Justice Expenditure
Our next item of business is a statement by Mr Jim Wallace, on justice expenditure. The minister will take questions at the end of his statement, so there should be no interventions during it.
This is the first meeting of the Parliament since the weekend, so perhaps this is an appropriate opportunity to congratulate Mr John Swinney and Ms Roseanna Cunningham on their respective elections to office. [Applause.]
Last Wednesday, Jack McConnell set out the Executive's draft budget for the next financial year and our spending plans for the subsequent two years. This afternoon, I will set out our plans for justice.
My aims are clear: a Scotland where people feel safer and are safer; a fairer Scotland; and a more open and accountable Scotland, with a justice system fit for a modern society. That means giving the police and fire services the tools to do the job; tackling the causes of crime to reduce offending; a modern and efficient court system; and prisons that rehabilitate rather than simply return offenders to reoffend.
In the current financial year, the Scottish justice budget for central and local government expenditure stands at £1,575 million. The extra resources that I am announcing today mean that, by 2003, that figure will rise to £1,847 million. Put simply, that is the best ever spending package for Scottish justice. It means an additional £87 million next year, an extra £172 million the following year and an extra £229.5 million in 2003-04. That adds up to an increase of £488.5 million—nearly half a billion pounds—over the next three years. In real terms, planned expenditure on justice will be 12.8 per cent higher for central Government expenditure and 7.5 per cent higher for local authority expenditure in 2003-04 than in the current financial year. Those increases will allow further progress towards our commitment to a safer and fairer Scotland.
Effective operational policing requires both front-line officers and efficient central services to support them. Police funding is increasing to record levels. Local authority revenue funding for the police will increase by £23.7 million in 2001-02, by £59.3 million in 2002-03 and by £82.7 million in 2003-04. Central Government-funded police services have been allocated additional sums of £22.7 million in 2001-02, £35.6 million in 2002-03 and £35.3 million in 2003-04. Taking into account funding provided to the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency for up to 200 additional officers, those increases will allow a sustainable rise—to a record level—in the number of police officers. Officer numbers should be able to exceed the previous record figure of 15,050; that will lead to higher policing visibility and faster response times, have an impact on the crime rate and improve the detection rate.
It is essential that local police forces are fully supported by a range of centrally provided services. Before finalising the detailed allocations, I will have discussions with local authority representatives, but I can say today that additional funding will be invested in a range of services.
A well-trained police force is an efficient force. This settlement will ensure that the Scottish Police College will be able to cope with the higher number of students that will arise from the recruitment of additional officers. The Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency, which includes the Scottish Crime Squad, will now have an established, increasing baseline. The additional funding will also allow for investment in DNA testing and information technology services, and for assisting forces in the fight against organised crime. It will provide for the costs of implementing British Telecom's airwave service, the new police radio communications system, for the spending review period.
I can also announce an allocation of £3 million that will be necessary over three years to fund a fundamental overhaul of the Scottish Criminal Record Office's fingerprint service. That money will allow full implementation of the recent recommendations of Her Majesty's chief inspector of constabulary.
A fairer and safer Scotland means better protection and support for victims of domestic abuse. That is why this settlement means continued funding of the domestic abuse service development fund, which funds community projects against domestic abuse. We have also ring-fenced funding for the recommendations that will flow from the report of the Scottish partnership on domestic abuse, which we expect to be submitted next month.
We have been able to increase the police local authority capital allocation by £26.7 million over three years. That represents a real-terms increase of 48 per cent by 2003-04 over the provision for the current financial year. The additional funding will give forces more buying power for vehicle and equipment replacement and capital building works, and will cover any local capital costs arising from the new radio system.
On prisons, it is not enough that we are vigilant in preventing crime and catching criminals. We owe it to the Scottish community to take steps to prevent people from reoffending. We need prison programmes that return ex-offenders to the community with the right attitude skills. To that end, we will give the Scottish Prison Service £7 million more in 2001-02, £14 million more in 2002-03 and £29 million more in 2003-04. That is a real-terms increase overall of 6.2 per cent over the current year. The assiduous members among us—I am sure that that includes everyone present—will have noticed a printing error in the prisons funding figure for 2000-01 on page 28 of the document "Making a Difference for Scotland", which was published last week. That should read £249 million, rather than £294 million.
