Chamber and committees

I am glad you added that in, because I have a case exactly like that in Glasgow right now.

Cabinet secretary, I just want to check that I have understood what you said about what the courts can do. I agree that there should be more encouragement to use the orders, but the Scottish Government policy note says:

“We anticipate that in a given situation the level of financial penalty imposed by the courts is likely to be the same regardless of whether it is a restitution order or another financial penalty such as a fine. The financial impact on the offender and their family, and any resulting impacts, are therefore anticipated to be unchanged as a result of the implementation of restitution orders.”

My reading of that is that, if a court were considering applying a restitution order, that would not necessarily be in addition to a fine, so that would not be a barrier. However, I thought that you said that it can impose both. Did you mean that if it does impose both, the financial penalty should not be higher than it would have been had the court applied only a fine?

If I understand our papers correctly, the anticipated result of the order should be such that the financial impact on the offender would not be greater than it would have been, albeit that a mix is being used. I will just read from the policy note again:

“The financial impact on the offender and their family, and any resulting impacts, are therefore anticipated to be unchanged”.

Does that mean that, even though the courts could impose a fine and a restitution order or a compensation order, there are not three separate figures? In other words, there is potential for the overall amount to be three times as much as it would have been if only a fine been imposed. If that is right, are you saying that the overall amount of the three figures should not be higher? If the courts could do that, and the overall cost to the offender would be higher, that would impact on the ability to collect the fine.

Any information that any of the panel could provide on that would be helpful. We need to know where the system is not working for the purposes of the report.

I will ask about remand prisoners. Around a quarter of prisoners are on remand. Does that need to change? The committee understands the subtle and important difference in how remand prisoners are treated, because they are innocent until proven guilty and they are waiting on a trial. Many of them will be on drugs—although they were not on drugs when they went into prison—and some will not be. There is a combination. Do we need to change anything in relation to how remand prisoners get access to drug treatment?

A mother has written to me because, if her son is released—he might still be remanded but he may be bailed—she knows that there will be a vicious cycle. There is very little chance, or far less chance, of getting a person into recovery because of all those things. I appreciate you giving that example.

It is time to focus on the attitudes of boys to women and girls, as we need to recognise that early intervention is the key to a long-term reduction in violence and domestic abuse. I am sure that the cabinet secretary has at least heard of Gareth Southgate’s intervention lecture, which I thought was very good. In it, Gareth Southgate talked about the “manipulative and toxic influences” that are causing harm to young men. Does the cabinet secretary agree that it is imperative to revise existing school programmes to focus on boys and their attitude to women and girls—complex though that is—to ensure that we have a real chance of reducing violence against women and girls in our society?

The M8 project in Glasgow was due for completion in late 2023. Since 2021, those using the M8 have had constant delays as part of their daily commute, which is impacting on the west of Scotland economy. We know that the project is complex, and I am glad that the cabinet secretary has acknowledged the impact on the public.

However, the works are being advertised as

“to be completed in early 2026”

on the Transport Scotland website. Is the cabinet secretary at all concerned that Transport Scotland wrote to me on 21 May to say that it now cannot confirm that completion date—which is what I think the cabinet secretary is saying today—but that the website still says that the work will be completed in “early 2026”? It is unacceptable that the public, who are putting up with these delays, are not getting up-to-date, accurate information. In fact, as far as I can see, the website is just a showcase for Amey. Will the cabinet secretary tell Parliament and the public what is being done to bring the project in on the timescale that is scheduled, or as soon as possible?

Obviously, that would take into account overtime and anything else.

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the road works on the M8 in Glasgow will be completed by 2026. (S6O-04722)

Suzy Calder, I think, described the different ways that drugs can enter prisons. Do you have a focus on any of those in particular? For example, do you focus on exchanges during visits or on drones?