Chamber and committees

The Children (Scotland) Bill, formerly referred to as the Family Law Bill, was introduced on 2 September 2019.

The Family Justice Modernisation Strategy was published on 3 September 2019. This will set out work that is ongoing by Scottish Government and others; work that can be done via secondary legislation or by improved guidance; areas covered by the Bill; and areas that are for longer term work.

The Scottish Government is in regular contact with Police Scotland and a range of issues are discussed.

We are protecting Police Scotland’s revenue budget during this Parliament to deliver a £100 million boost by 2021 and total Scottish Government funding for the SPA in 2019-20 is increasing by £42.3 million meaning the annual policing budget is now over £1.2 billion. We also continue to press the UK Government for a refund of the £125 million paid by Police Scotland in VAT between 2013 and 2018 – money that could be used to support transformation.

The precise allocation of resources is a matter for the Chief Constable, but Police Scotland has specialised Offender Management Units within each of its 13 territorial divisions. Currently they have access to 49 dedicated vehicles which allow them to undertake their operational duties and manage offenders.

It is not solely the responsibility of a police unit to protect the public. In Scotland, MAPPA – our Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements – brings together the Police, Local Authorities and other agencies, in partnership as the Responsible Authorities, to assess and manage the risk posed for certain categories of offender.

Police Scotland has been subject of a joint HMICS and Care Inspectorate Thematic Review of MAPPA in Scotland, which was published in 2015 and a 2017 progress report by HMICS acknowledged the progress made against the 10 recommendations in the original report.

For individuals who have joined the Victim Notification Scheme, and have expressed a desire to make representations in relation to licence conditions under section 17 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003, Scottish Prison Service will write to seek their representations no less than two weeks before any decision will be taken on release. This includes prisoners who are: on Home Detention Curfew; on temporary release (but only on the first occasion that the prisoner is considered); or being considered for release by the Parole Board for Scotland.

We have established the Victims Taskforce to improve the experiences of victims of crime as they interact with the justice system We have also committed to improving the support and information available to victims and their families in relation to temporary prison release arrangements.

Victims are informed that it is the role of the Scottish Prison Service to ensure that the sentence is served in accordance with the law, to challenge the factors that lead to the offending in the first place and to help individuals prepare for their return to the community better prepared to live a life free of offending should they wish to do so. This includes improving their work prospects by teaching new skills, providing education and work opportunities as well as ensuring that the necessary systems are in place to support the individual as well as manage any risks. However, if a representation (by individuals who have joined the Victim Notification Scheme) contains information which is relevant to risk this may prevent a prisoner from being temporarily released.

The Scottish Government consults regularly on the modernisation of civil law, often as a consequence of the law reform work carried out by the Scottish Law Commission in this area.

By way of example in the past year we have or are consulting on: Judicial Factors (August 2019); the law of Succession (May 2019); Defamation in Scots Law (April 2019); Success Fee Arrangements in Scotland (January 2019); The future of civil partnerships in Scotland (December 2018); and Review of Part 1 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 and creation of family justice modernisation strategy (September 2018).

This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Information regarding clinical equipment should be directed to individual NHS Boards.

In the Programme for Government 2018-19, the Scottish Government committed to taking steps to allow animals taken into the protection of the Scottish SPCA or local authorities to be rehomed much more quickly and efficiently than at present.

A public consultation was run between 1 February 2019 and 26 April 2019 on a number of proposed amendments to the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, including proposals to speed up the process for making permanent arrangements for seized animals. The analysis of responses to this consultation was published on 17 July 2019.

We expect to announce shortly our plans to take forward legislation to increase the penalties for cruelty offences and to allow animals seized to protect their welfare to be quickly rehomed.

I have not visited the site in question, nor met with any representatives from the Newtonhill community to discuss the appeal at Park Place, Newtonhill (Case ref no. PPA-110-2372). The appeal in question was a delegated appeal and therefore Ministers played no part in the decision making process. Ministers become directly involved in only a very small minority of cases. This is in line with Ministers' proportionate approach in the handling of planning matters. It would not be appropriate to discuss the merits of an appeal either during the course of that appeal or after the decision has been made. The decision of a reporter is final subject to review by the Court of Session. The appeal in question remains subject to challenge until 24 September 2019.

The Scottish Government proactively publishes Ministerial engagement data on the Scottish Government website and may be accessed using the URL https://beta.gov.scot/publications/?term=Ministerial&publicationTypes=transparency_data .

Transport Scotland meets regularly with North-East of Scotland Transport Partnership (NESTRANS) who represent the views of the local communities, local authorities and other key regional stakeholders.

In the first instance, promoters of new schemes should discuss their proposals with the relevant Regional Transport Partnership who consider the proposal and determine whether it fits with regional transport priorities.

NESTRANS were successful in the latest round of the Local Rail Development Fund (LRDF) and will be taking forward an appraisal in respect of cross-Aberdeen rail travel which includes consideration of new stations South of Aberdeen, including Cove.

The procurement process for Montrose is now complete, and the formal papers are due for submission for funding agreement with Transport Scotland week beginning 26 August.

Works are due to commence in the Autumn, with a 12 week delivery programme leading to completion of the works by early 2020.