The increase in funding will allow the implementation of initiatives associated with "Intervention and Integration for a Safer Society", including the introduction of a sex offender programme for young offenders. It will enable the Scottish Prison Service to set up key links with community agencies to tackle housing, alcohol abuse, parenting skills, domestic violence, health promotion and employability issues for both young offenders and women prisoners. The service can continue with the successful prisoner programmes that address offending behaviour. Those include programmes dealing with sex offending, cognitive skills and anger management. The service will also be able to accelerate the modernisation of the prison estate, creating appropriate places for the projected long-term rise in prisoner population and providing access to night sanitation.
Within the SPS, increased allocation sums of £2 million, £4 million and £4 million in each year are earmarked for work with prisoners with a drug problem, with the objective of reducing the level of drug misuse in Scottish prisons. Those increases will enable the SPS to deliver the level of service that 21st century Scotland demands.
Building a safer Scotland requires a properly funded fire service, with effective training and modern equipment. We recognise that there has been concern within the service over funding of pensions, and we will provide funding to deal with that concern. We have increased support to local government for the fire service by £45 million over the review's three-year cycle. That will mean an additional £8 million in the next financial year, £15 million in the year after that and £22 million in 2003-04. Those increases will help local authorities to address the problem of the exceptional increase in fire service pension costs that is expected over the next three years. Fire local authority capital is set to rise by £19 million over the review period—by £4 million, £7 million and £8 million. That will allow brigades to pursue vehicle and equipment replacement and building projects.
I also want more training, both basic and specialist, to be provided. I am pleased to announce a 56.4 per cent increase in real terms over the three-year period for fire service training and fire safety promotion. The baseline increases of £2.6 million, £2.4 million and £2.6 million will help us to meet increasing needs.
Building a safer society involves both tackling the underlying causes of crime and providing better support for victims and witnesses. We are funding a package of community justice services to do just that. The programme supports services for victims of crime and witnesses. It also funds community justice services that deliver alternatives to custody, such as probation orders, community service orders, drug testing and treatment orders and electronic tagging, mainly through local authorities. The additional provision of £51 million over the next three years will promote high-quality and effective disposals for use by the courts and will focus on key priority groups including young offenders, women and offenders with drug misuse or alcohol problems. We propose annual increases of £9.6 million in the next financial year, £18 million in 2002-03 and £23.5 million in 2003-04. By the third year of the review, that will amount to a real-terms increase of 43 per cent over the current year.
We also plan to contribute to the cross-cutting programme of expenditure on drugs policy; £9.5 million over three years is being ring-fenced within the criminal justice social work services programme to provide additional funding to deal with drug-related offences, with the long-term target of reducing drug-related and youth crime. The full cross-cutting programme will be announced separately.
During 2001, we will see significant developments in services for victims and witnesses. We plan to roll out the witness support service, which is proving to be a successful and worthwhile initiative, to all sheriff courts by 2003-04. We will pilot a scheme to provide better information for victims on the progress of cases and the release date of offenders. We will set up a unit within the justice department to take charge of the implementation of the victims' strategy, to improve the co-ordination and provision of services for victims.
As I understand the Lord Advocate intimated to the Justice and Home Affairs Committee today, there will be a pilot of a new and innovative service—accountable to the Lord Advocate—for victims and witnesses in cases reported to the procurator fiscal. I have also implemented the Justice and Home Affairs Committee's recommendation that baseline provision for the annual grant to Victim Support Scotland be increased to reflect the grant offered, rather than having additional funds added in year. We will work with Victim Support Scotland to increase awareness of the support services that it offers and to make it easier to access.
We are committed to a modern and efficient courts system that is able to meet the demands of the 21st century. The Scottish Court Service will receive an increase of £12 million over the next three years, which breaks down to increases of £2 million, £4.5 million and £5.5 million. That provision will meet the continuing cost of the additional five supreme court and 19 permanent sheriff posts that have been created by the Executive since July last year, together with the appointment of part-time sheriffs to assist permanent sheriffs in meeting the demands of the courts programme.
The additional provision will also meet the cost of establishing the office of the public guardian to take forward the implementation of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. The additional funding will enable the recruitment of an additional 40 or so staff and will fund accommodation costs and essential computer equipment to allow the office to become operational from 1 April 2001.
As a consequence of those budget proposals, spending on justice will reach record levels and will therefore be able to make a real difference to the people of Scotland. To make that difference, we must ensure that we get the maximum benefit from all the resources that we are investing.
