Chamber and committees

Would anyone else like to come in before we move on?

That is nice and succinct.

Before I bring in Rona Mackay, I would like to let members and witnesses know that I can extend the session. We are covering a lot of important ground, and I am keen that as many questions and responses as possible can be heard. On that basis, assuming that our witnesses are able to stay a little bit longer if required, I will extend the session. If need be, we will reschedule our final agenda item to just after Easter recess. I take it that that is acceptable.

I was just going to bring in Wendy Sinclair-Gieben on the previous question.

Thank you.

I will come to Linda Allan. The committee is aware of the traumatic experience that you have had with the criminal justice system, Linda. Are you able to articulate that experience to committee members and say how it has brought you to the work that you are undertaking now?

A very good morning, and welcome to the 10th meeting of the Criminal Justice Committee in 2023. There are no apologies this morning.

Our first item of business is a decision on whether to take items 3 and 4 on today’s agenda in private. Do members agree to take those items in private?

Members indicated agreement.

One priority of the Covid recovery strategy is financial security for low-income households, but recent Department for Work and Pensions figures reveal that poverty has risen in the UK, with the number of people on a relative low income having increased by 1 million, from 13.4 million in March 2021 to 14.4 million a year later. What assessment has the Scottish Government made of the impact of the continued obsession with Brexit of the Tory Government and Labour Party on its ability to deliver on the strategy’s priorities?

I thank Liam Kerr for securing the debate on court maintenance backlogs. For the record, although I am convener of the Criminal Justice Committee, I am not speaking in that capacity, but I will refer to some aspects of the committee’s work.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many public services were reduced or halted, but our court staff and staff in the wider criminal justice system continued to deliver functioning court and other services under the most challenging circumstances.

As a north-east constituency MSP, I know that that commitment was evident in courts in Grampian and the Highlands and Islands.

The pandemic created an opportunity to introduce new ways of working using technology to support remote jury centres and virtual trials, which were introduced at short notice and are, for the most part, working well.

The introduction of technology and other adaptations was set against the backdrop of a courts estate that comprises a broad range of assets from the comparatively new Glasgow sheriff court to the Court of Session here in Edinburgh.

Scotland has a long tradition of justice often being delivered in buildings of historical significance that perhaps reflect the solemnity of the proceedings taking place within them and are considered part and parcel of our criminal justice system. However, there is no escaping the fact that that comes at a significant cost in terms of adaptations, maintenance, heating, repairs and so on—I know that the maintenance backlog is the focus of Mr Kerr’s motion. As we know, the prioritisation of court buildings maintenance work is an operational matter for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, with—not unusually—capital works undertaken on a priority basis. I also note that it is also the case that what is spent south of the border on justice has a direct consequence for what is available here in Scotland.

I note that the motion refers to the disruption caused to court business due to maintenance work. Specifically, it says that

“repairs to Scotland’s courts often require closures which can add to the already large number of outstanding criminal trials”.

I recognise the point that the member is making, but I would be interested to know more about that claim, as it is not one that I am particularly aware of, and I do not recall it being raised previously, either with local SCTS colleagues in the north-east, or, indeed, in the Criminal Justice Committee. Maintenance is inevitable in the function of any public building and, given the proficiency with which court staff already manage court business, I am confident that disruption to court business is kept to an absolute minimum.

I welcome the efforts that are being made to tackle the backlog of cases, but, as Mr Kerr said, there is much more to do. At the time of its most recent pre-budget report, the Criminal Justice Committee highlighted that the Scottish Government should find extra resources in its budget to provide a better settlement for organisations in the criminal justice sector than that proposed in the resource spending review.

In his evidence to the committee, the chief executive of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service highlighted the progress that has been made over the past two to three years to tackle the backlog of cases, but also highlighted the impact on that progress if additional budget is not forthcoming. I am pleased that, despite the difficult financial climate for public spending, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice was able to find additional and much-needed funding for the system.

I welcome this debate highlighting the issue of maintenance backlogs in our courts and thank Liam Kerr for bringing it to the chamber this afternoon.

Will the member take an intervention?

To ask the Scottish Government what impact it anticipates that the increase in inflation to 10.4 per cent will have on the delivery of the priority outcomes set out in the Covid recovery strategy. (S6O-02064)