Prisons and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Amendment Rules 2014 (SSI 2014/26)
We move on to item 4, which is consideration of subordinate legislation.
The instrument disestablishes the visiting committees for HMP Aberdeen and HMP Peterhead—which, as members are aware, have closed—and creates a new visiting committee at the new Grampian prison from 3 March.
The instrument was not lodged in time to comply with the 28-day rule, and the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee reported to the Parliament that the breach
“appears to the Committee to have resulted from a failure in communication and planning within the Scottish Prison Service. The Committee considers that this is completely unsatisfactory”.
The DPLR Committee also drew our attention to the lack of “saving or transitional provision” that would enable the visiting committees at Aberdeen and Peterhead to complete their consideration of any on-going complaint. In addition, it wrote to this committee and the Scottish Government to advise that, similarly, no saving or transitional provision has been made in the super-affirmative instrument on prison visiting committees that we considered a couple of months ago.
I invite members’ comments.
I am interested in the DPLR Committee’s comment about transitional arrangements in relation to the HMP Aberdeen and HMP Peterhead visiting committees’ on-going work. Will the committees be able to transfer cases to the new committee?
We can write to the Government and to the Association of Visiting Committees for Scottish Penal Establishments to raise the point about the transitional arrangements for on-going cases. We can ask about the specific case that we are considering and the broader question.
That would be helpful.
Are members content with that approach?
Members indicated agreement.
We will move into private session.
11:55 Meeting continued in private until 12:38.