Mr Brown, you talked about the academic exchanges that are taking place, but I want to ask about business and commerce. In the past, there was a reasonable level of exchange going on between apprenticeships in organisations and businesses. Has that completely stopped or are there opportunities to ensure that a sector or a business that is looking to exchange individuals has the opportunity to do so? How is that progressing? It was relatively successful in the past, and I would like to hear your view on where you think it currently is.

Let us look forward to what we want to achieve in your sector, to ensure that there is progress. We have heard about the new relationship that the new UK Government wants to have with the EU: it has been called a “resetting”—words of that nature have been used. Are there areas in which you see some glimmers of hope that there may be progress? Are the discussions still just rhetoric or are there real opportunities for the future?

I am pleased to be able to contribute to this afternoon’s important debate, and I thank Elena Whitham for bringing it to the chamber.

How alcohol use disorders interact with the Scottish justice system is still not very well understood. Elena Whitham’s motion lays out the key statistics, including the fact that nearly two thirds of people in prison have an alcohol use disorder. However, this issue goes beyond mere numbers. Far too much of the current legislation on the problem focuses entirely on alcohol use in prisons. In reality, alcohol use disorders affect individuals who are at all stages of the justice system. That includes during initial police contact, in custody centres and court settings and during liaison and diversion and throughcare.

It is clear that the current approach to alcohol and drug use is not working in prison settings. At His Majesty’s Prison Glenochil in Clackmannanshire in my region, 35 inmates were found to be under the influence of drugs on Christmas day. Although prison staff reportedly seized the articles that were causing the problem, the indication is that the issue is far reaching, so it is only fair that drugs and alcohol be considered when we are dealing with situations in our prisons.

The Scottish Prison Service was forced to introduce a policy to deal with influences on individuals as a result of that incident, but it is only one example of the disruption that can be caused in prisons and to the wider system. The Scottish prison healthcare network previously published guidance on the misuse of drugs in prisons and in custody settings; unfortunately, that guidance is no longer in use, and our prisons are often worse off as result.

As members from across the chamber will agree, further action is needed to tackle the attitude to alcohol in the wider justice system. Today’s motion mentions the solutions that are being created to support individuals who require treatment in the justice system, but it is disappointing that some approaches are not being considered. More guidance might need to be ascertained from the cabinet secretary in that respect, and I look forward to hearing about that in her summing up.

The Scottish Government is in the process of creating a national service specification for alcohol and drugs services, following the publication of UK-wide alcohol treatment guidelines. That could provide an opportunity to ensure that effective standards are in place in the justice system as a whole. I hope that, in summing up, the cabinet secretary will give an update on the Scottish Government’s progress on that, because it is a complex issue that requires bold solutions.

We have heard about the number of individuals—men, in particular—who were drunk during their offending, about the number of women who have suffered as a result of alcohol-related domestic abuse and violence and about the number of individuals in our custody and our systems who are suffering. That should have an impact on what we do.

I hope that, in tackling the issue, the Scottish Government will follow the advice and evidence from other areas on how to manage it. The justice system needs to be equipped to support hard-working staff with the tools that they need to do their job effectively, to support themselves and to support those going through the justice system.

As Carol Mochan mentioned, the number of such deaths is at a 15-year high. Even with minimum unit pricing having been introduced seven years ago, it is clear that we still have an emergency and that individuals are slipping through the net. What do we need to do with regard to treatment and rehabilitation for individuals? The report found that individuals said that they would accept support in custody, but it does not seem to be being provided.

Investment in higher education and business is critical to attracting and retaining the best talent, which is needed to help to deliver economic growth. However, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has reported a large-scale real-terms decrease in the funding that is provided to Scottish universities, and there are real concerns that that investment has not been prioritised. How realistic are plans to establish a stand-alone business school?

Good morning. You have already touched on the situation in which councils find themselves with reserves. Your bulletin talks about a 5 per cent decrease in councils’ total usable reserves. Reserves have been used to balance the books in the past, but was 2023-24 a tipping point in reserve trends for many councils? Are any councils in a concerning situation in which they have low levels of reserves or have exhausted the majority of their reserves? How will they manage to sustain things?

You have touched on councils’ ability to do short-term and medium-term financial planning, but there is an issue with long-term financial planning. You have indicated that about half the councils in Scotland do not have long-term financial planning in place. Not being able to foresee what the future holds must be a problem for them—it is very difficult, but they need a flavour of where things are going. How are you encouraging councils to do long-term planning? What would you like councils to do to ensure that they take on board your concerns and attempt—even if it is just an attempt—to get long-term financial planning in place? That might help if anything problematic comes up, because it could be managed. However, if they do not do that planning, they will not be aware of what could happen in the long term.

My final question is about customer and client receipts. In the bulletin, you talk about them being 12 per cent—£253 million—lower in real terms than they were before the pandemic. Is there a reason why that is the case, or do councils have the opportunity to raise income by putting up some of their charges? Has it got to the stage that charges are getting too high? Is there still some room for that to be managed in a way that would get us back to the pre-pandemic position? Alternatively, is it the case that those days have gone, and the councils feel that they can go only so far, because they know that going further might end up having diminishing returns for them, as putting up charges might, at the end of the day, cost them money rather than bringing in income?

At the same time, councils have to consider what receipts they can deal with and the areas in which they can afford to do so, because that is another income stream that would have a knock-on effect in other areas. It would be good to get a flavour of what you think about those issues.

You have also touched on the amount of debt that councils are managing. In the bulletin, you say that councils’ debt stands at almost £20 billion, which is a 15.8 per cent increase on the level of debt in 2022-23. That is a substantial amount of money and a substantial increase. At what point do the levels of debt become unsustainable for councils to manage? Are there any councils that you think are moving towards having a worrying level of debt that causes even more concerns about their ability to provide best value in the communities that they represent?

You did, convener.

When we are trying to manage this process, we are all about the transformation of best value, good practice and value for money, together with the empowerment and engagement that you have talked about.

When it comes to ring-fenced money, that is sometimes allocated as a one-off or a special offer, and the money does not always get used because it might not fit the criteria of the local authority or area. That money sometimes disappears and is not used, which causes a problem for us in providing best value for money. Communities want to engage and to be empowered, but, at times, there seems to be an obstacle. My reading of the situation is that the obstacle is sometimes ring-fenced funding. Certain funding might not tick all the boxes that councils want, so they might have to use a different avenue or route to receive funding. I have seen that cause frustration in councils.

It would be good to hear your views on how we should resolve that situation, because, if we were able to unlock some funding, there would once again be more opportunities and more finance to use for communities’ priorities.