It is clear to me what people expect from a modern justice system. People want highly visible police forces that prevent and detect crime; they want our fire brigades to be well trained and well equipped; they want our courts to operate efficiently, effectively and fairly and our prisons to ensure that prisoners do not simply commit more crimes once they are released. People want the victims of crime to be given proper help and support.
Those are the Executive's priorities too. I commend the plans to the Parliament.
I thank the minister for coming to Parliament to give his statement today, although I hope that he will forgive me if I reserve a more enthusiastic welcome until we have been able to go through the figures carefully. In the past, we have discovered that once the headlines have been and gone, things do not improve quite as dramatically as was indicated initially.
Indeed, we had an experience of that this morning, to which the minister referred. When the Justice and Home Affairs Committee questioned the Lord Advocate about the headline figure, he told us about the Crown Office budget of £22.5 million over three years. That turns out to be £22.5 million at current prices, using the method of triple counting over the three years. When that figure is broken down, it does not look quite as generous. By the end of the question and answer session, the Lord Advocate was reduced to responding, "Well, that's what Jack McConnell thinks he's giving me."
We look forward to going through the figures with a very fine-toothed comb indeed. I hope that the minister's optimistic estimate of the increase in the number of police officers on our streets will happen in practice, although I notice he was rather cautious in his statement, saying that the number "should be able to exceed" the previous figure of 15,000. One would at least hope that the number would reach that previous figure; an extension on that would be regarded as a major bonus.
On prison funding, the minister outlined a long list of areas that required expenditure, and said what the increased expenditure was expected to cover, but he did not specifically mention slopping out in Scotland's prisons. I raise that matter now because of the imminent implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998. Has the minister made an estimate of the cost of ending slopping out now, should there be a challenge to that practice after 3 October and were that challenge to be—as is widely anticipated—successful? What time scale does he envisage for ending slopping out, given the likelihood of that challenge? How does that potential challenge fit into the figures that the minister has given us today? A small amount of money seems to be expected to cover a great many things, including the ending of slopping out. I do not see how it can all be achieved.
I was going to thank Roseanna Cunningham for her comments; I think that there was something there to thank her for.
Roseanna Cunningham said that she wants to examine the figures in more detail. I am sure that Angus MacKay and I will be only too pleased to appear before the Justice and Home Affairs Committee, which I think that her colleague, Mr Morgan, will be convening, to answer in more detail on the figures.
She mentioned that I referred quite carefully to police numbers and expected police numbers. She will be the first to acknowledge that responsibility for implementing operational matters lies with chief constables. Although the Executive can make the funding available, what the chief constables do with that money is an operational matter for them.
We made £8.9 million of funding available in May this year to employ more police officers and there has already been a significant increase in recruitment in many forces. There was a concern that that funding was a one-off. With this settlement, we have ensured that the funding can be sustained through the period of the spending review. That sum was sufficient to provide 300 additional police officer places. In addition to that, there is money from the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency for both central deployment and local force deployment, for an additional 200 officers, which will make 500 officers in all. That is a matter for the chief constables, but the funding is there for them to do that.
I mentioned access to night sanitation in my statement. There is a view that we must continue to make progress towards ending slopping out. Some 25 per cent of prisoner places do not have access to night sanitation. As Ms Cunningham and the Parliament will know, the estates review is being undertaken by the Scottish Prison Service. Once that review is complete and proposals have been put to ministers, I will have a better idea of—and will be better able to indicate—the likely time scale for ending slopping out. I can indicate that £10 million extra capital funding has been provided to accelerate the ending of slopping out. However, Ms Cunningham may recall from evidence that was given to her committee that ending that practice is about not only resources, but places being available to decant prisoners to while the necessary refurbishment work is done.
I thank the minister for passing me a copy of his statement. It reached me just before I had to go to meet Prestwick Academy students, who are in the Parliament today. As Roseanna Cunningham said, that hardly gave us a great deal of time to examine the figures in detail.
The Conservatives welcome the additional funding for justice. It is nothing less than we expected, given the massive escalation in taxation imposed by Gordon Brown. As far as we are concerned, there is a need to make up for the underfunding of the past three years.
Will the minister expand on his comments on police numbers and the issues surrounding pensions in the police and fire services? How many retirements are expected in the police and fire services during the next four years and how will that impact on police and fire service numbers?
