It is my pleasure to take part in today’s debate. Members will be aware that I am incredibly passionate about this area and am committed to creating the change that we need in order to see more women and girls getting active across Scotland.

I thank the committee for its report and I also thank those individuals who came forward to share their experience and knowledge. On Friday 24 November, the Scottish Government published an interim response to the committee’s report, which responds to a number of the committee’s recommendations. We will provide a full and in-depth response to all the recommendations in due course.

It is important to highlight that we recognise that there are barriers to women and girls being physically active and that it remains our priority to support participation by all groups and to tackle inequalities in participation. I was recently told that I am one of only three ministers in the whole world whose portfolio includes both health and sport. That that combination exists in a ministerial post in this Government is no accident: we understand that increasing participation by women and girls is absolutely crucial if we are to ensure improved long-term health outcomes and life opportunities. We must ensure that women and girls are given every opportunity to participate in sport and physical activity at all stages of their lives.