Seòmar agus comataidhean

Thank you, cabinet secretary. Pam Duncan-Glancy has a couple of questions.

The next item of business is to take evidence from the cabinet secretary as part of our stage 1 scrutiny of the Miners’ Strike (Pardons) (Scotland) Bill. I welcome to the meeting the Scottish Government officials who are accompanying the cabinet secretary: Elaine Hamilton, who is head of forensics policy in the police powers unit, police division, and Louise Miller, who is a solicitor in the legal directorate. I refer members to papers 2 and 3, and I invite the cabinet secretary to make a short opening statement.

I am keen to probe a little bit further in relation to the decision and reasoning around having an automatic pardon system rather than a process. From the evidence that we have heard from people in mining communities, they would appreciate some sort of official confirmation of the pardon, particularly when it is a posthumous pardon in circumstances where there is a widow, for example. There was a feeling that a person having something to show that their loved one had been pardoned would be particularly welcome.

Is it possible to do that without some sort of process, so that there is an automatic pardon but people can still get a piece of paper and know that, even though their loved one has now gone, they have been pardoned? One the challenges that we heard about is that many of the people impacted have passed away.

Would that be a request, or would that be the right—[Inaudible.]

Thank you. I call Pam Duncan-Glancy.

What is the scope for people such as Jim Tierney, who will not be caught by the pardon but nonetheless feel that an injustice was done to them as part of the strike, to seek redress? Perhaps one of your officials can answer that.

There are no further questions for the cabinet secretary, so we move to item 2, which is the formal business in relation to the Scottish statutory instrument. We will now consider the motion for approval of the affirmative instrument.

Motion moved,

That the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee recommends that the Maximum Number of Judges (Scotland) Order 2022 be approved.—[Keith Brown]

Motion agreed to.

Brilliant. That concludes consideration of the affirmative instrument.

Obviously, the cabinet secretary is staying with us for the next item. The ministers’ officials online are free to leave.

Good morning, and welcome to the fourth meeting in session 6 of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee. We have received no apologies for today’s meeting.

Fulton MacGregor and Karen Adam are joining us virtually today, and Richard Leonard is also joining us. We welcome Richard to the meeting.

Our first agenda item is consideration of an affirmative instrument. I welcome to the meeting Keith Brown, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans, and his Scottish Government officials: Ryan McRobert, head of courts and tribunals, and Jo-anne Tinto, a solicitor in the legal directorate, who are joining us virtually. I refer members to paper 1, and I ask the cabinet secretary to speak to the draft order.

I invite the committee to delegate to me the publication of a short factual report on our deliberations on the affirmative SSI that we have considered today. Is that agreed?

Members indicated agreement.