- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 24 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government on what dates the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs has met the (a) chief executive of the Scottish Prisons Service, (b) chief Social Work Advisor, (c) chief executive of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service and (d) Lord President of the Court of Session since 29 March 2023, and what subjects were discussed.
Answer
I have met the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prisons Service, the Chief Social Work Advisor, Chief Executive of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service and Lord President of the Court of Session on a number of occasions since 29 March 2023.
Information is set out in the following tables on meetings with each individual and a small number of ad hoc additional meetings.
Meetings with Chief Executive the Scottish Prison Service
Date of Meeting | Subjects discussed (Agenda) |
5 April, 2023 | - Introductions
- Transgender Prisoners and Policy Review
- Deaths in custody review
- Private sector contracts
- Capital and revenue budgets
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20 April, 2023 | - Update from SPS on key issues:
- HMP Addiewell inspection
- Transgender Prisoners and Policy Review
- Criminal Justice Committee Appearance - Children’s care and Justice Bill
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29 June, 2023 | - Update from SPS on key issues:
- HMP Perth – cell sizes/capacity issue
- HMP Addiewell inspection update
- Transgender Prisoners and Policy Review
- Reflections on Stirling opening and update on Community Custody Units
- Prison Population
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31 August, 2023 | - Prison population – SPS planning to date
- GEOAmey
- Transgender Prisoners and Policy Review
- Detain in Errors
- Addiewell healthcare
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26 October, 2023 | - Prison Population
- Transgender Review
- GEOAmey
- Operational Update
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16 November, 2023 | - Prison Population
- Pay Offer – Next steps and engagement
- Transgender Prisoners and Policy Review
- Operational Update
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7 December 2023 | |
21 December 2023 | - Prison Population
- Pay
- GEOAmey
- Operational Update
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17 January 2024 | - Prison Population
- Pay
- FAIs and Deaths in Prisons
- Operational Update
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22 February 2024 | - Operational Update
- Capital projects
- Deaths in prisons and FAIs
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6 March 2024 | - Prison population/optimisation of prison estate
- FAI Determination follow up
- Early release
- HMP Glasgow/Highland
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14 March 2024 | - Operational Update
- Capital projects
- Kilmarnock transition
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25 April, 2024 | - Operational Update
- Public Audit Committee session (2nd May)
- Capital projects
- Deaths in custody
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3 May 2024 | - Follow up from Public Audit Committee with Chief Executive and Director General Education and Justice
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10 June 2024 | - Pre meet prior to Criminal Justice Committee
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27 June, 2024 | - Prison Population
- HMIPS thematic review of prisoner progression
- Body searching in women’s estate
- Extradition
- Operational Update - HMP YOI Stirling noise
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15 August, 2024 | - Prison Population
- Moving children out of HMP Polmont
- National Preventive Mechanism & Scottish Human Rights Commission report on prisons
- Operational Update
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20 August 2024 | - Update from Cab Sec visit to SPS College at Polmont
- Status of recent FAIs
- Impact of the aging prison population
- Development of a ligature toolkit
- Complex conditions within prison population
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27 August 2024 | |
12 September 2024 | |
18 September 2024 | - Prison population
- Children’s move from HMP Polmont to secure care
- HMP Kilmarnock
- Prison Estate – HMP Glasgow
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7 November 2024 | - Prison population
- Staffing – HMP Greenock
- Pre-Budget Scrutiny evidence session
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12 December 2024 | - Prison population
- Emergency Prisoners (Early Release) Bill
- Budget 2025-26
- HMP Glasgow
- FAIs
- Ligature Point Review
- Foreign National Offenders - Extradition Requests
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16 January 2025 | |
30 January 2025 | - Prison population
- Drone activity and impact
- FAI Determination
- HMP Glasgow / HMP Highland
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6 March 2025 | - Prison population/optimisation of prison estate
- FAI Determination follow up
- Early release
- HMP Glasgow/Highland
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Meetings with Chief Social Work Advisor
Date of Meeting | Subjects discussed (Agenda) |
27 April 2023 | - Office of the Chief Social Work Adviser’s responsibilities
- Issues facing the social work workforce
- Proposed National Social Work Agency (NSWA)
- Working across ministerial portfolios
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8 June 2023 | - NSWA
- Social work education options,
- Social work leadership within the current integrated context.
- Supported year for newly qualified social workers
- Negative perception of social workers.
- Relationships with other social work stakeholders.
