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Seòmar agus comataidhean

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 17 March 2025
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Displaying 2095 contributions

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Public Audit Committee

National Strategy for Economic Transformation

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Willie Coffey

That covers it from me, convener.

Public Audit Committee

National Strategy for Economic Transformation

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Willie Coffey

These questions follow on from Colin Beattie’s. In your report, there is a little panel that sets out the funding allocations under certain headings. For example, £50 million is allocated to the just transition fund and £42 million is allocated to a tech scaler programme. Is that new money, or is it money that has been identified in the programme for government and rebadged as national strategy for economic transformation money? Mention is made of £4.7 billion for Covid-19 business support. That cannot possibly be new money.

Public Audit Committee

National Strategy for Economic Transformation

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Willie Coffey

Okay. The entrepreneurial people and culture programme is the one in relation to which the highest number of actions were identified, but it seems to be the one where the least progress has been made. Could you expand a wee bit on that?

Public Audit Committee

Section 22 Report: “The 2022/23 audit of the Scottish Prison Service”

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Willie Coffey

Good morning, chief inspector. So far, we have heard some sobering comments, one of which came from the conversation that we have just had about prisoners in the estate. When the question “What’s the solution to this?” was asked, the answer was, “There are too many prisoners—either reduce that population or build more prisons.”

I want to ask what might be a very difficult question for the public to hear the answer to. Are there people in prisons with mental health conditions who, quite frankly, should not be there any more and should be elsewhere?

Public Audit Committee

Section 22 Report: “The 2022/23 audit of the Scottish Prison Service”

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Willie Coffey

Are you prepared to put a number to that? I think that you said that about a third of the prison population have mental health and wellbeing issues. Is that what you said?

Public Audit Committee

Section 22 Report: “The 2022/23 audit of the Scottish Prison Service”

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Willie Coffey

By and large, would you say that there are people in prison at the moment who are no risk to society because of their deteriorating age or mental health?

Public Audit Committee

Section 22 Report: “The 2022/23 audit of the Scottish Prison Service”

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Willie Coffey

You said that, during that time, the infrastructure would “continue to be fragile” and would probably diminish. Five years on, what is your assessment of the condition of Barlinnie? Is it significantly worse?

Public Audit Committee

Section 22 Report: “The 2022/23 audit of the Scottish Prison Service”

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Willie Coffey

The purpose of prisons when Barlinnie was built was nothing like the purpose that you describe now.

Public Audit Committee

Section 22 Report: “The 2022/23 audit of the Scottish Prison Service”

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Willie Coffey

It must be hugely expensive to try to continue to keep Barlinnie in reasonable condition.

Public Audit Committee

Section 22 Report: “The 2022/23 audit of the Scottish Prison Service”

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Willie Coffey

We have touched on changing demographics in the prison population. Will you tell us a little more about the impacts that that is having? You said that there are more elderly people with more health conditions and so on. Is the situation accelerating at a pace that is becoming difficult to manage?