Chamber and committees

The minister told the committee:

“When we engaged with the police on the instrument, it was not an issue that they raised, but they wanted that offence kept on the list.”—[Official Report, Criminal Justice Committee, 18 February 2026; c 7.]

I will support the SSI, but I should probably return to a point that I raised previously. At our 18 February meeting, I mentioned the possible impacts of raising the fine level. Although I agree with doing so, we must monitor non-payments. The figures that were sent to us show that there were 2,903 non-payments in the previous three years. If we take off the 501 non‑payments that relate to the coronavirus pandemic, that still leaves us with 2,402 non-payments, which shows an increasing trend of fines not being paid. With that increase in mind, I want to ensure that the Government monitors unpaid fines to identify whether the measures have an impact.

I reiterate that, when we come to committee, we rely on the fact that the information that we are given is correct before we recommend that SSIs be approved. I hope that officials reflect on that and ensure that the information that they are passing to Government ministers is correct, so that we are not putting things into legislation that we should not be.

Good morning, minister, and thank you for the opening statement.

You were previously before us on 18 February. As you said, some of the figures in the SSI were incorrect. How, then, did it come to the committee in that form? It had already been considered by the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee before coming to us. Our committee asked its questions; we took what we heard on trust and recommended that the SSI be approved. The next step was for it to go before Parliament for agreement, after which it would have become legislation. Who prepared the SSI, and why were the figures not verified before it went to the DPLR Committee and then to ours?

The increase in the fine was not an issue at committee last week—I think that we all agreed on that. Similarly, adding in the extra offence was not an issue, either. However, there was concern about the process around removing two offences.

Robert Wyllie said that there was engagement with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and Police Scotland, and I think that he mentioned that there was also engagement with economists and the British Transport Police as well. Who was it that asked for the offences to be removed? Again, there were only two years in which the FPNs had not been used, which, in relation to legislation, is quite a short period: we often pass legislation in here that does not even get implemented within two years. Who decided that we were going to remove the offences, and why did nobody question it? You said that “we perceived” that the offences did not need to be included, but who was “we”? You said that you reached out to various people. Did you have any in-person meetings, or did you just send emails?

You told us that Police Scotland did not want the offence of being drunk in charge of a child to be removed from the ASB FPN regime—that is in the Official Report of our meeting on 18 February—so why did you proceed with removing it from that regime through the SSI?

Quite a number of cases involving that offence went to court—I saw that in the updated figures.

Recent reports suggest that retail crime in Scotland has risen sharply, with more than 50,000 shoplifting incidents recorded last year and nearly one in five shoppers witnessing the abuse of retail staff. The £3 million for the retail crime task force has made some impact, but, beyond that, what action will the Scottish Government take to ensure that the funding gap for Police Scotland does not undermine efforts to tackle shoplifting and violence against retail staff?

When I attended the launch of the future roofing programme at Prestwick academy on 27 February, I spoke to the school, industry and young people about the roofing pathway that has been developed over the years, which includes a national 5 creative industries qualification in roof slating. How will the budget support young people from Prestwick academy who have made an informed decision to pursue a career in roofing when they will have to travel for more than four hours per day to undertake the college-based training?

Complaints were received about Skye house for a number of years, but they appear to have been ignored. Last year, I supported a constituent who raised serious concerns about their daughter’s treatment at Skye house, including a lack of supervision and a failure to listen to parents. What specific steps will the Government take to ensure that, when families raise concerns about care at Skye house, their concerns are properly investigated and are not brushed under the carpet?

At the start of this parliamentary session, North Ayrshire recorded 130 cases of people possessing an article with a blade or point in a public setting. The latest figures show that there were still 128 bladed or pointed-article crimes in 2024. With the figures showing little change over recent years, the SNP has failed to get a grip on the problem.

Given the importance of early intervention, what engagement has the Scottish Government had with schools to ensure that young people are being educated about the dangers of carrying knives and to prevent that behaviour before it starts?