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I want to ask about the provision in the bill that gives powers to social work. I was thinking about what I might ask, given each of your positions in the criminal justice system, and I have decided that I would like to focus on the area that Jim Kerr spoke about. He said something that we have heard before: that most people who are held on remand do not go on to serve a custodial sentence, which is a hugely important point.

Is there any part of the system in which an assessment could be done of the likelihood of a custodial sentence? It is hard to say, because obviously people have to defend themselves and they are innocent until proven guilty, but I think that it could be done through the social work input that the bill provides for, in which social workers provide assessments on bail. As part of that assessment, could there also be an assessment of the likelihood of custody should the person be found guilty, or am I making this too confusing?

I think that Katy Clark wanted to ask a question, convener.

Thank you for that clarity, Mr Donnelly.

I have a question on the provision in section 1, on the input of justice social work. My colleagues Russell Findlay and Audrey Nicoll have already picked up on that issue, so I will keep it brief. You have talked a wee bit about the resource implications of the bill. Presumably, however, if the bill has the desired effect, more sheriffs would take up the option of supervised bail or other disposals.

I know that you cannot speak for the social work department. Nevertheless, do you see how those procedures could be managed if there was more bail supervision? What sort of resources might be required for that?

I want to pick up on David Fraser’s last point. In the court session that we watched last week—that was useful, as other members have said, and I thank you for the opportunity—bail was granted on all but one occasion. Do you think that the bill is actually targeting the other courts that you mentioned, in which remand rates are 12 per cent and 27 per cent, rather than the court that we attended?

I accept that. I just wanted to get your thoughts on the record.

Thanks. That is really useful.

I thank the panel for giving us their views—you have covered quite a bit. I have a short question about the emergency budget review, which some of you touched on. Do you feel that equalities and human rights concerns have risen specifically out of the emergency budget review? How do you think that the budget might have addressed those concerns? I do not have a particular preference for the order that people answer in—if you want me to choose, I will ask Alison first.

Thanks for that. From what we saw in Glasgow, it seems that there is a good connection between the courts and the criminal justice social work team there, but we have also heard that that connection might not be as good everywhere across the country. I refer the committee to my entry in the register of members’ interests, because I worked in the area, previously.

My second question is about how the legislation might be implemented. The criminal justice social work teams that produce the criminal justice social work reports on sentencing and the community payback orders when people are sentenced are generally separate—certainly in Glasgow and where I worked previously, in Lanarkshire—from the community justice teams. Bail supervision teams are also a separate entity. I do not know the numbers in Glasgow, but those teams are usually pretty small. In Lanarkshire, there are perhaps two folk.

How do you see that working? It is probably not for this panel of witnesses to answer, but do you see the provisions working through a specific bail supervision team rather than with the rest of the community justice team? People on bail have not yet been sentenced, which is a very important distinction to make. Carrying out bail supervision as well as doing the assessments is a lot of work. If the provisions are to work, where do you see the resources coming from?

That was eloquently put, as ever. Thank you.

If the suggestions that have been put forward for inclusion in the bill are realised, will that increase the opportunity for joined-up working before a decision on bail is made?