Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government’s budget will increase funding for local authorities, which will assist youth and community projects. Our hugely successful cashback for communities programme supports young people who are most at risk of being drawn into antisocial behaviour, offending and re-offending and delivers positive outcomes. Future work in all of Scotland’s 32 local authorities will prioritise opportunities for young people aged between 10 and 25 in the most deprived 20 per cent of areas in Scotland.

I know that the member, Mr Doris and I will meet Police Scotland, Mr Fairlie and others. In the future, we will include other members in a working group to look into antisocial behaviour with off-road vehicles.

I thank Clare Adamson for highlighting that important issue. I would emphasise the crucial role that everyone has to play in their own safety and in the safety of their families, and I strongly urge people to buy products only from reputable retailers whom they know and trust. It is vital that any electrical items are used, charged and stored carefully and safely.

I urge everyone to be aware of the risks. If anyone sees smoke or flames coming from a battery or device, they should, if in doubt, never tackle it themselves. They should get out, stay out and call 999. I also recommend that people make use of the range of fire safety information that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service hosts on its website.

The Scottish Government works closely with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, which has an annual fire safety campaign. This year, the focus is on devices powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which householders will be urged to buy, charge and dispose of safely to prevent accidental fires at home.

In addition, the SFRS will issue public safety advice over the festive period, with a particular focus on kitchen safety, as more fires start in the kitchen than in any other room in the house. Raising awareness of the risks associated with lithium-ion batteries is particularly important, as products containing them are becoming increasingly popular.

I thank Clare Adamson for highlighting that important issue. I would emphasise the crucial role that everyone has to play in their own safety and in the safety of their families, and I strongly urge people to buy products only from reputable retailers whom they know and trust. It is vital that any electrical items are used, charged and stored carefully and safely.

I urge everyone to be aware of the risks. If anyone sees smoke or flames coming from a battery or device, they should, if in doubt, never tackle it themselves. They should get out, stay out and call 999. I also recommend that people make use of the range of fire safety information that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service hosts on its website.

I thank David Torrance for proposing this subject for today’s members’ business debate, and I welcome the members of the Kingdom Off Road Motorcycle Club who are in the gallery.

We have had several important debates on antisocial behaviour recently, and I am pleased that we are able to have a debate in which we can celebrate a community that is leading on a project of its own that has had such positive outcomes. In his opening speech, David Torrance recounted individual experiences that are testament to all the positive work that the club has done.

The wider social impact of the Kingdom Off Road Motorcycle Club is considerable, and I welcome Foundation Scotland’s continued support. The provision of an additional £90,000 over three years will make a big difference to the club’s work in Fife.

As well as tackling inequality, the club aims to provide safe spaces for young people, where they can develop safety awareness and skills. I understand that Fife police and local businesses are supporting the club with small donations. That is positive and a great example of how to engage with communities.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering diversionary work with children and young people and the debate has given me an opportunity to highlight the on-going diversionary and intervention work that the Scottish Government supports through the cashback for communities programme, which reinvests the proceeds of crime in youth projects.

Since 2008, that flagship programme has invested £130 million in community-based activities the length and breadth of Scotland, supporting close to 1.3 million young people in that time. We continue to provide that support and we are currently in phase 6 of the cashback for communities programme, which runs from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2026 and will invest £20 million. It will deliver a range of services and activities for young people between the ages of 10 and 25 across Scotland.

At its core, the programme provides safe spaces, trusted adults and the opportunity for young people to build positive relationships with their peers. In Fife alone, the cashback for communities programme invested more than £4,123,000 in projects between 2008 and 2023, reaching more 142,000 young people.

The evidence proves that the cashback for communities programme is working. Evaluation shows that 4,318 young people reported that their antisocial and criminal behaviour reduced, 6,292 young people felt that they were less likely to engage in antisocial or criminal behaviour, and 4,954 young people gained an accreditation in furthering their development. Those statistics are from last year’s impact report for the cashback for communities programme that was published yesterday. The numbers illustrate how our focus on early intervention and diversionary activity is making a difference in communities.

