The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 797 contributions
Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee
Meeting date: 2 November 2021
Fulton MacGregor
I would completely echo the reverend’s point there. As a previous children and families social worker myself, I can testify that this is not something that we were trained on or asked about or something that we were consciously looking out for when dealing with individuals and families. The point has been very well made.
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 27 October 2021
Fulton MacGregor
I have a broad question for the four people who have spoken to us about their lived experience. I really appreciate that; it is very helpful to the committee. I am a big believer in safe consumption rooms. We need to find a way to make them happen.
Given that we are the Criminal Justice Committee, my question is about something that you have all touched on already, which is the interaction with the various justice services within the committee’s remit. We will hear from many of those services later today.
How trauma informed are those services—criminal justice social work, the police, courts, prosecution services and so on—in their interactions with people who are using drugs? Is there a stigma in the agencies and organisations around drug users? Natalie Logan MacLean touched on that a wee bit. How can we get better at that?
I realise that that is quite a general question, convener, so I am happy for you to pick out who you think could answer it.
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 6 October 2021
Fulton MacGregor
I have a question about the guidance on the administration of legal aid—GALA—project that you are running. Is it having an impact on and streamlining effectiveness in decision making? What is its impact in the experience of solicitors and their clients who are involved in legal aid?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 6 October 2021
Fulton MacGregor
Yes, but I am quite happy for Pauline McNeill to come in first. She had her hand up before me.
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 6 October 2021
Fulton MacGregor
Thank you, convener. I thought that I had been forgotten about there.
This is probably a reasonable enough area for the last question. It has been touched on in all the answers when looking at the budget overall. Where does local policing sit as a priority in the budget? I can speak only for myself, but I am sure that I also speak for my colleagues when I say that the relationships with local police stations are absolutely fantastic. The two stations that cover the two different parts of my constituency provide a crucial service to the public, and they have really good relationships with community groups and so on. Where does local policing sit as a priority?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 6 October 2021
Fulton MacGregor
I agree. It is helpful to have that on the record.
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 6 October 2021
Fulton MacGregor
Anything that improves access to justice and legal aid is crucial, so I welcome what you have said. However, the meeting is about budget scrutiny, so might the result of streamlining the process be that, once things are working more fully and better, more people will get legal aid? Would that increase budget pressures?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 6 October 2021
Fulton MacGregor
It was useful to get that on the record.
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 6 October 2021
Fulton MacGregor
I will follow up on the COP26 stuff. When we were at the crime campus in Gartcosh a couple of weeks ago, we got a rundown of some of the plans for COP26. The scale of it is incredible, so fair play to the police for taking it on. I do not think that you will have to do anything as big again in a long time.
The chief constable said that he was keen for there to be no additional cost to Police Scotland. You talked about £60 million but, clearly, there will be an element of costs that we cannot currently predict, because we do not know how it will go or where there will be protests. Are you feeling reassured that there will be no cost to Police Scotland in the end? Do you have that assurance from the UK Government?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 6 October 2021
Fulton MacGregor
When will you have that discussion? I am asking because I cannot envisage a situation in which there will not be a long-term cost to the police in Scotland. Is there an assurance from the UK Government that the costs can be looked at in the longer term? I am sure you have all been through loads of these possibilities, but people will be working overtime for this massive event, so they will need time off after it, which might reduce services a wee bit. I am sure that it will not reduce core services, but people might also be off with stress—we just do not know. From what you said, I feel reassured that the UK Government will fund the costs that come out of the discussion that you are talking about having, but what about the knock-on effect over the next year or couple of years? I cannot see that we will not be affected by that, ultimately, because this is a massive event.