that such measures should be replicated throughout Scotland‟s public bodies to bring about equal representation.

Jenny Marra MSP - Scottish Labour to lead debate on Gender Quotas for Public Sector Boards

Jenny Marra MSP

13 June 2012

Scottish Labour will use some of its allocated debating time in the Scottish Parliament to launch a national debate in support of gender quotas on the boards of public bodies.

The debate comes a week after the SNP and Tories in the Scottish Parliament combined to vote down a specific proposal to ensure that the board of the new single police service contains 40% women and 40% men.

Labour’s debate on Thursday will call for wider consideration of gender quotas on boards across the public sector – something that happens in other parts of Europe.

Labour MSP for North East Scotland Jenny Marra, and deputy convenor of the justice committee, said:

"It is clear that the SNP needs to take action so people are fairly represented on public bodies.

“As one MSP said this week, voluntary action to bring women into these positions has not worked, so it is time to help it along.

"This is why I tried to get the SNP Government to put a gender quota on police boards last week.

“I discovered that many police boards in Scotland have only a couple of women on them, and some did not have any women at all.

“If women’s voices are not being heard in decision-making, that will have an inevitable impact.

“Police deal with gender issues like domestic violence, sexual crimes and prostitution every day, so having that perspective on boards is extremely important.

"Other countries have gender quotas on every public body with decision making powers, and some go further, by extending the requirement to public limited companies.

“More equal societies tend to be fairer societies.

"The chair of the Scottish Government’s University Governance Review has recommended the same gender quotas for University governance.

“Hopefully Alex Salmond will take his advice and then look to putting quotas in place across all public decision making bodies.

"It would be a striking move if Scotland could start with one of our most important public services – the police – to make sure that the scrutiny of the new single service is representative of everyone in Scotland, and then extend that across the public sector."

Judith Robertson, Head of Oxfam in Scotland said:

"The right to gender equality underpins all of Oxfam’s work around the world.

"Women’s participation, and indeed leadership, is a matter of justice and an effective means of promoting accountability.

"We should do everything we can to remove barriers to equal participation.

"Measures such as the 40% quota being proposed by Jenny Marra MSP have proven a useful tool in boosting women's participation in governance in many countries and will give a much-needed boost to women's representation on public bodies within Scotland."

A spokesperson for Scottish Women’s Aid said:

"Scottish Women’s Aid works to end domestic abuse by tackling its root cause – women’s inequality.

"Increased representation of women in public bodies has proven far-reaching benefits, not just at an organisational level, but throughout society.

"Therefore, we support the call by Jenny Marra to introduce gender quotas."

Ann Henderson, STUC Assistant Secretary, said:

"The issue of women’s representation on boards is becoming a hot topic across Europe.

"When we look to countries like Finland and Norway we can see that gender quotas have worked at reducing inequality at the highest levels of decision making.

"The STUC led the 50/50 campaign in Scotland in the 1990s which brought far more women into the Scottish Parliament.

"We urge we urge the Government to think seriously about implementing them in Scotland’s public sector boards."