PART of the emergency coronavirus legislation must be repealed to protect the rights of people with mental health conditions, a committee of MSPs has said.
Holyrood's Equalities Committee has raised concerns about a section of the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020.
Schedule 9 of the law makes it easier for medical practitioners to obtain short-term detention certificates for patients on mental health grounds.
It also allows for longer periods of detention.
In a letter to the Scottish Government, the committee urges Ministers in Edinburgh and London to repeal Schedule 9.
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The letter states: "These powers have not been used, even at the peak of the outbreak, and therefore can no longer be deemed as proportionate.
"The committee is concerned that the longer these powers remain in law the harder it will be to reverse the position."
The Equalities Committee also heard evidence that women are at increased risk of domestic abuse due to lockdown restrictions.
Capacity at women's refuges has been reduced, while school closures have put vulnerable children at increased risk.
Convener Ruth Maguire said: "The committee has heard distressing evidence about the detrimental impact of the response to this pandemic on vulnerable women across Scotland.
"We are asking the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to fulfil women's right to protection during the coronavirus emergency, including monitoring and responding to the need for extra support, refuge places and housing, and clear communications further promoting the support available and women being lawfully allowed to leave home to escape violence.
"The committee would like to know what the Scottish Government is doing specifically to help more vulnerable women who experience different and complex barriers, including, for example, where English is not their first language and who therefore cannot access helplines or access the internet to get the support they need."
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