Will the minister confirm that fire and police pensions—lump sum payments and on-going pension commitments—are funded from operational budgets? Does he accept that anticipated retirements in Strathclyde fire brigade, for example, will result in an escalation in lump sum payments from £1 million in the current year to £4 million per year for the next three years, with a fourfold increase in month-by-month payments? Will the minister assure me that that cost will be met and that there will not be a shortfall in later years?
Given that the minister has emphasised the importance of local authorities' contribution to fire and police services, does he intend to ring-fence the money that will be supplied to the local authorities? Will he identify the additional cost of training? Do today's spending pledges represent a gain or a net loss? Has consideration been given to allowing officers who are fit enough and who wish to continue beyond the compulsory retirement age of 55 to do so? Would that bring financial advantage?
What provisions have been made for the additional and unforeseen implications of compliance with the European convention on human rights? Does the minister consider that, irrespective of those implications, the justice budget is receiving a net gain? Roseanna Cunningham raised the subject of slopping out in prisons such as Barlinnie and I add my voice to her call.
Finally, the minister and Roseanna Cunningham referred to the Lord Advocate, who said this morning that serious crime was becoming harder to prosecute and harder to investigate That suggests that considerably greater resources are needed. Does the new budget allocation cater for that in a way that means a real-terms uplift?
I welcome Mr Gallie's initial welcome. On police numbers, I do not have too much to add to the answer that I gave Roseanna Cunningham. I indicated that that is an operational matter for chief constables. Mr Gallie linked that to potential retirements. It is a question of providing enough money not solely to recruit a particular number of officers, but to have them in place, taking account of the fact that there are inevitably retirements in any given year. That is what is important.
Mr Gallie will recall that when I gave the figures for the fire service, I said that we were conscious of the fact that there are pay and pensions pressures on the fire authorities. It is for the fire authorities to decide how best to direct their resources. The increases that have been announced—£8 million next year, £15 million the year after that and £22 million in 2003-04—will take in a number of things, but we were mindful of the pensions pressures when we set the budget.
Mr Gallie asked about ring fencing. As he knows, the grant-aided expenditure that is set for the police is matched by the Executive pound for pound, although if the local authority wanted to go above GAE, that would have to be found from the local authority's own resources.
There is provision for fire service training, which will increase by around £2 million in each of the next three years. That is intended to buy the necessary level of progression and specialist training from the fire service college; it provides for the development of facilities and delivery of recruitment and other training at the Scottish Fire Service Training School.
On ECHR, the impact of the temporary sheriffs case—the provision of new full-time and part-time sheriffs—has been taken into account in the budget. We have undertaken an audit and, as Mr Gallie knows, we will introduce legislation in the near future to take account of the European convention on human rights, although from memory—I add that caveat—I do not think that the expenditure consequences are significant.
A lot of members would like to ask questions, so I appeal for short exchanges.
I welcome the Minister for Justice's statement in respect of additional police numbers. However, I am concerned about the method of allocating police officers in areas such as my constituency, where there has been a significant increase in violent crime. Will he consider ring-fencing an allocation for police numbers in areas where crime is at its highest, such as Blackhill in my constituency?
What funding will be allocated to victims of crime, particularly those who are going through the court system? I am concerned by the poor liaison with victims of crime during trials. I am also concerned by the level of support that is available and the arrangements that are in place for them.
I emphasise that, under the tripartite arrangement between police boards, chief constables and the Executive, deployment of police is an operational matter for chief constables to determine. We are making the resources available. In addition to the GAE, the money that I indicated would be provided this financial year as a top-up will allow police forces and chief constables to increase the number of officers. That money will be supplied as a separate item. It would be improper for ministers to direct chief constables. We abandoned establishment numbers some years ago, but we are making a clear indication that resources are being made available and we expect to see an increased number of police officers engaged in front-line services.
Mr Martin asked about funding for victims. In the current year, Victim Support Scotland receives a grant of £2.2 million from the Scottish Executive. I have indicated that we are fully funding Victim Support in the baseline—we are not topping up the money as we have done in previous years—in response to a recommendation from the Justice and Home Affairs Committee. Victim Support Scotland's grant amounts to around £30 per victim contacted in Scotland, compared with £10 in England and Wales.
There are two further issues. First, I am aware of the problems under the Data Protection Act 1998 of the police passing on names to Victim Support Scotland. That is being looked at. Secondly, we are anxious to use the benefits of modern technology and information technology to get a flow of information from the police and the procurator fiscal service to victims. That project is provided for in this funding settlement.
