To come back to Paula Arnold on the governor’s veto, in what kinds of circumstance do governors use their veto? It is obviously for prisoners who they feel will be a danger. However, the people who are being released are on a maximum four-year sentence. By the time that they are released, they will get out early by probably a maximum of five months. Under what circumstances would they get a veto? I would have thought that they would have been near the process of being released at the end of their sentence—would they automatically be released, or are there occasions on which you would keep somebody in prison because you do not think that they are ready to get back out?

How long have the body scanners been in use for?

So those teams are not based in a specific prison—they are used for the whole prison estate.

Would you support the use of electronic monitoring? I gather that you do not think that that is necessary for people who are released from prison early at the moment.

In October 2023, the then First Minister pledged to double arts spending during the period of Creative Scotland’s next funding programme, but we are now faced with a stark reality. Creative Scotland has received bids that are worth £87.5 million for its multiyear funding programme, yet only £40 million is available, which is a significant shortfall. The shortfall puts many of Scotland’s theatres, music venues and festivals at risk, and it could lead to Creative Scotland rejecting 55 per cent of applications. At the same time, the body has been criticised for giving funding to an explicit show. That has received significant backlash and has inevitably lowered public confidence. Will the cabinet secretary outline whether the Scottish Government will take any action to ensure that funding is given to projects that are deemed appropriate?

Natalie Beal, the governor of HMP Glenochil, has said that it is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with prisoners in their 60s and 70s. In 2018, the Scottish Prison Service spent £636,000 on prisoner social care, but that had trebled to £2.1 million by 2022. Given the growing population in Scottish prisons, what action is the Scottish Government taking to deal with the increasingly complex needs of the prison population?

To ask the Scottish Government whether Creative Scotland’s funding will be increased during the next financial year. (S6O-03523)

As my colleagues have said, the Scottish Conservatives welcome this long-overdue legislation and its expedited process, and we support mass exoneration of the Scottish victims of this appalling scandal. It is right that we act quickly to correct as best we can this shameful episode in the Post Office’s history.

Contributions from many members across the chamber reflected the real strength of feeling and the raw emotions that the situation has provoked. However, I do not think that we will ever be able to feel and appreciate the pain and injustice that Post Office workers have suffered.

Russell Findlay made a strong speech on how tragic the whole affair has been and on the terrible consequences that it has had for many people and their families. We can never really reflect how hard it has been for Post Office workers, who are often the most upstanding members of the community, to have their reputation destroyed for no good reason. That is why, as Alex Cole-Hamilton said, it is vital that the legislation be implemented as soon as possible. The bill might not be perfect, but it is workable and it will deliver the resolution that Post Office workers deserve.

I note the concerns of many legal experts that the bill could set a precedent and that it represents interference in the judicial system. Although it is right that we acknowledge those concerns, we believe that the bill takes the right approach. These are exceptional circumstances, and they deserve an extraordinary response.

I welcome the changed approach that has been taken in section 1, which means that convictions that have already been reconsidered by the High Court will not be excluded from exoneration under the bill. My party also supports the approach in section 5, which deals with alternatives to prosecution. It is only right that everyone who received any warning or fiscal fine in relation to the scandal receives exoneration.

I will pick up on points made by Russell Findlay, Audrey Nicoll, Katy Clark and Michael Marra about the SNP Government’s approach to the process. We must all admit that more could have been done and that action could have been taken sooner by all involved, but we must reflect on why the SNP Government in Scotland did not act more quickly to resolve the issue. Throughout the past few months, the SNP has tried to deflect blame and responsibility instead of focusing solely on what can be done to help the situation. [Interruption.]

Those shouting at the back were not here for the whole debate, so they do not know what was said. As the cabinet secretary said, today shows what we can do when we work together, united in a shared commitment.

The scandal has, once again, thrown up in lights the role of the Crown Office in Scotland and the need for reform. As Jamie Greene said, in Scotland, the Crown Office was responsible for prosecutions, and it appears to have taken very questionable and downright dubious decisions long after it became aware of issues with the Horizon system. There has still been no real accountability for those failings, and further investigation is undoubtedly required so that we can uncover how and why those prosecutions happened as they did.

Martin Whitfield was right to highlight the Post Office itself. Earlier this month, we found out that the Post Office, which is inevitably at the centre of this scandal, has been stripped of its status as a specialist reporting agency. That certainly cannot right the wrongs that it has caused, but it might come as a small comfort to those who have suffered due to the scandal.

I thank the cabinet secretary for working with us to improve our amendment 22 at stage 2 and bring back a similar amendment at stage 3.

The bill is necessary to give Post Office workers who did nothing wrong the exoneration that they have deserved for many years. Although the bill cannot reverse time, it will give victims of this scandal some small measure of justice for what they went through. Scottish ministers now have a duty to quickly identify the relevant convictions and to inform the victims as swiftly as possible. I expect that to be a top priority for them, as it must be. I hope that we all learn the lessons of this scandal, so that a similar situation is never allowed to happen again.

Are you surprised that the PIRC has not sent any policies to HMICS to review?