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I appreciate that concerns about service are raised by the public in a number of ways, not always as a formal complaint and, as you said, not always with yourself. From casework from my constituents, it appears that there can be an inconsistency in the way that issues are dealt with, and that there are some specialist staff who are dealing with complaints at a more regional level in a way that shows a high level of training and a specialism in dealing with these kinds of matters. However, when it goes back to a local level, the standard sometimes seems different. Would you recognise that as a fair description? Is that something that you have looked at or have views on? How do we get consistency in how issues are dealt with?

You wrote to the committee in August in relation to the mental health and wellbeing strategy and the delivery plan. It would be extremely helpful if the committee could be kept advised not only of the work on the delivery plan that you have referred to with regard to the reform programme, but of whether this actually sits under justice. After all, we have to ensure that there is ministerial drive on this. I have to say, though, that it sounds as if you are not concerned about things falling through the cracks because some of the responsibilities do not lie within your remit. Do you still feel able to have oversight and to ensure that, on the subject of policing vulnerable people that we are looking at today, action is being taken as quickly as possible to implement policy?

Thank you. That is reassuring. I wonder whether Robby Steel or David Hamilton would like to comment.

Cabinet secretary, you have spoken this morning about a number of workstreams and action plans. As somebody who is not involved in that, I sometimes find it quite difficult to understand the terrain. You have made clear the commitment to whole-system approaches and to partnership work.

As I understand it, the Scottish Government established a mental health and capacity reform programme to address the recommendations from the Scottish mental health law review. That programme does not sit under the justice portfolio. Indeed, much of the work will sit outside justice, although it obviously has a massive impact in relation to your responsibilities. Will you say a bit more about the work under the reform programme to deliver the recommendations of the Scottish mental health law review, about your oversight role and about the extent to which it relates to other parts of Government?

Given what you have said, I think that it is fair to say that you feel that you have strong statistical data and that the Scottish Government has provided the administrative data that you require to develop a robust costing. We look forward to your report in January.

Will you tell us how far ahead you are able to make forecasts? The two-child limit policy affects only children born since 2017 and will not be fully rolled out until 2035. Once a policy is introduced, it can be very difficult to withdraw it, so we need to make decisions for the long term. We do not know what will happen with the UK Government’s policy position on the issue, but if the Scottish Government were to take that on for the long term, how far ahead are you able to forecast? We need to be able to understand the long-term implications of any policy decisions.

Thank you. I have no doubt that the committee will come back to that.

The report in January will give us forecasts only for the next five years. Is that correct?

Will you give an indication of when the longer-term forecasts—that is, those that go beyond five years—might be incorporated into your work programme and when we can get that information? Are we likely to get that information by next summer? You are doing other work; I do not know whether you are able to programme that in now.

Cabinet secretary, I warmly welcome the regulations that you have brought to the committee today. As you know, Pauline McNeill and I have been calling for some time for GPS monitoring to be introduced in Scotland. The legislation was passed in 2019, and it would be helpful to understand why it has taken so long to get to this point. I appreciate that the position is far from unique, and that there are often delays between legislation being passed and the policy being implemented, but it would be helpful for the committee to get a better understanding as to why there have been such delays.

Given the problems that we have in relation to overcrowding in prisons, those kinds of tools are incredibly important. However, GPS monitoring is already used widely in England and across Europe, and has been for many years. There must be much that can be learned from that.

Cabinet secretary, could you give us an indication of the timetable? Many of us are frustrated because it has been many years that the tool has not been put into operation, so it would be helpful to know how soon such monitoring will be in place. Could you provide us with an update on that?