The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 2943 contributions
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 8 February 2023
Audrey Nicoll
Quite a range of issues were covered there. Are there specific points that you would like the committee to go back to the cabinet secretary on, or did you just want to put those points on the record?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 8 February 2023
Audrey Nicoll
On the issues that Russell Findlay raised about the Scottish Prison Service, I am happy to write back with further requests for clarification. The point about private sector contract costs and some of the challenges that are linked to inflation and increasing prices is reasonable, because that is having a significant impact. I am happy to write about the other points that Russell Findlay raised about HMP Addiewell and HMP Kilmarnock.
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 8 February 2023
Audrey Nicoll
With regard to the SPA budget, I note the information that has been provided regarding the figure that has been allocated for
“police assets including the estate, fleet and technology”,
as Russell Findlay has just outlined.
The committee has been interested in body-worn cameras for quite some time, and we received an update from the cabinet secretary—I would not care to guess when exactly that was, but it was fairly recently. Again, that is an operational decision for the chief constable, but there is general support for such cameras to be introduced and rolled out. I do not think that there has been any further update on that, has there?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 8 February 2023
Audrey Nicoll
Which paragraph of the note are you referring to?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 8 February 2023
Audrey Nicoll
I can. Collette?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 8 February 2023
Audrey Nicoll
The key thing there is how the additional funding will be used. That is perhaps a question for Police Scotland as well as for the cabinet secretary. Is that right, Jamie?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 8 February 2023
Audrey Nicoll
I bring in Stephen Imrie on that point.
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 8 February 2023
Audrey Nicoll
That covers what I was going to suggest. The points that members have made are valid, and it is not just one or two points; we have picked up issues across a number of the specific areas in which the SSI is relevant. I am grateful to members for highlighting their concerns and thoughts, and we now have them on the record.
To sum up, unless anyone is planning to lodge a motion to annul, which we have spoken about, we have no further recommendations to make, and we will proceed as planned. It is important that we use the opportunity to draw to the attention of the Parole Board and the cabinet secretary the matters that have been raised. Perhaps we can incorporate further work on that at a future point. I am grateful to members for raising their points.
Are members content not to make any recommendations to the Parliament on the instrument, with the caveat that we do some further work on the points that have been raised?
Members indicated agreement.
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 8 February 2023
Audrey Nicoll
Do you want to speak to Stephen Imrie separately on that, or do you want to do that just now? Do you want clarity on something?