While helping to provide more opportunities for young people in their communities, we also want to keep them safe from harm. That is why we have invested more than £4 million in the past two years to implement the action set out in the Scottish violence prevention framework. That supports the work of a range of partners, including the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, YouthLink Scotland and Medics Against Violence, to prevent young people from engaging in violence.

I also highlight the work of the improving Levenmouth together partnership. Through the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, £30,000 has been awarded to the local trade hub partnership, so that a science, technology, engineering and mathematics bus can now visit all 18 primary schools that feed into Levenmouth academy. Plans are in place for roadshow events led by various partners, including the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and ScotRail, covering issues such as fire-raising and track safety. In addition, the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit is supporting the role of the think equal programme across nurseries in the area with the stop the violence message. Together, those are some great examples of early and effective interventions in Fife that complement the work of the Kingdom Off Road Motorcycle Club in supporting children and young people.

I made it clear earlier that I wanted to focus on commending the positives in the debate. However, that does not mean avoiding concerns about antisocial behaviour, which remains such a core focus of the work of the Kingdom Off Road Motorcycle Club. As I have said previously, we take seriously the impact of antisocial behaviour, including antisocial driving, in our communities, and we have debated that four times in recent months. We are committed to working with local partners to tackle those issues effectively.

Recently, Bob Doris and Alex Cole-Hamilton have highlighted concerns about the reckless and dangerous misuse of a range of vehicles, and nuisance, such as noise. We have had another two comprehensive debates on that specific issue and, understandably, the level of interest in the debate has been high. Mr Cole-Hamilton discussed his concerns about South Queensferry with the First Minister. Along with the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, I hope to meet Mr Cole-Hamilton and Bob Doris to discuss practical considerations of what could be done in the new year with Police Scotland.

The Scottish Government provides funding to a range of voluntary sector bodies that can provide support in relation to family disputes. Support might also be available through the legal aid system.

Delay in child contact proceedings is not in the child’s best interests, and I recognise the negative effect that non-compliance with contact orders can have on a child. If a person believes that an order has not been obeyed, they can go back to the court and ask for it to be varied, or they can ask for the person who did not obey the order to be held in contempt of court.

New case-management rules for family actions in the sheriff court came into effect in September last year, which are intended to help to prevent undue delay in proceedings relating to the welfare of children. I would be very happy to meet Ms Harper to discuss the matter further.

I am definitely happy to consider that, although I would have to speak to Mr Fairlie about it. We are going to have an initial meeting; it was meant to be in December, but after trying to co-ordinate the diaries of all the members involved, Police Scotland and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, it will now be in January. I should also say that we are aware, too, of developments in England, as they might have a wider impact on any reserved matters, and we are ensuring that we are kept involved.

I know that Ben Macpherson has a constituency interest with regard to antisocial behaviour involving off-road vehicles, and he has contributed to many of the debates to highlight the importance of diversion and intervention. Claire Baker also highlighted the dangers of off-road vehicles when she talked about her constituent Shelagh Cooper, who lost her dog, and I know that Bob Doris’s constituent lost his life. Such antisocial behaviour can result in some very tragic circumstances.

I want to conclude on the high note with which David Torrance proposed this debate. The Kingdom Off Road Motorcycle Club has successfully helped to reduce off-road-related antisocial behaviour in Levenmouth by a really impressive 90 per cent, as has been confirmed by local police. It is also really welcome that overall antisocial behaviour in the area has reduced by almost 80 per cent over the period.

The club has achieved that through a remarkably simple approach—by providing a safe space, using private land, and all the associated support required. It is clear that we need to learn from that approach and all that it has achieved. Indeed, I understand that the additional funding that the club has secured will help it to create safe spaces for another 70 young people from Cowdenbeath, Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy.

On that note, I join all members in commending the club’s efforts, and those of similar community groups, in helping to address inequalities and in providing real opportunities and hope in our communities.

We do not have a timescale for that at the moment, because we are still engaging with all the organisations that are involved. It is a work in progress.

Would you like me to set out what the recommendations on the victim contact team were and what it should ultimately look like, even though I do not have a timescale at the moment?