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It will be reassuring for your members to have that on the record.

Do you have an early indication of how much that might save in time or in cash, or will we simply have to wait and see?

I will try to be as quick as possible, convener.

Cabinet secretary, can you provide an update on the work around reviewing the distribution of section 27 funds in relation to criminal justice social work? Social Work Scotland told the committee that it would like all justice social work funding to be consolidated and baselined in the local government settlement.

That is really helpful.

I have one further question. A new UK-wide protection system will be introduced during 2025-26. Will any further funding be available to justice social work services as an implication of that?

Convener, given the direct nature of my questions and as the cabinet secretary mentioned my previous occupation, I should point members to my entry in the register of interests.

Good morning, cabinet secretary. I have a quick supplementary that relates to the area of the Crown Office and prosecution, and it comes ahead of a question from John Mason that you will answer at question time later today. It relates to the amount of time and cost that is involved in police officers attending court. The issue has come up in our pre-budget scrutiny sessions, and it is one that comes up regularly.

During our evidence sessions with the police and the Crown Office, their representatives said that they were making progress in that area. I want to get your views on that. Is the Government doing anything to support that process or to hurry it along?

Good morning. I have a couple of questions, but, in the interests of time, I can probably condense them.

Professor, you were talking to my colleague Emma Roddick about what the UK and Scottish Governments can do together. Are there any other actions that the UK Government could take to help the housing emergency here in Scotland? A couple of examples that the Scottish Government is regularly sighted on are the abolition of the bedroom tax and the restoration of the local housing allowance. What do you think of those specific points, and of the wider issues in that respect, too?

Thanks very much for that.

I am the convener of the cross-party group on adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The convictions that you have spoken about have been welcomed by survivors in that community.

If that trend is going to increase, what is the answer? Sticking to the pre-budget scrutiny purpose of today’s meeting, what is the answer to dealing with the social care and health needs of an ageing prison population? Is consideration being given to how the estate is set up, such as having part of the estate set aside for an older population, as you do with other types of offences or characteristics?

I want to ask about changes in the population of the prison estate. That has had more news coverage recently, particularly in relation to the complex health concerns and needs that are arising. I have asked about that in the chamber. A wee while ago, one of the governors—I think that it was the governor of HMP Glenochil—suggested that, at some point in the future, we might need institutions that are more like care institutions. What impact do you expect such health and social care needs to have on your budget?

How much of a rise in the ageing population has there been recently? Have you been able to put that into stats or numbers?