Minutes: 11 March 2026

1. Decision on taking business in private:

The Committee agreed to take item 5 in private, and any further consideration of a draft legacy report, in private at future meetings.

2. State of the criminal justice system and challenges for session 7:

The Committee took evidence from—

Sara Snell, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland, Stephen Sandham, Deputy Chief Inspector of Prisons and Calum McCarthy, Inspector of Prisons, HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland;

and then from—

Craig Naylor, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland;

Deborah O'Brien Demick, HM Chief Inspector of Prosecution in Scotland, HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland;

and then from—

Dr Brian Plastow, Biometric Commissioner and Karen McBride, Subject Matter Expert, Scottish Biometrics Commissioner.

3. Public petitions:

The Committee considered the following petitions—

[PE1370] Justice for Megrahi
[PE1458] Register of Interests for members of Scotland's judiciary
[PE2136] Make non-fatal strangulation a standalone criminal offence in Scotland

The Committee agreed to keep the petitions open.

4. Subordinate legislation:

The Committee considered the following negative instrument—

Police Service of Scotland (Vetting) Regulations 2026 (SSI 2026/46)

The Committee agreed to make no recommendations in relation to the instrument.

5. Legacy report:

The Committee agreed to defer consideration of a draft legacy report to its next meeting.