I welcome the tenor of the statement and in particular the fact that Victim Support resources are being put on a coherent basis. Will the £17.8 million for reviews and consultation exercises, which is mentioned on page 29 of "Making a Difference for Scotland", allow for the cost of a police complaints system and the proposed new judicial appointments system, in addition to what is mentioned on that page?
I welcome Mr Robson's comments. I assure him that the settlement provides for the establishment of the office of the Scottish information commissioner, which follows on from freedom of information legislation. Moreover, funding has been secured over a three-year period to allow for expenditure that might arise from reviews and consultations such as the forthcoming consultations on the introduction of an independent element into police complaints. It will also allow for expenditure on any costs—although I suspect that they will not be considerable—arising from judicial appointments, on the working group that has been set up to look at charities law, and on the establishment of a joint working fund to promote cross-cutting initiatives in the Scottish criminal justice system.
In his statement, the Minister for Justice said that local authority revenue funding for the police would increase by £26 million over three years. However, by my calculations, the increase will be only £11 million over that period.
Will the minister assure me that we will not have a repeat of the situation that we have in Central Scotland police, where the lack of expenditure available for capital projects is forcing the police to consider private finance initiative funding for the desperately needed Falkirk police station? Will he also assure me that, with regard to the prison budget, there will be no further PFI-financed prisons in Scotland and that the budget will cover the provision of any additional prison space that is required?
There is a considerable uplift in the capital that is available for police work, but that does not rule out the use of private capital. That is not to say that the use of private capital is expected, but it would be folly to rule it out. There is substantially more money available. Whether that will affect the situation in Falkirk will depend on the negotiations that will take place between the Executive and the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland. I assure him that the distribution will be worked out fairly.
As I indicated to the Justice and Home Affairs Committee this month, we await the estates review. However, on the further use of private prisons, nothing has been ruled in and nothing has been ruled out.
I welcome the minister's statement, particularly the announcement of an increase in funding for the police. I was struck by two points. One was that the increase in resources and the allocation of those resources are matters for the chief constables. I appreciate that that is the case, but I was also struck by the fact that the minister mentioned that the public want a highly visible police force. He is absolutely right in that assertion.
Will the Executive consider giving guidelines to chief constables that would allow them to allocate police officers to beat patrols? My experience—and I am sure that it is shared by many members—is that the kind of crime that most often affects people and that raises the perception that there is crime in the streets is what might normally be referred to as petty crime—vandalism, loitering, breaking into cars and causing disruption in neighbourhoods.
Although those are operational matters for the chief constables, discussions relating to them take place. Many chief constables have mentioned the importance of a visible police presence. That can have a deterrent effect, but it can also reassure law-abiding citizens.
I am sorry, but I cannot remember the second part of the question.
I asked whether guidelines might be given to chief constables on high visibility.
I would not suggest that there will be a formal list of guidelines, but discussions take place on the matter that the member raises and her point is well understood by chief constables.
As the minister is aware, on 11 September, Clive Fairweather gave evidence to the Justice and Home Affairs Committee about Barlinnie prison, which has 17.5 per cent overcrowding. The fact that the refurbishment programme there has been put on hold links to Roseanna Cunningham's question about slopping out. Given Clive Fairweather's extreme concerns, which he could not have stressed more than he did, what assurance can the minister give us that, in this budget, the problems at Barlinnie will be given the priority that Clive Fairweather thinks they require?
I have already indicated that ending slopping out and increasing access to night sanitation is a priority and an objective. Resources have been made available to ensure that that happens. Until we get the outcome of the estates review, it would be impossible for me to give a time scale for that. Christine Grahame should be reassured by the fact that I specifically mentioned the matter in my statement. We attach considerable importance to it.
From which budget heading are resources allocated for the provision of dedicated forensic mortuary facilities so that people who are already traumatised by the murder or other form of sudden death of their relative can identify their loved one in appropriate circumstances, safe in the knowledge that the remains will be treated with dignity and respect? Will the minister confirm that there is no statutory requirement in Scots law on local authorities or anyone else to provide such dedicated facilities? Is the Scottish Executive happy with the uneven provision of such facilities across Scotland? If not, does the Executive intend to do anything about it?
