Chamber and committees

The legitimate and responsible use of fireworks is allowed, so do the other witnesses have comments to make about the level of the fee and ensuring that genuine collective organisations that want to organise events are not priced out of doing so?

I understand. Thank you.

The intention behind the licensing scheme is to reduce the inconsiderate use and misuse of fireworks. Have you had the opportunity to look at the proposed licensing scheme? Is it, as presented, likely to achieve its outcome? Are you concerned that individuals who are intent on misusing fireworks will just ignore the scheme and carry on?

Perhaps Lorraine Gillies would like to respond first.

I associate myself with the procedure points that have been made. In relation to the substantive issues, we took evidence on political oversight from the cabinet secretary, and it is important that we put on record that we expect a high level of oversight both by ministers and by the Scottish Prison Service. Obviously, the instrument has given, and is giving, governors significant powers, and it is important that those powers are used with consistency and that they are proportionate and necessary. It would be helpful if the committee could put on record the importance of political oversight—particularly the role of politicians in ensuring that the decisions that they make are consistent and proportionate. I include the committee in that. Picking up on the point that Collette Stevenson made, I suggest that the committee should be kept regularly advised of the decisions that are taken so that we, too, are able to give that political oversight.

Perhaps it is about the kind of groups that are being asked to pay the fee.

I have a question for Mr Hamilton, who has already commented on the fee and has rightly pointed out that fireworks are not being completely banned.

Does you agree that the fee—and the level of the fee—could be seen as pricing the majority of firework users out of using and enjoying fireworks responsibly?

Will the cabinet secretary explain why Scotland has the highest proportion of prisoners and people on remand in western Europe?

I asked the cabinet secretary earlier this afternoon why he thought it was that Scotland continues to have the highest rate of people in prison in Europe, and also the highest rate of people on remand. A survey showed that almost half of prisoners—about 45 per cent—reported being under the influence of drugs at the time of their offence. How do we ensure that we make the kind of systematic changes that are needed to address this issue? How does he think the Parliament should hold the Government to account on the issue? Does he think that we need to have targets? Does he have a plan for how we are going to make the system change?

All in this chamber know the statistics that say that Scotland has by far the highest drug death rates recorded anywhere in Europe, and that last year there was a record number of deaths for the seventh year in a row. The number of drug-related deaths is now almost three times higher than it was a decade ago, but we discuss the problem as if it is new.

We have been here before. Damning reports are published, strategies are announced, working groups are established and recommendations are made. As Alex Cole-Hamilton said, the problem is implementation.

The cabinet secretary is correct to say that a trauma-informed and person-centred approach is not a soft option and that individuals must be treated with respect. As Claire Baker, Maggie Chapman and many others have said, we need a public health approach.

It is right that we question why Scotland has the highest drug death rate in Europe. It is clear that tackling substance use will require policies that address poverty, deprivation and Scotland’s wider health inequalities, which Carol Mochan spoke about. As Elena Whitham said, we know that people with serious drug addictions often also have mental health issues. More often than not, they have also experienced trauma. Many of them have faced grinding poverty and the knock-on effects of a lack of hope or aspiration for a decent future. Scotland has almost 60,000 people with a drug problem, and every person with a drug problem has many friends and relatives who are also affected by that drug use.

We need to listen to what the experts are saying. Many members have highlighted the action that needs to be taken. Audrey Nicoll spoke about the work of the Criminal Justice Committee and the need for alternatives to custody. Annie Wells spoke about the importance of access to rehabilitation. We simply do not have enough people in treatment. Scotland has only about 40 per cent of people in treatment at any one time, whereas the figure in England, for example, is 60 per cent.

There is a clear link between drug taking and committing offences. In the past 10 years, the percentage of people testing positive for illegal drugs on entering prison has ranged between 70 and 78 per cent. As Michael Marra discussed, new psychoactive substances have become an increasing problem, and many believe that they are now dominant in prisons. We know that drug use continues to be a significant problem in prisons. The latest drugs survey, which Michael Marra also referred to, identified that about two fifths of people had used illicit drugs in prison at some point.

As a number of speakers highlighted, there is a lack of support in prison. Prisoners need support to come off drugs—support that must continue when they are released, as Stuart McMillan said. Back in April 2020, the Drug Deaths Taskforce recommended that there should be

“adequate throughcare provision ... available to prisoners on liberation”.

We all accept that those who leave prison and are relocated in communities are not receiving throughcare in the numbers required. It is important to address not only the risk of death from overdose in prison but the risks in the months after prisoners leave custody.

We know that we face major challenges that will only be addressed with policies that are underpinned by sufficient investment. We also know that prison is more expensive than the alternatives to custody, but Scotland continues to send the highest number of people to prison in western Europe.

I believe that the Scottish Government has many of its policies in this area in the right place, but that it simply has not been implementing those policies. It has the support of Scottish Labour to implement them. If the disconnect between what is said in the chamber and what actually happens in reality in the justice system was addressed, that would make a massive difference to thousands of people in the prison system and to many more in communities up and down Scotland.

You have not actually asked professionals to do that yet.