Chamber and committees

Thank you, convener. What level of involvement do you feel that the trade union movement has in the work of the Scottish Government at a national level? What input do the unions have to the Scottish Government’s public service reform board and local authority transformation programmes? Could they have more input? What would the value of that be?

Good morning to the panel. Councils are generating more income from fees and charges for certain services. Do you feel that councils assess the impact of increased charges on individuals and communities, or is it more the case that charges are put in and that is it?

An example from my local authority is the new charge for the brown bin, as it is known locally, which caused a wee bit of an uproar. Meghan Gallacher will be aware of that, and so will Mark Griffin. That is just one example. There are other examples where more is being charged for leisure services in order to cover costs. How does that fit in with preventative policy approaches? In what ways are councils assessing the impacts on people?

I will come back in on councils looking at what others are doing. That is a great idea and it should be happening. North Lanarkshire Council looks at other councils, as other councils look at it, but that cannot be only about mimicking or bringing in a service because another council has brought in the same service. All the assessments and engagement might have been done in one council area but, if the change is just replicated without the same engagement elsewhere, that is where issues can start. That was just a wee point.

My second question is on the reduction in the use of ring fencing that has happened in the past three years. Councils are telling us that there are still too many restrictions on how they can use their funding allocations. Andrew Burns, what more do you think needs to happen to allow councils to have more autonomy in how they spend their money? Do you have any other ideas?

Yes—it does. I have one final question. We heard at last week’s meeting that the allocation mechanism that is used to distribute Scottish Government funding is not working as well for some smaller local authorities. Will you outline how a new fiscal framework can help to overcome some of those issues for councils that are as small as some of those that we took evidence from last week?

Can you hear me, convener?

I am sorry about that. I think that the problem was that I was pressing the button at the same time as the people behind the scenes.

Good morning. I thank the witnesses for the evidence that they have given so far. My question is a wee bit off topic, because the committee is looking at substance abuse specifically in prisons, but previous witnesses and others who have spoken to us on the subject have almost always emphasised the importance of diverting people away from prison in the first place. As you can imagine, that has been brought up as a crucial aspect of the issue.

I recognise that it is not purely a matter for Police Scotland—many other agencies are involved in that work—but I think that it is the only organisation here today that might be able to answer my questions. Could you give us some information about the role that Police Scotland is playing at that earlier stage, when your officers come into contact with people who use substances? Is there any more that the Parliament or the committee could do to deal with the issue at an earlier stage?

No—I am happy with that answer.

Thanks, convener—can you hear me okay?

That is excellent. Good morning to the witnesses. Almost all of you have mentioned the budget gap that local authorities across Scotland face this year. How does your local authority ensure that communities are involved in decisions about how to address those gaps? Please could you focus in particular on how vulnerable groups are considered when budget decisions are being taken—and particularly when savings need to be made? I am happy for anyone to go first but, as Nikki Bridle finished the previous answers, does she want to go first?

It has been an interesting evidence session.

One of the biggest challenges that came through in our call for views—we have heard this in the Criminal Justice Committee several times—is the availability of and access to housing upon release from prison. That includes people returning to their previous environment and peers. I used to work as a criminal justice social worker before becoming an MSP, and I know that that is a big issue. People who come out of prison are continually going back to the places and people who got them into trouble in the first place.

How can those barriers and challenges be dealt with? Does more need to be done around that issue? If we consider housing specifically, will you talk about the sustainable housing on release for everyone—SHORE—standards and how you believe that they currently work in practice? As Haydn Pasi is nodding, I will come to you first. Do not nod—that is the key thing to remember. [Laughter.]