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There have been a variety of tragic cases in the United Kingdom, recently and stretching back over 25 years—there have been 26 child deaths in that period as well as other cases of serious abuse.
Those discussions will get under way on 26 February, when there will be a meeting of officials in Edinburgh.I will speak briefly about the recent discussions on a cod recovery plan, about which I am pleased that we have at last reached agreement.
We can point to certain indicators, the first of which are the latest census figures. We are starting to see the tail end of a gradual decline moving up.
On the other hand, the average company director retires at 60—if not 55—and takes home a pension that is 26 times that of the average local government worker.
The figures that I gave you are for those entering the profession, without those leaving. The latest vacancy figures that I saw suggest that they have come down slightly, but I can send you the details of how many leave the profession each year.
In certain circumstances, in sensitive cases, even a perception of a conflict of interests can be damaging, and I think that it would have been better to protect the new Lord Advocate from that from the outset.