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26 June 2023 | - Update on the COSLA concession discussions
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24 August 2023 | - Update on research and stakeholder engagement
- Increased demand and expectations on justice social work services
- Funding for justice social work
- Recruitment and retention
- Workforce development and resource issues
- Interaction between JSW and NCS
- Strengthening justice social work
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31 August 2023 | - Presentation on the NSWA
- Discussion on the NSWA
- Reporting to the NCS National Board.
- Pay discrepancies in social work
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9 November 2023 | - Background around current system on public protection
- How to work together across Scottish Government
- National roles and responsibilities
- How ministers can help support improvement
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21 March 2024 | - National Social Work Agency
- Possible NCS Stage 2 Amendments to the NCS Bill
- Public protection
- Prison Social Work – update from recent meeting
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5 June 2024 | - Update on the NSWA/NCS Bill – potential stage 2 amendments
- Public Protection - National Public Protection Leadership group
- Update on Social Work Education and Scottish Social Services Council.
- Update on Trauma Responsive Social Work Service Programme
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18 June 2024 | - Discussion of proposed Stage 2 amendment to the National Care Service (Scotland).
- Agreed that the SG would put forward a stage 2 amendment for the CSWA role
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6 November 2024 | - Establishment of the National Public Protection Leadership Group (NPPLG)
- Update on discussion at the NPPLG and on the Chief Officers’ Public Protection leadership event
- Intersectionality in public protection work
- Chronologies
- Online harm
- The relationship between the NPPLG and the Scottish government
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13 November 2024 | - NSWA update
- Vision for social work with sector partners
- Social work education update
- Updates on Trauma Responsive Social Work Service Programme (TRSWS)
- Public Protection: update on the National Public Protection Leadership Group
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29 January 2025 | - NSWA Update
- National Social Work Partnership
- The role of the National Chief Social Work Adviser in statute
- Social work education
- Trauma Responsive Social Work Service Programme (TRSWS) update
- Public Protection – the work of the NPPLG.
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5 March 2025 | - NSWA/NCS Bill – potential stage 2 amendments
- Public Protection - National Public Protection Leadership group
- Update on Social Work Education and Scottish Social Services Council
- Update on Trauma Responsive Social Work Service Programme
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6 March 2025 | - Data around children and young people accommodated in secure care.
- Capacity challenges in secure care.
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Meetings with Chief Executive of Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service
Date of meeting | Subjects discussed (Agenda) |
24May 2023 | - Provision of court transcripts
- Court recovery programme / Audit Scotland report on backlogs
- Pilot of virtual summary domestic abuse trials
- Failure to appear
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15 June 2023 | - New model of virtual trials for summary domestic abuse cases
- Sheriff Principal Pyle attended
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13 September 2023 | - Court recovery / GEOAmey
- SCTS staff pay award
- Funding
- Legislation: Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill, and SSI extending temporary justice measures in Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Act 2022
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14 November 2023 | - Court recovery programme
- Trauma Informed Domestic Abuse Model
- GEOAmey
- 2024-25 Budget
- Court Transcripts pilot
- Floating trials
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29 May 2024 | - Court backlogs / Criminal court recovery
- Prison population
- Court transcripts pilot
- Pre-recorded evidence/Evidence by Commission suites
- Enabling jury service for jurors with communication needs
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25 September 2024 | - Prison population
- Criminal court modelling
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12 December 2024 | - 2025-26 Budget Planning
- Criminal Court Modelling
- Justice System Reform
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27February 2025 | - 2025-26 Budget
- Public Sector Reform Bids
- Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill
- ICT system for the Office Public Guardian
- Summary Case Management
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Meetings with Lord President, Court of session
Date of meeting | Subjects discussed (Agenda) |
26 April 2023 | - Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill
- United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
- Legal Services Regulation
- Court Recovery
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25 October 2023 | - Regulation of Legal Services Bill
- Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill
- Prison Population
- GEOAmey
- Court Recovery Programme
- Budget Position 2024-25
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22 February 2024 | - Prison Population
- Airdrie Sheriff Court
- Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill
- Horizon Scanning: Human Rights Bill
- Court Transcripts Pilot Update
- Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill
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18 September 2024 | - Prison Population
- Justice System Efficiencies
- Criminal Court modelling
- Budget Planning/Office of Public Guardian IT system
- Legislative Programme Update
- Preparedness for any anti-immigration riots in Scotland
- Consultation on media reporting on child homicide victims
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4 December 2024 | - Signing of the SCTS Framework document
- 2025-26 Budget Planning
- Criminal Court Modelling
- Justice System Reform
- Victims & Witnesses Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill
- Transcripts Pilot
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