I think that I will have to write a detailed answer to the points that Mr McAllion raises. I am aware that there is an issue about mortuary facilities in Dundee. I think that resources for such facilities come from the allocation that is made to local authorities, but I will clarify that point and write to him.
I welcome the minister's announcement that extra money will be given to police forces in Scotland. However, as he will be aware, there is a running sore in the north-east of Scotland due to the fact that, down the years, Grampian police have received the second-lowest level of funding per capita in Scotland, despite the fact that Aberdeen is the house-breaking capital of Scotland and other crime figures are rising, and that the police force has additional responsibilities in policing Balmoral and the North sea. Can he assure us that, following the distribution of the extra cash that has been announced today, Grampian police will not have the second-lowest level of funding in Scotland?
The distribution of the resources that I have announced today has still to take place. As Mr Lochhead is aware, there has been a debate on this matter, and I can assure him that the funding formula for the allocation of police GAE among the eight forces is under review. I have no doubt that the points that he makes about the circumstances in Grampian, as well as those made by Lothian and Borders police about policing the capital and by Dumfries and Galloway constabulary about the A74 and A75, are all relevant factors. I am sure that every other constabulary has some relevant factors.
I add my welcome to those that have already been expressed for the considerable extra money that is being invested in Scotland's criminal justice system, and in particular in the Scottish Criminal Record Office. However, will those additional resources be sufficient to restore public confidence in the fingerprint bureau of the Scottish Criminal Record Office, which has been damaged by recent events, including the misidentification of critical fingerprint evidence in cases such as that involving one of my constituents?
As I said in my statement, £1 million in each of the next three years will be provided to address the recommendations that the chief inspector of constabulary made about the fingerprint bureau. Money alone is not the answer, but it is important to note that we are making resources available. It is encouraging that the working group that was set up by the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland has accepted and is working through the recommendations in the chief inspector of constabulary's report.
As I have said, we need a fundamental overhaul of not just the fingerprint service in the Scottish Criminal Record Office, but a number of centrally provided police services. They must be placed in a much more certain statutory framework.
The minister should relax, as I will not come at him with as many questions as my colleague did.
The minister mentioned the Scottish Fire Service Training School at Gullane. Can he confirm that a change of name is being considered for that training school? I notice in his statement that his idea of meeting increasing needs is to decrease the amounts over three years.
On police numbers, I welcome the increase in police funding and the implications for recruitment. I look forward to the day when I can say that the police are getting younger not just because I am getting older.
I understand that the name of the Scottish Fire Service Training School is under consideration. I am not sure what Mrs McIntosh's second question was.
The minister referred to increasing needs but decreasing amounts.
There is an overall increase in funding.
I hope that there will be more police recruits. Interestingly, that does not mean that the police will get younger. When I had the opportunity to see the 80 recruits to Strathclyde police this month, it was interesting to note that they were not just young people, newly out of school, but included graduates and people who had followed other careers. That is very welcome, because those people bring considerable experience from different areas of life.
During the minister's statement, I took down a couple of points in shorthand. I think that he gave a figure of £10 million to aid the creation of more night sanitation. I assume that that is a Scottish figure, yet Barlinnie alone would need £5 million per hall. He also gave a figure of 25 per cent for prisoners without night sanitation access. I would like him to make it clear that that is a Scottish figure. In Barlinnie, 80 per cent of prisoners do not have access to night sanitation—there are 800 men to 75 toilets. The minister should be clearer in his statements about Barlinnie.
The minister has mentioned information technology, but does he have any proposals to help the police to tackle the dark side of the web, as it is called, and to track those people who deal in child pornography?
I cannot indicate the proportion of the total amount that I have announced today that will be spent specifically in Barlinnie, as that is a matter for the Scottish Prison Service and will be part and parcel of the estates review. Dorothy-Grace Elder initiated a members' business debate on Barlinnie and slopping out, and I think that members across the Parliament share her concerns. That is why we have specifically allocated extra capital funding for the Scottish Prison Service.
Dorothy-Grace Elder mentioned child pornography and, in that context, I will pick up a point that Phil Gallie made about serious crime. We are conscious of the fact that child pornography and other serious crimes, in which very clever criminals are using modern techniques, pose a real challenge to law and order and to our police forces. That is why, in addition to the money that we are giving to local police forces, we are putting more resources into central police support services. That is a recognition of the fact that important, intelligence-led policing is required to combat serious challenges from some very sophisticated criminals.